The sun stood already high in the sky when the three men left the camp heading to town.
"So, you're both comin' with me to see the Sheriff?" Jack asked.
"Nope," Kid Curry replied. "I'm takin' position early to be on the safe side. Never know what could happen."
"You sure?"
"Yes, I am." Curry's eyes shifted to his partner. "I'll be there in case you need me."
"Yeah, I know." Heyes held his gaze for a moment, transmitting an unspoken message.
Kid Curry nodded at him and set off to the left.
Heyes and Jack sauntered down the main street until they reached the Sheriff's office. Heyes knocked briskly and pushed the door open. "Morning. Sheriff Masterson?"
The man behind the desk looked up and nodded. He was in his fifties, his dark hair greying. His clear eyes, weathered face and square chin gave him an air of self-confidence and reliability. "Morning, gents. How can I help you?"
Jack took off his hat and advanced into the room while Heyes stood back between the door and bulletin board. "I've come askin' your help, Sheriff. I met someone in town yesterday. Felon on the run. I'd like to turn him in, but it's too risky to do it on my own. He's likely to cause trouble and already threatenin' my employer and her son."
"Dang, and I just lost my deputy."
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Jack lowered his eyes.
The older man laughed. "Oh no, don't be. It's not like that. I lost him to a brown-eyed girl and her pa's ranch. There's just not been enough time to find a replacement yet. What's your name, son?"
"I answer to Jack, sir."
"Alright, Jack. How dangerous a man are we talking about?"
"Pretty dangerous. Desperate. It's all or nothin' for him."
"Hm." Sheriff Masterson rubbed his chin. "Do I know the man?"
"Do you know any of the guys on that wall?" Vaguely Jack indicated the bulletin board decorated with warrants behind him. The wanted poster for one Louis Bellmont Racine stood out in a prominent place, overlapping two rather worn-out warrants on Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. His eyes lingered for a moment at the posters of the boys, focused on the reward money printed in bold letters.
"Nope. Never seen any of them."
Jack's eyes grazed Heyes as he turned to face the sheriff again. "Then I very much doubt it. It's Lou Racine."
"Well, you'd be entitled to get the reward on him. That is if you have proof of who he is."
"No, but I've known him for a while. I rode with him in the past. Did my share of wrong, but paid my dues. And there's somebody who can confirm who he is, too." Jack threw a sideways glance to Heyes.
The Sheriff followed his look. "I suppose that would be you. And you are?"
"…here to help you out." Heyes showed his best winning smile, stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "Joshua Smith, I'm working with Lom Trevors, sheriff in Porterville."
"Porterville, Wyoming? You're far away from home!"
"Yes, I met Jack by coincidence. He told me about this man. I know the guy from back when he was still relieving people of their well-earned possessions. He needs to be put away again, the sooner the better. I can identify him, if necessary. He's likely to try everything to get away; he's not to be underestimated."
"I don't know either of you, and two men can lie as easily as one." The lawman's eyes bore into Heyes' eyes.
Self-confidently, Heyes offered, "You can check up on me if you send a telegraph to Sheriff Trevors. And we can prove who the criminal is in getting a confession from him."
Sheriff Masterson nodded. "Well, that'd be a sure thing."
"We can set him up since Jack here knows where he's going to be at noontime. If you'd hide near to the doctor's office in a side alley, you can hear for yourself what they've got to say. Then I'll take cover, too, and Jack will go out on the street and talk to our man."
"Sounds like a plan to me. Would you take the risk, Jack; face the man and get the confession?"
Jack nodded curtly. "That's why I'm here. I'm goin' to help you find out who's who. But first, I need to see that Missus Brock and her kid are safe."
Sheriff Masterson smiled briefly. "Alright, we'll see. We can move them to a safe place before you meet your man. Does she know anyone here in town?"
"We're only passin' through, but she told me she met the wife of the general store owner, Beth?"
"Ah, I see." The sheriff nodded. "Beth and Brad Billings are good people. They'll help us out. There's plenty of room to hide out in the back of their store."
Jack beamed a brief smile of relief. "That's good. Good."
"You should see them there yourself," Heyes threw in. "They are going to be scared and there's no way one of us will be able to explain to them why you wouldn't be there."
"But I'll be late!" the young man contradicted.
"No, you won't." Heyes patted his shoulder. "You'll be exactly where you need to be to make things work."
-o-o-o-
On top of a roof, Kid Curry was lying in wait. The rifle rested on the low border fencing it in. He scanned the street, tracing the coming and going of folks as they went about their business. Miners coming to town to stock up on their supplies, mothers with their children walking down the street, pausing to greet friends and neighbors, a couple of trail-worn tramps riding down the main street heading straight for the saloon. Nothing out of the ordinary.
The sun had almost reached the zenith when one man caught his attention: tall, heavy built, long dark-hair and beard, his hat sitting low over his eyes. He avoided the open street and made his way to a small alley across from the Kid's vantage point. The stranger retreated into the sparse shadows and panned the street, dividing his attention between the sheriff's office and the doctor's place.
"Well, if that isn't our man," Kid Curry murmured. "Welcome to Hancock, Racine." Casually he trained his weapon on him.
-o-o-o-
Heyes sneaked out a back door and laid low in a side alley. He lifted his head and scanned the surrounding roofs, seeking eye-contact with his partner. They exchanged a brief nod, then the blond indicated to him the dark stranger about to leave his hiding place. Heyes examined the man and then gave Kid Curry a thumbs up.
Just as Racine started across the street, Jack pushed through the front door of the general store almost stumbling over his feet. Desperately, his eyes panned the street, and stopped when they met the dark-haired man heading for the doctor's office.
"Lou! Wait!" Jack called out and darted down the street on an interception course. "Hold it!"
Curiously, people stopped and turned their heads, trying to figure out what the noise was about.
Jack skidded to a halt in front of Racine in a cloud of dust and thrust out his hand. "Wait!"
"You're late!" growled Racine. "I thought you'd hightailed it. I was about to meet that friend of yours."
The blond was trying to catch his breath and hissed. "Keep your voice down, Lou. You want everyone to know?" He looked up and down the street, then indicated a stack of crates and barrels sitting beside the woodworker store. "Let's talk over there and get some privacy."
The older men followed him. "Alright. Here we are. So, what about my money?"
"Dang, Lou, give it a break. That can't be the only reason why you broke out of prison."
"Who would stay in prison when they can walk free and live the good life instead? So, where the heck's my money?"
"I didn't get it."
"And you dare telling me like that? You think I'm dumb? You think I'm scared of you?" Like a recoiling snake Racine snatched Jack's gun out of his holster and threw it behind the crates. "You remember what I told you? It's because of you that your little lady and her boy are going to die."
"They won't. They're not alone. They're safe!"
"Do you think I mind? I'm going to kill anybody who gets in my way and not ask their names."
"Just like you killed the prison guards? Or that poor widow you killed for a dang horse?"
"Yeah, just like that!" Racine snapped his fingers. "But not that fast. I want you to hear what happens before I come back and kill you, too. Maybe I'll make you watch, just like your father did back then, when they came get you and your mother."
A painful smile crossed Jack's face. "Yeah, I guess you'd like that, but that's not goin' to happen, Racine."
"Why? What's going to stop me?"
"I will!" the sheriff exclaimed and stood up behind one of the barrels. Slowly he stepped out on the street, his gun in hand. "Louis Racine, you're under arrest!"
But Racine was faster. Before the Sheriff's gun was levelled, Racine spun around already aiming his gun at him. The lawman froze with a staggered look on his face. Racine's grin went wider.
"Hold it!" Jack called out, the hidden gun almost jumping into his hand. He sidestepped in front of the sheriff.
"Traitor!" Racine hissed, his gun still aimed. He turned his head slightly toward the sheriff, but never took his eyes off Jack. "Don't move! Drop your hardware, all nice and easy. Or I'll shoot everyone in sight!"
Suddenly all hell broke loose. Townspeople ran for cover when they saw the imminent gunplay. Children started screaming and mothers called for their kids.
On top of his roof, Kid Curry muttered under his breath, "There's one of those variables, Heyes." He shifted twice but couldn't get a clear line of fire.
The sheriff hesitated, but then obeyed. He laid down his gun in slow motion and kicked it away.
Neither Racine nor Jack paid any attention to him as they stared each other down.
Seething with anger, Racine called out his challenge. "C'mon, shoot me, you lily-livered skunk! You've done that before!"
"I had no choice back then and you know it," Jack replied, his voice absolutely calm.
"You were a coward back then, and you're a coward now. Another man's life means nothing if he can't protect it!"
"Easy as that, huh? Yeah, I know, killin' comes easy to you, Racine, but that's not how it's meant to be. I know what it means. I know what it does. Been there, done that; served my sentence." Jack slightly shifted his weight, gaining an advanced position. "Carryin' a gun means responsibility. A man has to do what a man has to do, but he shouldn't do it carelessly. I don't want Billy to grow up alone, don't want to leave Delilah..."
Racine kept his gun trained on Jack and grinned. "I don't care what you want. You just made my day, 'cause now I've got to kill you, a lawman, and your kin all at once. Only question is in what order that happens."
Still neither Heyes nor Curry had a clear shot. Their line of fire was blocked by both the sheriff and Jack or some townsfolk. Heyes quickly panned the surroundings and, in the end, looked up and sought eye contact with his partner. Resolutely he holstered his gun and showed him his open hands. Then he squared his shoulders, adjusted his hat and stepped out on the street, calm and exuding self-confidence. "Hiya, Racine! What's up? Seems you've got yourself quite a situation here."
Immediately he caught everyone's attention, including the threesome on the street. Racine slightly dropped his hand and involuntarily took one step back, as Jack moved a mite forward.
High above the ground, Kid Curry cursed under his breath, his eyes throwing daggers, before he took aim again.
"You!" Racine called out in surprise. "What the...?"
Heyes answered with a laugh and a bright smile as he swaggered across the street. "Yeah, it's me. Surprised to see me?"
"Not anymore. Now I see where the rub lies. You're just in time for my payback!" All of a sudden, things began to happen. Racine raised his gun in a split-second and shot at the sheriff. Simultaneously, Jack and Kid Curry pulled the trigger.
Racine cried out in pain as his gun went flying. He dropped to his knees, covering his hurting gun hand.
In a blink Heyes and Jack had him covered.
The sheriff picked up the damaged weapon and shoved it behind his belt, before he put handcuffs on the pain-stricken man. "That was a mighty fine shot, Jack," he praised the young man. "It's only because of you that nobody else got hurt."
Racine fixed his hateful eyes on Heyes. "Hey, Sheriff," he growled. "That's the one you should arrest! The most notorious outlaw you're ever had to take out: Hannibal Heyes himself."
Heyes tilted his head. "Oh, c'mon, Racine, good try. But it won't work."
"Sheriff, arrest him! He's worth a fortune!"
"No, he's not," the sheriff replied. "He's the deputy of Sheriff Lom Trevors."
"Sheriff Trevors?" Racine laughed hysterically. "Lom? Lom Trevors? Sheriff? You believe that? They've been riding together for years."
"You can stop lying, can't you? I met Sheriff Trevors once. Decent man. Righteous. And this here man knows who he is, too, right?" Sheriff Masterson indicated Jack.
The young man nodded confirmation. "I've got no doubt about who this man is, Sheriff."
"You! I can't believe you… Again! You…" Racine stammered. When he started cursing, the sheriff manhandled him away quickly.
Jack remained on the street, his shoulders drooping, his head hanging down.
Heyes walked up beside him and patted his shoulder. "It's over. You've done well. Very well."
One by one, townspeople returned to the street and started talking to each other, throwing appreciative glances towards Jack. Slowly they drew closer, congratulating the young man, shaking his hands and patting his shoulders. He raised his head and the light returned to his eyes again.
Heyes smiled and drew back, vanishing in the crowd. As soon as he reached the edge he turned around and went to meet his partner.
Delilah came running down the street, weaving her way through the bystanders. "Jack! Jack! Are you alright?" She threw herself in his arms and hugged him tight.
"'Course I am," Jack told her gently and stroked her hair. "How are you? And how is our boy?"
"I'm fine. We're fine. The fever finally broke."
Jack's face lit up with joy. "That's… that's…" He lifted her up in his arms and kissed her.
The people around them started cheering.
