Chapter 19
It was Thursday morning on September seventh in 2006. There was a beautiful cloudless sky.
Alicia was at work, and there were no leads or sightings of Clint, Merijildo, John, Bart, Charlie, or the Devil's Cowboys. She sat frustrated at her desk while she drank some hot green tea.
She opened up the "Outlaws and Lawmen of Arizona" book. She turned to the page on Clint, and she looked at his picture wishing she were with him again.
Elsewhere in Phoenix, The Devil's Cowboys rode on their Harley's to Wally's Western Apparel store in Phoenix. They bought cowboy hats, western shirts and cowboy boots.
They rode their Harleys off down the street.
The Devil's Cowboys drove to Wal-Mart, where they got some supplies. They bought beef jerky, various other snacks and some blankets for sleeping in the desert. They rode off.
They rode back to Rusty's Desert Horse Ranch and Stables, as a few guys needed additional training.
The day dragged on and the sky still remained cloudless.
Back at Alicia's house, Angie got bored being cooped up all alone watching TV. She planned to tell Alicia that she was going to fly to Pennsylvania to be with her parents.
She made a phone call on her cell phone. "Hi mom," Angie said into her cell.
"Angie, when are you coming home?" her mom asked from the cell.
"I'm going to try and get a flight out tonight. I'll call you later with the flight information," Angie replied.
"We'll be waiting," her mom replied.
Angie disconnected the call then she made another phone call.
"Alicia, it's Angie. Listen, I've been doing some thinking, and I think it would be best if I fly home to my parents in Pennsylvania tonight," she said into her cell.
"Are you sure?" Alicia replied.
"I'll be safe there. But I was wondering if I could use your computer to book a flight," Angie said.
"No problem if that's what you want to do. I'll take you to the airport to make sure you get there safe and sound. I'll be home in a little while," Alicia replied.
"Thanks." Angie disconnected her phone call then laid her cell phone on the coffee table.
She left the living room and went inside the den. She turned on the computer. In a short time, she made a reservation with Southwest for Philly with a 7:45 pm departure flight from Phoenix and arriving in Philly at 5:15 pm.
She went back to the living room where she called her mom back and passed on the flight information.
She went into the kitchen and made a cup of hot green tea.
She went back to the living room and watched TV. She grabbed the remote and channel surfed. She clicked on the History Channel then took a sip of tea.
"Our next story is about outlaw John Mathers, alias the Kissing Bandit, who was hanged on September twenty-third in eighteen eighty-three for the murder of Oak Creek Deputy Elmer Filson," the announcer said.
Angie spit her tea out and it sprayed the coffee table and over the Outlaws and Lawmen of Arizona book.
On TV, Angie saw an old black and white photo that showed John's lifeless body at the end of a noose. Clint looked regretful while he stood next to John's dead body.
Angie stared in shock at the TV. Then the gravity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks, and she broke down and sobbed.
In the Devil's Cowboys trailer, Bart watched the same History Channel show on the TV. He danced around the living room, happy that John was hung for Elmer's death as he knew he was free and clear. Charlie joined in and danced with Bart, as so did Jesse, Billy and Butch.
Alicia entered her home. She walked to the living room and saw Angie while she sobbed on the couch.
She rushed over to Angie. "What's wrong?"
"The History Channel showed John being hanged for murder with Clint next to his body," Angie cried out between sobs.
Alicia picked up the "Outlaws and Lawmen of Arizona" book and quickly opened it to the page for John. There was the same picture of John at the end of a noose. She got curious and flipped through the pages to Clint. It mentioned that Clint was shot and killed on March twelfth, 1884 when he tried to arrest Bart Stone and Charlie Chandler, and another unidentified outlaw during a bank robbery in Oak Creek.
She flipped through some more pages to Bart Stone. She read that Bart Stone and Charlie Chandler started to roam the southwest with six other outlaws. They began to rob and were called the Devil's Cowboys gang on September twenty-fourth, 1883, when they hit the Mountain Rock bank.
"So that's where he went," she said. She looked at the book again and her eyes welled up thinking Clint was dead. She rushed out of the living room and ran into her den.
She rushed over to her computer.
Angie rushed in curious with what Alicia was doing.
Alicia searched for an 1883 calendar on the computer. She found one and opened up the link, and she looked at the 1883 calendar.
"What day was he hung?" Alicia asked Angie.
"John was hung on September twenty-third in eighteen eighty-three."
Alicia thought for a minute while she looked at the calendar. "I guess we can try to save him," Alicia replied.
Alicia got and ran out of the den.
Angie followed curious what she was doing.
Alicia ran into the living room and opened up the "Outlaws and Lawmen of Arizona" book. She looked at the page on Bart Stone.
"Looks like Bart, Charlie, and the Devil's Cowboys will head back to eighteen eighty-three real soon," Alicia said. "We need to catch them like now before they head back. I think we can use them as bargaining chips to save John's life," Alicia said.
"How do we do that?" Angie asked.
"We need to find out where this Crazy Hole cave is located," Alicia said.
"Wait, are you talking about us going back in time?" Angie said when it finally dawned on her.
"The only way to save John's life," Alicia said. "But we need Bart and Charlie," she added.
"How will that catch them?" Angie asked.
"We bait them."
"How?"
Alicia thought for a second. Then she remembered something. "Let's first head to the Wild Cactus Saloon. They hang out there. I don't believe they're at the saloon, but I can imagine the bartender knows how to contact them," Alicia said.
"Why do you think the bartender knows where they could be?" Angie asked.
"He's the father of the leader of the Devil's Cowboys," Alicia said with a smile.
Alicia smiled while she rushed out the living room.
Alicia rushed to her bedroom and headed to her closet.
She got a case with a strap that contained a rifle with a scope and a box of bullets.
She also grabbed a small recorder off the top shelf.
She rushed out of the bedroom and to the living room.
"Let's go," Alicia said.
Angie looked intimidated by the rifle case while they left her house.
Alicia placed her rifle case, box of bullets and recorder in the trunk of her car and closed it.
They got inside her car and drove off.
Alicia and Angie drove to the Wild Cactus Saloon.
Angie went inside and Alicia waited in her car. The only customer was that lonely old man.
Jake worked behind the bar, and he smiled when he saw Angie.
"Well, miss, how may I be of service?" Jake asked.
"I'm looking for the Devil's Cowboys," Angie replied.
Jake looked suspicious of Angie. "I'm sorry. I haven't seen them in days and don't know their whereabouts," he replied.
"Okay. Then you can pass on a message. I'm Angie, and you can tell Bart Stone that I have the loot that John stole from the Oak Creek robbery. If he wants it, he can meet me at the Hole in the Rock in Papago Park at two o'clock. If he doesn't show up, the loot is mine," Angie said. "Did you get that?" she added.
"Yeah. I got it," Jake said.
He watched Angie leave the saloon.
Angie got in the passenger seat of Alicia's car.
"Did he take the bait?" Alicia asked.
"I think so," Angie said.
"Let's go get our loot, then we'll find out where Crazy Hole is located," Alicia replied.
She drove her car away down the street.
Inside the Wild Cactus Saloon, Jake made a phone call on his cell phone.
The Devil's Cowboys rode their horses in the desert in the direction of the Superstition Mountains. They were two miles from Rusty's Horse Ranch and Stables.
Bear's cell phone rang. He looked at the viewfinder and answered the call.
"Dad," Bear answered.
"Bear, some girl named Angie came in the saloon. She said she had the loot from Oak Creek that Bart is looking for. If you want it, you can meet her at the Hole in the Rock at Papago Park at two o'clock. If you don't show up, she'll keep it," Jake said from his cell phone.
"Thanks," Bear said, then disconnected the call.
"Bart, the Mather's girl, has your loot. If you want it, we can meet her at the Hole in the Rock at Papago Park at two o'clock," Bear said.
Bart stopped his horse, as did Charlie. The rest of the Devil's Cowboys stopped their horses.
"That money is mine!" Bart replied, determined. "Let's get it. We could use it," Bart added.
He turned his horse around and galloped back in the direction of Rusty's ranch. Charlie and the Devil's Cowboys turned their horses around and galloped after Bart.
After a quick stop at a candy shop, Alicia and Angie drove to John's apartment.
They soon entered John's apartment after the complex manager unlocked the door. She told him it was official police business and he believed Alicia.
Angie rushed over to John's Dell. "He never cleans out his Internet history, so this might be easy," she said while she turned it on.
After the computer booted up, Angie opened up Yahoo and looked at the history of John's Internet tracks. She saw something on an article on Phillip Yeoman. She opened it up
Alicia and Angie looked at the monitor and saw that old 1950s news article John discovered. They read it.
"That sounds like the story Hector mentioned to me," Alicia said.
"We need to find out if this Phillip Yoemans still exists. He can take us to Crazy Hole," Alicia said.
Angie searched through John's Internet history and found an address search for a Phillip Yoemans. She clicked on it and saw his address and phone number.
Alicia opened up her cell phone. She punched in Phillip's phone number, and his phone rang.
"Hello," Phillip answered.
"Is this Phillip Yoemans?" Alicia asked.
"Why do you ask?" Phillip replied from her cell.
"I found an article on you about time travel," Alicia said.
Phillip immediately disconnected their call.
"He's still in the area," Alicia said, then tore off a piece of paper from John's printer, then she wrote down Phillip's address.
"I hope he cooperates," Alicia said.
Alicia and Angie rushed out of John's apartment.
They got in her car and drove off.
Alicia drove north on the Phoenix – Wickenburg highway and eventually got to Morristown.
From the Phoenix – Wickenburg highway, she turned off to the right onto a dirt road. She drove down the dirt road and came to Phillip's run down and shabby trailer with that rusty Chevy Vega still parked in the dirt by the one end of the trailer.
They got out and didn't see Phillip peek out a trailer window.
They walked to the front door, and Alicia knocked on it.
A few minutes passed when the door creaked opened and Phillip stuck his head out.
"What do you want?" he asked, upset he was being bothered.
Alicia removed her badge and flashed it to Phillip.
"Detective Hernandez from the Phoenix Police Department. I need to talk to you about a cave called Crazy Hole," she said.
"Leave me alone! I didn't do anything wrong," he said, then slammed the door shut in their faces.
"It's a matter saving the life of someone that we find out where Crazy Hole is located," Angie cried out.
The door creaked open and Phillip poked his head out. "I don't care," he said, then slammed the door.
Angie's eyes welled up. Alicia looked at Angie and thought of how they could get him to talk then she had an idea.
"We can pay you forty dollars for information about Crazy Hole," Alicia yelled at the door.
A few seconds passed then the door creaked back open. Phillip stuck his head outside with a grin. "Did you say forty dollars?" he asked.
"Yes," Alicia replied.
"That changes things. Enter my home," Phillip said then opened the door.
Alicia and Angie entered his trailer.
The looked around and saw the filth inside Phillip's trailer.
"Please sit down, Phillip said.
"Ah, we're pressed for time. We'll stand here," Angie said leery of catching something.
"So, you need to know the location of Crazy Hole?" Phillip said and held out his hand for the cash they offered.
Angie opened up her purse and wallet. She removed forty dollars. "It's a matter of life and death we know how to get there," she added when she laid the cash on the palm of his hand.
"It's strange how folks became suddenly interested in Crazy Hole. I had a young man here a couple of weeks ago asking about it," Phillip said, then quickly shoved the cash in his pants pocket.
Alicia and Angie knew that it was John but didn't say anything.
"Well, Crazy Hole is located in the Superstition Mountains near Miners Needle," Phillip said.
"Could you take us there? I'm not familiar with the trails in those mountains," Alicia asked.
"Well, I don't know. I'm super busy," Phillip said and extended out his palm for more cash.
Angie started to fake out a sob. "I don't want John dead," she cried out.
Phillip glanced at her and that name rang a bell. "Would that be John Mathers?" Phillip asked.
Phillip rushed over to his coffee table that was full of junk. He picked up his copy of the "Outlaws and Lawmen of Arizona" book.
He rushed back over to Alicia and Angie. "I bought this the other day and wondered if he went back in time. I read how he was an outlaw and wondered if he came back to two thousand and five. Then I saw on TV outlaws Bart Stone, and Charlie Chandler was after him. Did they shoot him?" Phillip said.
Alicia stepped to Phillip's side and opened up his book. She opened up the page to John and showed him the page with the picture of John at the end of a rope.
"Oh my. I looked at that page two days ago, and it stated John was never heard from again, and now it states he was hung for murder," Phillip said, then looked sad. "I liked John. He reminded me of my father. He went through Crazy Hole and never came back," Phillip said and wiped away a tear.
"I'll take you there for free. But we need some horses," Phillip said.
"I can arrange that. Just meet us at Rusty's Horse Ranch and Stable around three," Alicia said.
"I'll be there," Phillip said then looked curious. "How are you going to save his life?" he added.
"Hopefully, catch Bart Stone and Charlie Chandler and use them as bargaining chips," Alicia said.
"I hope this works," Phillip said.
"Me too," Angie said.
Phillip walked over and opened up his door.
"I'll be at Rusty's. I promise," Phillip said.
Angie and Alicia smiled at Phillip while they left his trailer.
Alicia and Angie got in her car.
She started it up and drove off out of his dirt driveway.
They drove off down the dirt road.
Then Alicia remembered something while she drove down the dirt road. "I wonder if Phillip had any ancestors in this area back around eighteen eighty-three?" Alicia said.
"Why?" Angie asked.
"When Clint took me into the Superstition Mountains and showed me were Oak Creek was once located, we found the tombstone of his deputy that was shot. Next to it was the tombstone of a Peter Yoemans," Alicia said.
"He did say that his father went through Crazy Hole and never returned," Angie said.
"I wonder if he knows?" Alicia asked.
"Probably not," Angie replied.
She turned her car on the dirt street and turned onto the Phoenix – Wickenburg Highway. They drove towards Phoenix and headed to Papago Park.