"Heyes, I think you might want to consider putting two people on the train," Kid said after he and Heyes had returned to the cabin. "After all, if that's where all the money is going to be, best not leave just one person there to protect it."
Heyes nodded. "I was thinking that same thing, Kid. The problem is, you and Wheat are the two best shots. Now you can spruce up in a suit and look respectable, but we can scrub and shave Wheat, an put him in a suit, and he's still ain't gonna look like a... a..."
"An outlaw in a business suit?"
"Something like that, Kid."
"You know Wheat and me don't hafta board at the same time, we can even board at opposite ends of the coach, sit at opposite ends, too. I'll be the one to carry the money."
Heyes nodded. "Might not even have to put Wheat in a suit that way."
"No, but do make him take a bath and shave, Heyes. Especially make him take a bath."
"Yeah, we don't want everybody moving down to your end of the coach," Heyes laughed.
Heyes rubbed his chin with his hand as he thought through each step of the heist.
"What's the matter?" Kid asked.
"Getting you and Wheat on that train...The timing is awful close, but we don't want the two of you having to wait around for the train either."
"Heyes, we've jumped onto a moving train before."
"Not with a satchel containing a hundred thousand dollars."
"Wheat and me can do it, Heyes," Kid assured him.
Heyes nodded, trying to convince himself that Kid was right.
"You realize when we pull this off, Heyes, I mean the biggest heist in history. The Devil's Hole gang will be famous," Kid said with a proud smile on his face.
"You and me will be famous, Kid. They'll probably raise our bounties. Who know, we might end up being worth five or six thousand dollars. I bet prison time would get raised to eight or ten years."
"That ever worry you, Heyes? I mean eight or ten years is getting to be a long time to spend in prison."
Heyes smiled. "They'll hafta catch us first, Kid."
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As was customary, Heyes continued to iron out minor details, and the following evening was spent in the bunkhouse going over details and making sure everyone knew exactly what he was responsible for and exactly where he was expected to be. There were a few questions, but Heyes always had a reasonable and encouraging answer. By the time the meeting concluded, every outlaw in the bunkhouse was dreaming of ways to spend their cash.
They next morning the Devil's Hole gang set out on their mission. Each man was expected to bring everything he was responsible for using which meant guns were loaded and gun belts were were fully stocks with bullets. Kyle had dynamite and fuses packed in his saddlebags and Preacher had bandages and tourniquets packed in his. Heyes had a sketch of the interior of the bank. Kid and Wheat had money to purchase round trip train tickets as Heyes thought this would be less conspicuous than two men buying one way tickets to the same location. Food and water had been packed in the event that something went wrong and they had to hide out somewhere on their way back to Devil's Hole.
They reached the bridge late in the afternoon, crossed over to the other side, and made camp about a mile away in a heavily wooded area. Then Heyes, Kid, Wheat and Kyle returned to the bridge to plant and secure the dynamite. Kid found an area nearby to stand watch while Kyle and Wheat waded into the cold water and made their way under the bridge. Heyes stood on the bridge with the explosive equipment, ready to hand down whatever was requested.
"Uh-Oh," Heyes heard Kyle utter from the underside of the bridge.
"What is it?" Heyes asked with great concern. "Kyle what's the problem?"
"Well, Heyes, I brung the dynamite and the fuses, but..."
"But what?"
"Is there a problem?" Kid called from his watch post.
"Kyle, what's the problem?" Heyes demanded.
"I forgot to bring anything to tie the dynamite to the bridge planks."
"Kid!" Wheat called, his voice echoing a bit from under the bridge. "I got tethers in my saddle bags! Bring them over here!"
Kid looked at Heyes who nodded. Scanning the area carefully and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Kid holstered his gun and made his way to Wheat's horse, He dug into the saddle bags and drew out a dozen leather tethers."
"What did you bring all them for?" Heyes asked.
"Figured they'd come in handy if we had to take hostages."
"Wheat, I'm glad you brought them, I really am, but we have never taken a hostage, not even once." Heyes shouted as he met Kid at the edge of the bridge.
"Could always be a first time," Wheat replied defensively.
Heyes rolled his eyes.
"Just hand them down one at a time, Heyes," Kyle told him. "We want to keep the tethers dry so they don't get no water on the dynamite."
From the bridge, Heyes followed them along as they worked, handing down a tether each time they asked.
"Kyle, how much dynamite did you bring?' Heyes asked when he realized dynamite was being secured along the full length of the bridge, rather than at just one end.
"Enough to blow the whole bridge sky high, Heyes. Once we set the fuse, each explosion will ignite another fuse to set off the next explosion. I figure we might as well get rid of the whole bridge and litter the stream with all the wood planks."
"Ah," Heyes replied without argument. While the dynamite placement had turned out to be a bigger job than he had expected, Kyle's idea wasn't really a bad one.
"We done now?" Heyes asked when Wheat and Kyle finally waded out of the stream and stood shivering in dripping wet clothes at the top of the embankment..
Both men nodded.
"Come on, Kid. We're done," Heyes called and Kid emerged from his lookout spot.
"You're sure everything's in place?" Heyes asked Kyle once they were all mounted and ready to return to camp.
"I'm sure, Heyes. There's gonna be fireworks here tomorrow night.," Kyle replied with teeth chattering.
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Late the following morning, Heyes, Kid, and Wheat rode into Rock Springs. Heyes and Kid tied their horses to the post outside the saloon and crossed the street to the bank, while Wheat rode to the train station, bought his ticket, then backtracked into town using the alleys and side streets to determine the quickest route on foot from the bank to the train station.
Kid and Heyes walked into the bank and Kid waited near the door while Heyes approached a teller's booth to get change for a dollar. Kid carefully eyed the interior, noting only an elderly uniformed gentlemen acting as a guard, although a younger man, also wearing a gun, appeared to be lingering at the tall, narrow stand where people could fill out deposit or withdrawal slips before getting in a teller's line. But eventually this man moved into a teller's line and left when his business was completed.
Moving a bit to his right, Kid could see the back entrance, surprised that it was actually open, allowing for some cross ventilation. But that brought his attention to a slight movement outside the back door. Watching the spot closely, Kid saw the movement a second time, and realized a man was standing off to the left of the door, smoking. Each time he raised the cigarette to his mouth, Kid caught a glimpse of the man's arm.
Once he and Heyes were outside again, Kid told Heye there was something he wanted to check out and he would meet Heyes and Wheat in the saloon. Kid then walked down the street a couple of blocks, turned down an alley, and made his way toward the back of the bank. There he saw a man snuffing a cigarette beneath his boot. This man was also wearing a uniform and wore a holstered gun. Kid retreated the way he had come and returned to the front of the bank. He pulled out his pocket watched and checked the time, then glanced up and down the street before beginning to pace in front of the bank, enabling him to check both side walls of the building. He stopped, checked his watch once again, then crossed the street to the saloon.
Kid spied Heyes and Wheat sitting at a corner table near the rear of the saloon. He walked up to the bar and ordered a beer, then carried the beer to the table and joined Heyes and Wheat.
"What did you find, Wheat?' Heyes asked.
"There's a pretty direct route to the train station. At a good run, Kid and me can make it there is four, maybe five minutes.
"You stop and buy your ticket?" Heyes asked.
Wheat patted his shirt pocket. "Got it right here."
"When we leave here, you go buy your ticket Kid,."
Kid nodded. "Right now, the bank's got two guards. There's an older fellow inside, but there's another one near the back door, which is open right now by the way."
"Maybe that's the only reason they had a guard there," Heyes suggested.
"Maybe. He was wearing a uniform, though."
"When we pull the heist I don't want you or Wheat seen by anybody. I don't want a description of the two of you floating around while you are on the train. So, we'll have Lobo walk down that back alley acting like's he's drunk to distract the guard and give the rest of us the chance to get the jump on him."
"And the safe?" Kid asked and Heyes smiled proudly.
"It's still a Brooker 200. That's the safe I used to learn the trade, cause the tumblers are so loud you can't miss hearing the trip of the tumblers. Shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to crack."
"So Kid and me will stay behind till the other boys take care of the guard and get him tied up and blindfolded. Then Kid and me will slip in the back door?" Wheat asked.
Heyes nodded. "And when I get the safe open, I'll fill the satchel, hand it to Kid, and the two of you will high-tail it to the train station."
Wheat nodded. "Sounds simple enough."
Heyes took the last gulp of his beer. "Okay, then let's get back to camp and let the others know."
"Maybe we shouldn't all ride out together," Wheat said. "It is a pretty small town. We might be noticed riding together."
Heyes was surprised that he hadn't thought of that, but was pleased that Wheat had. "Fair enough. We'll leave at five minute intervals and meet back at camp. Kid, you go last and stop and buy your ticket."
Once everyone was back at camp Heyes went over the plan with everyone once again, and instructed Lobo about acting as a drunk to distract the outside guard. Everyone listened very carefully and when Heyes was finished, each man knew his exact responsibility, each understood the importance of synchronized timing, each understood their exact escape route.
The plan sounded flawless.
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"I'm an old lonesome cowboy, I'm an old lonesome cowboy, I'm an old lonesome cowboy, a long way from home," Lobo sang as he wavered down the dark alley with a nearly spent whiskey bottle hanging from one hand.
When he reached a spot near the back door of the bank, Lobo looked up and saw the young guard. "Ain't got no brother. Ain't got not sister, Ain't go no..." Lobo sang loudly and purposely off key.
"Get out of here you old drunk," the guard ordered and Lobo stopped in his tracks and teetered a bit for realism. "I'm an old lonesome cowboy..."
The guard took several steps toward Lobo. "I said get out of here."
With that the guard froze as he heard the sound of a gun being cocked, then felt it pressed against his back.
"Not one sound, or it will be your last," Preacher said and reached for the guard's gun that he then slipped between his pants and his belt. "Now, put your hands behind your back real slow."
The guard did as instructed and Lobo quickly tied the guard's hands and then tied a bandanna securely around the man's eyes and tied another one against the man's open mouth. Preacher then led the man to spot in the alley near the back of the bank and sat him down on the ground.
While this was going on, Heyes had picked the lock to the back door and he and Kid and Wheat had quietly slipped inside. Heyes smiled when he saw that no one was guarding the inside of the bank. He dropped the carpet bag on the floor beside the safe and stooped down while Kid and Wheat guarded the two windows. Within minutes the safe door swung open and Heyes filled the carpet bag with the stacks of money that were stored inside. When finished, Heyes closed the carpet bag and secured the strap. Then he tossed the bag to Kid.
"Get going," was Heyes' only instruction.
Kid gave Heyes a quick nod and he and Wheat hurried from the bank and down the alley.
Heyes quickly closed the safe and headed out the back door.
"Let's go," Heyes told the others and they all made a quick dash down another alley where their horses were waiting.