Margins of Error

Three Large Medical Trucks were parked outside of the High School and three long lines of teen aged boys were lined up and being marched into the trucks. Inside of the trucks were Doctors and Nurses who were swabbing their mouths and taking samples of hair ,urine and blood from all of them. In another smaller line were all of the male N.T.A.'s , Teachers and Janitors who worked at the school...Detectives and Uniformed Policemen were conducting the activity. I stood along the side with Lt. Sissy Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide and a fuming Principal Harry Harkins.

"This is highly irregular, disrupting my school like this....I thought I told you to never set foot on my campus again Mister Morris.?" he snarled.

" Kevin is a Licensced Private Investigator Mr. Harkins and he is assisting us with our investigation." Sissy lied, sensing that I could use a little help. I wasn't assisting them with anything. My case was actually closed..I had gotten Ramon Davis out on bail and three days later, The District Attorney had dropped all charges against him for lack of evidence. That was all Cock Robbins, his coach had asked me to do. The police were getting DNA swabs of every male in the high school to compare it with the incredible amount of semen found in the dead Renee Jefferson. It seems that the murder of Cross Rivers, her alleged lover had all but been forgotten. I ,however thought that the two murders were somehow linked.

"This is highly irregular." snarled Harkins who then took another look at Lt. Sissy Van Buren. She was wearing a tight grey skirt that hugged her voluptuous curves...Her long brown hair hung at shoulder length and her legs were excellently shaped...His left eye brow curved and he smiled..

"Well Hellllooooooooo...I don't believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintence."

He said in the phoniest tone I had ever heard.

"This is Lt. Sissy Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide." I said, trying to be helpful.

"I don't believe I asked you a gotdamn thing." he snarled at me. I was just one step from belting him, but I thought better of it. I ignored him. When this case was over, I intended to settle with the Principal, once and for all.

"I'm pleased to meet you sir....I'm sorry to disrupt your school day...My men should be done shortly." she said.

"Oh you just take your time...Always pleased to help Philadelphia's finest in anyway I can."he said.

"Thank you for supporting the Police department." she said.

"I wasn't talking about the Police Department...I was talking about you pretty mama." he said with a leer...Oh give me a break! I thought to myself.

"Pretty Mama? Where did you dig that one up from?" said Sissy Van Buren.

"Heh,heh,heh...I can't help it if it's true....So tell me...Are you dating anyone?" He laughed.

"No, Not at the moment.." she said dryly and then walked over to one of her detectives.

Harkins then turned his attention to another man who he despised about as much as me..Cock Robbins.

"Robbins!!! Get over here." He snapped. Cock walked over to him.

'Yes ,Mr. Harkins?" He said.

"I see you got your wide receiver back eh?" He said.

"Yes sir and he'll probably be at practice today." said Cock, not knowing what this was about.

"Yes...You guys are undefeated right now , aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes sir...We are Ten and oh sir." said Cock.

"That's right...the best season we have had since you've been here....It had better stay that way too because if we fail to make the playoffs...you're history...if we get to the playoffs and lose, you're history, if I find out that you had anything to do with bringing Mister Kevin Morris here to stir up things at this school, not only are you history, but you can kiss your teaching job goodbye too...heh,heh,heh..." he laughed.

He walked away, towards Sissy Van Buren...Cock looked at me , frowned and then said-"Prick"

under his breath...He wanted to kill Principal Harkins...I just laughed.

As the DNA investigation beegan to end and everybody packed up and pulled off..I walked over to Sissy Van Buren.

"Kevin...want to bet that none of these samples will match." she said.

"You don't think so huh?" I said.

"No, I don't...but I have to try..This is all I have." She said.

"What about the boy? Rivers? " I asked.

"It's still an open case...You think there is a link don't you?" She said.

"My gut tells me that there is a link between the two and that we are looking for the same killer." I said.

"Yeah?" she said.

'Yeah..Both were killed in that gym..both were strangled by some kind of belt or something and then finished off with some kind of blunt object....and in both cases you have no weapon found and no eye witness....Ramon told me that Cross told him he had something to tell him on the day that he died...Wonder what it was? That the girl they were both fighting over was not pregnant?" I mused.

"Okay Kevin good point..but if she wasn't pregnant, then what would have been the big deal?"

asked Sissy.

"I think there was another player in the game...I think Cross found out about somebody else our girl was banging....somebody that couldn't allow their identity to be known..." I said.

"Who?" she asked.

"I don't know...Somebody that had something to lose if their identity was known." I said.

"You should have been a cop Kevin..You got better instincts than some of my detectives." she laughed.

I got in my car and I drove over to Cross River's father's house. I needed to talk to him about his son. Quentin "Deep" Rivers was a jazz musician. He played the bass...Although he was proud of his son, the wrestler...It was painfully obvious that he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and be a musician.

"Deep" Rivers and I sat on his steps and drank a beer and talked about his son, Cross Rivers and Renee Jefferson.

"That babe messed my son's head up Kevin. He ate,slept,drank that chick..That's all he ever talked about...I couldn't stand her myself. I told him, Cross, that chick is too high maintenance, too high siddity...Find yourself a more down to earth broad. You know how young boys can be..

Girl gave him his first shot of the punany and he went half crazy....He talked about killing himself when she dropped him for that Football player...Ramon." he said.

"Wow...He was in deep." I said.

"Yeah...She fooled around with that football player for about a year. We had a year of peace..then Cross started trying to see her again...only, she didn't want to...she was done with both of them...she had found someone new...Cross was devestated." said "Deep "Rivers.

"Yeah, but your son was seen driving her back to her house late at night in his car." I added.

"What car? Cross didn't have a car. He didn't have a drivers license...He had just got his permit the week before he was murdered." said "Deep" Rivers.

"So she never came over here and spent anytime?" I asked.

"Nahhhh, His mother don't play that...Anytime after nine, she was not over here and I certainly didn't drive her nowhere..I work at night..You can ask Gus over at Josie's..My Quintet been playin there ever since Reed Nelson and his band went back on the road. Cross wouldn't have had a car even if he could drive, which he couldn't." he said. I believed him. I thanked him for the beer and got back in my car.

Two weeks later..I got a call from Lt.Sissy Van Buren.

"Kevin, I was right...Not one of the DNA samples we took matched the semen in the girl's body,

not one..We are back to square one." she sighed.

That night I drove back to Lucy's house. I had Sepia's car and thus I had Sepia with me...As we walked toward the house...We heard sounds...the same sounds I had heard the last time I came

here..only they were coming from the front bedroom....

"OHHHHHHHHHH...OHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHH gooood lawd.....lay that pipe...ohhhhh give it to me.....give it too me..sock it to me...ohhhhhh you hittin my spots..ohhhh good gawdddd.."

came the voice...definitely a female voice...but the voice of an older woman....

"Ouuuuuuu,ummmmmmmph, ohhh baby....ohhhhhh baby, ohhhh foxy mama you sure got some good stuff..ohhhhh..ohhhhhhhh.....ohhhhhhh, give it to me girl....ohhhh come on foxy mama...ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.." came the whiny sound of a male... I had heard this voice before, but where? I kept asking myself.

"Somebody is gettin their swerve on up there Kevin, I think your girl is busy." said Sepia with a grin..

"Yeah, somebody is always gettin their swerve on in this house." I said, surprised at how disgusted I was.

Lucy was nowhere in sight...but I knew that that wasn't her voice and it didn't sound like the young voice of her sister either..Perhaps it was her mother and father doing their thing. Then I remembered that Lucy told me that their father had died in a shootout years before.

"Ohhhhhhhh...Ohhhhhhh, foxy mama, I can't put on my breaks...I'm about to explodeeeee!!

ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,ohhhhhhhhhhh...it's so good,it's so gooooood, it's sooo goodddd....ohhhhhhh...." he screamed with pleasure.

"Damn man, I sure wish you'd use a condom..." came the female voice.

"I pulled out, I didn't get any in you." came the male voice. I chuckled at that.

"I hope not....I aint never seen a man cum as much and as hard as you....My goodness,it's like

you wet the bed...Everytime you come over here, you ruin my sheets....I can't even wash these."

She said.

"I'm sorry..I can't help it." said the male voice.

"Well then get a condom..they make em big enough to handle you." said the voice.

"I don't get the feeling I need when I have a condom on." he said.

"Yeah,well then I'm gon charge you extra for ruining my sheets...but you gotta get dressed and get out of here before both my daughters come home...especially Lucy...She see you in here and it'll ruin the good thing we got goin.." said the female voice.

"I want to go again...I'll give you an extra $500.00." he begged.

"Hahahahahahahaha, man, get yo clothes on and get out of here before my daughters come home or you go broke, one of the two...we done did it two times tonight...now I'm tired...you gotta go...you done came all over two sets of sheets." she laughed.

"Oh alright...I'll see you next week.." he said.

"Okay..Thanks Harry...Tonight, you done paid my Gas bill,my phone bill and my water bill."she laughed.

Sepia and I ran and jumped in her car. We watched as the man walked out of Lucy's house. It was Principal Harry Harkins!!!!!!

You know him Kevin?" asked Sepia.

Yeah, he's the principal at the High school." I said.

"Well, he's not the first Principal to be sleeping with a student's mother." laughed my wife.

"There's more to it than that....He's the only person that didn't give a DNA sample two weeks ago. She said that he secrets a lot of semen when he ejaculates... We found an enormus amount in the dead girl's body....If I can get that woman's bed sheets...we might have our killer." I said.

"Yeah, you gonna knock on her door and get her stained bed sheets...Kevin , you are out of your mind." laughed Sepia.

Just then..I saw Lucy and her sister walking down the street...I looked at Sepia and smiled...

"There goes my inside girl." I said.

(Conclusion Next....)

I Love Lucy

Conrad Nelson, the Attorney and I sat outside the detention center and waited patiently as Ramon Davis was released on bail...We Watched as His Father and Mother greeted him with hugs and kisses and walked the 17 year old over to our car.

"I just want to thank you so much for getting my boy out of that horrible lock up Mr. Morris and Mr. Nelson." said his Mother.

"It was our pleasure, but just remember...you're still under indictment kid....we haven't cleared you of anything." said Conrad.

"But you must know that I'm innocent...Whoever killed Cross Rivers has now killed Renee....I couldn't have killed her..I was in jail." said Ramon.

"True, but they still think you killed Cross Rivers.. Look...let's go get some coffee and talk a bit.Mr. and Mrs. Davis.. We'll drop him home when we are finished talking to him." said Conrad.

We drove to a nearby Coffee shop and ordered Three tumblers of coffee and some warm, freshly cooked donuts. As we ate, I eyed the teenager. He was well built...but he was not what you would call a classically handsome boy...Just a normal ,average looking kid. Considering how well built and great looking Renee Jefferson was...I would say that this kid was in way over his head,as in out of his league.

Girls like Renee only went for guys like Ramon because of their ability and his ability to raise their status..Were he not playing football..She would not have given him the time of day..I could look at her and then look at a guy like Ramon and perfectly understand how a girl like her could make a guy like him go crazy with rage and kill. I could see it.

"Ramon...What exactly happened that day..that day that Cross Rivers died?" I asked.

"I was with Lucy..She had been telling me that Cross was making moves on Renee and that she would see Renee coming home in a car at all times of night...and that she knew that she had been with Cross..I saw him in the hallway about an hour before they found him...We had words about Renee...We almost came to blows but Lucy got in between us." he said.

"Lucy Dallas huh? I talked to her yesterday and she basically gave me the whole story...Renee was going to leave you for Cross wasn't she?" I said. This Lucy Dallas was a person of interest..Her name kept coming up.

"Well, I asked her if she was seeing him and she lied..Renee lied and said that he and her were just friends...that he wanted to get back with her but that she had flagged him...but Lucy kept saying that she was seeing Renee being dropped off in a car at all times of night. Here's the funny thing though Mr. Kevin....Cross told me that he needed to talk to me in private...that same day..about an hour before they found them..." said Ramon.

"He needed to talk to you in private?" asked Conrad.

"Yeah, he said to meet him in the gym...Only I never went...I had to turn in my Social studies test...by the time I got out of that class they had found him dead...strangled to death and beat up with a blunt object. He had texted me , telling me that he had something really important to tell me...but I guess I'll never know what it was." said Ramon.

"Hmmmm.....okay kid...Conrad here is going to take you home...I've got somewhere else to go." I said. "Stay close...don't get out of pocket." I added.

I drove over to the county morgue. When I got there ,I saw a familiar figure. The ever foxy Lt .Sissy Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide. I still found it hard to believe that she had once been married to Robert Foxworth. A brilliant attorney and a nice guy..but the biggest dog you ever wanted to run into.

"Kevin Morris, how long has it been? I heard you were nosing around this case..asking questions and pissing off one High school principal.....So tell me..what's it to you?" she asked. I smiled at her assessment.

" I have a client that believes the Davis boy is innocent." I said.

"You're probably right...My detectives questioned everybody and his story of his whereabouts
checked out.He was nowhere near the part of the school where we found the Rivers boy. We don't have much to hold him on and the D.A. may be dropping charges against him in days from now. We don't have a weapon or an eye witness...all we have is a motive." she said.

"Well that settles my business then..." I said.

"Yeah, it settles yours...but now the girl they were fighting over has turned up dead." said Sissy Van Buren.

"Yeah, that's a shame...she was pregnant and all." I said.

"Pregnant? She wasn't pregnant, who told you that?" said Sissy Van Buren.

"The kids at the school, well one in particular told me that she had told Ramon Davis that she was pregnant with Cross Damon's baby....This was the reason for the beef." I said.

"This girl has never been pregnant...The coroner confirmed that...but she did have sex shortly before she died..we found a lot of semen in her...." said Sissy Van Buren.

"Probably Cross River's semen huh?" I said.

"Gee Kevin, you're battin one thousand..I've never seen you so wrong...We did a DNA test...It wasn't Cross Rivers semen or Ramon Davis's semen..it belongs to someone else.." She said.

"Oh yeah? Who? " I asked.

"Probably whoever killed her." she said.

I scratched my head and then got in my car..I had to find Lucy Dallas... I drove to the school but the teacher reported to me that Lucy hadn't come to school that day...I drove over to her house
where I heard sounds coming from the back bedroom window....

"Ohh lord...ohhhh my lord..ohhhhhhhh this is soooooo goooood....ohhhhhh my...ohhhh my, give me more...ohhhhh goooood lordddd...sweeet lord...ohhhhhhh." came the sounds from the room...
They were the sounds of a man enthralled in passion or something.....Then I heard a female voice..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuu.....hurry up...hurry up and commeeee...ohhhhhhhhhh ,don't let my mother catch you in here...ouuuuuu..ohhhhhhhh..." came a female voice...

"OOOOhhhhhhhhh, lorrrrrdddd...it's sooo good....girl, what are you doing to meeeeeeeee..ohhhhhhhhhhhhh..." came a male voice...

"Please hurry upppp..ouuuuuuuuuuu..." came the voice of a female.

Just then I turned around and to my surprise..I saw Lucy Dallas, across the street talking to another girl. If she was across the street...then who was in her house? It was not my problem.
I crossed the street and walked over to her.

"Lucy..Can we talk?" I said.

"Yeah, talk about what?" she asked.

"Renee Jefferson." I said.

"I told you everything about her yesterday ." she said.

"You told me she was pregnant...I was just at the M.E.'s office. She wasn't pregnant." I said.

"No??? that lyin whore.She told everybody she was pregnant and we assumed that it was Cross
River's baby." she said.

"Why , why him?" I asked.

"Because she was doin it with him and he was having somebody drive her home in a car,late at night?" she said.

"What about Ramon? It could have been his baby." I said.

"I doubt that..she wasn't givin him a peek at the waistband of her panties...She was just stringing him along...He was just happy a girl like that would talk to him...He wasn't getting any..but Cross
Rivers was probably getting it..She was crazy about him." said Lucy.

"You sure know a lot about this situation." I said.

"Ramon is like my brother...he used to cry to me all the time about how bad and dis-respectful Renee could be....but despite all of that..he loved her was crazy about her....It was a crazy triangle." said Lucy.

"Yes...a very crazy triangle."

Just then, I saw the man who had been making all of the noise come out of Lucy's house. He looked to be about fifty two... I looked at Lucy....She shrugged....

"My Sister, she a ho....what can I say?" she said. He probably just paid our electric bill." she said.

I shook my head.....

"Need any more information Mister Kevin?" she asked.

"I'll let you know." I said as I got in my car and headed home.


(To Be Continued.)

Murder Over Easy

My wife,Sepia stood in the hallway, wearing only a black sheer slip...She had not yet put on her dress....She was talking on her cell phone as usual....I had on only a pair of khaki slacks and my house slippers..I grabbed her around the waist as she was talking and kissed her up and down her neck...

'Kevin..stopppp..." she giggled...I continued kissing her neck with my arms around her...she continued giggling...Whoever she was on the phone with got the message because they ended the conversation...I turned her towards me and pulled her to me and began kissing her while I squeezed one of her butt cheeks softly.... This would have continued and more than likely led to something but the doorbell rang. We slowly pulled apart from one another and I walked down the steps and answerd the door. It was Cock Robbins!

"Uhhhh,is this a bad time? " He asked.

'Huh, what?" I asked.

"Well, you don't have a shirt on, you're wearing a pair of trousers and your fly is open ." he remarked.

"What do you want Cock?" I said as I fixed my clothes.

"You gotta help me Kev....it's my player....Ramon Davis." he said. Cock Robbins had at one time been a semi professional football player with hopes of going to the pros...He worked out with the Eagles ,The Giants and the Patriots, but never got a permanant starting position. Now, he was married and coaching both High school and a Semi-Professional Football team in our area. His high school team was a perfect nine and oh..thanks to his explosive wide receiver...Ramon Davis. I had seen the kid work out...He had incredible speed and great hands.

"What about him Cock?" I said.

"He's in jail." he said.

"In Jail?" I said.

"Yeah..the cops picked him up this morning for killing some kid named Cross Rivers...Only,I know he didn't do it...He's a good kid Kevin...you seen him...."said Cock.

"Well what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Man, nose around...get some information that can free him...I know he didn't kill Cross Rivers."said Cock.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Cause I know that this is a good kid..." said Cock.

"Well first off...who is Cross Rivers?" I asked.

"Some guy....a student here...He was on the Wrestling team...I think he and Ramon were seeing the same girl...but I know Ramon Kev...He aint no killer." said Cock.

"Alright, relax..I'll look into it..but I can't promise you nothing man..all I'll say is that I'll look." I told him.

"Gee thank Kev...Look..here's one hundred dollars for expenses and a coupon for one free breakfast at Mabel's new restaraunt." he said.

I took the money and the coupon and I laughed to myself....Glad that most of my clients paid better.

Sepia and I had breakfast at Mabel's hot new restaraunt...Next to Josie's , this was the place to be seen in our neighborhood...Even Gus ,the bartender from Josie's ate there now. Mabel's cooking was legendary and her new place didn't disapoint. I had some Buttermilk Pancakes,Country Sausage and Maple syrup with a tumbler of Orange Juice and a tumbler of hot steaming coffee while Sepia had two eggs over easy and a hot tea with lemon.

"What did Cock want?" asked my wife.

"Ahhh,His wide receiver got locked up for murder and he doesn't think the kid did it..He wants me to look into it." I said.

"Who's he accused of killing?" asked Sepia.

"Some kid on the Wrestling team" I said.

"I bet it was over some girl." said Sepia as she drank her tea.

"Funny you would say that...How do you know?" I asked laughing.

"Two boys? It's always over some girl." she said matter of factly as she ate her eggs over easy. I just snickered and shook my head. Sepia was right though...This was definitely over a girl. The girl in question was one Renee' Jefferson. Once I got a look at this "girl" I could see what would drive two boys to kill for her. She was 17, but built like a woman at least five or six years older. She had curves on top of curves and a nice firm rack that was probably the envy of most grown women. She had incrediblely shaped legs and a beautifully almost unreal white smile...She was naturally a cheerleader and a very popular girl...The kind of girl I dreamed about in high school , but was way out of my league...Oh I understood, I understood perfectly.

Surprisingly,I found a number of students who were willing to talk to me freely,once they realized that I was not a cop. They told me that Ramon and Renee had been seeing each other almost from the day he arrived at the school as a transfer, but that prior to dating Ramon, She had dated Cross Rivers, the captain of the wrestling team. Cross wanted her back and he campaigned hard...and according to many of them...He and Ramon had come close to blows on more than one occassion over Renee'. That seemed to be motive enough for me. One thing I learned though....If you really want to know about a woman....especially a popular one...go ask her rival!! That rival was Lucy Dallas.

Lucy was a head turner herself....but not a cheerleader and not quite as ,let's say "worldly" as Renee'. She was more than willing to talk about Renee Jefferson. She and her girlfriends hated all of the cheerleaders. High School hadn't changed a bit!

"I couldn't stand her..I didn't like the way she played Ramon....Everybody knew she was screwing Cross Rivers behind his back. When she told him she was pregnant...I guess that was more than he could take." she said.

"Pregant??She's pregnant???" I said.

"Well, that's what she said...I don't know personally..but that's probably why Ramon lost his mind and shot Cross Rivers."she said. This put a decidedly different spin on things.

Well...Of course...the only thing to do was to question Renee herself...I couldn't go to her house..I had to question her while I was on the school grounds. I figured I'd better go to the Principal's office and let him know who I was and why I was here. The Principal was however less impressed with my credentials as both a journalist and a private detective than I thought he would be.

"Absolutely not...I will not allow you to question my students or bring any of this unpleasentnessup..The police have their suspect and the matter is closed" said Principal Harry Harkins, a tall brown skinned man, who dressed impeccably and looked a little like Billy Dee Williams when he was younger.

"Well sir, I believe there is more to it than what may appear....the young girl is rumored to be pregnant." I said.

His eyes got big-

"Pregnant???Is that what people are saying?" He said.

"Yes...that she was pregnant by either Cross Rivers or Ramon Davis." I said.

"Hmmmmm...well, okay, you can interview her..but after you do..I want you gone.Understand?"he said.

"Yes sir.but there may be more to this than-" I was interrupted.

"Gone or I'll call the police and have them look into YOU! " He said rather tersely.

He walked me to the class she was supposed to be in...but she wasn't there...I asked a few students if they had seen her, but none said they had. Then we heard a scream!! It was comingfrom the ladies dressing room in the gym area.

Harkins,Myself and three female teachers ran to the dressing room and laying on the bench in just a bra and panties with a belt wrapped around her neck was Renee Jefferson, very,very dead!

As a crowd gathered around...Principal Harkins looked at me-

"Happy now Mr. Morris? See what your nosing around has done? Gotten another one of my students killed...Happy now?" he said.

I didn't understand how he could turn on me all of sudden.....but one thing I did know...My investigation of one murder had turned into a double homicide!! and I wasn't about to just let this go.

(To Be Continued.....)

Greif Counseling

I made the funeral arrangements by phone. The woman at the funeral home sounded very pleasent. Her name was Vonetta Anderson...a plain enough sounding name. Conrad , my fellow attorney had reffered me to her. She was one of the few Black women he knew that owned her own Funeral parlor and business. I wondered what she might look like. Probably not too attractive, due to the type of business she ran....That was a business for the lonely, I reasoned.

It didn't really matter, I was still grieving Marjorie's death. She was only 35 years old...a beautiful,beautiful sexy woman who I had met at a wedding just a week ago. We had shared one of the most intoxicating and pleasurable nights in bed I had ever known and then ...just like that, she had died...The very next morning. I couldn't believe it! Since I had been the last person to actually see her alive ,I felt it only right for me to pay for and take care of the arrangements.

I had Chance Howard, the para-legal who worked for me locate and contact all of her next of kin and I personally called Reverend John Struthers and asked if he would perform the eulogy and the service. I had to do something..I was so distraught over Marjorie's untimely death that just by handling the arrangements..I was making myself feel better about what had happened.

I got a call from Vonetta Anderson telling me that the body was ready and that I could come by and view it before the funeral. Chance drove me to the funeral home...I was so distraught that i couldn't trust myself to drive....That and the fact that I had been downing Hennessey like it was Ice Tea all morning.

I walked into the Funeral Home and a tall thin White man greeted me.

"Hello Mr. Foxworth...Ms. Anderson will be here shortly....but you can follow me and view the body if you like.....I must say, it was a pleasure handling this body." he said with a wink. I didn't know what the hell he meant by a remark like that..but then again,I did know...Marjorie was agorgeous hunk of woman...I still got a hard on thinking about our one and only night together.

I followed him into a room with several caskets open and several of the recently deceased lying at rest.....and there she was....Marjorie....Looking good, looking like she was just sleeping...looking as sexy as she did when she was alive....I began to cry....uncontrolably...and then I felt a soft hand touch my shoulder...

"It'll be alright Mr. Foxworth..There...There..." she said.

I turned around and there was the most stunningly attractive woman I had seen in weeks...I almost forgot about Marjorie lying there in the casket...

'Well Hellllloooooo." I found myself saying and smiling a toothy grin..

"Hello Mr. Foxworth..I'm Vonetta Anderson.....I own the "Happy Valley" Funeral home... Actually, I inherited this from my late father and uncle....I mostly handle the business and administrative end... Mr. Fairchilds here is the mortician." she said.

''Yes..and he did a magnificant job." I added. He smiled a leering smile at me and winked. This guy really,really was giving me the creeps.

"I am at your disposal Mr. Foxworth in your time of greif....and if there is anything...I mean anything that you need...you just call me and I will be at your service."She said. She had on a tight Black skirt that was hugging every curve and black fishnet panty hose and red high heels.Rather strange garb for a funeral director, but I wasn't complaining.

The next night at the church , Reverend John Struthers presided-

"Dearly beloved...we are gathered here today....." he started out.

"Pastor? Pastor? This is a funeral, not a wedding." whispered Deacon Larry Weatherford.

"Ughh as I was saying Deacon,We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a beautiful, beautiful woman.....Ah did not have the pleasure of knowing this woman...but great day in the morning...good Lawd in heaven ,I certainly wished that I did....Just looking at that body in the casket has gotten me excited and boyyy...."

"PASTOR!!!!!!" said the Deacon...

"Oh...uh..Yes...Yes...It says in the bible...that he who finds a good looking woman findeth a good thang...yes lawd....great day in the morning and I knows that Mr.Foxworth found a good thing with this heah woman...Oh you was blessed..blessed I say....Ah know that this woman is in heaven because she was a beautiful woman....So family.....Ex Husbands..Mr. Foxworth...Lawd have mercy you was blessed..Ah wish it was me..Great goobly gook..."

"PASTOR, PLEASE!!!!"

"The doors of the church are now open.... if anyone would like to donate more than a measly dollar feel free to do so and if you gonna put a twenty in the basket, don't be pullin out no change...don't rob from the lord and don't rob from me...haaaaa.glorrrrrry!!!!"

"WHAT???" said Deacon Weatherford ,who should have been used to this mess by now.

"There will be a repass at...uh...who's house Deacon?"

"Sister Milford Pastor." said the exasperated Deacon.

''Sister Milford....yesss lawd..I remember her...ummmph...what that woman could cook, both in the kitchen and in the bedroom...great day in the mornin.."

"Pastor!"

"Oh alright...is the mike on?"

I sat there in stunned amazement...I looked around the church..Marjorie's family members were shocked.....I saw my friend Kevin....he had his head in his hands and was bent over...His wife ,Sepia was mortified ,as was Conrad and Jill... Chance,Paris, Blake and Donald Smooth were laughing uncontrolably and Cock Robbins and his wife Vanessa just shook their heads...Mabel Jenkins, Corrie,Anita and the Deacon's wife,Victoria (who used to be Pastor's wife..I know, don't ask!) were equally appalled...Clerow however saw how distraught I was and brought me a glass of water.

"It's gonna be alright buddy..this was a good thing you done...Handling everything." he said.

'And now we will have a selection from Donnie McClurkin. And then we will dismiss" said the Pastor.

"Donnie McClurkin? He aint here." said Deacon Weatherford..

"Ah know that Deacon...They gon play the Ipod dock over the loud speakers...I aint a total fool."said Pastor Struthers..

"Weee fall down...but we get up...wee fall down, but we get up..."

Oh My God, I couldn't take anymore....I got up and left the church....I might as well have preached the sermon myself...This man was the worst preacher I had ever known..How could these people continue to go to his church I wondered?

I walked down the street , away from the church...Just as I got to the corner, A Blue 2010 Lexusdrove up with tinted windows. The windows began to detract and there seated at the wheel was the lovely funeral director,Vonetta Anderson.

"Hello Mr. Foxworth...How are you holding up?" she asked..

"Oh ,I'm doing the best I can." I said.

''Awww, I feel so bad for you....she was your girlfriend?" she asked.

"Welllllll...I can't say we was that deep, but she was kind of my lover...I ..I was her last lover." I said as tears welled up in my eyes...

"Well my offer still stands...if there is anything...anything at all that I can do...you just let me know." she said again.

We wound up in her apartment drinking Hennesey and just talking at first....which led to some heavy and passionate kissing and groping....This went on for close to thirty minutes until I couldn't take it anymore and then I unzippered her dress and slid it off of her....She undid my pants with equal abandon and I slipped my shirt and tie off....Her body was amazing...I was certain that this woman worked out daily and did not spend her time behind a desk or in that funeral home..Though she had a pleasent enough rump to suggest that...I was certain she didn't...I began sucking on her earlobe and kissing her neck and behind her ears...and under her chin...

"Ohhhhhh...Ohhhhh Mister Foxworth...I-I-I think we are getting a bit out of hand here..ouuuuuuuuuuuuu...ohhhhh, you are hitting my spot....ohh my lawdd.." she moaned as i continued to work my way around those breasts of hers.licking just ever so gingerly....

'Ouuuuuu, you've got to stop ." she said as she felt my now raging erection....

'Ohhhhhh my...Mister Foxworth...this is getting out of ...out of hand..." she said...but she began to kiss me as I eased her panties off and unhooked her bra.... By now ,I was out of my boxersand I lifted her up and took her into her bedroom, laying her gently on the bed...

She climbed on top of me and eased herself down on me...."Ouuuuuuuuuu..ummmmmphhh.."she moaned again....She gripped me like a vice and rode me slowly and softly...she began to move faster and faster until I'm certain the head of my penis had struck her g-spot...she let out blood curdling moans and began to quiver.....It was the first of several orgasms she was to have as we kept at it....

She leaned down and kissed me and it was then that I had a powerful release....

'Ohhhhhhhhh lawwwwdddddd..." I screamed....It felt good...the first time I had felt anything resembling good in close to a week.

We fell asleep on top of each other...We both woke up hours later, thank goodness and got into the shower together....Where we wound up kissing some more and I wound up lifting her up and on to me as we made love against the wall...We wound up back in her bed..soaking wet, pounding into each other with wild abandon...until we both were spelled...

A few hours later, we were both dressed and sitting in a Coffee Shop a few blocks away.

''Mr. Foxworth...I want you to know that I don't usually do this type of thing...In fact I have never had any impropriety with a customer..When I said I'd do anything...that's not what I meant." She said sounding very business like.

"I'm sorry....I don't know what came over me." I lied, going into my lawyer mode."This is so unlike me...I guess I got caught up in my greif." I lied again.

"Well...the greiving process can be long....and you may need lots of counseling.....and ..may I add...That I don't mind counseling you through your greif at all." she said with a sly wink, whiletaking her foot and rubbing it against my crotch as I sat in the chair.

"What? " I said.

"In fact..I think you should come over a few days a week for more "counseling........My lord...I would be only too happy to oblige." she said.

''Well, the burial is tomorrow and I'm going to be feeling particularly bad ." I said...

"Let me check my schedule...umm hmmm...How about three p.m. Doubleday Hotel...room 611?"she asked with another wink...

"That works for me" I laughed...Wow....I think with Vonetta Anderson's help..I may get over my greif in no time!

(For Talmeedah)

Baby,Please

ART: Title & Artist Unknown

Though I've considered negotiation
and I'm committed to gentle persuasion
I hope you'll listen to reason
and realize that you've been all I've ever needed./


Baby please
spend the night with me
stay until morning
don't leave..
just stay one night..
don't play me out(cause I've been..)
cause I've been waiting for someone like you...
oh come on..
let's get it on...
oh come on..
don't leave...
oh come on...
Baby Please...
don't make me beg and plead..
Baby please..
don't leave.../


I've considered a possible "no" from you..
but I've already cooked up a counter move
yes I'm content to play it kool, little jewel
I've been planning this for a very long time..
one thousand ways I was going to make you mine...
And I know that you've considered it self betrayal or treason...
To fall into my bed too early for seemingly little reason.../



But darling..
baby please..

there is no need
for you to run away..
please stay..
I won't bite ,unless you ask me too..
don't tease please
why don't you stay...
please stay...
don't run away...
baby Please
spend the night
stay until the morning light
give me one night
don't play me out..
hear me out...
let me remove your doubts...
because I've been holding out
for someone like you...
like you...
like you..
just like you...
baby please
allow me some dignity
don't make me beg and plead..
please stay.../

Better Love Next Time

ART: "Love Supreme" By Alonzo Adams

Maybe I Thought I was Slick

dialing the numbers of your BlackBerry..

you'd think that maybe this was some kind of trick..

That I was a stalker

or someone scary../



I just thought that perhaps I
could steal an hour of your time
for some good food and some wine..
but not really to my amazement
you claimed to have another engagement../



Oh well,
better love next time
next time maybe you and I
can go some place private...
better love next time
maybe you and I
can go someplace that's quiet..
better love next time
better love next time.../



Naturally a girl like you
would have other guys too
and most folks would surmize
that a guy like me
would find it a surprise
to even have a chance at romance
but that's not how I play the game../



My mother told me what I know to be true
she said -"Son whatever you do."
in the game of romance
Always check out the who set
baby don't throw all of your eggs in one basket..
girl, I suspect you have been told the same./



So here's to
Better love next time
I'll catch you on the rebound..
Better Love next time..
Here's my cell phone number..
Give me a call..
Chances are, I'll still be around.../