"You pick your crimes wisely."
"No, but we do pick them carefully."
- El Escorpion tries to understand the success of the Black River Gang

A couple of weeks of travel finds them in Tombstone, in order to gear up for a trip across the desert to Lost Angels. There's some debate about whether they need to learn more, which leads to Tobey asking God about where they can go to learn more about the whole defeating Grimme thing. They need someone who knows about both evil magic and Christian mythology. And it comes to her that they've met a man like that: Jacob Nicodemus.

Cady continues to be compelled to tell everyone she meets about Agent Johnson really being undead Abraham Lincoln. She writes a letter to the Pinkertons in Denver explaining and apologizing, and suggesting that he needs a new alias. Also on the Cady front, everyone in Tombstone recognizes the group as the Black River Gang, and fears them. Further investigation reveals that this only occurs with Cady around - other gang members traveling alone aren't automatically recognized.

The other big news in Tombstone, other than the Black River Gang just having arrived, is that Johnny Ringo and Doc Holliday finally dueled (after Ringo challenged Holliday straight out on the day of despair). Strangely, neither could hit the other - Ringo dodged every bullet, and Holliday just stood there and didn't get hit. Before they could reload, the Sheriff broke up the duel. It is clear, however, that things aren't over.

Suspecting mystic jub jub of some kind, Cady and Dr. Vorpwhistle go to meet with Doc Holliday, who remembers Cady and is surprisingly cordial. He admits to still having the coin, having kept in in a bible to hide it from them (after they admit to not seeking the things any more) and he talks occult shop with the two of them for a while. It turns out that he has made the coin into a bullet in order to pierce whatever mystic protections Ringo has. He isn't concerned about the possible price - he figures he's going to have to pay anyway for his life, so what's another charge?

Robert and Elder Tanner go to speak to the local ranger, Hank Ketchum. He recognizes them and tells them that the local law isn't going to bother the Black River gang as long as they don't provoke it - they're too scary for the locals. He also tells them that Nicodemus passed through Tombstone perhaps a month before, but that he was in and out before Hank could catch up with him.

Rejoining, the posse decides that they aren't really thrilled with the whole using the evil coin idea, and want to interfere somehow (though exactly how... who can say). They spend a while looking for Ringo to talk to him, and finally end up catching up with him when he comes back into town to have it out with Holliday. Dr. Vorpwhistle conjures up a rainstorm, and so the duel is clearly off for the day.

Cady talks to Ringo and tries to charmingly wheedle his secret out of him, promising to pay big for it. He claims he'll sell it after the duel, and that it is his to sell... or he can hook her up with his supplier, though the supplier may not deal with her. She can't find out more than that (and for that matter Holliday wouldn't tell her his secret defense either). Using her penetrating gaze on the way out, she discovers he has some sort of tail under his shirt on a thong, with beads. This seems likely to be the source of his magic defense, though its nature is still undetermined.