The Wild Wild West
The Night of the Double-Dealer
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! I was watching The Untouchables episode The Rusty Heller Story and this idea hit me in the head and insisted on being written. It involves characters from The Night of the Assassin and The Night of the Poisonous Posey and mostly takes place around the time of the latter episode. A bit of it also takes place in my time-travel verse, so the last segment may be slightly confusing to anyone unaware of that. Things are explained, though, in order to make this as stand-alone as possible.
The riverboat salon was crowded, noisy, and filled with cigar smoke. But Colonel Lupita Gonzalez of the Mexican Secret Service was undaunted. She was on a mission of international importance, and she was certainly not about to be deterred by cigar smoke, no matter how irritating it was.
Finally, through the fog she spotted the man she had come to the United States to find. He was laughing, looking over his poker hand and proclaiming victory to the disgruntled businessman playing opposite. "Sorry, Pal. Better luck next time," he said as he took the cigar from between his teeth and set it in an ashtray on the table.
The older man scowled, grabbing up his hat. "There won't be a next time against you," he vowed. "I can't afford it!"
"Suit yourself." The young gambler leaned back in the chair, again studying his cards with a certain mix of triumph and pride.
Lupita nodded to herself. It was time to make her move.
She stepped forward. "Senor Tolliver?"
He looked up with a start. Seeing his visitor, his eyes widened and he leaped from his chair, removing his hat. "Snakes Tolliver, at your service, pretty lady," he drawled in a gravelly Southern accent. "What's your pleasure?"
"I am not here to play poker, Senor Tolliver," Lupita said calmly as she sat across from him, "but in another way you could say that I am a gambler of a different sort. I need to speak with you. Somewhere private," she added, looking to the rowdy room with emphasis.
"You move awfully fast," Snakes remarked.
Fire flashed in Lupita's eyes. "Do not mistake my offer as something personal, Senor," she said. "I am here on business. A most urgent business."
"Well, that's different." Snakes collected his cards and shoved them into his pocket. "I'm always ready to talk business. Come on down to my stateroom and we'll see what kind of a deal we can reach."
She nodded and stood. "Thank you."
The room was crowded enough that she hoped no one would take notice of their departure. But another gambler looked over from his table and gave a catcall. "Snakes, you lucky dog, you," he exclaimed.
Snakes laughed and gave him a mock salute. "Don't I know it," he returned.
Lupita pressed her lips in a thin line, but kept quiet as they walked. Instead she focused on sizing up the unusual fellow with whom she had made contact.
Young—late twenties—boisterous, and completely at home in the decadent world he had chosen, Snakes Tolliver was notorious as a gambler, card sharp, and most likely much worse. There were those who knew that he still worked with explosives, something he had learned during America's Civil War. And Lupita knew more than even that.
Coming to him with her proposal was indeed a gamble on her part. He was not cut out for her line of work and would most likely refuse. Even if he did not, he probably could not be trusted. But a desperate situation called for a desperate solution.
Arriving at his stateroom, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Ladies first," he said grandly.
She stepped inside, her dark cape sweeping against the edge of the short table next to the couch. Snakes closed the door and prepared to cross to the couch.
"Lock the door," she ordered swiftly.
"Lock it?" He raised an eyebrow. "This must be some interesting business you've got to talk about." He stood by the door, not yet locking it. "I think you'd better tell me who you are and what your business is before I do anything."
She nodded. "Very well. I am Colonel Lupita Gonzalez of the Mexican Secret Service."
Snakes flinched. "I've never even been to Mexico," he objected. "You can't hang some crimes on me from over the border."
"That is not my intention." Lupita's dark eyes bored into his ice-blue. "I am here to request your assistance."
"My . . ." Snakes gaped at her. "Lady, you don't know what you're asking." He reached to pull open the door. "I'm not going to help the Secret Service or any other law enforcement agency. That's dangerous stuff."
"And working with Lucrece Posey is not dangerous?"
The color drained from Snakes' scarred face. ". . . How do you know about Miss Posey?" he demanded at last. Deciding that perhaps they should talk, he locked the door and went to the couch.
"Mainly because of Gallito." Lupita sat down and he did likewise. "He is wanted in Mexico, as well as many other countries, because of the countless number of assassinations he has arranged.
"For some time I have been tracking Gallito's activities, attempting to get close enough to confront and arrest him. In the course of my following him, I discovered that he is part of a secret organization far more deadly to the world than he alone could ever be. A secret organization of which you are also a part."
Snakes shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "How many other people know about this?" He fumbled in his pocket for a cigar. He usually smoked when he was confident, pretending to be confident, or downright nervous. Right now he could not even attempt a bad imitation of being confident. Lupita had completely unnerved him.
She smirked, darkly. "I will not tell you. But be assured that I am not the only one. Killing me will not protect your secrets."
Finally pulling on his mask of confidence, Snakes took out a cigar and smoothly lit it. "Okay, so you know about Miss Posey and Gallito and me. You also know that Miss Posey isn't going to let anybody into her little board of directors unless they're the most unrepentant, merciless, heartless crew around. They have to stomach all kinds of illegal activities and do whatever's necessary to bring about the world of consolidated crime Miss Posey's dreaming of."
"I have been observing everyone on her board of directors," Lupita replied, "and you are quite correct, Senor Tolliver. She has assembled the most vile criminals from all around the world. However . . ." She looked firmly into his eyes. "I have also determined that you are not as hardened as the rest of them."
"What?" Snakes scoffed, genuinely in disbelief. "I'm a bad boy, Colonel Lupita. You know, I leaned to steal when I was a kid, and I've just got progressively worse ever since. I can dish it out with the worst of them, because I am the worst of them."
"Oh?" Lupita looked at him calmly, the barest trace of a knowing smile on her features. "Is that why you once played a high stakes game to win the money to support a widow and her young son on their journey West? Is it why you told off an entire town of judgmental, gossiping families when they shunned a woman of the night who was trying desperately to raise her young children? And is it why you took an orphan boy of twelve under your wing, so to speak, and taught him poker because you wanted him to have a way to survive other than stealing?"
Snakes had turned a deep red during her summary of his more noble activities. He puffed on his cigar, not meeting her gaze. "You know, there's an awful lot of people who have really big mouths," he proclaimed.
"They are all grateful to you, Senor Tolliver," Lupita said. "They do not want to forget how you changed their lives for the better."
"Yeah, and there's a big difference between doing all of those things and doing . . . whatever it is you want me to do," Snakes said. "That stuff I did to help those people didn't involve me having to risk my neck. But working for the Secret Service is a death sentence if something goes wrong."
"At least hear what I have to say," Lupita implored. "You owe me that much of a courtesy."
"You probably think I'll help you bust up the board and deliver Gallito to you all gift-wrapped to boot," Snakes said.
Lupita took in Snakes' summarization and nodded. "To be brief, yes. You are in a perfect position to bring me information on the organization, and on Gallito, and to assist me in the destruction of Lucrece Posey's plan for consolidated crime."
"You're forgetting that I joined up voluntarily," Snakes said. "I'm okay with the consolidated crime thing. Why would I want to destroy it?"
Lupita didn't skip a beat as she replied. "You have a history of disliking authority figures and wanting to work on your own," she said. "If I am not mistaken, that is why you chose the riverboat circuit and never stay longer than several weeks in any one location. Do you honestly believe you will be happy forever living under Lucrece Posey's thumb?"
"You know, we're a board," Snakes said. "We've all got an equal partnership and say in this thing. You're right that I can't stand being subservient to anyone. That's why I thought this organization sounded pretty good."
"Perhaps that is how Lucrece Posey convinced you and the rest to go along with her scheme, but do you truly believe that she considers herself equal with all of you, instead of being the one ultimately in charge?"
Snakes scowled. "Well, she's the chairman," he mumbled. "Yeah, sure, she heads up the meetings, but everybody gets to vote on the stuff."
Lupita nodded, her expression clearly saying she didn't buy it.
Louder, Snakes blurted, "Look, lady, I live my own life, see? I figured out a long time ago that nobody was going to do anything to help me. I had to do it all myself. That's how I got myself to where I am now. And I'm not going to do anything to turn it upsidedown."
"Then I can't count on your help then," Lupita said.
"No," Snakes insisted. "Sorry."
He smirked without real humor. "It figures that you'd show up asking for my help, though."
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You're only interested in me because of what I could maybe do for you. That's awfully familiar.
"The ladies never did go for me. First they didn't like my voice. Then I got messed up like this." Snakes ran his fingers down the horrifying scar on his left cheek. "The only females who pay me any heed want something from me, whether that's my gambling money, my explosives skills, or my life on a silver platter. I get a little sick of it. But it's all I've got."
"You may have more than you know," Lupita answered. "There are women who like a man's honor, as well."
Snakes laughed. "I don't have much of that to go around."
Lupita stood. "If you should change your mind, I am registered at the Imperial Hotel in town." As Snakes got up to unlock the door, she paused and added, "You seem to have a tender heart for children in need of guidance. Think, if you will, on how many children would suffer under Lucrece Posey's world."
Snakes turned away, stiffly moving to the door and inserting the key in the lock. "Maybe they'd fare better," he said. "All people would have to do would be to let her people get into positions of power and they'd be rewarded."
Lupita followed him. "And what about those who would refuse? You know there are those who would. And they would most likely be made examples of. There would be so many children rendered orphans because of such heartless and selfish attitudes."
Snakes faltered. Lupita took note of it.
"You recognize it, don't you? Gallito has very likely already ended many lives of those who refused to accept criminal rule." She paused. "Perhaps you also have."
"I . . ." Snakes trailed off. ". . . I can't say I haven't," he confessed, quietly. Abandoning the door, he straightened and looked back to her. "I usually go after the crooks who don't want to join up with us and who would make trouble if we got our thing going. But there was one other bomb that went to someone else." He wiped his hands on his pants, as if suddenly feeling contaminated.
"Why did you do that?" Lupita pounced.
"Why did I do what?" Snakes retorted.
"Attempt to cleanse your hands."
Snakes frowned, gazing down at them. "I guess they felt . . . dirty."
Lupita stepped closer. "Help me and you will have the chance to redeem yourself."
Snakes scoffed. "Lady, a whole lifetime of wrong doesn't get wiped away by one right."
"No, but it would put you on the path to mend your wicked ways."
"If I made it through," Snakes countered. "If I keeled over, I'd burn in Hell."
"Think about it, Senor Tolliver," Lupita encouraged. She turned the key herself and opened the door. "There is still a chance."
xxxx
Snakes stared at the door for a long moment after Lupita departed. Her words were ringing in his mind and he didn't like that one bit.
He turned, easing out of his suit coat and vest and tossing them over the top of the couch. As he undid his red-violet string tie, his hands shook.
What kind of a miserable life had he been leading for the past few years? It was true that he had always been a little crooked, but after being scarred for life he had determined to cut all decency out of his existence. All it had ever brought him was more sorrow and grief and pain.
And yet, as Colonel Lupita had pointed out, he had not done such a thorough job with getting rid of his decency. Why? What had prompted him to help out in those situations she had cited—and in others she had not mentioned?
"I'm just an old softie after all, aren't I?" he muttered to the room. "Pathetic."
He flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
This situation was far more major than anything he had previously helped with, aside from the Civil War. It was definitely life-threatening, as he had already pointed out to his guest. Was he willing to risk everything on a wild gamble like this?
He rolled onto his side, gazing at the wall. He didn't want to do it. And yet, now that Colonel Lupita had put it into his mind, he couldn't get it out.
Maybe he could help just a little bit, give her some information or something, and then she could go off and do her thing and he could mind his own business until Miss Posey's organization came crashing down around their feet.
Colonel Lupita would probably leave him to do his own thing after that. Maybe she would even put in a good word for him with the American Secret Service.
He shuddered. Would it be worth it, though? He was risking his life to even think of betraying Miss Posey and giving the Colonel the information she sought. And after the War Between the States, he had vowed never to risk his life again.
What if someday Miss Posey's empire really did stretch everywhere and it ended up directly affecting Brandy and Toby and Katie, or Emily and Jared, or Jacob? Someday it might. And he had tried so hard to show all of them lives without having to turn to crime, as he had done himself.
"Okay," he said at last, rolling off the bed. "For them, then."
He grabbed his vest and coat and went in search of Colonel Lupita Gonzalez of the Mexican Secret Service.
xxxx
Snakes watched with a mixture of impatience and fascination as Lieutenant Ramirez finished inputting the information he had given onto paper via a strange typing machine. She hit the key for the final period and removed the last sheet from the machine's roller. "There," she smiled.
"Thank you for your help, Senor Tolliver." Lupita smiled as well, coming over to examine the pages. "These instructions on the locations and members of Gallito's criminal operations already underway will do much to help us bring him to justice. And it will certainly slow Lucrece Posey's attempts at worldwide crime."
"I hope it'll work for you," Snakes said. "And you can fix it so the leak won't be traced back to me, can't you?" He shifted in nervousness. "I can't have any of them finding out."
"They won't have any reason to suspect you," Lupita said firmly.
"I don't know," Snakes frowned. "If Posey gets suspicious, she'll probably run checks on every one of the board members. And if she gets any hint that a Mexican Secret Service agent was calling on me, she'll peg me as the squealer."
Lieutenant Ramirez turned to face him. "That is why you should cooperate with us completely, Senor," she exclaimed. "We can protect you as much as possible."
"Yeah, but did you stop to think it might not be good enough?" Snakes retorted. "I know these government agents can't protect anybody as much as they'd like to make them think they can. Gallito can slip in and take his victims out from right under their noses, if he wants to!"
Lieutenant Ramirez averted her gaze.
"You know I'm right," Snakes pointed out.
"Yes. You are correct that we can't always protect everyone," Lupita spoke up. "There is always a risk."
Snakes slammed his hands on the desk. "I don't know. I gave you all this information on Gallito's part of the organization because for a few minutes I had these crazy, delusional ideas of grandeur. But now I'm back down to reality. I'm no hero. I've been a self-serving coward all my life, no matter what kind of noble stuff you people think you've dug up on me. I take the easy way out and stay alive. That's really all I want." He pushed away from the desk and began to pace. "I can't help you any more than I already have. And what I've done is probably already too much."
"I know I've asked a lot of you," Lupita said, coming to stand in front of him and stop his nervous pacing. "But surely you realize that Lucrece Posey asks much more."
He halted and looked at her. "I guess it's all in what means the most to you," he said. "Posey asks for my loyalty and promises loyalty, safety, and power in return. You ask for my betrayal and all you can say is that you'll do the best you can to see that I stay alive. Those aren't good odds. I want to go with the winning team. I don't mind giving up my honor, to Posey or anybody else, as long as I'm still guaranteed a place among the free and the living."
"To give up your honor, Senor, is not to be free," Lupita said, simply and firmly.
Snakes turned away with a dry laugh. "Lady, I spent a lot of my life trying to be at least a little bit honorable. Do you know how many times I was kicked down for it, while the people doing the kicking were getting bigger and bigger? So many times I stopped counting years ago. That's what happens to decent and honorable people—the cheaters and the crooks beat them down, because that stupid saying is all wrong. Cheaters do prosper. And after your decency and honor get beaten and kicked too many times, they just lay down and die."
"They do not die," Lupita replied. "You would not have helped those people if you were not still an honorable man. Nor would you have brought to us the information that you have."
"I brought you the information because I was stupid," Snakes said. "Like I said, I can't help you any more than that."
He half-turned to leave, but hesitated. "Maybe," he added slowly, "maybe I kind of hoped you might be someone who'd look at me as more than just a guy to get you something you wanted."
"Maybe," Lupita answered, "if you were to cease being too afraid to stand up like a man, I would."
Snakes' lip curled. "You have to take me as I am, Colonel Lupita," he said as he turned to face her. "I don't change for anyone. If I'm not good enough as I am, then the lady—whatever lady—isn't good enough for me." He turned, heading for the door.
"Senor Tolliver." Lupita stood where she was and watched. "If you change your mind and decide to help us further, please do not hesitate to contact either me or Lieutenant Ramirez. Be warned—if they do suspect you once Gallito's operations are shut down, and you do not have our help, you will be more likely to die than if you had it."
Snakes paused. ". . . I'll think about that," he said. "Right now I'm regretting giving in and telling you everything I did."
"Are you?" Lupita returned. "Or are you speaking from fear? What is the true reason you decided to help even this much?"
Snakes wavered. "Begging your pardon, lady, but that's none of your business," he said at last. Touching the brim of his hat, he departed and pulled the door shut after him.
Lupita sighed to herself. As she turned away from the door, she could feel Lieutenant Ramirez's eyes upon her.
Lupita's hands went to her hips. "He is such a bewildering sea of contrasts," she ranted. "In the end he's little more than a boy in a man's body. He is too frightened to think straight. Perhaps he does not want to think straight!" She shook her head. "I believe eventually he will want to help us more, even if only because he realizes that would be the best option for him. But that might be too late."
Ramirez sighed. "You have done all you can," she said. "And now we must return to Mexico and begin crushing Gallito's corner of their empire."
Lupita nodded. "You are right. Senor Tolliver will have to be left to his own devices for now. Without his consent to help us further, we cannot spare even one to stay here and watch over him."
Ramirez frowned. "I wish we could. It might give him more confidence in us. Although he's right that we can't absolutely guarantee protection."
Lupita frowned too. "If my attempts at seeing the President about this matter weren't continually tied up in red tape, perhaps an American Secret Service agent could watch over him." She crossed her arms. "I wonder if it isn't just simple red tape and there are members of Lucrece Posey's organization on the government payroll, preventing my request from going through."
Ramirez's eyes flickered with worry. "If that is true, we won't know whom there is to trust," she exclaimed.
"Only ourselves," Lupita said. "There could be traitors among our own agents as well." She sighed. "We cannot risk the possibility of a traitor in the American Secret Service. We will say nothing of Senor Tolliver's cooperation with us."
Ramirez nodded, but was worried. "I hope that is the right thing."
Lupita was not angry over the remark. She and her Lieutenant were close friends and usually ignored rank. "I hope it is as well," she said quietly.
xxxx
The next weeks passed without incident as far as Snakes was concerned. He continued as always, playing poker and other games of chance and romancing the saloon girls who came his way. But as information began to trickle in from Mexico about the discovery and shutting down of many operations that he knew had been Gallito's, he grew more and more unsettled.
On the night when he retired to his stateroom aboard the good ship Enterprise and discovered Gallito stretched out on his couch, he nearly fainted from alarm.
"Gallito?" He tried to recover himself, quickly shutting and locking the door and hoping that his hands were not shaking too terribly. "What are you doing all the way up here?"
Gallito glanced up calmly, his hands laced on his chest. "Well, you see, Snakes, I have been having quite a bit of trouble in old Mexico of late," he said. "It is very strange. Suddenly the Mexican Secret Service has been having a great rash of good luck, uncovering and disassembling all of my carefully planned projects. I contacted Miss Posey and she said to come to America. We will be having a board meeting shortly."
"Yeah, I've been hearing about what's happening down South," Snakes said slowly. "But I haven't heard about any board meeting."
"Miss Posey instructed me to inform you," Gallito replied. "Little Pinto is, of course, with her and the others are out of the country. She is sending telegrams to them."
Snakes began to walk around the room, pausing by the end table. "What does she think about what's been happening with you?" he wondered.
"Well, I'm afraid she doesn't know what to think," Gallito answered. "But it's so odd that it keeps happening that she most likely suspects a leak, as do I."
"Eh. Probably some of the underlings in Mexico have been talking," Snakes said with a shrug. He wondered if his voice was really stretching taut or if it was just his imagination.
"Perhaps, amigo. Perhaps." Gallito sat up, stabbing the air in emphasis with a finger. "We must hope it is that. If not . . ." He paused for effect.
"Then it must be one of us," Snakes finished. "Is that what Miss Posey's thinking?"
"It is logical, no?" Gallito stood, beginning to pace the room. "But it is a terrible prospect to consider. If any one of us would betray the organization in such a way, he is a filthy traitor."
Snakes half-turned away, tapping his fingers on the wall. "So this board meeting is being called to figure out which one of us could have done it."
"That is only one matter on the docket," Gallito said. "It is being called to find out exactly what has happened. All possibilities will be considered, of course."
"It's awfully close to the time for the quarterly report," Snakes mused.
"And those issues will be handled as well," Gallito said. "Miss Posey said for everyone to bring the reports."
Snakes turned to face him. "When's this meeting going to be?" he wondered.
"As soon as everyone can come," Gallito said. "Most likely in a couple or so weeks."
"Same place, I guess."
"Can you think of a better place than our headquarters?" Gallito smiled. "It was such a touch of genius for Miss Posey to think of settling in the funeral home at Justice, Nevada."
"And that means she and Pinto get to hang around each other a lot."
"Why, Snakes." Gallito gave him a mock reproachful look. "What Miss Posey and Little Pinto do with their spare time is not our business."
Snakes shrugged. "I just wonder if Pinto knows he's being used."
"Oh, I am certain he does. The same as you know about yourself."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Snakes frowned.
Gallito smiled. "We both know that your success with the ladies is driven only by your winning streaks. When you lose, they depart."
Snakes tried to relax. "Yeah, well. That's the way it goes. Nobody wants damaged merchandise if there's no monetary reward in it."
"Actually, I have known several marred men who have settled into very happy lives with women who want them and not simply their money," Gallito said. "Some of them are 'damaged' far worse than you."
"Good for them. Their women probably already knew them and them being scarred didn't make any difference because of that."
"In some cases, the couples only met after the unfortunate incidents." Gallito brought his hand down on Snakes' shoulder, causing him to violently flinch. If Gallito noticed, he pretended not to. "You should not give up hope, my amigo."
Snakes tried to steady his wild nerves. "I'll remember that," he said.
Gallito nodded and stepped back. "I will be in town overnight," he said. "Do not forget, keep your schedule as open as possible and be ready to leave for Justice at a moment's notice."
"I know how it goes," Snakes said impatiently. "We've already had a lot of board meetings."
"Of course." Gallito headed for the door. "Buenas noches."
Snakes' stomach was turning as Gallito left. Gallito hadn't mentioned anything about Snakes' Mexican visitor from several weeks back, but that didn't mean he hadn't heard about her. Nor did it mean learning about her wasn't an option even if it hadn't happened yet. Some of the guys might see him and start joking about him being the disgruntled boyfriend or husband of the mysterious Mexican woman, and it wouldn't take long before Gallito would add it all up.
Snakes lit a cigar, smoking it as he began to pace the floor. What was he going to do? He was good at keeping cool while playing poker, but that was just a card game. This was his life at stake. Suspicion was going to fall on him sooner or later, regardless of whether Gallito discovered the truth here and now.
Maybe he would have to try contacting Lupita or her Lieutenant. If they were available, they could get up here and meet him within a couple of days. He needed to talk with someone about what he should do, and other than them he really had no one he could turn to for guidance in this mess.
Making up his mind, he hurried out of the stateroom and down the hall towards the deck. He would go ashore and send a message from the telegraph office. He would have to make it as cryptic as possible while still keeping it recognizable to both women and only to them. It would be somewhat of a challenge, but he would accept it.
He had to; he couldn't see that there was any other choice for him to make.
xxxx
Neither Lupita nor Lieutenant Ramirez was available to receive the telegram. In addition to dismantling what was left of Gallito's criminal operations in Mexico, they had been meeting with agents from other Latin-American countries to coordinate in accomplishing the same goals with Gallito's other strongholds. And a group in Mexico had to pick that particular time to start a revolution. The entire Mexican Secret Service was thoroughly occupied.
It was close to two weeks later when Lupita at last returned to her home office and found the telegram. She stiffened as she studied it; she knew instantly what it meant.
Things are heating up in Justice, Nevada. I think they might know.
Help me and I'll help you.
Double-Dealer
"Lieutenant!" Lupita called, shoving the telegram into her cloak. "Find out where Justice is in the state of Nevada. We're leaving immediately!"
Ramirez appeared in the doorway, stunned. "There's so much happening here. Why are we going across the border now?"
"A frightened snake is in need of our help," Lupita replied.
She frowned as she headed for the door. It was also possible, she supposed, that it was a trap. But she rather doubted it. Snakes could not implicate them without implicating himself. He would not talk. This cry for help was almost assuredly genuine.
She could only pray that they would arrive in time to save him.
xxxx
The last two weeks had been increasingly horrible. With each passing day, Snakes had grown more fearful that his duplicitous actions were known to the rest of the gang. Gallito had made several odd comments that could be interpreted in more than one way. And tonight, when Snakes had arrived in Justice, both Miss Posey and Little Pinto had behaved coolly and cast him unintelligible looks. The entire board was under suspicion, but Snakes could not shake the feeling that they really believed he was the fink.
He had no idea if his telegram had even been received. He knew things were still exploding down in Mexico. Colonel Lupita might even be dead. He could not depend on her or Lieutenant Ramirez to save him. He had to take matters into his own hands.
He wanted out of the organization. Even with the board, they were all still accountable to each other and to Posey. Snakes wanted to be accountable only to himself. It was far less dangerous. And now that he had already betrayed them, he would be slated for death the moment they knew—if they did not already know. The only way out that he could think of was to ensure that the meeting would never go the way they wanted it.
Snakes had never been very smart under pressure. In desperation he purchased a wooden gavel and then took it apart, filling it with some of his most powerful explosives. He would leave it on the table for Posey to use. She would be killed for certain, and if the explosive was strong enough, it might even take out Brutus and Little Pinto as well. They would be sitting on either side of her, as always. Then he would only have to worry about the others, and he might be able to outsmart them long enough to escape. He knew of the many booby traps in the funeral home and how to activate them.
The last thing he had expected was for an American Secret Service agent to turn up at the meeting. At first he wondered if Colonel Lupita had informed this James West about the telegram and had requested West to protect Snakes. But he soon determined that West knew nothing of the investigation or of Snakes' part in it. Any scraps of doubt he'd had were erased following a fight with West in the funeral home.
It was all he could do to stay calm and cool as the meeting came to order. Things really seemed to be going quite well. With West around to keep the gang occupied, maybe that made Snakes' chances of survival all the better. But he was still nervous and would remain so until this mess was over.
He realized moments too late that he had underestimated Lucrece Posey. She was immediately suspicious of the mysterious gavel, and only became moreso after Snakes made it clear that he had brought it for her. He tried one last attempt to run as Brutus brought the thing down, but the loud explosion froze him near the doorway seconds too long.
Pinto grabbed him, hatred in his eyes, and then Posey was there, taunting him, sneering at him, placing her hand on his scarred cheek. No woman had ever wanted to touch it, except in drunken fascination.
"Now, Snakes," she purred, "stop cringing. Poor boy."
If West knew anything of the investigation, he would speak up, try to save Snakes from this fate. But he did nothing, not wanting to interfere in the gang's personal in-fighting.
By this point it was really too late, anyway. Posey's fingernail raked across his cheek, leaving a poisoned scratch. Snakes reached up with the back of his hand, the pain already coursing through his bloodstream. The poison was always instantly fatal. He knew he was dying, yet he was still desperate enough to not give up. With his dominant left hand, he fumbled with his gun, trying to point it at Posey.
He could not. Dizziness and darkness swept over him as he lost all balance. He felt Pinto taking the gun from him while he collapsed to the floor in a heap.
I'm not anything decent, he thought to himself in despair. I never have been. You can't make a silk purse out of a . . . whatever it is they say.
Pinto and Sergei were dragging him now, believing him already dead. And he was fading fast.
Sorry, Brandy, Emily . . . kids. . . . Maybe I helped you guys a little, but I could've done more. I didn't keep Posey from taking over, even if I weakened things a bit. And maybe they didn't know about me. Maybe I should've waited longer, seen what might've happened.
You kids looked up to me, but I wasn't worth it. I'm a coward to the end.
I wonder what would've happened if I . . .
xxxx
In the end, Lucrece Posey was the only gang member who managed to escape Justice, with the unwitting help of Artemus Gordon. Once he realized his mistake, he took off in hot pursuit while James West remained to try to clean things up in Justice.
It was on the deserts of Nevada where Colonel Lupita Gonzalez at last appeared, riding her horse at top speed. Recognizing Lucrece Posey in the stage, and hearing Artemus yelling for the driver to stop in the name of the United States Secret Service, Lupita decided to offer her assistance.
She rode along the other side of the stage, also demanding that the driver stop. And when at last he did, Artemus got down from his horse, breathing a sigh of relief as he ordered Lucrece to come outside.
"And what if I don't, Mr. Gordon?" Lucrece purred in reply. "I have my gun and I can still get out of this. If you make one move towards this door, I will quite happily shoot."
"If you try it, I will have to shoot you, Senorita Posey," Lupita said coldly from the other side of the stage.
Lucrece stiffened in defeat. She was outnumbered.
Artemus was most grateful. "Well, thank you for your help, Miss," he exclaimed as he climbed into the stage. Taking a sullen Lucrece's gun away from her, he snapped on the handcuffs and guided her outside.
Lupita nodded, keeping to the shadows. "Tell me. Do you have any news of Snakes Tolliver?"
Artemus's eyes flickered in surprise. "Snakes? Why, I believe he's dead. The entire gang is dead, except for this lovely but deadly lady."
Lupita's heart sank. "How?" she queried.
Lucrece's lip curled. "He betrayed us," she said. "He tried to kill me. He only got what he deserved."
Even under the moonlight, the flash in Lupita's eyes was clear. "That fool," she growled. "That idiotic fool. But you . . ." She pointed at Lucrece. "If you did not kill in self-defense, you will still have to pay for his death."
Lucrece shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
Artemus was confused. "Miss, what do you have to do with a rat like Snakes?" he wondered. "You weren't . . . seeing him or anything like that, were you?"
Lupita smirked, darkly. "No, Senor Gordon, I was not." She sobered quickly. "He was a confused man, a frightened man, wanting so desperately to save his life yet at the same time wanting to make something of himself. Even he had people he cared for and wanted to protect. He tried to do that by giving the Mexican Secret Service information on Gallito's criminal operations. We destroyed many cruel practices throughout Latin-America because of what he told us."
Lucrece's eyes flickered with disgust. "Then he was the fink all along. I thought so."
"Ah, then that was why you didn't look too hard to find another fink," Artemus mused. Looking back to Lupita, he asked, "What did you give Snakes for that information? A great deal of money, I assume."
"No, Senor. We gave him nothing and could offer nothing except our protection if he would continue to help us. He refused, but later reconsidered. Unfortunately, I am too late." Lupita turned with a sweep of her cape. "Will you see that he is at least given a proper burial?"
Still confused, and rather reeling from this new information, Artemus slowly nodded. "Yes, of course," he promised. "I'll see to that."
But that was one more thing Snakes would never have—nor the rest of the gang, either. Neither Jim nor Arte could explain it, but at some point during the night, all of the bodies mysteriously disappeared. Although they searched for the body-snatchers, they never located the culprits or solved the mystery.
At least, not for three more years.
Epilogue
The casino was crowded, noisy, and filled with bright lights and strange sounds. But Colonel Lupita Gonzalez of the Mexican Secret Service was undaunted. She was on a mission of personal importance, and she was certainly not about to be deterred by strange sounds, no matter how irritating they were.
Finally, through the glare she spotted the man she had come to the year 2013 to find. He was laughing, looking over his poker hand and proclaiming victory to the disgruntled businessman playing opposite. "Sorry, Pal. Better luck next time," he said as he took the cigar from between his teeth and set it in an ashtray on the table.
The older man scowled, grabbing up his hat. "There won't be a next time against you," he vowed. "I can't afford it!"
"Suit yourself." The still-young gambler leaned back in the chair, again studying his cards with a certain mix of triumph and pride.
Lupita stared at him in a mixture of amazement and disbelief. She had confronted Jim and Arte as soon as she had heard strange rumors of a portal discovered in Justice, Nevada that sent people to the far future of the world. They had confirmed the tales and told her an even more fantastic one—that the mad scientist Dr. Faustina had experimented on and revived all of the Posey gang, including Snakes. He was alive and well in this other time—and had found his honor at last.
"Senor Tolliver," she greeted as she approached.
He jumped a mile out of his mind. But, seeing her, he blinked in surprise and recognition. "Hey, Colonel Lupita," he said. "I didn't think you'd ever show up here."
"Nor did I," she said. "But when I was told about you, I wanted to see for myself. Senors West and Gordon escorted me through the portal with their key."
"Yeah? And do I pass the test?" Snakes drawled.
"There is something different about you," Lupita mused. "You are older, perhaps."
"Not by much, really. The mad scientist lady, she had to keep my body preserved until she could bring me back." Looking uncomfortable to have mentioned such a strange subject, he tried to quickly change it. "Are you still with the Secret Service?"
"Yes." And, steering the conversation back, she went on, "You might not have perished at all if you had decided from the beginning to work with us."
"Maybe I wouldn't have," Snakes agreed. "I wondered about it when I was dying." He frowned. "But we'll never know now."
"I did come, as soon as I received your message," Lupita said. "I was too late to save you."
"At least you came," Snakes said. "That's more than I can say for a lot of people."
"Are you happy here, in this strange world?" Lupita wondered.
"Yeah, I am," Snakes said. "For the first time in my life, I have real friends."
"And how did you accomplish that?"
Snakes looked thoughtful, shuffling the cards in his hands. "I guess I proved to them and to me that I was worthy of them," he said.
She looked down at his hands. "How did you acquire that new scar?"
"I . . ." Snakes shook his head. "It's crazy, really. After panicking for so long just trying to stay alive after I was brought back, I ended up nearly getting myself killed again."
"By trying to murder the Posey gang?" Lupita said dryly.
"No, actually. Well, I did try to do that, but the mark I got from that mostly faded." Snakes set the cards on the table, absently running his left palm over the twisted and raised skin on the back of his right hand. "I got this by . . ." He blushed. "By blowing up a doomsday device and getting myself blown up in the process." He looked up at Lupita, who was regarding him in amazement and perhaps a bit of skepticism. "But don't go thinking I'm a hero or something. I don't deserve that; I don't even know why I did it."
"I imagine many heroes don't know why they've done something," Lupita said, finding her voice. "It doesn't make their sacrifices any less meaningful." She looked at him firmly. "You were a hero in the past, when you gave me the information to stop Gallito's branch of the organization."
"Aww, come on. I was scared stiff." He frowned. "Of course, I was scared stiff when I blew up that device, too."
"Most heroes are scared. The important thing is that they do what has to be done anyway."
"If you say so."
Lupita glanced around the busy room. "Do you work here now?"
"Nah. Not usually. I come play against the house, usually. It's just that tonight I'm filling in for a sick friend."
"I see." Lupita stepped back. "I won't keep you then. I know you need genuine business."
Snakes stood. "Well, hey, it's been nice seeing you again. I didn't ever figure on that happening."
She looked at him. "Just because of the time-travel element or because you didn't think I would care enough?"
Snakes looked uncomfortable to be put on the spot. "Both, I guess."
She nodded, not surprised. "You still haven't found a woman, I suppose."
"I'm not really looking," Snakes admitted. "I figured out long ago that when you're looking for something like that, you usually don't get it." He paused.
"Do you still think no woman would want you?" she wondered.
"I don't know," Snakes mused. "I guess I think that nowadays, I'm not such a bad catch. I'd be loyal, anyway. I don't know how good I'd be at adapting to what someone else would want from me."
"But you no longer think your scars would be a deterrent?"
Snakes considered that. "To some people, they still would be," he said. "I get some really funny looks when I go places. But I guess I've found out that some people actually don't mind."
Lupita smiled in approval. "Good." She reached out, gently touching his marred cheek. "I wish you well. Goodbye, Senor Tolliver."
He stared at her in surprise. "Goodbye, Colonel Lupita. You were right, you know. It seems like my decency didn't just lie down and die."
She was pleased. As she studied him now, she saw a different spark in his eyes than before. He was happy. And as Jim and Arte had said, he had found his honor at last.
His death had haunted her for the past three years. Now, knowing that he was well, she could finally put it behind her.