Ace in the Hole

A "Fanny Fennec" short story by Montana "ookamithewolf1" Yergeau

If you were to travel along highway ten for a spell up in the northern reaches of the territory you might come across a sign. It was an old, cracked sign made of wood and covered in blue paint that was peeling with age. On it in a simple font read the following:

-Holly's Hollow, 1/2 mile-

Turning off the highway and travel down the earthen switchback would bring you across a small cluster of a dozen houses nestled amongst the trees, the aforementioned Hollow, and there in the center of the Hollow was Calloway's bar. It was a simple two-story building from the outside yet lavishly decorated within, from the carved wooden bar to the deep red flowered wallpaper. It was the only watering hole for miles around and attracted all sorts of interesting characters, such as the one that sauntered in now.

He was a wolf, tall and brawny, with a deep gray coat with white accents. He wore an oversized 10-gallon hat and a poncho over his shoulders. He shook the dust from his leather chaps and glanced around. The usual suspects were milling about, drinking away their evening like they had many times before. However this wolf wasn't here for the nickel beer. He had bigger fish to fry. You see Calloway hosted a little informal card game once a month of the gambling variety for those who considered themselves 'high rollers'.

Calloway had a very nice setup in the far corner of his bar. Beneath a chandelier and on a raised floor sat a large oval table covered in green felt. Seated about it were a variety of card aficionados. The wolf paid them little attention as he stepped up to the table and took a seat. He was more interested in the dealer.

She was a beautiful tan fennec, dressed in a crisp white shirt that struggled to keep it's buttons together around her upper torso. It was topped with a black and maroon vest, and to cap it all off was a natty bow tie.

The dealer seemed to pay no mind to the fact that the wolf's gaze was a little lower than optimal and kept a professional tone about her.

"Hello sir. Are you interested in joining the game? It's about to begin."

"You bet little lady." He said, giving her a smile as he spoke in his gruff, snarly voice."

"The buy-in is $1000. This is a high rollers only event."

"That suits me just fine." He said as he dropped a wad of bills on the table. The dealer took them and fanned through the bills before placing them in the center of the table as the wolf took a seat at the far end. As he did so the woman seated across from him spoke up.

"That was close, friend. Another few minutes and you might have missed the game." She said. She was a cowgirl, that much he was sure of. The bountiful fennec across from him was in her mid-thirties and wore a turquoise button up shirt with tassels that ran from cuff to cuff. She had a toothy grin and some very pronounced canines, however they were nothing compared to the impressive scar that ran across her snout.

"I never miss a game, miss, uh..."

"Fennec, Fanny Fennec. And you are?"

"Wolf, Waltham Wolf. But you can just call me Walt."

"Oh I don't know about that, Mr. Wolf." She said in an almost flirtatious manner. Walt knew if he played his cards right that night he might walk away with more than just cash.

"Alright players if we're all settled then the game will begin. The game is Five Card Draw, jokers are wild. Minimum bet is $10." Said the dealer as she effortlessly flipped the deck about, rolling cards around her fingers before shuffling and cutting the deck with a finesse only a professional could muster. She dealt the five seated at the table their hands and thus the night truly began.

One by one the hands flew by, just as the hands on the clock flew around and around. Fortunes came and went. The piles of chips before the players grew and shrank, and for some they disappears entirely. As the clock struck one there were only a few stragglers left in the bar, and even fewer were left at the table. Mr. Wolf was one such player, and he was not acting nearly as suave as he had three hours prior. While his luck had been holding pretty steady through most of the night it completely tanked once the game became a one-on-one match against the one known as Ms. Fanny Fennec. Her luck had been exceedingly good.

Too good he thought as he lost his last hand. Ms. Fennec sat there now with $5000 worth of chips before her. She chuckled to herself as she admired her winnings.

"Well, It seems as if Ms. Fennec is the winner tonight. Congratulations miss." Said the dealer as she collected the cards.

"You know it's too bad." Said Ms. Fennec as she pulled the mountain of cash towards her. "I play more for the thrill than the cash. Had you the dough I would've gone big on the last hand, but sadly that wasn't the case."

"Wait!" Said Mr. Wolf. He hesitated for a moment, glancing left and right, almost unsure of what he was about to do. You see Mr. Wolf fancied himself quite the gambler, but unfortunately gambling had a bit of a bigger hold on him than it should on any man. Fanny and the dealer each shot him a glance.

"Yes, Mr. Wolf?" Asked Ms Fennec as she lowered her head, her eyes just barely visible beneath the brim of her hat. the corners of her mouth just barely edged upwards.

"O-one more hand." He said, almost stuttering.

"And with what do you propose to bet with. I'm not taking any I.O.U's"

Mr. Wolf paused for a long moment before reaching under his poncho and pulling out an envelope. He tossed it on the pile of cash.

"That right there is a map that leads to a stash, a stash more than enough to match what you got there."

Fanny chuckled. "What, a treasure map? Is there a big 'X' that marks the spot?" She said, mocking him.

Suddenly Mr. Wolf got serious and his tone lowered. "You read about that armored car heist a month ago a ways north of here?"

"Yes, I think I saw it in the papers. Bandits made off with $10,000 if I remember right. What of it?" Asked Fanny.

Wolf said nothing but simply nodded towards the envelope.

"Oh." Said Fanny, perking up. "Now this just got interesting." She pushed the pile of cash back into the center of the table. "Game on. Dealer?"

"Alright." Said the dealer as she shuffled the cards. "One last hand. Ante up Ms. Fennec."

"$500."

Mr. Wolf smiled. This was his moment to shine. He had her on the hook, now he only had to win the hand.

The dealer dealt the cards. Waltham Wolf peered at his hand. Aces and jacks, not a bad hand at all. Mr. Wolf felt his luck turning. At least he did until he glanced up. Ms. Fennec was just staring at him, grinning. She hadn't even touched her cards. Wolf had never seen such confidence. It was almost as if she knew she couldn't loose.

"I'll raise $1000." Said Mr. Wolf. Ms. Fennec matched his bet.

"Card, Mr. Wolf?" asked the magenta maned dealer.

"One."

"Ms. Fennec?"

She looked the dealer in the eyes for a moment before saying "Pass."

Mr. Wolf reeled from this. Not only did she not even look at her cards, but she wasn't even taking more. Had she given up? Was she trying to spook him, or perhaps...

The card Mr. Wolf received was junk, and on the next round he traded it for another; An ace. Full house with aces high, there wasn't much that could beat that. However Fanny still unnerved him. She passed on her second card as well, this time not even glancing at the dealer.

"Final bets players." Announced the dealer.

"All in?" Fanny asked coyly.

"Why not. All in."

"Alright, play is over. Mr. Wolf, your cards if you please."

He smiled as he tossed his hand onto the table. "Full house. Aces high."

Fanny let out a little chuckle before unceremoniously flipping over her cards one by one.

Queen.

Two.

Joker.

Queen.

Joker.

Fanny, on two jokers, had gotten four of a kind. Waltham Wolf had lost and lost big. Fanny reached for the cash and map but before she could a revolver came down on them.

"Ms. Fennec, I must say you play quite a convincing game." Mr. Wolf said between gritted teeth. "But I'm a suspicious guy by nature. I've been playing cards a long time, and I've never seen a run of luck so bad as mine, nor have I seen one as good as yours. You have the confidence that only a cheater does!"

Fanny furrowed her brow.

"Are you insinuating what I think you are?" Asked Ms. Fennec in a not-so-nice tone.

"I am"

At this point the dealer stepped in. "Mr. Wolf!" She said sharply. "I can assure you as a professional dealer trained to catch such things that Ms. Fennec here has not been cheating at all."

"Oh yeah, and what makes you so sure she wasn't cheating?"

"Because, Mr. Wolf," She said coolly, turning towards him, "I was."

She had hardly finished her sentence before a 1908 colt pocket pistol slid effortlessly from her sleeve into her hand. Waltham Wolf barely had time to react to her admission before the bullet pierced his chest and he tumbled to the floor, dead. All was silent as the faint wisp of gun smoke permeated the air. The sudden violence didn't even elicited a response from the bartender, as he had seen his share of gunfights and then some.

With a flick of the wrist the little colt slid upon it's rails back up her sleeves. She picked up a stack of bills and tucked them neatly within her bosom before producing a cigarette. "You know boss," She said as she lit up, "you could have at least made it look like you were playing legit. Things could have gone south at the end there."

"Now where's the fun in that, Fawn, my little 'ace-in-the-hole'." Said Fanny. "Besides I liked making him squirm. Anyway this whole poker sham was your idea remember, I just wanted to end it with a little excitement is all."

"And you certainly did. Now we have a stash to snatch." She said as she pocketed the map.

"How'd you know he'd go for the bait and reveal the map?" Asked Fanny.

"Walt was a compulsive gambler, made worse by the fact he was actually decent at it. The size of the pot, plus his addiction, meant that there was no other outcome other than what transpired. If he lost big, he would bet the farm, guaranteed."

The two headed towards the door. As they passed the bartender they stopped.

"Apologies for the mess Calloway. This should be enough for your troubles." Fawn said as she tossed a wad of bills on the table."

"Thank you miss Fawn. Oh, by the way. What should I tell the police when they arrive for the body?"

Fawn paused for a moment. "Tell them... tell them he was caught cheating at cards."