Alice Fantastic Read Online Free
wire and they appeared to get their noses there at the same time.
âToo close to call!â the track announcer exclaimed.
A few minutes later, the photo was posted and the Pletcher horse had beat Big Arthurâs horse by a whisker. âIâm a fucking idiot!â I heard Arthur cry out from four tables away. I saw him get up and storm out of the restaurant, presumably to go to the back patio to chain-smoke and make phone calls to twenty of his closest horseplaying friends proclaiming his own idiocy.
âGuyâs got a problem,â Clayton said.
âNo he doesnât,â I replied. While it was true that Arthur had a little trouble with anger management, he was, at heart, a very decent human being.
I got up and walked away, leaving Clayton to stare after me with those dinner plateâsized eyes.
I went down to the paddock, hoping that Clayton wouldnât follow me. I saw Vito there, staring out the big glass window, his huge belly pressing against it. Searching for a spot as far away as possible from Vito, I craned my neck just to check that Clayton hadnât followed me. He had. I saw him lumbering around near the betting windows, looking left and right. Heâd find me at any minute. And then Iâd never get rid of him. Another seventeen weeks would follow.
I needed to give him a clear message, so I did something a little crazy.
âVito,â I said, coming up behind him.
âHuh?â He turned around.
âFavor?â I asked.
His tiny black eyes glittered.
âAnything, baby,â he purred.
I already regretted what I was doing.
âCan you scare that guy I was sitting with? Just make him a little nervous? Make him go home?â
Vitoâs tiny eyes got bigger, like someone had just dangled a bleeding hunk of meat in front of him.
âYou serious?â He stood closer to me.
I had a momentâs hesitation. Then thought of Claytonâs love pronouncements.
âYeah,â I said.
âSure. Where is he?â
I glanced back but didnât see Clayton.
âSomewhere around here, letâs look.â
Vito followed at my side. We looked all around the betting windows of the ground floor, but no Clayton. Then I glanced outside and saw him standing near an empty bench, hunched and cold and lost-looking under the dovegray sky.
âThere,â I said.
âYou got it, baby.â
Without another word, Vito marched outside. I saw him accost Clayton. I saw Clayton tilt his head left and right like a confused dog would. I thought of Candy. Later this afternoon Iâd go home to her and just maybe, thanks to Vito, I wouldnât have to worry about the big oaf turning up with his big eyes and his inane declarations. Candy and I would have some peace and quiet.
Now Clayton and Vito had come back inside and were walking together. They passed not far from where I was standing. Where was Vito taking him? Iâd figured on his just saying a few choice words to Clayton and that would be that. But Vito seemed to be taking him somewhere.
I followed them at a slight distance. They went down the escalator and out the front door. Vito was only wearing a thin button-down shirt but he didnât seem to register the bite of the February air. Clayton pulled his coat up around his ears.
They headed over to the subway platform. I saw Clayton take out his MetroCard and go through the turnstile. Then he handed his card back to Vito who went through after him.
What the fuck?
I stopped walking and stayed where I was in the middle of the ramp leading to the turnstiles. The two men were about a hundred yards in front of me but they had their backs to me. There wasnât anyone else on the platform.
They started raising their voices. I couldnât hear what was being said. There was wind and a big airplane with its belly low against the sky.
Then the sound of an oncoming train and a blur of movement.
A body falling down into the tracks just as
âToo close to call!â the track announcer exclaimed.
A few minutes later, the photo was posted and the Pletcher horse had beat Big Arthurâs horse by a whisker. âIâm a fucking idiot!â I heard Arthur cry out from four tables away. I saw him get up and storm out of the restaurant, presumably to go to the back patio to chain-smoke and make phone calls to twenty of his closest horseplaying friends proclaiming his own idiocy.
âGuyâs got a problem,â Clayton said.
âNo he doesnât,â I replied. While it was true that Arthur had a little trouble with anger management, he was, at heart, a very decent human being.
I got up and walked away, leaving Clayton to stare after me with those dinner plateâsized eyes.
I went down to the paddock, hoping that Clayton wouldnât follow me. I saw Vito there, staring out the big glass window, his huge belly pressing against it. Searching for a spot as far away as possible from Vito, I craned my neck just to check that Clayton hadnât followed me. He had. I saw him lumbering around near the betting windows, looking left and right. Heâd find me at any minute. And then Iâd never get rid of him. Another seventeen weeks would follow.
I needed to give him a clear message, so I did something a little crazy.
âVito,â I said, coming up behind him.
âHuh?â He turned around.
âFavor?â I asked.
His tiny black eyes glittered.
âAnything, baby,â he purred.
I already regretted what I was doing.
âCan you scare that guy I was sitting with? Just make him a little nervous? Make him go home?â
Vitoâs tiny eyes got bigger, like someone had just dangled a bleeding hunk of meat in front of him.
âYou serious?â He stood closer to me.
I had a momentâs hesitation. Then thought of Claytonâs love pronouncements.
âYeah,â I said.
âSure. Where is he?â
I glanced back but didnât see Clayton.
âSomewhere around here, letâs look.â
Vito followed at my side. We looked all around the betting windows of the ground floor, but no Clayton. Then I glanced outside and saw him standing near an empty bench, hunched and cold and lost-looking under the dovegray sky.
âThere,â I said.
âYou got it, baby.â
Without another word, Vito marched outside. I saw him accost Clayton. I saw Clayton tilt his head left and right like a confused dog would. I thought of Candy. Later this afternoon Iâd go home to her and just maybe, thanks to Vito, I wouldnât have to worry about the big oaf turning up with his big eyes and his inane declarations. Candy and I would have some peace and quiet.
Now Clayton and Vito had come back inside and were walking together. They passed not far from where I was standing. Where was Vito taking him? Iâd figured on his just saying a few choice words to Clayton and that would be that. But Vito seemed to be taking him somewhere.
I followed them at a slight distance. They went down the escalator and out the front door. Vito was only wearing a thin button-down shirt but he didnât seem to register the bite of the February air. Clayton pulled his coat up around his ears.
They headed over to the subway platform. I saw Clayton take out his MetroCard and go through the turnstile. Then he handed his card back to Vito who went through after him.
What the fuck?
I stopped walking and stayed where I was in the middle of the ramp leading to the turnstiles. The two men were about a hundred yards in front of me but they had their backs to me. There wasnât anyone else on the platform.
They started raising their voices. I couldnât hear what was being said. There was wind and a big airplane with its belly low against the sky.
Then the sound of an oncoming train and a blur of movement.
A body falling down into the tracks just as