Chapter 13

I stood there on the steps of the courthouse and watched Rosalinda and Pedro walk down the street. Pedro was strutting along like a bow-legged Bantam Rooster as Rosalinda towered over him by at least a foot. I had to shake my head in wonder at the way love worked.

It was almost noon by the time I had Pedro back on the street. It was too late to go back to my office and too early to go home. Instead, I decided to try to track down Burton Toliver for a little chat.

I arrived at the Gold Nugget at twelve-thirty and the joint was practically empty. I snagged a cup of rancid coffee from the barman and asked if Toliver was around. The bartender said Toliver had left about nine that morning, but should be back any minute. I thanked him, found a table and an old newspaper, and took a chair facing the door.

I just about had the paper memorized, when Toliver walked through the door an hour later. He was holding a brown leather satchel and looked smugly relaxed. He headed straight to the bar, sat the satchel on the floor beside him, and ordered a beer. I started to get up when the barman pointed to me, and Toliver turned around. He picked up his satchel and beer and walked over to my table. I stood up as he approached.

“I remember you young man, kind of early to be looking for a card game, isn’t it.”

I stuck out my hand, introduced myself and asked him to have a seat. When he settled into his chair, I dropped the bomb on him.

“I’m not looking for a game right now, Mister Toliver, instead I have a personal legal matter to discuss with you.”

Toliver raised his eyebrows and nodded for me to continue.

“Mister Toliver, I represent Miss Feleena de la Vargas. Miss Vargas has retained me to collect the sum of two hundred dollars she alleges you owe her.”

Toliver’s eyebrows were arched so high by then that his ears were wiggling. Then he started getting angry.

“She is a common prostitute, McGuinn; surely you don’t take her word over mine.”

“Whose word to take is a matter for the courts, if you and I can’t resolve this, Mister Toliver. I would, however, remind you that prostitution is legal in El Paso; therefore she has the same right to payment as any other service provider. Miss Vargas is offering you this one chance to pay without her filing charges of theft of services against you. Miss Vargas has also authorized me to file suit against you in civil court in Santa Fe if necessary. Miss Vargas bears you no ill will, and does not wish to cause you public embarrassment. She is, however, adamant that you pay her what you owe.”

Toliver leaned back in his chair, his anger slowly mutated through disbelief, then fear and finally resignation. He sighed and leaned towards me.

“That woman is evil enough to do all that, even if it ruined me and destroyed my family. You better be thinking about that for when she turns on you.”

I did not feel any sympathy for Toliver; he brought this all on himself. If his family suffered because of it, the fault didn’t lie anywhere but at his feet.

“My relationship with Miss Vargas is strictly professional, anything else would be unethical. She sought me out and hired me to recover her money. Now how are we going to resolve this?”

Toliver thought for a minute and then reached for the satchel by his side. I unsnapped the safety loop off the hammer of my Colt and rested my hand on the butt.

“Gently, Mister Toliver,” I cautioned.

Toliver looked at me and gave me a crafty smile. Then he pulled a stack of brand new bills out of his bag and counted out twenty of them. At my inquisitive look, he explained.

“Railroad money Mister McGuinn, I was out trying to purchase land today. I’ll replace this with my own money once I’m back in my room.”

I nodded my understanding and thanked him. He wasn’t as cordial in dismissing me. By then though, it didn’t really matter, because Burton Toliver had just passed me twenty of the counterfeit ten dollar gold certificates. His goose was well and truly cooked. Of course that left me holding the bag with a bunch of bogus funny money.

I waited until Toliver stalked off, then walked along the far wall and backed out the front door. I didn’t think that he would shoot me over counterfeit money, but my Ty Ringo memories told me men had died for less.

I walked from the Nugget over to Rosa’s Cantina to give Feleena her loot. A woman I did not recognize was at the bar when I walked in. I asked to speak with Feleena. She grinned and told me Miss Feleena did not see anyone before six in the evening without an appointment. I asked her if she could inform Her Majesty that her humble lawyer had concluded her business and she could visit me at my office tomorrow to discuss the matter further. The woman laughed out loud at what I said and told me sure, she would be happy to relay my message to Her Highness.

I took a well deserved two hour siesta when I made it back to my room. It had been an incredible day for me. At five-thirty, I went to Molly’s parlor, bursting at the seams to spill the beans to Agent Gordon. Gordon was already sitting in his usual chair, only instead of a book, he appeared to be reading a letter. I politely waited until he put the letter aside before I produced one of the bills from Toliver.

“Ever seen one of these?” I asked nonchalantly.

He took the note and examined it briefly, nodded and looked at me questioningly. I whipped out the rest of the notes from behind my back with a flourish.

“Then how about twenty brand new ones?”

Gordon’s eyes widened and he snatched the stack out of my hands.

“Where in the hell did you get these?” he asked.

I’ll tell you that in a minute, but first I want you to replace all of these with legitimate currency. You should be able to get your funds back from the man who passed these to me.”

Gordon hemmed and hawed, but finally went to his room and returned with two one hundred dollar bills. I raised my eyebrows when he handed them to me. He caught my look and became all indignant.

“They are real, damn you,” he hissed.

I shrugged and told him I was kidding, then I sat him down and told him all about Burton Toliver. When I finished my story, he let out a whistle.

“So that’s how they were able to get the money spread around so quickly. This railroad agent could courier the money all over the southwest without drawing suspicion. I am going to go arrest him right now, before he can get out of town with that satchel. I’ll keep your name out of it, but I plan on putting the screws to Toliver tonight to see if I can get him to name his source.” Gordon said excitedly.

I told Gordon where he would probably find Toliver and wished him luck. He went back to his room and came out five minutes later wearing a badge on his black leather vest, and sporting a brace of shiny Colts in a fancy fast draw holster rig. In that get up he looked anything but his normal accountant persona.

When I made it to the Toro at a little after seven, the place was abuzz with the news of the arrest of Toliver down at the Nugget. According to most accounts, Toliver was with two of the hired guns that worked for Georgie Boy Howard. When the two men took exception to the arrest of their meal ticket, the Federal man gunned them down, graveyard dead. Sheriff Faulkner was fit to be tied that a Federal Lawman had usurped his authority, but by then, Gordon and Toliver had disappeared.

Saturday in old El Paso was just another day for us working stiffs, so I was in my office by nine fifteen. I was counting last nights take at the saloon, when Feleena breezed through the door around eleven. I stood up politely when she came in and pointed to a chair for her to sit. Feleena folded herself into the chair with that same feline grace that distinguished all her movements.

“You have my money?” she asked.

“Good morning Miss Vargas, I’m fine thank you,” I replied sarcastically.

Her cheeks flushed and she shot me a scathing look. Then suddenly her face underwent a transformation and she smiled.

“Touché, Mister McGuinn, I deserved that. I was only concerned because I heard what happened to Toliver last night. It is vindication for me that he was arrested as a common criminal.”