"Heyes!" Beth called softly in misery as the police wagon pulled away. "Oh, my darling, what are they doing to you?" Neal George went to her and she wept helplessly on his shoulder. He put an arm around her protectively and struggled with tears himself.

The Columbia boys stood, stunned and silent. The park around them was in noisy chaos as dancers who were wondering if the dance would start over and musicians who were wondering whether they would still need to play and whether they would be paid were wandering all over. Everyone was talking about the sensational arrest. Since no one had been close enough to hear the name of the man taken, everyone was speculating on who he was. The presence of four western marshals with drawn Colts had certainly suggested to a lot of people that the arrested man had come from the West.

"Oh my God!" said Ev Carter to no one in particular, since they were too far from any strangers for their words to be heard, "Smith . . . I mean Heyes. He couldn't possibly really be a murderer, could he? I don't care what he did out west – he wouldn't kill anyone! Would he? I mean, he's famous for not killing people, right?"

Huxtable still looked very shaken. But he corrected Carter in a soft, agonized voice. "Not anymore. He did kill a man. He told me. He said it was self-defense. But he would say that, wouldn't he?"

"Huxtable!" hissed Peale in fury.

Beth looked up at the young man, moving swiftly from sorrow to rage. "It was self-defense! How could someone I thought was a friend doubt that?"

"Beth, he's a criminal!" said Huxtable, sounding even more upset, "He might say anything. He said he'd been lying to us and he had!"

Beth understood Huxtable's point of view, but she was still angry, "He had to lie, Paul. Don't you see that? He had no choice at all. He was a criminal. But he isn't any more! He and the Kid have been straight for more than seven years, waiting for amnesty that never comes. Do you have any idea how hard that is? Being straight and still being wanted dead or alive with a $15,000 reward on each of their heads? They can't do anything . . ."

But the two had to stop their argument as the Columbians got close enough to their girls that the young women could have heard them. Beth whispered to the group of friends, "Still keep that name a secret! It could be life or death for them both!" It took a moment for the Columbians to all realize that by "them both" she meant Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. After all, Beth and Matt Peale were the only ones of the group who had ever met the Kid. Before that evening none of the others had even suspected his existence in Joshua Smith's life.

As the young men approached the girls they had brought to the dance, Karen Horn, the Texas mathematics student, spoke up first. "What on earth just happened? Why did they arrest Joshua Smith? Where are they taking him?"

There was a tense pause while the Columbians wondered how they could answer this without giving Heyes away or lying too blatantly. The men who had just learned their friend's real name were suddenly starting to understand what Heyes had been up against for the past seven and a half years. They could begin to see why he had given them such heart-felt apologies about the lies he had been obliged to tell.

Only one person had the authority to decide how much to reveal. "Karen," said Beth gently, "those were federal marshals. They arrested Joshua for murder."

"Murder!" Karen was devastated.

"He's innocent!" Beth glared at Huxtable for a second. Then she looked back at Karen and the obviously distressed Betsy and the other women. Betsy knew Joshua well – or she had thought she did. "It happened three years ago in Montana. It was self-defense. The man fired at him first. Everyone involved in the case knows that it was self-defense. But he still has to stand trial. There's a lot that we can't explain to you – any of you - now without endangering his fair trial. When we can tell you, we will. But right now, please just keep it quiet. Otherwise, justice can't be served."

Each of the young men went to his girl to calm her down and see her home. Betsy was in tears and Ev just held her for a while before they went anywhere. Eva, who had scarcely met Joshua Smith was mostly just confused and frightened, so Peale put his arm around her and comforted her in near silence as they walked. Huxtable was unsure what to do about the shocked and perplexed Karen who was far more interested in Paul's older friend than in her date himself. He just held her hand they walked to Karen's apartment without Huxtable saying much at all.

For a while, Neal George had a weeping woman on each shoulder, with Eva near to fainting and Beth still needing support. But soon Beth realized that she couldn't claim NG's attentions any longer. She had things to do. "Let's meet at Charlie's place – after we've taken our girls home," said Neal. As the oldest, he had naturally taken over the leadership of their tight little group.

"I'm going to see Dr. Leutze, but I'll see you later at Charlie's," said Beth, wiping her eyes and falling into the brisk, business-like mode that she used when she had a hard time coping with the world.

Beth only very rarely bothered Dr. Leutze outside of the clinic, but she knew where he lived. By the time she knocked on the door of his plain little apartment, it was getting dark out and a chilly breeze made her shiver in her revealing dress. Dr. Leutze opened the door with some concern, when he saw Beth alone and evidently dressed for company. He knew well what had been hanging over Heyes, so he could guess what brought Beth out without him.

"Beth, is he gone?" Leutze asked gently as he escorted his clinic's tutor inside to sit on an armchair in his small sitting room.

Beth nodded and tears ran down her cheeks. "They took him from the dance. It was four marshals and a New York policeman. They were so rough with him! And he didn't resist them at all! They had a good dozen other men there to keep the dancers out of the way. They weren't going to let anything stop them. But he didn't even try. He even told them where to find his knife and his pick locks." Beth broke down and the doctor held her while she wept.

"It'll be alright, Beth," he murmured. "Heyes knew that he had to go all straight. Otherwise, he and the Kid would never get that amnesty. And he wants that more than anything."

"I know, but I hate to see him so helpless and treated so harshly! He kissed me and they dragged him away in handcuffs, with everyone staring. It was awful! I know it'll be in the papers! And that could disastrous for them both!" Beth broke into tears again, and the doctor held her in a soft embrace like a father with his daughter.

"I'm sorry to go to pieces," Beth started,

"I don't blame you at all," said the doctor. "It sounds shattering."

Beth pulled herself together to say, "Doctor, if you want to come, Heyes' Columbia friends are going to meet over at Charlie Homer's place. And we'll want Jim to come, too. Charlie has to know, and we all need to figure out what to do. I know what I'm going to do – I'm taking the first train to Montana in the morning so I can testify and help Heyes any way that I can. Heyes begged me not to go, but he knows I'm going to. My place is with him! He said that they could force me to testify against him because we're not married, but I don't know anything against him! I only know good things about him, and how could that hurt?"

"Be careful, Beth dear," said Dr. Leutze, "the court could make it very obvious just how . . . close your relationship is."

Beth spoke up sharply, "I don't care, Doctor. Do you think I'd sacrifice his life or his freedom to keep my good name?"

"Well, I can promise you one thing. I won't fire you over it," said the doctor, "despite the official policy."

"Thank you!" said Beth, "I hoped you wouldn't. I hope soon we'll be able to be married so I would have to leave anyway, but first he has to not get hung and then he has to get amnesty. And I'm not assuming either one of those things. It's going to take work."

Dr. Leutze called a cab to carry himself and Beth to Charlie Homer's apartment, which seemed to have become the club house for the friends of Hannibal Heyes. On the way, they stopped at Jim's room and picked him up. He was terribly upset at the news about Heyes' arrest, but not surprised.

As they got into the cab, Jim said, "I'm awful sorry about that, B-Beth! So they finally got him. He's been looking over his shoulder for so long. And he d-doesn't even have his final grades yet, does he?"

They were the first to arrive at Charlie Homer's place. Beth knocked at the door, with the Doctor and Jim just behind her. Charlie looked tired and worried as he opened the door. "So they took him?" he asked as he motioned for the three to come in.

"Yes! How did you know?" asked Beth as the door closed behind her.

"Because the police were here not an hour ago. I told them where to find him," said Charlie softly.

"What!?" cried Jim.

Charlie nodded grimly. "I felt like Judas himself."

"But you had to tell them Charlie!" said Beth. "I know it's what Heyes asked you to do, and for good reason."

Charlie sighed. "If we had hidden where he was, Jim, the authorities would have assumed he was hiding from them. They might even have shot him down. Heyes understood that."

Dr. Leutze added, "I've been keeping track of his movements for the same reason – in case the law asked me first. We figured the law would come to one or the other of us – in fact, we made sure they would. We wrote to the governors and told them what we were doing. If the marshals were rough with Heyes, it was for show, for the public. They knew he wouldn't resist arrest. Or they hoped not – in that public a place, with a man famous for not hurting anyone. Except the one . . ."

Charlie seated the trio in his parlor. In minutes Matthias arrived and they gathered more chairs from the dining room, knowing there would be a large group gathering. Soon Ev, Huxtable, and NG arrived, still looking terribly shaken. It was very strange to have the eight of them together without the usual ninth who had come to be the center of so warm a group of friends. And of course they still missed the tenth who was now gone beyond all but memory. They hadn't been seated long when the doorbell rang.

Charlie looked out cautiously – who else could know about this gathering? Or would it be someone for another reason entirely, from whom this meeting needed to be kept secret? Or was the law back?

Charlie went to the door cautiously and peeked out. It was Professor Diana Hargrove, Heyes' favorite English professor. She was dressed as if she, too, had come from a dance. She looked terribly concerned – obviously, she knew what they were there about. So Charlie let her in, knowing how much Heyes trusted the woman. The gathered breathed a sigh of relief. But everyone looked at everyone else – who had told Professor Hargrove?

"Don't worry who told me," said the tall lady professor with unexpected calmness, looking around at all of the people gathered there, as she stood in the middle of the room. "I was in the park and saw them dragging Joshua Smith away. Except that isn't his real name, is it?"

Charlie looked hard at his colleague. "Come on," she said, looking around the tense, expectant faces around her, "you don't think I know how to keep a secret? How to deal with things the rest of society finds improper? I've suspected for a long time that there were some improper things about our western genius. And you know I would never do anything to put him in even more danger – not that that's very possible, now."

Charlie looked at Beth, "Well, Beth, I think it's up to you. Can we tell her? Do you think he would approve?"

Beth didn't hesitate long before she nodded, "Yes, I think he would. We had even talked about it, but he never tells anyone without really needing to. Alright, Dr. Hargrove. You just have to know that, even now, having what I'm about to tell you get out too far could cost him, and his partner, their lives – or at the least, later on, their careers."

"His partner? A partner in crime?" She asked, very frankly, and sounding not at all shocked.

"Formerly in crime. They led of gang in armed robbery for many years, but they've been straight for more than seven years. They're going for amnesty, and the governors of four different states keep dangling it just out of reach."

Professor Hargrove looked appalled by this. "It sounds wretched! No wonder he's always so careful about everything. What's his real name? I'm no devotee of cheap western fiction, so I doubt I've heard it before."

Jim, a bit offended at the slam at his favorite brand of reading, asked, incredulously, "So you're saying never heard of Hannibal Heyes and K-Kid C-Curry?"

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Professor Hargrove, putting one hand to her mouth. Charlie was taken aback to see his hard-nosed colleague so upset. He made a space for her on the couch and she quickly sat down.

"I've been teaching English literature to a notorious criminal!" she began to laugh faintly at how ridiculous it sounded. "And now they're taking him away to stand trial on God knows how many counts of armed robbery?"

"No. Murder," said Professor Homer. Seeing the real distress on Dr. Hargrove's face, he hastened to add, "It was self-defense, and defense of his partner. Someone had, well I know it sounds like an awful pun, but they had kidnapped Jedediah Curry and were holding him hostage. They were just waiting for Heyes to come and get him so they could catch the pair and turn them in for the $30,000 in reward money. I was actually along on that trip to free the Kid. I could just as easily have pulled the trigger myself."

"I was there, t-too!" piped up Jim proudly.

Charlie smiled indulgently at the young man and continued his story, "So I'll go up to Montana to testify in Heyes' defense,"

"Me too!" added Jim.

"As I was saying," continued Charlie, "I'll testify - although Heyes doesn't want me to. He prefers to be a dead hero rather than to put any friends at risk, which I call darned inconsiderate of the man. He is engaged to be married, after all. And the Kid's fate does probably hinge on his, and the Kid's engaged, too, by the way."

"The Kid's going up to testify, isn't he? He has to!" said Beth with concern.

"Of course he is!" answered Charlie. "You'd hardly stop him. I just hope Cat – that's the Kid's fiancé, Diana – I hope she doesn't go. She had nothing to do with that little venture of ours. But she'll want to support the Kid, of course."

"Wait," said Neal George, "How did we all manage never to know that J . . . that Heyes had a partner? I mean everyone knows that Hannibal Heyes has a partner, but none of us knew that our friend Joshua Smith did. Didn't the Kid ever come to New York to see Heyes? Or didn't Heyes ever go to see him?"

"Who do you think Heyes goes and stays with in Colorado every holiday?" asked Doctor Leutze with a sly smile. "I met the two of them together at a poker table in Louisville, Colorado. Back when Heyes couldn't say a word." The doctor had known the truth longer than anyone there.

"I thought it was his cousin he was visiting," said Ev Carter, defensively. "That's what he told us."

"The Kid is his cousin – his second cousin," said Beth, "thought they've kept that a secret. And yes, Jed came to New York. When Heyes had pneumonia and was shot he stayed here with Charlie and Marie for weeks while he and Heyes were healing up."

"Shot!" exclaimed several voices together.

Charlie nodded, "Yes, shot in the hip – he never fell off his horse. Or actually, he did, but that was when he got soaked in a mountain stream and got pneumonia – he didn't get the bullet in the hip until days later. Marie bandaged that hip so carefully . . . and the Kid's hand and arm, too." Charlie's voice trailed off and he honked into his handkerchief.

"Remember when it was all in the papers about the gunfight on the train and Heyes' death? Well, it all really happened except that Heyes didn't quite die," Beth finished the tale.

"Wait a minute, if Kid Curry was here for weeks staying with Charlie and Marie, how come none of us ever met him?" asked Huxtable, who had been staying very quiet and feeling terrible at having doubted a man that he and so many other people clearly loved and cherished.

"Because he knows how to stay under wraps! Jed wanted very much to meet you all," said Beth, "but he didn't dare. The two of them had just been in the papers so much, and they are kind of obvious when you put them together. The Kid's terribly good looking – and with that bandage on his wrist and his arm in a sling . . ."

"Wow, Kid Curry wanted to meet us!" said Ev Carter. "A man that dangerous . . ."

"Jed Curry is one of the best, nicest, more trust-worthy men I've ever met in my life!" asserted Beth passionately. "And Heyes loves him like a brother!"

"So, what are we going to do for those two good, nice, trust-worthy men?" asked Dr. Leutze. "I suspect that Heyes and the Kid both will need character witnesses, since the question of it was murder or self-defense will rest almost entirely on the words of those two wanted criminals. There is some physical evidence on their side, I understand . . ."

"That's right," said Jim. "A bullet in a wall, and some other stuff. Heyes t-told me about something called fingerprints that might b-be real helpful to them. And some marks in the mud that won't help unless the sheriff came fast and looked real carefully."

"Explain to me, please," said Dr. Hargrove, "exactly what is happening to this unfortunately and colorful young genius and what we expect to happen – I'm catching up to this very rapidly from almost nothing, you know."

Charlie Homer, who had the most information, summed up the tale thus, "Heyes is charged with murder of one of the kidnapping conspirators in Montana – a nasty character named Sean Gunther. Heyes shot him dead, alright – the only man he has ever killed, by the way. But, as Jim says, there's some evidence, and the Kid as witness, that it was self-defense. There was a previous trial where they determined that it was a criminal conspiracy and that they had earlier committed at least one murder. The dirty deputy swung for it. So we already know that the man Heyes killed was at least potentially a killer.

But if our friend Heyes manages to get acquitted of murder, that's only the first hurdle. He – and presumably his partner Jed Curry could get hauled off to stand trial for what I believe Heyes said was 43 counts of armed robbery. At 20 years each, depending upon the state, and with other assorted counts of breaking and entering, jail break, etc. added in – well, let's just say we're all praying for the amnesty. Otherwise the boys would be in prison at hard labor till doomsday.

There are four western governors who need to get together to rule on the amnesty and we're particularly worried about James Hogg, newly elected in Texas."

Professor Hargrove nodded. They could see her turning over all of these rather shocking revelations in her head analytically. "Could someone please explain to me why four presumably sane governors would give amnesty to a pair of notorious outlaws who must have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars?"

Beth described the case with understandable pride and passion. "As I understand it, the amnesty program began in Wyoming – where the Devil's Hole gang was headquartered. The governor calculated that it was far easier and cheaper to bribe them out of business with amnesty than to catch them. Lawmen there had, after all, been chasing Heyes and the Kid and company for seven years and never managed to put them away. They caught Heyes and the Kid a few times, but they're very slippery, our boys. Heyes, in particular, can get past almost any lock ever devised. Did you see those bundles of pick locks? He made them all himself, from when he was just a boy.

And once our boys turned good, they turned really good. They've caught and turned in several criminals, including murders, often at considerable risk to themselves and their freedom. And while Heyes calculates that they stole about $850,000 in their careers (he could tell you to the penny, of course), they've turned in well over a million stolen by other people. And now that Heyes plans to teach college mathematics – which, as you know, is desperately needed out West – and the Kid is working for the law . . . Well, it seems to me that it's a lot better having those guys out benefitting the community than behind bars."

Professor Hargrove whistled. "Wow! By those arguments, why on earth wouldn't they get amnesty?"

Dr. Leutze laughed. "Can't you guess? From four governors? One word – politics!"

Charlie nodded. "Hogg is a famous law and order man. He got shot in the back by some outlaws once – not our outlaws of course – and he's been out for outlaw blood ever since. And he might not be the only problem – Colorado would benefit from the Kid as a sheriff, and Wyoming from having the stain of Heyes' and Kids' names removed from their list of notorious outlaws at large. But for Montana, Heyes is just a possible murderer with no real upside – except that he's popular with the public. And so is his partner. You know Heyes. His partner's just as charming and, as Beth observes, very good looking. I believe the operative word is charisma."

Diana Hargrove nodded. "I see. That sums it up very neatly. It sounds like the biggest risk is the murder trial. What kind of arrangements are there for a lawyer?"

Matthias Peale now spoke up. "Those of us who knew this was coming have been getting up a fund for the best lawyer in Montana. There aren't that many to choose from. There aren't many people of any kind in Montana, actually. My parents live there and I visit them every year, so I know. If you'll all promise to keep it under wraps, I can tell you why I have a special interest in this."

"Alright, Peale – I think we'll all promise. . .To keep your secrets just like we do Heyes' secrets," said Neal George, looking around at nods from everyone present, "What is your interest – other than working with Heyes on his thesis and being his friend?"

Peale looked around for a moment and gathered his courage to let out a secret that he had kept from almost everyone for his whole life. "My father was the dynamite man with the Devil's Hole gang before Heyes was – or actually, he was there three years before Heyes joined up. Pa went straight just before I was born. Heyes and the Kid say he was one of their main inspirations for thinking it could done.

I actually met Heyes and the Kid when I was ten and we went to visit the Hole. It was a very impressive operation, as Heyes and the Kid ran it. Very organized and disciplined – for an outlaw gang. Otherwise Pa would never have taken me there. Heyes was only about twenty-five when we were there, and the Kid's two years younger. But they'd been running a tight ship up there for three years by then. That's not easy to do with outlaws! Pa has the utmost respect for Heyes and the Kid, as he always says."

"Wow, Peale! You're outlaw royalty!" exclaimed Jim.

"Well, I wouldn't say that . . ." said Peale modestly, but he looked pleased.

"So you're from Montana, Peale? Where's the trial going to be?" asked Ev Carter.

Peale said, "I'm not sure. There isn't even a county . . ."

Charlie said, "Heyes killed the man a few miles outside of a tiny town called Lodge Grass. The trial that sorted out the conspiracy and hung the dirty deputy was held in Billings – the only town of any size within fifty miles. But I doubt that Billings would have the facilities to secure and try a big-time criminal (pardon me, Beth) like Heyes. They'll figure the Devil's Hole boys might show up – which they won't. They'll figure the Kid will try to spring him – which he won't. They'll call in the cavalry – maybe literally. So I'm guessing they'll hold it in Helena, the capital of the state."

"That'd be good for us," said Peale, "The best lawyers in the state are there – not that that's saying much. They don't get many cases on this scale up there. This'll make someone's career."

"I just feel so helpless!" said Beth in frustration. "Even if the murder trial works out right, what can we do about the amnesty? Nothing!" But then Beth's head tilted to one side and a light came into her eyes. She whispered very softly, "Or maybe not . . ."

"What is it, Beth?" asked Neal George anxiously. If there was anything more that they could do to help Heyes, he wanted to know about it and act on it.

Beth shook her head. "I'd rather not say until I'm sure I'm right. And besides, this takes only one person. Only one . . . If it works . . ."

"Well, it's late guys, and I've got to pack to head to Helena in the morning," said Charlie. "And Marie . . ." He stopped suddenly. Charlie had forgotten for a moment that he had been widowed. Then the reality of it came back. He stopped and gathered himself for a moment, then continued with commendable fortitude. "You guys, and ladies, had better go soon. I'll send telegrams back here from Montana via Professor Hargrove, if I may. No one knows that she's involved with any of this, so she's a safer conduit than anyone here"

The English professor nodded and said, "I'm glad to do what I can to help this kindly conspiracy. And please everyone, just call me Diana."

Charlie continued laying down the law, "Sounds like you're in charge of the collection, Peale." The young physicist nodded. "If we can have all the funds gathered in the next couple of days and then wire the funds to me in Virginia City, I can pick out a good man for us. I think a certain sheriff will have advice for us about that." Then the meeting went over to the figuring out of practical details, like what hotel was the most trustworthy and affordable in Helena. Peale was a terrific help. No details were written down – they couldn't take the change on anyone ever finding any documents.

Charlie noticed that as Heyes' friends were leaving, Beth asked Huxtable something. Once he had answered, she hurried away – and not toward her own apartment. As she left, Beth was saying to herself again, "Oh my darling, what are they doing to you? What are you going through?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As the paddy wagon drove away, the horses couldn't long keep to a gallop despite the hurry caused by police fears of people trying to free their famous prisoner. The Manhattan traffic was just too dense. Heyes was rather glad to slow down some. It wasn't exactly a smooth ride. It was hard for him to stay upright without having the handcuffs that secured him to the bars cut painfully into his wrists. Tryon, riding shotgun next to the driver, looked back at Heyes and grinned nastily at the blood running down his wrists and staining his formal white shirt.

But once they slowed down, there were other challenges. The paddy wagon was built like a circus animal cage wagon, combining security with exposure. The holding area in back was a box with a grid of bars on the sides so that those outside, police and civilians, could look in and see whatever the occupant did. There was a plain, slick wooden bench down either side of the box. Nothing afforded any cover.

Heyes had often seen paddy wagons go by with their shamed occupants bent over covering their faces. He wasn't about to be seen cringing that way. He sat bolt upright and kept his face as close to impassive as he could manage. In fact, to passersby, the well-dressed man with his wrists bound behind him looked proud and defiant. When passing drunks cursed and laughed at him, he showed no sign of having heard them. When a dirty delivery van driver spat at him and the blob of saliva hit a bar and sprayed his cheek, Heyes didn't even flinch.

A newspaper boy ran up and asked, as the police van was stopped by a carriage jam ahead, "What are they taking you in for, Mister?" Heyes didn't turn away.

The world-famous outlaw told the ragged little boy, maybe nine years old, "You don't want to know, son. You really don't want to know."

But when the boy, with a precocious nose for news, asked, "What, are you an infamous criminal?" Heyes turned his face away. He wouldn't meet the boys' eyes again or answer. The paddy wagon started forward again with a hard jerk and more blood ran down Heyes' arms.