South Street Read Online Free PDF Page B

Saturday.”
    “Shit,” said Big Betsy to the young man. “Leo’s tries to let on like he’s tough, but Jake’s been sleepin’ in that back room every Saturday night for the last fifteen years. Leo’s got a soft heart behind his soft gut. Ain’t that right, Leo?”
    “Shut up, Betsy,” said Leo amiably.
    “Hey, Leo,” said a small voice.
    Leo turned. “I thought I told you to clear outa here, Elmo. Now what the hell you want?”
    “Just one more little drinkee,” said Elmo, squinting up into Leo’s face and grinning.
    “All right,” Leo sighed. “One more beer an’ then you get your ass outa here. An’ you better hope you don’t run into Rayburn.”
    “Rayburn, shit!” spat Elmo, reaching a hand out hungrily for the beer. Leo took his money as though it were not quite clean. “That’s one crazy nigger.”
    “That’s one nigger would just as soon slice your balls off as look at you. Can’t say I blame him. Only I’d aim for your throat. Your balls is too small a target.”
    “That nigger’s crazy,” Elmo said, slurping the head off his beer. “He’s awful fast to start slicin’ on folks that’s doin’ the talkin’, but he ain’t so quick to be slicin’ at the ones that’s doin’ all the doin’.” Elmo slammed the half-full beer glass down on the bar for emphasis.
    “Maybe he would be if he knowed who they was,” Leo said.
    “Maybe he wouldn’t be, seein’ as it’s Leroy Briggs,” said Elmo triumphantly.
    “Leroy?” said Leo softly.
    “Yeah, sure, it’s Leroy. That bitch is always hangin’ around the Elysium, gettin’ Leroy to take her for rides an’ shit.”
    “You ’bout finished with that beer, Elmo? Then you get outa ma bar, right now.” Elmo scowled, gulped the rest of the beer, and shuffled toward the door.
    “And Elmo,” Leo called after him.
    “What?”
    “You open your stinkin’ mouth to Rayburn, an’ I swear to Jesus I’ll cut your throat maself.”
    Elmo smiled, but the smile faded as he realized that Leo meant exactly what he said. He turned and almost ran through the door.
    “Haw, haw, haw,” roared Big Betsy the whore, heading for the door, “didja hear what he said?”
    “Naw,” said Leo.
    “Said I reminded him of his mother. Haw, haw, haw. G’night Leo. Haw, haw, haw, haw, haw.”
    Leo turned to the young man. “Yeah, well. Lemme tell you somethin’. You’d best not be playin’ with Leroy Briggs. I don’t know what kinda friends you got, an’ I don’t care, but you be careful a Leroy. He’s got lotsa friends, too. Even folks that hates his guts has to kiss his ass, if you know what I mean.”
    The young man looked at Leo. “I know what you mean,” he said. He got up and vanished through the door.
    When the bar was empty, Leo made sure the old wino was bedded down comfortably in the back room. Then he opened the cash register and pocketed the money without bothering to count it and slipped his revolver into his jacket pocket. He took out a bottle of cheap red wine and put it up on the bar where the wino could find it easily. He turned out the last of the lights and stepped out into the darkness. He locked the door and turned to see the young man standing a few feet away. “What you want?” said Leo, easing his hand toward his revolver.
    “To ask you a question.”
    “What?” said Leo suspiciously.
    “I forgot.”
    “What are you, crazy?”
    “Kinda,” said the young man, and smiled.
    “Shit,” said Leo, fighting the urge to smile himself. He kept his face serious, but his hand moved away from the gun. “You listen here … whad you say your name was?”
    “Brown.”
    Leo looked skeptical, shrugged. “Well, you listen, Brown. Don’t you forget what I said about Leroy. He’s a mean bastard, an’ he don’t forget. Now which way you headin’?”
    “West.”
    “Well, I’m goin’ the other way, so I’ll be seein’ you.”
    Brown stood and watched Leo move off down the street. He smiled to himself and stepped