by Jack Tunney
Two of the keys were brand shiny new. She’d changed the locks three days ago. She hadn’t seen Teddy for three days prior to that. No telling where he was or what he had been doing. Dorothea didn’t want to come back home and find her apartment cleaned out.
She gained the landing and walked over to her door, keys in hand. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and a firm hand clamped over her mouth. A familiar voice whispered in her ear, “Open the door. Now.”
Dorothea did as she was told. Once she and her assailant were inside, he slammed the door shut and locked it in one smooth motion. He then shoved Dorothea in a chair. “You stay right there and don’t you move.”
Dorothea looked up at him in utter disbelief. “Levi, have you lost your mind? What do you think you’re doing? You almost gave me a heart attack!”
Levi Kimbro stood over her, breathing hard. Not from exertion, but from the effort of trying to keep his volcanic rage under control. “You’re lucky. I started to come down to your job and drag you outta there by your neck. But Father Tim always used to say, ‘act in haste, repent at leisure.’ And besides, the last thing I need right now is cops on my back. So I just waited here for you.”
“Levi, what’s wrong?” Dorothea dropped her purse to the floor and got out of her coat. But she didn’t dare stand up. She had seen that look in Levi’s eyes before. It was the same look he had the night when she had seen him fight.
“You know what’s wrong. You give me my money back, we shake hands, say goodbye and that’s the end of it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! You…your money? You mean it’s gone? Your money is gone? All of it?”
And now Levi’s eyes narrowed, even as the anger started to leave them. He trusted his gut, had to in order to survive the orphanage and the war. And now his gut was telling him Dorothea honestly didn’t know what he was talking about. But he had to be sure.
“You know full well my money’s gone, woman. You’re the only one who knew where it was! I didn’t tell anybody about it except you. Now a week later, I get to my place and it’s been all torn up, my clothes cut up, everything been pissed on and every dollar I had stolen. I paid for that money with my blood and I’m gonna get it back!”
“Levi, my right hand to God … I did not tell anybody about your money. Do you really think that I would ...” Dorothea stopped, her eyes opening wider as the thought hit her.
Levi saw her expression change and he jumped on it. “You know something.” It was not a question.
“Teddy,” Dorothea said in a voice suddenly gone hoarse with fear.
“Your brother? What’s he got to do with this? You told him about my money?”
“The night … The night you showed me where your money was. I came home. Teddy was drunk and we argued. He was mad because I went to see you fight. He said some things about you. That you were a bum, that you were a fool because you wouldn’t fight for Duke Williamson. We were yelling back and forth. I started to say you didn’t need Duke’s money because you had your own money, but I cut myself off before I said it!”
“No, you didn’t! You said enough! Where is your brother?”
“I don’t know! He hasn’t been home in a week!”
“Don’t lie to me, Dorothea! Where is he?”
“Here!” Dorothea flung her keys at him. They bounced off his chest and jingled when they hit the floor. “Look! You’ll see that the keys for my apartment are brand new. I changed the locks because I didn’t want Teddy coming in here and robbing me while I was at work.”
Levi bent down and picked up the keys, examined the new ones. He looked up at her. “Nappy told me today that Teddy’s working for Duke now. That’s why he hasn’t been back. Duke owns a couple houses over on Vernon Avenue. It’s where his boys who don’t have their own cribs lay-up. Teddy’s probably there.”
“Which one? Can we go there now?”
“Hell no. You don’t want to go fooling around over there. And we don’t know for sure he’s there. He ain’t the one I need to speak to anyway. He told Duke about my money and Duke sent some of his people to my place. Duke’s got my money. Teddy used my money to buy his way into Duke’s crowd.”
“Levi, you have to believe me … I didn’t mean ...”
“Don’t really matter, does it? I blame myself. When I kept my mouth shut, everything was fine. First person I tell about my money, it gets stolen.”
“You wait just a damn minute, mister!” Dorothea leaped to her feet, her eyes flashing just as much wrathful anger as Levi’s. “Don’t go to blaming this all on me. You’re the damn fool for leaving fifty thousand dollars in your apartment when anybody with any sense would have put it in a bank where it belongs. And I don’t want to hear any more of that stupidity about you don’t trust banks. That’s where that money belonged, Levi. And you don’t have anybody to blame for that except you.”
“My money was fine where it was. If I’m to be blamed for anything, it’s for trusting anybody. Even you.” Levi turned away, but stopped when Dorothea laid a hand on his elbow.
“Where are you going?”
“Where do you think? I’m going to see Duke and get my money back, what else?”
“You think Duke is just going to hand you back fifty thousand dollars with a ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Kimbro. It won’t happen again?’ He’ll kill you, Levi.”
“Not if I kill him first. And if he doesn’t give me my money back that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll twist his goddamn head off and flush it down the toilet.”
“No, wait! Let’s think about this some more. We could call the police.”
“Even you ain’t that naïve, Dorothea, so if you’re gonna talk to me, talk like you got some sense. Duke pays off the cops. They’re not going to listen to me. I got to handle this myself.”
“And all you’re going to do is get yourself killed. Call Nappy, maybe he can do something.”
Levi yanked his arm loose. “This ain’t Nappy’s problem. I can take care of my own business. You stay here. Stay by the phone. If Teddy comes back, don’t let on you know what’s going on. Keep him here if you can. Once I finish my business with Duke, I’ll come back on by through here.”
“No, you won’t,” Dorothea said in a voice heavy as lead. “Because you’ll be dead. Duke Williamson will kill you and throw your body in the gutter so everybody will know what happened.”
“What do you expect me to do, Dorothea? Let him keep my money?”
“Yes.”
“And then what do I do? I wouldn’t even be able to get a fight because no man would consider me worth fighting.”
“You could go legitimate. Nappy says you’re good enough to be a professional boxer.”
“There’s no difference between a colored man stealing my money all at once or a white man stealing it a little at a time. If I boxed professionally that’s what would happen.” Levi shook his head violently, as if trying to shake loose evil thoughts trying to dig rusty claws into his brain. “I got to do this the best way I know how, Dorothea.”
“Levi, I truly am sorry.”
“I know.” Impulsively, Levi bent down and kissed her swiftly on the lips. “Stay here. Stay by the phone. If I can’t come, I’ll call.” Levi went out the door before Dorothea could say another word.
Her legs suddenly went weak and she lowered herself back into the chair, her arms trembling. Fear had such a hold of her she had trouble breathing. Levi was going to get himself killed, she just knew it. But what could she do? She couldn’t call the police. Levi would know she had done it and that would be it for sure. Levi would never speak to her again. But wouldn’t that be worth it as long as he were alive? If he went to confront Duke, he’d get nothing but a bullet in the head.
And what about Teddy? What if Levi got hold of him? He might hurt Teddy. Not that Teddy didn’t deserve a good beating, but Levi’s anger was so great he might not stop pounding on Teddy until he was nothing but a bloody lump.
Dorothea placed
her hands on her shaking knees and looked at the phone, the thoughts chasing themselves around and around in her brain like a dog chasing a cat chasing a mouse.
ROUND FOURTEEN
Levi entered the liquor store, glaring at Horse who stood in his usual spot behind the counter. Without a word he buzzed Levi in.
Levi stomped down the hallway and kicked open the door to Duke’s office. He stepped inside. Duke sat behind his desk, sipping from a chunky square glass full of ice and J&B scotch. Lillian occupied the couch as always while two of Duke’s boys, who had been sitting in straight backed chairs in front of Duke’s desk, leapt. to their feet.
Levi popped the first one right in his left eye. The man howled, hands going to his outraged organ. Levi followed it up with a vicious punch dead in the gut. Even while he dropped to the floor, Levi delivered a sizzling roundhouse that broke the jaw of the second thug. He hit the floor next to his partner, unconscious before he was halfway there.
“That’s enough, big man,” Lillian said coolly. Levi froze when he heard the cocking of a gun. He turned his head to see her still in her reclining position. The only thing different was the silver .38 revolver she pointed at him in her exquisitely manicured right hand. “Just take it easy and be cool, baby.” She smiled sweetly at him.
Duke calmly finished sipping his drink and put it down on the table. “What the hell is wrong with you, Dancer? You know better than to come bustin’ up in here like you some kinda go-rilla. You tryin’ to get yourself shot?”
“I want my money, Duke.”
Duke Williamson leaned forward and cupped his hand behind his right ear, cocking his head to the side as if trying to hear better. “Eh? What’s that you say? You want your money? What money? We don’t do any business together. What money you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about, Duke. I ain’t up for playing games. You gimme my money now or I’m gonna come over there and pop your head like it was a pimple.”
“You take one step toward Duke, big boy, and you’ll be dead as Julius Caesar,” Lillian promised. “You need to sit down and relax.”
“Then you best go ahead and shoot me ‘cause I ain’t sitting down.” Levi turned back to Duke. “Dorothea’s brother T-Bird told you I had money, so you sent some’a your boys to look for it. Why’d they have to tear up my place like that, Duke? Maybe me an’ you don’t get along, but I took you for a better man than that.”
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about. You want a drink?”
“So help me, Duke.”
Duke raised a hand. “How much we talking about here?”
“You know how much. A little over fifty thousand dollars.”
“Surely, you don’t expect me to hand you fifty thousand dollars just like that?” Duke snapped his fingers.
“You stole my money, Duke. One way or another, I’m going to get it back. I’m not leaving until I get my money.”
“Man, you don’t start acting like somebody what got good sense, you won’t be leaving here at all.” Duke’s voice turned ugly. He wasn’t enjoying himself any longer. “I’m telling you for the last time, I don’t know nothin’ about no money of yours. But I’m willing to make a deal with you. You wanna listen?”
“No, but I ain’t got much of a choice, do I?”
“Here it is. You say I stole fifty thousand dollars of your money. I don’t have the slightest clue what you’re talking about. But here’s what I’m willing to do, I’ll pay you fifty thousand cash money to fight my boy Deathblow a week from this Saturday night.”
Levi’s hands slowly curled into fists so tight the tendons could clearly be heard cracking. “Duke, there ain’t words low enough to describe what you are. You expect me to climb into the ring with your killer to be paid back my own money?”
“Hey, take the deal or take your black ass on outta here. I ain’t giving you no money. You want it, you got to earn it.”
Levi’s entire body trembled with the effort of keeping himself under control. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself across the desk and choke Duke to death. And if it hadn’t been for the gun he would have done so.
However, Levi was certain Lillian had shot men before, just by the confident way she held the gun on him. It hadn’t moved so much as a millimeter since she had pulled it out. He couldn’t see any way out of this. Either he had to take the deal or walk out empty handed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get a little something extra out of it.
“You got to come better than that, Duke. Throw in another twenty-five thousand and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“What!”
“C’mon, man. Don’t even try to jive me. You’re gonna make two, three, maybe even four times that much. You want me to fight just for my own money? You got to sweeten the pot some.”
Duke got a crafty look on his face. “Sure, Dancer. Sure. Let’s shake on it.”
Levi snorted. “If I ever shook hands with you I’d count my fingers to make sure all five were there. Your word and your handshake don’t mean shit to me, Duke. Here’s what we’re gonna do. You show up at Nappy’s gym with half the money tomorrow. I’ll be there with Bendigo Cribb and a couple of his boys. You give Bendigo the money and he’ll hold onto it for me until after the fight. You’ll give your word to Bendigo you’ll pay me the rest.”
Duke plainly didn’t like that the deal. As powerful and as influential as he was, he still didn’t have the heart or the muscle to cross Bendigo Cribb. Bendigo was just that bad. And he had friends just as bad in Richmond, Charleston and Atlanta. Friends who would not be pleased if Bendigo had a beef with Duke. Friends who would come to Brooklyn on the first thing smoking to insure Bendigo did not have any beef with Duke.
If Duke gave his word to Bendigo that he would pay Levi, Bendigo would make sure Levi got paid. By the same token, once Bendigo had the money and instructions not to pay off Levi until after the fight, he wouldn’t and there would be nothing on God’s green earth that would make him do so before the fight was over and done.
“Okay, Dancer. If that’s the way you want to play it, so be it. Let’s say around six in the evening?”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” Levi abruptly spun about on his heel and left without another word. Lillian uncocked her piece. “Thought I was going to have to shoot that boy for a minute there,” she said quietly.
“I did too. Hey, T-Bird, c’mon outta there.”
Teddy emerged from the small bathroom where he had been hiding ever since Levi had been buzzed in. Duke had ordered him to go in there and not to make a sound or come out until Duke gave him the all clear.
Teddy had definitely come up a bit in the world. He’d gotten his hair conked and it gleamed in the fluorescent light as if polished. He wore a blue pin-striped suit. Not off-the-rack, either. Duke had paid for it all, as well as the new shoes and the gold watch and rings Teddy now sported. For all that, he still looked like a little boy playing grown-up.
He gawped at the men lying on the floor. “You shoulda let me stay, Duke. I’d’a handled that punk.”
Duke stood up slowly. “You couldn’t handle Dancer if he had both arms and legs broken.” Duke came around the desk. “Dancer said his place was all tore up. What’s that all about?”
Teddy grinned. “Me an’ my boys just had some fun, Duke. Y’know … just to show him who he was messin’ with.”
Duke’s hand whipped out in a blur, backhanding Teddy so hard it sounded like a gunshot. Teddy flew backwards to hit the nearest wall. He slid down to the floor with a thump so loud and so comical that Lillian laughed.
Duke yanked Teddy to his feet with one hand. “I told you to just find the money. Who told you to tear that man’s place up?”
“I-I-I just thought ...”
“Boy, once you started working for me you stopped doing your own thinking. Don’t you get that?” Duke slapped him again. “How dare you disrespect a man’s home.” Duke slapped him again. Teddy started crying, howling in pain and a
nguish. Duke slapped him a fourth time. “There’s three things you don’t touch when you work for me, a man’s home, his wife and his kids. You got that?”
Teddy blubbered miserably.
Duke shook him so hard his teeth clattered together. “You got that?”
“Yes! Yes! Sweet momma, yes!”
Duke let go of Teddy. The boy dropped to the floor, snot dripping from his nose, a long drool of saliva hanging from his lower lip. Duke adjusted his own suit and said in a quiet voice, “Go on back in the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up. And then get out of here. Go on back over to Vernon Avenue and stay in the house until you hear different from me. I don’t want you anywhere on the street where Dancer can get his hands on you. You want something, tell one of the boys to get it for you, booze, women, food, whatever.”
Teddy got to his feet like an old, tired man. “Stay in the house? I can’t go out at all, Duke?”
“No.”
“Duke, I can’t sit in no house all day and all night not doing nothing. I got to go out.”
“Boy, if I hear of you so much as going to the curb to put the trash out, I’ll cut your head clean off my own self. You hear what I’m saying?”
Teddy nodded wordlessly and shuffled into the bathroom. Duke waited until the door closed before speaking again. He said to Lillian, “Get Horse in here to get these clowns up on their feet. Little Willie’s gonna need to go to the hospital, I think. You make sure that knucklehead in there gets back to Vernon Avenue like I said, and tell the boys to keep an eye on him. You tell them from me that if he gets away from them and goes outside, it’s their heads.”
Lillian nodded and watched him get his long leather coat. “Where are you going to be?”
Duke flashed that wonderfully engaging smile at her. “Didn’t you hear Dancer, baby? We got to get ready for a fight.”