"Jed, this is Beth," said Beth Heyes after she had waited for the deputy on duty to fetch his boss from the hotel to the sheriff's office to talk with her on the telephone. The time difference meant that it was still early in Colorado, while the morning was getting late in New York. She stood, feeling embarrassed and awkward in her landlady's parlor. The distraught wife could hardly speak coherently. "Jed . . . Heyes . . . Harvard and Keuka both said no. About two o'clock this morning he came home - Jim dragged him home – drunk. He'd been guzzling bad whiskey in some low-down bar on Hester Street."
"Oh, honey! That's awful!" Kid Curry wished he could send a hug over the phone to his cousin-in-law. "Who's watching him now?"
The question startled and frightened Beth. "Watching him? Nobody. He's asleep. He passed out when he got in and he hasn't opened his eyes since."
"Beth, honey," said Jed Curry as gently as he could, "you got to have somebody watch him every minute to make sure he don't get out and drink again. Watch him every single minute. You can't let him get whiskey or he'll get worse and worse. You don't want to know how bad it can get how fast. If you can stop him right now, you can get him back on the straight and narrow. He's not a mean drunk, but he'll do anything to get liquor."
"But Jed, this is Heyes, he wouldn't. . . "
Jed interrupted her, "Beth, you don't know what he'd do. This ain't Joshua Smith the math student, this ain't H. Joshua Heyes the professor, this ain't the nice guy you married. This is Hannibal Heyes the outlaw. He'll lie, cheat, steal . . ."
Beth sobbed, "He wouldn't hurt me, would he?"
Curry felt awful to destroy a wife's faith in her husband, but Beth had to know the truth. "I hope not. But I wouldn't swear to what he might or might not do when he's like this, sweetie. Don't count on him. Not at all. He'll get better, but it takes time. Now you go and check on him. Make sure he's still there. If he ain't, then find him fast. Get some friends to help. Charlie Homer will know just what to do. Jim or the Columbia boys will, too."
Beth's agitation was clear in her voice even over 1600 miles of staticky phone lines. "Jed, what are we going to do? If no one would hire Heyes to teach before, they really won't when they find out about this."
Curry kept his voice calm and steady. "When you got him steady enough, you and Heyes come out and stay with us as long as you need. Cat and I are gonna sell out Christy's Place and buy a legit hotel with no saloon. When Heyes is up to it, he can manage the new place. We'll pay him a real salary you folks and your baby can live on, not just room and board. He'll be worth it. He can do that until he can get a teaching spot. And he will, sweetie. Those schools don't have to know more than he went and got drunk once, if they find out that much. Everybody gets boozed up now and then, don't they? Even professors?"
Beth felt her heart pounding with fear. All this was so strange to her. She said, "I guess you're right. Thank you, Jed. Give my love to Cat."
Curry was reluctant to let Beth go. He said, "You give another call soon. Let me know what's going on and when you're coming."
"I will, Jed. Thank you." Beth was desperate to go and check on her husband, but scared to face this without Jed's comforting presence. He had come to be like a brother to her
Curry said, "You'll be alright, Sweetie. You got a lot of friends and family to help. You got us. You and Heyes will get through."
"We will." Now Mrs. Heyes sounded a little better, but only a little.
Beth hung up, realizing that she had forgotten to tell Jed Curry that Charlie was gone. He couldn't help. "Thank you, Mrs. Westmoreland!" She called through the door to her land lady's bedroom. Then Beth hurried back to her own apartment. She opened the bedroom door, dreading what she might find.
The bedclothes were pulled back in disarray. Heyes was gone.
Beth's purse lay on the dresser, carelessly opened. She rushed to look at it. Most of her money was gone.
Beth fought back tears. There was no time for being shocked and hurt. She had to go into action. But where could she look for her husband? She was all alone with no time to find help. She would have to venture into sleazy bars where upright women never went. She didn't know how the drunken patrons might behave toward her. Would they tell her where Heyes was?
There was a knock on the apartment door.
Beth was relieved to find Charlie Homer on the other side. "Oh, Charlie!" Beth dissolved in tears into the arms of the tall, grey professor. "You're back."
"I was visiting a friend in Virginia. I just got in on the train this morning. I saw Jim's note and came straight over. It's alright, it's gonna be fine," said Charlie as he held the sobbing mother-to-be in his arms. Charlie looked rumpled and tired. His thick grey hair was in disarray.
Beth wiped her eyes with a damp handkerchief. "No, Charlie, it isn't going to be fine. Hasn't Jed ever told you about Heyes and drink?"
Charlie stood straight and strong. "Yes, he has told me. I know the Kid got his partner through a funk like this eight years ago when they went straight. It wasn't easy, but Jed managed it all by himself. Of course, they were wanted, so they couldn't trust anyone else. Now they're straight and have amnesty, so they have plenty of people they can trust. Heyes has you, and me, and Cat and Jed and as many friends as anyone could ask. We'll stand by you both and get you through this."
"If we can just get us through today, I'll be grateful, Charlie," said Beth, weeping softly. "I was in Mrs. Westmoreland's apartment talking on the telephone to Jed. When I got back, just now, Heyes was gone. He stole money from my purse. Jed said he'll do anything to get liquor and I guess he was right. I don't know where to look for him. He could be anywhere in the city."
Charlie stayed calm. "No, honey. Not anywhere. He'll be close. As close as he can get drink. I'll go find him. You be here and ready when I get him back. Just tell me – how long ago did you leave him alone?"
Beth tried to control her panic. "Not long. Maybe fifteen minutes?"
"Thank goodness! See you soon." Charlie gave Beth a quick hug before he hurried out the door.
"Bless you, Charlie!" Beth choked out before she closed the door after him.
Beth hurried to prepare the apartment for arrival of a husband who might be drunk and would certainly be untrustworthy. She moved her tiny emergency cash stash from a lower drawer Heyes probably knew about to a disused book, taking only a couple of dollars to restock her purse. She changed the bed clothes, hoping she wouldn't need to do it again too soon. Heyes had been filthy when he had come in with Jim.
There was a soft knock at the apartment door. It was too soon to be Charlie. Beth answered it in fear - could it be the law?
"Hello, Beth!" Said Dr. Leutze in deep concern. "How is he?"
Beth said, "Gone!"
"Gone?" The doctor was appalled.
Beth hurried to add, "But Charlie's out searching bars for him. It wasn't long ago that Heyes snuck out. We hope he won't be very far away or very drunk. Thank you for coming. And for letting me take time off work."
"Well, of course you can have all the time you need. Other people can work with your students. You have to look after Heyes. But how did he get away from you?" Doctor Leutze asked as he sat in the apartment's tiny parlor. The doctor in his usual neat, handsome suit could not have contrasted more with how Heyes had looked the night before. Dr. Leutze stroked his neat beard thoughtfully.
Beth let out a long, trembling breath. "I was careless, and ignorant. I thought he was safe. He was still fast asleep when I went to our landlady's apartment to use the telephone to call Jed Curry. Jed told me I should have someone with Heyes every minute and he was right. When I got back, just a few minutes later, Heyes was already gone. He stole money out of my purse, Doctor! That's so totally unlike him. Or like he has been since I've known him."
The doctor was distressed to learn this about his long-time patient. "It certainly is. I didn't realize Heyes had this trouble with drink."
Beth said, "He's worked to hide it. He hasn't drunk hard liquor since just after he and Jed went straight. But it's been a temptation to him all along. He doesn't like to mention it. I've learned to spot when he's tempted so I can distract him. But when I wasn't with him on this interview trip, I couldn't help. It was agony to see him that way. I mean, a rowdy celebration would be one thing. But he was miserable."
"He must have been," said the doctor sympathetically.
Beth was glad to be able to consult an authority to whom she could describe what she had heard. "Doctor, his speech was terrible, just before he passed out. Not just slurred, with awful grammar, but stuttering and struggling with even simple words. It was worse aphasia than he's had since the first year he was with us. Worse than that, in some ways."
Doctor Leutze nodded sadly. "I doubt it was any new problem. I guess it just tells just you what a brave, determined man your husband is. You heard the troubles that are always there but that he works so hard to hide when he's himself. He will be very embarrassed you heard him like that, if he remembers it."
"Yes. I won't remind him of it. He has enough to be ashamed of. Oh, Heyes, how could you?" Beth's tears came faster and her boss held her gently.
"As long as you don't say anything like that where he can hear you, you're welcome to let it out with me," said the doctor gently.
"Thank you, Doctor," said Beth. "But I have to dry my tears. Charlie and Heyes could be back any time, or I hope they will be. It sounds like finding Heyes might be a lot easier than getting him to stop drinking. Jim said he's a very hard drinker."
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Sixteen hundred miles to the west, Kid Curry stood in his office, balancing on his crutches. He was stunned at what he had just heard from Beth Heyes. He wished he could talk with his wife about this terrible news, since whatever happened would closely concern her and their coming child. But he didn't dare step away from the telephone in his office lest Beth call back with more news.
"Boss?" Asked Al Kelly tentatively as he came in the front door. The blond deputy had seen Curry in some rough circumstances, but never looking this shaken. "Are you alright? You look kinda pale."
"I'm fine," said the sheriff brusquely as he sat down. "Another school said 'no' to Heyes. He and his wife will be coming out here to stay." Curry saw no reason to reveal his partner's shameful troubles until or unless he had to.
"Nice of you to take on the poor guy," said Al as he went to his own desk. "Here you got two jobs and he can't catch on anyplace except that little bookkeeping gig. He needs to come out West – land of opportunity."
"Yeah," said Curry. "Why don't you take the opportunity to walk an early patrol, since that call got the two of us in early? Might surprise somebody won't be expecting you on the street this time of day."
"Sure thing, Boss," said Kelly. He checked his pistol and his badge and headed out, looking unusually sober. He knew something worse was going on that the sheriff had yet told him.
Curry was glad to have a moment alone to think about how to cope with the return of this nightmare from his and his partner's past. The sheriff sat at his desk, leaning on his elbows, trying to sort out his options.
A few minutes later, Cat Curry walked into the sheriff's office. Her concerned blue eyes met her husbands'. Looking around, she realized they were alone. "Honey-love, what's so wrong? You look awful upset, so that call from Beth must have been bad news."
Curry took a long, deep breath. "That school in New York State said no, and you know about Harvard. Heyes finally snapped. He went back to New York and got roaring drunk."
Cat exclaimed "No!"
Curry tried to hide his despair. "Yeah. I've told you about how Heyes can drink, and how hard it is to stop him, once he gets started. I hope Beth and their friends there can get him off the bottle. But he'll need more help and he'll need work. Honey, I said he and Beth can come stay with us. I told her when he's able, he can manage our new place. I hope you don't mind."
Cat agreed. "Of course that's the thing to do. Once gets off the booze so we can trust him again. With you and me and Beth and the doc to help, surely we can get him squared away. If you dried him out before, with us all to help, you can do it again. But Jed, if they come straight out here from New York, we're still living in a saloon. Heyes can't stay with us if he's fighting to stay off the bottle. It could be disaster."
Jed was planning as rapidly as Heyes ever had. "They can't stay at Christie's Place, no. But it will take them a few days to get here. And they'll need a day or two to get Heyes dried out before they can even get on the train. Our house is almost ready. It's just not painted or wall papered and our stuff isn't there yet and a few other little things need doing. You think we get the guest room done and kinda livable in time?"
Cat nodded, figuring rapidly. "That's a great idea, Jed. If we really push and they take a couple of days getting Heyes ready before they come, I think we can manage. We can have Heyes and Beth out at the house to manage the rest of move while we're still here in town, selling out and getting things set up. With the house outside town, it'll put some distance between Heyes and booze."
"Yeah," agreed Jed, "Heyes can do math anyplace to help us cope with loans and interest and licenses and all that stuff. Between that and helping with the move, it ought to distract him some. Maybe he can even do bookkeeping and locksmithing for other folks when we don't need him every minute. He'll need all the money he can get."
Cat added, "And Jed, Beth, just in case, applied to teach at the Colorado prep school. She hoped she wouldn't need it, but now it's a good thing. They wanted her just for the fall, of course, since she'll be a mommy in the spring."
"That all sounds great," said Curry. "If. If Heyes can get dried out and stay that way. I'll see if we can get a stall in the stable by the house ready for Clay. You know how Heyes like to ride. That'll be good for him once we can trust him by himself. I just hope I can get him dry one more time."
Cat's voice was full of concern. "You've managed to dry him out a few times before."
Curry sounded tired already. "Yeah, but it was as rough as anything I ever done in my life. And it's harder every time. I have to outsmart him. Over and over."
"Outsmart Heyes? Oh my God!" Cat was now properly impressed by the magnitude of what lay before them.
Jed nodded. "Yeah. Now you get what I mean. And don't forget – we might have the Teasdale Brothers after us. So we have to outsmart them, too. And maybe outshoot them."
"Well, that you can do, surely. I defy anybody to beat you shooting." Mrs. Curry smiled encouragement at her husband.
He cautioned her. "Yeah, I hope. But remember, Cat. This time it's got to stay legal."
"Oh yeah." Cat sat down in a chair where arrested men often sat, facing the sheriff. "Well, you can still do it. And you've got two fine deputies."
Curry added, "Fine and young. I want to keep 'em alive and well."
His wife leaned over his desk to kiss him. "And you, too, please, Jed."
"And you and the baby. And Heyes. And Beth. And all the folks in this town need to stay safe. Ain't gonna be easy." Jed Curry ran a hand through his curly hair. There were a few silver threads among the honey gold now and there would be more soon.
"I have faith in you." Cat gazed into the sheriff's blue eyes.
The Kid gave a quick, stiff smile. "Thanks. We'll see how it goes. While we start a new business. If we can convince somebody to give Kid Curry a loan."
Mrs. Curry appreciated the Kid's concern. "Gee. Sounds like quite the late summer and autumn."
"And then you have a baby." Now Jed Curry had a real smile on his face.
Cat smiled and patted her belly. "Yes. Our little boy or girl. I know you can keep us safe. You always do. My man the lawman. Well, I better get back to work." She stood up a bit awkwardly.
"Me, too." Jed kissed his wife tenderly. He felt very sorry to see her go back out the door.
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As Beth was drying her eyes, there was a knock on the door. She looked up with tense expectation. She would have known that knock anywhere.
Beth opened the door to let in Heyes and Charlie. The ex-outlaw looked at his wife and her boss through narrowed eyes. Beth thought she could almost feel her husband's pounding headache. He looked terrible, scowling, with dark shadows under his blood-shot eyes. His cheeks were covered in heavy beard stubble shot with grey. He walked stiffly, but he was steady. While Beth could smell a little whiskey, Heyes was not drunk. His mentor had reached him in time, if only just.
Charlie had his hand on Heyes' shoulder, as if fearing his former student might try to escape. Heyes glanced irritably at his mentor. Beth was just as glad not to know what had happened when the pair had met in a lower east side dive.
"Charlie, you found him!" Cried Beth, trying to hide her dismay at how miserable her husband looked. Obviously, he hadn't been happy to be found.
As Charlie steered Heyes in the door, Heyes muttered in a hoarse voice, "Yeah he found me alright. I'll b-be fine, if I can just get some sleep. Beth, you go on to work. You, too, Charlie, Doc."
Beth shook her head. "No, Heyes, we aren't going to leave you alone. Not for one minute. We know better." She tried not to sound too accusing even as she caught her husband brazenly trying to deceive hist wife and friends. It was just as Jed had told her. He would lie, cheat, and steal.
A hard, dark look Beth had never seen from him before appeared on Heyes face. He leaned on the back of a chair. "You've been talking to the Kid," he growled.
Beth answered, "Yes, thank God we have. We'll get you through this, Heyes. Because we love you, even if you don't think you love us right now."
Heyes' only answer was a resentful silence. He rubbed his head, glared at his friends, and went into the bedroom. The door slammed.
Beth looked at Charlie in concern. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'm sorry he's being so awful about it. I hate to think what he said to you at the bar."
"Don't worry, Beth," said Charlie. "His pride is hurting him worse than his head and his stomach. I didn't expect anything else right now. He'll get better, in time, if we keep him off the sauce. Just remember to be careful. That's Hannibal Heyes in there. He may be the greatest jailbreak artist in America." He gestured toward the bedroom
Beth spoke softly, "I never forget who I married, Charlie. I doubt you got any sleep last night. You go home and rest. I'll watch Heyes."
"Not alone," said Doctor Leutze. "I'll be out here on guard, so you can get some sleep yourself, Beth. I'll be here for your husband."
Heyes put his head out the bedroom door. He snarled, "Would you shut up out there?! I can't sleep if you keep yammering. I don't need a doctor. I ain't sick."
"Yes, you are sick," said the doctor evenly, ignoring his former patient's rudeness. "What you have is a disease that doctors are finally starting to properly recognize and treat for what it is. Alcoholism."
"Disease, my ass!" laughed Heyes coarsely. "I'm just a drunk like any other. Weak willed. Not worth dirt."
"Heyes, son, you are sick. And you're worth any trouble it takes to get you well," said Charlie. "I'm going to go get my own sleep, but I'll pack a bag and be back here so the doctor can return to the clinic. You, Mr. Heyes, are going to have round the clock company."
Heyes rubbed his bleary eyes wearily. "Aw jeeze," he moaned. "You won't tell the Columbia boys, will you?"
"We will do what you make us do," said Charlie Homer crisply, his eyes full of fire under his furry grey eyebrows, "No more, but no less. So stay here and stay out of trouble unless you want us to get lots more help to keep you in bounds."
The unhappy former outlaw groaned, yawned, rubbed his head, and vanished into his bedroom. This time the door shut quietly. The previous slam must have hurt Heyes' aching head badly.
"Well, I really do need to go get a couple of hours sleep," said Charlie, yawning, "I'm about to pass out. I'll be back as soon as I can. Doc, can you send Jim to help us out, later? I'll see if I can get somebody else from school to take a turn at guarding. This is going to be more than three of us can do."
"Sure, Charlie," said Doctor Leutze. "I'm sorry to embarrass your husband like this, Beth, but we have little choice."
Charlie agreed. "Yeah, from what his partner told me, the next couple of days could be pretty bad. It will be hard for him to think of anything but his own misery. If we can keep him dry that long, he might be able to make it to Colorado on the train with just you and me on guard duty, Beth." Charlie yawned again. "Or we may need more help."
"Charlie, thank you!" exclaimed Beth, cheered to think she would have such good help on the long, tedious, dangerous train ride west.
"Don't mention it," said Professor Homer, who stretched his lanky form and yawned again as he went out the door.
"And thank you, Doctor. I know how hard it is for you to take time away from the clinic," said Beth.
Doctor Leutze's pale eyes fixed on Beth's brown ones. "My dear, remember that you are going to be a mother. Don't neglect yourself. Go and get what sleep he'll let you get. I'll wake you when Charlie Homer returns and I leave."
"I know. We'll see, Doctor," answered Beth. "I've never known him to be anything like this. He's like a stranger to me."
"I know, dear. Be strong and know that he'll be better soon, if we all do our jobs." Beth's boss looked warmly at her as she turned and went to the bedroom where her husband waited.
Beth found Heyes stretched out on top of the covers with his eyes closed. The tension in his body was clear.
"You aren't asleep," she observed.
"No." The word was as much moan as language.
Beth ordered, "Heyes, look at me."
The dark, weary eyes opened slowly. Beth was surprised to see her husband looking, she thought, unsure, even frightened.
"I forgive you, darling," said Mrs. Heyes. "I also love you."
Heyes shut his eyes again. "No, you don't. You couldn't. You despise me. Everyone does." He turned onto his side with his back to his wife.
"I do not despise you. I love you, Joshua," Beth stated firmly.
Her husband ignored her, pretending to be asleep. So Mrs. Heyes knew she needed to be patient. She sat down at their little desk and filed a couple of paid bills. She tried to write a letter, telling a friend about her coming move west. But she couldn't even decide who to write to. She could think of nothing but her agonized lover, lying on the bed with his heart broken by the academic world that had rejected him.
It was some time before the exhausted former outlaw really did fall asleep. He began to snore softly. Beth watched him for a while, but he didn't move.
At last, Beth dared to crawl carefully into bed beside her husband, trying not to wake him.
It was Heyes who woke his wife, as he turned restlessly in the bed. He turned to look at her in distress, then stumbled to the bedroom door. It was locked, of course. Heyes pounded on the door. "Let me out, dammit!" He croaked. "I gotta puke."
Normally, no locked door would slow Heyes for long. Today, he was in no shape to pick a lock and there wasn't time. Before Beth could get to the door, her husband fell to his knees and retched onto the floor.
Heyes looked up at Beth in total shame and misery. He gave one final spit and started to struggle to his feet.
Beth put out her hand to help him. "Don't touch me. I'm filthy," muttered Heyes, pulling away from his wife and leaning weakly against the wall.
Beth chuckled wryly. "Darling, I'm going to be a mother. I'm going to have plenty to do with vomit. Don't you worry. We'll get you cleaned up."
Heyes looked miserably at his wife. "I'm awful sorry, Beth. I hoped you'd never have to see me like this. Or smell me. I know I stink."
Beth moved the desk chair over near Heyes. "Poor baby. Sit down, love. I'll go get some damp towels and wipe you off. And clean up the floor."
"Oh, honey, I'm a miserable excuse for a man. You deserve a lot better," Heyes panted as he collapsed onto the chair.
Beth looked at her husband lovingly. "Hannibal Heyes, you are no worse than you were before last night. You just stumbled a bit. It's no wonder, with what you've been through. We'll get you back on your feet. Now wait a minute while I get those towels. In fact, I think you could use a bath."
"That sounds great, sweetie. Thank you," said Heyes softly.
Beth opened the door and hurried to the kitchen.
"How's Heyes?" Asked Dr. Leutze as he helped Beth put a full big pot of water on the stove to heat.
"Awake and he was just sick on the floor. He's apologetic, at least," said Beth as she gathered towels, dipped their corners in the warming water, and fetched some soap.
"That's an improvement," said the doctor. "Sounds like he's more like himself."
"I hope so. But I suppose it's too soon to trust him. I need to go clean him up." Beth hurried back to her bedroom.
She found Heyes standing by the door. "Here, honey," said Mrs. Heyes, "let's get you wiped off some. Then you can lie down while we get the bath water heated."
"Darling, I don't deserve you. I'm just a common drunk," said Heyes as his wife worked to clean him up.
"There's nothing common about you, Heyes," murmured Beth as she worked with the towels and changed her husband's shirt. "You're the one man I love. And you're a genius. One day some school will wake up to that. They can't deny you forever."
Heyes didn't reply. He sat slumped on his chair, seemingly ready to go back to sleep soon.
The doctor came in with a glass of water. "Here, Heyes, drink this. We can't let you get dehydrated."
Heyes took the glass and choked down a few swallows. He climbed into bed wearily. "Thanks Doc," he whispered, then his eyes closed.
While Heyes fell asleep again, Beth and the doctor heated more water for the bath the ex-outlaw desperately needed and got the tin tub out of a closet. While the stove did its work, Beth and the doctor stood in the apartment's tiny kitchen.
"Beth, I meant it when I said you have to look after yourself. Let Charlie and me and other friends look after Heyes as much as you can. Since I haven't seen him like this before, I don't know how long his unpredictable behavior may go on."
"We'll just have to feel our way," said Beth. "The Kid says not to trust him at all. In fact, I should go and check on him. It's been a few minutes."
"Oh come now, he's sick, exhausted, and asleep," said Dr. Leutze.
"That's what I thought when he got out before," cautioned Beth, hurrying toward the bedroom.
At that moment, there was a knock on the apartment door. Mrs. Heyes opened it to let in Charlie Homer. He had an overnight bag in one hand. The other was on the shoulder of an angry looking Hannibal Heyes. "Did you maybe lose something?" asked the professor testily of Beth. "I thought you knew to watch Heyes!"
"I did but – I thought he was asleep." Beth yawned. She was still very tired herself, having gotten almost no sleep the night before.
She turned to her husband as his mentor steered him back to the bedroom. She spoke sharply, her patience starting to wear thin. "Heyes, what are we going to do with you? Do we have to tie up or get handcuffs from the police? Believe me, we will if we have to."
Heyes looked in shame back and forth between his wife, his mentor, and his doctor. "I'm sorry. But you don't seem to get it. I need a drink. I really, really need a drink. I feel like I'm gonna die if I don't get a drink."
Dr. Leutze shook his head. "No, Heyes. You won't die, or even be any sicker than you are now. You just have a nasty hangover. I guess it's been long enough that it seems worse to you than it really is. I don't discount how bad the cravings can be, but physically you ought to feel better in a few hours."
"I hope so," said Heyes softly, rubbing his head. He stumbled back to his bed and sat on it. "But I still need a drink."
Beth closed the bedroom door, shutting out the doctor and Charlie Homer. "Honey, honestly, you can't give up now. Jed and Cat are buying that new hotel without a saloon they talked about. They want you to manage the new place. They plan on paying the real salary you'll be worth to them. We won't starve. And I already asked the Colorado prep school if they would want me to teach for them this fall. They said 'yes.' I hoped I wouldn't have to do it, but now it's clear that I do. So we'll make it fine. And you'll teach one day, you really will."
"I'm glad the prep school folks want you," said Heyes wretchedly, ashamed to have his pregnant wife have to work, "But no college I'd want to work for is going to hire a drunk like me. And I don't know if I'll be able to manage anything any time soon. God, I'm sorry to do this to you."
Beth said earnestly to her husband. "No one is going to find out about last night, Heyes. You'll get better and you'll teach. I love you and believe in you and you've got plenty of friends who feel the same. We aren't giving up. So don't you dare give up, either."
Heyes sat silently for a while, staring blankly into space. His wife could feel the battle going on in his head. Finally, he dug into his pants pocket and pulled out some wrinkled dollar bills. He handed them to Beth. "I'm sorry it's a little short." His wife accepted back her money. She didn't know what to say to a man who had betrayed her so recently and now was trying to get back on the right side.
Then he dug into another pocket and handed over his ring of pick locks. He sighed heavily and said, just above a whisper, "Give them to Charlie or the doctor – don't let me know which, or where they put them. Don't give them back to me until you're sure you can trust me. Maybe you shouldn't ever give them back."
Tears came to Beth's eyes. She knew what this meant to her husband. It must be almost like cutting off a hand. She embraced Heyes. "Oh darling, you'll be back to yourself again."
Heyes gave a tense, lopsided grin. "That's what I'm afraid of. Hannibal Heyes wasn't always the best guy around."
"Honey, you'll be alright. And you will teach. You will!" Beth hugged Heyes again.
"I'm sorry it seems like I've been fighting you. I'm not trying to. It's me I'm fighting. I'd about die for a drink. But if I can't have whiskey, I really could use that bath. And a shave, if the water's still hot." The dejected Heyes looked up at his wife.
Beth kissed Heyes. "Alright, we'll get the tub in here. And I'll get these out of the apartment." She gripped the lock picks tightly, as if afraid her husband might grab them back.
Beth wiped her eyes as she shut the bedroom door behind her. "Here, Doctor, take these," she whispered and handed the lock picks to her boss. "Hide them where Heyes will never find them."
"Did he give those up willingly?" asked Charlie, surprised.
"He wasn't happy, but it was his idea," said Mrs. Heyes. "And he gave me back my money."
"That's two good signs," said the doctor. Charlie nodded.
Silently, Charlie gestured that the doctor should give the pick locks to him, and he whispered "Later." He didn't want to have the pick locks on him while he was in the apartment and the sharp-eared Heyes might hear them jingle. Since the doctor was leaving the apartment first, Heyes would assume that was who had his precious tools of thievery. To pass the pick locks off to Charlie later would assure they would go somewhere that Heyes would truly never look.
The doctor helped Charlie and Beth get the bath set up for Heyes, then departed for his office. He promised to send Jim Smith along to help keep watch. But Charlie also promised to get help from Columbia when he could. Jim had had little sleep the night before and wouldn't be an effective guard for long.
Beth Heyes scrubbed her husband's back after he shaved himself in the tub of hot water. He felt his face with satisfaction, then leaned into the pleasantly scratchy brush Beth was using. "Gosh, that's better," he said. "Sweetie, I do love you an awful lot. How you keep putting up with me, I don't know. It's not like I want to make things hard for you."
Beth leaned her cheek on Heyes' damp head. "I know that, darling. It's no effort to love you. Doing what else I need to for you isn't always easy, but loving you is part of me."
Heyes looked up to kiss his wife.
When he was done rinsing off, he cautiously stepped out of the tub onto a mat. He and Beth cooperated in drying him off. This process grew more and more affectionate and intimate. Charlie, sitting in the parlor, smiled to hear the sensual giggling of Beth and the baritone laughter of Heyes coming softly through the bedroom door. Mrs. Heyes put her arms around her nude husband. The ex-outlaw kissed his beloved, and kissed her again. The pair fell into bed, caressing each other.
