Dead Man's Hand Read Online Free PDF

on one heel, he was pretty sure.
    The scrawny kid behind the counter gave him a look like a startled deer. Ned was in too foul a mood to make nice.
    â€œLemme use your phone,” he said.
    â€œPay phone’s out front,” the kid said.
    â€œThat’s fucking great, except I don’t have any money. I’ve been robbed, OK? And I need to call a cab.”
    The kid’s eyes went even wider. “Should I call the cops?”
    Ned hated cops. “No, just call me a fucking cab, all right? Jesus!”
    He paced away while the kid made the call. He maybe could have called a friend instead, except it was late.
    He looked at his wrist, but he wasn’t wearing his watch. Fucking Randy probably took it and pawned it.
    Glancing at the clock behind the counter, he saw it was after two. Party time. Some of his friends would be out and around, but he figured it was better just to get a cab. He didn’t much want to explain how he’d come to be in need of a ride.
    For that matter, he couldn’t explain it; he didn’t fucking remember how he got to the mausoleum. A cabbie wouldn’t care, and Ned could pay him when he got home.
    â€œCab’s on the way,” the kid said. “Say, you look a lot like that guy who got killed a few years ago.”
    Ned turned away without a word and walked out the front door. He was in no mood for a sick joke like that. He’d had one sick joke too many already tonight. He was even having trouble remembering what day it was. Not that that was unusual.
    It was hot outside and he almost turned to go back in and wait in the store, but he saw a cab pulling into the parking lot and hurried toward it instead. Pulled open the back door and got in, sighing gratefully for the cold blast of the air conditioner.
    â€œWhere to?” said the cabbie, a chubby middle-aged woman with red hair out of a bottle. She snapped her gum and looked at him expectantly.
    He gave his address and leaned back, closing his eyes. His head was aching. What a fuck of a night.
    â€œSay, you related to that Runyon guy? You look like him.”
    Ned opened his eyes a crack. “Runyon?”
    â€œYeah, Fred Runyon. Used to run the Rabbit’s Foot. Got killed by his girlfriend and her boyfriend. Or his ex-girlfriend, I guess. Didn’t you see it on TV?”
    Ned felt a chill on the back of his neck. Must be the air conditioner. “I don’t watch the news.”
    â€œOh, it was all over the place a few years ago. His ex and her boyfriend, they killed him and took all his money, only the court overturned it on appeal and they got away scot free. Ask me, they’re guilty as hell.”
    Ned sighed and closed his eyes again. He didn’t know what the fuck she was talking about, and he didn’t want to know. He just wanted to get home and get high.
    Fortunately, the drive didn’t take long. The cabbie shut up after a while and just drove. Ned didn’t open his eyes again until the car stopped at the curb in front of his house.
    â€œThat’ll be fifteen-fifty,” she said. Snap.
    â€œI don’t have it on me. Wait and I’ll bring it out.”
    â€œWhat the fuck? You trying to rip me off, buddy? Gonna screw me for a lousy fifteen bucks?”
    No, you’d have to pay me a lot more than that, Ned thought.
    â€œI’m not gonna rip you off, but someone took my wallet. I have to get cash from inside.”
    â€œWell, you can leave your jacket here, then,” she said crankily. Snap, snap.
    God, what a bitch. But it was hot anyway. Ned got out of the car, shrugged out of his jacket, and tossed it on the back seat.
    â€œBe right back.”
    He turned to the house. Didn’t have his keys, so he’d have to punch in the code on the gate. He walked up to it and jabbed at the security panel. The gate didn’t open.
    â€œWhat the fuck?”
    Had Randy changed the code? That was going too far! He tried the code again with