ESCAPADES

Sex Games

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Girl......What you do to my mind...
is why it's so hard for me to find...
a reason...
To let you go...
I can't get it into my head..
That while you're so good in bed...
and pleasing...
Maybe I should know.../

You use your body at just the right times...
I find...
To get my money, to get my heart, to even
get my mind...
Then, when you've got what you need...
You quietly say goodbye to me...
For a time.../

I'm tired of playing these sex games..
These jive ass sex games
With you...
But I just can't let go of you...
You've got me whooped..
You've got me hooked...
So caught up in these sex games ...
With you.../

Anyone else would say...
Nah baby, that's okay...
but all you have to do..
Is touch me in a certain way...
Soon we are making sweet love..
All day...
And once again...you are having your way..
By now I should know better..
But it seems like I just can't let ya...
alone.../

because girl You use your body at just the right times...
I find...
To get my money, to get my heart, to even
get my mind...
Then, when you've got what you need...
You quietly say goodbye to me...
For a time.../

but one day...
one day soon I'll grow stronger..
I'll find someone else and I won't
need to hit that thang ...
no longer...
Then you'll surely be a goner...
Now how about that?/

I'm tired of playing these sex games..
These jive ass sex games
With you...
But I just can't let go of you...
You've got me whooped..
You've got me hooked...
So caught up in these sex games ...
With you.../

I'm so tired girl...
I'm tired of playing these sex games..
These jive ass sex games
With you...
But I just can't let go of you...
You've got me whooped..
You've got me hooked...
So caught up in these sex games ...
With you.../

(Original Art by Laurie Cooper, Poetry by Keith)

Cancelled Check

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Sepia and I and Nadine sat in a little coffee shop on Broad Street drinking tumblers of Hot Coffee and eating pastries...

''I heard that you got fired for missing so many days Nadine...I'm really sorry." I said.

"Yeah ,he notified me by registered mail...Because he didn't know where I was staying. I got served when I returned to my apartment. That's okay Mr. Kevin...I didn't want to work for that creep anymore anyway." she said.

"Well times are tough out here girl and if it makes you feel any better...My partner, Bonita Foxworth and I have a receptionist/administrative assistant position open at our company that you're welcome to if you want it...We'll at least match your salary at Scurlock's job." said my wife Sepia.

"Oh thank you soo much Mrs. Morris." she said.

"You know that those two hoods were looking for you too and that they were going to kill you...That's why I told you to go to a friend or relative's house and not to come back there." I said.

"Yeah...and I thank you...Was anything you got out of that office of any value? I just hate to see Scurlock get away with this." she said.

''Well..I've been sitting back on a lot , but we have enough to hand to the feds and put him away for up to 25 years for the embezzlement, tax evasion and wire fraud among other things." I said.

"Not Murder? Not attempted murder?? " she asked.

"No...He's too smart to say anything on the phone and we don't have anything to tie him to those two boneheads that got killed in my house ." I said.

"Did you look thorougly through that stuff I gave you?" she asked.

"Pretty much....I handed it to some lawyers to look at." I said.

"Well those two guys came to the office a few times and he gave them checks...I think there might be a few cancelled checks in those folders.." she said.

''Really?" I said.

"Yeah...I don't know what he paid them for....but those two guys didn't look like they were good for much except what they did...Find people ,abduct people and kill people." said Nadine.

I smiled...she was smarter than she knew!

"You're right." I said.

My eyes lit up! That might be the edge I needed!

Sepia smiled...She looked at Nadine....

"I only see that look three times...His Birthday, Christmas Eve and well you know." she laughed and gave Nadine the side eye.

Nadine smiled back at her and the two women giggled....I tossed some cash on the table...

"See you ladies later." I said as I headed out the door and to my car.

II-

Back in Robert Foxworth's office, Robert,Chance, Cole and I sifted through documents and other files that we had retrieved from Scurlock's Office. It took awhile...but after much searching, there it was!!! Two checks for 50G's a peice made out to Fred and Arthur Angel....My two would be , but now deceased killers. All I had was a bluff, and a long shot....but I had to take it.

"Kev...These are two cancelled checks..So what?" said Robert Foxworth..

"Those two guys that tried to kill me and Sepia were contract killers...What else would these checks be for? Look at the large amount of money....It's not like those two knuckleheads were accountants or book-keepers." I said.

"Yeah Kev...But you don't know what this was a payment for. It just says "consulting" That could be anything...You try to make a murder case out of this and any first year lawyer could tear your argument to shreds..." he said.

"Yeah...a lawyer might....Let's hope Scurlock isn't that smart." I said.

Robert shrugged his shoulders...

" Yeah let's hope he isn't...That's a nice bluff....but it's weak." He said.

"I know Robert, but it's all I got..." I said.

"He probably thinks he's safe right about now...The only two people who can link him to any murders are dead and with no ties to him.." said Robert.

"You're right and these two cancelled checks are a connection." I said.

"Connection to what?" he asked.

"It proves he knew them and that they worked for him...They were both ex-cons and career criminals...Let him explain to a jury what he paid them for." I said.

"Alright Kev....it's your show...Go get him!" said Robert.

"I plan to...Evening Gents." I said as I got up and left.

"Go get him Kev" said Chance Howard and Cole...Robert Foxworth just smiled and chuckled.

III-

Clerow drove up and parked in front of the Office....Kool Kat,Owen Todd and I got out of the car...We were met in the hallway, by a big six foot four tough who sternly said... "Office Hours have been suspended."

Owen Todd pulled out his .45 and stuck it in his stomach ...

''What did you say son?" he asked.

"Nothin...Go right in...." he said.

Kool Kat ,Clerow and I grinned, nodded our heads and kept walkin....

''I'll keep goober here company guys."said Owen with a smirk.

Once inside the office.. we heard a woman moaning in ecstacy...

"OUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..oh ..oh...oh...ohhhh..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Mister Spurlllockkkkkkkkkk! ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Spank me, slap me, beat me..doooo meeeee..ohhhh god, it's so goood...ouuuu."

''Ummmmphhhhh..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ohhhhh...ohhhhhh....uh oh..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
...geeeeez...I'm going blind......ohhhhh geeezzzz...I'm about to blowwwwww my loadddddd!...argghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Ouuuuu, Mister Spurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlockkkk..Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...aggggrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Spurlock had a young blond on his desk , naked...riding him...He was naked also.......His eyes were rolling into the back of his head...the legs on the desk were rocking back and forth feverishly...like they could break at any minute...

"Bet she can't type a lick." laughed Kool Kat...

"No wonder he fired Nadine." I mused....

Clerow laughed his head off...They both noticed us in the office...The Blonde screamed!

"AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...What are they doing in here?? Johnnn, I'm not into anything like that." she screamed.

Spurlock jumped up and ran behind his desk to cover himself, grabbing feverishly for his boxer shorts....

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he yelled.

"Aww gee Johnny,where are your manners...No Hello, No how are you doing? I thought we were friends?" I said as I sat on his desk.

The blonde grabbed her bra and put on her blouse and inched away from Spurlock...She grabbed her skirt..She was looking around the floor for something...

Kool Kat tossed her thong to her....

"Get dressed honey...Take a coffee break...Don't come back!" He said....

Spurlock went for the drawer...but Clerow put his pistol to his temple....

"I wouldn't do that dock...Might be hazardous to your health." he said with his toothy grin!

Both Spurlock and the girl got dressed...The girl ran out of the office without looking back.

I cocked my pistol.....but stopped short of aiming it at him...He sat down....He was sweating profusely...

"What do you want?" he asked.

"The Hughes...Where are they?" I asked. He knew that I wasn't playing.....

"They are buried in the marshlands, up by the airport...I don't know exactly where." he said.

"We know everything...The embezzlement..the wire fraud...the money laundering...all of it.....The Feds are on their way here...I thought you might like to see these." I said and I put the two cancelled checks on his desk...

"What are those?" he asked.

" Downpayment for murder. You explain to the cops why you paid those two guys...I'm sure the D.A. would love to hear it. It's all over Spurlock....All over....I just stopped by to tell you that." I said. "Come on guys...let's go." I said .

"That's it? We just leavin?" asked Kool Kat.

"Nothing else to do or say." I said. "Have a nice life John."

...and at that, Kool Kat, Clerow , Owen Todd and I left the building....As we were getting in the car, we heard a gunshot!

"What the hell?" said Clerow...

"What was that?" asked Kool Kat...

"That was justice!" I said... and we all got in our car and drove away!

EPILOUGE-

By the time the police got to the office building , a crowd had gathered....Inside they found the partially clothed body of John Spurlock on the floor in his office with a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.... With all the evidence we turned over to the authorities and the tapes from his office ,it was enough to formally declare the Hughes dead and to assume that they were more than likely murdered by Fred and Arthur Angel on orders from John Spurlock.

It took close to a month, but the skelatal remains of Gary and Lisa Hughes were found, where John Spurlock had said they would be found....in the grassy marshlands out by the airport...

I stopped by Sepia and Bonita's office one day at lunchtime.....Bonita greeted me at the door with a smile....

''Hey Kevin, care to join us for lunch?" she asked sarcasticly...I smiled and said nothing...

"Sepia will be out in a few minutes....The new girl Nadine, you sent us is working out great...." she continued.

"Glad to hear that...where is she anyway?" I asked..

"We are waiting for her to come back from lunch." said my wife Sepia.....The two of them laughed that conspiratorial laugh that women laugh...

''What?" I asked.

Sepia pointed... Coming up the street, hand and hand and laughing gingerly was Owen Todd and Nadine?? I laughed and shook my head...Would wonders never cease? I thought...

''Alright ladies mind your business...Where are we eating today?" I asked.

"I'm in a Mcdonald's kind of mood ." said Bonita...

Sepia looked at me...I shrugged my shoulders -"Oh why not?" I said and the three of us walked down the boulevard towards Mickey Dees.

Winken,Blinken And Shot!

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Robert Foxworth and I were enjoying a delicious New York Strip Steak and Baked potato at a nice bistro near his office a few days later and talking...

"Well Kev, how is the great investigation of one John Scurlock going?" he asked.

" He doesn't say much on the phone, but two suspicious looking guys have come by and he has given them an envelope stuffed with money...He doesn't talk in the office, so I don't know what he says to them. He pretty much goes to the office...Goes to a bar, stops off at a strip club and goes home...Same routine everyday." I said.

"He married? Got any kids?" asked Robert.

"No...neither." I said.

"Well he's loaded...I put Chance and the new guy, Cole on all of that financial information you and your crew turned up....Lord Jesus man...He's been bleeding this company and two others he's involved in dry for close to five years...No wonder Lisa and Gary wanted to see the actual books....This guy is a mechanic the way he has changed the numbers around and moved things from different accounts to his private accounts...and he has several...in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas...you name it... You got enough to get this guy a long stretch in a federal pen....The embezzlement, the tax evasion...the deception...You got it all Kev..." said Robert Foxworth..

''How about murder? I'm talking about three murders here possibly?" I said..

"Nothing here like that." he said-"But enough to take him off the street for up to 25 years at least." he added.

I poured some wine and pondered just what I could do. I had located the former accounting company and talked in length with several people there about Scurlock....They all seemed frightened of him and wouldn't tell me much.

My android went off just then...It was Sepia...

"Hey Babe what's up?" I said.

"Kev...You'd better come home...It's important." she said.

''What are you doing home?" I asked ,but she hung up.

''Everything alright?" asked Robert Foxworth.

"No..it's not...Sepia drove to work this morning..she didn't say anything about going home....Call Kool Kat..tell him to meet me at my house...Tell him I said to park three blocks away...He'll know what I mean." I said.

"Oh okay Kev...You want me to come with you?" he asked...I smiled at my good friend...

"Nah Robert... Just call Kool Kat." I said.

II-

I drove up to my house.... I had a .22 in the small of my back, my .38 smokeless in my shoulder holster and another .22 strapped to my ankle under my left trouser leg. I put my key in the door...Just then, a familiar looking man in a black trenchcoat and a big floppy hat put a pistol in my back...He took my .38 smokeless and then reached around and took my .22 out of the small of my back....

"Quiet..don't make any fuss...I might just get nervous and fire my gun." he said. I noticed that he blinked a lot....

I said nothing...I walked inside and another man...His identical twin had a gun on Sepia...She was sitting on the couch looking scared. He kept winking..What was with all of this winking? Meanwhile his brother kept blinking...These two were creeping me out!

"What's this about?" I asked.

"I think you know...Mr. Kevin Morris, private investigator....You been askin too many questions..." said the one who kept blinking

"Kev...they walked up on me when I was at the market." said Sepia.

"Shut up." said the one who kept winking....Now I recognized them....by their clothing...They were the men from the video...The second set of guys who went inside the Hughes office and came out with plastic bags... and got in the old Ford Fairlaine.

I lunged at him, but the one with the gun on me who kept blinking cocked his pistol and said- "I wouldn't do that if I was you partner...No need in dying sooner than you have to." he said.

"But we are going to die ? You came here to kill us?" I said.

"Pretty much. but we want to know the location of the girl first" said the one who kept blinking.

"What girl?" I asked.

''Don't play dumb...We know the receptionist gave you some folders she took out of the office...Tell us where she is and get her over here..It'll go easier for you if you do....Otherwise..We'll have to torture you a little bit....I could start with your pretty wife and make you watch." said the one who blinked a lot.

"Just like you did Lisa and Gary Hughes? huh?" I asked.

"Yeah, just like we did them....Cause they asked too many questions." said the one who kept winking.

''And Brother you talk too much." said the blinking one...Obviously the leader and the smarter of the two.

"Hell, we gonna kill em anyway, what's it matter?" asked the one who winked.

"Yeah, you're right...but don't say anymore than you have to." his brother said and blinked. This was getting on my nerves more than them having a gun drawn on me and my wife, I thought.

"Where is the girl?" asked the one who blinked a lot and had a gun trained on Sepia.

"I don't know..I told her to get gone...I didn't ask her where she was going." I said, which was the truth!

"Oh.....I see you're going to make this rough...maybe I should shoot you in the kneecap first..I heard that smarts." said the one who blinked a lot and had a gun trained on me.

"Hey the two of you ever consider going to an optometrist about that thing with your eyes?" I said.

Sepia giggled...The one that winked cocked his pistol and aimed it at Sepia's temple.

"SHUT UP! OR I'LL BLAST BOTH OF YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" he yelled.

"Relax brother, don't let him rile you...We'll get our shot eventually." he said and blinked twice.

" Just like Gary and Lisa got their shots huh?. Did John Scurlock send you here?" I asked...

"There you go again...asking questions..." he said..

"Brother..I heard something..Somebody else is in here." said the one who winked.

"Anyone else live here?" he asked.

"No...Maybe we are being robbed." I said. Sepia laughed out loud this time..

"You two got smart mouths for two people who are about to die." he snapped..".Go sit down on that couch next to your wife..." he said ,Blinking.

I did as I was told.

"Somebody else is in here." said the one who winked a lot.

"You're hearing things.You got problems with your ears too...Damn..you guys are messed up" I said.

"SHUT UPPP!" he snapped...Sepia giggled , which seemed to enrage him even more.

"Brother stop letting him get into your head..ignore him ." said the one who blinked a lot...

"Yeah,listen to your brother.. Seriously though...I know a doc who could cure that problem you both have..For real." I said.

"WHYYY YOUUUUU!" screamed the one who winked ,before his brother calmed him down and looked at me sternly....

"You know Kevin...I'm gonna enjoy shooting you...and before I do..I'm gonna make you watch us both rape your pretty wife..Got anything smart to say now laughing boy?" he yelled.

"I think your brother is right, somebody is definitely in here..I heard something too.Oh and damn man, a Tic Tac wouldn't hurt...your breath is wicked." I said.

"Ohhhhh, you aint gonna make it out of this house alive smart guy." he said as they both looked out of the back window into our driveway.

While they were momentarily turning their attention elsewhere, I quietly unstrapped my .22...just in time for Kool Kat to appear in the kitchen!!!..He had come up from the back entrance...

He looked at me...I nodded. He aimed his .44 mag at the one who blinked a lot and fired...His gun was loud ! and the hole it made between the eyes of the man who blinked was huge!!!...He left his feet and fell against the wall and then slid down to the floor. He was dead before he hit the floor!

I pulled out my little .22 and fired two rounds at the man who winked a lot...One hit him in the side and the the second one hit him in the chest...he tossed his gun up in the air...and yelled -''Wooooouuuuuuuuuu..."like a woman!! Kool Kat watched him spin around like a top and couldn't hold back his laughter!

"AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I don't believe it..I've been shotttttt!" he screamed as he fell to the floor bleeding profusely....

I stood over him and smiled-

"Man...I sure wish you had of let me give you the address of that eye doctor....Oh well, you won't need it now." I said.

He spit blood and gurgled...."You ...You...You...you.....You go straight to hell..."

"Uhhh not before you do PARTNER! I've sent a few people there...Give em my regards...Will you?" I said.

"I'm all shot to hell..." he muttered...Those were his last words in this life.........
He died right there on my living room floor! Eyes wide open!!

''Well, at least he aint winkin anymore." I mused

Kool Kat laughed...He grinned like a cheshire cat...I looked at him and I have to admit...I laughed too...I had been hanging around the big man too long. Sepia cracked up laughing....Here we had almost been killed and the three of us were laughing..This was a bizzarre day.

Kool kat untied Sepia...He shook his head-

"Why are they always so surprised when they get shot?" he laughed...

"I don't know..you'd have to ask someone else that." I said.."Thanks for the save man." I continued...

"No problem...I needed some practice anyway." he said.

"Sepia...call the police..." I said.

"What? You're gonna leave me here with two corpses?...Uh Uh..No you aint." she said.

"You got a point." I laughed.

Kool Kat laughed too and shook his head.

III-

Sepia, Kool Kat and I stood outside with Homicide Lt.Sissy Van Buren and several policemen and detectives as the bodies of the two gunmen identified as Fred ''Winky"Angel and Arthur "Blinky" Angel were carted away...

"Wow Kevin, you caught two big ones... Those two are high priced hitters...Suspects in close to 25 murders in Philly,Baltimore,D.C..." she said.

"Them? They couldn't even see." I said.

"Don't let their affliction fool you...They are pretty efficient..We have never been able to get anything on them." she said.

"Yeah and now they are dead and I'll never find out what happened to the Hughes." I said.

"Oh well, win some ,lose some." she said "Let's pack it in boys." she said as they pulled off....Sure enough...The Ford Fairlaine was two blocks away....The police towed it.....

I held Sepia in my arms...Kool Kat stood there too......

"We ought to go pay Scurlock a visit Kev." he said.

"In time Big Man..In time...." I said.

(Conclusion Next)

Nadine

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I poured myself a cup of coffee as I waited for John Scurlock to come out....He had a very modern office inside what had been a warehouse...Developers along the waterfront had gutted all of these old warehouses and turned them into condos and offices and tony restaraunts and bars....In fact this entire area..Once a fisherman's reef and full of dive bars and transients had been transformed into a tony playground for the up and coming.

It didn't take me long to recognize the Black receptionist who was sitting at the front desk...She was the same young woman who had had an appointment with Lisa and Gary Hughes the day I did..The same day they had gone missing... She had took one look at me and tried to hold her head down so that I wouldn't get a good look at her face.. I remembered her, but I didn't say a word.

John Scurlock was about 5'11 or 6 feet, a little pudgy....Middle aged and white...He had a fat face and a smile that was part Tony Soprano, part Curly of the three stooges...He came out, greeted me with a big smile and shook my hand...I walked back to his office and sat down..

"Mr. Uh Morris ,you said your name was...I don't believe I know you." he said.

"Uh you don't....I was hired to do some work for Mrs. Lisa Hughes last week...Only thing was..I went to her office and she wasn't there...Her purse, Her cell phone was there, but she wasn't...Her car is still in the lot but I never saw her...I even stopped by her house...She wasn't there... I uh stopped by her house and her husband's car was suddenly there and it wasn't before." I said looking him dead in the eye and not smiling.

"Hmmm..that does seem a bit strange....I-I-I-I, uh haven't heard from either of the Hughes in close to a week." he said.

''You don't think that's odd?" I asked.

"Well, the Hughes have been known to go on vacations at the drop of a hat...They are somewhat, uh,er...jet setters.." He said.

"I don't think Mrs. Hughes would leave her purse and cell phone and credit cards on her desk with her office door wide open if she were going on vacation." I said.

"How do you know her credit and debit cards were in her purse?" he asked.

"I took the liberty to look." I said.

''Oh....you took the uh liberty to look. You always take such liberties Mr. uh Morris?" he asked.

''When it suits my fancy." I said. I could tell he was getting irritated.

"Just what kind of business or uh work were you supposed to be doing for the Hughes? They never mentioned you to me." he said.

"You might say I was doing some er independent consulting." I said.

"Independent consulting?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied..   "By the way....I was out at dinner with them the night before they went missing when you called and asked them to meet with you that day..." I said.

''When I called?" he asked , seeming surprised.... "I never called them." he said.

"You called Mr. Hughes....I was there when he told his wife that you wanted to meet at 8:00 in the morning." I said.

"Not me...I never called them...Not Gary, and not Lisa." he said.

"He said that you had some new figures to show them....Mrs. Hughes had wanted to look at your books." I said.

"What is your name again?" he asked.

"Kevin. Kevin Morris." I said.

"Well Mr. Morris..Unfortunately, I don't have anymore time to talk to you...If I were you I wouldn't worry about Mr. and Mrs. Hughes anymore... I haven't heard from them...But I'm certain that they won't be needing your services." he said.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Uh Mr. Morris..don't ask too many questions like that....You might find out and maybe...just maybe you don't want to find out." he said.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked...

"Good Day Mr. Morris...Nadine...see Mr. Morris out." he said and just like that..He got up and walked away,like I wasn't there.   I was flabbergasted....

The Black receptionist motioned me to the door...And I walked out....She took her finger and poked me in the back...She motioned for me to be silent...

"I think I can help you...Meet me around the corner at the cantina in about two hours when I go to lunch...My name is Nadine." she said. I nodded and walked out.... She had told me that it was Vernita just a week ago...I wondered what her game was? I guess I would have to play to find out.

As I walked to my car, I looked up and saw John Scurlock looking out his window...As soon as he realized that I saw him..he closed his curtain.

II-

Two and a half hours later...Nadine, a cute twenty something African-American woman slipped into the small waterfront cantina and sat across from me...She passed me two folders....

"I take it your name is not Vernita." I said, remembering the name she originally gave me when I saw her at the Hughes's office the day they went missing.

"That's my middle name...I couldn't use my first name or my last...It was me that called Gary Hughes that night when you were all out eating....He couldn't mention my name in public ,so he told his wife that Scurlock wanted to meet with her...I'm sure he explained to her afterword that it was me." she said.

"What are these?" I asked...

"These are files..This is what I had come by the office to give her .These are the latest figures...Sales figures from Mr. and Mrs. Hughes business...I had been slipping them to them for months....He's been feeding them a bunch of baloney...He's got phony books..but he keeps the real books in the back in a safe....I can't get to them...but I know he has been laundering money into an offshore account for two years now...The guy that used to own the business before the Hughes did,..a Mitchell Humphrey figured it out...and he wound up missing...They found his body in a steel drum down in Miami, about a year later...I fear that the same thing has happened to the Hughes....Miss Lisa was suspicious of him from day one...That's why she fired the accounting firm that used to be here..She wanted to view the books...but he had been giving her the runaround....That's why she hired you." said Nadine.

"You know who I am?" I asked.

"I did my homework....Yeah..I know that you write for a magazine and that you're a private investigator on the side." said Nadine.

"You're good girl..You could be a private investigator yourself..." I said with a smile. She smiled too!

''How long have you been a mole for the Hughes?" I asked.

"Ms. Lisa hired me and told Scurlock to let me work there...but all along it was to watch and listen and give her information about what was going on....But she realized that what she really needed called for someone more suited for this type of thing...That's why she hired you...Plus we both suspected that he was getting suspicious and so Ms. Lisa wanted to take the heat off of me." said Nadine.

"Look..I can give you the layout of the place....and a pass key to get in....but you have to get in and out fast." she said.

"Okay...Look...I'll look over these files...This is my address....Drop the pass key off tonight...I'll handle the rest." I said.

"Thank you Kevin....I just want to get that bastard back for what he did to Miss Lisa and Mr. Gary" she said.

"Nadine!" I said.

"Yes." she replied.

"You think Gary and Lisa are dead?" I asked.

"You don't?" It's been a week Mr. Kevin...They haven't been heard from...They aren't going to be heard from." she said.

III-

That night....We waited for John Scurlock to leave his office....(I had already placed a GPS Unit under his car.) I had recruited Paris, Blake,Harry Charles and Owen Todd to follow him in rental cars and to communicate with Kool Kat and Clerow by cell phone....Using the pass key, Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson, Myself, Chance Howard, Sean Jackson and Nadine entered the office...Peeping Tom and Sean Jackson wired the office for sound and video...Lockpick Johnson cracked the safe...Nadine and I used the Xerox Machine to xerox all of the records kept in the books...We replaced the real books in the safe with our phony books and carried three carts of his actual books out of the office and into our van...

Peeping Tom copied the hard drives of all of the computers in his office also. All in all, our operation took close to 90 minutes... We made sure that the office was wiped clean of fingerprints and looked exactly like it did when we arrived...

Peeping Tom,Sean Jackson and Lockpick Johnson packed everything into the van...

"Thanks Guys...Chance will know what to look for....Chance..Take those books to Robert." I said.

''I'm on it Kev." he said and he pulled off... The van pulled off too.

That left me, Kool Kat ,Clerow and Nadine.

"Thanks for your help Nadine....Now I want you to call out sick for the next two or three days okay." I said.

"What?" she asked.

"I want you to be safe...You got any cousins or girlfriends you can stay with?" I asked.

''Sure" she said.

"Good, Clerow will take you to your home...Pack a few things and go stay with your friends or relatives...I'll do what I can to take care of Mr. Scurlock." I said.

"Thank you Kevin." she said and kissed me on the cheek.

"No..Thank you Nadine. I could have never have gotten all of this information without your help." I said. She got in the car with Clerow and drove off....

That left me and Kool Kat...

"Wow we put a full court press on this cat Kev." said Kool Kat.

"Yeah....I suspect there is more to him than we know." I said.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

No Show

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I hated missing persons cases...Nine times out of ten , the people who are missing are dead and that winds up being a whole nother basket of worms...and one percent of the time...the people are missing because they want to be missing or they were kidnapped.

I didn't say it around my wife Sepia or Robert and Bonita...but my thinking was that either Gary and Lisa Hughes were kidnapped and being held for ransom or they were dead. I was thinking one or both of them were dead.

Their office was unlocked, unattended to....Lisa's purse ,full of credit and debit cards and about $800.00 in cash was on her desk....Her cell phone was on the table...and her car was in the parking lot!! At their house, nothing was disturbed...All of their personal effects...Except for Gary's Lexus! was in place, nothing disturbed and again...The door was opened...

Just didn't look right.. These two were prompt and precise ..Always made their appointments, always on time..Everybody that knew them personally who I talked to and I'd talked to close to 200 people in the two days since the Hughes went missing said the same thing. That they would have never just left and left their doors open and all of their things out in the open like this...

I took Clerow , Owen Todd and Chance Howard back to the Hughes office and we went over it with a fine tooth comb...I found client lists....Future appointments..The whole works...The four of us divided up the lists and interviewed close to 75 people within the next day....We found out nothing...,

I talked to people in the general vicinity and in their neighborhood....One lady was up at around 4:30 in the morning...She had had company and her company was leaving...She remembered seeing a man getting into Gary's Lexus and pulling off...She said that she didn't get a good look at his face, but that she could tell by his build that it wasn't Gary , who was tall and athletic...She didn't recall seeing Lisa at all...

Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson took both of their home computers and their laptops and was doing a forensic investigation of the computers...He said that he would call me when he got something...Another search of their office turned up nothing.

With the help of the building supervisor....I got to look at the video surveilience of the entire area....And here it was..Something of interest!

I saw Gary's Car driving and parking in the lot at 5:35 am....on the morning the Hughes went missing. On The tape ,I see Gary and Lisa getting out of the car and going into their office, There is clearly someone with them, but I can't make out his face...He is wearing huge shades and a black trenchcoat....I keep watching..and watching watching....I never see Gary or Lisa leave, but I see the man in the trenchcoat leaving and driving off in Gary's Lexus.....About an hour later I see another car pull up...and old Ford Fairlane, like the one my father used to drive.

Two different men get out and walk in...One has a cup of coffee..The other has a box with what looks like cleaning supplies...A little while later they both come out carrying a huge trash bag each or is that a body bag? It is huge and it's tied up...They put the bag in the trunk of their car...They go back in, and come out with another bag and put that in the trunk of their car.. One guy goes back in and gets the cleaning supplies and gets back in the car and pulls off. That's it.

I inquire about a night watchman!! I was told that he goes off duty at 3:00 am and that his replacement doesn't come on until 6:00 am and on this morning, his replacement was late...Didn't come on until 6:20 am. Which gave these guys time to come in and go God knows where and do God knows what. I don't know where these guys went when they entered the building.

What I did know was that Lisa and Gary came here with another man and walked into this building and never left!!!!! Since this was early in the morning, There was no one to witness anything.

I questioned shop owners along the route to the office...I was wondering if anybody fitting any of the descriptions I had stopped for coffee, cigarettes , anything...Nobody remembered anything. Chance and I looked at hours of videotape..and we found nothing!

Lisa and Gary and whoever had walked into their office and vanished into thin air!!!

II-

Later on, Owen, Clerow, Chance Howard and Lockpick Johnson all met up at Peeping Tom's house.

"Kevin...The hard drives on all of these computers have been wiped clean....It's as if they are brand new..." he said.

"You didn't find anything?" I asked.

"Nope...and I should have found something...Personal emails...something...All wiped clean.." he said.

"Somebody was either looking for something or trying to keep anybody from finding anything." I said.

''So they disapeared em right?" said Owen Todd.

"Yup...Even the appointment book I did find had the day they went missing's appointments ripped out of the book." I said.

"But they was only supposed to meet with you right boss?" said Clerow...

"No...Bonita and Sepia was supposed to show them a house earlier, but they never made the appointment." I said.

"That it? Were they supposed to be anywhere else?" asked Chance Howard...

And then I remembered something...Something about our dinner-

Just then Gary's Android rang....He looked at us...

"I've got to take this ...excuse me." he said and got up and walked towards the restroom.

We all continued to laugh and talk and eat....Gary came in after a little while and said to Lisa...

"Well you talked Scurlock up...He would like to meet with both of us first thing in the morning." he said.

''About what?"asked Lisa.

"He said he has some new figures to show us..." he replied...

"I'll bet...You go see him...I'm going to meet with Sepia and Bonita." she said.

"He insists on the both of us being there." said Gary...

"Ohhh, okay...We might be a little late girls...but we'll be there." she said.

"SCURLOCK!!!" I said.

"Who?" asked Clerow,Owen and Chance in unison....

"The reason they hired me in the first place...They wanted me to investigate their partner, who they didn't trust..A John Scurlock....They wanted me to look at their books.He's the one person I didn't talk to...." I said.

III-

Later on that afternoon, I picked Sepia up after work...We were driving through the city, talking...

"Your car will be out of the shop tomorrow won't it?" I said.

"Yup..and you won't have to pick me up anymore." she laughed...

"Oh I don't mind." I said ,smiling...

Just on a hunch...I decided to drive past Lisa and Gary's house... I am glad I did.

"Sepia...Do you see what I see?" I said.

"Oh My God!" she said...

It was Gary's Lexus!

It was parked right out front...I got out of the car, walked up to the house....The door was locked!!! It hadn't been before....I checked the car...It was locked and the keys were lying on the front seat!!! It had been two days since the Hughes had gone missing....Lisa's car was at the office and now Gary's car was in front of the house and the door was locked... Somebody had been here! But who ???and better yet! WHY?

(TO BE CONTINUED.....)

Such A Cute Couple

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Gary and Lisa Hughes was the perfect example of a young black and urban power couple....They met while in Howard University Law School....They married and then both went their seperate ways for awhile...Lisa came back to her native Philadelphia and earned a MBA at Wharton to go with her J.D. and Gary went to Harvard to get his MBA...They ran into each other by chance at my good friends, Attorney ,Robert Foxworth and Bonita Turner's wedding and they began their torrid love affair all over and got married themselves shortly thereafter...

They both did well in the world of corporate law , but longed to go in business for themselves...They took on a partner named John Scurlock and they bought a Yacht Rental company....The company was about to go into receivership when they bailed it out and bought it with Scurlock's help nearly two years ago....They were the only black owned Yacht rental company at Penn's Landing ,here in Philadelphia...

"They're such a cute couple." marveled my wife, Sepia as we sat down at the table with the Hughes and Robert Foxworth and Bonita Turner at Bottom of The C. where we were invited to dine with them....I felt a little out of my league...I was a writer/editor of a magazine and sometime private investigator at dinner with a bunch of lawyers and real estate people...

"Hey Kev...How's it going?" said Robert Foxworth as Sepia and I seated ourselves....

"We are doing just fine." I said..

"Kev, Sepia...This is Gary and Lisa Hughes.....Friends of ours...I knew them both when I was in law school." said Robert.

"Yes...Small world that it is..Sepia and I sold these two a house." said Bonita... Sepia smiled in agreement...So this was the connection eh? I just smiled...I wondered why I was being made to go out to dinner on an afternoon when I would have rather of just sat around my house in my underwear.

"I understand you two just celebrated an anniversary?" said Lisa Hughes.

"Yes we did ...we spent a week in Atlantic City." said Sepia...

"Oh wow...sounds nice." said Gary Hughes....I wondered if he really meant that...I was sure that he and his wife vacationed in Paris or some private island....I mused to myself.

"Next year...you have to take one of our short cruises....I was at Josies talking to Mr. Gus, I believe his name was and I was inquiring about us doing a summer Jazz Brunch cruise...From here to Baltimore, with all of the artists that perform there at his establishment and with Ms. Mabel Jenkins and her fine staff doing the catering..." he said...Now my imagination was peaked...That was a good idea...I thought.

Just then, Ralph Scallion and his daughter and two waiters bought our food and drinks to our table....The food smelled great and the steam was coming off of the top of the dishes...

''Everything smells delicious." said my wife, Sepia..

''Compliments of the chef, who would be me." said Ralph....I laughed...So did Robert....Sepia smiled...but Bonita looked down toward the floor....Her brief affair with Ralph, right before she and Robert got married was still a thing of uncomfortableness between the two of them. Robert however had seemed to have gotten over it and moved on.

We began to eat and as these things go...people are usually quiet when they are eating and the food is good...
I looked up and I saw Lisa eying me..I smiled and she smiled...I wondered what that was about...

''Uh Kevin...I hear that you're an investigator of sorts.." she said.

''Uh Lisa...we are eating dinner, let's not talk business"said her husband Gary..

"Oh...I just need a little professional advice." she said shushing him and turning her attention to me again..

''Why do you ask?" I said , not really wanting to know...I had just finished a big case..that wasn't a case I thought.

''Well...This company, which should have been profitable was nearly in receivership when we bought it...We have hosted several big boat rides and cruises...Oh , The Kappas, The Ques...The Deltas, The AKA's, The Masons, Church groups....you get it and they have had huge crowds and have paid us a lot of money...Our overhead is not that high and yet we are still losing money...." she said.

"Oh?" I said.

''Yes...I let the previous accounting company go and began looking at the books myself and let's say ..I saw some things that didn't look right....Then mysteriously...the books vanished!!! I asked our business partner Mr. Scurlock for certain things and he would tell me either that he would get them or that he would let me see , but he hasn't as of yet and we are still bleeding money." she said.

''So you don't trust him?" I asked.

"Lisa" said Gary.

"Did I say that?" she laughed coyly...

"You wouldn't be talking to me if you did." I said.

Lisa paused...She looked at me with a flirtatious grin and smiled.

"Sepia...I know this husband of yours must be thrilling in bed...just full of surprises." she said.

Bonita,Sepia and Robert's mouths dropped...

"Lisa!" snapped Gary...

''Oh Hush up...she knows what I mean...He's a right to the point...No Nonsense kind of guy..I know he turns her on...He turns me on..."she said.....To my surprise...Sepia laughed...and Lisa laughed too...a kind of conspiratorial laugh...

"I want to hire you to investigate Mr. Spurlock...I'll be grateful for anything you can find...Stop down to our office tomorrow...I'll fill you in on the particulars." she said.

"Oh...There is the matter of my fee." I said.

She pointed at me...and laughed..."Ouuuu..I like that about you Mr. Kevin...Name your fee...I'll pay....I don't trust this guy and I think he's possibly embezzling our profits." she said.

"More than likely." I replied...

She looked at Sepia....then she winked...

"He's a keeper gurlll."

Sepia nodded and we all continued eating.

"Oh Lisa..Don't forget...You and Gary have a meeting with us also tomorrow to look at a new property you guys said you might be interested in." said Bonita...

"Oh yeah....We are meeting you at 10:00 am sharp right?" she said.

"Okay..So Kevin, How about we meet at two?" she said.

''Sure thing." I said.

Just then Gary's Android rang....He looked at us...

"I've got to take this ...excuse me." he said and got up and walked towards the restroom.

We all continued to laugh and talk and eat....Gary came in after a little while and said to Lisa...

"Well you talked Scurlock up...He would like to meet with both of us first thing in the morning." he said.

''About what?"asked Lisa.

"He said he has some new figures to show us..." he replied...

"I'll bet...You go see him...I'm going to meet with Sepia and Bonita." she said.

"He insists on the both of us being there." said Gary...

"Ohhh, okay...We might be a little late girls...but we'll be there." she said.

II-

2:00 pm the next day, Clerow and I drove up to the Hughes's Office...Lisa's 2012 custom BMW was in the parking lot...It had her initials engraved on the side. We walked up to their plush office...The door was open, but I rang the bell anyway. Nobody answered! I opened the door and Clerow and I walked in...There was a receptionist's desk at the front, but no one was at the desk...I looked out the window..Gary's car was nowhere in sight...There were papers on Lisa and Gary's desks..Invoices...Registrations, Maps, what not...Lisa's cell phone was there, so was her purse....

"If her cell phone is here and her purse , then she couldn't be far boss." said Clerow..

"What woman you know goes anywhere without her purse and her cell phone?" I asked.

"Maybe she went to the bathroom." he remarked...

I pointed to the restroom in the office...The door was open..

"Oh....Well her car is in the lot...She must be close by." He said.

We sat and we waited....Clerow fell asleep...soon he was snoring....I looked up at the clock..It was now 3:30 and there was no sign of either of them!

"Hey. Heyy Clerow..Wake up." I said.

"Huh? What's up?" he said.

"They never showed up." I said.

Just then, we heard the door open and a young Black woman in her early twenties came in....

"Heyy, who are you?" she asked.

"We had an appointment with Gary and Lisa Hughes..only they never showed up." I said.

"Yeah..Me too...I called them both three or four times this morning to confirm and they never answered their phones...It's odd that neither of them answered she said.

''Let me call my wife...They might still be with them." I said and I called Sepia.

"Hey Kev...Is Lisa and Gary there with you?" asked Sepia.

"Funny...I called to ask you if they were still in the meeting with you and Bonita." I asked.

"They never showed up...We waited as long as we could...but we had another couple that wanted to see the house too...After we came back Bonita called both of them and neither of them answered their phones.." she said.

"Well I'm at their office now...I've been here since two....Her purse and her cell phone is here and her car is in the parking lot, but there is no sign of her or anybody else in this office." I said.

"Hmmm, that's strange." said Sepia.

The three of us left the Suite....I called Gary and Lisa's home phone...It went straight to voicemail! Equally odd.

"Well,I've got to be going...If you should see either of them...Tell them that Vernita came by...I was their 3:30 appointment." said the woman who got in her car and pulled off.

"This don't look good Boss." said Clerow.

''Sure doesn't." I said.

Clerow and I drove to the Hughes home...Maybe they were there I thought, but as soon as we pulled up, I got a bad feeling in my stomach..Robert Foxworth, Chance Howard, Bonita and my wife Sepia were out front....

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"Lookin for Lisa and Gary....Bonita called me and told me that you told Sepia that they weren't at their office,So Chance and I picked them up and drove by here..." said Robert Foxworth...

"We've been inside Kev..The door was open....Everything is as they left it...It looks like they are still there,like if they did leave, it was just to go down the street...Beds made..Kitchen clean as a wink...Bathroom clean...Clothes in closet...but no sign of them..." said Chance Howard...

"This isn't like them at all Kevin..Lisa was miss prompt..She got on me for being two minutes late for one of our meetings."said Bonita..

"Well they aren't in their office and they aren't here...Were they supposed to be anywhere else today?" I asked..."Oh and where is Gary's car?" I asked.

Gary drove a silver 2012 Lexus with his initials engraved on the side.

"No sign of his car at all." said Sepia.

Robert ,Clerow, Chance,Bonita,Sepia and I went back through the house and we found an address book...We also found an appointment book...It had all of their appointments in it up to today...That page had been torn out...

I looked at Clerow....

''Something is bad about this Clerow...Real ,real bad." I said.

(TO BE CONTINUED.....)

A Reversal Of Fortunes

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

The next morning, Sepia and I had breakfast and then walked off of the Boardwalk , about two blocks to the shopping center...We went to the Coach Store, where Sepia bought herself a Coach bag.....We went to another store where Sepia bought me a very expensive Movado Watch...We went to the bar and had Mimosas and then even though it was January and very cold..We went out on the Beach....Just watching the waves....

"Kevin, before I dozed off last night...I thought you said something about knowing who killed that guy?" asked my wife.

"Oh I do.." I said...

''You said you knew who one of the killers was?" she asked.

''Yeah...I know who actually did the killing...and I have a theory as to who put the person up to it?" I said.

"You think it was Eric?" she asked as the cold waves rolled upon the sand....

"Nah...Nahhh...Not him...The man owed him money and he was doing a favor for someone in Philly who I know he wouldn't cross....It wasn't him...and besides...that's not his style...Not how someone like him goes about their business....No...I knew it wasn't Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding the moment I saw his hands and the moment he told me that he got paid two days ago." I said.

"You think it was Lola then right? You haven't seen her hands." said Sepia.

''I don't need to....One, I don't think she'd have the strength to lift what I think is the murder weapon or the motivation to do it.." I said smiling.

"Contract hit from somewhere else?" she asked.

"Too sloppy...A contract hit would've been neat and clean...this killer left too many clues behind. It was almost too easy to figure this one out." I said.

''Well you sure don't sound too enthusiastic about bringing this to a close." she said.

"Bringing what to a close? , I'm not working a case..remember...I'm here with you celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary remember?" I said as I kissed her passionately....

"Ohhh Kevin." she said as we embraced and kissed there by the cold waves blowing up on the beach.

II-

As we got off the elevator and headed back to our room...I looked at Sepia knowingly..She smiled....The door to Mambo's room was open...Someone was inside rumaging around..We kept the door to our room cracked and we looked down the hall...A male figure crept down the hall and slipped into the room....

"What are YOU doing here?" came a female voice...

"I might want to ask you the same thing, except that I know...You probably lookin for your drawers." came the male voice...

"Forget you." snapped the female voice...

I motioned to Sepia to pass me a small box and she and I began walking towards the room..

"What do you care what I'm doing here?" came the female voice...

"I don't care...just get what you came for and get out." said the male voice...

"What did YOU come in here for?" asked the female voice..

"He's probably looking for this Lola!" I said as Sepia and I entered the room and I pulled out the heavy wooden sculpture..

"KEVIN...What are you doing here?" asked a startled Dutchie....

I just shook my head in disgust...

"Dutchie....why did you do it? Why didn't you let me help you? I had 50G's in my pocket that night that I was gonna give you to help you pay your debt to Shark Dollars..." I said.

''Aww Kev...I couldn't take your money like that...." said Dutchie....

"I did some checking....You told Shark Dollars that you had $50G's in the bank...You are in debt up to your neck yourself....You don't have fifty dollars in the bank that's not owed..Yet you paid Eric your debt and then some....How'd you get so flush all of a sudden Dutch?" I asked....

"I think you know the answer to that Kevin." came another voice.....Lola, Sepia and I turned around....Only I wasn't surprised by the voice I was hearing...I already knew who it was...

"Well , the last player in the game shows up...Hello Brad, How are you doing?" I said.

"Brad..What are you doing here?" asked Lola...

"I'll fill in the blanks" I said.   "Brad here paid Dutch to kill Mambo....You and Dutch were the only people he allowed in his room....They waited until you left his room that night...See, they like my wife and me heard how much you enjoyed your uh visit and they waited for you to leave....Dutchie killed Mambo and He and Brad snuck the body down the backsteps...It was 4:00 in the morning...No one was on the streets...They left it in back of the Casino until they were ready for it to be found hours later....Then Brad paid Dutch enough money to pay his debts off and to square himself with Shark Dollars...I imagine it was a big weight off of his shoulders." I said.

Brad laughed , cocked his .45 and motioned all of us to the side of the room...

''Yup, that's about it...and now, I can't allow any of you to leave here with that knowledge..." he said.."I love my wife...but she didn't love me...I couldn't bare for that bastard to be humpin my wife...I paid to have him killed..Damn Skippy I did..and I'd do it again." he snapped...

''Oh Brad...You did that for me?" said Lola.

"Yes Baby...I did it all for you." he said, his eyes tearing up...

"You FOOL!!!!...You pathetic old ,old mannnnnnn....You should have killed yourself...You could never give me what Mambo gave me." she snarled...

"Well guess what, gold digger? That's the last time you insult me...The Last time you break my heart!...." he said and to our horror he aimed the gun at Lola and fired once hitting her in her right temple and killing her instantly...Then he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, blowing the back of his head out... I covered Sepia's face....

"Oh Lord." said Dutchie......As he looked at the two dead bodies lying on the carpet which was turning a dark shade of red .....

A crowd of people gathered in the hallway.... I told someone to call the police......

''Damn Kev...I'm done." said Dutchie...

"No....When the police get here...You'll explain that this was a love triangle gone bad....Her husband caught her coming back to this room to search for more of her missing underwear, which she didn't want found.....Brad killed Lola and then he killed himself as we all witnessed and more than likely he killed Mambo Norton...His romantic rival." I said.   "You got that?" I said as Sepia looked on...

"But Kev...The cops already took her panties and bra for evidence...along with that Aligator." He said.

"Yeah,hahahaa..I know...This is a nice model isn't it?   And she'd been in his room so many times, she didn't know if she'd actually left more of her drawers here or not...I was counting on that." I laughed.

"That was you that called me, told me the alligator was here wasn't it?" he asked.

''Nah..Not me ...Somebody ,I duked a little cash to and asked to do me a favor. Lola here got a call too..Telling her to get that stuff out of the room to keep from incriminating herself more....The police were supposed to be here...Guess they got stuck in traffic." I said.

"Brad too? He got a call?" asked Dutchie.

"Yup, telling him he'd catch his wife in this room...Only, I didn't count on him packing heat and killing her and himself." I said.

"He was crazy bout that girl." said Dutch.

'' Yeah,apparently!" I said.

"So this means...You mean, you're letting me go?" he said.

"Lucky for you,I'm not a cop......You just stick to that story Dutchie.....Your debts are paid off, you're free and clear..Look at this as a clean slate for you, a reversal of fortunes." I said.

"I don't know how to thank you Kev." said Dutchie...

"Just don't call me for a few hours....My wife and I are going back to our room...We don't wish to be disturbed." I said and We left.

EPILOUGE:

The police came and retrieved the bodies of Brad and Lola...Dutch stuck to the story I gave him and Brad was officially charged post humously of the murder of his estranged wife, Lola and his romantic rival, Mambo Norton...The case was closed...The newspapers were humming of course, but that was the end of it...

Dutchie joined Gamblers anonymous and presently lives in Philadelphia , debt free....he still works for Fathead Newton though!

It rained on the day that Sepia and I were supposed to leave so we asked Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding if we could stay two extra days...He more than readily agreed!...It was raining outside....but we had no problem just relaxing in our suite, lying across the bed....

''Kevin...guess what?" said my wife, Sepia..

''What?" I said.

"You know that $ 100G's I won a few days ago..?" she said sheepishly...

"Yeah" I said.

"Well most of it is gone." she said.

"Gone?" I asked.

"Yeah..I tried to win some more money and I guess my luck ran out...I gave you 50G's, We bought stuff and I lost the rest.." she said.

''What about the $75G's you won the first night?" I said.

''Lost most of that too...I went somewhere else...lost bad. I'm sorry lover." she said.

"Well...I guess you learned an important lesson about gambling huh?" I said.

"Yeah, quit while you're ahead." she said.

''Yeah..Win some , lose some...It's not so bad...We are staying here for free.....and it's not like we had that dough when we got here...but I do have some good news." I said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I never did give Dutchie those 50G's you gave me to give to him...so we still have that!" I said.

"We do?" she said.

"Yup...So we are coming home with something after all." I said.

She leaned over and kissed me for a long time....

"Kevin?" she asked.

"Yeah baby?" I said.

"Next anniversary, let's go to Vegas...I'm certain we won't run into anybody you know out there." she laughed.

''You never know." I said and we both laughed at that.

The Aligator's Tail

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

The Ambulance took Mambo's body to the morgue...The Police and Homicide detectives questioned everybody around...Of course...Nobody saw a thing...One million people on the boardwalk, walking the streets, and nobody saw a thing! I just shook my head....

I pulled Dutchie to the side ....I looked at him real hard...

"What?" he said.

''What? Married to your cousin eh? You are so full of it Dutch.....Fathead Newton sent you down here to babysit him....to keep him out of trouble...Just what did he do back in Philly?" I asked.

"Damn Kev...I heard that you was in the Marines for awhile and that you used to be in NCIS....Didn't know you was still doin investigations?" he replied...

"Yup...I'm a private investigator now." I said , showing him my licensce...

''Word? I thought you wrote for some magazine?" he asked.

"I do...I do this on the side." I said.

"Damn....you know, somebody told me something to that effect.." he said.

"Dutch...what did he do?" I asked...

"He was playing in Chris and Chess's crap game and he lost his temper and beat up little Jimmy Tenderloin from Chester.....It was pretty bad Kev...Little Jimmy died about a month later and cats from Chester came up to Philly lookin for Mambo. Fathead was gonna let them have him at first, but my cousin pleaded with him to protect him....So Fathead sent him to AC....Shark Dollars is doin Fathead a favor....Fathead sent me down here to sit on him watch him...Keep him out of trouble...Only this is the worst place...He gambles and screws with prostitutes all day long...." said Dutch.

"You don't mind that he cheats on your cousin?" I asked.

''What the hell do I care? She was dumb for marrying him. Now if you'll excuse me...I gotta go call her." he said.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked...He had a cloth wrapped around his hand...

"I cut it....A bottle of champaigne broke in my room and I was trying to get the glass up off the floor." he said.

''Oh." I said. "You think the Chester boys caught up to him?" I asked.

"Nah...Who knows he's down here except Fathead?" he replied.

''Think Fathead just decided to cut his losses?" I asked.

''Who knows? Coulda been Shark Dollars..he was gettin pretty tired of him." said Dutchie.

''Well ...I'll let you go on and make your call" I said as he walked away.

In all of the confusion, I forgot to give Dutchie the money Sepia had given me..

II-

The next day...I stopped by Mambo's room....The door was open...Since the police probably hadn't made an identification yet....I figured they hadn't discovered his room yet...I walked inside...It was a nice enough place...And to my surprise...Very neat!

I walked in the bedroom ! The bed was unmade...There was a frilly bra and a pair of panties lying on the floor....In the window was a peculiar african statue....It was of an Alligator!!! I peered at it...It had a splotch of blood on it! In fact , there was blood on the floor by the bed...

This sculpture was solid wood and it was heavy....I decided not to touch anything...I called the Chief of Detectives! He knew me....I had just been here a few weeks earlier on a case...When the Chief of Detectives and his boys arrived, I told them who the victim was and pointed to the bloody sculpture....

"OWW!!" screamed one of the detectives.... He had tried to pick the sculpture up by the tail and had cut himself...

"Geez , watch it Jim...The tail on that thing is sharp." said another Detective...

"I'm bettin this was the murder weapon." said another cop.

''Yeah...It's heavy as hell...You lift it by the tail and smack...right across the head." he said.

''So you don't think he was killed on the street?" I asked.

"No way....The body was already in rigor when we got it to the M.E.'s office...My guess is he was killed somewhere else..Like here...and somehow, they transported the body to the street and dropped him there ." said the detective.

''But how?" I asked.

''We'll have to ask whoever killed him." he replied..

Just then Lola walked in....

"Oh..What's going on?? I uh just came to get some things of mine." she said picking up her bra and panties.

'I'm afraid those are evidence mam." said a cop.

''Evidence? Evidence of what?"she asked.

"The man in this room was murdered yesterday...Do you know him?" he asked...

"Murdered?? Mambo?? Oh my God." she said.

"Get the lab boys in here...dust this place down for prints...get DNA from that blood...get prints, get whatever." He barked.

Lola was crying...A police officer escorted her out....I walked back towards my room....

III-

Sepia and I went over to the Borgata and caught a show...Earth,Wind & Fire was performing...After the show, We walked along the boardwalk arm and arm that night....From a distance, I saw Eric "Shark Dollars"Redding. He was wearing a very expensive and well tailored suit as usual and just staring at the ocean...He saw us and smiled and waved us over...

"Hey young lovers...how are you guys doing? Just two more day here huh?" he laughed. "Did you enjoy the show? I had to reach out for those tickets." he laughed.

I wondered if our benefactor was in fact the murderer , a thought that didn't sit too well with me...

''We had a great time...Thank you so much." Gushed my wife.

"Shame about Mambo huh?" I said slyly....I wanted to see his reaction... There was none! He pulled out a cigar and lit it and turned to me.

"You don't mind do you?" he said as he lit up....

"Nah, do your thing." I said.

"No shame Kev...You seen him...He was a pain in the ass...He won't be missed by anyone I don't think...I'm just glad I got my money before he kicked the bucket!" he said.

"What? You got your money?" I said.

"Yeah..Dutchie paid me the 50G's ,plus ten percent....for my pain he says....Hahahahahaha...what a card, for my pain." laughed Shark Dollars.

"When did he pay you?" I asked...

"Two days ago...Same afternoon your wife won that 100G's and he was cryin poor mouth...Chisler..I knew he had it..Woke me up at midnight, bleedin all over my damn floor and handed me the cash." he said.

'' Let me see the palm of your hands." I asked.

He showed me the palm of his hands....Not a scratch ...I smiled...

He looked at Sepia..."What's with your old man?" he laughed.

Sepia shrugged-"He's strange like that." she said..

"Come on...let me buy you two some drinks." he said and we went to one of the Casino bars...

IV-

Sepia, Eric ''Shark Dollars" Redding and myself was joined at the bar by Brad.....

"Heyy slow down partner...That's your fifth drink." said Eric to Brad.

"I'm okay Shark....I'm just wondering where my wife is...The police cut her loose hours ago." he said as he ordered yet another drink... Sepia and I sat quietly and watched.

Brad pulled out his phone and dialed...I looked at his hands attentively....Like Shark Dollars, clean as a whistle, not a scratch....I smiled...I knew who at least one of the killers was!

We continued to drink well into the night and Sepia and I stumbled back to our room...

''Kevin...I'm drunk" she giggled.

"Yeah, but you look good in this damn dress."I said ogling her as she sat on the bed and took her heels off..

''Kev, what was all that looking at people's hands business? You looked at Shark Dollars and then you looked at Brad's hands?" she asked me..

"I was just eliminating my suspects, that's all." I said.

"What suspects?" she asked...

"Well, I was looking for a cut on their hands...Neither one of them had it...Only persons hands I haven't seen is Brad's wife." I said.

"You gonna look at her hands too?" asked Sepia...

''I don't think I'll have to." I said and I smiled.

(Conclusion Next)

Little World Of Trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

The Next Morning, Sepia and I had scrambled Eggs and Bacon with Mimosas...(Orange Juice and Champaigne) and two hot steaming tumblers of coffee...

''Kevin....This morning when I went to get on the elevator, I saw that girl....That girl Lola...That old guy's wife. She was coming out of that loudmouth's room...Mambo...You said his name was?" she said.

''Yeah, last night, Her husband was down in the lobby with Dutchie ,looking for her..He asked me if I saw her and I lied and said I didn't." I said.

''Well..it wasn't a complete lie...You didn't see her...You heard her though." said Sepia as we both laughed our heads off.

We looked up and the happy couple was walking towards us...They didn't look happy at all!

''Where were you?...I was worried sick." said Brad.

''Really Brad?..Stop being so dramatic...It makes you sound like a woman." said Lola dryly.

"Keep it up...Keep up the lip....One of these days Lola...One of these days....POW, right in the kisser!" he said.

"Yeah right, you'd probably have a heart attack and die right after that." she said.

''My heart condition is no laughing matter." he said.

"Yeah I know...I know...neither is your erectile dysfunction either." she laughed.

He slapped her hard in the face...

Everyone got quiet.....You could hear a pin drop...

"Go ahead..say it...say you want a divorce....You won't you little gold digger because if you do...you'll wind up making your livin, starin at the ceilin, like you was when I found you...." he said and he stormed out...

She stood there and cried....Whimpered was more like it...Several men ran over to comfort her...Not me...

Sepia and I finished our meal and was getting ready to get up when I saw Dutchie talking to Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding.

''Look Shark, you gotta give me time...50G's is about all I got in the bank....You'll clean me out..." he said.

''It aint my problem....Get your boy to pay what he owes..." said Eric.

''Okay..I'll talk to him...I'll see if he can give me half." said Dutchie.

''Half? Guess you don't know huh?" laughed Shark Dollars.

"Know what?" asked Dutchie...

"He's in their now losin even more money...but that aint my problem either..it's yours...Guess he got somebody else to duke him the cash." said Shark Dollars.

''Oh hell no..let me go get him." said Dutchie as he ran towards the casino.

Sepia looked at me soulfully....

"Lover...Usually you get involved in this kind of mess...and we are supposed to be here vacationing right?" she said.

''Right...and I'm not involved in this." I said.

''Well..I have an idea...I might be able to help your friend..." she said.

"How?" I said.

She leaned over and kissed me long and passionately.....

"Trust me." she said and winked.

II-

Sepia was at the tables in a different casino ,gambling...She told me that her father had taught her to never gamble the same place two days straight...always go somewhere else..So she did....While she was doing that, I talked to a few people and I did some investigating...I know ,I know I said I wasn't getting involved in this, but I curious about the players....

First off, "Brad" was Bradley Thornton, a well heeled Black entrepeneur...who owned a franchise of hardware and appliance stores....He was 64 years old and loaded with cash....I noticed that he never gambled. Smart man!

''Lola" was Lola Gambrell -Thornton from Philadelphia...A former Stripper, a former Rapper, a former spokesperson for Lureal' , former model and former Eagles cheerleader....I could also add , ex groupie to that list also....She was 29 and had been married to Bradley Thornton , a little over a year.

Mambo Norton had been a gunman and driver for both the late Wally Gator and the now imprisoned "Big Daddy." ,He had worked as high priced muscle for the now imprisoned Johnny Porter and Eldorado Mack..Work wasn't hard to come by for him...Somebody was always willing to pay a big gorilla like him to bust somebody up or scare the hell out of someone or even kill someone..Rumor was he's killed at least two people..His suite was on our floor...It was very expensive, like ours. Sepia and I were being fronted by Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding...Who was fronting this guy?? It had to be somebody big.....Why else would he be so dismissive of a heavy like Shark Dollars and Shark Dollars almost allow him to be? , Leaning on Dutchie instead???

I called Kool Kat in Philadelphia and asked him....The big man knew what was going on in the street better than most.

''Kev...you just can't rest can you? Aint you on vacay?" laughed the Big man.

"I am..it's just that all of these people are down here and I like to know who's around me." I said.

''Yeah well...Mambo works for Fathead!" he said.

''Fathead?? Fathead Newton??" I said.

''Yeah..He drives him around...Makes sure nobody tries nothin when Fathead is at the strip clubs." said Kool Kat.

"I thought Roscoe does all of that?" I said.

''Well he does..but Roscoe and some chick are in Cancun on vacation...So Fathead hired Mambo until he comes back." said Kool Kat.

"Damn...Good help is hard to find aint it?" I laughed.

''You aint never lied..." laughed Kool Kat.

''But he's down here?" I said.

"Yeah, I know...He screwed up something here and Fathead and Ralph Mole sent him there...Told Dutchie to watch him until things cool off here." said Kool Kat.

''Damn....Oh well....That's all I wanted to know Kools, thanks." I said.

"Everything good Kev?" he asked.

''Sure is... I'll see you in a few days." I said.

"Tell Sepia I said hello." he laughed.

This explained it all...Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding was only tolerating Mambo as a favor to Fathead Newton in Philadelphia.....but even his patience was running thin...

III-

That night in our hotel room...Sepia opened a paper bag and poured it's contents out on the bed....

''WHoaaaaa...How much cash is that?" I said.

'That's $100G's...Isn't that how you street guys say it?" laughed my wife.

''You won $100G's?" I said.

"Shhhhh, don't yell it out...Someone might hear us....Yes...I was real lucky today...I won $100 grand in addition to the 75 grand I won yesterday....So here, take $50 grand and give it to your friend Dutchie....It'll get him off the hook with Shark Dollars..." she said.

"Do you know how turned on I am right now?" I said as I grabbed her and kissed her and slowly began easing my hands up under her nightie...She moved my hands and broke my embrace...

''Hmmmm, Am I doing that to you or is it the money?" she said, giving me the side eye.

"Both." I laughed.

"Well, go find your friend and give this to him..." she said.

''Okay..I will." I said.

IV-

As I hit the Boardwalk, I saw Police cars and a crowd of people , just one block off of the Boardwalk...My curiosity got the best of me....I walked over to the corner ,only to see Mambo Norton, laying in a pool of blood on the street....Someone had bashed his head in....Had Eric Shark Dollars Redding finally gotten tired of waiting to get paid back?

Dutchie was standing on the corner behind the crowd.....I walked over to him.....

"Man ,what happened?" I asked.

"Somebody killed Mambo." he said.

''You think it was Eric?" I asked.

''Who knows?" he said and shrugged his shoulders.

(To Be Continued...)

Luck Be With The Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I awoke with Sepia laying beside me....We were in a plush hotel room in Atlantic City...One of the best suites... Not one that I would have been able to afford.....It was our Wedding Anniversary...Four years...and I had called in my marker to Eric 'Shark Dollars" Redding....He had told me that if I was ever in Atlantic City..He would hook me up royally!

Turns out he was true to his word...He got us a beautiful suite overlooking the Atlantic Ocean....

I rolled over, facing her...She woke up and smiled at me...We kissed passionately for what seemed like an hour....I lifted her flimsy nightie up and slipped her panties down and mounted her slowly.....We began to make sweet early morning love...perhaps the best kind...it wasn't rushed and intense...We were just taking our time....

She was kissing my neck and the the side of my face as I gently stroked her and I was massaging her huge breasts with one hand and trying to put my tongue down her throat....Multi-tasking...We were breathing heavily and I began moving faster and faster...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned as I continued...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph."..I moaned as we continued...

Climaxing together...completely and thoroughly , but much more , mutually satisfied...

"Oh Kevin...This was the best wedding anniversary ever." she said.

''Really?? We just got here."I said...

I got up....I turned the water on in the Jacuzzi.....I opened a bottle of champaigne and I smiled...Sepia got up and followed me into the jacuzzi...We drank Champaigne and relaxed in the jacuzzi.....This was nice.. Far from the problems of Philadelphia....Or so I thought!

After awhile...Sepia got out of the jacuzzi and entered the shower next to it...It was glass and I could peep in and watch that beautiful body of hers as hot soapy water splashed on her and ran down every curve...It wasn't long before I was in the shower with her ,soaping down myself and lifting her up and on to my massive erection...thrusting wildly and kissing her passionately....

II-

Later on that day...We actually left our hotel room and ventured down to the casino floor...I decided to partake in the huge buffet..All you could eat...For a price! A price completely comped by Eric ''Shark Dollars" Redding . .our host.

Sepia decided to try her hand at the crap tables.... I had no interest or taste for gambling...Never my thing....Sepia had told me that her late father used to take her and her mother to Atlantic City...He had tried to teach her mother how to play but she wasn't interested...Sepia however was a quick student and like any daddy's girl, became engrossed in the game her father apparently could play so well.

I was in the lobby when a familiar figure walked up to me....Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding!!!

''Enjoying your stay in AC Kev?" he asked with a slight grin...

"Sure am....I can't thank you enough." I said.

"Your wife is some card shark....She's been playin for about an hour now and has already won about 25G's.." he said.

"What? She won?" I said.

''Damn skippy..She's a keeper..Fine as hell and can win money like that? How did you get so lucky Kev?" he asked.

"Believe me... everyday ,I wake up next to her and ask myself the same thing." I said.

He smiled...

''Yeah, I can imagine...Well regardless...She won't need whatever she wins...You guys money is no good here, Today...you're a guest of the bossman." he said , refferring to himself.

I wandered into the casino....Sepia was cashing in her winnings....

''Lover, I won $75,000.00 " she proclaimed happily...

''Damn woman ...you're a keeper." I joked.

'We can split it down the middle." she said.

''Nah...that's your money....you won it fair and square..you keep it." I said.

"We a couple...a unit...What's mine is yours.....and what's yours is mine." she said.

''Well if you insist." I said.

Sepia gave me a side eye and then we both busted out laughing.....

Just then we heard a loud argument going on at another crap table....

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF JOINT YOU RUNNIN HERE?? SOMEBODY CHEATIN...I'M LOSIN my SHIRT here." screamed an irate gambler....

''Dutchie...Maybe you wanna tell your friend to quit while he's ahead and shut his mouth." said Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding...

''Hey Mambo...cool it will ya? Come on let's go." said Dutchie.

Dutchie was Lionel "Dutch" Jefferson...a gambler and low level hustler from Philly....I had known him most of my life...The loudmouth was Ralph "Mambo" Norton, also from Philly...used to be a goon for Big Daddy and Wally Gator....Never liked him...

''Don't tell me what to do...I'm down 100G's here..Deal me in..." he screamed.

"Mambo, they can't give you anymore credit...you're already in hock to Shark Dollars...." said Dutchie...

A sexy young woman was watching attentively....The guy standing next to her appeared to be her husband...He looked old enough to be her grandfather...

"Come on Lola....let's go." he said.

''You go.....I want to watch Mambo." said Lola.

"Lola..I said let's go." said the man.

''Hey Brad, let her watch...aint like you got nothing for her to do in your room." shouted Mambo.

"That's my wife Mambo." shouted Brad....

"Heh,Heh, heh...she wasn't last night." said Mambo under his breath...

'What? , WHAT DID YOU SAY?" said Brad as he lunged toward Mambo....

Dutchie got in between them....

''Come on Mambo...cool it..don't start nothin in here..let's go." said Dutchie.

"Oh alright...This is a clip joint anyway." he bellowed...

"Ahem....There is the little matter of 50Gs ,I duked you." said Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding...

"50G's....that was from you?" said Mambo...

"You think I joke about money?" said Shark Dollars who looked like he was getting ready to pull a gun out!!

"Yo...Yoooo...Mambo...go wait in the car..." said Dutchie...

"Talk to your boy there..tell him who I am." laughed Mambo as he walked away....

''Eric...Eric...Don't worry about him.... Look, I wouldn't give him the time of day if it wasn't for the fact that he
was married to my cousin....I'll see that he pays you your money...He won't be a problem." said Dutchie.

''Oh he's not my problem....He's your problem....You brought him down here....I duked you the cash to give him...It's on YOU to get me my money..." said Eric Shark Dollars Redding, who walked away...

Sepia and I heard the whole thing.... Dutchie recognized me....

''Kevin... Kevin is that you?" he said.

"Yup...it's me!" I laughed...

''How long has it been? Oh mannn." he said as he shook my hands...

"It's been awhile." I said....

''And who is this?" he said ogling Sepia...

''This is my wife, Jo-Ann "Sepia" Morris." I said.

''Your wife? Wow, you got married??? It has been a longgg time....I saw her over at the table..She was dealing." He laughed.

"Yeah...I know...Find out something new about this woman everyday." I said laughing and poking my wife.

"Why are you hanging around Mambo Norton?" I asked.

''He's married to my cousin...She told me to watch out for him down here." he sighed.

''Yeah, how is that working out?" I asked...Sepia laughed to herself.

"I guess you heard...He's on the hook for 50G's....He blew 50G's of his own money and now I'm in hock to "Shark Dollars" said Dutchie.

"Listen...I'm cool with Shark Dollars...Tomorrow, I'll talk to him...Maybe I can help you out..." I said.

"Nah Kev...Stay out of this...Enjoy your anniversary with your lovely wife...I can handle this." said Dutchie.

''You heard what he said Kevin...No cases." said Sepia.

''Yeah,listen to your wife." he said.

"Okay man...See you around...Good luck." I said as Sepia and I walked arm and arm out on to the boardwalk.

III-

Sepia and I spent the rest of the day on the boardwalk, the beach, at the club....doing a little shopping and what not...As we got off of the elevator of our floor we passed a room...The bed was squeaking hard and it sounded like the headboard was slamming hard against the wall....

''OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHH GAWDDDDdd...oh goood lord Mambo,,,,,ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." came the screams from the room...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh LOLA...ohhhhhhhhhhhhh girl, give it to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...ummmmmmmmmmmmppppppppppppppppppppppppph...give me moreeeeeee.."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Mambo...lay that pipe...lay that pipeeeeee...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I'm losing my mindd.. I'm losing my mind in this bed.....arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." she yelled....

Sepia and I giggled and looked at each other...It was the loudmouthed hood who was losing at the crap table a few hours earlier and what sounded like the young woman, whose husband disapproved....We just shook our heads and went back to our room...Where we joined them in coital bliss..

"Ohhhhhh Kevin....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." moaned Sepia...

"Ouuuu girl you feel so damn good." I moaned as we made sweet love and our bed began to squeak!

IV-

A few hours later...I was downstairs on the casino floor....I saw the older gentleman, Brad with Dutchie...They were walking and talking when they saw me....

''Hey Kev... What are you doing down here?" asked Dutchie...

"Just getting some air...." I said.

"Have you seen my wife?" asked the older gentleman, Brad...

"Your wife?? Uh..er...No......" I said, lying through my teeth.

"You sure?" he asked, visibly angry...

"Brad, have you seen his wife? I doubt he was even thinking about anything else." laughed Dutchie..

''Oh..yeah...yeah...the sexy chick that was winning all of the money at the crap table earlier..Wow...That's your wife? Mannnn, you better lock her down with a lock and key...What are you doing down here alone?" he joked.

We all laughed...

''If I find out she was with your loud mouth friend Dutchie....Shark Dollars won't have to kill him...I will." he snarled...

Yup...It was time for me to get back on the elevator and head to my room.

(To Be Continued....)

Everybody Needs Love

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Girl I saw you in the club the other night...
and try as I might..
I got very little conversation from you...
You say-
"Boy stop sweatin me...Thanks for the drink..
but please let me be."
Ouuu I'm scared of you.

You try so hard but everybody sees through you...
somebody broke your heart, just as you think every other guy means to do..
Same ole thing..
but wait a minute, can a brother get just a minute of your time?
See, everybody needs love./

You see.
Everybody needs love
Even you...
Everybody needs somebody to hold em tight...
and tell em that everything is gonna be alright...
Everybody needs love....
yeah...even you./

I don't have to come by your house tonight...
but check this out..
while we are sitting here in the dark by this candle light...
Let me try
to wipe those tears..
from your lovely brown eyes...
because like I said...
Everybody needs love./

Yeah girl, even you.
Everybody needs love
Even you...
Everybody needs somebody to hold em tight...
and tell em that everything is gonna be alright...
Everybody needs love....
yeah...even you./

You walk down the street like you're angry with the world...
but like I told you
You're not fooling anyone, pretty girl...
Oh you pretend to be so cool...
and all the time you waste turnin guys away..
telling your girls that you're sick and tired of the little
games they play...
They all got men and in the end...
You are the biggest fool....
Because all you are is alone , with your silly rules../

Much sooner than later baby
you'll get tired of playing hide and go seek...
Desperation will drive you to play the game for keeps...
and baby I might not be around
so you better cut to the chase...
What you need is ripe and ready to be found...
There is no award for second place../

Right now
you say that you don't..
but you and I know that you do...
You need a body in that cold and lonely bed next to you...
and girl-

Everybody needs love
Even you...
Everybody needs somebody to hold em tight...
and tell em that everything is gonna be alright...
Everybody needs love....
yeah...even you./

I don't even want your cell phone number...
(Not now..)
just let me help you come from under that cloud you've been under...

Everybody needs love...

Yeah, even you.

(Original artwork by Laurie Cooper
Poetry by Keith)

I Got A Right To Sing The Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

It was a rainy Thursday Morning...Two weeks after John's Funeral...I was driving towards Robert Foxworth's office , when I happened to pass by Conchita Williams's house....

Kool Kat was leaving her house...She was at the door in a very sheer nightgown that left nothing and I mean nothing to the imagination...she was waving goodbye and he was smiling gingerly...It was 7:30 AM....I guess she has gotten over her grief at losing John.

Hadn't it been just two weeks before that I'd seen Owen Todd leaving her house after he'd delivered coffee ,doughnuts and flowers??? These two were amazing I thought to myself.

Kool Kat got in his car and pulled off...I guess he didn't see me..Didn't matter..I had other business...

Once in Robert Foxworth's office the conversation began...

''Police make any headways in catching Dale?" he asked..

"None...Neither have I...I spoke to his Father over in Camden and his mother in Southwest Philly and his sister in Chester....They gave me an address in Baltimore...I went down there last week...He had already gone...I questioned a few folks and found a house in D.C. By the time I got there..He had already left." I said wearily....

''Damn man..that's rough..He'll turn up somewhere I'm sure." said Robert.

"Well that's why I'm here...I have his cell phone number...I gave it to your guy in Telephone Security....He knows someone at this guy's provider...If he's still using the same phone and I hope he is...They can pinpoint just where he is...and hopefully,I can find him." I said.

"Damn man...Remind me never to piss you off...You'll search the ends of the earth for me." laughed Robert Foxworth....

Chance Howard walked in just as we were laughing with an envelope for me...

"We found him Kev..Your hunch was right....He's still using that phone...and guess where he is? In Miami." said Chance Howard...

''Well I'll be damned...Our boy does live good doesn't he?" I said.

"How you gonna find him? Miami is a big place.." asked Robert..

"I'll find a way." I said with a smile...

"I know you will." he said and laughed.

II-

Miami,Florida, 3 days later-

I was in Miami...South Beach...alone! I should have brought Sepia along...But I didn't...I didn't plan to be here that long. The first night, I enjoyed the night life...The Clubs and what not...but the next day..I went to work. I had two photos of Dale Evans...and since he was a nurse...I figured he'd be working in a hospital or a clinic..

I scoured the area hospitals and clinics with my photos of him....and within 48 hours...my legwork paid off...I found him! He was working in a Small community clinic and using another name- "John Clarke" The irony of it made me laugh....

I watched him from afar and I followed him in a little rental car.....He had a nice little bungalow in Liberty City that he was renting....I watched him go to work...leave, go to a bar , have a few drinks and leave again....I decided that the best way to do this would be to meet him at his home...I had hoped he would come easily...

I had had Sissy Van Buren to call the Chief of Detectives here and to tell them that I was in town and what I was in town for... I recalled that it rained something terrible my last day in town....I waited patiently and then around four in the afternoon it stopped and the sun came out...It was a serenely warm afternoon...About 75 degrees...Balmy.....

I walked up to his little house and rang the doorbell.....There was an eerie silence...Then nothing! Finally...I decided to go and come back...When I turned around there was Dale staring at me and smiling...He was wearing a tropical shirt and a straw hat and sunglasses..He also had a gun pointed at me....

"Hello Kevin....Welcome to Miami." he said.

"Hey Dale...Look...Listen, let's not do this." I said.

''No...Let's not...Go on inside...Go On...I got neighbors." He said as he waved the gun at me..

I walked inside...

"You really should have left this alone Kev....I mean I left the city....My Father, My Mother and my sister told me that you were lookin for me....I figured it would only be a matter of time before you found me...." he said.

"Dale man look...I know the whole story ...She told me...I know that she used you...She uses everybody..." I said.

"Nah, you don't know...I've seen your wife...She's sexy as hell...You're a lucky man...You should be back in Philly making love to her non-stop..Instead you down here huntin me....." he said. For once...I agreed with him...I wished I had never come down here.

"All your boys..Robert Foxworth, Clerow, Chance, Harry Charles...all of em got sexy ass wives or girlfriends..Me? I had nothin...Nothin but a girl that used me...that strung me along..." he snapped.

''I know...I know the whole story...but you killed a man....a man who was just like you, being used..." I said.

"He didn't look like he was being used to me." he said.

''Man, right now...She's laying up with one of my friends..and stringing along another and John's body aint cold in the ground yet." I said.

"So what, you come down here to tell me that?" he said.

"Dale...you killed a man." I said.

"You shoulda left this alone Kev...I liked you,I like your wife....but she's about to be a widow and you're going to be the subject of one of those missing person shows...No one is ever gonna find you...Now open up that basement door...Go ahead..open it." he said... He reached in my coat pocket and took my .38 smokeless and then reached in the small of my back and took my .22...He had done his homework...

"Come on Man." I said.

"No...you come on...open that door...and get on down there...I'll make it fast and painless Kev...you won't feel a thing, I promise." he said.

As I walked to the door...I noticed that it was one of those doors that opened from both ways....

"This is one of those new fangled doors isn't it." I said to him.

''Yeah...Yeah...Now open it and let's go." he barked..

"Okayyy, if you insist." I said and I used every bit of strength I had to swing that door hard into his face, breaking his nose!!!!

He screamed in anguish and his gun went off!! The bullet hit his foot....he tossed the gun up in the air and yelled-

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW MAMA BABY!!!!!!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT.......I'VE BEEN SHOT!!! ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!"

And he fell to the floor...blood gushing from both his nose and his foot......I leaned over and confiscated my two guns from him and I took a hankercheif and lifted up his gun....I looked down at him and just shook my head...

"Sorry about that Dale....Sometimes life just plays out hard like that!" I said.

EPILOUGE-

The Miami Police came and arrested Dale Evans...He was extradited to Philadelphia to stand trial for the murder of John Edmundson.....He was convicted of First Degree Murder and sentenced to Life.

Sepia and I were sitting in Josies talking to Gus and having drinks one night when Kool Kat walked in..he saw us and he came and patted me on the back.....

"Hey Kev...heard you got your man....I seen him on the news....broken nose and foot in a cast..You really busted him up...Good...Cause I woulda done worse if I had of gotten my hands on him." he said with a laugh.

''You really taking this personal aren't you?" I said. Sepia and Gus laughed to themselves when I said that.

''Nah...It's just..she's a nice girl...I was just talkin to her the other day...I hate to see someone like that mess over a nice girl like that." said Kool Kat... I just shook my head...Sepia gave him a mad side eye and Gus just chuckled...

Owen Todd walked in next and walked over to us...He slapped me on the back....

"My man Kev...you got that sucka...Hey Gus...drinks for Kev and Sepia on me." he said.

"Feelin good tonight eh Junior?" said Gus...

''Pretty much." He said.

While we were all there....Conchita Williams walked in, arm and arm with another man!!! He was brownskinned, tall, had on a beautiful tailor made suit and a panama hat and sunglasses. Kool Kat and Owen Todd's mouths dropped...

"Hey Kevin...Hey Sepia......This is my new fella, Bently Worthington....He owns a car dealership in Jersey..." she said ....

I smiled....Sepia looked very surprised.....Kool Kat and Owen Todd sat looking stunned...

"Oh and this is Walter and this is...uh what did you say your name was?" she asked.

"OWEN...OWEN TODD." he spat!

''Oh yeah ,Owen." she said.

"Pleased to meet you....Come on girl..let's get some wings and a booth...I'm famished ." he said...

"Ohhh Bently...you are soooo voracious." she cooed...

"You aint seen nothin yet...wait til I get you back to your crib." he laughed...

"Ouuuuuuuuu, you so baddddddd." she gushed...."Oh well, see you guys later....Sepia...call me girl." she said.

''Alright baby." said Sepia.

Kool Kat stood up and stomped his foot, tossed a few dollars on the bar and stormed out!!!! Owen Todd banged his fist on the bar, tossed a few dollars on the bar and stormed out too.... I was bent over laughing...So was Sepia.....

Gus was perplexed.....He looked at us both...

"What was eatin them?" he asked...

I looked at Gus with water in my eyes from laughter....

''Woman problems."

Gus looked at me and Sepia...then he looked at Conchita and Bentley and then he got it! He busted out laughing.....In fact, He, Sepia and I laughed the rest of the night!

(For SLC)

What Is Done In The Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren and I sat in the Medical Examiner's Office drinking two large tumblers of coffee and talking..

"Kevin, those four bottles of Profoful you found in the waste basket at John and Conchita's home didn't have any fingerprints on them at all...but the needle had blood on it...Enough for us to get a DNA sample....It's John's blood." she said.

"Hmmm, so that proves nothing huh?" I asked...

"Only that it looks suspicious that those bottles were in the waste basket...That stuff is not supposed to be for public consumption." she said.

Just then, Dr. Faustus walked out into the foyer..He looked at both of us and winced...

"You know...I did a preliminary autopsy yesterday and everything looked normal ,like this guy died of natural causes..I was going to sew him up and call it a day..Until your guy here brought these bottles of pro to me...Then I took another look...I found a pin prick..a small puncture mark under his armpit....and then we did a tox report...Found enough propoful in his system to drop a horse... He was a healthy guy....No way he should have gone into cardiac arrest...He was helped out of this world Sissy." he said.

"So this is a homicide?" she asked..

"Yes indeed...No way any anesthesiologist would have given any patient this much pro...This was criminally administered.....And whoever did this , did this well..Almost got away with it...Their mistake was leaving the bottles behind." he said.

Sissy looked at me..I went in my pocket and pulled out "exhibit B"

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a bill of sales from West Philly Locksmith.....It's a duplicate of the house keys for John and Conchita's house....I know for a fact that Bonita Foxworth gave the keys to Dale Evans for him to give to Conchita....I have an eyewitness who saw him having a duplicate key made and he made another mistake....He used his debit card to pay for the keys being made." I said.

"And all this means what?" she asked.

"That's how he got in the house...He didn't break in..He let himself in....No telling how long he had been hidden in their house , waiting for Conchita to leave....John was probably asleep and he slipped into his bedroom and injected him, then let himself out and locked the doors." I said.

"Well Kevin, this is very slim, but enough to get a warrant...." she said.

"Dale Evans hired me to investigate Conchita, before I knew who she was or her relationship to my wife...just weeks before....I told him that there was another man in the picture...He didn't take that well..When they came over my house...and she announced that she was getting engaged..He didn't take it well at all...I'll testify to that." I said.

"So this was a romantic rivalry?" she asked.

"Nah...Only in his mind...She told him she was seeing another man..." I said.

"And nothing went down between them? Sounds like he had a reason to believe that he was being shortchanged." said Sissy...

"Nah..I think he is delusional." I said.

"Does your wife know that you were working for Dale?" asked Sissy.

"She does now...I sat both her and Conchita down and told them all about me working for him and investigating Conchita before I knew their relationship...." I said.

"How did they take it?" she asked.

''They good with it..Neither of them blames me for this." I said.

"A lot of people would have kept that a sceret." she mused.

"I don't keep secrets from my wife and I wanted everything out in the open." I said.

"You're a good man Kevin Morris...You're the kind of man I wished I'd of been married to." she said, flashing that sexy grin of hers....I smiled and continued to sip my coffee.

II-

I drove by Conchita's House....Just as I was getting out of the car, I saw Owen Todd leaving the house....

"Oh Owen , this was sooo kind of you.." said Conchita..

"Don't mention it doll...Anything you need...anything, you feel free to call me.." said Owen Todd...

"I certainly will." said Conchita...

Owen Todd walked past me and smiled sheepishly...

"Oh..Hey Kev." he laughed.

"Hey man." I said as I walked inside...

My wife Sepia was there..... On the table was two huge tumblers of hot coffee and a box of a dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts....

"Heyyy Lover..Wasn't this nice of Owen? He brought Conchita and me coffee and doughnuts and look at that bouquet of flowers he sent?" she gushed.

"And Walter Jones sent me that bouquet of flowers over there." said Conchita. Sepia just hung her head and smiled wryly at the mention of Kool Kat's name.

"Yeah..Yeah...That sure was....nice of them." I said... My goodness, John was still in the morgue, funeral arrangements hadn't been made yet and Kool Kat and Owen Todd were putting the moves on her...Mannnn! I thought.

"So what did you find out ?" asked Conchita....

"It was murder....John was injected with enough profoful to kill a horse, the ME said...Somebody was in this house or came in this house after you left and injected John in his sleep...He was dead within a half an hour...." I said.

"Oh my God....Oh my Godddddd, Johnnnnnnnnnnn...." said Conchita as she began to sob....

I felt bad....Sepia walked over to me, put her arms around me.....

"If it makes you feel any better...Clerow, Owen Todd and I have gone door to door asking anybody if they saw anything...We've talked to thirty people..No one saw anybody enter your house...but we are still looking...I've got a receipt from the locksmith and a witness who saw Dale have your housekey duplicated.. and I gave it to the police...A warrant has been issued for his arrest." I said.

"Ohhhh, I can't beleive Dale would do this....I can't believe it..We had an understanding." she said.

''An understanding? What are you talking about?" asked my wife Sepia...Taking the words out of my mouth...

"I mean..We were just friends..He just took things too far." she said.

"Took what too far?" I asked.

"At first I thought he was just being nice....He'd always remember my birthday..send me a card....Send me flowers just because....If I was having a stressful day, He'd buy me coffee and a muffin or a bagel.....When I didn't have a man, he was great to hang out with..We went to movies....He didn't mind going to chick flicks,We'd sit up all hours just talking..We'd got to breakfast, lunch..sometimes dinner....He was just a real nice guy." she said, still sobbing..

"And somehow he got the idea that there was more right? Well I could see that...You were together a lot." I said.

"No Kevin..Sepia..There's more..Something I didn't tell you." she said.

"Oh Conchita no." said Sepia...

"I was seeing this guy named Claxton for awhile...We broke up...I was devestated..So I called Dale...He came over with some wine...We killed the whole bottle and he held me in his arms..Told me that everything was going to be alright...Well, The Ojays was playing on the ipod dock...and the wine and next thing I know...My clothes was off and Dale and I were making love on the couch....Not once..but about seven times in that one night...And it was good...Dale was a very warm and loving man.....I should have never gone there with him....but I did....And then there were a few other times...When I was just feeling lonely...I'd call Dale and he'd come over and you know warm my buns for me....But then I stopped...I told him no more...That I couldn't do this with him anymore because I didn't see him like that..He was my friend...My brother..That was about a year ago....He never got over it.....That was around the time I started seeing John." she said.

"So that was all an act at my house right?" I said.

"Yeah." she confessed.

"You know...He never mentioned your sex life , the entire time I was in his employ..Just that he loved you and he was sure there was another man in the picture...He didn't know did he?" I asked.

"No...Well, he had a feeling,but he didn't have a name." said Conchita..She frowned-"Dale,always the gentleman."

"Yeah....He was good like that." I smirked.

Sepia and I left and drove home.... After I took her home...I got in my car and drove to Philadelphia Homicide....

Sissy was standing on the rooftop of her building..She passed me a cup of coffee as I approached...

"Sissy, you were right...There was something more between them...It seems they had a sexual relationship the year before....She broke it off, but he apparently didn't take that too well." I said.

"I knew it was.." she said.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"I'm a woman...I know these things." she said with a smile...

I sipped my coffee.... Indeed!

(CONCLUSION NEXT!)

Then Suddenly Death

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

A month later....Clerow asked me if I could do him a favor...He and some of the guys who worked for him were doing some light construction on one of the properties he was renting...He had to go out and supervise the work...He asked me if I could drive Corabeth and the kids to Children's Hospital....It was time for them to get their shots.. It was a day when I wasn't actually at the office and I wasn't on a case either...I was just chilling..So I said sure..

I picked Corabeth and the kids up at 8:30 am...Sepia was with me...We drove them to Children's Hospital...

"Thank you so much for picking us up Kevin...Clerow has the only car." said Corabeth..

"Oh no problem at all Corrie..." I said.

"I need a car...with these two kids and Clerow said that he's going to get me one." she said.

"Tell you what Corrie...Next time I bail Rollie Rollerson out of some kind of jam...I'll see what I can do." I joked.

Sepia, who knew what I was talking about...laughed....Corabeth apparently did not...

''It's worked for us quite well Corrie...Sepia and I both owe our expensive cars to Rollie's indescretions and have you seen Ralph Scallion's new car? Same thing." I laughed...

Corabeth now got what I was talking about...She howled with laughter....

''Rollie better learn to keep it in his pants." she said.

"Well at least after you get your new car." I said....

We all howled with laughter....

We took Corrie and the children to the hospital and we sat in the lobby......Conchita Williams walked by us...She was on her cell phone.. Sepia got her attention.....

"Hey girl....what are you doing here?" she asked...

"Sepia!!!, Kevin.....I should be asking YOU that.....Something I should know?" she asked ,giving me the side eye...

''Uhhhh, er no...we are waiting for Corabeth and the Kids.....Clerow, needed the car this morning, so we brought them here." I said.

Sepia and Conchita laughed.....

"It's a wonder though that I'm not pregnant....He's all over me." she joked...."You workin here?"she asked.

"Yeah...Just started last week....I love it...Pay is great." said Conchita.

"So...when are you two crazy kids gettin hitched?" I asked.

"In a few months....." she said. She dialed her cell phone again....

"John get a job yet?" asked Sepia...

"Not yet, but he's been goin hard....I'm sure he'll get something.....Funny thing...I've been calling the house phone all morning and he hasn't answered....." she said.

"He's probably out looking for a job.." I said.

"Well I called his cell phone and it's been going straight to voicemail....and I texted him two or three times...That's not like him...My car is in the shop and I need him to pick me up after work." she said.

"Maybe his battery is dead...I'm sure there is a logical explanation." I said.

"Hey...I know it feels good to be away from that nutty guy Dale you brought to our house?" joked Sepia, changing the subject a bit....

"You know...It really had nothing to do with him...I had been trying to get here at Childrens for a while...but Dale quit his job before I left the other hospital." she said.

''Oh Really?" I asked... I hadn't thought of him since that day we had helped them move in...

"Yeah..He quit and moved out of his place....didn't say a word to me." she shrugged...

"Wow...he was nuts about you.....or let's say...just plain nuts.." laughed Sepia....

Just then Conchita's cell phone went off!

"This is probably John......No...it's his brother George." she said.

"Hey George...What's up? No...I haven't heard from him since I left for work...He was asleep so I took the subway and the bus....I called him too...both lines...I texted him too!...Yes...You drove past our house? Nobody answered?? Well maybe he's out!!! What? The car is still on the street?? Really??" Oh okay..I'll
let you know..Okay...Bye." she said and hung up.

Sepia and I both thought that something didn't sound right.......Just then , Corabeth and her two kids came into the lobby...

''Heyyy Conchita..right?" she said.

"Yes....Oh look at the precious darlings.." Conchita said looking at Clerow and Corrie's toddler daughter and baby son...

''Hey look Conchita....I'll take Sepia and Corrie and the kids home...If you haven't heard from John by the time you get off...Give me a call and I'll come and pick you up." I said.

"Oh Thank you Kev." she said.

II-

We dropped Corrie and the kids off...Then Sepia and I swung by Conchita and John's house... I asked several of the neighbors if they had seen John at all today....No one could say that they had seen him....We walked up to the porch...There was mail piled up....The lights were out and there was no sign or sound of a radio, a television or music playing....The door was locked solidly...Yet John's car was on the street...

Sepia studied the car.....

"No keys in it...Just a half drunk cup of coffee and a magazine that's all." she said.

I rang the bell and I knocked on the door....Nothing!!! Sepia called the house phone and John's cell phone....
Nothing! I had a bad feeling about this...We went home...

''Kevin...I don't like this...Something feels like ...like..." she said.

"Like what?" I asked..

"Like something evil is amiss." she said. I felt the same way, but I didn't want her to panic...

"Nah...I'm sure there is a reasonable answer for this...Maybe he went out by foot." I said.

Sepia looked at me funny...She knew that I didn't believe a word of what I'd just said.

Two hours went by and Conchita called us at home....

"Kevin...I still haven't heard from John....I texted him again....I called his cell and I called him at home and he hasn't answered...This is not like him...Could you come and get me?" she asked.

''Sure... I'm on my way." I said.

''Kevin...Can I go with you?" asked Sepia.."I'm concerned for my friend." she said.

"Okay babes...Let's go." I said.

We picked Conchita up and drove to her house...She rang the doorbell and there was still no answer..Finally Conchita put her key in the door and we entered the house...She called John's name out! There was no answer...

Sepia and I looked around....There was no sign of a struggle ...No sign of any disruption...Everything looked pretty normal....The kitchen was clean....The living room was , as they had left it....No sign that anyone was here at all!!

"Let's look upstairs.." I said.

The three of us walked upstairs....I checked the bathroom and the shower...Nothing...Clean as a whistle....

"Our bedroom door is closed....We never close it." said Conchita.....''Oh My God." she said and put her hands over her mouth....

I walked past both women and tried the door...There was no resistance...It cracked open....And there was John...Under the covers, with one arm hanging down towards the floor...He looked like he was sleeping....But I touched the body and it was cold...and stiff as a board....I felt his neck and his arm for a pulse... There was none...I turned him over to check for breathing...None...John was dead! I was certain of it...

"JOHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...." screamed Conchita ,with a death defying heart curdling yell that still haunts my dreams!!!!! "Oh no...Nooooo...We were supposed to get married....JOHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...." she screamed...

Sepia grabbed her and held her tight...as she screamed, trembled and cried...

I looked around the room....There was no sign of a struggle and no sign of any fighting or foul play..No blood, no bruises on John's body at all...If I didn't know better...It looked like he had died of natural causes...

III-

An Ambulance came , as did a police car.... John Edmundson, age 35 was declared dead at the scene....His brother , George was there , along with Conchita, Sepia and I....

The Medical Examiner said to me-

"Looks like he died of natural causes...No bruising on his body....No sign of any kind of struggle...It looks like he died in his sleep...But we won't know until we do an autopsy." he said.

I asked George....

"Does Heart disease run in your family?" I asked...

"No man..Nah...John was as healthy as a bull...We rode Bikes everyday..and we ran laps...John didn't eat red meats ,didn't smoke...Drank a few beers..but he was healthy as a bull." he said.

"John made love to me , like four times last night....and this morning when I was getting dressed, he grabbed me and through me down on the bed and had a quickie with me....He was trying to get some more after I got dressed..but I told him that I had to go to work...He said that he was going to an interview ...a job interview and that he was pretty sure he was going to get this job....That was the last thing he said to me." she said.

"What time was that?" I asked...

"Like six in the morning.." she said.

''So he was alive and up when you left?" I asked.

"Yes.." she sobbed...

"A young healthy guy like that...just dies...It doesn't make any sense." I said to George.

''No it don't...Maybe he exerted himself too much with the sex...and his heart gave out...I don't know." said George...

"Well, we'll wait for the coroner's report." I said.

I wandered back in the kitchen and I just happened to look in the trash can....I saw four empty bottles ...The kind that drugs ...Hospital drugs are kept in...and a needle...That looked very strange....I went in her cubbard and found some zip lock bags...I carefully collected the four bottles and the needle..and put them in the zip lock bags...I tucked them away in my coat pocket.....Maybe...Just maybe...There was a clue here....

(DEFINITELY....TO BE CONTINUED....)

Moving Day

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Three weeks after that disasterous dinner , Clerow and Harry Charles rented two U-haul trucks and moved Conchita's stuff to the new house that she was renting to buy from Bonita and my wife, Sepia....Robert Foxworth, Chance Howard, Owen Todd and Sean Jackson were already at the house, along with myself...We unloaded the trucks and took the furniture and belongings inside and arranged them just the way Conchita wanted them....Sepia, Bonita, Bernadette, Corabeth , Sheila and Anita had picked up take out platters of Pancakes, sausage, Eggs, bacon, Hash browns and hot tumblers of coffee for all of us guys who were moving and helping out.. They were helping out too...inside.

"I can't thank you guys enough for all of your help. I would have never of gotten this done this fast by myself." said Conchita.

''Sure you would ...I told you that I could have handled this by myself...you didn't need all of these people." said Dale Evans.... (Yes...He was there too...doing more talking than actually working.)

Owen Todd, Clerow and I shot him a side eye.....Robert Foxworth and Sean Jackson just ignored him...

"Dale...I don't want to hear what you would've done....okay? These people are doing it now...In fact, why are you even here?" said Conchita....

"I picked up your keys from Miss Bonita...You probably forgot didn't you?" he said as he tossed her the keys.

''Oh!...Well thank you." said Conchita.

"I want John to have a house already set up for him when he gets here...with his stuff...." said Conchita.

''Yeah , everything for John!" smirked Dale... Conchita and Sepia just glared at him and walked away.

II-

Just then a gray 2011 BMW pulled up in front of the house....Inside was a six foot four, brown skinned Black man with wavy hair and an ear ring in his left ear....It was John...The man I'd seen in the video....

Conchita's eyes lit up!

"John....What are you doing up here? I wanted to surprise you?" she gushed...

''Surprise me? You texted me yesterday about this." he said.

"Text you? I didn't text you." she said.

''Sure you did...When I get a minute...I'll show you." he said... My brother is coming up with the UHaul..He's just a block or two behind me." he said.

"Oh Johnnnn." she gushed....''Hey Guys...This is my fiance John.. John, this is my girl, Sepia...she used to babysit me back in West Orange....and this is her husband Kevin.....and his friends, Sean, Owen, Clerow, Robert , Harry and Chance.....This is Bernadette, Harry's wife, Sheila, Sean's Wife, Corrie, Clerow's wife and Anita....Chance's girlfriend and Corrie's younger sister and Miss Bonita and her husband, Robert.." she said.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." He said..

He seemed like a pleasant enough fellow. I looked around and I noticed that Dale Evans was nowhere to be found!!!!!! I walked down the street...His car was gone too...I hadn't even heard him pull off!

John's brother, George pulled up in a U-haul a few minutes later and we began unloading his things and helping them set things up....It wasn't hard work...but it did take up a Saturday...

After we finished...John and George shook our hands....

"Hey Kevin...Thanks for all of you and your friends help....You know, I used to live here...Any place to get some cold beers and some hot wings?" He asked.

Robert, Sean, Clerow and Chance all smiled....

''Boy do I know a place just for that." laughed Harry Charles....

"Hey ladies...We are gonna take John and George to Josies....You guys are welcome to come." I said.

"No, you go on..We have girl talk to do." said Sepia....

With that, we all sighed a sigh of relief...This time , we didn't actually want them to come, but I felt as if I should at least make the offer...

With that , Clerow, Harry,Owen, Sean, Robert Foxworth, Chance and I all got in our cars and led John and George to Josies for some beers, hot wings ,pizza and Football....

As we headed there...I noticed Dale's car heading back in the direction of the girls....I wondered why he was going back there...I wondered where he had gone to? I certainly understood why he didn't want to meet John...I just wish he wouldn't torture himself so...

At Josies....We all ran into Chris Thompson, Donald Smooth and Chess....Upon seeing us they all broke out into laughter....

''Boys afternoon out eh?" Laughed Chris...

"You know it." I laughed...

"Hey Gus...Two Pizzas and two orders of 16 assorted Bufallo wings....and drinks for all of us...On me." laughed Chris.....

"Hey Thanks man." I said as we all introduced John and George and sat down at two large tables. We watched two different football games on the two flat screen tv's that Gus had recently installed.

Kool Kat wandered in with Lockpick Johnson a little while later...They came up to me as I was at the bar ordering beers..

"Hey Kev....You know that guy ...that last client of yours? " he asked...

"Yeah, Dale ..What about him?" I asked.

"I saw him at the locksmith's yesterday..." he said.

''Oh yeah..He was picking up the keys to Conchita's place." I said.

"Nah...He got those keys from Bonita...He was having keys made." he said,

"Having Keys made?" I asked.

"Yeah and I wondered why, since ,you know..she told me that it wasn't nothin up between them." he said.

"Hold up...she told YOU, that there was nothing up? How do you even know her?" I asked.

"Well..she was in Ciros one night and I was there and we got to talkin...and then I run into her in the Aqua Bar and she looked like she had a little game, so you know...She and I got to talkin some more and then I seen him with her and I remembered that you was doing some work for him...and I uh asked her if they was kickin it and she said no...they was just friends.." he said.

"Don't you have a woman?" I asked.

''Yeah, but I aint got a ring on my finger." he said.

I just laughed.....Kool Kat was too much...

''Anyway..if I was you Kev..I'd keep my eye on that cat...He worries me." said Kool Kat.

Dale was starting to worry me too!

(To Be Continued...)

Small World

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

My client....a young guy named Dale Evans sat with me as I darkened the lights and cued up the Wide Flat screen televison monitor in my office...

''Dale are you sure you want to see this?" I asked.

''Yes Kevin...this is what I paid you to find out for me." he said.

I had followed a young lady named Conchita Williams for about a week and had found out little that my client, Dale Evans hadn't already told me about her..She was 32 years old, a Philadelphia resident, a graduate of Temple University and a nurse....Originally from West Orange, New Jersey..Which is where my wife Sepia hailed from... She had a nice apartment, no children, single, paid her taxes and voted on a regular basis..She owned a 2009 Red Toyota Camry....

Dale Evans was a male nurse at the same hospital where Conchita Williams was also a nurse...He had told me that he was very interested in Conchita...but he feared that another man was somewhere in the picture..He was absolutely right..Though it had taken me some time to actually find this man.

The video came on and a tall, muscular brown skinned man opened the door and appeared to throw her up against the wall....

"What are you doing here so late John?" she says....

"I don't have time for no questions...I need you...just open your legs up and give me some." he says...

"Ouuuuuu, you are sooo demanding....and soo horny..." she coos and smiles...

He pulls her to him and begins kissing her passionately...she puts her arms around his neck and returns the passionate kissing....

"Ohhhhhhh girllllll.....I been dreaming about this all day longggggg.." he moans...

"Oh shut up John, you were just up here last weekend.." she said.

"I didn't get enough.." he moaned...

He squeezed one of her breasts gently and then appeared to run one of his hands up her nightgown and massage between her legs....

"Ohhhhh John....Johnnnnnn...JOHNNNNNNNNNNNNN...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she moaned...

His brings his hand up to her face...His hand appears to be wet and she licks the juices from his hand.....

"Ummmmmmm Conchita....ohhhhhhhhhh..." he moans....

He pulls her off of the wall by her breasts and pulls out a condom and tears it open and tosses the wrapper on the floor....He lifts her up and enters into her body with a force....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....Johnnnn...oooohhhhhhhhhhh." she screams as he makes love to her against the wall....

He bends her over the couch and begins to enter her from behind....making gutteral noises from the motherland....

This goes on for a good length of time and finally she cums...very loudly and he explodes with a roar I'm sure her neighbors heard as well as her dead ancestors!!!!

"Ouuuuu...John..you really put it to me...ohhhhhhh...." she said as she collapsed and he fell over to the side of the couch....

"I needed it sooo bad baby.....I feel sooo much better now....ouuuuu." he said.

He began putting his clothes back on...

''Where you goin?...You gonna drive back down to Virginia...tonight?" she said.

''Yeah...I gotta get the last bit of my business settled and then I'm gone come back up, find a place and maybe move you in with me..." he laughed....

"So you drove all the way up here just for a booty call?" she laughed.

"The best kind baby...but I can't get with this long distance love.." he said.

"Me neither boo..." I can't wait until you're up here with me." she said and began kissing him long and passionate again...

(Click!)

"That's it Dale....That's it...after three weeks of following this babe and learning everything and nothing about her her , that is it...She had one visitor...a guy named John Edwardson...and they did the wild thing in her apartment." I said.

Dale smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand...

"I knew it...I knew she was seeing someone else!" he spat.

''Someone else? She's NOT SEEING YOU!!! She's not your wife, she's not your girlfriend...She's just someone you like ..and you paid me 2 and a half G's to get evidence of a booty call? A waste of money if you ask me." I said.

"Well I didn't ask you Kevin...I just wanted to know where I stand." he said.

"I think you knew where you stood when you asked me to shadow her...but oh well, it's your dough....Sorry you had to see that." I said.

"No it's okay....Now I know what I have to do...Love her better,send more flowers, send more cards, dedicate myself to her more than I have.." he said.

I looked at him and gave him the side eye...I wanted to say more...but I didn't....I knew that none of those things was going to get him this woman....

At any rate...I had made some easy money!

II-

A week later, I came home from work....My actual job as a writer and editor at Hype magazine...I had bought a bottle of wine...Sepia was preparing Chicken Marsala and Spaghetti in the kitchen...I noticed two other places were set...

"Smells good Sepia..." I said...

"Thanks....I hope you like it..." she said.

''Who's coming over, Robert and Bonita? , Clerow and Corabeth? " I asked.

''Neither...It's a young woman who is about to graduate from Nursing School, who is renting a property from us." she said.

"Oh really? You always have your clients over for dinner?" I joked as I put two extra wine glasses on the table.

''No...but this person is from my hometown of West Orange , New Jersey...she's like a little sister..I used to watch her when she was small. I can't believe how grown up she is now." said Sepia, gushing.

I smiled...''Well I hope they get here soon...I'm hungry." I said jokingly....Just then...The doorbell rang.

"Could you get that Kev?" said Sepia.

''Sure thing babe." I said.

When I opened the door, my eyes got as huge as saucers!!!! It was Conchita Williams and she was with my former client, Dale Evans...He was just as astonished as I was!!!!

''Hi....You must be Kevin.....Jo-Anne's Husband...She's told me a lot about you." she said.

''That's funny...she's told me absolutely nothing about you.....though I feel like I already know you." Giving Dale the side eye.

"Awwwww." she said and gave me a big hug...

Sepia came to the door....

''Conchita?? Conchita?? Is that you??" she squealed as the two women hugged each other and laughed.....

"Oh my God Sepia....you married!!! and you have such a nice home and what looks like such a good man." she laughed...

"Oh Kevin...He aighhht!" joked Sepia as the three of us laughed....

"And this must be John....Big John that you've been telling me about ? said Sepia pointing to Dale...

Nothing could be further from the truth...The man I saw on that video was about six four, athletic build...brown skinned...Dale Evans was about five feet, six inches...Just an inch taller than Conchita Williams..No way he was Big anything. I mused.

"Oh noooo...Noooo...This is my co-worker, Dale....He works at the hospital with me....We just friends..No John is in Virginia...He's coming up in a few weeks." said Conchita. Dale grimaced at the mention of that. I gave him a stern look...He turned his face away.

This was very uncomfortable... Here I'd seen this girl naked...Seen her making love to a big mandingo brother in her living room and knew more about her than I had a right to know...Except that she and my wife had been friends back in West Orange....Had I of known that..I would have never of taken the case....But..what was done was done...No need in bringing that up.

We sat down to eat dinner and Conchita showed Us a huge rock!! An engagement ring!!! Sepia's eyes grew large....

"Gurllll....what is that?" she asked...

"It's from John....I'm going to be a married lady too!" she giggled...

"Married?? Engaged...Conchita...We didn't discuss this!" said Dale.

''Huh? What are you talking about Dale?" she asked incredulously.

"Well ,it's quite obvious that there has been something between us ." he said.

''What?" she said.

Sepia looked at me.....I didn't give her any eye contact...I just ate....

"Baby, this Chicken Marsala is incredible....You really put your foot in this." I exclaimed.

"Conchita...we've been to several Sixers games together , not to mention the Phillies and the Eagles...and I've sent you a dozen roses a few times and let's not forget all of those Tyler Perry movies we went to see together." he exclaimed.

"We went dutch Dale and we went as friends...." said Conchita...

"What about when we spent the night together that time?" he asked.

"You slept on the couch!" she said.

"You had a cold." he exclaimed..

''And if I didn't...you still weren't sleeping in my bed with me." she spat.

"How well do you know this John charactor anyway? he doesn't even live up here?" he said.

"He's moving back...He's from here originally...He's tying up some loose ends in Virginia and he's moving in with me." she said.

"WHAT??" said Dale.

"Dale...we are engaged..We are getting married. I'm sorry if you misunderstood or was misled by me in some way...but I have a man...I told you I was seeing someone..."she said...

Dale stood up....

"Mrs. Morris, Fantastic meal.....Mr. Morris...thank you for your hospitality...but I feel as if I must go." he said.

"Dale...I came with you ...how am I supposed to get back?" said Conchita...

"CALL JOHN...ask HIM to drive you back?" he spat and stormed out the door...

Sepia and I both were silent.....Conchita was obviously embarrassed.....Finally, I broke the silence.....

"Conchita...I'll drive you home." I said.

"Wow Chita...you sure picked a live one..." said Sepia...

"I know right?" said Conchita....We all laughed uneasily.....

I felt horrible....I felt as if I was a part of this , even though I knew that I wasn't.....I also felt that this wasn't the end of this either...At the time...I didn't know how right I was....

(To Be Continued...)

Parallel Plays

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

To look at the building that houses the "Aqua Bar", you'd frown and walk right by it...It was a little non-descript building on a side street...but walk up three flights of steps and you'd find an ultra -modern establishment with hardwood floors and a huge bar that stretched the length of the large room with a huge aquarium beneath it and all kinds of exotic fish and sea life within....and soft blue lights......

The bar maids were all busty and shapely young women of all races who knew how to make a drink or two....The drinks here were kind of high for my tastes..but that was to be understood...You were paying for the bar and the huge aquarium underneath..

The bar stools were shaped like starfish and clams....The Club D.J. spun a mixture of Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul and Acid Jazz music....When he wasn't spinning...Good music came through the ultra modern bose speakers from a satelite feed....Meek Rollins told me that you could get a really good Burger here.

Most of the clientele was young hipster types or musicians...Not Cops...Which is why I was surprised that a cop would hang out here....My good friend, Pakastani Sam and Clerow sat in the bar....Kool Kat,Owen Todd and I sat in a car about three blocks away in an empty lot...

A half hour went by and both Clerow and Pakastani Sam walked up to the car....

"Walk away from this Kev." said the old hustler, Pakastani Sam.....I had put him inside the bar because I knew that nobody knew him....A lot of cops knew me, so I couldn't go inside.

"What's up Sam?" I said.

"Kev, they got about five undercover -plain clothes cops inside the bar....and they got three unmarked cars outside..." said Clerow.

"That's right.....it smells like a trap." said Sam.

"Okay..." I said.

"So what do we do now?" asked Kool Kat.

"We give up the bar....there's enough on there to indict him...If he goes to ground...We flush him out another way ." I said... "Get in..Let's go home." I continued...

Ray Stanton was no dummy..He had brought his troops and you best believe..He would've gunned me or my associates down and made it look like we tried to kill him....Nice plan...but I wasn't going for it.

II-

The DEA and members of the Philadelphia Police Anti-Drug Task Force arrested Peter"Petey Boy" Rodriguez and charged him with multiple counts of conspiracy to transport and distribute a controlled substance...namely Heroin and Cocaine....as well as conspiracy to committ murder...two counts.

Also arrested was Stanley "Slackjaw"Thompson and Robert ''Bert"Cooper , both on mutiple drug charges...Their bar was declared a public nuisance...something it should have been declared years ago and shut down.

Meanwhile ,I wondered about Ray Stanton...Why hadn't he been indicted? It was time to pay a visit to Lt. Sissy Van Buren...

III-

Sissy Smiled when she saw me coming....She closed the door to her office.

''Sit down Kevin" she said.

"What's this about?" I said.

''I know why you're here...Ray Stanton right?" she said.

"Yeah." I said.

"We've been investigating him for months..Ever since he was involved in that scandal over in Narcotics when the evidence in several drug busts just walked out of here...We never could prove anything...Then he transferred to Homicide a few months ago...Finally we got some taped evidence of him being involved in two murders and a drug conspiracy. You uh wouldn't happen to know how we got this uh er evidence would you? "she asked, giving me the side eye.

"Who me ? Nah?" I said.

Sissy looked so sexy when she laughed...I don't know how Robert Foxworth could resist her,let alone cheat on her when he had been married to her.

"Well anyway...He should be coming in soon..His shift is ending...We are going to present him with the evidence we have on him." she said.

Ray Stanton came in an hour later, took his shoulder holster off, checked his weapon and put his suit jacket back on....He was a handsome man, six foot four, built..Brown skin, moustache...Curly Hair....

"Uh Ray..Could you step into my office please?" said Sissy Van Buren..

"Sure Lou" he said.

"What's up?" he asked innocently....

"This is Detective John Smith, and Detective Ron Fair from Internal Affairs and this is a private investigator named Kevin Morris." she said....Then she played a tape....

''Yeah Ray...Ray...This is Petey Boy.."

''What's up?"

''What's Up? What's up is you gotta major problem son...Some punk kid...calls himself Daz....Says he saw you whack Ray-Ray.....and knows you whacked the other one, Ricky Rectum or Rector...He's comin for ya at that old Aqua Bar..You know? The one upstairs??? I told you that you shoulda lured them two somewhere and then have done em?"

"Look, how was I gonna do that...Those two moved around...I had been in those projects waitin on them all day...I lucked up and run across this one dartin through the courtyard and I snuffed him....I took the other one out on the boat and popped his ass...No witnesses..Heyy ,is this a clean phone?"

"Now you ask? Of course...It's my phone in the back room...Nobody but me and Slack spend anytime back there..."

"Good ...Thanks for lookin out....I'll be waitin for this punk kid when he gets here... "

"Tommy took a photo of him and another guy that was with him from his phone...I'll have him send the photos to your phone."

"Good ..I'll be waiting..."

''And Ray..No witnesses. Do it clean this time."

'Won't even be a body...I'm a cop remember? I know how to take care of these things.."

Click!

Ray Stanton's face dropped.....

"Oh lord..." he sighed....

"Oh and Ray...Your three partners, Petey Boy, Slackjaw and Bert gave you up in a heartbeat..as soon as we played them the tape...and we didn't have to offer them a deal either." said Sissy Van Buren.

He looked around...then he picked up a chair and tossed it at me and one of the detectives...he then tried to push the big desk between us and him so that he could run...but once out of the office he stared into the muzzles of three policemen with glocks aimed at his head...He raised his arms in defeat...

"Give me your badge Ray..it's all over." said Sissy Van Buren...

"Twenty years..Twenty damn years....I bust guys who back on the street before the ink dries on the warrant...I bust guys who spend my monthly take home pay for lunch...So what if a few of them died?? So what if I made some money, some extra money?? I was owed it...I WAS OWED IT!!! DAMN IT I WAS OWED IT!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME???I WAS OWEDDDDDDD ITTTT!!!!!!" he screamed as the police handcuffed him and dragged him down the hallway yelling and screaming....

Sissy looked at me and smiled that sexy smile of hers...

"My offer is still open Kevin." she said...

"Huh? Offer??" I said.

"To be a cop....You're a damn good investigator....better than any detective I have right now ,I hate to say." she said.

"Nah....I operate better without rules and regulations." I said."But thanks anyway."

"Okay...Maybe one day you'll reconsider..but thanks to you...We've taken two dirty cops off the street and busted a drug operation..." she said.

"Anything can happen." I said as I walked out of the station and to my car....

It was daybreak... I was on my way home to Sepia....and this time....sleep!

EPILOUGE-

Peter "Peter Boy" Rodriguez was convicted of the drug charges..he turned in state's evidence against Ray Stanton and received a 15 year sentence...

Stanley ''SlackJaw" Thompson and Robert "Bert" Cooper received 10 years each...

Ray Stanton was convicted on two charges of 2nd degree Murder and sentenced to 40 years..Far lighter than what he deserved...

A week later, my wife Sepia and I were in Victoria's Secret....Sepia was looking at a few peices...

"You like this Kevin?" she asked..

"Ummmm yes...You know I like anything on you baby." I said.

"You usually have it off within minutes." she joked...

"Well ,it's the anticipation..."I said.

"Here...Hold this...I'm going to walk over here and talk to Cherry Johnson a minute." she said as she handed me a few peices she was planning to buy.

Cheryl , the cashier and unwilling witness I had talked to a few weeks ago walked over to me..

"That your wife?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said.

''She's very pretty...you're a lucky man." she said.

"Thank you." I said.

"I read that you got your man....That that slimy ass cop was busted and they got Petey Boy and his crew to boot." she said.

"I like a woman that reads....Yup...We got em all." I said.

"Thank you...You don't know how glad everyone is that that damn hole in the wall bar is gone and that crew is gone too." she said.

"Somebody else will take their place...They always do."I said.

"You sound like me." she said.

I smiled.....I watched her as she walked away...Then I looked over at my wife ,talking to Cherry Johnson and smiled again...

Guy Walks Into a Bar....

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Peepin Tom and Lockpick Johnson had got inside and wired the dive bar 'Desperations' for sound and video..which enabled me and my associates, Kool Kat, Owen Todd ,Clerow and Sean Jackson to monitor the action inside the bar and listen in for conversations....

My wife Sepia and Robert Foxworth's wife Bonita rented a room directly across the street from the bar in a seedy little joint...Under the cover of the night...Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson and Sean Jackson set up an
operations room....Complete with Flat Screen monitors and electronic equipment as well as high powered cameras... They disguised themselves as Movers, so as not to arouse any suspicion....Owen Todd and Clerow acted as security....Sepia and Bonita were only seen once...As the ones who actually rented the room..After the first day, neither of them ever came back to the room...

Owen and Clerow always let us in from the backstairs....Tonight, Kool Kat and I joined the crew in our room.

"Well guys, what have you got?" I asked.

''Oh Plenty Kev"said Lockpick Johnson.

"The customer comes in....He makes small talk with the bouncer at the door...a guy named Slackjaw Thompson, according to Kool Kat....Slackjaw leads him to the back room where he checks the money..Tells him he's good , then nods to Petey Boy who motions him to go outside...While he's outside...A guy walks down the street and passes him the package with the dope...Apparently ,this guy gets a call from a cell phone saying -''It's all good, walk up the street." , Which would mean nothing if we didn't have the video to show him handing off the package." said Peeping Tom.....

"I've got some still photos of everybody coming and everybody going...." said Sean Jackson...

"True...but nothing to tie Petey Boy to anything ..He never touches the stuff and we don't have him saying anything....He just tends bar and nods." said Clerow.

"So we know the dope is coming out of there..but what about the re-up?" I asked.

''Well we got your boy...somebody that fits your boys description walking in there with a briefcase, getting an envelope from Slackjaw , nodding to Petey Boy and leaving....Never talking...." said Owen Todd..

"I need more...something to tie them both to the murders..." I said. " Good Work anyway guys...Just sit on this place...Come on Kools...We got an errand to run ." I said as we left them there.

Kool Kat and I walked downstairs and out of the alleyway to his car...

''What's up Kev?" He asked.

''Gotta go see my favorite attorney..See what he's got for me." I said

II-

At Robert Foxworth's office, he and Chance had the information I wanted on Detective Ray Stanton....

''Sissy give you any resistance?" I asked with a smile..

"Not when I told her it was for you...Naturally she wanted to know why you wanted information on one of her detectives...I told her about your case and your suspicions....She uh er walked away and I er uh momentarily xeroxed this open file and brought it back here to you...." said Robert Foxworth...

"Good old Sissy...Man , you know I love your wife Bonita...and I didn't know your second wife...but Sissy was a keeper...You should still be married to her." I said.

"Yeah, I know...Everytime I see her I feel like kicking myself." said Robert Foxworth.. "Anyway..your boy is a decorated supercop...Decorated for bravery three times, graduated tops in the academy, took criminology courses in college...the whole nine...As a Detective, he worked Narcotics...Served with the DEA joint drug task force...Had the highest number of arrests period...Took down some major, major players in his day too."
he continued.

"Damn ,just like that other cop ...Remember Dave Gillespie?" I asked.

''Yeah..the one who's partner was bangin his wife and who killed his partner and an innocent guy and a girl?"asked Robert Foxworth.

"Yup....These two guys are just alike....Somewhere down the line they both went bad....I imagine after you've spent years busting guys who spend your monthly take home pay for lunch, you get a little jaded..." I said.

"He's been under suspicion for about a year now....a lot of evidence has vanished from out of property....Guess what kind of evidence?" asked Robert...

"Dope and Coke" I said.

"Yeah and shell casings....." said Robert.

"Yeah...and now both of my stick up boys are dead....before I even got a chance to talk to em." I said.

"Yeah.....Here's his photo...." said Robert.

"That's him...that's the one who took the call and threatened the witness and he's the one who frequents the bar...Desperations." I said.

"That dump? I thought they closed that place a long time ago." said Robert.... I looked at him and just shook my head... ''Wait a minute...What witness?" he asked.

''Some guy I met on the street called the police to report what he had seen in the projects the other night..only he didn't know he was talking to the actual murderer...Stanton threatened him and his family." I said.

"This witness give you a name?" asked Robert.

"Nah...." I said...

"Well....then I assume he's never seen who he was talking to huh?" asked Robert....

"I'm sure he didn't...." I said.....Then my eyes got large.......Robert and I both looked at Chance Howard who was reading the paper...

"Counselor....I like the way you think." I said.

"Hey Chance...come here." said Robert..

III-

Chance Howard ,dressed in jeans and sneakers and a hoodie, walked into the bar with Owen Todd at his side for protection...He saddled up to Petey Boy and began to talk...

"Hey Look, My name is Daz.Can I see you in private?" he asked.

" That supposed to mean somethin to me? Huh? Private???....Nah..I'm busy." said Petey Boy...

"I think you might want to talk to me in private..." said Chance.

''Look Daz or whatever your name is.....You talk to Slackjaw...We don't do that upfront youngin...ya feel me?" said Petey Boy..

''Well How bout murder? You do THAT upfront?" asked Chance...

"Murder? Okay....Tommy...take over the bar.....Let's go to the back kid..just you..." he said.

"Uh-Uh..I'm comin too." said Owen Todd..

"No you aint." said Petey Boy...

Owen opened his coat and showed him his .44 magnum...

"I insist." he said.

"Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.....Can't argue with that?" said Petey Boy.... Owen and Chance walked to the back where Slackjaw and another thug frisked them both... Of course they weren't wired...they didn't have to be..We had the entire joint wired already...We could see and hear everything...

"We know about your little operation in here...I don't care about that..I want your boy..." said Chance..

''My boy?" asked Petey Boy.

"Your cop pal who killed my friends...Ray Ray and Ricky Rector....I seen him kill Ray -Ray and I know he killed Rick....They was stick up kids...I warned em that they was in over they head up here...but they wouldn't listen..but he aint have to kill em like dogs...." said Chance.

"You seen him do Ray Ray?" asked Petey Boy..

''Sure did." said Chance.

"So what do you want?" asked Petey Boy...

"Tell me where he lives or how I can get next to him." said Chance.

"You gonna do a cop? You ? HAhahahahahahaahahahahaahahahah." laughed Petey Boy...

"You give him up...or I give this spot up.....One or the other...." said Chance...

"You gotta lot of balls kid, comin in here." said Slackjaw , who was going for a gun...only Owen beat him to it and put the muzzle of his .44 to his forehead...Chance put my.38 smokeless, (which I had loaned him)to Petey Boy's nose...

"Okay...take it easy...take it easy....cool it kid.....Look...this is his home address....and he drinks in that bar over on the east side....The Aqua club...it's upstairs on the third floor of this address....That's all we know..When we need him, we call him there...." said Petey Boy.

''Good...don't try no funny stuff either or We'll be back."said Chance as he and Owen walked out and down the street, four blocks away to Kool Kat's car.....

"Worked like a charm Kev." said Chance...

I laughed ...."Good work kid....Good Work... Kools...Owen..drop Chance off at his house...I'm going back to the room." I said and got out of the car.

I walked back to the apartment we had rented across the street from the bar.......

Clerow, Sean Jackson , Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom were there....

''Boss, it worked like a charm...As soon as Chance left, they got on the phone.. listen to this said Clerow as Peeping Tom ran the tape...

''Yeah Ray...Ray...This is Petey Boy.."

''What's up?"

''What's Up? What's up is you gotta major problem son...Some punk kid...calls himself Daz....Says he saw you whack Ray-Ray.....and knows you whacked the other one, Ricky Rectum or Rector...He's comin for ya at that old Aqua Bar..You know? The one upstairs??? I told you that you shoulda lured them two somewhere and then have done em?"

"Look, how was I gonna do that...Those two moved around...I had been in those projects waitin on them all day...I lucked up and run across this one dartin through the courtyard and I snuffed him....I took the other one out on the boat and popped his ass...No witnesses..Heyy ,is this a clean phone?"

"Now you ask? Of course...It's my phone in the back room...Nobody but me and Slack spend anytime back there..."

"Good ...Thanks for lookin out....I'll be waitin for this punk kid when he gets here... "

"Tommy took a photo of him and another guy that was with him from his phone...I'll have him send the photos to your phone."

"Good ..I'll be waiting..."

''And Ray..No witnesses. Do it clean this time."

'Won't even be a body...I'm a cop remember? I know how to take care of these things.."

Click!

I looked around at my crew.... "Pack up guys..We got everything we need...." I said.

Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson, Sean Jackson and Clerow immediately began disassembling everything and preparing it for the van that was parked in the driveway.....

"The DEA will love this stuff." I said.

''You don't trust the Philly cops?" asked Lockpick Johnson..

"Not with this...I don't know how deep this runs...Let the federalis..take these clowns down....and as for Detective Stanton..Well.. He and I have an appointment." I said.

(Conclusion Next)

Unwilling Witnesses

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I know Kool Kat would be livid if he knew what I had been doing the past few days....but I figured if I went by myself..I might stand a better chance of getting somebody to talk to me... I went back to those projects , alone and talked to everyone in the high rises and the project courtyards....Most people didn't know much and the people who I felt did know something about Ray Ray Jefferson wouldn't talk to me..

I found one guy who was willing to talk to me... He called himself ''Never Nervous "Pervis and his condition was if I gave him $100.00 and met with him at the Mermaid Club...I duked him $25.00 and told him he'd get the rest when he gave me something to go on...

We met at the Mermaid Club.... Kool Kat and Clerow sat about two tables away and Owen Todd sat in the car outside ...just in case this was some kind of scam or worse...Trap!

I sat down at the table when he walked in with another guy who I did not know.....He smiled....

"Okay...Where's my money? " he said.

''Where's my information?" I replied.

"Where's mine?" said the other guy...

"What is this...some kind of scam?" I said.

That was my code word....Clerow clicked his gun and stuck it in the back of the other guy and motioned for him to quietly get up...The guy's eyes got as large as saucers .....

''Hey...I -I.I.. was just playin....I don't need no money...Honest!" he said.

''Let's go boss." said Clerow, smiling that toothy grin...

"I'm gone kick yo butt Pervis...what you got me into ?" he said as Clerow marched him out of the bar...

Kool Kat sat down across from him and cracked his knuckles....Not saying a word.....

"What you got?" I asked.

"Look...Ray Ray was a stick up boy.....He was staying with this chick...this chick named Cheryl...She live in the projects....He had stuck up a number of drug boys...He wasn't too well liked." he said.

"That's all you got? Tell me something I don't know!" I said.

''I can give you her address." he said.

"I already know it..." I said.

''Her phone number?" he said...

"I already know that...Did you see the shooting?" I asked.

"No...I heard it...Somebody yelled "Halt Ray Ray....then I heard three shots...but I aint see nothin..." he said.

"That's all you got?" I said.

"Yeah man." he said.

"Get out of here." I spat.

"What about my money?" he asked.

"That was 25 dollars worth of nothin......Get out of here." I said.

"Awww man, you aint got no soul...."

"What did he just tell you?" said Kool Kat..

"Okay...Okay..I..I'm out...I'm out." he said and ran out of the bar....

Kool Kat and I walked out....Clerow and Owen was still holding his friend...

"He packin?" I asked.

"Only this knife and some brass knuckles." said Clerow...

"Let him go...Go on , get." I said.

Didn't have to tell him twice...He ran as fast as he could...

Kool Kat Laughed....

"Twenty five dollars worth of nothin...."

Owen, Clerow and I all laughed.

As far as I was concerned....Tonight had been a total waste of time and resources....

II-

The next day....I got a break.....A guy came up to me on the street and began talking to me...

''Your name Kevin Morris?" he asked.

"Yeah and you are?"

"Just a concerned citizen..." he said.

"Oh really?" I said.

"Yeah really....Look...I seen who killed Ray Ray Jefferson....It was a cop!" he said.

''A cop?" I asked.

"Or somebody dressed like a cop...I didn't get a name...or a badge number, but it was dark...Look..I saw you and your boy chase him inside of the jects....I was there that night..I was leaving my girl's spot...Then I saw this cop jet by...I ducked back cause I had been smokin weed...He had been kind of layin in wait..He called out to Ray Ray to halt and Ray Ray did halt..He frisked him and took his gun out...then he executed him man...shot him three times in the back of the head like a dog and then put his gun in his hand..." he said.

''What? You saw this?" I said.

''Sure did and I called it in....I called Homicide...I talked to a Detective Ray Stanton...I gave my statement...I told him the same thing I told you." he said.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"Sucka asked me for my name and date of birth and the name and date of birth of my mother, my brother and my cousin..He say if any of them got any paper on em...He gonna come and arrest all of em, including me if I go forward with my story." he said.

''So you dropped it right?" I said.

"Damn right...I aint sayin a damn thing more...Neither is anybody else in them projects..They won't talk to you or anybody else...I'm just puttin you down , so you don't waste anymore of your time..."he said.

"You know this is a fantastic story you tellin me." I said..

"Yeah I know..but I don't plan to repeat it ...but I tell ya what....Go talk to his girl....She work in Victoria's Secret....she might talk to you." he said.

"And what did you say your name was?" I asked.

"I didn't.....Good luck wit that.....Just between me and you...I hope you bust this dirty ass cop." he said and then he continued walking down the avenue...

III-

I next went to Victoria's Secret where Ray-Ray's girl was working...Her name was Cheryl Ellis...She hadn't answered my cell phone calls or my numerous attempts to visit her in the projects...When she saw me coming up to her counter, she was even more apprehensive.

"Goddddd, you don't give up, do you?" she said.

''No, I don't." I said.

"Look " she said whispering...... "It was a cop that shot him...Execution style.....He told him to halt...Ray-Ray halted....and dude shot him three times in the head...and took his pistol out of his waste band and threw it down next to him. But I aint repeatin that and if you say I said it, I'm gonna deny it." she said.

"Yeah...someone else told me the same story and said the same thing you said ,that they wasn't going to talk to me....How many people witnessed this shooting?You ever see this cop before?" I asked.

"I saw it out the window and some other dude saw it...Wasn't nobody else out at the time...I saw the cop that did it, he's black and he's always around, he know that practically everybody in the projects is on paper and if they aint, they got a relative that is.....His name is stanton, Ray Stanton, he a narco and he's worse than the white cops...He used to shake down the drug boys, bust em, steal they stuff and then re sell it...Him and the bartender..." she said.

"What Bartender? " I asked.

"Petey Boy ,over at Desperations...." she said.

"That dump? I thought they closed that years ago." I said.

"No, it's still open...Usually he would come around here in a suit or plain clothes, but that was the first time he had on his dress blues.." she said.

"Oh Really?" I said.

"Yeah, Really.....and everybody know what was up." she said.

"Oh? What is up? " I asked.

"Ray-Ray and Ricky come up here from D.C. last summer..They started stickin up the drug boys...cutting into their action...So Petey Boy and his cop friend ,Stanton killed him.It's as simple as that...If they hadn't of killed him...The drug boys woulda caught up to em eventually." she said.

"And naturally, you won't testify to this?" I said, knowing the answer....

"I don't want anybody to know I ever talked to you....So if you aint buyin panties or bras please leave me alone." she said.

"Gotcha doll, Nice talkin to you." I said with a laugh and I walked out.

"Only you didn't." she added..

"Right...I didn't." I said.

IV-

That night, Sean Jackson, Clerow and I sat outside of the bar Desperations...The window of our car was tinted....Sean took photos of a succession of unsavory people coming and going....For this to be a bar...They were coming in and leaving a little too fast....They were buying drugs...Petey Boy , the bar tender had set himself up as a major player....His partner, a cop of some kind was busting players and reselling their dope through him....We watched as Petey Boy closed the bar and exited.....Owen Todd was the next to last person to leave the bar...He walked over to our car and got in...

"I got the whole layout of the spot Kev...They got a back room where they do all of their business...No upstairs or anything." He said..

Clerow looked at me... "Just got off the phone with Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom...they on their way." he said.

"Good....I want this place hooked up....This is where we make any case we got." I said.

"What kind of case are you trying to make?" asked Sean...

"Petey Boy and his murderous partner are ripping off the players and reselling their drugs...That's why they killed Ray Ray....He and his partner was stepping on their toes.. Gotta get them talking about drugs and murder." I said.

"And you can get them to talkin about that?" asked Owen...

"Oh I got a few tricks up my sleeve." I laughed.....Just then my android went off...It was Kool Kat.

"What's up Kools?" I asked...

"Kev...you heard the news? They found the other stick up kid...Ricky Rector...Floatin in the ocean at Penn's Landing....and check this..He was shot in the back of the head and dumped in the water..." said Kool Kat.

''Oh man...these boys aint playin are they?" I smiled.

''You sure done stepped in some mess now Kev." said Kool Kat.

(TO Be Continued!)

The Murder Committe

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

For the past few weeks..I have actually been hard at work at my actual place of employment..Hype Magazine, where I am now Editor and Chief . I've been coming to work three days a week..Editing my staff's stories, checking on the layout and photography and just over seeing the entire operation of the magazine. I've been meeting with advertisers too...

My assistant, Harry Charles ,My chief photographer, Sean Jackson and his wife, Assistant Editor, Sheila Jackson and I were taking a break one Thursday afternoon in our huge conference room..We were enjoying some Italian Hoagies, Cheese-steaks, chips and sodas....Just finishing a busy day at the job , when some visitors came in.

Upon seeing these er uh vistors, I smiled...They were familiar faces....Gus, the bartender at Josies..where we all hung out...Bone Hampton, Trombonist extroidinare, Downtown Rob Brown, "88", Reed Nelson, his girl Debbie, Delores, her sister (and Rob Brown's girlfriend),Meek Rollins ,Ingrid Rhodes and Symphony Sam..They were all part of this part of Philadelphia's vibrant music scene....I had done stories on all of them for my magazine at one time or another..

"Wow guys....The receptionist should have told you that we are involved in a very ,very important meeting here." I joked....Sean,Sheila and Harry busted out into laughter.

''Normally I would laugh at your attempt at humor kid...but we here on serious business." said Gus.

"Wow...you get right to the point dont'cha?" I laughed....

''Kev..you heard about Jock Peters didn't you?" said Reed Nelson...

"The Street musician...The singer and guitarist....yeah..He got shot two nights ago...."I said.

"Yeah, well he died this morning." said Rob Brown.

"Awww man....Damn...I'm sorry to hear that....I liked him...He really could perform...I used to toss him a couple of bucks sometimes..." I said.

"Yeah..well before he died...he was in and out of consciousness..he said that two stick up boys shot him..." said Gus...

I paused....then I looked down.....

"You want me to look into it, because you have no faith in the cops doing anything right?" I said.

"Boy, you was sure at the head of your class wasn't you kid?" said Gus.... We all smiled....

Meek Rollins handed me an envelope...It was full of crisp twenties....

"We took up a collection...kind of like a down payment for your services Kev....Jock Peters was family...He was one of us..He never bothered nobody...He shouldn't have went out like that....The cops say that they are workin it...but you know how it is around here? A lot of people won't talk to the cops...but they'll talk to you." he said.

"Well, I sure hope they will..." I said and I pocketed the cash..... "Okay guys...I'll see what I can stir up." I said.

"Thanks guys ." I said.

"Thanks Kid and if you need any extra muscle....Eddie and Andrew are at your disposal." said Gus.

"Thanks Gus, but I think I got this." I laughed...."Sorry I don't have enough food to offer you guys." I said...

''Sure you do...You're the boss, just call it in and order us sandwiches." said Gus in all seriousness...

He was right....I looked around...everybody was smiling except Gus.....I sighed....

''Harry, take everybody's order and call it in." I said... Gus smiled and slapped my arm...

"Got'cha Kid...I was just joshin..." he said.

''He was...but I aint...I'm hungry." said Symphony Sam....We All burst into guffaws of laughter!

II-

The next day, Clerow, Sean Jackson, Owen Todd and I surveyed the scene where it happened....The crime scene tape was still there....The young woman who had been with Jock Peters....an Asian singer named Miko Lee described to us what had happened..

"Jock and I had just finished performing and we picked up his guitar case....We split the proceedings...We had about $1000.00 dollars....He gave me $500.00 and he took his cut and his kissed me on the cheek..He asked me if I needed a cab and I told him, I'd be alright....Just then these two guys rolled up on us...One was tall, skinny, about 18 or 19....Brown skinned....Nice looking guy...He pointed a big gun at us...and he say-

"Yall Know what this is...give it up !"

"We through our hands up in the air and gave em the money....The other guy had a gun too, a smaller gun..He was short, heavy set..a little darker than the first guy...He didn't say nothin...They start backing off and Jock said-

"You're making a big mistake pal."

The tall brown skinned guy said..."I'm not your goddamned pal." and fired one shot....It hit Jock in his chest and Jock fell backward.......I screamed...and they both ran off!"

"Hmm, would you know these guys if you saw em again?" I asked.

"Sure would...I gave the same statement to the police...I went downtown and looked at hundreds of photos and I didn't see either of them in there.." she said.

"Really?? Hmmmm." I said.

"That just means that they aint locals Kev...Maybe they New Yorkers or Jersey Boys." said Owen Todd..

III-

Clerow, Owen Todd and I questioned all of the regulars in Josies, Ciros, The Mermaid Club and the playas at Chris and Chess's crap game....It didn't take too long before I got two names... Ricky Rector and Ray Ray Jefferson... Two Stick Up Boys from Washington D.C. who had just recently moved up here to Philly. They had stuck up a number of the local , but small time drug boys...

Robert Foxworth's contact in records didn't have a Philly address on either of them....but we did get one address...a cousin, Larry Rector of Ricky Rectors... Clerow and I went to his house..He said that he hadn't seen Ricky in about a month and that we might want to try a girl named Velma Barfield's house...That was Ricky's girlfriend.

I didn't know if I believed him...I made a note to watch his home. A check of Velma Barfield's house yielded
even less...She had another guy staying there and said that she and Ricky were over about three weeks ago and that she hadn't seen him.

For a few nights, Clerow, Owen Todd and I just drove around...and then we struck paydirt!...

We saw a tall, brown skinned brother buying a pack of cigarettes at a neighborhood bodega...We call em ''Stop and Go's" in Philly....

''Kev...that looks like our boy." said Owen...

"Park the car Clerow." I said...and I got out and began crossing the street....Clerow and Owen were right behind me....As a kid and a Black male growing up in Philly...When you see three guys walking towards you they are either two things..Cops or Trouble...You don't want either ! So I understood when the guy saw us and took off running...

"Boss, he on the move." shouted Clerow...

''He's headed for the projects.... Clerow, go down that street, Owen, follow me this way." I said and we split up!

I was right , He was heading straight for the projects...and if he went into this maze like courtyard...He could easily escape us...He had a head start and he ducked into the project courtyard...Owen and I were right behind him... I sure hoped that Clerow was waiting at the other end....

A succession of shots was heard! This was strange...Was Clerow and the young man involved in a gun battle??

Screams were heard ...The sound of people running was heard...Owen and I ducked down....Now it was eerily quiet! We looked up and we saw Clerow creeping around, gun drawn! Owen and I stood up.....

''Clerow...put the gun away.....Was you shootin?" I asked.

''Nah...I thought you was shootin." he said.

"Wasn't us." said Owen....

"Where did those shots come from?" I asked...

"Probably over there where that crowd is." said Owen....

A small crowd had gathered around...Owen, Clerow and I walked over to the crowd.....Lying on the sidewalk with three slugs in his head was Raymond ''Ray,Ray"Jefferson.....lying next to him was a .45....There was no way I could talk to him...He was dead!!!

I began asking people in the crowd if they had seen who did the shooting....Of course nobody...out of close to 50 people in the crowd...had seen a thing!!! I got on my phone and called the police...

IV-

I sat in Josies having a Corona , a few nights later....Gus came up to me smiling.....

"That's on the house kid.." he said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear? That kid you collared in the projects the other night...Ray Ray Jefferson....His gun!! Police ballistics say that this is the same gun that fired the shot that killed Jock Peters...You got him! Hah ha..I tole everybody that once you got on the case those killers were as good as gone." he laughed.

"Gus...I didn't shoot him! Somebody else was in those projects that night...They killed him...I was just chasing him." I said.

''Don't matter..If you hadn't of found him and chased him in there..whoever shot him wouldn't of got him." said Gus.

"Gus...He was staying in there with some girl ." I said.

''Yeah and?"asked Gus.

''Somebody else knew that he was staying there and they were laying in wait for him.....How else would they have known that I was chasing him and that he'd run in there at that time?" I asked.

"All kinds of people be up in them jects....Probably some drug boy that he stuck up....or maybe that gal set him up...At any rate I wouldn't lose any sleep over it kid." said Gus.

What Gus didn't know is that I had read the police report on him...He was shot with a glock....Not the type of gun that punks like him carried and he was shot in the back of the head three times...Whoever killed him made sure that his gun, which hadn't been fired was lying right beside him!!!

Gus and everybody was happy that Jock Peter's murder had been solved...his killer brought to justice....but there was still the matter of his partner...Still in the wind and something that was gnawing at me that kept telling me that something here wasn't right!

(To Be Continued....)

Maybe you will Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Maybe you will dream of me someday....
when you finish being mad at me ,I pray...
Maybe you will see how childish we've both been...
and maybe at least the two of us can be friends.../

Each and every night on my knees I pray..
that fate will have you at least walk across my path
someway...
Maybe I could just stop you and open my mouth to say...
How have you been?
How are you feeling today?/

I didn't like the way we left things the last time...
you went your way and I went mine...
You were so sure that you were right...
And I was so stubborn and wound up so tight....
It's been two years...
I've seen you at the club...
I've seen you in Sears...
It's been 600 days...
No I haven't been counting them..
You know I'm just anal that way.....
Girl, come on let's talk,
Don't harden your heart...
Turn away and Walk......
What's it gonna be?
It's a New Year babe...
What?
You still mad at me?/

Maybe you will dream of me someday....
when you finish being mad at me ,I pray...
Maybe you will see how childish we've both been...
and maybe at least the two of us can be friends.../

Yes,Maybe you will dream of me someday....
when you finish being mad at me ,I pray...
Girl,Maybe you will see how childish we've both been...
and maybe at least the two of us can be friends.../

Happy New Years Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I popped the bottle of champaigne and Nicole Butler and I watched as bubbly fizz ran down the sides of it....

"Ouuu...look at that..." she mused, ''Reminds me of you."she said with a sly grin....

''Me? How does a bottle of champaigne popping remind you of me?" I asked with a laugh..

"That's how you're going to get when you see what I bought from Victoria's Secret." she said with a sly grin...

"Oh I get like that when I hear your voice on the phone." I said.

''You do Cole?.." she asked with fake innocence...

"You know I do....and I suppose I shouldn't be telling you that." I said.

'No...I like it when you tell me things like that..." she said.

We sipped the champaigne....I had two glasses filled with white wine on the table...Next to some grapes...

''This is a celebration of sorts, for more reasons than one." I said...and pulled her towards me and kissed her passionately for a long while....

"When you told me that you had left your law firm in D.C. I at first thought that there was a problem.." she said.

''Nah...I had been talking to Chance Howard since the last time I was up here.....I met with him and Mr. Foxworth and they were more than happy to add me on as a new attorney at their firm." I said.

"I guess you took a pay cut coming up here to work for Robert Foxworth and Chance Howard?" she asked.

''No....Not at all...They matched my salary....and at thir firm, I have a lot more autonomy than I had at that firm in D.C." I said.

"That's great....." she said....''What about a place to stay? You know, you could stay here until you find a place." she said...

''Already got that covered.....I met with Chess and Mr. Chris Thompson....I just gave them a down payment on a nice place that they own...It's just three blocks from here." I said.

"Wow...you really got it all together....Got a new job and a new place..." she said..."I'm impressed."

"Those train rides back and forth from D.C. was gettin to me." I said with a laugh...

"Come here Cole." she said with a whisper....

"Huh?" I asked.

"Come here.." she whispered and motioned to me to come to her with her index finger.....

I walked over to her and she kissed me...long and softly.......

"You are making me awfully horny." she said.

"Ummmm, I like that." I said....

I kissed her, thrusting my tongue practically down her throat and rubbing her breasts...I could feel Nicole trembling....and moaning softly....I reached up under her dress and I eased her panties off of her and layed her across the bed.... I unbuttoned her dress and took it off...

"Aww Cole, I had bought something from Victoria's Secret that I was gonna model for you.." she said with a sexy pout...

''Model it some other time ." I said.

"You are such a horn dog Cole." she said with a giggle!

I grabbed a condom....and begin putting it on....Nicole is trembling something crazy now as if she is coming already....That much about her hasn't changed....But she has stopped feeling guilty about me and her making love....I open her legs and I enter her very slowly...Surprisingly, she is already wet and I begin to maneuver very easily inside of her...

"OHHHH MY GOD.....You are sooooo huge...OHHHHHHHHHHHHH.." she screams!

"You always say that." I laugh....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph...because it's truueee..." she moaned as we begin to move in a nice rhythm....

We kiss very slow and soulfully as I continue to thrust into her slowly and purposely.....

"Ohhhhhhh..Happy New Years Baby..." she moaned...

"Happy New Years to you too girl.." I say as we continue to make sweet love....

Scratching An Itch!

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

All I knew about her, besides the fact that she was a white woman and blond and my neighbor of a few doors down was that her name was Meaghan...Uh, I think it's Meaghan ....Meaghan Hearst...I have watched her...Oh I'm not a stalker...Just a neighbor...I moved into this apartment complex the same day she did..About a year ago now...We've made eye contact...Smiled at each other....Maybe we've even spoke a time or two..No more than that...

I've seen her boyfriend...a real smarmy guy, White dude...looks like he had some money....Real stuck up....Used to have a guy pick her up in a Bently....She looks the type that would have had a boyfriend like that! I say had ,because I read in the papers that he was convicted of killing two women....Two black women!!! One, three years ago and the other just recently....Rather than go to jail..He committed suicide while in custody!!

Ms. Meaghan seems just lonely now...I haven't seen her go out but once...With some Black people...We made slight conversation in the elevator...Said she was at an oyster bar with them.....Had a few beers...

Who am I? I am Jacques Genet' ....I am an African exchange student.....by way of France...I was born in Ghana...Lived in France since I was 18...Which was 18 years ago...And been here in the U.S. of A. for a year... Just recently got my citizenship!!! I like it here...I think I'll stay....

"And hello to you Ms. Meaghan." I say as I see her come out into the hallway...

"Oh Hi.....Uh...Jack right?" she asks....

''Jacques...Jacques Genet' ...prounce it Jock!" I say with a smile.

"You have such pretty white teeth Jacques...I like a man with a nice smile." she said with a sweet smile..

''Really?..Then I should smile more." I said. She blushed a little , but played off my attempt at flirtation..

"So, if I'm not being too nosy...where are you heading today?" I asked.

"Nowhere in particular...just going out to do a little shopping." she said.

"Got any plans for tonight? I-I-I mean it is New Years Eve and all." I said.

"Not really...Money is kind of tight and I'm a single woman now." she sighed..

"Well...you missed the big Jazz Concert a few weeks ago...but I would love to take you out for some drinks and maybe some music tonight...That-That.-That is..uh...if you didn't uh ...have-have...you know...uh other plans..." I said.

"Why Jacques..Are you flirting with me?" she asked with the widest smile...

"Uh no...UH..er...Well yes...I'm asking you out....No strings attached." I said.

"Well Jacques..I don't uh know....That's so nice...but maybe some other time...Okay?" she said.

"Yeah...okay....some other time..this was kind of sudden." I said..

There was a long pause between us that seemed like two hours , but was really a minute.....Then she frowned, then she looked at me ...

"Oh what the hell....Why not...What time do you want me to be ready?" she said.

"How's seven o'clock?" I said.

"Seven is just fine." She said.

II-

We went to a quaint Chinese Restaurant , My friend, Ralph Scallion had told me about....It was in another part of town...Where I was certain nobody would know us...Not that it mattered to me...but it might matter to Meaghan...

"Oh Jacques...the food is incredible here." she said as platters of hot steamy food were placed in front of us...

We ate and we talked about our backgrounds for seemingly hours.... No two backgrounds could be more unalike... I mean...I was an African who left Ghana for France, studied in the university there and then came to the United States...She was white, an American....A Philadelphia native who went to elementary school here, and then moved to the suburbs with her family and was educated there... She attended college for three years and then dropped out...Moved in with her folks in the suburbs and worked for awhile and then moved here... Like I said...She snagged a rich man about town boyfriend who turned out to be a murderer....who was now dead....

When the waiter came with the check....She reached for it...but I snatched it away....

"I got it." I said as I pulled out my credit card...

"I thought we were gonna go dutch?" she said...

"I asked you out to dinner...My treat!" I said.

''No strings?" she asked.

"Of course not." I said.

We next drove to Josies.....I was surprised that she was familiar with this place....But she was and had been a somewhat semi-regular in here.... Downtown Rob Brown and his quintet was playing tonight..Or at least part of it and we had drinks and listened to them play...While clapping and snapping our fingers to the beat...

I ordered a bottle of Ciroc Vodka and some cranberry juice for our table...

"I insist you let me pay." she said.

"Okay...Okay..you can pay." I said.

We had a bottle of Tequilla after that...Again, she paid....

We wound up staying until 11:30.....

"I'd like to go home now Jacques." she said.

''Really? " I asked.

''Yeah...I don't want to bring in the New Year in a Bar." she said.

"With a strange man..." I said.

"No...I didn't mean that...It's just that ...I'm a little tipsy..." she said.

"Okay...I'll take you home." I said. "Did you have a good time at least?" I asked.

"Oh...I had a great time...The best...I've had in a long while." she said.

I drove her back to our complex....We sat in the car quietly for awhile...Not saying anything....I thought she was going to get out of the car as soon as I drove up...but she didn't...She was drunk....Or was she??

"Jacques...How long....How long have you wanted to take me out?" she asked...

"For awhile I guess...but you had a boyfriend..." I said.

"Oh...I was just curious...You were a perfect gentleman tonight...I had a great time...Otherwise..I would have sat in my apartment alone..." she said.

''Well see ...I saved you from that." I said with a weak smile...

''Yes you did....Thank you." she said and she leaned over and kissed me lightly on the lips....I looked at her and leaned over and kissed her....We smiled....Then she straddled me and we began making out in that car like two teenagers...

III-

Inside Meaghan's apartment...We tossed off our shoes and I slammed her up against the wall and began kissing her passionately...She returned my passion....Our coats went to the floor as I continued kissing her and she continued kissing me...I unzippered her dress and slipped it off....She unzippered my trousers and I hurriedly stepped out of them....She held my now massively erect penis in her hands...

"Oh My God...Jacques....Ouuuuu...you are loaded.." she exclaimed...as I unhooked her bra and began sucking on her breasts.....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Jacques.....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she moaned as I slipped her panties down ......

I thrusted my tongue practically down her throat and while squeezing one breast with my hand...With my other hand I pulled out a condom...She helped me tear open the wrapper....I slipped it on and lifted her up and positioned her on me as I entered her and began thrusting away...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY LAWDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD..." she screamed as I continued to thrust , harder and feverishly more.......

She came really fast....and began to shiver........

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned...

I wasn't done with her yet ...I led her to the sofa and turned her around....I entered her from behind...I began pumping strong and steady and she really began to moan then....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPHHH...OHHHHHHHOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
" She moaned as I continued...

I go on like this for close to an hour and she cums again.!!! I can feel it......but surprisingly enough...I haven't cum yet!

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.....Oh My goodness Jacque...." she exclaims....

I lay her across her bed....She pulls my condom off.....

"I want to taste you she says and she takes me into her mouth..working feverishly......I can't hold it much longer...I try to pull out but she won't let me....I explode all over her face with wild abandon......

We lie there naked and spent...Clothes all over the floor....

"Wow!" I said. She looked at me with surprise-

"You must have wanted to do that for a long time....I have never cum that much in one session." she said...

I layed her across the bed again, a few minutes later and I entered her softly and gently and began to stroke her softly and slowly....She moaned and put her arms around my neck and drew me closer to her..She wrapped her legs around my waste and we began to move in a slow, yet deliberate rhythm for quite some time...

"Ohhhhhhhh Jacques...Ohhhh Jacques.....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is soooooo gooood..."she moaned as we continued to make love....I don't know how long we lie there on her bed like that before she turned me over and positioned herself on top of me and began going up and down , up and down.....Her hair partially blocking her face....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..: I moaned...as she held on tightly and began moving faster and harder..
I pulled her to me and began kissing her passionately.....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Jacques...this is beyond goood...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she cooed..

"Yessss...arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...it is..." I moaned as we continued....

Outside, The entire city was celebrating the New Year coming in....Fireworks were exploding into the sky...In some quarters...Men were firing pistols in the air....And Meaghan and I were missing it all..We were making sweet love in her bedroom....

"Ohhhh Jacques...Don't stop..Don't stop....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she continued to moan.

I continued until I couldn't hold back any longer...I came furiously......Meaghan came too...I held her as she shook violently.....and collapsed softly on me...I wanted to stay inside her just a little more..but she rolled off of me...She leaned over and kissed me for a long while...Stroking my penis gently and then she drifted off to sleep....I rolled over on my back and soon ,I was asleep too...!

EPILOUGE:

I left Meaghan's Apartment around 6:30 am the next morning....I was so exhausted..I could hardly move...I poured myself a glass of wine and ran myself a hot bath and sat in the tub...Sipping the wine...The night had gone better than I could have even hoped....But we had both said "No Strings attached"....Which meant that there might not be a repeat...Which meant that we might see each other in the hall or the parking lot and act like we didn't know each other...I had seen people do that who had just scratched an itch and had sex one time...I didn't want to be with Meaghan like that...I wasn't sure what I wanted.....She had been asleep when I had left her apartment...Sound asleep!

It was a new year! Full of possibilities....I would have to wait and see!

Change Of Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Clerow, Robert Foxworth and I sat in an Oyster Bar that Robert had been raving about for months...a day later...We were drinking beer and sucking oysters like they were going out of style...

"So Kevin...I get the strangest call from Deputy District Attorney , Keith Wallace yesterday...He tells me that Lewis Berger has suddenly had a change of heart and has dropped all charges against you.. Not only that...but some woman named Meaghan Hearst has completely changed her story...Said that she didn't actually witness anything and that she couldn't be a reliable witness....said the whole thing as explained to her was a big misunderstanding." said Robert Foxworth.

Clerow sipped some beer, looked at me and then laughed.....

"Is that right Robert?" I said, smiling and continuing to suck down oysters and drink beer.

"You know , if this was Fathead Newton or The Diaz Brothers or somebody like that, I wouldn't be surprised...but you Kev, you?" said Robert Foxworth.

"Counselor....I assure you, I went straight home with my wife and was sufficiently occupied all afternoon...I didn't go out, nor did I make any phone calls to anyone." I said.

Robert smiled and gave me a side eye...Clerow continued to laugh...then they both took huge gulps of beer.

"Well anyway...The D.A. isn't interested in pursuing this any further, so the whole matter is dropped.." said Robert Foxworth...

"Lucky me huh?" I said.

"Yeah, lucky you." said Robert Foxworth...

"Me and Clerow stopped by Homicide yesterday.....Slim's grand-daughter was full of semen....In her mouth, and in her vaginal area..." I said...

"Kevin...I'm eating." said Robert Foxworth.."I mean ,so what? She's a young girl and she had a hot body...Somebody was going to sex her." said Robert Foxworth...

Clerow flashed that toothy grin of his.....

"What I meant was that they have a definite DNA match Robert..." I said.

"A match to what?" he asked...

"They don't know the identity of the sperm donor....but Lt.Sissy Van Buren....you may know her? Your ex-wife...is a very thorough detective...She ran the DNA sample through decks and it matches another dead girl that was found in a dumpster three years ago....She too had been raped and strangled...So all we know is that our boy has done this before.." I said.

"You can't prove it was him....All you know is that he was at Josie's that night as was millions of other people and he and her were at the 7Eleven...." said Robert Foxworth...

"You're right.....what I need is a sample of his DNA , to prove that he was the one." I said.

"Yeah and all you got then is that he had sex with the girls...Still doesn't mean he killed them....Your case is thin Kev.." said Robert...

He was right....but I had to at least have something to make Colin Huxley sweat a little, I thought.

II-

"Boss, you taken a chance coming here." said Clerow as we pulled up in front of the apartment complex...

"I know....that's why I brought you along." I said with a smile as we boarded the elevator... Clerow was right,Why should I trust this woman???..She had tried to set me up with a phony assault charge just days before..and now she was calling me, saying she had had a change of heart?? Sounded too good to be true..It could have been a trap...Which is why I brought the troops along... Owen Todd was outside , standing at the car as an extra measure...I wasn't taking any chances.......

I rang the doorbell.... To my surprise...Meaghan Hearst came to the door immediately and wasn't in a nasty mood. She was the white woman who had been rather loud and expressive a few nights before with Colin Huxley at his apartment...She was sporting a fresh black eye....I immediately thought about Kool Kat and Owen Todd who had been to see her and Lewis Berger...but Kool Kat would never strike a woman without extreme provocation....Would he?

She looked around and then motioned us inside....She had a nice little apartment....Clerow and I sat down....

"I'm sorry about what happened...with you getting arrested and all....Colin made us both do that." she said.

"That's okay....How did you get that shiner?" I asked.

"Colin....It's not the first time either....He's a self centered , self absorbed bastard." she snapped with a venom that sounded so different from a few nights ago when she was moaning in ecstacy...

"I know what you think." she said, nearly reading my mind...."I have to make sounds like that...to make him think he's really doing something....He comes incredibly fast and sometimes......Well sometimes he can't get it up and he becomes frustrated and punches and chokes me...This was one such time." she snapped.

''Why do you put up with that? You know you're not his only girl.....He hops around to New York, L.A. , Miami, Paris, London, Amsterdam...He's got girls in all of those places.." I said gently...

"Yeah I figured....But he's not like that all the time..Sometimes he's good to me...He buys me things, takes me out.." she said.

"When he's in town." I said. She looked at me and burst into tears......I held her in my arms as she shook with hurt, anger...I wasn't sure..

"You want to make him pay? Want to make him sweat?? I can do that...but I need your help...We have DNA matches on the dead girl's body and on another dead girl who was murdered.....If I get something that is definitely his DNA....We can pin him to two murders and take his sick ass off the streets." I said.

She thought for a long moment...then she looked at me.. "Wow..he's killed somebody...Two people you say?" she said.

"If he gets uh ruh frustrated the way you claim and then gets violent...it could be even more." I said.

"I don't know how much this will help....but here...I'll give you this." she says as she went into her hamper....

Clerow and I stared at each other.....

''Here... Here is a pair of my panties and my negligee that I was wearing that night that you came over." she said.

"Huh? What?" I said...

"They are full of semen....His semen....He came as soon as I got undressed and I had to wait for him to be ready again....This ought to at least help you with a DNA match." she said.

Clerow and I looked at each other.....

"Well...I'm not used to a woman handing over her undergarments to me without at least me paying for dinner."
I laughed....

Clerow, Meaghan and I laughed..

III- Atlantic City, three weeks later!

About three weeks later...I got a call from Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding....

''What's goin on Shark Dollars?" I said.

"Got a tip for ya Kev.....That high roller you was talkin about...Colin Huxley? He's here....I can tell you where he's staying and what casino he's playing at." he said.

" Good.... Walter and I will be in AC tonight." I said.

That night, Kool Kat and I drove to Atlantic City....Using Shark Dollar's tip...It wasn't hard to find..Colin Huxley....He was at the crap table and losing badly....

"Mr. Huxley...you owe the house ten thousand dollars." said a dealer...

"Don't tell me how much I owe...just deal me in." snapped Colin Huxley..

"Still making friends I see." I said as I sat down next to him...Kool Kat sat on the other side.

He assessed the situation and smirked...

"Ohhhhh it's you Mister Morris...Freshly sprung from the hoosegal."

"No thanks to you." I said.

" You know...I could have your two thugs, Mister Jones there and Mister Todd arrested and charged with witness intimidation , if I wanted to.....Didn't think I knew about that little stunt they pulled for you, did you? You also don't know that you are way out of your league with me....I'm not one of your little ghetto cases...You fool with me...I'll have you in jail and own your house and maybe...just maybe take that pretty little wife of yours too.!" he said.

"You couldn't satisfy her..." I snapped. ''Besides...Mr. Jones, Mr Todd and I am the least of your worries...You got big problems buddy boy." I said.

"Oh really?" he said looking angry about my last statement..

"Oh really....I know you murdered Maysa Giddings and I know you murdered Natalie Owens three years ago and dumped her in a dumpster like she was trash...I can finally prove it." I said.

"You don't scare me....You can't prove nothin and I won't ever do a day of jail time...at least not on your say so." he said.

"Well, I have photos of you....I have DNA from you that matches DNA found in both girl's bodies and a witness willing to testify about that DNA...and worse...We found the clothes the dead girl was wearing that night that you didn't quite get rid of quick enough....With your DNA on it...Is that enough?" I said.

His face grew pale....His jaw dropped and he looked up and saw Two Atlantic City Detectives and several uniformed policemen converging on his crap table...

"It's tank time stupid....Time for you to go to jail." I said.

He stood up, then stomped his foot..."NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...NO.... NO WAY!!! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS....I'M BEING ARRESTED? NO...NO.. NO... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....NO....NOOOOOOOOOOOOO...NO WAY! NOOOOO." he screamed as they handcuffed him....

I smiled as they dragged him out of the casino kicking and screaming!

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....LET ME GOOO...I CAN'T BE ARRESTED....I CAN'T....DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??? NOOOOOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.I can't...I will not...do a day of jail time...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" he screamed...

"Wow, he didn't take that so good ." said Kool Kat...

"He sure didn't.." I said and we looked at each other and burst into guffaws of laughter!

EPILOUGE:

Colin Beowoulf Huxley was extradited from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to stand trial for two first degree murder charges. He was tried and convicted of the murder of Maysa Giddings and of the unsolved murder of Natalie Owens from three years before.. He was sentenced to Life Imprisonment for both murders...but he would have the last laugh....Someone smuggled some cyanide tablets to him...and he was found dead in his cell, just one day before he was to be transported to State Prison...He was serious when he boasted that he wouldn't do a day of jail time! Now he'd be judged in a higher court for his crimes!

Sepia and I, Bonita and Robert Foxworth, Clerow and Cora Beth and Kool Kat and Chelsea all met at the Oyster Bar that Robert had turned me and Clerow on to....We were joined by Slim Giddings and Meaghan
Hearst....We were drinking a round of beers and eagerly sucking oysters out of their shells....

"Kevin...I can't thank you enough for not only finding my grand-daughter, but bringing the monster who killed her to justice.." said Slim Giddings..

''Don't thank me Slim...Thank Meaghan here....It was her testimony that blew the case wide open." I said.

"Yeah , among other things!" said Clerow, giving me the side eye...

I burst into laughter...Meaghan blushed....and Kool Kat, Chelsea, Robert Foxworth, Bonita, Sepia and Corabeth all looked bewildered...Which made Clerow and I laugh even more at our private joke.

For All of my loyal readers! Happy New Years!

Sprung

noreply@blogger.com (Keith) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

I spent the night in a jail cell down at what they call -"The Round House " in Philadelphia...It's where the recently arrested are booked , fingerprinted and processed before they go off to one or two main facilities...I hadn't been fingerprinted or booked yet....I just sat in a cell that smelled like generations of urine and sweat with a huge white man with way too many tattoos on him..

"Hey fella...what you in here for?" he asked me.

"Something I didn't do." I said and left it at that. I had seen too many times on the television where somebody had been arrested and locked up with somebody they didn't know, only to find out that it was a plant and they had spilled their whole case out to the law..

I had been falsely arrested for assault with into to kill one Lewis Berger....Louis Berger was heavily muscled and about two inches taller than me...His employer had ordered him to attack me...I had defended myself against bodily injury.....and now his boss, who I strongly suspected of murder had slyly put me on the defensive...A nice move!

"I killed my wife , her boyfriend and his daughter...that's what I done." said the tattooed white man.

"Oh yeah? Well you should keep that to yourself...You don't know me...I could be an undercover cop." I said.

"HAhahahahahahahaahahahaha...They wouldn't need one... I done confessed." he said and laughed maniacally... Now he was giving me the creeps...Why was I in a cell with this mad killer? I thought...

Just then, a guard walked by our cell...

"Which one of you is Kevin Morris?" He barked.

"I am." I said.

" Get your stuff....you've been bailed out...your lawyer and your wife are upstairs." he said.

I got up......I looked at my "cell mate" and nodded my head...

"Well...good luck" I said...I felt as if I should say something.."

"You the one with the luck pally..." he said and smiled in a deranged kind of way....

Once upstairs..I was given my coat, my wallet, my car keys and my android....I walked out into the lobby and into the arms of my loving wife, Sepia and my friend, Attorney, Robert Foxworth....

"Guess you just aint with me for my money afterall.." I joked to Sepia as she hugged me and kissed me..

''Silly...I missed a day of work for you." she said...

"Wow, Kev...Never thought I'd be coming down here to bail you out.." he said.

"Look..let's just get out of here and find a diner...I'm sure we all could use some breakfast.." I said.

II-

We found a diner in Midtown Philadelphia and the three of us had orders of Eggs and Bacon, Tumblers of Coffee, Toast and Hash Browns... It felt good not being locked up...even though it was only for a few hours.

"Kev, who is this Lewis Berger??? I saw photos of his face...and I got a hospital report...You really did a number on him." said Robert Foxworth.

''He tried to kill me." I said. "Colin Huxley ordered him to do it...after I caught him in two lies...First ,he said that he wasn't even at Josies that night." I explained.

"Oh well that's a lie...I saw him there myself." said Robert Foxworth.

"You saw him there?" I asked.

"Yeah...and Gus served him and a couple of people saw him..He was drunk, tried to hit on a couple of people...He's crazy about Black and Latino women...Asian women too...Man just loves women." said Robert Foxworth.

Sepia gave him the side eye and then she looked at me...I smiled...

"Yeah, well I have photos of him there...two or three." I said. "Then he said that he didn't know the dead girl ,Maysa...I have a photo of the two of them in the 7 Eleven...It was the last known sighting of her alive.." I said.

"Oh...and that's when he sicked Big Lou on you?" asked Robert.

"Yeah...but that's his word against mine." I said.

"There was a woman there too..and she's backing his story." said Robert.

"Colin was screwing her when I got there...of course she's backing his story." I said.

"WHATTTTT? What kind of party was this?" asked Robert , his eyes lighting up...

"They were off in a room...I waited with uh Big Lou." I said dryly....Sepia began laughing then, almost spit her coffee out...

"Well , I'll use the self defense excuse....You don't have any priors and everybody that knows you on the Police force will vouch for your charactor." said Robert.

"Thanks counselor, but a murderer is out there and he might just get away with it...and I can't go near him until after this trial." I said.

"Well, just because you saw them in a 7 Eleven, doesn't prove anything." said Robert...

"Yeah, but then why lie?" I asked.

III-

After we finished eating....Sepia and I went home...We showered , together of course ,made sweet love into the mid-afternoon and just chilled in bed......It had been a rough 24 hours.....

Slim had asked me to find his grand-daughter...I had done that! It wasn't my job to bring her murderer to justice...I could just let the police do that....Then I thought to myself...They weren't going to do anything..They didn't even want to look for the girl when she was first reported missing...And the thought of that smug bastard getting away with it and setting me up and costing me legal fees to get out of a manufactured charge just made my blood boil...No..I was going to find a way to bring him down if it was the last thing I did...This was personal now!

As Sepia and I lay in the bed....The doorbell rang!

"Kev...who could be at the door? Who knows we are here?" she asked...

"Anybody." I answered as I got up and put on my bathrobe....

It was Kool Kat and Owen Todd!! Hmmm, wonder what they wanted?...

"What's goin on guys?" I said as I opened the door and let them in...

"We won't take up much of your time Kev...We just stopped by to tell you that uh, er..that Lewis Berger guy dropped all of the charges against you." said Kool Kat...

"What? Huh?" I said.

"Yeah Kev....Me and Kools had a ...a...er ugh , you might say, lengthy discussion with him and that broad about things and after we uh er, ruh talked...They saw things our way and they kind of agreed that it was all a
mis-understanding....They called up the Police and said as much...so ..You're off the hook." said Owen Todd.

"Off the hook? What did you guys do?" I asked....I could see me being arrested all over again!

''Relax Kev...You worry too much and you have no faith in my ability to handle things..Look at us, do we look like we been fightin or engaged in any violence?" asked Kool Kat with a maniacal smile.

Both he and Owen Todd were dressed to the nines in beautifully and expensive European tailored suits , with shoes that might have been worn by a banker.. They had on some wonderfully smelling cologne also...If I didn't know them...I would have sworn that they were the lions of finance or commerce.

"We simply impressed upon Mr. Berger and his blond friend, Ms. Hearst that a lot of things could happen in the course of a day." said Kool Kat.

"Yes.. a lot of things." said Owen Todd.

"We impressed upon them both that the most important thing in life is not money, but simply health...and that making phony claims and putting an innocent person like yourself behind bars would definitely not be worth their health and good standing... and guess what Kev? Why those two nice people understood right away what I was talking about and they called the Deputy District Attorney and the Police , right while we were there, isn't that something?" asked Kool Kat...with a mischievous ,yet deadly grin that sent chills down my spine.

"Oh Really?" I asked.

"Yeah...they were only too glad to do it." said Owen Todd.

I laughed and just shook my head.....

"Where was Mr. Huxley, during all of this?" I asked.

"Long Gone Kev...He took a plane to Miami late last night...He won't be back for awhile." said Owen Todd.

I smiled-

"You know...I don't know what you two did...and I don't want to know...In fact, we never had this conversation." I said.

"Oh, that goes without saying." said Owen Todd..

"But I'm grateful to you...I really am." I said ,patting Kool Kat on the back..

"Hey Kev...don't mention it man...You're my ace...Who am I gonna run the streets with if you in the slams?" the big man said.

The three of us laughed...........but now....I was going after that snake, Colin Huxley....The hunt was back on! It was my move now!

( CONCLUSION NEXT )