Tuba City

Two days earlier:

"It's a fake"

"What? Seriously?"

"Yea, man, look, you can tell by the way-"

"Ah crap. I knew it. I knew it!"

"And what's this brown stain? Looks like barbeque sauce..."

"I dunno. She said it was her husband. Or Genghis Khan's husband. Something like that."

"It even SMELLS like barbeque sauce, man. How much did you pay for this again?"

"I don't know... like fifty, sixty... Hey what's this?"

Three Dollar Bill snatches the clunky piece of equipment out of my hand, shooting me a dirty look. Mumbling to himself he turns back to my 'map', not noticing that I had just lifted his wallet. I turn to the window, staring out across the street. There's some sort of comotion and a crowd is gathering staring into one of the store fronts.

"Well, I can minimize your loss, maybe and give ya a hundred for it."

"What? Why would you do that? It's a fake you said."

Bill has absolutely no poker face whatsoever.

"Umm, well, yea, it IS... But it's also a darn fine forgery, and I could still learn a few things from it. For my collection..."

I stare back at him for a beat, then snatch it out of his hands and make for the door.

"Nah. I'm goin' anyway. Fake or no, there IS still treasure out there. Might as well take a look, yea?

Bill is clearly crest fallen. While I am sure it really is a fake - Bill is not that good a liar - I imagine he was thinking he could turn it around and pawn it off on some poor unsuspecting fool for twice his cost. And if there is a profit to be made, it may as well be made by me. Besides, I don't really want him going for his wallet until I am gone.

"Where's the bank in this town anyway?"

"There's one just across the street. Just try not to rob it, ok?"

I give him my smuggest condescending look and back out of his ratty old print shop, the bell jingling as the door closes.

Did he say across the street? I turn back to see if that's where the commotion is and find my self staring down the righteous end of a big ass shiny colt .45 and a Reservation cop grinning like he just got home from a two for one at the Asian Massage Parlor... Only this little town doesn't HAVE an Asian Massage Parlor...

"Freeze, dirtbag! You and your pals think you can just rob a bank in my town and get away with it? THINK AGAIN."

Click click BOOM!!