Long White Con: The Biggest Score of His Life by Iceberg Slim Read Free Book Online Page B

Kid’s side beside the newspaper rack. Kid pulled his prop newspaper from the rack and folded the headlines inside. Then he snapped a rubber band about the rolled paper, gave it, and a dollar bill to the bellboy. Kid purchased all the morning newspapers and went through the front door. He was going to shred them and dump them into an alley trash bin.
    The blow-off was in motion! Folks waited to hear the doorbell chime. Five minutes later, he heard the chimes. He cracked the door as the mark opened the front door.
    The bellboy said, “Mister Remington’s morning paper, sir.”
    The mark took the paper and slammed the door in his face. He opened the newspaper and scrutinized it as Folks eyed him from his bed. The mark came toward him and sat on the side of the bed. Folks shifted so his face was turned away. His breathing was heavy and deep as he faked sleep. He shook Folks’ shoulder and Folks stirred and groaned. He turned, with cloudy eyes, to face the mark.
    He said, “What’s going on, Cecil?”
    Cecil spread out the newspaper on the bed. Folks propped himself up on an elbow as he studied the front page.
    He read aloud, “
State troopers quizzed in theft of ghost town millions . . . ten millions recovered in ravine. Troopers blame a mysterious nocturnal group for theft of secret hoard. Murdered Aztec Billy is suspected of the multiple murders of mining cronies during the past thirty years in Mexico and in Nevada. Robbery is theorized as the motive for the series of homicide.”
    Then, he paused to read the bold print of a related item. “
At his interrogation, fifteen thousand dollars in cash was confiscated from Jimmy Dancing Rain, brother of deceased Aztec Billy, by Treasury Department agents.”
    Cecil snarled, “Those rotten, crooked state police! I could kill them!”
    Folks leapt to his feet. He went to the closet and pulled out his bags. He started to speed dress as the mark stared at him with jaws loose.
    He said, “Alex! What on earth are you doing?”
    Folks said, “Going home! I’ve got a respectable reputation and family to protect. You can be certain, Cecil, the government is going to root out and smear everybody’s name connected to those millions of dollars and a murder victim!”
    Cecil sat on the edge of the bed with a shocked look on his face as he removed the phony quit claim deed and bill of sale for Kid’s set-up ghost town. He balled up and crushed the documents in his fists.
    He said, “I better call today and stop payment on that check I gave Jimmy for the ghost town.”
    Folks rushed to face him. He said, “Cecil! Compose yourself! You can’t stop payment on a check for seventy-five thousand dollars without drawing dangerous attention. Furthermore, you’re mangling your ninety-thousand-dollar receipt.”
    Cecil opened his fists and stared at the crumpled documents in his palm. He said, “You really think Jimmy Dancing Rain would refund my ninety thousand . . . with all this trouble?”
    Folks took the documents. He ironed them flat on the bed with his palms, then he slipped them into his coat pocket. He leaned down into Cecil’s face and said, “You’re unbelievable, Cecil!”
    Stilwell said, “What?”
    Folks said, “I can’t understand why you don’t understand, as I understand that Jimmy Dancing Rain is a fine gentleman of integrity. I’m catching the first plane to Connecticut.”
    Folks finished dressing and packing loose odds and ends. Cecil followed him around the room.
    He said, “Alex, maybe it would be smart for me to leave, too . . . after I see Jimmy.”
    Folks said, “Cecil, do that so I can fly to Indiana next week to close our deal.”
    They heard the insistent chimes of the doorbell and Stilwell said, “I hope that’s Jimmy!”
    He hurried to the door and opened it to Kid. Kid stepped in and slammed shut the door behind him. He had a sad, forlorn expression on his face.
    The mark said, “It’s doomsday, Jimmy!”
    He shoved the prop newspaper toward