Doom Fox

Free Doom Fox by Iceberg Slim

Book: Doom Fox by Iceberg Slim Read Free Book Online
Authors: Iceberg Slim
Tags: Fiction, General
behind the pulpit. A wizened, destroyed yellow leprechaun of a man.
    His sermon on the awesome risks of not requiting God's love and the shirking of one's obligation to contribute hurtfully to the Lord's work, the church, is sufficiently impassioned to produce the usual quota of shouters and talkers in tongues. And a collection bonanza.
    After services, Saul Sternberg chats briefly on the parking lot with Reba and Zenobia among many others.
    As Reba is driving down Avalon Boulevard past a used car lot two blocks from the Rambeau and Allen homes, Zenobia says 'Chile, it sure is a beautiful day. Let me out. Think I'll hike home to pump some blood.'
    Reba pulls over to stop at the curb. Zenobia kisses her cheek. She says, 'Thank you baby daughter, for the ride' as she exits the car.
    'See you play Mama' Reba says as she pulls the Packard into traffic.
    Zenobia stands and watches the Packard turn off Avalon Boulevard before she limps down the sidewalk to the used car lot. She threads her way through a maze of cars to a gleaming black '37 La Salle. She sweeps excited eyes over the tall prepossessing machine.
    The florid fatso owner comes to her side. 'Good afternoon, Mrs Allen' he purrs. 'Have you come to get your La Salle today?'
    She says, 'Today is the day my car is mine' as she digs in her bosom. She extracts a thin roll of bills. 'Mister Slater, my figuring tells me I owe you thirty-six more dollars on this deal. That's right, ain't it?'
    'That's right, Mrs Allen. The battery's charged and you can drive off' he says as he hands her the key and scribbles a receipt for the bills she hands him. He then hands her the pink slip.
    She takes it and says, 'Mister Slater, what you charge me to park my car on your lot?'
    With a puzzled expression he says 'I really don't know ... anything you think is fair.'
    'How about five dollars for 'bout three weeks. Ain't thinking I'll need to park longer'n that' she says as she tenders the five.
    He shrugs. 'Fair enough.'
    She touches his coat sleeve before he turns away. 'Mister Slater, I got a special reason that I don't want none of the peoples in the neighborhood knowing I done bought a car. Don't tell nobody and I'll 'preciate it.'
    'Don't worry Mrs Allen. It's our secret.' He turns away.
    She keys into the car, sits and turns on the ignition. She listens to the fairly smooth engine for a long moment and is reminded that the La Salle will be her first car since the Down Home Cafe days, three years before.
    She smiles grimly as she whispers, 'Look out, Mister Midnight Creeper!' She gets out and locks the La Salle.
    As she hobbles home on relapsed feet, Baptiste sits tensely in his den stud poker arena. The fact that his table stakes two grand bankroll has been under constant siege convinces him that his opponents are 'bust out' gladiators of considerable skill themselves. He suspects that their betting attacks and play against each other are simply ploy to camouflage their plan to bust him out, then divvy his bankroll among themselves. He is also intimidated by the butt of the holstered pistol that peeks from beneath Clarence's suit coat.
    Baptiste peeps at a hole card king of clubs followed by a second face-up king of diamonds dealt by Lefty Hicks to his left. He sees through his 'reader' eyeglasses Hicks' hand: spade ace in hole with heart ten showing. Draw Back Davis' spade jack in hole with diamond deuce showing. Dudley's hand: spade deuce in hole with diamond eight showing. Directly across the table he sees that Dudley's nephew, Clarence Jones has a pair of red treys.
    Baptiste has placed Clarence as one of the sidewalk gawkers in San Francisco when he was taken to the ambulance with his throat cut.
    Baptiste folds on dealer Lefty Hicks' fifty dollar bet after the third car when Lefty Hicks deals himself the ace of hearts to pair with his ace in the hole. Draw Back Davis, dealt the diamond jack to pair with his spade jack in the hole, calls. Clarence's Uncle, Dudley folds. Baptiste's eyes

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