[StLee]

10.29.90

Lee was busy after the news of Yes Man. He was checking on contacts and looking into what he could do to "make it right," as he kept telling me. I was nothing more than a follower, but I could feel that Lee had been making plans that did not include me. In summary, my tale of my time with Lee was coming to an end.

However, I had to make another trip with Lee. Well, I had to make many trips, but this is the only one worth recounting in detail. It was a short trip in the Strip to the Tops Casino. In the Tops, we went into the presidential suite where I remembered as the place where Lee said he ended Benny's life. Benny, of course, was the man who shot Lee near Goodsprings so long ago. Lee had been talking about Benny lately. How Benny did what no one else could do to Lee. Get a drop on him. No one else, he said, but that mysterious stranger he was always fearful of out in the desert.

Tommy Torini, of course, was the third owner Lee had known, including Benny and Swank. Lee didn't tell me why we were visiting Tommy, but he wanted me to tag along on some of his business, so I went with it without question.

Tommy was in the presidential suite waiting for us. He greeted Lee and gave him a hug and he nodded in my direction.

"The man with the plan," Tommy said. "What can I do for my buckaroo?"

"Trying to tie up loose ends," Lee said. "You had any visitors with a scheme of any sort?"

"I'm on tops of the Tops, baby. Everybody and his French girlfriend has a plan, know what I mean? Like you and your play thing right here, fetch my drift?"

"Sorry, Tommy. No time for play. Some **** is going down. Need some answers."

"I get it, Master Lee. You have some karate chopping to do. That's your thing, and I'm your Ace King. So what can I do you for, exactly?"

Lee motioned us all to the bar. We sat there and the bartender complied by uncorking a bottle of whiskey and pouring us all a drink. I let my sit, Tommy took a quick sip, and Lee spiked his down and turned the cup upside down.

"Didn't know you were so fond of whiskey," Tommy said.

"Tommy, I've had some troubling news lately, and I need to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes."

"Don't know what a rabbit hole is, but if it smells like pussy, I'm game for a crawl."

"To put it simply, I'm not welcome in the Mojave like I used to be, so I'm trying to make it right. I want to know who came to you and what the plan is."

"I can talk around her?" Lee nodded that it was OK. "You mean a plan other than the one you and the ghoul gave me?"

"What are you talking about? Which ghoul?"

"Jerry Nicks. The one that hooked up with the old owner here after the bombs fell. You know, you told me all about it."

"I told you? I don't remember that."

Tommy fiddled with his eye patch. "You OK, baby? Maybe some sleep can do the body good."

Lee bowed his head and then looked at Tommy in the ... eye. "I don't remember talking to you about a plan. And I don't remember being with a ghoul. It's been that kind of week. Can you remind me of the plan."

"That's funny," Tommy laughed. "You don't even remember that you told me that if anyone asked, even you, not to tell? You rockin' without a guitar, baby."

"Well, in this case, it looks like some of the plans have gone awry. I've got securitrons with my name on the top of their attack list, so it would be good to know what mines I'm stepping on before I step foot off the Strip."

"Mines are the damnedest thing," Tommy said. "My mines minded their own damn business, until Papa had to bring home some food for us starving children. Then they didn't mind their mine business anymore. Papa went boom. So I know what you're saying, baby, about the mines.

"Say, baby girl, all quiet and mysterious. I ain't ever caught your name and I most certainly ain't ever caught your game."

I didn't know it, but Tommy was using one of his old tricks of diverting a conversation. Lee held up his hand to show that it would not work.

"Tommy, this is more important than you know. What was the goddamn plan?"

"It's funny," Tommy said. "When you came walking in here with the ghoul, I thought you was coming with a hit man. When that ghoul started doing all the talking and you just sat there for the most part other than whispering your whispers, I thought I was going the way of the house cat, declawed and gutted. But then your older than the bombs ghoul started telling me about the problems you been having with the NCR. Well, I've been having me some problems, too, with all these taxes rising and it looks like the NCR is trying some funny business to shut us all down. But then you knew that. Whispering your creepy ass whispers.

"So when the ghoul starts laying out the plan for assassinating the President, well, I changed a little. I was scared you were going to knife my second eye out. But killing the President? I wish that you had come here to knife me. But I'm your ally, Lee, and I ain't gonna question nothing you do out here in the Mojave. You the boss."

Lee interrupted. "That was the plan? To assassinate the President?"

Tommy cocked his head. "You done gone cuckoo, mon frere."

"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. There are two of me, don't you see? One who loves and one who kills."

"Which of you is the one here today?"

"The one who loves, Tommy. The one who is trying to make this all right."

"So you talking two of you as in two different people, or are both of you rattling inside your head right now having an arm wrestling match for who's playing the game?"

"It's complicated," Lee motioned for another drink. "Now what I need to know is how far in motion this assassination plan is and what is needed to do."

"We got a meeting with the Prez in two months, my man. Casino council. Guess old Sassy Cassie forgot to mention that to you. The ghoul got me some undercover plans to get a weapon in hand and a way for my man to get in and out undetected. It will be a super shock for all, two fingers and pinkie, if you know what I'm saying."

"Who is the key in making the assassination happen?"

"Why yours truly, of course. I'm the only sweet talking jibber jabbering love bucket they got in this whole casino business. The rest are a little anally reticulated, you know?"

"Don't kill him."

"Why, baby? Your killing self and the ghoul made a great argument why. Now why are the loving you and sweet tits right here who is creepier than the whispering you going to tell me not to do it?"

"Because if you do it, you bring the full wrath of war down on this area. In time, if the NCR oversteps its bounds, the people here can fight them off. If you kill the President, everybody in the desert becomes an enemy of the state, and the people aren't going to have a chance against sneak-attacking rangers and securitrons. Killing the president is bad. Really bad."

"Au contraire, my bearded man. Killing the president makes my life hella easy."

Lee drank down a second glass of whiskey. "I'll make it right. I'm going to go after the puppeteer. Don't kill the president."

"I made my decision, Master Lee. I love you and all, but I can't follow the Mr. Love you on this one. I want my bad ass superhero back."

"Then you got him." Lee slammed the glass on the bar, shattering it into large shards. He picked up one of the shards from the bar and jammed it into Tommy Torini's neck. Tommy sputtered, his good eye with the look of horror at what Lee had done, and then dropped to the ground dead.

Lee turned to the bartender. "It's in your best interest not to tell anyone who did this." The bartender nodded back.

Lee then turned to me. I, too, was in shock. "One day you will understand. In the meantime, get me that goddamn ghoul."

"Who?" I said. I didn't know who he meant. I had never met a ghoul named Jerry Nicks.

"He calls himself, 'Zombie.'"