Starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy
Big Mac McCreedy Burl Ives
Owen Todd Robert DeNiro
Letitia Carleton Helen Mirren
Minerva Carleton Meryl Streep
Sven Hillstroem Sverre Anker Ousdal
Lucas Granby Kiefer Sutherland
Cole Phillips Mark Wahlberg
Ambrose Pettigrew Clint Eastwood
Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones were smoking cigars and drinking excellent brandy, but they couldn’t fully enjoy the situation because Big Mac McCreedy was treating them too well and that made them suspicious.
“Boys,” Big Mac began. “How’d you like to take a vacation and earn five hundred dollars at the same time?”
As usual, Smith took the lead in the negotiations. “We’re listening. Go on.”
“Well, it’s like this. A friend of mine just opened a real fancy hotel for rich folk who want to relax and spend some time outdoors in the fresh mountain air…”
Jones interrupted, not quite believing what he was hearing. “They’re choosin’ to be outdoors in winter? Whatever for?”
Big Mac smiled. “Thaddeus, some people like winter. Now, of course, they don’t ride horses all over the countryside in the cold weather like you and Joshua here, and they certainly don’t sleep outside on the ground or wash in rivers like you two.” Big Mac paused while he regarded Smith and Jones, whom he also knew as Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. “Rich folk who come by their fortunes honestly can afford to spend money on nice hotels and good food, even in wintertime.”
“You’re rich, Uncle Mac. How about sharing some of that wealth with your dear nephew?” Heyes asked sarcastically, emphasizing the family relationship. “Then we wouldn’t have to dodge a posse to get here. Wouldn’t you like to have your nephew living right here, so you could support him in the style to which he could easily become accustomed?”
Curry glared at Heyes. The last thing he wanted was to live under the nose of Big Mac McCreedy. And he knew Heyes felt the same way. Heyes was just needling Big Mac, trying to get him off-balance so he could get the upper hand in whatever Mac wanted them to do.
“Well, you know that wouldn’t work, boys,” Big Mac demurred. “But what I’m offering you is a chance to live it up for one month, so how about it? All you have to do is get to know some people and make sure everyone has a good time.”
“Uh huh,” Curry and Heyes said, simultaneously and doubtfully.
“Look, Mac,” Heyes began, “We need to know a lot more before we say yes. Such as who this friend of yours is, why he needs us there, and who we are supposed to be if we go there.”
Big Mac sighed. “Okay, fellas, I’m going to level with you.”
Heyes and Curry looked at each other skeptically.
“Owen Todd is a business friend of mine. He owns some property up in Colorado and decided to open a hotel near Durango; he’s calling it the Durango Dream.”
“I still don’t understand what’s so special about goin’ there in winter,” Curry muttered.
“Todd decided his hotel would offer guests the opportunity to go skiing. Seems it’s become popular in California and Todd thinks it could be real profitable in Colorado, too.”
“So what does all this have to do with us?” Curry asked, trying to get back to the subject of the job.
“Oh, right.” Big Mac refocused. “Todd’s been having some issues with his neighbors. They’re not too happy about his hotel.”
“What kind of issues?” Heyes asked.
Reluctantly, Big Mac told them. “Well, sometimes his supplies don’t get delivered on schedule. There’ve been a few accidents and …”
“What kind of accidents?” Heyes interrupted.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Big Mac hedged. Curry stared at him. Big Mac decided he could provide more information. “Apparently, some of the skiing equipment was damaged, and there was a fire in the kitchen, and a guest slipped on some ice that shouldn’t have been there and broke a leg. Just a few incidents but Todd’s worried.”
“They sound like common accidents. What makes him think there’s more to it?” Heyes knew Big Mac was still holding out.
“Todd’s had some threats from the other businesses in the area.”
“And you were goin’ to tell us this, when?” Curry snapped, not bothering to hide his annoyance. His “uncle’s” tendency to try to put one over on them had worn thin a long time ago.
Heyes smiled at his partner. “Don’t worry, Thaddeus. I’m sure Mr. Todd wouldn’t be paying us five hundred dollars each if it was a simple job.”
Big Mac sputtered, “He’s not paying you five hundred dollars each! That’s five hundred dollars total!”
“Oh, he’s paying five hundred apiece all right,” Heyes retorted. “If he’s told you all about it and you’ve asked us, that means he doesn’t know what to do and he needs help. We have to go all the way to Colorado…”
“In the middle of winter…” Curry glumly interjected.
“And stay there for one month to find out what’s going on and put a stop to it. So Mr. Todd is clearly prepared to pay well for our services.” Heyes looked Big Mac in the eye, confident he would back down.
Big Mac shrugged. “Oh, all right. I have been authorized to pay you that amount. Todd also wants you to know that he will provide a suite for you and all your meals while you are working for him. You’ll be staying there as the relatives of his business partner down in Texas. That’s me. That way, you can mingle with the hotel guests and no one will wonder who you are.”
A trace of a smile showed on Heyes’ face and he turned to his partner. A silent discussion took place, a decision was made, and Heyes spoke for both of them. “Okay, Mac, we’ll do it.”
“Glad to hear it, boys. There’s just one more thing.”
Curry rolled his eyes. There was always “just one more thing” with Big Mac McCreedy.
“If you are successful and find out who’s behind all this, and the Durango Dream has no more accidents, I have agreed with Todd to pay you a bonus of five hundred dollars.”
Heyes made sure. “Each?”
Big Mac reluctantly nodded. “Yes. Each. But you’d better be worth it, boys.”
Heyes laughed. “Oh, we are, Mac, a lot more than that!”
Curry just rolled his eyes again.
* * *
“Heyes, I don’t think we should have taken this job. Somethin’ just don’t feel right about it.”
Heyes sighed. “Kid, I know you don’t like the cold. But we need the money. And look at this place.” He waved his arm around the well-appointed suite, with its two large beds and fireplace and separate sitting area. “Don’t you want to spend a whole month in a place like this? I mean, this is a whole lot more comfortable than we usually get.”
“Yeah, but Big Mac’s jobs always end up costin’ us a lot. I’m just wonderin’ what the price is gonna be this time.”
“Relax. We’ll walk around, talk to people, figure out what’s going on. Shouldn’t take too long but we don’t have to tell Todd right away. He’s hired us for the month so let’s stay the month.” Heyes looked at his partner. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to dance a jig for your meals here. I’m sure the hotel has its own entertainment,” he grinned.
Curry glared. “I’m just sayin’…”
“I know, but Big Mac knows who we are and I don’t think he’d do anything to risk us getting caught. We’re too useful to him. He knows he can get us to do his dirty work and we won’t complain.” Heyes paused, not really liking how that sounded.
“’Cos we can’t,” Curry agreed.
“Yeah, well.” Heyes was trying to convince his partner but he became more doubtful about it the longer they discussed it. “Anyway, the food’s bound to be good and there’s gotta to be some rich folks who don’t know the odds in poker, so let’s just try to enjoy it while we can, huh?”
“Okay, Heyes.” Curry sighed deeply, and let himself be persuaded. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
* * *
Heyes knocked on the door to Owen Todd’s office. The middle-aged man who came around from behind the desk to meet them apparently enjoyed the finer things in life. Curry hoped his ample waistline was an indication of the quality of the meals offered by the hotel restaurant.
Todd noted the low-slung gun belts tied to the legs of the two men standing before him. He was smoking and offered his guests cigars before gesturing for them to sit down.
“Owen Todd,” he introduced himself, and poured two glasses of whiskey, which were accepted with pleasure. Taking a sip from his own glass he asked, “Did Mr. McCreedy tell you what I want you to do?”
“Yes, sir,” Curry began. “My uncle said you were havin’ some problems and he thought we might be able to help.”
“But we’d like to hear from you what’s been going on,” Heyes added.
“Well,” Todd began. “It seems some people in town don’t like having a luxury hotel around here. Everyone was for it when I was building the place, hiring workers and buying materials from all the local businesses. But it seems some of them changed their minds once they saw the Durango Dream begin to make a profit,” he added bitterly.
“That’s when the rumors and accidents started. Twice, the food that’s brought up here weekly hasn’t arrived and I’ve had to put in a replacement order,” Todd explained.
“How do you get the food, sir?” Heyes inquired.
“My employees buy whatever we need in Durango. Then it’s loaded onto the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and delivered here. Anything that comes in on the railroad gets dropped off at the station where you boys got off. We have wagons that bring everything to the hotel from the station. But two times the food wasn’t on the train and I haven’t been able to find out what happened to it. Oh, we still had plenty of food and the guests didn’t know about it, but it cost me money that I can’t afford to lose.”
“Is the train the only way anything gets up here?”
“No. Guests, of course, come by train and then we have coaches that meet them at the station and bring them to the hotel. But when we need anything from Durango, we send a wagon down to fetch it. Sometimes the mail comes by train if there’s a heavy load but more often it gets delivered by men on horses, if it’s summer, or on skis, if there’s snow on the ground that’s too deep for the horses.” Todd said, with admiration, “Sure is something to see, the way those men move through the snow!”
He shook his head. “Food can be replaced. What’s more serious is the damage to the skis.” Todd glowered. “The whole point of the Durango Dream is to provide guests with a ski experience. I hired, at great expense I might add, a Norwegian from Sacramento to teach the guests here how to ski. He also chaperones them to ski races that some of the local silver mines hold for their workers.
“Well, Mr. Hillstroem, that’s the man I hired, after he gives his lesson, the guests are allowed to ski for half an hour. That’s included in the cost of the lesson, see. It gives them the chance to practice and makes them come back for more lessons.”
Curry looked skeptical. He was still having a hard time understanding why some people wanted to do such a thing. Heyes, on the other hand, was beginning to see the potential in such an activity and had a gleam in his eyes that Curry knew did not bode well for their future.
“Anyway,” Todd said, bringing Curry back to the present difficulty, “One of the guests was skiing after his lesson when he fell. Normally, Mr. Hillstroem wouldn’t have thought much of it, because, to be honest, the guests aren’t very good.” Todd laughed and added, “Too bad for them, very good for me!”
He stopped chuckling as he continued. “But then he saw that the binding, that’s the leather piece that your foot goes into, well, the lacing that kept the binding attached to the ski had been loosened.”
“And that wasn’t an accident?” Heyes asked.
“Mr. Hillstroem was certain it wasn’t. There have been other accidents as well with the skis. Sometimes the guests were involved, sometimes it was just the skis that were damaged. So far, no one’s been seriously injured. And I aim for it to stay that way!” Todd jabbed his cigar at Heyes and Curry to emphasize the point.
“What do you know about Mr. Hillstroem?” Curry decided it was his turn to ask a question.
“He was highly recommended. I’m sure he’s not involved.” Todd regarded the two men in front of him. “It’s not just my reputation at stake here but Mr. Hillstroem’s also. It’s not to his advantage for people to think accidents happen when he’s in charge of the skiing.”
“That makes sense,” Curry agreed. “Who are the guests here now?”
Todd did a mental reckoning. “Let’s see. There’s Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Anderson III; they’re from Denver. Then we have the…”
Heyes interrupted, with raised eyebrows, “The third?”
Todd pursed his lips. “Yes, definitely the third. Now, as I was saying,” he continued briskly, “We also have Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Conkling and their children; they’re a well-respected family from New York. Then we have the Misses Carleton; they’re sisters from Colorado Springs. Lastly, we have Mr. Cole Phillips and Mr. Lucas Granby; they’re in mining, from Virginia City.”
“Don’t sound like too many people are here, Mr. Todd,” Curry stated.
“It’s those blasted rumors! People in Durango are saying it isn’t safe. They’re saying the hotel is going to close real soon so no point in spending money coming here. The Durango Dream can hold a candle to the finest hotels in San Francisco, not to mention Denver, and I’m not going to be forced out of business by some local tradesmen who are jealous of my success!”
Heyes and Curry said nothing, waiting for him to calm down.
“You’ll also want to talk to Mr. Hillstroem.” Todd looked at his new employees. “I hope you realize how serious this is. If people in Denver and beyond hear we’re having problems, I could be ruined.”
Todd leaned back in his chair. “Also, you’ll need some spending money so I’m giving you each fifty dollars. The men usually play poker in the evenings and I’m sure you’d be welcome to join in.”
Heyes looked thoughtful at that last comment.
“That’s very kind of you, sir. Thank you,” Curry said. He and Heyes stood up, realizing their meeting was at an end.
Todd walked them to the door. “Kindness has nothing to do with it. I want these problems stopped. One more thing. I’ll expect a report from you every day on your progress. Come here to my office before dinner. It won’t look unusual for us to have drinks together at that time. I’m not sure why Mr. McCreedy thinks you may be able to help me but if he says you can, that’s good enough for me.”
“Well, sir,” Heyes smiled, “We’ve had some experience in matters like this.”
“We’ll do our best to find out what’s goin’ on, Mr. Todd,” Curry assured him.
“You’d better do more than that, boys. I need to put an end to these problems and you’re my last hope.” Todd looked at the men in front of him again. He liked what he saw. “You find out what’s going on and I’ll be very grateful.”
“You got yourself a deal, Mr. Todd,” Heyes responded. “Come on, Thaddeus, let’s get to work.”
* * *
“Heyes, you got any ideas?”
“About what, Kid?”
Curry glanced at his partner. They were walking the perimeter of the hotel and checking the layout of the grounds.
“About who’s causin’ all these problems.”
“Not yet. But I will soon.”
“Yeah? How you know that?”
“’Cos I got a brain, Kid, and I can figure things out.”
“Well, have you at least figured out what we’re gonna do first?”
Heyes turned and looked at his friend. “Kid, we’ll see all the guests at dinner. We’ll play poker afterwards and size up the men.” Heyes reconsidered. “Maybe it’d be better if I was the only one playing poker.”
“Why’s that, Heyes?” A hurt look crossed Curry’s face. “I can play poker almost as good as you.”
“Yeah, but you’re better at gabbing with the ladies than you are at poker. Wouldn’t you like the chance to get to know them a little better?” Heyes asked mischievously.
Disappointment was replaced by a look of anticipation. “You’re right, Heyes. I gotta do my share. You go play with the men and I’ll take care of the ladies.”
“I’m sure you will,” Heyes grinned.
Curry decided good manners meant he needn’t respond.
Having completed their walk around the hotel, Curry and Heyes next made their way to the barn. Opening the door, they saw several horses and cows tethered in stalls. A ladder led to a hayloft and Curry climbed up to see what it held.
“Just some hay bales and farm tools,” he called down.
“What’d you think’d be there? A written confession explaining who was behind everything?”
Curry glared as he stepped off the ladder. “Someone coulda been usin’ the place to hide stuff. It don’t look like it gets much use.”
“Guess so.” Heyes conceded the point. “Come on. Let’s check out that storage shed.”
The building was about fifty yards from the barn, closer to the area where the guests had their ski lessons. The door was padlocked.
“Now what, Heyes? We don’t have the key.”
“Kid, you do remember who you’re talking to, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Heyes,” Curry sighed, deeply. “But how you gonna explain to Todd we went inside, when he knows he didn’t give us the key?”
“Simple. We won’t tell him. Come on.” Heyes picked the lock and entered the shed.
Curry looked back towards the hotel to make sure no one saw them and then followed Heyes inside.
“Ow!”
“Will you watch what you’re doing?” Heyes snapped.
“I would if I could see! Sheesh, Heyes, don’t you have any matches?” Curry rubbed his leg.
“What, and burn the place down? That’s a sure-fire way to let Todd know we been in here. Settle down, will you, Kid?”
Curry grumbled in annoyance. “Let’s just hurry up and get outta here. It’s gettin’ close to dinnertime.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake! It won’t hurt you to miss a meal once in a while. We need to look at this stuff.”
Heyes went over to a rack that held ten pairs of long, thin wooden boards. They ranged in length from eight to ten feet and were about six inches wide. Heyes examined one ski and noted the leather strap about halfway down from the tip attached to either side of the ski. Kinda like a stirrup, he thought. A piece of wood a few inches behind it was also attached to the ski. Apparently they worked together to hold the foot in place.
“Kid, take a look at this.” Heyes was intrigued but Curry didn’t share his enthusiasm.
“They’re the skis, right?” he asked. “What about ‘em?” Curry didn’t know why Heyes was so excited.
“Yeah, must be. What do you think?”
“About what, Heyes? I don’t know nothin’ about skis.”
“Don’t you want to try it, Kid? Mac was right; it does look fun.”
“No, it don’t. But I don’t suppose that’s gonna stop us from doin’ it, is it?” Curry knew there was nothing he could say that would prevent Heyes from trying out the skis the first chance he got. “No matter how cold it is, you just gotta try it, don’t you?”
“Uh huh.” Heyes’ brown eyes sparkled in the dark.
“Fine,” Curry gave in. “Can we go back and eat now?”
“Sure, Kid. We’re done here.”
* * *
The hotel restaurant was less than half-filled when Curry and Heyes arrived. They scanned the room and chose a table in the back, where they could observe all the other guests.
“Looks good,” Heyes said, eyeing his fillet of beef with mushrooms appreciatively. A baked potato and sliced tomatoes filled his plate, and buttermilk rolls were on a platter next to it.
“Um hmm.” Curry was already digging into his roast beef and mashed potatoes. The stewed beans and soda biscuits were also soon devoured.
The two men focused on their dinner, but not so much that they didn’t see what was going on elsewhere in the restaurant. They quickly identified the Conkling family, although the children were in their teen years, not youngsters as Heyes and Curry had expected.
“Look over there.” Heyes nodded his head slightly at two men sitting near the door. “You suppose that’s Phillips and Granby?”
“Reckon so.” The first thing Curry noted was that both men wore guns under their ill-fitting suit jackets. The second thing he noted was that both men were looking at him and Heyes. He smiled at them, acknowledging their mutual curiosity, before turning back to his food and his partner.
“I think we ought to find out about everybody who’s here,” Heyes proposed. “I doubt the Conklings are involved but it won’t hurt to know more about them.”
Heyes’ eyes swept the room and rested on two older women, one with reddish-brown hair and the other with hair turning gray. “Now there’s two suspicious people!”
Curry followed Heyes’ gaze. The women spoke quietly to each other and were clearly enjoying their meal.
At the last occupied table sat a couple, presumably Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. From the way they looked at each other, they were not having a pleasant dinner conversation.
“What do you think they’re arguing about, Kid?”
“I dunno. The weather, maybe? Can’t be the food! This is one of the best meals I ever had!” Curry leaned back in his chair and signaled to the waiter that they were ready for dessert. “Just think--a whole month of this, Heyes!” He sighed with contentment as his apple pie was set in front of him.
Heyes took a bite of his blackberry pie before responding. “Changing your mind about the job, are you?” he teased.
“Well, we can’t let Uncle Mac down, now, can we?” Curry grinned.
Silence ensued until they finished their dessert and coffee.
The two men rose and Heyes said, “Guess I’ll go see about that poker game.”
“Try not to win too much tonight, Heyes,” Curry reminded him.
“And don’t you go off rescuing the ladies from some imaginary problem.”
Heyes followed the men into the game room and Curry heard him being made welcome. He smiled to himself and wondered how much money his partner would manage to win. He tried to figure out how to approach the Carleton sisters, who were walking ahead of him in the hotel lobby.
“Pardon me, ladies.” They turned when Curry spoke. “I couldn’t help but hear you,” he apologized, “And if you’ll permit me, I’d be happy to escort you. It might not be safe to walk around outside by yourselves,” he explained. “It being dark, and cold, and, and all,” he finished lamely.
The two sisters looked at each other, amused. “Well, Mr…?”
“Jones, ma’am. Thaddeus Jones, ma’am.” Curry nodded to each woman.
“Well, Mr. Jones, thank you for your offer. We’ve been taking nightly walks for the past week and nothing’s happened so far,” the reddish-brown haired woman tried to discourage him.
“But,” her gray-haired sister continued, “It would be a pleasure to talk with another guest for a while. You are a guest, are you not, Mr. Jones?” She didn’t wait for his answer. “It does get a bit tiresome talking with the same person for days on end, don’t you agree, dear?” She introduced herself. “My name is Minerva Carleton and this is my sister, Letitia Carleton. Shall we go?”
* * *
Heyes, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying the poker. The entertainment provided by the piano player and singer also put him in a good mood.
“You’re doing well tonight, Mr. Smith,” Granby nodded at the pile of money accumulating in front of Heyes.
“Beginner’s luck, I’m sure.”
“I hope that’s all it is,” Phillips scowled. When he saw the look on Granby’s face, he added with a half smile, “Wouldn’t want to lose all my money the first night you’re here.”
“You’re doing well yourselves,” Heyes pointed out.
Granby laughed. “Cards are in our favor tonight, that’s all.”
The conversation flowed, whiskey was consumed, money was lost and won, and Heyes was eminently satisfied.
“Gentlemen, I think I’ll call it a night,” he announced an hour later. “Don’t worry,” Heyes said, looking around the table and noting their concern. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
* * *
The clock on the dresser read 10 o’clock when Heyes returned to their suite.
“How much you win, Heyes?” Curry asked, not bothering to look up from where he was sitting in his chair, cleaning his gun.
“Three hundred.” He held out his winnings and grinned.
“Oh, Heyes!” Then a thought occurred to Curry. “How’d they take it, you winnin’ so much? I thought you were goin’ to go slow tonight. What happened?”
Heyes sat down in the other chair. “There were some pretty big pots on the table and I made sure I didn’t win them all. Everyone was real friendly-like.”
“So what’d you find out?”
“Well, it seems Owen Todd and the Durango Dream aren’t doing near as well as it looks. And some of the guests have heard talk in town about it. Gilbert Anderson said some of the prettiest waitresses at a couple restaurants quit their jobs because the wages are better at the hotel.”
“Anderson said that, huh? Maybe that’s what they were arguin’ about. His wife not likin’ him lookin’ at other women,” Curry chuckled.
“And,” Heyes went on, “Conkling said the livery in town lost some employees, too. Todd hired them to work in the stable here and as drivers for the wagons and coaches.”
“Todd’s got himself a lot of people in town who ain’t too happy with him,” Curry said thoughtfully.
“Right. But here’s the interesting part, Kid. All that money Todd’s paying out, it ain’t his own. Granby said Todd got a loan from the bank and hasn’t paid it back yet. Phillips said Todd got a line of credit to buy building materials for the Durango Dream at the mercantile and he owes a lot of money there, too.”
Curry asked, “But how would Granby and Phillips know about that?”
“Exactly! That’s what makes it interesting! There’s a couple other things to consider…” Heyes hesitated.
Curry narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“Well…”
“Come on, Heyes. Just say it!”
“Well… If Todd is overextended and having money problems, maybe he’s the one behind all these rumors and accidents.”
“How’s that?”
“Think about it. What better way to avoid paying back money he don’t have? Make it look like the hotel is a failure and then collect the insurance on it.”
“There’s a surprise; a dishonest businessman,” Curry muttered. Louder, he said, “But that don’t make sense. Why would he hire us, then?”
“I don’t know,” Heyes admitted. “I don’t have that part figured out yet.”
“Well, if that’s what’s going on, we got a problem. How’s he gonna pay us if he don’t got any money?”
“Yeah, that occurred to me, too, Kid. But we got an even bigger problem.”
“Bigger than not being paid for a job? What’s bigger than that?”
“Getting recognized.” Heyes let that sink in.
“Who? Granby and Phillips?”
“Yeah. When Conkling asked why I’d come here and I said I was here with my business partner to learn about managing a hotel, ‘cos your uncle was thinking of opening one in Texas, Granby and Phillips looked at me kind of strange and started asking all sorts of questions. Kid, something just ain’t right about them two.”
“What do you want to do about it?” Curry deferred to his partner.
“Let’s go down to Durango tomorrow and check things out for ourselves. But now, tell me what you found out from the ladies.”
“Heyes, it was really easy! Minerva Carleton, that’s the gray-haired one, she knows all about everyone. She and her sister, Letitia, live in Colorado Springs. You remember, where Harry Briscoe said they have those springs people go to for their health?” He waited until Heyes nodded. “Well, Minerva said the Andersons go there every year during the season.”
Heyes raised his eyebrows. “The season?”
“Yeah. The time of year the springs are best for people.” Curry shrugged. “Never mind that. Minerva said the Andersons are well-known because Gilbert owns some hotels in Denver and Colorado Springs.”
“So maybe he’s looking to expand in Durango,” Heyes mused. “Forcing Todd to sell the Durango Dream cheaply would be good business for him.”
“Yeah. Then Minerva told me about the Conklings. Heyes, Edith Conkling’s father was a senator! They can’t be involved,” Curry contended.
“Did Minerva say what Mr. Conkling does?” Heyes asked.
Curry deflated. “Owns a bank north of New York City.”
“So he could be involved in some way.”
“I suppose,” Curry acceded. “But they got kids. And they’re famous, and rich, and from the East. Why would they bother with a hotel in Colorado?”
“I don’t know, Kid. But maybe there’s a connection somewhere. What did Minerva tell you about Phillips and Granby? And how’d you get her to tell you so much, anyway?”
“It was no problem at all, Heyes,” Curry smirked.
After waiting in vain for the details, which were not forthcoming, Heyes repeated his question.
“That was interesting. It was Letitia who talked about them. She said they said they were businessmen from Virginia City, something to do with mining. But she wasn’t sure she believed them, she said, because they didn’t look like they were in mining.”
Heyes laughed. “What does she think miners should look like?”
“Dirty and smelly. She actually sniffed when she said it!” Curry smiled as he recalled Letitia’s response when he’d asked that same question. “Letitia doesn’t talk much but I think she sees a lot that goes on around here.”
“Well, considering the way Phillips and Granby acted in the poker game, she might be right,” Heyes agreed.
“There sure are a lot of people we got to investigate.”
“So let’s get a good night’s rest and start bright and early tomorrow.”
* * *
After breakfast the next morning, they boarded the train to Durango. Kid sat facing his partner. “We robbed this train, didn’t we, Heyes?”
“You know we did. Twice.” Heyes glanced around to make sure no one could hear them. “But it was closer to Denver, not around here, so I think we’re safe.”
“You think maybe another gang is robbin’ Todd of his supplies? Or maybe someone from the railroad is involved in robbin’ him?”
“I don’t know, Kid. We have to check out every possibility.”
fleaning forward. He had a pack on his back and was holding a long pole in one hand.
“That must be one of those mailmen Todd was telling us about. So that’s what skiing looks like,” Heyes said, fascinated. He decided that knowing how to ski might come in handy if he and Curry ever had to leave a town quickly in winter. He doubted a posse would be able to catch them if they were on skis.
Curry watched the mailman until he was out of view. He also realized the advantages of being able to ski and some of his earlier reluctance disappeared. “Okay,” he grudgingly said, “I get it.”
The train arrived in Durango and the men split up to investigate the rumors they had heard from the hotel guests and to learn whatever else they could about Todd’s business dealings with the people of the town.
They met up again a few hours later. Curry had checked out the saloons and restaurants and Heyes had looked into the various businesses mentioned by his fellow poker players. He also made a stop at the telegraph office. Both had learned that Owen Todd was not a popular man in Durango.
“A lot of people don’t like him,” Curry stated. They sat in a saloon eating lunch and discussing what they had found out.
“I know,” Heyes agreed. “But it seems more like it’s just talk. I don’t think most of the people here in town realize how shaky his financial situation really is.”
“Well, if you’re rulin’ out the townspeople, who we got left?”
“I’m not ruling all of them out just yet. There’s still the hotel guests and staff. And maybe there’s someone we haven’t thought of.” Heyes wiped his face with his napkin and looked at his partner, who was almost finished. “Let’s take a ski lesson from Hillstroem when we get back and find out what he thinks is going on.”
Curry thought about eating more slowly but decided he couldn’t put off the inevitable forever.
* * *
