Coyote blue

rooms. The suite had been registered in Sam's name. Vegas loves a loser.
    "Thank you" – Sam read the man's nameplate, which was pinned at Sam's eye level – "M.F." No Lord , no Squire , no title at all – just M.F.
    "The second elevator on your left, Mr. Hunter," the lusty wench said. "Twenty-seventh floor."
    "Thanks," Sam said. Coyote grinned at the girl and Sam dragged him away to the elevator, where the trickster immediately punched in four floor numbers and stood back. "This time, I will win."
    "It's a fucking elevator," Sam said. "Just push twenty-seven."
    "But that is not the lucky number."
    Sam sighed and pushed the floor number, then waited while they stopped at all the floors Coyote had pushed on their way to twenty-seven.
    Once in the room, Sam stripped to his shorts and fell onto one of the king-size beds. "Get some sleep if you can. I'll try and figure out how to find Calliope in the morning. I'm too tired to think now."
    "You sleep," Coyote said. "I will think of a plan."
    Sam didn't answer. He was already asleep.

    Coyote Loses His Ass

    Coyote and his friend Beaver had been hunting all day, but neither had found any game. After a while they sat down on some rocks and began talking.
    "This is your fault," Coyote said. "I can always find game."
    "I don't think so," Beaver said. "If you are such a good hunter, why is your wife so skinny?"
    Coyote thought about his skinny wife and Beaver's fat little wife and he was jealous. "Well, how about a bet?" he said. "Tomorrow we will each go out hunting. If you get more rabbits, you can come to my lodge and sleep with my wife so you can see that my skinny wife is better. But if I get more rabbits, I get to sleep with your wife."
    "Sounds fair," Beaver said.
    The next day, after the hunt, Coyote came to Beaver's lodge carrying his one scrawny rabbit. "Oh, Mrs. Beaver, " he called. "I've come to collect on my bet."
    Mrs. Beaver called from inside the lodge. "Oh, Coyote, you are a great hunter. Mr. Beaver just stopped by with twenty rabbits on his way to your lodge. You better go stop him and tell him that you got more."
    "Right," Coyote said. "I'll be right back." He slunk off to his lodge dragging his rabbit.
    His wife was waiting outside. "Nice rabbit," she said.
    "Beaver is inside. I'll see you in the morning." Coyote's wife went into the lodge and pulled down the door flap.
    All night Coyote sat outside his lodge shivering and listening. At one point he heard his wife cry out.
    "Beaver!" Coyote shouted. "Don't you hurt my wife."
    "He's not hurting me," Mrs. Coyote said. "I like it!"
    "Swell," Coyote said.
    The next morning Beaver came out of Coyote's lodge singing and grinning. "No hard feelings, right?"
    "A bet is a bet," Coyote said.
    Mrs. Coyote peeked out and said, "Maybe this will teach you not to gamble."
    "Right," Coyote said. Then he called to Beaver, "Hey, how about playing the hand game with me – double or nothing?"
    "Sounds good," Beaver said. "Let's go down to the river."
    At the river Coyote said, "This is for a night with your wife." Then he picked the wrong hand.
    "You really shouldn't gamble," Beaver said.
    "I'll bet you my best horse for a night with your wife," Coyote said.
    After a while, Coyote had lost all his horses, his lodge, his wife, and his clothes. "One more time," he said.
    "But you don't have anything left," Beaver said.
    "I'll bet you my ass against everything else."
    "I don't want your ass," Beaver said.
    "I thought you were my friend."
    "Okay," Beaver said. He hid the stone behind his back. Coyote picked the wrong hand.
    "Can I borrow your knife?" Coyote said.
    "I don't want your ass," Beaver said.
    "A bet is a bet," Coyote said. He took Beaver's knife and cut off his ass. "Boy, that stings."
    "I've got to go," Beaver said. "I'll tell your wife she can come and sleep in my lodge if she wants to." He picked up all of Coyote's things and went home.
    When Coyote got home his wife was waiting. "Beaver took the lodge," she said.
    "Yep," Coyote said.
    "Where's your ass?" she asked.
    "Beaver got that too."
    "You know, "she said, "there's a twelve-step program for gambling. You should look into it."
    "Twelve steps." Coyote laughed. "I'll bet I can do it in six."

Chapter 24 – Coyote in Trickster
    Town Las Vegas
    Coyote had been a long time in the Spirit World, where everyone knew him, so no one would gamble with him. Now that he was in Trickster Town, he wanted to make up for lost time. He waited for Sam to fall asleep, then he