Background on the antagonists. Why call them Bad Guys? It takes less space on the tab than Antagonists.
Bad Guys introduced in The Man from Shenandoah:
Berto Acosta is a somewhat larger-than-life villain and leader of a riff-raff gang. We first meet them in Kansas City. Although Berto is Hispanic, his evilness comes in any and all races of mankind. He is selfish, vain, cruel, lecherous, and just downright nasty. I describe him in the book as follows:
The third man was swarthy, tall, and of a powerful build. He wore tight pants of a cut Carl had never seen before. His shirt was white, topped by a black vest that was embroidered with a light-catching thread. On his head he wore a hat with a wide brim and flat crown. The hat, too, was embroidered, with colorful threads in fancy designs. The man's face was clean-shaven, except for a full-flowing moustache. . . He drew back his lips in what passed for a smile, and his teeth, white beneath his moustache, seemed large as headstones.
On the "Villains" description card, I used a photo of Geraldo Rivera. Redeeming characteristics of Berto? Let's see. Nah, I can't think of a one. He even litters!
Willy is one of two men accompanying Berto in town the day we meet him:
From the loudness of their talk, Carl guess they had already visited the bar at some length. Two of the men were of average height and weight, wore nondescript trousers and shirt, and had full beards and shaggy hair.Later in the story, Willy has shaven off his beard, and gathers and gives vital information to Berto that leads to important developments in the story. The photo I have of Willy on my description card was a local sportscaster (or maybe a weatherman?) whose name I don't recall.
Two more members of Berto Acosta's gang passed as cowboys, hiring on with Rod Owen as trail drivers in Texas. One is named Frank Tilden, the other, Pete Dawes. Pete is described with piercing blue eyes (probably because the photo so depicts him.) He is scary enough to send "a chill scurrying along" Frank Tilden's backbone, "raising goose bumps."
