More than one head turned to look curiously as Hannibal Heyes barreled through the main street of Bridgerton and through the door of the hotel. As he dashed up the staircase, he called to the desk clerk, "Fix me up a bill! I'm checking out! And have the cook pack a lunch for me and add that to the total."
Once in his room, he hurriedly stuffed his belongings into his saddle bags and carpet bag. His cash was already distributed among several locations, including his boots, hat band, the hidden compartment in his saddle bag, and a few other spots. His vest pocket held his walking-around money. From this he pulled out the amount necessary to settle up the bill.
"What's the rush, Mr. Smith?" inquired the clerk as his guest practically threw the money onto the counter and scooped up the cloth bag of food that had been hastily packed for him.
"My partner's in trouble!" replied Heyes as he raced out the door, letting it slam behind him with a bang. En route to the livery stable, he dashed into the mercantile, grabbed a hammer and a box of nails from a shelf, and slammed some money on the counter without even waiting for the surprised clerk to greet him. He stuffed the hardware into his carpet bag as he ran the rest of the way to the stables.
His horse was ready and waiting for him and he quickly settled up with the liveryman as well, explaining that he had a "family emergency," which was true, he could almost hear Miss Grady's voice insisting in his head. He threw his saddlebags over the horse and hastily tied on his carpet bag with his bedroll.
"Tell the boys good bye for me, Ben," he said, swinging up into the saddle and urging his mount into a gallop.
As he tore out of town, Hannibal Heyes found himself turning one thought over and over in his mind: his plan would fail before it had even begun if the gang didn't get wind of the telegram.
