Winter's Refuge
Chapter Forty-Nine
JED 'KID' CURRY
Chrissy found purpose immediately explodin' into a fury of cleanin' and preparations. A list appeared on the kitchen table that she returned to often. It seemed she was addin' more things than checkin' items off. I walked over and picked it up.
"No! Chrissy darlin's list, not Jed!" She slapped the paper out of my hand, and it floated to the floor. "Go! You said many things Jed to do…go do them now."
I held up my hands in apology. "As you say, darlin'," I said, grinnin' at her energy.
She grinned back. Her green eyes twinkled. "As I say! Yes. Good!"
Next step was to talk to Heyes. Right now I figured I'd let him know I was leavin' for Three Birds early and to keep a close watch on Chrissy in case Irving Price showed up here. I'd tell Juan and Ken at the same time. I'd only tell Heyes about the wedding and the twins coming.
"Heyes, need to talk to you," I yelled across the corral as he was moving our pregnant mares out of the stable. In the far corner of the corral, the last grass of fall could still be found. He gave me a quick wave to let me know he heard me. I didn't see Ken but waved Juan over.
"Ken?" I asked.
Juan walked over, wiping his hands on a cloth. I looked at my hands. Black dust from the forge was embedded under all my fingernails. I'll need to find time to clean them with borax soap a couple of times before the wedding tomorrow…my wedding. I told Juan what Preacher told me about Marina. He'd wanted to rush home immediately but sent a telegram to his father, Jose, first. The reply said his ma had been beaten up some but was healin'. Paul was still being held but Jose believed he was in no danger. Juan and Rudy should just stay where they were. It did little to stop Juan from worryin' but he stayed with us. Jose knew that Juan was protectin' Chrissy. Jose was trying to protect his family by having them stay where they were. I know his background. Did he still have contacts in the Devil's Hole gang? He won't be patient forever. None of the family knew Juan was now courtin' Hortense Birde.
"Got some things to do in Three Birds before I go to the sheriff's house. Keep a close watch on Chrissy in case Price shows up here instead of there," I told them and got understanding nods in response. "We're havin' visitors next week. Lom and three others. No need to worry about her safety from them, but you'll find she is busy cleanin' everything. Help her, if she lets you, and keep her in the house."
'Will do, Jed. I'll just bring the horses into the stable and we'll let Ken know," Juan answered, and I thought how hard earned it was to get him to call me Jed. I was humbled by his friendship and loyalty now.
"Heyes, got something else I want to go over with you. Let's go inside."
It was hard tellin' Chrissy I knew about the twins and they were comin'. This conversation was gonna be just as hard. For the second time today, I wished that Aiden was here or I had at least asked him how to handle these conversations. At least with Heyes I'll know just what he's thinkin'.
I went and sat at the kitchen table. Heyes stopped at the door. Nothin' was coverin' his mouth. In the last few days, we spoke more like this. I'd gotten used to not judgin' his thoughts and confirmin' I was not angry with him.
He stopped in the doorway. "Are you mad at me? What did I do wrong? Did I wake you last night when I was walking around? I tried to be quiet. I am trying to be good. Don't be mad. I'm sorry. I'll fix whatever it is. I'll try harder." His thoughts poured out and made me sad.
"Heyes, I ain't mad at you. Just need to talk to you."
"ABCDEF…I didn't do anything wrong?"
"Nothin'. Come sit at the table with me." I pushed Chrissy's list to the end of the table where it couldn't be seen.
Heyes sat across from me. He was quiet but his lips were movin'. He was silently sayin' the alphabet. Before I could think of the words to start, he said, "I'll watch Chrissy. Protect her. If I need to touch a gun to save her I will. We need to keep her safe. Then I will go to prison. The dark cell is in prison. I need to hide inside my mind in there. If I go back to prison, I will stay in my mind. It's safe there. Lashes don't hurt if I go far enough inside my mind."
"NO! Don't touch a gun!" I said, afraid at this train of thought.
I touched his arm across the table. "Heyes, your thoughts are flowin' out and you're gettin' lost in them and you're scaring me."
He looked up at me in alarm and put his hand across his mouth. His eyes grew big as he thought about what I'd heard. "Sor…sorry. You mad," he said and quickly replaced his hand.
He knows me better than anyone else. I was mad. "Heyes, promise me you will not touch a gun until you are off probation." My voice was louder than I intended, and he leaned away from me. "Promise me right now."
"Chrissy," he said, as he moved his hand away and quickly returned it to his mouth.
"I understand what you are sayin', but there are others here who can handle a gun, includin' Chrissy. And other ways to protect her."
He looked down at the table and mumbled, "Promise." He covered his mouth.
I knew if he took his hand away and I heard his thoughts that I'd learn his promise wasn't sincere. But I let it go for now.
"Heyes, can you look at me?" He did. "I need to talk to you about tomorrow."
I reached across and took his hand from his mouth. He immediately started sayin' the alphabet and then he said it backwards just as quickly. "Impressive," I said smilin'. This should be a joyous thing I was goin' to tell him. "Tomorrow me, you and Chrissy are goin' into Three Birds and me and Chrissy are gettin' married by the priest there. I want you to be my best man."
I held his hand away from his mouth and he understood why. He stopped sayin' letters and let his thoughts vocalize. "Married? But Chrissy and the Kid are already married. I know that. But I don't remember it. I'm sure I was there. He wouldn't get married without me."
I let go of his hand and he covered his mouth. "You're right, I wouldn't get married without you."
He put down his hand. "It's the priest. You weren't married by a priest and Chrissy wants to have the wedding blessed. That must be it."
I let Heyes' thoughts roll out. I needed to hear what he thought so I could deal with it.
"I love Chrissy," I told him and listened.
"Oh, course you love Chrissy and Chrissy loves you. I've never seen two people more in love than you two. You belong together, that's why you're married. I'm so happy for you, Kid. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy. You have such patience with her." Heyes smiled that wide dimpled smile that I had not seen in a long time. "Sometimes you hearing my thoughts is embarrassing but the truth here is good."
"Me and Chrissy will be movin' into the big bedroom upstairs tomorrow. Might ask you to help move some furniture. Need to know if you want to keep your bedroom or move to another. You have your choice of the three downstairs bedrooms or the two end ones upstairs."
He looked at me blankly and said nothing. I realize this must happen when he goes inside his mind. No thoughts. Nothingness. Well, nothingness and nightmares.
"Heyes, where are you? Can you hear me?"
He didn't respond. His reactions are different from Chrissy's; she always hears everything. Heyes is locked away and can't hear. It's his way of protectin' his broken self. I shook his arm.
"Heyes? You're fine. We're in our home, talkin'," I said. I wasn't sure what to say. "We got more to talk about."
I moved around the table and sat next to him. "Heyes, wherever you are, come back. I need you, partner."
He stirred at that and looked at me. First a blank look, then I saw awareness return to his eyes. "Still partners?"
"Always. I got your back."
And his thoughts returned out loud again. "We're still partners. I asked Kid that when he came to visit me in prison. He always said we were partners. I clung to that to get through those last six months. Did he say he needed me? What can I do for him? I'm here because I need a job while on parole and he has my back. This ranch and bookkeeping is my job. I'm so thankful to the Kid letting me work for him here."
"Enough Heyes. Your thoughts get off track so easily that they pull me along. I need your help."
"ABCDEFGH," he said, and I know he was attemptin' to keep his thoughts to himself. "How?" he asked quickly.
"Lom's comin' within the week," I started, but was interrupted by Heyes' uncontrolled train of thought.
"Why would he need my help with Lom? Lom's our friend. He's always helped us. But he's a lawman, a sheriff. Is he going to arrest the Kid for something? I'll help however I can. I'll tell Lom I did whatever he thinks the Kid did. He can arrest me."
"Heyes!" His thoughts stopped as he covered his mouth. "Thanks for havin' my back, partner, but Lom's not here to arrest either one of us. He needs our help."
He looked at me with questions in his face but kept his hand in place.
"Lom's bringin' his sister, Lillian, here. She's sick."
"Help take care of her?" Heyes asked. "ABCDEFIJK."
"Yes. And there is something else. Lom's sister has been doin' somethin' for Chrissy and me. Takin' care of our children while we were in prison and while Chrissy is recoverin'." I slid the two pictures to Heyes.
His eyes went wide in amazement and he didn't try and stop his thoughts with the alphabet. "The Kid and Chrissy are parents! I'm an uncle. Well, a cousin, I guess, but maybe they can call me uncle. The children are beautiful. They favor both the Kid and Chrissy. I knew they were married. I'll try tonight to remember their wedding. Chrissy wears his ring. Now I see the Kid needs me to help keep their kids safe." Heyes put his hand over his mouth.
I was relieved the thought that they might be his didn't pop into his mind. "Yes, but we need you to do more than help keep them safe. We want Uncle Heyes to help raise them," I told him.
I didn't expect to see tears. He took his hand from his mouth to wipe his eyes. "The Kid wants me to be their Uncle Heyes and help raise his kids. Maybe he does want me to stay here after my parole, live here, be part of their lives," he said out loud but I didn't think he knew I could hear. He kept lookin' at the pictures.
"Partner, this is your home forever. And don't think we could raise these two without your help. Chrissy raised them until they turned one and then…"
"In prison? How could she do that?" Heyes covered his mouth and looked guilty. He uncovered it and said, "We didn't know they'd arrest her, Kid. I was trying to find someone to save your life and that mercenary doctor saved your life and put her in prison, pregnant. I read one of the stories about her trial when we were in the newspaper office at Bridgeport." He hung his head and I had to look away.
The thought of what we had done so carelessly will haunt me for the rest of my life. Now I know it haunts him too. She was convicted of aidin' and abettin' us. I thought about all the others that had helped us durin' our search for amnesty. The Jordan women were actually tried for aidin' and abettin'. A Hannibal Heyes plan let me tell the truth and me and Heyes break out of that prison easily.
Heyes was babblin', makin' sounds but not words. I couldn't tell if it was on purpose, or the guilt had overwhelmed him. It was a heavy burden to live with some days. Chrissy came downstairs, hair up in a bandana, with her broom and a full dustpan.
She came over to the table and smiled at the pictures. "You see our babies?" she asked. "Uncle Heyes no teach babies to open locks," she teased, pointing her finger at him with a beautiful smile on her face. I love it when anything makes her smile.
Surprisin' me, Heyes jumped up and took the dustbin. Takin' his hand from his mouth, he smiled at her. "I'll help."
"Good! Heyes help." Chrissy smiled at him and swacked him lightly with the broom.
He turned abruptly and let his thoughts out with a smile. "Made enough brooms in prison; can make them in my sleep with my arm in a sling. Don't want to ever touch one again."
Chrissy put her hands on her hips as she watched him empty the dustpan. "Heyes no make broom. Heyes push broom, help Chrissy!" she laughed and forced the broom into his hands.
"ABCDEF. Anything for a lady! GHI," Heyes answered. "Where do you want me to start? ZYXW."
"Heyes change rooms?" Chrissy looked from him to me for an answer.
Heyes just let his thoughts cascade out, "No, I like my room. I want to keep my room. Unless you want to give my room to someone else? I'll do whatever you want, Kid. You put an extra oil lamp in my room and one on the wall outside my room. It's never dark in my room, even at night I have light. I like light. I need light. Light keeps the worst nightmares away. I'll stay in my room. Maybe you want me to change rooms? Maybe you want me to leave? I want to stay. I'll take any room you want."
Heyes' thoughts would have kept on runnin' but Chrissy took her dust rag and stuck it in his face. "Heyes be quiet. Heyes keep room."
ASJ*****ASJ
Frank smiled at my request and offered to tell his wife and go to the priest with me. Me and Chrissy attended Mass sometimes, but Frank and Beverly Birde went every Sunday as those in proper society were expected to do. He didn't ask me why I wanted to get married now but I told him our kids were comin' to live with us and Chrissy wanted a marriage blessed by a priest. I silently thanked Heyes for the idea. Frank assumed, like Heyes, that we were married by a justice of the peace years ago. Beverly would be happy to be there and see the union blessed.
The priest was a harder sell. Frank had taken him aside before we even started talkin' and I saw his aggressive body stance and the priest back up a step. But in a few minutes, they came over congenially. Father recognized me and made a comment about sleepin' through his sermons. Frank joked that I listened better with my eyes closed. That laughter broke the ice, and we would be married at nine the next mornin'. I was so excited I didn't mind waiting on breakfast to get married.
I stopped at Jeff Birde's new mercantile store. Even though it had been months, everybody called it the new mercantile. Chrissy wanted to borrow all four of the catalogs they had. Jeff resisted but agreed to let me borrow two when I promised they'd be back in two days maybe sooner..
ASJ*****ASJ
Sitting with Frank on his large wrap around porch, I had my colt in my hand on my lap. Frank had his rifle across his lap. We had a clear view of Main Street in both directions. As the sun grew closer to settin', I gave him a questionin' look.
"He'll be here, son, by sunset. Don't worry."
"Any news from your deputy?
"Yeah, Ty sent a telegram yesterday that Price was heading this direction…alone."
I went back to my silent vigil. Irving Price rode down Main Street an hour before sundown. I stood up. Frank and I had agreed that I'd greet him and direct him towards the stables.
"Price," I said as he dismounted.
"You can holster that gun, Curry, I came back on time." Price's voice sounded worried and he glanced over his shoulder.
I nodded toward the stables. "You expectin' someone?" I asked.
"Can't shake the feelin' that I'm being followed," he answered, and I thought I heard fear in his voice.
"Don't see no one but let's get into the stables." I looked to Frank still sittin' on the porch with his rifle.
I followed Price in silence as he led his horse to the last stall. "Got your answer," he growled. But he stood starin' out the entrance to the stable.
"Who do you think is followin' you, Price?"
He ignored my question. "Thought your question was almost a joke, but it made some men mad. Real mad. Did get an answer, though. Any sibling of that f….g Mark McWinters will do. That's what I was told."
"And my name was kept out of it?"
"They think I want the money and can't get to the sister so I'm going after one of the brothers." He was nervous and jumpy. His hand stayed close to his gun.
I was thinkin' this was a setup, a trap. That he was supposed to lead them to me. But there was somethin' about his stance that made me think he was worried about the someone he claimed was followin' him. I'm good at readin' men's intentions. It might be that Frank's deputy, Ty, was not as careful as he thought he was, and Price had spotted him. But I felt it was more.
"You gonna tell me who is puttin' up that bounty?"
Fear filled his eyes, and I knew he wouldn't tell me.
"We done here, Curry? I did as you asked." His eyes were dartin' from the entrance to his horse, to me. His fear was real, and I was sure now he wasn't that afraid of me. I could see that he respected me. He had returned here with my answer.
"We're done."
"And my poster?"
"Won't go anywhere…for now."
"Okay. You got a back door to this place?"
I nodded but held my hand out for him to wait. I looked out the front. Frank was now leanin' back in a chair just outside his stable.
"Everything quiet?" I asked him.
"Quiet as night."
"Ty around?"
"He's in Bridgeport. Told him he didn't need to come home until tomorrow.."
"Price is afraid someone is followin' him. Someone that terrifies him. He's leavin' out the back."
"Want to ride with him out of town?" Frank asked me.
"I'll ask if he's open to that. Come on in."
Price was standin' right where I left him. "You remember the sheriff, don't you, Price?"
He just nodded.
Frank didn't approach to closely as he said, "Jed tells me you think someone is followin' you. If you leave out the front door, I'll have you trailed for a few miles and see if anyone is there. Or Jed can ride with you?"
"I want to leave out the rear alone. I'm fine if you trail me."
"Who do you think is followin' you?"
"Ain't saying."
Frank didn't push. "Give Jed ten minutes and leave by the rear exit."
"Curry will trail me?"
"One of the best trackers around," Frank said, lookin' at me. I'd discuss how he knew that at a later time. It had been a long time since I tracked a cougar, much less a man.
I stayed about half a mile behind Price. I wasn't prepared to camp out tonight and I'd be missed at home. But Frank, in front of Price, had told me five miles no further. Look for someone else trailin' Price.
I was conflicted about helpin' Price, but he had done as we asked. And I was curious who might be followin' him. It was obvious he wasn't familiar with this area. He stopped at each crossin' and read the signs before goin' on. I rode more in the trees than on the road but didn't see any signs of anyone. I scanned the higher areas for the glint off a rifle or any movement. I let Price stay a distance in front of me, just in my sight. All had been quiet, and I was thinkin' of turnin' around when a rifle report made me fall back into the trees and push Winter's Glory through the undergrowth. Alert, I watched both sides of the road and any place a gunman might hide. I pulled my horse up when I came to Price's body. Cautious, I stayed concealed while I listened...to silence. No sound, no movement, the road was peaceful.
Price was dead. There was no doubt about it; one bullet from the front through his left eye. Whoever had shot that rifle was an excellent shot. I know a few men who can make that shot from a distance. Price died with a grizzly look of surprise on his face. I caught his horse and tethered him and Winter's Glory in a nearby corpse of trees and thought what to do. The shooter obviously knew he hit his mark. Price was dead.
I couldn't let even a moral-less man like Price lay dead on the road. I don't feel remorse or sadness for the man. He had raped Chrissy in prison and tried to bring that nightmare to her life here. I scouted up the trail but dark was fallin' fast and I saw no recent evidence of man or horse.
I wrapped Price in his saddle blanket and tied him across his horse. I entered Frank's stable the same way I had left, through the rear door. Price is buried with his hat and his wanted poster in an unmarked grave in the heavy trees beyond Frank's property.
"Any way someone could get in front of Price like that if they'd trailed him from Three Birds?" Frank asked after we had been diggin' for about fifteen minutes.
"No," I answered. "Price rode full out the first mile, maybe a little more, then kept up a steady pace. He never slowed down."
"Then whoever killed him knew he was going to come down that road and laid in wait for him." Frank was thinkin' out loud.
"And was a crack shot with a rifle."
Me and Frank took Price's saddlebags and the contents of his pockets down to the cellar cell. There wasn't much there except confirmation that he had gone to Colorado.
HEYES
Chrissy's relentless with her cyclone of cleaning. She swept me up into it as well as Juan and Ken. The three upstairs rooms were spotless when we finished. The dressers from the Kid's and Chrissy's room had been moved to the master bedroom on the second floor, as well as the rug from the living room.
I couldn't tell Juan and Ken why Chrissy was setting up the master bedroom, but the Kid did tell them Lom was bringing three people with him later this week. I was surprised, though, when Chrissy dragged me to my room. I went in but she stood in the doorway. I remembered the rule in this house. Don't enter a room unless invited. Once you've been in prison, you cherish having a room where you can't be disturbed. I had a bandana to my face and motioned her in because I thought that's what she wanted. I was right. She started looking through my clothes as I watched. She stopped in front of the dresser. "Chrissy open?" she asked.
I nodded.
She pulled out a clean white shirt and shook it hard. I knew what she was doing.
"ABCD. For tomorrow?" I asked.
"Heyes best man wear new suit." she said. "Clean?"
I opened the bottom drawer where I had folded my new suit carefully after my last parole hearing.
"Yes. Good!" she said, shaking it hard to take the folds out. She laid it across the bed. "Heyes handsome tomorrow."
She left abruptly. I'm happy for the Kid. He loves Chrissy and he's giving her the wedding she wants, blessed by the priest. I wish I remembered their first wedding.