On Sunday morning Kid and Clem took the stage to Cheyenne, a roughly fifty mile journey, and arrived at their destination minutes before seven in the evening. Riding by stage is more comfortable than horseback for that long of travel, but certainly could not be described as anything less than bumpy and jarring. Both were tired and weary. Kid hailed a carriage that delivered them to a hotel a mere six blocks from Meridian Street. They got adjacent rooms, ate supper in the hotel's dining room, and retired early for the night.
The next morning, they walked to the Governor's home.
"A friend of Lom Trevers is here to speak with Mr. Moonlight," Kid explained, not wanting to alarm the former Governor that a former convict and outlaw was seeking an audience.
The butler disappeared behind the now closed front door and Kid and Clem waited patiently.
"Mr. Moonlight is asking to what the visit pertains?" the butler asked when he returned to the door.
"Well, it a..." Kid stammered.
"It pertains to a personal agreement between Mr. Moonlight and Sheriff Lom Trevers," Clem replied, then gave Kid a slight shrug of the shoulders.
The butler disappeared a second time, but when he returned, he escorted Kid and Clem to Moonlight's study.
"Mr. Moonlight, I don't know if you'll remember me or not, but I'm Jed Curry," Kid explained, extending his hand which the former Governor shook.
"And this is Miss Clementine Hale."
Clem smiled sweetly and gave the Governor a nod of her head.
"Please sit down," Moonlight replied and took his own seat behind a rather massive desk.
"Then can I assume you do remember who I am?" Kid asked
"I believe I just recently read something about your release from prison. So, the amnesty...failed?"
Kid looked puzzled by Moonlight's question. "Well, to be honest, Sir, it just got to the point that Heyes and me got tired of waiting for the amnesty, so we a...went another route."
"Tired of waiting for the amnesty?"
"Yes, Sir, and that's sort of why I'm here."
"I'm afraid I don't understand Mr. Curry?"
"Heyes will be out of prison in a couple of months, and we're already running into obstacles."
"Mr. Curry, I honestly don't understand what it is you are talking about...Let's go back a few steps...Why were you and Mr. Heyes in prison?"
"Cause none of you Governors would give me and Heyes amnesty," Kid replied, feeling a bit confused himself.
"What do you mean, no Governor would give you amnesty?"
"Just what I said. Wyoming couldn't hold on to no Governor and..."
"That was certainly true Mr. Curry, but I distinctly recall signing your amnesties just a few days before I left Office. Sheriff Trevers even co-signed those papers as the witness."
Kid was stunned and he looked at Clem with utter bewilderment.
"Mr. Moonlight, you signed Heyes and Curry's' amnesty grants?" Clem asked
"Yes, and sent them on to the Clerk's Office the following day to be notarized."
"Lom...never...told...us," Kid said slowly, still trying to absorb the information.
"He couldn't tell you until it was official, and it wasn't official until it was notarized."
"Could the next Governor have...stopped the amnesty from happening?" Clem asked.
"I can't imagine why he would bother himself with that. New to the Office, he had many much more pressing matters to contend with."
"Could those papers have just gotten lost?" Clem asked, knowing full well just how incredulous the question was.
"That certainly is very, very unlikely," Moonlight replied. "When I left office, those papers were at the Clerk's Office. Sheriff Trevers fell ill just a week later and died shortly thereafter. He never mentioned the amnesties to you?
Kid shook his head with utter bewilderment. "So Heyes and me spent five years in prison... for nothing?"
"Being that those papers were never...made official, those five years were not wasted, Mr. Curry."
"But we never would have had to do them five years...and we never would have had all these roadblocks and restrictions."
"What roadblocks are you referring to?" Moonlight asked.
Kid was still too stunned and perplexed to answer. He sat with a downcast gaze, trying to separate and sort out all the thoughts racing through his brain. When Kid did not reply, Moonlight looked to Clem for answers.
"Their biggest problem right now is that Heyes will be getting out of prison in two months, and Kid's, I mean Jed's parole officer has told him that he and Heyes can't live in the same house, not under the same roof. In Kid and Heyes' case, that's gonna hurt, not help to keep them on the right side of the law," Clem explained. "And now that you say the amnesty was supposed to have gone through, well they are being separated for no valid reason."
"Mr. Curry... Mr. Curry," Moonlight repeated, jarring Kid from his thoughts. "Where are you living now?"
"Laramie."
"Let me do a little scrounging for information and see what I can come up with. I'll send you a telegram in a few days."
Kid nodded and he and Clem stood to leave. Moonlight walked them to the front door. "If this is true, if the amnesty papers were somehow lost or discarded, I am truly sorry Mr. Curry."
"Mr. Moonlight, I'm not from Wyoming. Who is the current Governor?" Clem asked.
"That would be Amos Barber, but Francis Warren served briefly both immediately before and immediately after me. He served for very brief periods both times, just until someone else was appointed."
"I see, thank you," Clem said politely.
"Appreciate your help," Kid replied, shaking Moonlight's hand a second time but not knowing what else to say.
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"I just don't understand how them governors could just be so careless with people's lives," Kid said over supper in the hotel dining room.
"It may not have been the governors, you know. It may have been a simple clerical error."
"Even so. Two people spent five years in prison, Clem, and right now they can't even live under the same roof!"
"Shush... Clem said, glancing around to see if they were attracting attention.
"Somebody's going to answer for all this, I can promise you that."
"Kid, you've got to calm yourself down. Mr. Moonlight said he would look into things and I'm sure he's a man of his word."
"Didn't exactly know him to be a man of his word when he was Governor," Kid replied, leaning across the table and keeping his voice low.
"Kid, you're not seeing the bright side to all of this?"
"There's a bright side?"
"Yes," Clem said, nodding her head enthusiastically. "If Mr. Moonlight can get to the bottom of this, he might be able to get Heyes released early and he might even be able to put an end to your probations."
"How?"
Clem shrugged. "How do I know? I'm not a lawyer. But it seems logical. If the amnesties had actually been granted, and Moonlight says he signed the papers, that means you and Heyes went to prison under false circumstances. Surely they would have to cancel the whole probation period."
"But look at all the money we spent, or rather Soapy spent...all for nothing."
Clem sighed, she had no positive words for that situation.
"And all we can do is go back to Laramie and twiddle our thumbs waiting to see what Moonlight comes up with."
"I know it's not easy, Kid..."
The comment actually made Kid laugh. "Clem, I can't think of a time in my life since I was eight years old, that life has been easy."
The next morning they rode the stage back to Laramie and the following Thursday, they once again rode out to the prison for the weekly scheduled visit.
"Kid, I'm going to wait here for you," Clem said, not moving from her seat in the surrey.
"Heyes likes seeing you, Clem."
"But the two of you haven't had two minutes to talk amongst yourselves. Maybe it's time you did that."
Kid smiled at her, privately grateful for some time alone with Heyes. "You change your mind, just come on in."
Clem nodded and smiled at Kid, then watched him walk into the building.
"I don't understand this one bit," the clerk said when Kid signed in for the visit. "You got a special attachment to your visit."
"What does that mean?' Kid asked.
"Means you and Heyes can talk in the conference room. That's usually reserved for inmates and their lawyers. How did you manage that?"
"I got no idea," Kid replied.
The clerk walked out from behind the counter. "Come on, follow me," he said and led Kid to a small room with a table, several chairs, and a pitcher of cold water and a stack of glasses on the table.
"Heyes will be here in a minute," the clerk said. "Knock on the door when you're ready to leave."
"You mean there's no time limit?"
"Not when the meeting's in this room."
Kid was too restless to sit down and he walked slowly about the room. He stopped and faced the door when he heard the turning of the key. The door opened and in walked his partner, still manacled at the wrists, but without the presence of a guard.
A sense of relief washed over Kid as he and Heyes stood just looking at each other. Suddenly Kid rushed across the room and wrapped his arms around his partner. "Heyes," Kid exclaimed.
"How did you manage this?" Heyes asked.
Kid stepped back but didn't take his eyes off his partner.
"I'm guessing Moonlight arranged it."
"So you talked to him?"
Kid nodded. "You're not going to believe all I've got to tell you, Heyes."
Heyes's dark eyes sparkled as he looked at his partner. "I'm all ears, Kid."
"Sit down, Heyes. I got a feeling you'll be glad you're sitting down when I tell you what all has happened."
Heyes moved to a chair and slid in to it. Kid sat directly across from him, never wanting to take his eyes off his partner again.
"I don't even know where to begin," Kid said.
"Beginning is always a good spot, Kid."
"I'm not even sure where that is. I think the beginning might be sort of in the middle."
"Well, start wherever you want."
Kid opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, suddenly realizing the beginning, or at least the most important thread was in fact his partner.
"First tell me how you are, Heyes. I mean really...how are you?"
"I'm probably pretty much the same way you are Kid. I've had my share of things to deal with in here, I'm not quite the same as when I arrived...few things to work on when I get out...But having my partner back again is gonna take care of a big chunk of those things. In the mean time, I'm doing what I have to do to get by."
Kid nodded, knowing exactly what Heyes was saying.
"Now, tell me what's going on, Kid, and what I can do to help."
Kid proceeded to tell Heyes everything. He told him about the probation rules, about the amnesty situation, about former Governor's Moonlight's involvement, about the possibility of an early release if Moonlight can get to the bottom of everything.
Heyes listened intently, smiled occasionally, but didn't interrupt Kid even once.
"Kid, I am so proud of you," Heyes said when Kid had concluded.
"Proud of me?"
"You've not been out more than a month and look at what you've accomplished."
"It ain't none of it accomplished yet, Heyes. Just hopefully in the works."
"But we could have gone on suffering for another five years without ever knowing the truth. Now, there's a good chance that when I get out of here, we'll be free to go anywhere we want. Wyoming won't have no control over either one of us."
"I can't take all the credit, Heyes. Clem has...well I can't tell you what it's meant to have Clem here."
"Why isn't she here today?"
"She said you and me needed time to talk, by ourselves."
Heyes smiled. "She's a pretty smart lady. How soon you think you'll hear from Moonlight?"
Kid shrugged. "He said he'd send a telegram when he has some answers.
Kid got a mischievous look in his eyes and reached into his pocket.
"Heyes, you want a cigar?" Kid asked, pulling two from his inside vest pocket. "I can smell the tobacco in this room. I know it happens."
Heyes grinned at the thought of the simply luxury. "Yeah, Kid, I'll have a cigar.
Kid handed a cigar across the table, then struck a match and lit Heyes' before lighting his own. They both leaned back in their chairs and savored the cigar, the company, and the moment. They didn't talk much. They didn't have to. Just being in the same room together, relaxed and comfortable was all either of them needed.
An hour later Kid walked out to the surrey and climbed in.
"What took so long?" Clem asked.
Kid smiled and fiddled with the reins. "I'll tell you on the way home."