Hannibal Heyes, relieved of his duties for the day, stood outside the Sheriff's Office for a moment or two, surveying Main Street. Deciding it was too early in the day for a whiskey, even for a hardened ex-outlaw like himself, he rejected the idea of heading to the saloon. And while he knew he could always find a poker game going on, he wasn't inclined to spend his day off shooting the breeze with a tableful of bad gamblers, or worse yet, good ones.
He considered hitting the café and having an early lunch but, spreading his hand out over his belly, he discovered he was not a bit hungry yet.
He could have tried to set up a meet with Kid, but it was unlikely that the other man would be in the right place at the right time to pick up on their agreed-upon signal so quickly. Or he could have done as Lom suggested and went over to Purcell's office to see if he had anything for him or to delve back into his law books in search of something to help Kid, but his heart wasn't in it. Instead, he turned off Main Street and set off back toward his own house, where he knew he could find some chores to keep him busy. He found household chores to be immensely satisfying after spending so many years out on the dusty trails astride a horse. In fact, he found home ownership to be one of his greatest pleasures and took great pride in his little house. His heart lifted a little at the thought of spending some time there today.
So it was with mixed emotions that he noticed the red ribbon hanging from the picket next to the gate attached to the fence surrounding his yard. On one hand, he felt his heart soar with expectation; on the other hand, he felt a certain amount of guilty disappointment that his peaceful day at home was about to be disrupted. He knew if he went around to the back side of his home, he'd see a familiar horse tied to a post. And he knew that when he entered the house, there was no need to draw his gun, even though he would find he had unexpected company.
Unlocking the front door, Heyes called out softly so not to startle, "Jed, you in here?" Stepping inside, he noticed all the curtains had been drawn to keep out prying eyes and also sunlight. From out of the shadows, Kid Curry appeared, smiling sweetly.
Heyes and Curry met in the middle of the room and shared an awkward embrace. Then Heyes pushed Curry back to arm's-length. "Let me get a look at you, partner!" he said, casting an appraising eye over the other man. "Hmm..I guess you don't look too bad. You could use a fresh set of clothes though. When's the last time you had a real bath? And-you need a haircut."
"Yep, that's why I'm here. You still got your hair cutting scissors?"
Heyes had gotten into the habit of keeping a change or two of clothes for Jed in his closet. With a fresh set of clothes, a bath and a haircut, Kid Curry looked a lot more like Thaddeus Jones again, instead of a dirty, unwashed, homeless outlaw.
The rest of the day was spent in aimless pursuits, the most strenuous being sneaking out of the house to a favorite fishing spot and letting their lines dangle into the water, while they simply enjoyed being together, knowing that the time was short and Kid would have to be on his way again soon.
Heyes woke up the next day feeling fine and refreshed. As he did many days, he laid in his comfortable bed longer than he needed to, marveling about how much his life had changed since getting his amnesty. This morning, he also felt that old familiar feeling of guilt and sadness that he wasn't sharing his good fortune and optimistic view of the future with his partner. But he knew that someday, somehow, he'd figure out a way to bring Kid Curry back to this side of law-abiding. Without that truth leading him forward, he might never manage to get out of bed every day.
He'd all but forgotten that Thaddeus had spent the night on his sofa until the smell of coffee wafted past his nose and he heard the clatter of dishes coming from the kitchen. He smiled gently, thinking how nice it was to have him under his roof, if only for a day or so until the Kid figured out his next move. Hell, he thought how easy it might be for him to pick up roots and head on down the road next to his friend. But then he realized, not for the first time, that his best chance of helping Kid earn his amnesty was on this side of the law, not by Kid's side.
With a bittersweet sigh, he tossed his blankets off and got out of bed. Still dressed in his longjohns, he stumbled sleepily out to the kitchen where he saw Kid sitting at the table with a steaming cup of black coffee in front of him. An empty cup sat on the counter next to the coffee pot, waiting for Heyes.
"How long you been up, Thaddeus?" Heyes asked as he poured a cup of the thick, hot brew.
Kid shrugged, "A while. I don't sleep that well anymore." He glanced up at Heyes in time to see a pained expression pass over his dark features. They both knew what haunted Kid's sleep most nights—regret for the way his life had turned the past 2 years. "It's ok though. I was able to step outside this morning before dawn and watch the sunrise without any of your neighbors catching sight of me."
Heyes nodded. "One of these days, we'll take in the sunrise together again, without worrying about who might see."
Kid returned the nod, but said nothing. A sad smile played on his lips as he gazed into his cooling cup of coffee.
"What do you think about sticking around for a couple days, Thaddeus? Laying low for a bit until you figure out your next move?"
"I'd surely like that, Han. But I think it'll be better for the both of us if I move on today."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Both men fell silent for a long moment, feeling the weight of their reality on their shoulders. Heyes broke the silence. "So what caused you to leave Devil's Hole this time? Ol' Kyle getting on your last nerve?"
"No, t'weren't Kyle this time," Kid chuckled softly. "You're never gonna believe this but that damn fool Hank has hatched up a scheme that's going to get the whole bunch of them kilt or hanged."
"Do tell."
"He's figuring on kidnapping some big-shot or other; expects they can get a big ransom out of it." Kid got up and refilled his coffee cup. Then returned to his place at the table.
Heyes could barely believe his ears. "Kidnapping! Did they say who?"
"Nah. I doubt they got that part of the scheme figured out yet. And I didn't stick around long enough to hear much more. But I'll tell you one thing, I need to steer clear of those blamed-fool idiots from now on if I ever plan on getting my amnesty. I just gotta figure out what my next move is going to be. I gotta tell ya, it was sure a lot simpler when it was the two of us out there on the road."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room while both men contemplated Kid's words. Then, with forced cheerfulness in his voice, Heyes said, "Hey, how 'bout you head on down to Yuma and spend some time with Jenny and Louise? They would love to see you and they could probably use some help down there. And maybe in a couple days, I could ride down and join you. Maybe take in a poker game or two."
"That actually sounds like a good idea, Heyes. A change of scenery would do me good and I've never run into anyone who knows me down in Yuma."
The rest of the day was spent in companionable ease, both men happy to spend time doing very little besides catching up on the weeks spent away from each other. By nightfall, Kid Curry was ready but reluctant to set out on his solitary journey and Heyes convinced him to spend one more night in relative comfort sleeping on his couch and heading out before dawn the next morning. After an early breakfast of bacon, eggs and hot coffee, Thaddeus mounted his horse and set out alone in the pre-dawn darkness. Heyes watched his progress down the empty street until he turned the corner and then slowly returned to his empty house to catch a couple more hours of sleep before heading into the office to see Lom.
Thump, thump, thump!
Thump, thump, thump!
Heyes groaned as the noise tried to penetrate into his sleeping brain. His eyes flew open while simultaneously rolling out of bed, throwing his blankets aside awkwardly, still disoriented from being jolted out of a deep sleep. Instinctively, he reached for his pistol which he kept just within reach under his bed. Listening in silence for the source of the sounds, the urgent thump, thump thump repeated itself a third time; and this time he recognized the noise for what it was—the sound of someone pounding on his front door insistently. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that he'd slept later than he intended after being awake so early for Kid's departure earlier in the morning.
"Hold yer horses! I'm coming," he shouted irritably in the direction of the front of his house while pulling on a pair of trousers. Just to be safe, he also grabbed his gunbelt, securing his gun in the holster as he walked. "Who in blazes…" he muttered, reaching for the door knob, ready to give whoever stood on the other side of it a sizable piece of his mind.
He flung the door open, half expecting to see Jed Curry behind it but instead was surprised to see Eleanor Trevors, with baby Jane in the crook of one arm and 7 year old Ben clutching her skirts. By the dark circles under her eyes and the strained expression on her face, Heyes could tell she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.
"Eleanor? What's wrong? Where's Lom?" he asked, holstering his gun.
"Oh, Hannibal. I am at my wit's end! Lom didn't come home last night. I haven't heard from him since yesterday at lunch time. I'm so afraid something has happened to him."
"Let's not jump to any conclusions yet, El. Come on inside and let's talk this out." He held out his hand to her and led her to the kitchen, indicating she should sit at the kitchen table. "Just take a breath and I'll put a pot of coffee on."
"Yes, thank you. I have been up all night worrying. I could use some coffee. Ben, why don't you go outside and play while I talk to Mr. Heyes. But don't leave the yard! I don't want you to go missing along with your father."
"Oh, now El, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for why Lom didn't come home last night. Could be he was working on a case, maybe chasing down some two-bit crooks." Heyes did his best to be reassuring while displaying a calm demeanor. His insides betrayed his fears, but only to himself. It was, in fact, very unlike Lom to go out on his own without at least leaving information for one of the deputies, or more importantly, his wife.
Eleanor considered Heyes' explanation but it didn't assuage her worries. "It's possible, but I don't think so. I just talked to Deputy Grant and he doesn't know of any active cases that Lom was pursuing. No. I am sure something has happened. I can just feel it in my bones!" She looked down at her baby in arms and started to sob quietly. "I don't know how I'm going to manage without him."
Heyes looked flustered and uncomfortable seeing her tears. "Now look, you're just worn out. Lom is fine, just fine. You'll see. In fact, I'm going to find him for you. I won't rest until you have him home safe and sound. You trust me, don't ya? Now why don't you take these babies home and try to-"
At that moment, another series of thumps could be heard coming from the front door, sounding even more urgent than Eleanor's knocks, if that were possible. Both Heyes and El jumped, startled. Heyes' gun was in his hand before either of them even realized.
"Ben?" Eleanor questioned, staring up at Hannibal; her brow furrowed in a confused manner.
"No, I don't think so, someone else." Gesturing for her to remain in her chair, Heyes cautiously approached the door, prepared to yank it open and confront whoever was on the other side, with gunfire if necessary.
"Mr. Heyes! It's Deputy Grant. I come to see you about Sheriff Trevors. I got important news."
Heyes could hear all this through the door and put his gun back in the holster. Drawing a deep breath, subconsciously preparing himself for bad news, he opened the door and saw a flustered and red-faced Deputy Grant on the other side, clutching a wrinkled piece of writing paper as if his life depended on it.
Heyes' heart was in his throat, anticipating bad news. His voice was more gravelly than usual when he asked, "What have you got there, Deputy?"
Silently, the young deputy handed Heyes the paper, casting an apprehensive side-eyed glance toward Eleanor Trevors.
Heyes read. His eyes widened in disbelief as the words penetrated his brain and the words of Kid Curry came back to haunt him. "Those blamed fools!" he thought.
"What is it, Mr. Heyes? Is it from Lom? Where is he? Is he coming home?" Eleanor's questions came fast and furious but Heyes couldn't find the words to answer her, his silver tongue failing him momentarily.
After a long pause, he found his words but they were of no comfort. "No, Eleanor, it's not from Lom."
She shook her head as if not comprehending. "I don't understand. If it's not from Lom, then—who?"
Heyes looked down at the paper one last time, hoping he'd read the message wrong, but the words still held the same meaning as before. "I'm sorry, Eleanor, but your husband has been kidnapped."
Eleanor Trevors turned a lighter shade of pale and all breath seemed to be sucked out of her lungs as she started to faint. The two men rushed to her side, Deputy Grants rescuing the baby from her arms while Hannibal Heyes caught her body in his arms.