Winter's Refuge
Chapter Seventy-Nine
HEYES
"Is it bad?" I asked Colin, as the Kid left the small bedroom we were using to have our meetings to get Glen. I liked the young man, probably no more than nineteen. Sophie had made a proper sling for his right arm. He and Arnie usually could be found together.
"Couldn't be worse." Colin shook his head as he answered.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Heyes doesn't have a good poker face unless he really tries. And he wasn't tryin' now.
Glen Chinelli was nice with proper manners. I didn't want to stay but I knew this was part of our assignment. And I knew that Colin's pain had returned, but he had refused the laudanum so he could concentrate on what he needed to do.
"Glen, sit down," Colin started.
But Glen didn't sit. Starin' hard at Colin, he started to shake his head. "No, no." He backed up, his voice almost a cry.
Puttin' my arm around him, I lead Glen back to the chair in front of Colin.
"I'm sorry, Glen. Your..."
"Pa's dead, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is. Far as we can tell, the day after you were taken, Johnny McWinters rode into Alfred's Dream. Your father refused to cooperate with him, setting some telegrams on fire and dropping them in the trash can. Johnny reached in to get them and burnt his fingers. Rumors say that man always had a quick temper. When he burnt his fingers, he cursed your father and shot him...left-handed even. He didn't miss."
Wipin' tears from his eyes, Glen took the bandana Heyes offered and buried his face in it.
Colin kept talkin'. "Your father got the note that THEY had you and would be back the next day to discuss their terms. And not to tell anyone."
Through his tears, Glen looked at us and said, "I know Pa would have sent a telegram to the nearest town with a sheriff. That's over forty miles away. He doesn't...er, didn't believe in giving in to outlaws. We was robbed two times in the last three years."
With more compassion than I've heard in Colin, he said, "You're right, Glen. From what we learned, your father was a man of high principles…someone respected by everyone who knew him."
"There was a sheriff that day in the back room when Johnny came. Another outlaw came in the alley door. It was all over so fast the sheriff couldn't do anything. He tried to stop them as they were leaving. Winged the second outlaw."
Glen nodded but said nothin'.
"Your father was a preacher, wasn't he?"
"Yes, sir." Glen had taken to starin' at the bandana in his hand. I could tell he just wanted to get out of there and grieve in private.
"Your father's last words were for you. He said, "Tell Glen to forgive them and move forward without the hate of revenge in his heart."
"Sounds like him." Glen almost smiled at the last message while he was gettin' himself under control. "What happens now?"
Colin looked at his papers. "Says here your father owned the Alfred's Dream telegraph office, freight office, and diner. They're all yours now. You can sell them or keep them." Colin closed his eyes. "Man named Harry Church is running them for you. Seems like an honest fellow."
"He is. Not much else in Alfred's Dream but the church and the saloon. Pa had a vision for it. Reckon I'll go back there eventually and see if I can make that vision come true. But not now. I can't face it yet."
I saw an inner strength in Glen that I never knew was there. He grew up that day, in those few minutes, and became a man of convictions…just like his father.
Colin stood, started to extend his hand, then realized Glen's was in a sling. "Stay here a while longer and we'll make the arrangements to get you back there. Again, my sympathies for the loss of your father. He sounds like someone I would have enjoyed knowing."
ASJ*****ASJ
The sadness and grief stayed in the room long after Glen left. Colin sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Me and Heyes sat quietly, thinkin' about what had just happened. And there were nine more ex-hostages waitin' to hear about their families…and dreadin' it at the same time.
Colin had his eyes closed so long that Heyes shot me a worried glance, pointin' at him. I wondered if he was in too much pain to continue, too.
"Colin?" I asked in a whisper.
His eyes popped open. He jerked, lookin' around the room as if disoriented. Then, his eyes focused on me, and he knew where he was and what he needed to do.
"Heyes, would you ask Mr. Hauser Sletten to join us?"
"Is Mr. Sletten the man with the blind mother?"
"Yes."
HEYES
As soon as I went into the main room, I felt all eyes were on me, dreading that I might call their name. Pappy was sitting at the kitchen table eating a piece of the autumn berry bread. Glen was nowhere to be seen.
I didn't know how to do this with all these people looking at me both in expectation and in fear. I took a couple of steps back toward the door. I wanted to turn and run. I saw Mr. Sletten sitting in the chair by the fireplace. He looked annoyed that I interrupted his reading. I took another step back and my back hit the door I just exited. I can't do this. They all want something from me. There's no place to run. Behind my back, I try to find the doorknob with my hand.
The door opened suddenly, and I almost fell backwards. The Kid is standing next to me. With a wink, he motions with his head for me to go into the room. Without a thank you, I turn and walk quickly to my seat next to Colin. Closing my eyes, I try to catch my breath and composure.
"Heyes, I'm sorry I sent you out there. I didn't realize it would be hard for you. You're doing so well, I forgot," Colin apologized.
My heart was beating fast and my palms were clammy. I want to run and hide literally and not into my head. But there is no place to run and that would disappoint the Kid. I hear his confident voice say, "Mr. Sletten, would you join us." But my words are gone. I hope they return quickly but I can still feel the fear of a few moments ago.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Don't know much about Hauser Sletten but he doesn't look like a man who likes hard work. I put my hand on his back to guide him into the room and saw him straighten and heard a groan. He'd been whipped. I can't see Mark or MG puttin' up with his lazy, entitled ways.
"Mr. Sletten," Colin started to stand but wobbled and sat down. Then he held out his hand.
"Mr. Apperson," Sletten said and took a seat without bein' asked. "Mother's dead, isn't she? Did she suffer?" I didn't hear much emotion in his voice, but I saw it in his eyes.
"She is alive and well, Mr. Sletten."
Overcome with emotion, I watched Sletten slump forward, head in hands and cry a stream of tears of relief. He took three or four breaths tryin' to calm himself. Heyes had given his bandana away, but Colin pulled one out of his pocket and gave it to the man.
"How?" was the only word he could get out.
"Would you like a glass of water?" Colin asked.
Sletten nodded and Heyes got up. "Want me to get it, partner?" I asked. But he waved me off. He needed to prove something to himself and this was a start.
Colin gave Sletten all his attention. "Mr. Sletten, your mother didn't know what had happened to you. She couldn't see the note Mark had left. Didn't even know there was a note. She called for you when the next telegram came in but, of course, you weren't there to answer. She typed back a "Cannot receive now message" and waited. When another message came in, she tried to write it down herself, asking 'repeat' numerous times. It was a short message, "Night train delayed." She tried to walk it to the train station office holding onto the walls, but in the evening light her vision was even worse."
Sletten nodded. "Yes, the less light there is the worse her vision. I keep multiple lamps on in the telegraph office and our home in the back at all times. Mother never goes out without me…especially at night. You did say she was alright?"
Heyes came back into the room carryin' a tray. "Miss Sophie…..sent…..water," he said, lookin' from Colin to Sletten. They both reached for a glass. Sletten let Colin pour them each water. He looked like he was used to bein' waited on.
"Your mother is fine. When Mark came back, Johnny went to the saloon. Your mom had no idea who he was and had never seen the note.
"Is someone there?" your mother asked when she heard the bell over the door tinkle.
"Yes, ma'am, my name is Mark." We figured Mark saw the unread note and looked closer at your mother. He was smart…and observant when he wanted to be.
"Mark, will you be so kind as to write down this message as I dictate it to you? My son usually does it but he's off somewhere. I'm so worried about him but he does travel alone now and then."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm a friend of your son. Sent me to tell you he's fine. What do you want me to write down?"
"From the other townspeople we learned Mark 'helped' your mother out writing the incoming messages down as she said the letters and reading the outgoing messages for her to send for two days and two nights. She introduced him as her son's friend, Mark."
"Last message he wrote down for her was about a large army payroll being transported by the evening train in two days. It asked that the sheriff have extra deputies on the platform when the train stopped for passengers and water. The sheriff never got that message. And the train was robbed just before it came to town. One of the biggest hauls the Mark McWinters gang ever made," Colin finished.
"Oh my!" Sletten put his hand over his heart. "Is mother under arrest?"
"No, when Mark left, she needed someone else to help her. Your neighbors, the Shears, have been looking out for her and helping her with the telegrams. Mark must have taken your ransom note with him when he left. To this day, your mother refers to him as that nice man Mark, a friend of her son Hauser's."
"Mother was involved in helping the McWinters' gang rob a train and she didn't even know it. Does she know now?"
Colin sighed. "No. You can leave with the marshals. They will see you home. Best you explain your absence to her." I watched Colin put on his unemotional face. "And since the telegraph company is now aware of your mother's blindness, they have decided to retire her with a small pension. And since you and your mother own the telegraph office, they've asked that you hire her replacement."
I was surprised that Sletten was not surprised or alarmed by the last words. Instead, he said, "Yes, mother and I knew this day would come. We talked about it. We will sell the telegraph office and our house and move to Colorado… my sister and her husband live there. My mother would like to be near her grandchildren, and I can work from anywhere. Maybe the Shears would buy it. Of course, they'd want a very good price for all the help they have given mother. The Shears never do anything without wanting something in return."
Colin looked surprised. I knew I was. I never figure Sletten did anything but help his mother with the telegrams. Colin asked, before I could, "What is your work, Mr. Sletten?"
"Why, I write Wild West dime novels. Make a good living doing it." He turned to me but included Heyes in his glance. "Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, my readers would eat up a true story about the two most successful outlaws in the west."
"Mr. Sletten, the topic of Devil's Hole, the Mark McWinters' gang, MG's gang, your rescue, myself, the governor, and either of these men is off limits. Too many innocent people may be hurt," Colin said firmly.
Sletten nodded and smiled. "I have come to think of these people as family. We have gone through a lot together. Going forward, I agree to those terms. And I will avail myself of your offer to leave with the marshals later today." He stood and very formally bowed slightly to Colin. "Gentlemen, good day."
When Sletten had left, we broke out laughin' at the idea he wrote them dime novels. But the laughin' turned to pain on Colin's face and I looked at him closer. He was pale and leanin' to the side in his chair. Heyes saw me starin' at Colin and looked at him too.
"Colin, you feeling sick?" Heyes asked. I'd noticed earlier his words were haltin' so was glad his speech was back.
"Need to rest, is all," Colin answered.
I nodded to Heyes and he knew what I wanted - the laudanum.
"Colin, there anything else you need to tell them marshals before I give you more laudanum?"
He started to protest, then closed his eyes and nodded. "Would you have them come in…and Heyes, too?"
Colin was sittin' up very straight with a hard look on his face when I reentered the room. I knew he was in pain, but the marshals wouldn't. Have to give it to him, the man is stoic.
"Sir," one of the marshals said. "You have our orders?"
"Of the eight remaining here, how close are you finding their relatives?"
"We have marshals looking for most of them, and with the information you gave us today, we will look for Mr. Lloyd Dent, the husband of Janice, and the grandfather of Marcel Boulanger. Any more information on the girl, Amelia?"
"She doesn't remember. Abuse has hidden all her memories somewhere out of her reach for now. We only know that French is her native language," Colin told them. I was impressed; I'd never know how in pain he was from his speech.
The marshals stood. "Anyone going back with us today? We'll leave the extra horses."
"Hauser Sletten. Assign a marshal to take him home to New Mexico," Colin said with more force than necessary.
The marshal didn't notice. Instead, he smiled. "I was the one who found his mother. Even blind she's a force of nature - quick, bright, and determined. Be glad to go back there again."
"And check with Mr. Chinelli. Might be best if he stays a few days with this group. He needs people who care about him right now."
"And the Sergeant Major?" the marshal said with a wink, and I understood he knew the truth about Pappy.
"He'll stay to the end."
HEYES
Even though the bedroom is for the women, its privacy had allowed Colin to meet with Glen, Pappy and Sletten. Now the Kid made Colin lay down in one of the beds and take his medicine. Colin didn't object; in fact, he collapsed into the pillow with a groan he didn't try to hide.
Glen decided to stay on a few days and figure out what he wanted to do. I saw him walking in the nearby woods with Pappy. I wanted to reach out to him. Tell him me and the Kid understand how it feels to lose a parent. But I can't talk about that day…not really even with the Kid, although sometimes we try.
When Colin was asleep, we joined the others in the great room. I'd gotten used to seeing Sletten in the comfortable chair by the fireplace reading. I picked up the book laying open upside down on the side table...and laughed.
"Kid, look!" I called him over from the kitchen watching the ladies cook dinner. He'd say he was helping them. They'd probably say he was a nuisance.
Striding across the room, I saw his strength - physical and emotional. He talked to everyone that looked at him and silently shared that strength. I handed him the book and watched as the smile I expected spread across his face. It was a dime novel called, Kid Curry versus the Gomez Brothers on the Trail to Coyote Pass… by Hauser Sletten, Wild West Aficionado.
"Who knew?" said the Kid with a laugh.
ASJ*****ASJ
The Kid let Colin sleep until dinner time. He'd gone hunting with Mike, without Little Johnny. They brought back a number of sage hens which Deidre turned into a delicious main course.
The rest of the day, I felt awkward. I didn't know what to do about Glen. I don't know how to comfort no one, not even myself. But Pappy knew what to do and didn't push him to eat or talk or even interact with any of us, and our life together continued for another night.
JED 'KID' CURRY
The next day before noon, two different marshals and a stranger leadin' a horse arrived. Colin had been sittin' under a tree near the front door talkin' to Amelia in French. Last night right after dinner, he fell asleep again on the couch in the great room, never mindin' the noise of our group around him. I think he finds comfort in the people surroundin' him.
Still, today, he struggled to stand; he finally got one foot flat on the ground with his knee bent. Using the tree to balance, he stood. Amelia reached out to help him. It's the first time I saw her help anyone, especially a man. Her eyes still fill with fear when me or Heyes are near her.
We all watched as the men dismounted and tied their horses to the railin' in front of the cabin. Arnie, trailed by Glen, came over and offered to take care of the horses. Like the rest of us, they were eyein' the stranger. So far, no one seemed to recognize him.
I went over to help Colin, but he walks just fine with the cane Mike made him from a strong, straight branch he foraged. (Heyes will like that I used that word…foraged.)
"Gentlemen," Colin welcomed them.
"Mr. Apperson, we're Marshals Harper and Walker." They didn't introduce the third man.
"Please come inside."
Miss Sophie and Deidre were waitin' just inside the door. I could tell that they didn't know the man either.
"Where's my wife?" the man demanded.
"Sir, this is Harrison Roberts. His wife, Denise, should be here," said Marshal Harper, lookin' around as no one came forward.
"Please come this way, Mr. Roberts." Colin led him quickly to the table in the bedroom. Me and Heyes followed, but Colin gestured for the marshals not to follow.
"Please sit down." Colin motioned to a chair.
"Where is my wife? Is she even here?" Roberts yelled before we had the chance to close the door.
"We thought that Mrs. Roberts name was Penelope, yet the marshals are saying it's Denise?"
Pappy put up a hand and waved Colin over. In a whisper he said, "We never really knew Mrs. Roberts first name. Red Thompson yelled at her once, calling her Mrs. Roberts. Sophie likes the name Penelope so that's what we started calling her. She responds to it now."
Noddin', Colin turned back to the irate man that I was startin' to dislike.
"Your wife is here, but you need to know..."
"What do I need to know that I haven't already guessed?" he asked indignantly.
"Sit down, Mr. Roberts." I was surprised at the command in Colin's voice. It was forceful.
Mr. Roberts sat.
"You know who kidnapped your wife. The woman hostages were abused, used…"
"And Denise would have just gone along with it, probably encouraged it, back to the life I took her from," Roberts growled. It was not the reaction I'd expected from any husband.
I could tell Colin was displeased from his body language, but his voice stayed level and calm. "Like the other women, your wife was abused, used. She has withdrawn into herself. The others said she has not uttered a word in months."
"Where is she? The marshals said she was here." I could tell Colin's words hadn't even been heard.
Colin stood and grabbed his cane…hard. He was angry at this man but couldn't do anything. "Follow me." He stomped out of the room, not lookin' to see if Mr. Roberts was followin'."
As soon as the door opened, I saw all the others gathered, quietly watchin'. Colin walked over to the chair in the far corner. It was where Mrs. Roberts could be found when not told to do something.
"Denise, it's Harrison," her husband commanded. He didn't seem concerned that her eyes were blank and she had her arms wrapped around her knees, gently rocking.
"Denise, stand up!"
She did as he demanded.
"Is there someplace I can speak to my wife in private?"
Colin looked around. Everyone, includin' the marshals, had gathered in our great room. "The barn."
Roberts grabbed his wife's arm and dragged her from the room. She neither fought nor protested. She just stumbled along next to him.
I saw Heyes leave by the backdoor. I know he was goin' to slip into the barn.
HEYES
It took me a few minutes to get to the rear door of the barn quietly. But that was long enough for Mr. Roberts to have his wife backed into a stall. He had her torn dress in one hand. When he raised his arm to backhand her across the face, I stepped forward.
"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, surprising myself with the strength in my voice.
"Go back in the house. I'm discipling my own wife."
When he started to hit her again, I went for him, but the Kid stepped in between us, catching the man's arm before the blow could land. He took the dress from Roberts and tossed it to me. "Take her inside."
I handed the dress to Mrs. Roberts, but she didn't do anything until I said, "Put it back on."
The Kid doesn't rile easy, but he was angry now. He's learned to hold it under control. But when he straightens his stance and separates his feet, I can tell the anger is close to the surface.
Mrs. Roberts flinched away when I tried to put my hand on her shoulder to guide her out of the stall.
"Who do you think you are, coming between me and my wife?" Roberts' voice was rising, and he squared up in front of the Kid.
"You aren't treatin' the lady with the respect she deserves for survivin' her ordeal," the Kid said in a low voice. His eyes were focused on Roberts' eyes.
"Survive? Look at her. She went right back to her old ways. Did she tell you I 'rescued' her from a whorehouse? Of course not. She probably gave herself to those outlaws so they wouldn't hurt her." Roberts looked over the Kid's shoulder at me and Mrs. Roberts. "Who'd want her back now? Even the whorehouse won't take her. I saw her breasts. There's scars from deep bites and her private area that belongs only to her husband, it's swollen and red and she's probably got some kind of disease."
"Those are things done to her, not of her doin'." The Kid didn't understand this man any more than I did. And he's always had a kind streak for women and underdogs. I'm glad prison didn't change that.
"If she were a decent woman, she would have found a way to kill herself instead of coming home like this." Roberts took a quick step and tried to get around my partner. But the Kid was quicker and stayed between us.
A voice from behind me said, "She tried to hang herself. I stopped her." Arnie's voice was shaking.
Roberts tried to push the Kid aside now. "Denise's my wife and I will discipline her the way I see fit."
"You're not gonna hurt the lady no more." Now the Kid's voice was low, and I knew his patience was running out. Roberts stepped back, pushed his coat in back of his gun and slipped off the leather safety loop.
"Who do you think you are trying to stop? I'm Harrison Roberts." Now I recognize the name. He was a notorious gambler and bounty hunter, rumored to be one of the fastest men alive.
"I'm Jed Curry, but my friends call me Kid."
I saw the flash of recognition on Roberts' face followed by a small smile.
"Well, heard they let you out. You used to be pretty fast but after all those years in prison…"
The Kid didn't move; he waited.
Roberts went for his gun. He was fast. He actually had his hand on his Colt before the Kid's gun was aimed directly at him.
Roberts raised his hands. "See you haven't lost it, Kid. Take her, she's yours. I figured she was dead and moved on. Got a new young wife."
I hadn't looked behind me until then. Colin and one of the marshals were standin' behind me. They had seen what was happening and let it play out.
"Marshal Harper, Mr. Roberts will be returning with you when you leave. Please see that he stays in the barn until then. Mrs. Roberts will stay here." Colin ordered.
Mrs. Roberts still shook whenever I attempted to get her to move from the corner of the stall.
"I'll get Mrs. Dent," Arnie said, running toward the house.
The Kid hadn't taken his eyes off of Roberts. "Drop the gun, Roberts," he growled, "and any other gun you might have hidden on you. This marshal will be glad to hold them for you."
Marshal Harper snatched the gun from Roberts, who honestly looked amazed at what was happening. "Sit on the hay. You and me gonna wait here until Mr. Apperson finishes what he needs to do."
It was only then I saw the Kid relax. Arnie returned with both Mrs. Dent and Miss Deidre. Meek, Mrs. Roberts allowed herself to be led back to the house.
Colin walked between me and the Kid back to the house. "Need the two of you inside. We got another message to deliver before the marshals, and Mr. Roberts, can leave.