This story takes place early on in Heyes and Curry's Devil's Hole Days
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"Kyle, How many times does someone have to tell you to close the damn barn door!" Heyes shouted as a dozen horses went galloping past the Leader's cabin, some heading down the path, while others making a direct aim for the thick woods that surrounded the compound.
Kyle, now standing at the entrance to the barn, quickly pushed and shoved the door closed, then dropped the latch.
"Well, it's too late now!" Heyes shouted.
Kid Curry walked out on the porch, dressed only in his long johns and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"What's all the commotion? Ah, not again," Kid grumbled seeing the horses running loose toward the woods. "Kyle!" he scolded.
"Get dressed Kid, we gotta go round them up."
Kid just shook his head as he turned and headed back inside the cabin.
"Go get the others, Kyle," Heyes shouted to him. "And be quick about it!"
Kyle spit a stream of brown tobacco juice into the snow and hurried toward the bunkhouse.
Ten minutes later Heyes and Curry stood on the porch while the nine occupants of the bunkhouse gathered around, all grumbling and sneering at Kyle who kept his head bent low and kicked at the snow with the toe of his boot.
"We'll break into three groups. One group will head down the path and the other two will head into the woods cause that's where most of em ran," Heyes instructed them.
"Kyle, you didn't bring ropes and halters?" Kid asked
Kyle raised guilt ridden eyes to look at Kid who tried hard not to focus on Kyle's tobacco stained teeth.
"Sorry, Kid."
"Don't waste time being sorry, Kyle. Just run back to the barn and git em."
Kyle nodded, then turned on his heels and raced back to the barn. Five minutes later he emerged, his arms laden with ropes and halters that he passed out to each of the men.
"When we get them back to the barn, Kyle will be the one to tend to them," Heyes announced and a rumble of agreement resounded among the outlaws. "And Kyle, you go with the group that's taking the path," Heyes added.
Wheat grumbled when he heard Heyes' final order because, unhappy as he was, Wheat and Kyle were partners and Wheat felt obligated to go with the group Kyle was assigned to, which meant an uphill return trek with the horses.
"Come on, fellas. We'd best get started," Wheat said and the three groups spread out in search of the runaway horses.
"At least there's tracks to follow, Heyes," Kid said offering what little bit of optimism he could muster.
"And they never go too far," Heyes added.
"You're right. They're about as use to the routine as we are."
"If Kyle weren't so good with dynamite Kid, I'd boot him right out of this gang."
"Kyle's a little hard on the eyes, and definitely a bit inept, Heyes, but he ain't a bad fellow. He don't do this stuff intentionally, you know."
"You're being too generous. I've seen you ready to boot him out a time or two."
"Ah, over there's one," Kid said pointing to a bare spot in the snow where a horse stood scrounging for grass. Kid headed over to the horse and slowed his approach so as not to spook the animal as he carefully looped the rope around the animal's neck.
Kid looked up at Heyes with a wide smile on his face. "I got my catch, Heyes. I'm heading back to my nice warm bed."
"You ain't getting off that easy, Kid. Tie him to a tree and we'll pick him up on our way back."
With some disappointment, Kid frowned but did as Heyes had said. "There's more tracks that way," Kid said and the group again moved forward following the tracks.
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"Kyle, how much thinking does it take to remember to close a barn door so the horses don't get out?" Wheat couldn't refrain from grumbling at his friend and partner.
"I didn't mean no harm, Wheat," Kyle said earnestly.
"You never mean no harm, Kyle. But you got Heyes pretty riled up this time. He might not stop with you tending to the horses when we get back."
Kyle's jaw stopped chewing on the wad of tobacco in his mouth. "What do you think he's got in mind, Wheat?"
Always wanting to appear to be the knowledgeable one, Wheat shifted his shoulders and raised his chin a bit.
"I could tell by the look in his eyes, he's planning something, Kyle. Might not happen right away. He probably wants you to chew on it for a day or two."
"Then what?"
Wheat rolled his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Hafta wait and see, Kyle."
Kyle closed his mouth, then turned and spit more brown tobacco juice into the snow.
"Heyes didn't seem any more annoyed with me than usual," Kyle said.
"Uh-uh. Just part of the plan, Kyle. He'll make you think everything's alright, but then he'll drop the bombshell."
"Maybe I can do something to change his mind," Kyle said hopefully.
Wheat shrugged. "Might be worth a try."
"But what?"
"Uh?"
"What can I do to change his mind?"
Wheat sighed heavily and shook his head. "You're gonna hafta figure that one out for yourself, Kyle...Ah, look, there's a horse. Gimme a halter."
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It took nearly four hours to round up and bring in all of the horses. Kyle stood near the barn door looking sheepish as the men led the horses into the barn and secured each one in a stall.
"Dry them off good, Kyle and get em all fed for the night," Heyes said sternly. Then he paused and gave Kyle a sympathetic look. "Just don't forget to shut the barn door again," he added without the sternness in his voice.
"I'll stay and help you Kyle," Wheat said and gave Heyes a look that dared him to object. But Heyes didn't so much as glance at Wheat.
"There you go, Kyle. It'll only take you have as long now," Heyes said and gave Kyle a friendly pat on the back before heading off to the leader's cabin.
"You two just make sure that barn door is shut," Kid added, then followed Heyes to the cabin.
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"You want coffee?" Heyes asked as Kid pulled off his Sherpa and hung it on a peg near the door, then stomped the snow from his boots. He gave Heyes an affirmative nod, then stood in front of the fireplace to warm his hands.
Heyes walked over to the fireplace and handed Kid a cup of the hot coffee, then sat down in a nearby chair.
"When are you going to tell the boys about this next job?" Kid asked and sipped at his coffee.
"I think I got all the details ironed out. I just ain't put it all down on paper yet. Maybe a day or two."
"This one sounds a might tricky. Boys are going to hafta be on their toes."
Kid sat down in a chair across from Heyes and sipped at his coffee.
"By the time we pull this off, they will be. They always are."
Kid nodded but was slow to comment. "We gonna be placing that dynamite under the bridge the night before we pull the job?"
"Yeah, on the far side. That way, after we have the money, we'll all get across the bridge, then blast it, and the posse's gonna haft to forge the river or find another way to get across. Even forging it, that river is wide enough that it will take them a while and give us a good distance advantage."
Kid smiled. He liked having an advantage when it came to being chased by a posse.
"And not taking the money with the gang on the ride back, now that's just that genius mind of yours, Heyes."
This time Heyes smiled. "Even if they ctach up with the gang, they won't find nothing."
"I sure do admire that brain of yours, Heyes. It's always thinking."
"Well, all this wet weather we've been having, they'll have tracks to follow, so I had to think of a way to slow em down a bit."
"Won't be hard for them to figure out it was the Devil's Hole gang that pulled the job."
"That's true, Kid. They will likely follow us right up to entrance. But there ain't a law man alive that's gonna try to venture in."
"Suppose they decide to just wait for us to venture out again?"
"The fellows watching the check points will be able to tell us if that happens, and they'll tell us when the posse finally decides to give up."
"Heyes, do you just lie awake at night thinking up of all the possibilities that could happen?"
Heyes smiled. "I'm thinking about that night and day, Kid."
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True to his word, just two days later Heyes not only had every last detail worked out, but he had it all carefully written down on paper in preparation of introducing the next job to all the members of the gang, and a meeting was called in the bunkhouse.
"The way I see it, getting into the bank, getting the money, and getting out will all be pretty easy. The he hardest part will be getting back to Devil's Hole before a posse catches up to us." But, I think I've come up with a way that, even if a posse did catch up to us, they won't get the money.?
"We gonna bury it?" Kyle asked.
"Won't have to, Kyle. We just won't be taking it with us."
Kyle looked obviously confused, but he decided maybe it was best not to know.
"Heyes, Rock Springs is a pretty far distance from Devil's Hole, a hard day's ride," Wheat pointed out to the group.
"Heyes smiled. "Yes it is, Wheat, but it's just over half a day by train."
"TRAIN!" Wheat exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "What are you planning on doing, shipping the money back to the Hole?"
"Calm down, Wheat," Kid cautioned. "Let Heyes finish explaining the plan."
Wheat snorted and sat down. "This better be good," he mumbled before noticing Kid was glaring at him.
"There's a train that leaves Rock Springs at midnight.. We're gonna rob the bank, then we're gonna high-tail it outta town just like always...Only one of us ain't... One of us, clean shaven and finely dressed, and carrying a large valise filled with the money, will be boarding that train. The rest of us will lead the posse on a wild goose chase."
"The posse is gonna be riding fresh horses. We ain't," Kyle piped up and Wheat gave him an encouraging nod.
"That's right, we ain't. At least not as fresh as the posse's," Heyes said. "That's where you come in, Kyle."
Kyle smiled proudly. "You got something in mind for me to blow up, Heyes?"
"In order to get to Rock Springs, we gotta cross Tumbleson Stream. Now Tumbleson Stream is almost as wide as a river and a fair amount of current to that water...And it's got a bridge across it. We'll use the bridge to get to Rock Springs, then after we cross it on our way back to Devil's Hole, Kyle here will blow that bridge to Kingdom Come."
"That's gonna take some time getting the dynamite into place," Kyle said, growing a little wary of the idea.
"We'll get it all set up and ready when we cross it going in to Rock Springs. Then, on our way back, all you gotta do Kyle, is light the fuse."
The smile returned to Kyle's face. "I think that's a fine idea."
"The posse's horses will hafta wade or swim the stream, giving us a chance to gain a little distance. The money will be at Devil's Hole by morning, just waiting for the rest of us to get back."
"When are planning for us to do this, Heyes?" Preacher asked.
"Friday."
"FRIDAY? That's in three days," Wheat pointed out for those who hadn't bothered to count.
"That's right," Heyes replied. "The Cattleman's Association is depositing over one hundred thousand dollars in the bank's safe, but just for over the weekend. The money is to moved by train to Denver the following Monday."
"With that much money in the bank's safe, ain't the place going to be guarded pretty tight?" Preacher asked.
"I suspect so. That's why I want to be there on Friday, to check out the security so I can iron out those details. Look, I won't lie to you, this is going to be a dangerous job. But if we pull it off, it just might be the biggest heist in bank robbing history."
A low murmur filled the room as everyone contemplated aloud about the biggest heist ever.
"Heyes," Preacher said. "The general consensus is that we like your idea."
"Thanks Preacher. Anymore questions?"
"I got one, "Wheat piped up. "You know what kind of safe it is?"
"I believe it is a Brooker 200. I won't know for sure till I see it."
"You want me to pack enough dynamite for a 202?" Kyle asked
"I think that would be a fine idea, Kyle," Heyes replied.
Heyes glanced at Kid and smiled proudly. "Well you fellas mull it all over and let me know if you come up with anything you think I should look into more. We'll plan on leaving here on Wednesday."