Thief of My Heart (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Chapter 36

"Sure.  I'll see you boys in about an hour,"  Shep never looked up from his work as the boys made their way out of his shop and headed down the dirt road main street towards the Holy Moses saloon.  But as the pair stepped up onto the boardwalk, he tossed his tongs aside, his work forgotten.  He hurried to the large doorway and watched as the pair disappeared inside the saloon.  Without giving a moment's thought he headed straight for the sheriff's office. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a typical saloon.  Like dozens of others they's seen before.  They stood just inside the doorway and scanned the room.  

"I don't like the way that guy was asking so many questions,"  Kid said, his blue eyes intense as they darted from left to right.

"Me neither,"  Heyes replied as he took note of the many sets of eyes that turned to size him and the Kid up.   " Sure are a lot of people in here."

"Yeah, too many.  I got a funny feeling, Heyes.  I don't think we should be in here." 

"Yeah,  I got that feeling too.  And I did promise Evie I wouldn't go anywhere except the jewelers.  Come on, let's get out of here."

The partners exited the saloon and headed south unnoticed towards the jewelers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sheriff Amos Crenshaw's eyes bugged out of his head.  "Did you say Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry?  Here.  In Cold Springs?"

"That's right sheriff."

"Just what makes you so sure, Shep.   Were you on one of the trains they robbed or something?"

"No, sheriff.    I was in the home for waywards with them when we were kids.  Hannibal Heyes punched me in the nose when he found out I stole his gal."

"Well, I'll be,"  said the middle aged, portly sheriff.   "You sure picked a fine day to stop and pay me a visit, Sherman,"  Amos said to the tall thin man who stood silently in the corner looking at the floor. "I know you've been itching to see Curry and Heyes captured ever since that little fiasco a couple of years ago."   

The man hated being reminded of the day that those two outlaws had given him the slip.  He had  almost caught up to those two a couple of years ago when he was riding with the Texas Rangers.  They had just robbed a bank in  El Paso.  He had chased them for two days before they finally shook him somewhere near the Colorado border.  He wasn't exactly sure how they had done it,  and he had  been waiting for the day to get another crack at those two.

"No sense wasting time.  You said they went into the saloon, Shep?"

"That's right.  They're waiting for a horse to be shod.  I told them it'd  be more than an hour, so I don't figure they'll be going anywhere soon."

Sheriff Crenshaw took his hat from the hat rack beside the door and checked the chamber in his revolver.   "You want to come along, Sherman?   I'm sure you'll be glad to see those two put under arrest."

Bradley Shepherd watched as the man in the corner lifted cold steel gray eyes to look at his father's old friend.     The man had an air of authority about him but that authority also seemed mixed with a bit of lawlessness.    He was the kind of man that could intimidate just by being in the room.  He made Bradley feel uncomfortable.  "You're not planning on going in there after them all by yourself are you?"  the man finally spoke.  "Better round up some of your deputies, Amos.  Those two ain't going down without a fight.  You're going to need all the help you can get.  In fact, why don't you deputize me and I'll go in there with you and make sure they don't get away."