Ernesto Armendariz (From The McCreedy Bust, Going, Going, Gone)
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My, My. How lovely to finally own the bust outright, and with a bill of sale to prove ownership. Yes, there is truth in the saying 'he who laughs lasts, laughs best.' Why the look on McCreedy's face when I walked into that auction room to collect my property, that alone was worth the money spent.
And speaking of money spent, it brings a smile to my face when I think of the money McCreedy spent to steal the bust, to transport the bust, to guard the bust all the way from Mexico to San Francisco, only to have it sell for a mere twelve hundred dollars.
Let me see, over the years that bust has exchanged hands between McCreedy and myself twice. The first time he was forced to surrender not only the bust, but forty thousand dollars that was sitting on the table during his Saturday night poker game. Now this time, he easily spent ten thousand dollars getting the bust from my safe to the auction house, and lost nine thousand just on the sale.
Sixty-nine thousand dollars lost, not to mention the original ten thousand he spent when he made the initial purchase on his trip to Europe. Yes, Mr. McCreedy is many things, but a good business man is not one of those things.
And by the looks on their faces, I do believe Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones have finally come to realize that McCreedy is nothing but trouble to them. For all the trouble they have cause me, I actually like those two Americanos. They understand McCreedy's greed and deception and do not cow-tow to him. What they do for McCreedy, they simply do for the money, not out of any loyalty. I suspect they would willing do a job for me as well, if the money offer suited them.
Oh, now that is an idea indeed. If McCreedy were to steal the bust a third time, perhaps I will hire Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones to retrieve it! Now that would definitely be amusing. But alas, Smith and Jones are, I think, a bit too honest to play both sides of the fence. After all, they stole only the bust from my safe, not the money and jewels that were also stored there.
Smith and Jones do carry a bit of mystery about them. I mean, how does one become an expert at opening a safe and not employ that talent in a... non legal sort of way. I suspect they have a history that I simply am not aware of. I would be interested in knowing the truth about them, not to illicit anything illegal. I am far to wealthy and influential to engage in anything of that nature. But there must be a history and it does peak my curiosity.
Well, the bust now resides in my safe once again. I have replace the old safe with a Brooker 404, imported all the way from Philadelphia. Perhaps I should have had Mr. Smith test the safe before I purchased it. In fact, it just might prove useful to keep Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones on a retainer for just such safety purposes. But alas, the only way I know to reach them is through McCreedy, and I would never stoop so low as to ask him for any assistance.
Once... Just once, I would like to find McCreedy on Mexican soil. Oh he would rue that day. For such a sizable person, he is really a very little man... and I would squash him like a pesky gnat. But for now, I will settle for the bust, and the satisfaction of all the money he has spent for naught.
But I would like to know the truth about Smith and Jones.
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Author's Note: Still using the computer with the broken keys. Thanks for putting up with me.