The Peddler by Richard S Prather Read Free Book Online Page B

“I been expecting something like this,” he said.
    Tony glanced at him, frowning, then Leo walked across the room and stuck out his hand, smiling pleasantly. “Hi, Frank, good to see you. Postman’s holiday, huh?” He laughed.
    “Yeah.”
    Leo turned to Tony. Watching him closely, he said, “Tony, this is Frank Alterie. About time you two guys met up with each other. Frank, Tony Romero.”
    Alterie stood up, smiling. Tony nodded and said, “Hello, Alterie. Glad to meet you.” He stuck out his hand.
    Alterie looked at Tony’s hand, then back at his face. He was about Tony’s height, but slimmer, with small black eyes and a dark complexion. He was a sharp-looking guy, ma^be thirty, with deep waves in his slick black hair, and dressed in a draped black suit with a red bow tie.
    “Tony Romero,” he said. “Well.” He smiled pleasantly. “A pleasure. A real pleasure. I hear you’re getting to be a real big false alarm, Romero.”
    Tony pressed his teeth together, anger leaping into his stomach. Alterie had made no move to shake his hand, but just as Tony was about to drop it back to his side Alterie reached forward quickly, grabbed it, and gave it a halfhearted shake and dropped it.
    He rubbed his palm twice against his black coat and then said, still smiling happily, “Yes, sir, a real pleasure, Romero.” He turned to Leo without pausing and added, “You two’re getting thick as thieves I hear.”
    “We get along,” Leo said dryly.
    “Oh, excuse me a minute,” Alterie said. He turned and took a step away, then stopped. He looked back over his shoulder at Tony and said, “You will excuse me, won’t you, Romero?”
    Tony knew that the other man was baiting him, trying to make him look ridiculous, foolish. He didn’t answer.
    Alterie walked across the room and out the door into the hall.

    Leo said, “Well, what you think of him?”
    “I think he’s a jerk. I’ll give odds he’s worked himself up to this thing.”
    “Acts like he’s got a load on. I don’t mean he’s plastered, either. He’s in a mean mood, Tony. You want to blow and drop back later?”
    Before Tony could answer, Alterie came back in and walked up to them, still smiling.
    “That didn’t take long,” he said. “Hey, Romero, what you doing out here? I know Leo’s got work to do. You come out after a little?” He frowned. “Hey,” he added, “didn’t I hear you’re hot for one of these beasts?”
    Tony looked at Alterie without answering for a moment, then he said, “You know something, Alterie? You’re a fine fellow. You seem like a real fine fellow. But your tongue don’t appear attached to your brain.”
    Some of the others in the room had noticed that tension was building between the three men, that something seemed about to happen, and now eight or ten of the men and women were looking at them. Alterie said, “What you mean, Romero? I don’t understand that. I’m just a simple guy, not no big important shark like you.” He shook his head back and forth. “I guess you’re too deep for me, Romero.”
    Tony was coolly deliberating the question of whether he should put the slug on this guy right here in the parlor, or wait till he got him outside. Alterie started to say something else, when Maria Casino came in.
    She walked across the room and spotted Tony. “Well, Tony!” she said. “I didn’t know you were here.” • “Hi, baby,” he said.
    Alterie said, “Here I am, sweetheart, rarin’ to go. I been waiting for you an hour. Never saw such a popular biscuit.” Then he stopped suddenly, as if he’d just realized something.
    He looked at Tony. “Hey,” he said. “Hey, now. This cute little biscuit isn’t the beast we were just talking about, is it? That couldn’t—^well, goddamn.” He started to laugh.
    Maria frowned and asked Tony, “What’s the matter? What’s so funny?”
    “Nothin’, honey. Unless maybe it’s Alterie. He’s kind of funny.” Tony grinned at her.
    Alterie grabbed