Drawing Dead Read Free Page B

like?”
    Freddy crumpled up a copy of
Green Lantern #10
and threw it across the store. He was kind of enjoying himself.
    â€œNo! Wait a second. These guys you’re looking for—is one of them a tall guy with a deep voice? Talks like a college professor?”
    Freddy shrugged. He did not know how college professors talked.
    â€œAnd the other guy, kind of little and greasy and talks really fast? 'Cause it sounds to me like you want the Tom and Ben Show. I should have known.”
    Freddy shrugged. “Tom and Ben Show?”
    â€œThat’s what they call themselves. Ben Fink and Tommy Campo. They got more names than Beelzebub.”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œThe Tom and Ben Show. I bet they're the guys you want, don’t you think? They owe you money or something?”
    Freddy reached down a big hand and helped him stand up. Fatman was talking now, turning into a real motormouth. “ 'Cause it wouldn’t surprise me. They been in the business for years and never done a deal yet where somebody didn’t get screwed. Couple of comic book con men, if you ask me. They were in here just a couple days ago, come in here trying to unload a bunch of junk, bunch of those Stasis Shield things. Like I'm gonna buy something from those fuckers. I think they blew town.”
    â€œWhere they go?”
    â€œHow should I know? No, wait a second. Just a goddamn second! I think they went up to Minneapolis. I'm sure of it.”
    Freddy reached out and placed his hand on Fatman’s head. The heel of his palm covered his forehead. “You real sure?” he asked.
    â€œI think so. Christ, man, I don’t know—all I know is that they were talking about it, asking me if I knew any comics people up there. I told 'em I didn’t know anybody. Even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t give their name to those fuckers.”
    Freddy squeezed lightly, as if by compacting Fatman’s gray matter he could cause information to flow more rapidly. It seemed to work.
    â€œYou just ask around the Minneapolis comic book shops, you ought to be able to find 'em in no time. You want to find 'em, you go on up there and ask around. They’ll turn up.”
    â€œYou real sure?”
    Fatman’s head bobbed in Freddy’s grip. Freddy released him.
    â€œOkay,” said Freddy.
    â€œOkay?”
    â€œI'm gonna find 'em in Minneapolis, right?”
    Fatman nodded vigorously.
    â€œI don’t, we can talk some more.”
    Fatman nodded again, though with less vigor.
    Satisfied, Freddy turned toward the door.
    â€œJust a second,” Fatman said. Wincing, he hopped on one leg around the counter and pulled out a Rolodex. “I just remembered something.” He flipped through the cards. “I think I still got her name on my mailing list. They get to Minneapolis, she’ll know about it. Most recent address…yup. Minneapolis.” He copied down a name and address on a slip of paper, handed it to Freddy. Freddy screwed up his eyes and spelled out the name in his mind, moving his lips with each new letter.
    â€œCat Fish?” he asked.
    â€œThat’s right. Catfish. Tom’s old girlfriend. You think Tom and Ben are a piece of work, wait’ll you meet her.”

2
    The way Hold 'em works is, each player gets two cards, right? That’s called
The Deal
. Then you bet, then three more cards are dealt faceup in the middle of the table. These three cards get used by all the players. This is called
The Flop
. Then you bet again, and another card gets turned up. They call that
The Turn
. You bet again, then a last card gets turned up. That’s
The River
. Then you get one more bet. The guy that makes the best five-card poker hand out of the two cards he holds and the five cards on the table wins. It’s simple. You just play your cards and you take home the money. You want to sit in a few hands?
    â€”Zink Fitterman
    The Texas Hold 'em game in the apartment above