Winter's Refuge
Chapter Sixty-Four
HEYES
I heard the warden talk about sending me back to prison. I can't do that. I'll die in there this time. So, I escaped to my safe place. It's harder to get there lately so I keep my eyes closed and I rock myself until I'm there. I still hear voices, but they are far away and I don't know what they are saying. I'm going to try and not listen. I remember the last book I was reading and pretend I'm in it.
Someone is sitting next to me. It sounds like the Kid's voice. I open my eyes but close them quickly. This man doesn't look like the Kid. He's older, serious, doesn't have a baby face and has a wicked scar on his temple. He has muscular arms and broad shoulders. This can't be the Kid even though he says he is. I look again. It's the Kid's voice and the Kid's blue eyes so I'm going to believe it is the Kid. He says we're going home. I'll stay safe where I am and let him lead me home.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Yesterday was too emotional for Heyes to bear and he's retreated inside himself and stayed there. His eyes are open now, but he doesn't see me…or anything around him. I tried talking to him, but he can't hear me. Aiden had tried to talk to him without a response and he had to leave because he was ridin' back to the prison with Warden Mays and Mr. Diggs. I think his opinion of them changed durin' the meetin' yesterday. The governor and his bodyguard walked me and Heyes over to our hotel. Heyes just goes where I point him and stops when I tell him to. After the governor apologized once more for Warden Linden's ideas pushin' Heyes inside, he had questions for me.
"Jed, what's your opinion of the wardens today?"
I just looked at him. He was becomin' a friend, but I wasn't gonna' get in trouble answerin, that question. He was their boss. He could replace either one of them anytime. He had appointed Mays so he must like him. He inherited Warden Linden.
"They're wardens," I answered.
"Jed, would you answer me as a friend? I respect your opinion and your ideas."
I raised my hand to him and moved ahead. I put my hand on Heyes chest and he stopped, looked down, folded his hands in front of him and waited. I got the room key and directed Heyes to stop to the side of the staircase.
"Charles, the meetin' was more than a waste of time. It was an attack on me and Heyes. Look at him. Prison punishments did that to him."
"I agree. I thought they were sincere about prison reform when I asked them to come. I apologize."
I nodded as I rubbed Heyes arm. Physical contact sometimes brought him back. I looked the governor in his eyes tryin' to read him. "Well, Charles, they came in disagreein' with prison reform and left the same way. If you ask me, Mays, excuse me, Warden Mays is a follower and right now he's followin' Warden Linden."
"I thought Mays was a stronger man."
"He was a better overseer of the railroad camp than his predecessor. Driven by success and money. Still, he ordered punishments like I described that worked against both those goals. And I think Linden likes the archaic punishments."
"You threatened him, didn't you?" the governor asked.
I hesitated. This was none of his business. "I did. Personal matter."
"Yet Aiden seemed to know what you were talking about. I'd hate to see you go back to prison. Did you kill that man, that friend of Linden's?"
"No, I did not."
He smiled. "I wouldn't have done anything if you had said yes but your answer reinforces my opinion of you as a man of good character."
"Ain't goin' to do anything to Linden either. "
Charles smiled. "You sure gave him something to think about. Frankly, I was uneasy with his vehement anger. I hadn't met him before."
"Maybe he was tryin' to IMPRESS his new boss. He was appointed by the former governor of Colorado, right?"
"Yes, the man soon to be on trial. It's been moved to Washington DC where he has no influence." I could see that the governor had come to the conclusion that I was tryin' to lead him to. Heyes was much better at this than me. Makin' someone think they think of the idea you want them to. "Linden is under my jurisdiction. I believe I can say that I am 'cleaning house' and relieve him of his appointment."
I smiled and hit him on the back. "Sounds like a good idea you have there."
He looked at me suspiciously but smiled back. "Safe trip home, Mr. Curry, and my best to your wife." He leaned close and whispered, "I believe she spent time in that Colorado prison."
I started to defend her but he stepped back and added, "She's a beautiful, classy woman. You are a lucky man."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
As I led Heyes to our room, I thought about that conversation. The governor didn't know what had happened to Chrissy, but he had put things together and then let me know he supported her.
Heyes was compliant and mute. I pushed him into a chair, and he sat down, starin' at the blank wall. I put a sandwich in his hand, and he ate it. I handed him the chamber pot and he just looked at it for a while. Finally, he used it. I took off his boots and let him sleep in his clothes. I want to cry. No, I want to put my fist through the wall in frustration. But I'm not goin' to. I'm goin' to get Heyes home and help him heal.
ASJ*****ASJ
When Heyes got up this mornin', I wrapped him in a big hug and whispered, "I've got your back, partner." I think he nodded. He was obedient on the train trip home, comfortable in the middle seat he preferred. I was worried about Heyes ridin' his horse from Bridgeport home but he did fine. He seemed more comfortable around the horse than people.
When she heard the gate, Chrissy, with the twins, waited on the porch to greet us. Juan came out to take our horses. When Heyes didn't acknowledge him, Juan looked at me in alarm. I nodded. Chrissy understood the vacant look in Heyes' eyes, but Martha didn't.
"Papa! Uncle Heyes!" She hugged my legs, and I picked her up and kissed her on the cheek.
Then she wiggled down and held her arms up for Heyes to pick her out.
He didn't acknowledge her. He waited where he had dismounted for instructions where to go. Chrissy moved forward and hugged him. "Oh, Heyes what happened?" she asked through tears.
He didn't respond. I took his arm and led him to his room. I pushed him to sit on his bed and lit both lamps in his room. Then, I knelt in front of him.
"Heyes, you're home. You're safe. Do you understand?"
He looked at me then slowly looked around the room. "H–h–ho.."
"Yes, partner, you're home."
He looked around the room. He moved his hand as if writin'.
"Just a minute, take off your coat. I'll get your chalkboard."
Out in the hall both twins were waitin'. "Papa, Uncle Heyes sick?" asked Michael.
"Or did a horse kick him and he got hurt?" added Martha.
"He just needs quiet. Can you two be very quiet?"
"Yes, Papa," they said together.
I found the chalkboard and chalk by Michael's couch in the livin' room. Chrissy watched me with sad eyes. We needed to do somethin' to keep busy.
"Chrissy, let's move Michael back upstairs into his bedroom. Martha can go back in there, too."
"Good," she answered.
When I got back into Heyes room I had to smile. He was still sittin' on his bed, coat on. Michael and Martha sat quietly on either side of him, each with a hand restin' on a leg. Martha put her hand to her lips to remind me to be quiet.
'Looks like you have company, partner," I said as I handed him the chalkboard. "Home!" he wrote. "Thank you." He looked from Michael to Martha. His expression did not change but he wrote, "Good company at home."
I smiled and left the room.
ASJ*****ASJ
I was surprised the twins sat quietly with Heyes for almost an hour. When they came out, Chrissy, Auntie and I had moved all of Michael's things back upstairs and set up a table by his bed. All the new pillows from the mercantile were on his bed and it was moved so he could sit up and play checkers or poker on the table. Auntie moved a chair to the other side of the table.
"No Joe in room!" Chrissy announced. "Might jump on bed, hurt Michael's arm."
As difficult as I knew this was going to be for our kids, I agreed with her. I moved the little rug Joe slept on outside of the bedroom door.
The kids were happy to be in their own room again but insisted that Joe join them.
"I take care of Michael," Martha said. "I keep Joe away from Mikey; let him stay."
"No, Joe can sleep with mama and papa." Chrissy settled the matter. As I looked at her and grinned, she shrugged her shoulders. "ONE night."
ASJ*****ASJ
Despite Chrissy's invitation, Joe insisted on sleepin' in the hall outside the twins' closed door. I'm glad. I was lookin' forward to a night with my wife in my arms. I felt comforted as I held her tight, but I didn't sleep much. There was so much to work out.
We lay skin to skin but cuddled, nothin' more. I was worried about her and our baby. But my hand feels the scars on her back. I felt them before, just didn't know what they were. She tenses in my grip. I move my hand elsewhere but I remember Zacarias Linder. Should I tell Chrissy that I met him? Threatened him? I decide not to tell her because I don't plan to do nothin' more to him.
Monday me and Ken have to be back in Cheyenne to testify at Judge Phillip Carlson's trial. That means we need to leave Sunday night to be in court Monday at eight. Juan will be here with my family. I wouldn't worry as much if Heyes hadn't retreated into himself. I've already talked to Frank, and he will drop by Monday midday to make sure everything's alright. I promised to protect my family. My mind tells me they will be fine, but my heart always worries. Don't know what to do with the bounty money Colin gave me for Brown River. Need to think about it.
HEYES
I'm safe at home. Safe in my room. I don't know how long I have been back here. I'm safer in my mind, but two little ones won't leave me alone. The Kid talks to me but my words are gone again so I don't try to listen, but I still hear some of it. He said that warden can't send me back to prison, that the governor confirmed that wasn't our deal. I believe the Kid. Still, it's safer in my mind, in my own room. The little ones don't understand that in this house we don't enter anyone's bedroom without their permission. The Kid told them to be quiet around me so I can stay in my mind.
The little boy brought his medicine, spoon and a glass of sweet milk on a tray into my room without asking. He carried it in one hand because the other one is in a cast. I know his arm is broken but I don't want to think to remember why. I want to stay in my world.
He knows he's supposed to be quiet, so he stood in front of me waiting. I can't close the children out of my mind. They're family. He set the tray on my bed. When I look at him, he hands me the medicine, then the spoon. Am I taking medicine? Am I sick? No, I remember it is his. I am one of the people he lets give him his medicine. I think that means I am special to him. I measure the liquid into the spoon and give it to him. I want to laugh at the sour face he makes as he grabs the sweet milk, but I don't laugh when I'm in my mind.
"Thanks, Uncle Heyes," he says as he remembers he needs to be quiet here. He puts his hand over his mouth. And a memory comes back of the Kid in a jail cell saying "Heyes" out loud and covering his mouth the same way. This boy reminds me of his pa so much. I hope he keeps his innocence for longer than Jed did.
I need to think about the dead body we saw. It was a man that the Kid knew, considered a friend. He was going to kill him. He didn't care that the man who paid him was dead. And he told us about a third man that has been paid to kill the Kid. We have to be more careful. I have to be more careful. Those bounty killers could be anyone, stranger or friend. I wish the Kid just stayed here at the ranch. When we were riding last week, we found a trail through the nearby mountain range that twisted around and back on itself a couple of times as we got higher and higher. If you kept going it and squeezed the horses through a very narrow pass at the end, you came out on a meadow and a small lake. We joked that it was as hard to find and as easy to defend as Devil's Hole. Next time we're going to go fishing there. I wish the Kid would stay there safe. I'm letting my mind stay there. It's safe and calm. We could build a small cabin, and all be safe there.
But the little girl is in my room again, standing in front of my chair, staring at me. When I look at her, she takes my hand and wants me to follow her. I'm happy sitting by that secluded lake in my mind. Watching the still water is very calming.
She pulls again and whispers, "Uncle Heyes, dinner time." She smiled and added, "Pie for dessert."
She can't hurt me. She's so little and doesn't know what it means to be scared. I hope she never learns. I'll let her walk me to the dinner table this one time.
JED 'KID' CURRY
I was glad to see Heyes joinin' the family for dinner Saturday night. Me and Ken have to leave tomorrow afternoon because Phillip Carlson's trial starts at eight am on Monday mornin'. I hope this means that Heyes comin' back to us. With me and Ken gone, I'm countin' on him and Juan to protect our family.
Sunday afternoon Heyes walked down to the blacksmith shop with me. He's still lost in his thoughts most of the time, but the twins don't let him stay there. He had been doin' so good, but after our day in Cheyenne, his fears are back hauntin' him day and night. He helped me nail up a 'closed' sign on the front. I wanted to show him the envelope in the hidden drawer with the bounty money from Brown River, but I don't know if he'll understand what it is. I need to talk to him and Frank about what to do with it. I don't want bounty money.
"Heyes, remember if people ask, just say the shop is closed. Don't say I'm out of town."
He thought for a moment. His words had returned but his thoughts were jumbled, and his speech was slow, sometimes with long pauses as he forced out a word. "Because it would be…dangerous…for people to know you aren't here to…protect…us."
"Not that I don't think you and Juan can't handle it. Just to be safe."
He nodded.
"Goin' be in Cheyenne testifyin' in Phillip Carlson's trial."
"C…Carl…son?"
"Yes, Wheat's brother from Iowa. The man that put those wanted posters out on Chrissy."
He nodded, lost in thought so I tried to talk practically to him. I need to try and ground him with reality,
"And people seem to leave things to be fixed on the ground in front of the shop. When no one's around, pick them up and put them in the back room. You have the key, right?"
"...Got it." He nodded then shook his head. His frustration apparent, he turned away and started back to the house lookin' forlorn.
I called after him and he stopped. "Don't let Auntie or Chrissy go into Three Birds while I'm gone. Talk them out of it."
"Talk Chrissy?" He grinned.
"You're right. No one can talk Chrissy out of anything. But try."
He turned and looked in my eyes and I knew he wanted to say somethin' important. It was. His words were measured, and he spoke slowly but his words were strung together. "I will take good care of them all while you are gone."
"Never doubted it."
Auntie packed me and Ken food for our trip. I kissed my wife and kids and then went back and hugged them again. I rode Winter's Glory. Ken mounted up on Spring's Promise. The dark gray geldin', older and reliable, was Ken's favorite.
Heyes hadn't come out on the porch to see us out, so I went to find him. He was sittin' on his bed starin' at the lamp on his dresser.
"Partner, got to leave now," I told him.
His eyes flashed at me in panic. "I'll be good. You…visit…next month?"
"Oh, Heyes." Sadness swept over me. He was thinkin' he was in prison again. "I'll be back by Wednesday, maybe before. Remember, I'm goin' to Cheyenne to testify at Wheat's brother's trial."
I wasn't gettin' through, so I stood in front of him and lifted him off the bed in a big bear hug. I whispered in his ear, "Partner, you're home. You're safe. And I'll be back a lot sooner than a month. Promise you'll take good care of the ladies for me."
When I put him down, he looked more focused. He grabbed my arm. "I…promise…"
ASJ*****ASJ
As we turned onto the main road, I stopped and pulled the sign that said Curry Road out of the ground and threw it back in the bushes. Just another precaution. As we moved down the road, Ken pointed out his new homestead and talked about it all the way to Bridgeport.
When we got to Cheyenne, me and Ken checked into the same hotel as usual. My regular room wasn't available. Our rooms were on the top floor across from each other. I didn't have a view of the street, but the view of the mountains was real pretty from the third floor. Aiden had left a note at the desk invitin' us to his home for dinner. All the times Aiden has been to the ranch, I've never seen his home before. I accepted. Ken declined sayin' he wanted to check in with the sheriff and let him know what we were doin' there. Then he wanted to have a drink and play some poker and would just grab some food from the diner.
Aiden had left walkin' instructions and a little map with his note. The desk clerk helped me figure it out. It wasn't far but it weren't around the corner either. I could smell steaks grillin' as I approached. It was a big house for one man but doctors can afford most any kind of house they want. I was nervous. I have things I want to talk to him about. I considered offerin' to pay for his services but I think he would refuse and get upset with me for not acceptin' help well.
"Aiden, your house is real nice." He had given me a tour of the downstairs. He had elegant store-bought furniture, most of which was covered with sheets. I could tell the kitchen, wa ter closet and bedroom were the only rooms he used.
"Too big for me but it's what my father expects on his infrequent visits."
"You mean you bought this house to impress your pa?"
"No, I bought it because it was what my wife wanted."
"Aiden, you're married?"
"Was. Widower." He looked away but not before I saw the sadness cross his face.
I'm so sorry." The words seemed so little, but I didn't know what else to say.
"Thank you." He turned to look at me with that hidden anger I thought I'd see in him before. Maybe it wasn't anger. Maybe it was grief. "Moved here almost six years ago. About four months after we got here, an epidemic swept through Cheyenne. I was at the hospital day and night for four days trying to save people. Didn't go home at all because I was afraid I was exposed and might bring it home to her. When I finally went home, Annette had it. Had it bad…she'd been trying to treat herself. She was sick. Yet she greeted me so warmly and smiled so sweetly when I came in the door that I didn't realize how sick she was until she collapsed into my arms. She was burning up with fever. I rushed her to the hospital. I sat by her bedside until I lost her two days later." He broke down in tears.
My heart broke with his. I did what I do with Heyes. I put my arms around him and wrapped him in what he called a bear hug and let him cry it out on my shoulder. I kept my tears silent, tryin' not to imagine Chrissy ever dyin'.
Finally, he lifted his head off my shoulder. "Thanks," he mumbled. "I need a drink. Never grieved like that before."
"You didn't move home after that?"
"This is the home Annette and I dreamed of."
He poured us both drinks. I didn't really want the whiskey. I had court tomorrow mornin'. But I drank it to try and deal with his confession.
We drank in social silence until he asked me if I wanted another.
"No, got that trial tomorrow mornin'."
"That's right. How are you feelin' about that?" And just like that he'd buried the visible signs of grief in his doctor's persona.
I knew what he was doin' and let him do it. "Hard to think of Wheat as the good brother but he was a moral man. His brother is corrupt and evil. I don't wish prison on many men, but that's where he belongs. Just hope it's one where he can't buy favors with his wealth."
Aiden nodded. "I feel the same. Think I'll speak to the governor."
"Speakin' of prisons. Those observers that the governor was talkin' about. I think the judge from Matt's trial, Dominic Lauritson, would be very interested in participatin'," I told him.
I could see this talk was allowin' him to gain control of his memories.
"We never have this kind of time together. Do you think you could help me with somethin' that's been troublin' me?" I asked. I felt awkward but he was the only one that might be able to help me.
"Jed, you tellin' me you want help?"
I smiled self-consciously. "Yeah, but it's not somethin' I can talk about in front of Heyes." I looked into my empty glass. Aiden held the whiskey bottle over it, but I waved him off.
"Chrissy's so beautiful pregnant. Is she healthy? She seems to be tired all the time and she cries when she's happy or sad," I started.
"She's fine, Jed, and healthy. Pregnant women get tired easy and are very emotional."
And that led me to what I wanted, no needed, to talk about. "Aiden, last time she was pregnant she was in prison. That haunts me. I can't stand the thought of her behind bars, locked in a small cell…and pregnant."
"She's a strong-willed woman. She survived. Have you ever talked about it with her?"
'Can't find the words."
Aiden was quiet. He does that when he wants you to think about what you last said."
I added quietly, "Do you know my sweet babies spent the first year of their life in prison? PRISON?"
He let me rant and rage and pound the table with my fist until I ran out of words but not anger.
"It was a terrible thing, Jed, but you had no control over it. You didn't even know it was happening, even that you were a father."
"Doesn't stop overpowerin' guilt. I can control the guilt. Accept it. Vow to do better, work harder. It's the anger, Aiden. I'm so angry at the men who put her in jail and the press that made a game out of who she was married to. And the guards and warden that abused her. Sometimes I'm so angry I can't think of nothin' else. Can you help me?"
He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "Can't make the anger disappear like magic but can help you deal with it."
And he did and we talked until after midnight.
"Jed, stay in my spare room tonight. It's dark out and you don't know the streets. I'll set alarms so you get back to your room to change in time for court tomorrow. Well, actually, today."
HEYES
I worked with Juan and we got all the chores done and the horses taken care of. I want to go to my safe place inside my head, but I can't. Martha and Michael don't observe the house rules.
They stand at my door. "Uncle Heyes, can we come in?"
I ignore them so they will go away. I need time to be alone, to stay in my safe space. But they come in anyway. I frowned at them.
"We asked first. You just didn't answer."
They are quiet, sitting on the floor playing checkers. They take each move very seriously now. I watch them and slowly leave my safe space behind. I promised the Kid I would watch over things here and I will, even though my words are troublesome to get out.
Before dinner I walked down to the blacksmith shop. There is a pot with a note in it and a broken chisel on the ground in front of the shop. I pick them up and go in through the back door and lay them on the table. It was good I remembered to bring my key.
JED 'KID" CURRY
Monday Morning - Cheyenne
I slept well in Aiden's guest room. Don't know if it was from the whiskey, a feelin' of safety here, or just because he had listened to my anger. I got back to the hotel a little later than I had planned but still in plenty of time. I looked in the diner window thinkin' Ken might already be eatin' breakfast, but he wasn't there. Maybe he's runnin' late, too.
I went upstairs and knocked on Ken's door.
"Ken, you awake? I'll be ready in fifteen minutes if you want to grab breakfast," I yelled through the door.
There was no answer.
"Ken? You awake?"
Figurin' he must have been up early, I went into my room and started to take off my shirt. Somethin' was not right. I looked around. I didn't remember takin' my folded clothes out of my bag and puttin' them in on the bed. But maybe I did. My gun cleanin' supply bag was on the table. Don't remember takin' it out but that's where I would have put it. I can't decide if my room has been searched or not. I'll have to ask Ken if he saw anyone.
I knocked on his door once more before I headed downstairs. When I left my key with the desk clerk, he had a note for me. I read it quickly.
"Do not testify today or you will end up like your friend."
It was not signed.
"Mister, can you open my friend's room?"
"Sorry, Mr. Curry, that's against policy."
I saw Ken's key in a cubby hole behind the desk. "I see his key there. He may need help." I jammed the note into the clerk's hand.
He called a man over to take over the desk and told him, "Send someone to get the sheriff over here!" He grabbed the key. "Let's go." He led me up the stairs at a rapid pace.
"Mr. Josephs?" The clerk knocked once on the door and called Ken. He did not hesitate to unlock the door, but it wasn't locked, and it swung open when he turned the doorknob.
"OH!" he exclaimed.
Ken was lyin' curled up on his side on the floor, bloody and beaten. "Don't touch him." I warned the clerk. I could see his shoulder was dislocated and his arm broken and blood under him. Movement would be painful.
I pulled the note with Aiden's address out of my pocket. He wasn't goin' to work until after eleven today. "Send someone to get Dr. Arden here NOW and send for the sheriff."
I didn't wait for an answer. I put my hand gently on his chest and was relieved to feel it movin'."
His eyes flicked open, then closed. He spoke in so quiet a whisper that I had to lean next to his lips to hear him. "Careful. Two men. Rough. Both over six feet two, mustaches, no beards." He took a raspin' breath.
"Got it, Ken," I told him. "Rest now. Dr. Arden's on his way."
His nod was so slight that I almost missed it. "Careful," he said again.
I admired the strength of will of the man to still be thinkin' of his job to protect me when he was in serious pain.
I heard the clerk welcome the sheriff. "We found him like this, sir. The doctor should be on his way."
I heard the sheriff's gasp of recognition. "Marshal Josephs. You Jed Curry?" he asked.
"I'm Jed Curry." I handed the note to the sheriff but stayed next to Ken. His face was black and blue, and his jaw was probably broken. I could see a calf bone where it had broken through the skin.
The sheriff read it quickly and handed it back. "Talked to Josephs last night. Said you were a good man." I could feel his eyes judging me. "You still gonna testify?"
"More determined than ever."
"Then you better get over there. I'll have a couple more deputies watching that courtroom…and you."
I stood up, relieved that Aiden hurried through the door. He looked at Ken and then shocked, at me. "Jed?" He bent down, his gentle medical hands already evaluatin' Ken's injuries.
"Gotta go testify, Aiden. Let me know how he's doin'." I turned to the sheriff. "He said there were two rough men both tall, over six-two with mustaches, no beards."
The sheriff looked at the beaten man. "He told you that? He's quite a man."
I took a second to remove the anger from my face and relaxed my shoulders but inside I was ragin'. Another man and family with money tryin' to corrupt the justice system. And they'd hurt a man I consider a friend.
HEYES
Monday morning - Three Birds
The morning after the Kid and Ken left, a telegram arrived from Porterville.
Juan Ortiz
Three Birds, NE
Shot in hand. STOP Will heal quick. STOP Lom shot twice. STOP I'm interim sheriff. STOP No help needed.
Rudy Ortiz
Porterville, WY
The telegram was the talk of the breakfast table. My words come slow, but they are all patient with me. I think in clear sentences but can't get the words out. Fear does that to me. I don't let on that the governor told the Kid and me about Lom and Rudy getting shot. I remember I thought that the Kid had lied to me when he said Lom didn't come to Cheyenne because he had sheriff obligations. But the Kid didn't know Lom was shot either. He tried to talk to me about it on the train home. I couldn't answer him, but I listened. The Kid finally figured Lom didn't tell us because he didn't want Juan to know Rudy was injured. Because Juan would tell their ma and pa.
So, I stay silent and listen as Juan reads us the telegram once more.
Chrissy looked at Juan. "You want to go to Porterville?"
"I know I'm needed here."
"Not what I asked," Chrissy's tone was demanding.
Auntie spoke up. "It just says Lom was shot twice? Must be serious if Rudy's the acting sheriff."
She said what we were all thinking. No one asked about Deputy Harker, but none of them knew him. But I'm wondering what happened to Harker.
"Juan go to Porterville," Chrissy said decisively this time.
"Can't leave you," Juan protested.
"Go …there. We…b-be fine," I told him.
I could see from the look in his eyes that he was anxious to go but obligation was stopping him.
"Juan pack, leave after breakfast." Chrissy stood up. "Take Spring's Joy. Telegram when you arrive. Update us."
So, Chrissy helped me take care of the horses this morning. Juan rode through Three Birds and asked Sheriff Frank to come out and check on us. He did and helped me groom the horses. He doesn't mind when my words aren't easy. He understands and is patient. Quiet doesn't make him nervous. He's a good man. Said he'll be back tomorrow.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Trials move slow. The jury was picked quickly but the lawyers seemed to talk forever. I'm angry enough to go up to Phillip Carlson and kill him with my own two hands. He put out posters on my wife, illegal posters, dead or alive posters. And they almost cost her her life. And now his friends, more likely paid thugs, have beaten up Ken, a US Marshal and my friend.
He sits there smugly at the defendant's table. Saw him wavin' and smilin' at someone watchin' the trial. When I sat in that chair, I was scared and couldn't breathe even with Heyes by my side. I want him to feel what I felt. And now that Ken can't testify, I'm the only one that can do that.
The mornin' session lasts forever. Inside I'm mad, anxious, but I work to keep my outside calm and unemotional. I learned not to show my feelin's in prison and I learned it the hard way. Now I'm very good at it. I only recognize one person watching, Kyle Murtry.
I hadn't been called to testify when the judge banged his gavel and declared a two-hour lunch break. I couldn't see where Kyle had gotten off to, so I headed to the diner.
Aiden caught up with me before I got there and redirected me to the hospital. "We can get food on the commissary."
"How's Ken?" was the first thing I asked.
"The beating was severe. I am worried about his survival."
His words hit me hard. 'Can I see him?"
"No, he's sedated. Whoever did this was thorough. He was meant to suffer then die. His right shoulder is dislocated, the arm broken. He's got four broken ribs and internal injuries. His left calf was so twisted, if he lives, I don't know if he'll ever walk normally."
I thought of the plans he had for the land next to ours and I fought back the tears. "He's a fighter, I'll hold a good thought as Chrissy says."
"Do you know if he has any family?" Aiden asked.
"Brother Karl is a US Marshal, helped us at Brown River. And a fiancée, Mary, somewhere back home."
The governor can help us find the brother. Where's back home?"
"Don't know. Karl will have to tell us."
Aiden checked his watch. "The sheriff took the description Ken gave you. He questioned the night clerk who took the message for you. He said they were two rough drifters, one with a nasty scar on the back of his right hand. They said they were friends of Ken Josephs and you. He gave them your room numbers. Felt guilty about that later. They went upstairs, came down about twenty minutes later and gave him the note for Jed Curry. Said you weren't there.
I told Aiden about the feeling I'd had that thin's were out of place in my room. He just nodded and continued.
"The clerk knew you weren't in your room because your key was still there. They asked where you were, and he told them he didn't know. But he did. He's the one who gave you my note earlier. You reviewed the map with him."
I didn't know what to say. Aiden knew I was holdin' my anger inside.
"Jed, what can I do to help you?"
I smiled at him and surprised him with my answer. "Just be there when I need a friend to talk to."
ASJ*****ASJ
The afternoon court session was much like the mornin'. Blusterin' lawyers interruptin' each other with objections. I hadn't been called to testify when the judge ended the trial for the day. I sat in my seat until the room cleared. Kyle nodded to me as he left but didn't wait outside.
Instead, I was met by two US Marshals.
"Mr. Curry, the governor has invited you to stay in the governor's mansion tonight."
"Got a room in the hotel and a soft bed waitin' for me."
"Mr. Curry," the short one said emphatically. "This is not an invitation you can refuse. Dr. Arden told the governor about the threat you received and what happened to US Marshal Josephs. We've been ordered to make sure you accept his invitation. The mansion is well guarded."
"In that case, I accept." I really didn't feel like an evenin' of socializin'.
"Well, it's not that easy." The two men took off their marshal badges and I felt a moment of panic. "We're goin' to try and set a trap."
We went back to the hotel and I packed up my things. US Marshal Higgins collected my bag and went out the back door to deliver it to the governor's mansion.
My next part of the plan was to go downstairs to eat dinner in the hotel restaurant. I felt awkward eatin' alone. When travelin' solo, I usually just grab something at the diner and eat in my room. US Marshals Dick Higgins and Brendon Brown, badges still nowhere to be seen, approached my table smilin' like old friends.
While we smiled like friends, I learned the two men were eager to see Judge Phillip Carlson convicted. They told me about the illegal dealing' of Carlson and his childhood friend, the ex-governor of Colorado. The US Marshals had been tryin' to get hard evidence and witnesses to testify against them for over two years with no success. Evidence disappeared and witnesses suddenly refused to testify.
Phillip Carlson, himself, had shot and killed another judge that refused to overturn a conviction for an Iowa senator's nephew. He took money to rule innocent when members of the Hidden Rocks Gang came to trial. And then bragged about it and he now uses them as hit men.
They believed that those two men who beat up Marshal Josephs were from that gang. Local Iowa law enforcement does nothin' to stop him or his friends. They're afraid what will happen to their families. So that's why catchin' him and gettin' him convicted fell to the US Marshal department.
Marshall Brown leaned forward. "The Carlsons have money. Lots of it. One of richest families in Iowa. Money brings power everywhere, but in Iowa it brings absolute power."
Marshal Brown is goin' to stay the night in my room while I sleep at the governor's mansion. The three of us leave the restaurant and head upstairs together. When the clerk gave me my key, he gave me another note.
My hand started to shake when I read it.
"Don't testify or what happened to your friend will happen to your family."
Marshal Higgins snatched the letter from my hand. "Who gave this to you?" he demanded from the clerk.
"Two well-dressed men, tall, clean shaven. They looked different all cleaned up, but they were the same men as last night. Recognized the ugly scar across the back of one of their hands."
Before the clerk had finished talkin', I felt myself rushed out the back door of the hotel. Each marshal had one of my arms and they ran me to the back door of the governor's mansion and into a sittin' room. When they let go, the full implications of the note hit me. If I testify, I will put my family in danger.
I tried to leave out the door we had entered when the governor entered.
"Jed, I just heard about the note," he said.
"Gotta send an urgent telegram to Sheriff Frank Birde in Three Birds."
"Write what you want. We'll send it immediately."
He sent for paper and pencil, while I started to pace. There were not even windows in this room to look out. I feel helpless. I can't keep my promise. I'm too far away. I can't protect my family. But Juan and Heyes are at the ranch, and I'll ask Frank to get out there and bring them to his house. I scribbled the telegram quickly and handed it to the waitin' clerk. I started to dig coins out of my vest pocket, but he shook his head and said, "No need," and was gone.
"Think it's a real threat?" I asked, hopin' someone would tell me it wasn't.
"Considering the beating Marshal Josephs received, I'd say yes." The governor came over and pushed me to sit down, takin' the chair next to me. "Jed, what do you want to do? Still going to testify? We need you to convict him but understand your family comes first."
I didn't answer. If this man doesn't get convicted, he might be a threat to my family…and friends for a very long time.
Another assistant rushed in with what I recognized as train schedules. The governor took them. "Jed, you stay here. I'm going to look into a few things while you wait for an answer to that telegram."
I feel like I'm in prison. My family will be in danger if I make one decision. An evil corrupt politician will go free to hurt other people if I make the other. And I'm stuck in this very nicely furnished cell in the governor's mansion. I tell myself it's a sittin' room with blue velvet chairs and a fancy thick rug but there are US Marshals stationed at each door guardin' me. I'm waitin' to hear back from Sheriff Birde before I make a decision. The governor, my friend Charles, is lookin' into things. I'm not sure what that all means except I can't go anywhere, do anything. The Marshals are there to keep me safe, keep threats out. But they also have made me their prisoner. I stretch my back. Sittin' in them hard wooden pews in court made it ache. But I didn't let nobody see. I'm quiet and I pace in circles around the room, my gilded cage. Heyes would like that word..
Heyes! He sees a threat in everyone who comes to the ranch after learnin' that Gil was someone I considered a friend. GOOD! Maybe his paranoia will help keep them safe.
"Oh, Jed, Charles told me what was going on. He'll help you figure something out. He and Colin are locked in a room with maps and papers so I thought I would come see if you might like some tea." The governor's wife bustled into the room, chattering nervously.
"No tea, thank you, ma'am."
"Oh, that's right, Chrissy told me you like coffee." She didn't give me a chance to say yes or no, just hurried out of the room. When she mentioned my wife, I saw her sweet face float into my mind. I need to protect her. Protect the twins and our unborn baby. But I can't do anything until I hear from Frank. So, I pace.
Colin came in with a coffee service and set it on the table. He poured me a cup of coffee. "Jed, sorry about this. We're trying to work it out."
I took the coffee but must have looked at him in confusion.
"Working out logistics. Need to know if you and Ken rode horses to Bridgeport."
"Yeah, usually do. Left them at the livery there."
"Fast horses?"
"Two of our best. Why do you want to know?"
"Trying to figure out the quickest way to get you and two marshals to your ranch, the Phoenix, right?"
"I'll make arrangements for those two horses to be saddled and ready when the train arrives and have them find a third horse that can keep up with them."
"Hot!" I took a large gulp of the coffee without thinkin' about it.
"Sorry should have warned you," he said as he left the room.
The governor's wife came into the room, arms full.
"I'm so excited that Chrissy is with child. I went shopping and bought these things. It's so good to be baby shopping," she chit chatted away. "Of course, I stuck to greens and yellows and reds since you never know if it's a girl or boy. Which are you hoping for?"
I looked at the things she had put on the table. She was holdin' each up for my approval, but I didn't have it in me to say anything but, "Don't care as long as it's healthy and Chrissy is alright. Thank you, ma'am."
All I could think of was my nightmare that I had all the time now. I'm a kid and me and Heyes each run to our burnin' houses but this time it's Chrissy and the twins that are killed. And just like when I was a child, I can't do anything to stop it.
"Oh goodness, it's Tina. Did your wife tell you we have the same first name?"
"Thank you, Tina," I corrected myself.
Each minute seemed like an hour; my heart was beatin' harder. Lookin' at the baby things I felt helpless to get to their mother, to protect her.
"You're welcome. Well, I'll just take these things. I'm going to have them boxed up and sent to Chrissy so you don't have to carry them."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, er Tina."
She touched my arm so I looked into her face. "Let me tell you Jed Curry, nothing is going to happen to your family. Nothing!" Her voice was firm, confident. And I wanted to believe her with all of my soul.
When she left, I tried to pray. I don't remember how to do it right, but I been listenin' to what Chrissy teaches the babies.
It seemed a long time before I heard the door open and the clerk's voice say, "Telegram was waiting for Mr. Curry."
It wasn't the one from Frank I was waitin' for.
Jed Curry
Cheyenne, WY
Jed. STOP In Porterville. STOP Rudy and Lom shot. STOP Alright with Chrissy and Heyes.
Juan Flores
Porterville, WY
Panic hit me hard. Juan wasn't there to help protect my family. I try to remember if I loaded the colt and the rifle for Auntie. I meant to, but did I? Yes, I did, and I showed her where I keep the ammunition, high out of reach of the babies. Heyes is inside himself. Will he recognize a threat? If he does, does he know what to do with it or will he hide inside his head? What were they thinkin' lettin' Juan leave?
And why hasn't Frank answered my telegram…and then I remember. The telegraph was closed for a few days. Frank told me the lines were down and a man from the telegraph company had told him that it would take a few days to repair. Three Birds telegrams were being rerouted to Bridgeport. Until the line was repaired, our telegraph clerk, Lucas Newton, was ridin' to Bridgeport every mornin' to send our outgoin' telegrams and pick up the ones that were addressed to Three Birds. Frank wouldn't get my telegram until tomorrow midday when Lucas returned to Three Birds. Juan's telegram had come from Porterville.
I felt defeated. My family's lives depend on my choice. If I choose them, I choose evil over good in our court system.
Charles and Colin came into the room loaded with maps and papers. The guards cleared the flowers and knick-knacks from the table. They were replaced with the maps.
The governor looked at me with compassion. "Jed, I know that you want to leave right now and if you want to, I'll get you two marshals and three of the fastest horses in all of Cheyenne. But it's a long ride, over a hundred and twenty miles just to Bridgeport."
I looked at the maps on the table, but my every instinct was to take the horses and run.
He put his hand on my shoulder, not realizin' that that simple gesture caused me pain.
"I know you want to do something, to move, to run to your family, but it will be quicker if you take the early train tomorrow morning."
I started to object but he continued, "Hear me out. You can't travel by horse until daybreak. I have talked to the judge and he's willing to start court at 6:30 AM with your testimony up first. It would be a closed court, just you, the judge, jury, and lawyers… and the defendant and anyone who happens to be there at that time. If you're still willing to testify, that is."
"What time does the train leave?"
"Talked to the railroad and it will leave early. Except for water stops, it will only make four stops instead of eight."
"You can do that? Change a court time? Change the railroad schedule?"
"I can. That's part of being the governor."
I remembered the illegal five-thousand-dollar reward poster that Carlson had put out on Chrissy. It read Dead or Alive. A sibling for a sibling. I still fear that some bounty hunter that doesn't know it's been retracted will show up at our door. I'll fear that for the rest of our lives. "Yes, I'll testify. Let's put this asshole away," I said. What was I condemnin' my family to?
I told him about the telegraph lines to Three Birds. I thought about Juan's telegram and saw that it had been sent from Porterville yesterday,
"I have two marshals about sixty miles away that will head to Three Birds at break of day. You'll probably still get there first, if you take the early train."
"You look like there's something else you want to say to me but don't know the words. Just say it straight," I told Colin.
He nodded to one of the marshals guardin' the door.
"My name's Marshal Michael Detmers, Mr. Curry. The marshals have been chasing after the Hidden Rocks Gang out of Iowa for seven months now. They do the dirty work for Judge Phillip Carlson and the former Colorado governor. We've watched several trials they've been involved with. They won't make a move until you show up tomorrow morning."
The governor interrupted, "And no one will know that you're going to testify until you step in that courtroom tomorrow morning. I have a marshal laying a false trail back to Bridgeport for you."
"Once you testify, though, they'll send a telegram to Bridgeport," the marshal added.
"A telegram that says to kill my family?" I asked.
Silence hung in the room until the governor said, "Your choice to testify, Jed. Your choice."
A picture of Heyes sittin' on his bed starin' at nothin' on the wall with one twin on either side of him went through my head. They each had laid a hand on a leg and sat quietly with him. He'd recovered enough to walk to the smithy with me but had few words. He'd promised me to protect my family before I left, but how could he? And Juan had gone to Porterville.
But if I didn't testify, Carlson's men might kill me and mine anyway for what I know.
"Told you I'd testify and I will. Worried about just Heyes at the ranch to protect my family."
From what I hear, Mr. Heyes was very clever at avoiding posses," said Marshal Detmers.
I ignored the comment. Before he went to prison, I would have had complete confidence that Heyes could protect them. But now…I know if he understands what is happening, he will try.
"Can we go over your plan and schedule once more?"
HEYES
I promised the Kid I would protect his family and I intend to do that. I walk around the house, barn and stable often, day and night. I forget why I'm doing it sometimes because my mind wanders to my safe place. But I keep watching. I walk down to the blacksmith shop. The last time down somebody left two broken knives in a wooden box outside the door. I did as I was told and moved them to the back room. I made sure to lock the door when I finished.
JED 'KID' CURRY
I didn't sleep. Didn't even try. The marshals guardin' me take turns sleepin'. And they are guardin' me, just like prison guards. No one can get in, but I can't leave. I feel confined, caged, imprisoned. And the night seems endless. I could be ridin' towards home and racin' to save Chrissy. I fight the urge to leave. I remember Chrissy stoppin' me from runnin' durin' Matt's trial. She was right then and I'm right to stay now. And I trust the governor. He's thought it out with the help of Colin and the marshals. The timeline is right. His way will get me home the quickest. And I pray that will be fast enough. So, I spend the night waitin' and starin' into the darkness, tortured by the thoughts of losin' Chrissy, Martha and Michael, Auntie…and Heyes.
The governor's wife fussed over me bringin' me coffee, pie, blankets, and water and tellin' me how brave I was and that my family would be alright.
The governor had the telegraph clerk stay at his desk waitin' for an incomin' telegram…none came. The telegraph was resent twice. I told him that no telegram would go through to Three Birds until the lines were repaired. He said he would do his best to speed that up. Then, at the first touch of dawn, I started to get ready. It wasn't right that my family might be sacrificed to bring down an evil man. I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen. I'll testify and with help I'll get there to save them.
ASJ*****ASJ
The judge was solemn durin' my testimony. I repeated every word Carlson had said to me and told them what Ken would have said. I was told not to bring up what happened to Ken unless the defendin' solicitor specifically asked me. He didn't…at least at first.
I was surprised there were a few people in the gallery that early in the mornin'. My eyes searched for the men the desk clerk had described but I didn't see them. I did see Kyle sittin' quietly in the back row. He'd aged. I don't know if prison had made his hair gray and stolen his easy smile or life. Another time I would have bought him a meal and caught up on things. But not today. I have a train to catch.
The courtroom was secured by more US Marshals. No one was allowed in or out until the court adjourned for the mid-mornin' break. Judge couldn't push it any further than that because people would be desperate to use the indoor water closets by then. They couldn't figure a way around that. When those doors opened, they would know I had testified. And the telegram would go to Bridgeport a few minutes later. The four telegraph offices closest to the courthouse would be closed but there were dozens of them in a city the size of Cheyenne.
When I told what happened, I started to include why I was in Brown River, but the judge ordered that it wasn't important why I was there, just that I was. Then the defense attorney tried to discredit me: a thief and a robber, an ex-convict not to be believed. Then he made a mistake. He asked me what I had done with the money Judge Carlson had paid me for killin' a siblin' of the man that killed his brother.
"You say you received money from Judge Carlson? If you did get this money, what did you do with the money?" he asked.
"Never touched it. The marshal who overheard our conversation picked it up."
I saw the jury lean forward when I mentioned a marshal. Marshals were respected and believed. Phillip Carlson glared at me. It just reminded me of how Wheat glared at us…and how he had died.
The prosecutor asked the judge for permission to question me again due to special circumstances. Carlson's lawyer objected but the judge overruled him.
"I believe this Marshal Josephs, who arrested Mr. Carlson was supposed to testify today, was he not?"
"Yes, he was."
"Where is he?"
"Objection, not relevant," said the defense attorney, realizin' he had opened a line of questionin' about Ken just because he wanted to make me seem like a bounty hunter. The jury might not believe a bounty hunter as quickly.
"He's at the doctor's clinic fightin' for his life." I watched the jury's faces. They were puttin' the pieces together with the extreme early mornin' start today.
"Do you know what Marshal Joseph's did with the money Phillip Carlson attempted to pay you?"
"I saw him give it to the sheriff when we walked Carlson over there."
I answered all their questions truthfully and tried not to look impatient for it to end.
"Lies! All Lies!" Phillip Carlson stood up from his defendant's seat and screamed at me.
Bang, bang. The judge banged his gavel. "Order in the court. Sit down, MR. Carlson."
Carlson looked at me. "You'll regret what you said here for the rest of your life," he said calmly.
Fear for my family went through me and he must have seen it on my face. He laughed as he sat down.
When I finished testifyin', the governor's plan went into action. I went and sat near the door on the left. A couple of minutes later, I stood up, stretched, and opened the door. I was to leave it open and step to the left. Immediately, a marshal, dressed just like me, replaced me and took my seat, closin' the door behind him.
Marshalls Michael Detmers and Gray Lyons rushed me to the train station. I knew my bag was already on board. First thing I did when we got to our seats was get my gun out of my bag and put it on.
"We leavin' now? Isn't this the eight thirty-five train? Can't be much past seven," I asked.
"Governor called in some favors. We'll be under way in ten minutes. They were just waiting for you."
Another favor I owed. I remember the governor saying there would be only four stops in addition to the water stops. I sat back in my window seat and willed the landscape to go by faster.
HEYES
Tuesday about eleven
Phoenix Ranch
After I took care of the livestock and the horses, I was tired. But I decided to walk down and check on the blacksmith shop like I promised the Kid. Chrissy, Martha, and Michael were all upstairs asleep or resting and Auntie Diane Frances was fussing around in the kitchen. I think I smelled her cooking a pie for dessert at dinner tonight.
Good thing I checked; there is a broken shovel on the ground in front of the shop. The Kid should leave some sort of table here where people can leave work to be done when the shop is closed. The note says it's from Mr. Dunne and he wants to know if the Kid will take honey as payment. I smiled knowing he will accept almost anything in exchange for his work.
Before I start around to the back door of the shop, I hear, then see, two men turn up Curry Road and head towards me. I want to run. I don't like their looks. As they get closer, I also don't like that they each wear two guns tied down. Or the intimidating look in their eyes.
"Looking for the blacksmith. You Jed Curry? Is this the Curry Ranch?" he asked me. I looked down. I want to escape to my safe place in my mind, but they are looking down at me from their horses, their eyes demanding an answer.
"N...no, s…sir, not C…curry," I forced out. "T...this is Ph...ph…phoenix R–ranch." They act like prison guards. I should look down. Do they have billy clubs? My heart beats faster. I fight the urge to hide in my safe place. I study the men, what they look like may be important. Both seemed tall. They're clean shaven. From their manner, they are used to being obeyed.
"Need the blacksmith's help; we're a long way from home. When's he back?" he demanded. I knew he wanted information. From prison I'm trained to answer guards' questions quickly. But I fight the urge. I'm home, not in prison.
"C…C…C…closed," I forced out. I remembered the Kid told me not to tell anyone he was gone.
He looked toward the house and fear swept through me. I really need my mind to be here, not find a place to hide. I hope no one in the house makes any noise. "No.. no one…home. K… knocked, no answer." I concentrated on each word to say them one after another to make my speech sound natural.
They scared me. They may be the ones that want to kill the Kid. I need to know more but I don't have a silver tongue anymore. I don't even have many words, so I choose a simple two-word question. "Where's home?"
"Iowa," the closer one said quickly before he had time to think.
There was something important about Iowa that I need to remember but I'm not sure why.
"Shut up," the other man growled at him. "That dummy ain't him. Curry's got blue eyes and light brown hair. And he ain't stupid. Let's go."
I looked down. A dummy, stupid that's what they think of me. But I'm not. I'm me, Hannibal Heyes, and I've been coming back to myself slowly over the last year. Now, I need to take action. They turned their horses away from the shop and headed towards the main road. The last part of the conversation that I overheard jerked me into reality and action.
"This place is all closed up. Curry Ranch must be further up the road. Told ya I didn't see the Curry Road sign they told us about in that little town.
I watched them leave and knew that they would come back. Once I couldn't see them anymore, I dropped the broken shovel and sprinted for the house. My mind was working, really working, forming a plan. A plan that would keep my promise and protect Kid's family…my family. But I want to go to my safe place. I need to go to my safe place.
Auntie was in the kitchen. "W…where's Chrissy? G...et her and the …twins together. We need to leave here NOW!" It was the clearest sentence I had put together in a long time.
Auntie was startled.
"Two m-men looking for the Kid, nothing for a blacksmith to repair with them. Rough looking from Iowa they said." As I gave orders, my speech came back to me along with my fear. It's safe in my room. I could stay there, but I can't protect my family from there. I need to be strong like the Kid. I can do this. I have a plan. I have my safe place.
Auntie started gathering food and placing it on the table. "Iowa? That's where that judge Jedediah is testifying against is from."
And I knew what I was trying to remember. Wheat and his brother were from Iowa. My fear intensified but I used it to push me to go faster, thinking more clearly.
She added cans of peaches to the food on the table as well as a pie she wrapped up carefully. "Christina is asleep upstairs, and the twins are down for their nap. Where are we going? To Three Birds?"
I hesitated but I knew the answer. "No, a safe place. The high hills."
"How long?" this practical lady asked.
"Don't know. Until it's safe to come back." Or we could just stay there, I thought.
A Colt, a rifle, and bullets joined the food on the table. "By wagon?"
"To start," I told her. I'm thinking clearly. My plan continues to form, and I know exactly where we will go and how we will travel there. My fear for myself has turned into a fear for our family…and forced me back to myself.
"Hannibal, it's good to see you in action. Go hitch the horses to the wagon and bring it to the back door. I'll get Christina and the twins. And blankets. And our warm coats. And Michael's medicine…" She kept adding to her list as she went upstairs faster than I thought she could move.
I hitched Fall's Bell to the wagon. He doesn't like to pull a wagon but he's steady and predictable. Then I brought the wagon to the back door. I saddled Spring's Moirai and Fall's Whisper. He's hard to handle but I had confidence I could handle him. Chrissy came out carrying blankets and pillows followed by two sleepy twins with wide eyes. Each carried a stuffed pillowcase. I saw doggie sticking out of the top of Michael's. She carefully placed a basket of eggs in the wagon and wrapped it in blankets.
"Don't put the kids in the wagon yet. Fill up some canteens. Get whatever else we might need for camping and fishing." I told her.
She smiled at me and hugged me. "Heyes back! Good!"
I ran to my room and grabbed the second knife the Kid had made me, slipping it into my belt. I always have the one in my boot. This room is a safe place for me, but we can't all stay here. I have another safe place in mind. I'd need my jacket; it's even colder in the hills at night this time of year. My bedroll was in the corner. Lom had sent it in a box of our things that he had kept when we were in prison. I had never touched it before now. One more thing I needed to do then I blew out all the lamps. I made sure that all the lamps were out and the fires in the fireplace and stove were dosed with sand.
Chrissy and Auntie had the far back of the wagon stacked with what looked like a mountain of blankets, food, and stuffed pillowcases. The picnic basket was there. They'd left the part of the bed near the front clear for passengers. I took a blanket and used a rope to secure the stack of things in the wagon.
"Auntie, need you to do something."
"Just tell me what to do."
"Take the wagon. Drive it to the gate, open it, then drive the wagon as fast as you can down to the main road. Leave the gate wide open. That's important. Make sure that the gate is open. When you get to the main road, turn towards Three Birds. Go as fast as you can but stay safe."
Both ladies looked at me quizzically. The twins had started dancing around in excitement about going camping.
"Lots of wagon ruts on the main road. They can't really track ours or any wagon there. You know the back road past the dead tree?"
"I know right where the turnoff is. The roads overgrown. Never traveled it," Auntie answered as I helped her up to the driver's bench of the wagon. A smile started to form as she realized my plan.
I continued, "Make a slow wide turn just past the road. There's another short road there, take that. It will join that back road about a hundred yards further. No one will know where the wagon turned off. Then head down that road."
"How far?"
"Wait where it comes to the stream. We'll walk and meet you there with the other horses."
I'll make sure no one can follow us to my safe place. But the Kid will reach us. He always finds me when I retreat to my safe place.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Train to Bridgeport
A little after ten
It seems we are the only passengers on the train. I know it's makin' fewer stops, but it seems to me like we been ridin' forever and should already be pullin' into Bridgeport. And we still have a ways to go. Colin said they sent a telegram and our horses and one other will be ready at the station.
Our horses, me and Ken's horses. Only Ken is not with us. Aiden said he made great strides last night and his life is no longer in danger. But he's got a long recovery ahead of him. Didn't wait to ask Chrissy, I told Aiden Ken can recover at Phoenix. The marshals told me that the same thing that happened to Ken would have happened to me, but they couldn't find me. They wanted to stop us from testifying. But I spent the night at Aiden's.
The governor let us know that the telegraph lines between Bridgeport and Three Birds would be repaired between eleven and noon. But Mr. Newton, our Three Birds clerk, would be in Bridgeport around that time. His back up is his wife so if the telegram gets through, Frank should be headin' to Phoenix.
Winter's Glory and Spring's Promise will set a fast pace gettin' from Bridgeport to the ranch. Don't know about the third horse they'll have for the other marshal. If I had my choice, I'd ask for that big horse of Michael Loveland's. I rode it when I joined the posse there - fast, strong and didn't get tired.
I think about where those three men I helped arrest are now. Have they had their trials? They were drunk enough when caught that they were braggin' about robbin' the bank to everyone in the posse. The thought of the reality of prison life those carefree men were facin' weighs heavy on me.
Another hour plus before we get to Bridgeport. The conductor came back and talked to us. He's a marshal. Assigned just for this trip. He knows we are racin' against time. Men from the Hidden Rocks Gang were waitin' in Bridgeport. It's ten and the court is on their midmorning break. So just about now they are gettin' the telegram that I testified...and will be lookin' for my family. Hopin' the lines are fixed and Frank will get there first.
HEYES
Chrissy and I walked with the twins and the other two horses along the stream. It wasn't far for me but five-year-old legs get tired. The weight of Michael's cast tired him quickly. I picked him up and put him on my shoulders, even let him hold the leads for the horses. I could see Chrissy was tiring, too, but she pushed on until we heard Auntie coming in the wagon. She looked flushed; serious but I think she enjoyed the thrill.
I put Michael on his feet. "Auntie, you alright? I shouldn't have asked you to do that," I told her as I helped her down from the wagon. She took a canteen from Chrissy and took a long drink of water.
"Oh, Hannibal, that was more excitement than I've had in years and I loved every moment of it," she replied. "If there wasn't a threat hanging over us, I'd do it again!"
Chrissy settled the twins into the back of the wagon. She fiddled with the pillows until Michael's cast was supported to her approval. She had both the twins nestled under a warm quilt despite having their coats on. I tied Spring's Moirai to the back of the wagon.
"One of you two ladies drive. I'll lead on Fall's Whisper. Keep a lockout behind us for a dust trail. That's what you'll see first if we're being followed."
As Chrissy took the reins, she said, "Strong Heyes good." Auntie sat next to her on the bench. I set a fast pace but not a racing one. Chrissy had learned to be a skilled wagon driver from her years running Winter's Refuge and it came back quickly. Within two hours, we approached the mountains the Kid and I had explored. It's here. My safe place. I made a wide turn, intentionally not heading directly towards the entrance.
Before we started to climb, I called a stop for food. Chrissy needs to rest. While the others ate, I worked my way backwards, erasing any tracks the wagon left. I walked as far back as the hard rock plateau we had gone over almost half a mile back. I don't want to take the chance that anyone can follow me to my safe place.
When I returned, the ladies had packed everything back into the wagon except for a sandwich and a piece of cheese for me. They were sitting on a log beneath a shade tree watching the kids play some sort of game they had made up. If things weren't so urgent, and if the Kid were here, this would be a near perfect tableau. But this is not a safe place. Bad men can catch us here.
I'm proud I thought of that word tableau. I think the Kid would be proud of me, too. My mind is working, planning ahead like it used to. It feels good. Not only are my words back, I don't have to think as hard to use them.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Bridgeport
11:00 AM
Finally, we are approachin' Bridgeport. I've been standin', bag in hand, for the last twenty minutes. First thing I saw as we pulled toward the station was three horses waitin' for us, saddled and ready to go. As I hoped, the third horse was Loveland's. He was there holdin' the horse. When we headed to the horses, a man on a horse approached.
"Mr. Curry, since you joined my posse I thought I'd come along and see if I can help," the Bridgeport sheriff Damon Holahan said without dismountin'.
"Need all the help we can get. Gonna set a fast pace."
"Understand. Got a telegram from the governor of Wyoming's office of all people. Said to tell you the telegraph lines are fixed."
Marshal Michael Detmers rode Spring's Promise. Marshal Gray Lyons rode Bear, Loveland's big horse. It was a two-hour ride from Bridgeport home. I knew these horses could do it less.
HEYES
Tuesday late afternoon
We left the wagon in one of the lower caves the Kid and I had found. Unless you were looking for it, you'd never see it. We saddled Fall's Bell and laid as many of the blankets as we could in front of the saddle. Auntie would ride him. She was stuffing all the saddlebags and the empty pillowcases we brought with the loose food and other supplies. The pillowcases were divided among the three horses and tied securely to their sides.
I watched as Auntie fastened the rifle to the side of her saddle. I knew the Colt that the Kid left her was in one of her saddlebags. I saw it when I handed her the boxes of bullets from the wagon. I can touch the ammunition. I just can't touch the guns. Chrissy's on her horse, Spring's Moirai, and she has my gun in her purse. She showed it to me when she packed it. I didn't touch it then but we both know I'll use it to protect the babies if Chrissy can't. Even if I have to go back to prison, I promised the Kid I would protect our family and I will. No matter what.
I lifted Martha in front of Auntie and Michael will ride with me. Chrissy's condition makes it awkward to have anyone, even a small child, ride with her.
We rode single file, and I led the way through all the twists and turns as we steadily climbed. I hope I'm choosing the right forks. I know Chrissy is an experienced rider, but I didn't know about Auntie. But she's comfortable on Fall's Bell and he's happy not to be pulling a wagon. I stopped after forty minutes, over halfway up. "Auntie, see that outcropping of rocks up there?" I pointed to our left.
She nodded. "Would one be able to sit there with a rifle and watch the whole path we just traveled?" she asked.
I smiled. She understood. If it's allowed, I'd love to hear some of the stories she has to tell. "Yes, and it's easily accessed from the other side in about twenty minutes. I'll point it out to you when we go by."
I needed to concentrate on the trail so I can't think about a safe retreat in my mind. I'm alert and leading our family to the safe place me and the Kid found.
We had ridden in silence, but I heard Auntie singing softly to Martha. A pillow supported Michael's cast as he rode in front of me. I held him tight as I felt sleep claiming him. Finally, we squeezed through the tight rock formation and rode into the calm meadow by a clear blue lake.