Semi-Pro

Cock Robbins ran his pattern...He ran out 23 yards and then instead of going straight, he inexplicably made a sharp turn...a turn that caused him to collide with Clyde Calupepper, another wide receiver. The Quarterback, Chet Jano (brother of the late Brett Jano) was no fan of Cock Robbins. He not only considered him responsible for his brother's death...he had heard from his brother before his untimely passing that Cock Robbins was not to be trusted around your lady.

"Robbins...Robbins..what are ya doin?' snapped
Coach Samuel L. Johnson.

"Coach...I had lost my man and I was wide
open....he should've hit me with the ball..
I was open." protested Cock.

"Just run the pattern Cock..okay? Run the damn
pattern." said the exasperated Coach.


Cock ran the next pattern as he was told and made his cut with precision...The quarterback spun
a perfect pass his way...it bounced off of his hands...

"Come on man..you threw that ball
too hard ." he protested.

The next play..Cock went short....another perfect pass, bounced off of his helmet....

"Coach, Coach...bring in another quarterback...
he's garbage." screamed Cock....

"ROBBBINS.....GET OFF MY FEILD!!!!
HIT DA SHOWERS...YOU'RE OUTTA
HERE...AND DON'T COME BACK!!!!"
screamed the Coach.

All of the other players clapped and cheered...They hated Cock Robbins and his constant bragging and complaining...He acted like he was playing on The Philadelphia Eagles or the New York Giants...Neither of which the Semi-Semi Pro Chester Molesters were. This was the second
semi pro team he had been cut from in two weeks. The other, The Wynnefield Hawks had cut him the third day of tryouts. Neither the Eagles ,nor the Giants had ever called him back. A workout with the Dallas Cowboys had yeilded nothing. Here he was thirty four years old and had yet to even sit on the bench for anything more than a Semi-professional football team.

Cock Robbins had fallen a long way down from his high school days when he led his High School
Footbal team to the State Championships in both his Junior and Senior Year. Women loved him...they still did....People predicted big things for him. He was recruited by a few local schools,
Lincoln, Cheyney State, Millersville and West Chester....Wound up going to Lincoln, majoring in
African-American History, with a minor in Physical Education. Just barely graduated. He had to walk on The Eagles, the Giants and the Patriots at one time and wound up getting cut before the Season started. By 25 ,he had played for a series of Semi -Professional Football teams and couldn't manage to stay on them.

Then there was the women....They never failed him...In New York, all he had to do was say that he was a Semi -Professional Football player and they came running. He had been blessed in one area though and as word of it's size got around...He soon was juggling woman after woman and trying to live as though he were Terrell Owens or Peyton Manning...Trouble was..he didn't have their money or their fame. He lived with woman after woman after woman until they saw that he was kind of shallow..Then as usual, they cut him loose. Like Cinnamon, his latest girl...A stripper by night...A student at Community College by day.

She needed her car to get to work and she needed it like, yesterday-

"Hello." said Cock as he cleaned out his locker and answered the
Bluetooth and phone , Cinnamon had given him.

"Cock, I need my car...I gotta go to work."
she bellowed.

"Alright baby, I'll...I'll be home soon." he said.

"Home? Nigga is you got some rent money?
you been drivin my car, watchin my cable
eatin up my food for two months now and I
aint seen nar dime...I aint supportin you,
you supposed to be the big time Football playa."
she said.

"Baby, I got cut."He said.

"Again? What kind of football player
are you? You got cut by the Chester
Molesters...damnn boy...They're one
step from bein a high school team...
you must really suck." She laughed
cruelly.

"Damn girl...you've got as much sensitivity
as a pit bull." He said.

"Just bring my car to me...and bring me some
money or I'm puttin you out.." She said.

"Baby wait!" He said...

Click!

He looked in his wallet..He had four hundred and fifty seven dollars and eighty five cents in his
wallet..that was it and he needed that to buy his hair care stuff and his soap and colognes..Had to smell good for the ladies!!!He walked out into the afternoon air, tossed his gear into the trunk of
Cinnamon's car..Looked up into the night time sky and wondered aloud what he was going to do with himself...

(To be continued)

Dream a Little Dream of Me

ART: "Light My Fire" By Wak

Saturday Morning Found Clerow in the Supermarket, with a shopping cart buying groceries...It was actually his wife, Cora Beth's turn to shop, but ever since she had had the baby..he found himself going on the weeks she was supposed to go. He looked at the list she had written for him and was careful to pick just the right amount of meats, fruits, fresh vegatables and canned goods in the carts. Cora Beth liked name brand stuff when it came to dish washing liquid, toilet paper ,
paper towells and the like. Clerow was careful not to bring the wrong product home...Cora Beth would send him back with a quickness. Nothing was particularly different about this Saturday until he turned the corner down the center aisle and there she was......Mabel Jenkins....His sister in law...his one time lover... He had never really stopped loving Mabel...He had been her man at one time...he had owned those luscious curves , he had ran his hands down her blouse, felt those mellon like breasts, kissed those lips..He had done all of this, until his curiosity about her equally voluptious younger sister had made him weak, weak enough to sample the goods and get caught by Mabel. Mabel never forgave him....She left their Louisiana hometown and came to Philly and
Clerow came here not long after in hopes of winning her back. Mabel had found a new man...he was too late...Cora Beth came here too, to find forgiveness and to have the baby, her indescretion
with Clerow had created. Clerow's debauchery went even further..He had become involved with
Victoria, who it would turn out was Mabel and Cora beth's older half sister. He had fallen so far he figured that he would never get in good graces with Mabel again...After all, he had bedded both of her sisters. He looked at her and sighed...

Mabel spotted Clerow out of the side of her eye...He would never know, but she often thought of him...late at night when she was all alone...when her new man was working late and she was lonely, with only her vibrator and dreams of the last time she was with Clerow.
They were at at party at one of her girlfriend's apartments in Monroe, Louisiana..They were on
the third floor..Clerow had made some of his Citrus Punch...and had spiked it with vodka...She kept looking at him and he kept looking at her with that toothy grin on his face.. God, he had beautiful white teeth, she thought...That was what had attracted her to him..his big wide smile.
He motioned her to follow him outside on the fire escape..At first she shook her head no..but he kept on motioning for her to follow him. She looked around...nearly everybody was drunk or otherwise obligated...Nobody would notice her, so she followed Clerow out to the fire escape.
The Blue dress she had on was extremly tight, but Clerow's big hands just seemed to glide effortlessly along her hips and her waist...his kisses at first came fast, then slow...along her neck
, the side of her face..and finnally her lips...she was getting wet just thinking about it..Out there
on the fire escape..She unbuckled the belt of his khaki slacks...while he pulled up her dress, exposing first her shapely thighs and then her navy blue Victoria Secret boy short panties...
She got his zipper undone and then she deep throated his penis...seemingly more excited by the thought that they could get caught... He leaned back on his elbows and just smiled that broad smile that only he could... He stopped her before he thought he might explode and spun her around...entering her "doggy style" as they say... She hated that term...but she loved what he was doing to her....finnally she turned around ,facing him and eased herself down on him...She made slow gyrating motions and moved in a perfect rhythm as they both came together and both moaned loud enough to be heard.. They quickly got up and fixed their clothing and looked
around..There was nobody on the street below and the people in the party were dancing and
screaming to the top of their lungs..Nobody had seen them...They both laughed at what they had done.

'Hi Mabel...fancy meeting you here."
said Clerow.

"Oh Hi Clerow, how are ya doing" she said

She hoped that he didn't notice she was sweating... he hoped that she didn't notice the erection he was trying to hide.

"That was some caper the other day with
Kevin wasn't it?" laughed Clerow..

"Sure was...I heard that the missing guy's
wife kilt him and the floozy he was steppin
out on her with." said Mabel.

"You don't say? That Kevin sho can get himself
in some mess caint he.........." laughed Clerow.

There was an uneasy silence between them...She looked at him...he looked at her..he wanted to
kiss her so badly and unknown to him, she wanted him to kiss her too...there she was sweating bullets...They both were only dreaming...He was her sisters husband....she could never do that to her. She was his wife's sister...He had been a bad man....he wasn't going to go back down that road again...Cora Beth and their child had redeemed him...whatever he had done in the past was just that ...the past.

'Uh Mabel, do you need a lift home..
my car is outside." He said.

"I have a car now...a 2007 Jetta."
she said..wishing she didn't...

"Oh..." He said.

"How's my sister and that baby of yours?"
she asked.

"They're doing well...Mabel?" he asked.

"What Clerow?" she said ,looking at him soulfully.

"Nothin.....whatever it was..I forgot...
I'll see you around." he said.

She watched Clerow walk down the aisle and leaned back up against the wall near the deli section..she wiped the sweat off of her brow with her hand.

Promise

ART: "Anniversary" By Ernest Watson

/I'll take your hand within my hand
I know that sometimes promises sink like quicksand..
but just know this..
I'll love you the very best I can..
I can't perform miracles...
I'm only a mortal man./

/Neither love nor fate is left up to me
and in the coming days whatever will be
will just be..
I won't promise you the sun...
and I won't expect the moon from you..
and I won't promise you the sky...
but I'll tell you what I will do..
I'll promise you that I'll try...
to do all of the things a man is supposed to...
to keep you happy../

/Right now I've never been more sure of what I feel
and what I feel , I'm certain is real...
but feelings change from one day to the next
and it all can get complicated at best.../

/Neither love nor fate is left up to me or you
and what you say you feel for me may change
, this I know to be true..
so don't try to make me believe that the day
will never come when you might want to leave..
Just know that it's not a crime..
to say ,we'll take it one day at a time..
and come what may...
because you know I'll ask you why...
one fine day...
so let's be realistic and just say....
Promise me you'll try...
Promise me you'll try...
because you know that I would../

/I promise you
that I'll try...
to do all of the things a man should do
to keep you happy
and never cause you to cry...

I promise you.../

Love is a Losing Game

ART: "Good Night" By Andrew Nichols

" She didn't know where I was when you first got hired" said Ezekial Porterhouse

I had been chasing this man for a week and here he was standing there like a ghost who had returned from the grave. If I told you that I was confused..I wouldn't be lying. I had figured out that Laura knew where he was ..but it was the why that bothered me.

" Kevin, I'm leaving my wife...and I'm leaving this city and the rap game...I owe people money,I'm on the verge of losing my two best acts..and I'm sick of it all..I just wanted to get away for a few days...I left my car with Laura, but she had no idea where I was or if I was coming back..until after she hired you to find me. I knew you'd ask my wife questions and if she
knew that Laura had hired you, she would never know that Laura and I would be together..She'd think that Laura was as in the dark as she was. I'm surprised your boy, Cock Robbins didn't tell you that I was back...I'm the one that put his ass out.. I guess his punk ass was too scared to mention my name." Laughed Zeke maniacally..

If I somehow got out of this, I was going to shoot Cock Robbins myself..He could have told me this and I could be home making love to Sepia instead of standing here on the porch with a gun pointed at my head.


"What? man are you crazy? Why didn't you just
take Laura and go?" I asked.

"I was gonna, but after I found out she had you looking
for me, I figured that that would throw Jack Diamond
off...make him think that I was dead..I certainly never meant
for Laura to get kidnapped...but you rescued her and now I
plan to pay you for your continued silence." He said.


"Hold up man, if you can pay me to shut up...how come you can't
pay Jack Diamond his six g's?" I asked. Suddenly wondering why the hell I cared about Jack Diamond and whether he got his money. I just didn't want to get shot at this point. But I suddenly felt a cool hatred for Zeke...I didn't want him to get away with this..but I didn't have anyway to stop him. I didn't figure on seeing him, so I hadn't planned ahead.


"Nigga ,I aint givin you no money...I'm gonna walk yo ass into
that house and shoot you....by the time they find your body,
Laura and me will be long gone...and since I'm missing anyway,
and people saw her abducted...The whole thing will be blamed on
Jack Diamond...You see, I'm in the clear." He laughed as he cocked
his pistol.


I hadn't figured on this..I didn't have a plan of action at all.. I looked over at Laura, I pleaded
with her-

"Laura, you're going to go for this?? You would be
part of a murder..for this peice of crap?" I said.

Laura's face was blank, devoid of emotion....and that scared me more than anything-

"You don't know how bad I want this man....
His wife was never going to give him a divorce..
I'm sorry Kevin, just close your eyes...It'll be quick
and painless. I promise...Zeke is a compassionate man
if nothing else." she said.

Those were the last words she would ever utter in this life..a shot rang out that hit her right between the eyes...blood splashed out like a gusher and she slumped to the ground... Zeke spun
around..and before he could get off a shot..he was hit in the abdomen and right in his heart..He was dead before he hit the ground.. I turned around and there she was to my surprise.....Big
Nasty, holding a smoking and big gun...a .44 magnum... They really need to do something about the availabilty of so many guns on the streets of Philadelphia.

'Hey.....why did you do this, are you crazy? " I yelled. Horrified and glad that Zeke was dead all
at the same time. I had no love lost for this creep at all..I did feel bad that Laura was dead..she
was still as fine as hell... (I know, she was going to let him kill me just a minute ago and all I cared about was how good she looked...I'm a man, what can I say??)

Lights started coming on in people's houses and folks started coming out.. I expected to get shot next...

"I knew that no account negro was still alive...
I knew it when you found the car..I just staked this
house out and waited for him to come back..I knew
he would...wasn't no way in hell I was going to
give him up to that heiffer...I'd kill em both before I
allowed that." she said...


"You know the cops are coming ?" I said.

"That's right and you'll tell them that I just
saved your life" she said. The lady was as cool as a cucumber. I was suddenly filled with a great
lust for her..didn't know why, but she just seemed so sexy all of a sudden, standing there with that gun in those tight jeans and with that pink middrift on..

It was, after all the truth...She had saved my life and that's what I told the cops, plus the whole story of his faked disapearence and her kidnapping, her rescue(by me alone, no need in involving the others) and their plot to kill me and leave town. The cops found two airline tickets for the Caymen Islands in the house and over 200 g's in cash stashed in paper bags in the basement. I suspect that Zeke was planning to get his money and make a run for it ,whether Laura was here or not. He saw us pull up and he hid until he took account of the situation.

He had certainly made no plans to rescue her once he found out what had happened to her. She didn't think of that...She died believing that he loved her...He didn't love her, he loved himself.
He didn't love Big Nasty either...and she killed him, still loving him, but not wanting to see him with another woman. What was love? What was it really? It was a losing game for both of these
poor deluded women. I began to think of Zeke and of Cock Robbins and men like them. These were the type of men who always seemed to get the beautiful women and always seemed to treat them badly and yet the worse they treated their women, the more crazy and devoted these women were to them. It mattered not to Laura that Zeke was married, someone else's guy and that he could do the same thing to her one day that he was doing to his wife. It mattered not
to Big Nasty that he for better or for worse had made his choice and that it wasn't her..She still loved him..Loved him so much that she'd rather see him dead than see him with another woman.
Love was a losing game....

Believe it or not, The Detectives let Big Nasty go...They bought the story that she killed them to save my life. Really it was more likely that they just wanted a cleared case. It involved Black people, killing other Black people, there would be no public out cry, so why not just wrap it up and call it a night? That's exactly what they did..Lazy asses. I wondered about Big Nasty...Her
"punishment" would be that she would have to live with this...The really scary thing was..I think
she could...I think she was relieved that it was all over with..No more drama.. She could go and meet someone else..start all over again. Who says there are no second acts in American life?

I was certainly relieved and glad to be alive. (I was horny too..) I drove home and walked into my silent living room, I pulled the curtains to. I walked into my bedroom and Sepia was lying in bed, sleeping silently.. She was wearing a Pink baby doll and a matching pink string bikini ...She was sleeping so soundly, I hated to wake her up.I undressed and took a shower, then slipped on some silk boxer shorts and slipped under the covers...my extra weight on the bed woke her up.

"Where you been?" she asked sleepily...

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow..but you
know what?" I said

"What?" she answered ,still half asleep

"I'm not getting involved with anymore bloggers
and I'm taking Cock Robbins's number out of my
phone." I said.

"I could have told you to do that a long time ago..
I took his name out of my phone..That loser."she said.

I looked at her laying there looking so good and I nudged her awake....

"Okay...I do feel like being involved with
one blogger." I said...

"Yeah? Well it had better be the one laying
beside you right now. ..she laughed.

"That goes without saying." I laughed
as we began to spoon.

**********************************************************

Dead Man Walkin

"Kevin, I'll tell you this much" said Gus.

"If you're gonna go up against Jack Diamond and
his co-horts, you're gonna need some muscle..
you can't just go up to his place and start
askin questions." said Gus.

"Okay, so you got any suggestions?" I asked him.

"Yeah...You come around here later on and I'll
have two guys who can help you out." He said.

That was good, because the wheels of my mind were working..I had a plan..a good plan that just might work. I drove over to Clerow's house and chewed the fat with him.
He was as I had said before , a good man to have in a pinch..but along with him, I needed a more potent weapon...His sister in law and one time lover, Mabel Jenkins!!
She had a pair of hips on her that few men could resist, plus, from what Clerow had told me..She was good with a gun. I had gotten her a job..so I figured she owed me a
favor.

Two hours later, I drove up to Josie's Bar. As promised..Gus had two guys waiting for me..Eddie Martin and Albert King...both tall well muscled black men, both ex-Marines...handy with a gun and willing to do whatever, provided the money was on the table. I had a comfortable bank account and I was able to let go of a few dollars for
their services...I thanked Gus and I got in the Black Range Rover with them, While Clerow and Mabel followed us in His yellow Cooper.

The Range Rover parked across the street from Jack Diamond's house. We watched the
activity in the house for close to two hours...One guy would leave the house to go to the chinese store and get food...Another guy would let him in...From what we could
see..There was only two men in the house at least. Then we got the break we were looking for..The bossman himself drove up or was driven up in a Black 2008 Ford 300.

Jack Diamond was a skinny little runt of man, not much to look at and certainly not intimidating at all, but from his rep...not one to be taken lightly.He walked up to the door and was let in by the guy who had gotten the food. I called Clerow on my cell phone and put my plan into action.

Clerow's yellow Cooper drove up behind the Ford 300. Clerow got out and walked over to the car. He tapped on the window. The window on the driver's side came down..Clerow smiled and in his most countryish voice said-

"Hey brother..what's shakin?"

The guy looked at him like he was crazy and said-

"Beat it Hayseed.."

"Awww now you ought not be talkin
to me like that.." laughed Clerow

"Nigger,I'll whoop yo-" said the driver..

"Ahhh I think you'll put yo hands where
I can see em, shut yo mouth and allow
my friend over there to tie you up
and put you in the trunk of this car."
said Clerow ,still smiling and holding
a very loaded .45 in his hands.

That's exactly what happened...Clerow held the gun on him and Eddie tied him up and
put him in the trunk of the car. Next..Mabel Jenkins ,wearing one of her tightest and most revealing dresses walked up to the door and rang the bell. The first guy came to the door and as soon as he saw her, he got the biggest smile on his face-

"Lawd Jesus,ah done died and gone to Heaven
looka here, looka here, what can I do for a
fine young thing like you..?" He said

"You can put your hands up, shut the hell up
and let my friends in sucka." said Mabel, who
was holding a very hot .38 snubnose at the man's
privates.

One thing about Mabel, she was direct and to the point if not anything else..My kind of girl.. With that, Me, Eddie and Albert stormed the house and got the drop on Jack
Diamond and his one remaining goon.

"What the hell is this?" asked a startled Jack

'Hi ya Jack, you don't know me, but you
got someone I want" I said, holding a
.45 to his adam's apple..

I was right...Laura Valley was right there in the living room, bound and gagged.

"Who the hell are you?" He snarled.

"Nobody you need to concern yourself with...
the lady is coming with me..and you are going
to tell me what you did with Zeke Porterhouse..
now spill it Jack..don't make me lose my temper..
my hands might get to wigglin..gun might go off."
I said..

Eddie untied her and Albert was looking at me and just laughing to himself. Jack Diamond was puzzled-

"You lookin for him too? That's what we
were doing..He owes me 6 G's man...I wanted
my money...That's why we snatched old girl."
He explained.

He had a gun on him, he was surrounded and outgunned..I don't think he was lying.
I motioned for Eddie to escort Laura out to the car. I looked at Jack and I said-

"I been lookin for him for about a week
if you see him..save some of that chizzler
for us..but the lady don't know nothin." I said.

Jack Diamond thought that we were gangsters looking for Zeke too...plus he just wanted those guns off of him.

"Hey, if I find him, there won't
be enough of him left for you guys.."he nodded.

I smiled and I backed out of his house, covered by Mabel Jenkins, Eddie and Albert.
I motioned for Clerow to let his guy out of the trunk of that car and we got in both of our vehicles and pulled off. It had been quite a day..I paid Mabel and Clerow and thanked them profusely for their help. Eddie and Albert drove me and Laura back to Josie's where we got in my car and bid the two soldiers of fortune good bye.

On the drive to Laura's house, I looked at her..Jack's guys hadn't harmed her..but she was obviously tired. I let her out in front of her house and I walked her to her door.

"Okay Laura..where is he?" I asked.

"Where is who?"

"Zeke? I know you've been driving his car
all week...A man isn't going to give any woman
his car and his credit cards and go without nothing."
I said.

"Kevin, I hired you to find him, paid you good money, In fact, I
still owe you money.." she said

"Yeah, I still don't know why you did that..
if you knew where he was all along.." I said..

"Kevin..I don't know what-" she started to say...

Then I heard a raspy voice that I had never heard before-

"It's okay Laura..You can tell him now.."
came the voice....

I spun around and there he was...The man I had been chasing all this time-

ZEKE THE FREAK!!!!!!! And he was holding a gun on me!!!!

(conclusion tomorrow)

Needle in a Haystack

Big Nasty and I went from door to door in that neighborhood , asking people if they had seen any activity at Laura's house across the street. A lot of people refused to answer their doors...some that did answer their door were suspicious of the two of us and said that they didn't see anything...Oh but the two or three people who were willing to talk...(There always is someone willing to talk .) gave us the information we needed. One thing was, about an hour before we arrived at the house.. two men were seen escorting Laura out of the house and into their car! I asked them about seeing another man, Cock Robbins at the scene...Nobody recalled seeing him. I asked them about the car at the corner. They told me that they first saw the car on or around Monday afternoon and that the woman across the street-Laura had been driving it all week long.
Meaning she was the woman who the gas station owner had seen!!! Something didn't fit in all of this..I was beginning to have a real bad feeling about what was going down.

The first mystery solved itself... The whereabouts of Cock Robbins. A Silver Nissann Z, two seater pulled up in front of Laura's house...In it was Cock Robbins and yet another beautiful Black woman in a tight black mini skirt.. I had to hand it to Cock, he had great tastes in women.

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

"Oh hey Kevin, I meant to call ya bruh....
Laura put me out, the day after you left..
I was coming here to get my stuff...Oh...
the manners on me..This hear is mah new
baby...Cinnamon....This her car..aint it a beaut?
I'm staying with her up in Chestnut Hill until uh
The Eagles or the Giants call me for tryouts.."
He laughed..

"Cock....Laura's not here, she's been kidnapped."
I said.

"Yeah?? " he asked, not really caring.

"Damn ,that's a shame, well uh look here,
I hope you find her Kev...if anybody can,
it's you...but uh look brother..I'm on the
clock..I'm gon go in here, grab my clothes
and get on up out of here...take it easy
greasy and uh, say hi to Sepia for me."
He laughed as he went into the house.

I couldn't be mad at Cock...He was who he was... I took "Big Nasty" home... There was nothing
more to be done here, I could see. I told her that I would keep in touch with her if I found out anything..Then I headed home.

That night I made love to Sepia as if my life depended on it...it was hard, rough, hair pulling rough...

"Ouuuu, Kevin, you've never been like that with me before...
whewwwww, that was different.." she said...

We both were sweating....I lie in bed next to her, but I was a million miles away...This man had
just dropped out of sight and now his girlfriend was missing too....but certain things didn't add
up...Finding him was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack...Her too.

I leaned over and gave Sepia , a long and passionate kiss......she stared at me...she patted my arm gently-

"I know you're really feelin me an all
right now...but I'm not gonna write about us
in my blog...not right now..it's too personal."

She looked at me as if waiting for some big reaction...I stared at her and then we both busted out
in huge guffaws of laughter...I needed that.

"Hey bay...listen...could we switch cars
tomorrow? I'm going to work for a couple
of hours ...then I gotta be somewhere ,somewhere
where my car can't be noticed." I asked.

"Oh-Okay...you aint steppin out on me
are ya?" she asked playfully.

"Never that..." I laughed.

The next day after work..I drove to Josie's Bar...Every neighborhood has a bar and in that bar there is always one person or persons who knows more than they openly say..That person was Gus ,the bartender at Josie's...I was going to pay him a visit.

"Ho...drinkin alone this afternoon huh?" he laughed.

'Very Funny Gus...Those girls you saw me with
was business." I laughed.

"Oh I know it was...monkey business." He laughed.

"So, listen...you know the producer, the Rap guy
Zeke the Freak right?"

"Yup, I know him...that was his wife you was in
here with the other day and his girlfriend you
was in here with the day fo that...you aint got
to worry bout him though...he aint long for
this world...all the people he owe money to."
said Gus.

"Oh I'm not worried about him..those ladies
are lookin for him..
listen...do you know who might really be looking
for him..somebody who might try to get a little
rough...like with someone close to him?"I asked

"Yeah...I know someone like that..it's the reason
he hidin....Jake Diamond...He's into Jake for 6G's."
said Gus.

"So where would I find Jake?" I asked..

'Kevin, you crazy..you don't want to fool
with him...less you got a death wish.."
said Gus.

"Give me an address Gus..I'll take it
from there." I said.

Maybe I didn't have a clue as to where Zeke the Freak was...but I think I knew where Laura
Valley was...and I was determined to find somebody today!!!

(To Be Continued.........)

Rollin With Big Nasty

Chocolate Sister Graphics

A man vanishes into thin air...Where do you look first? Well, I start talking to the women he left behind first. First up..The man's wife. Patricia "Big Nasty "Porterhouse was scheduled to meet me at Josie's Bar. I had taken her number off of Laura's phone. She had said that Mrs. Porterhouse had called her looking for her husband.. This meant she had a story to tell. A story that I needed to hear.

Gus the Bartender at Josie's looked at me and shook his head as I entered with yet another woman. I can imagine what he was thinking..but I couldn't concern myself with his thoughts right now.

"Big Nasty" was not big and there was nothing nasty about her. She was actually quite attractive. She was no taller than about five foot six...she had a cute round face and she had a very nice shape and nice shapely legs to match. She dressed (at least for our meeting) more like an executive than some down and dirty rapper. Why then, you may ask was she called "Big Nasty"? It was apparent the minute she walked in the door...She had twins..Huge breasts that
looked as if they were fighting a losing battle with the pretty floral laced bra that was trying to hold them in place.. I imagine her breasts were what guys saw first before they saw anything else. I could certainly understand why her husband, Producer, Zeke da Freak had told her he could make her a star, even though it was obvious to anyone who heard one of her recordings that she had no talent...He was mesmerized by those breasts and he would've told her anything... Hell ,I would've told her anything.

She was a surprisingly pleasent woman who told me of how she met Ezekial Porterhouse in Sunday School when they were both around 14..Even then she had the huge breasts. She was self conscious about the way she looked and shy and Ezekial was sweet to her and patient and nice. He became her first boyfriend, her first love and she lost her virginity to him...After high
school and a year in college, she dropped out and returned to Philly and married him.. He was deep into the rap game and she became his first act...They weren't going to eat if she was going to be his only act...so he began cultivating two local rappers, Young Sneezy and Little Dwayne.
They made a little noise and for awhile they were happy. She worked as an Administrative Assistant by day and supported him and he began to make a little money as a producer.
Then she entered their life. That she was The Singing Blogger, Laura Valley... It wasn't just money that blinded her husband, it was her...He had an unholy kind of obsession with her and she seemed to be just as obsessed with him. It started with him going outside to "take a walk"
He really was on his cell phone talking to her...His disapearences for hours and hours.. His long trips to New York to talk to record execs on her behalf and the whispers...Pretty soon she was
coming to the house and the two of them were almost open with what they were doing.

I didn't ask why she stayed with him, I knew..He was all she knew. But now he was really missing and if his mistress didn't know where he was and his wife didn't know either..This left me at square one. Nowhere.

"Mr. Morris...My husband had three credit
cards..they were in both of our names...
I called the credit card companies and I
checked to see if there was any activity on
the cards and there was only one charge made since
he vanished a week ago...it was made at a gas station
in Olney. He got $30.00 worth of gas and then that was
it...no more activity." she said.

"The last time he was seen was Friday right?
On Monday ,he or somebody got some gas
from a gas station....It's now Friday Morning
and nothing right?"I said.

"That's right...He never carried a lot of cash,
he would have eaten or something by now..
he would've rented a room..something.." She said.

"Get in the car with me..we are going to that gas station."
I said.

Me and Big Nasty got in my car and headed for the Olney neighborhood where the Gas Station
was. I asked her if they owned any cars. She told me that She had a 2003 Lexus SUV and that
he drove a 2007 Black Dodge Charger. I asked her if she had any pictures of her husband in her
wallet..She did..That would be good. When we got to the gas station, I went inside. There was a
heavy set little Indian man standing behind the counter.

'Whut can I get you American Soul man?" he said

"Ah...Look here..were you working here on Monday?"

"I work here everyday American Soul man." he said.

"Let me show you a picture....Do you remember seeing
this man at anytime on Monday?" I asked

"No...but I remember seeing that car." He said

"Car?" I asked.

There was a photo of Ezekial and Big Nasty standing next to a Black 2007 Dodge Charger with a
musical note embroidered on the side...It's not something you would forget if you saw it. I didn't think to ask about the car.

"Yes..I saw that car on Monday...Pretty Lady
was in car.." He said...

"A woman, can you describe her?" I said...

"She like you...a American Soul woman with
the round hips..oooooh boyyyy..." he said.

"Oh really? Hmmmm, okay man, thanks
for your time." I said.

I walked out to the car ..Big Nasty looked at me with those soulful eyes , hoping I knew something...anything about her husband's whereabouts.. but I didn't know anything.

"He says the car was here, but that some woman
was driving it. No sign of him." I said.

"That heiffer, Laura Valley,she and my man
done run off..."She said.

"No, it aint her....but since we are near her house
anyway, lets drop by there and get some things
sorted out. A friend of mine is staying with her." I said.

We drove the three blocks to Laura Valley's house. Something didn't seem right. The lights were off...The house was eerily silent looking. I walked up on the steps, knocked on the door and found it open...I already didn't like the looks of this. I drew my pistol and walked inside. The house looked the same way it looked when I had been there two days ago. No sign of a struggle
,no sign of any disruption...I went in every room...Nothing...No sign of Cock Robbins, no sign of anything, yet everything looked as if the occupants had just left to walk to the corner store.
I walked outside and Big Nasty was pointing to something...a car parked at the corner of the block...a Black 2007 Dodge Charger with a musical note on the side of it!!!!!! We ran to the car
and I jerked the door open...The keys were on the seat and a wallet with Zeke's Driver's Licensce and credit cards ,as well as $80.00 in cash was in the glove compartment.......
Just what the hell was going on here anyway?


(To be continued!!!!!)

If You Should See Him

We sat in my bathtub, Sepia and I...kissing and taking sips of champaigne..with soap suds covering every part of our bodies...well almost every part...and talking..I had told her all about the Singing Blogger and of running into Cock Robbins again at dinner. She had loved that I had made dinner for her and had run a bath for her ,that we both wound up getting in..

"Kevin?" she asked

"What, baby?" I responded..

"Oh I'm 'baby' now huh? I've only
been your girlfriend officially
for about an hour." she giggled.

"Seems like we been playin at this
for about a month now." I laughed...

"You gon cook for me and run baths
for me a month from now when I come
home dead tired from work?" she asked.

"Girl, I'm gon do this for you forever."
I said.

"Yeah, yeah, promises ,promises" she laughed
as I took a huge soap sud and rubbed it in her
face.

The next day at 1:00 pm, I was at Josie's Bar. I hadn't been here since the blogger murders the month before ,right after we found Brett Jano and Leon Cantrell's bodies..now here I was again, with another mystery and another Sexy woman.
Gus, the afternoon bartender remembered when I had come in here with Sepia...now here I was with Laura Valley..He looked at me, winked and then laughed to himself.
Laura Valley had on a tight and bright yellow mini skirt that looked like she had painted it on and some big shapely legs to match..Every man in the bar was looking at us. She ordered some Patron and I ordered my usual, Corona. I don't drink Liquor when I'm writing or when I'm working. I asked her if she wanted anything to eat, but she declined...I certainly did and I ordered some Fried Chicken Wings and some French Fries. Then I sat and listened to her story.

She and her singing had caught the attention of hot Philly Record Producer,
Ezekial "Zeke da Freak" Porterhouse.. Prior to her, he was known for discovering and Producing the hot young rapper, Little Dwayne. Little Dwayne was balding prematurely at 25, but yet his flow was so on point that nobody really cared. Women mobbed him everywhere he went. Zeke's other hot young rapper was "Young Sneezy", the sneezing rapper who sneezed and blew his nose after every other verse..It was an annoying gimmick that sold over a million units his first time out. He had a female rapper named "Big Nasty" whose breasts sold more CD's than her rapping ever did and that was it.
What he really wanted was an R&B singer...A Beyonce to his Jay-Z, a Diana Ross to his
Berry Gordy and in Laura Valley, the singing Blogger..he had found it. He went out of his way to line up good songs, hot session musicians and whatever else it took to give her a hot debut CD. He was spending so much time with her that he was neglecting his other acts...Young Sneezy was already rumored to be talking to Dr. Dre about making a move out West and Little Dwayne was thinking about going south to the ATL.. Zeke didn't care, he wanted his R&B diva...he also wanted her in his bed too and eventually he got her in the bed as well as the studio.

Zeke was crazy about Laura, in love with her. Zeke was also married to "Big Nasty" and it was quite well known that there was absolutely no love lost between the two of them. "Big Nasty" had never caught the two of them together and couldn't prove that they were together, but she knew..every woman knows when her man has gone astray. At any rate..Zeke had called her this past weekend and had told her that he needed to talk to her about something..He had said that
he was going to come over her house..He never showed up. Laura went to the recording studio
to look for Zeke..He never showed up there either..Laura really got worried when "Big Nasty" called her asking her where her husband was..

"Maybe the man just went on a little
vacation." I said.

"He would have told me Kevin, Zeke
told me everything, he wouldn't have
just vanished like that, that wasn't his way."

"Well have you talked to Young Sneezy or
Little Dwayne?"I asked.

"Those two knuckleheads...no...but you are
welcome to as part of our arrangement." she said.

"And you just want me to find out where he is, right
nothing more?" I asked.

"That's all I want to know....If you should see him,
just tell him I love him." she said.

"What's going on with you and Cock?" I had to ask.

"Sex...that's all it is....I met him about a year ago..
at one of those semi-pro football games in New
Jersey..He took me to this wild party at this club
uh-ruh...."

"Coldhouse, right? he got you drunk, took you to
a room in the back and had his way with you."
I finished...

"He told you...??" she said, looking disgusted.

"Not about you...that just seems to be his
uh, let's just say modus operandi." I laughed.

"He come up to my house about a month ago
saying that he needed a place to stay and that
he didn't have any money...I told him that I was
involved with someone now and that he could stay
but he was sleeping on the couch..not my bed."she said

"But of course he is in your bed?" I said.

"A girl's got needs and he is good at what he does,
but that's all he's good for." she said.

I finished my food and my beer and she finished her Patron and when I offered to pay, she put her hand up...

"You're workin for me now..
I'll pay for this today." she said.

I walked her to her car and I got in mine and we both drove off our seperate ways...

That night, I was laying in bed with Sepia in my arms and I told her about my day.

"I might need a partner in this
caper, you down?" I asked half jokingly.

"Kevin?? Do I look like a private detective
to you?" she asked.

Well, come to think of it..Did I for that matter? Tomorrow ,I would certainly have to act like
one.

(To be continued.............)

Here Today, Then Gone

I called Clerow..He was a good friend to have in the pinch. He came by in his mini-Cooper and picked me up..Such a small little car...but probably very gas efficient.
He dropped me off at the Nissann dealer, where I paid for the work that was done on Sepia's car...a Black 2007 Nissann Sentra. Not the kind of car that I would be driving, but good enough for the business at hand. Sepia had given me one of her credit cards to pay for her card, but I paid for it myself..Kind of like a thank you for the cooking, cleaning and sex she had been giving me for a month now. Through it all, we had never once talked about our relationship. I didn't consider her "my woman"and I know she didn't consider me "her man". What were we then? I guess just "Friends"..."Friends with Benefits" I wanted her to stay, but I didn't want to even begin to talk to her about that...Not right now.

I couldn't worry about that right now. I got in Sepia's car and drove across town to a nice neat little row house in the Olney section of Philadelphia. I walked up the stairs and before I could even knock on the door...this knockout of a lady answered the door...Wow...If I had been carrying anything, I would have dropped it. The so called "Singing Blogger" was even more gorgeous in real life than she was in her blog photos and videos..I couldn't take my eyes off of her..then, reality set in.

"My man Kev...what's happening baby?" said Cock Robbins
Cock Robbins! I remembered..this was his girl...How and more important, WHY, did guys like Cock Robbins always wind up with all of the pretty girls??? I guess it was just the way of the world.

"What's goin on Kev...This is the Singing Blogger,
but her goverment name is Laura Valley." said Cock

She smiled weakly and looked at Cock as if he was an annoyance more than someone she was sleeping with. She offered he hand to me and motioned for me to have a seat at the table where Cock, who had on only a bathrobe and some pink silk boxer shorts with
the playboy bunny logo on both sides and his name on them sat and sipped tea.

"I've heard a lot about you Mr. Morris,
Cock told me about how you saved his life
and you and he brought two cold blooded murderers
to justice." she said

I looked at Cock side eyed and thought "he and I??" As I recalled, he stayed hidden in my bathroom through most of that caper, but this was no time to go into specifics.

"Ms. Valley, I'm no detective..I don't know
if I can help you." I said.

"I know that you are just the kind of guy who
can help me...you're street smart and you are
not connected to anybody." she said.

"That's what I told huh" offered Cock.

She looked at him derisively again and then smiled at him as though he was a petulant
child-

"Cock, sweetie...can me and Kevin have a little
privacy please...go in the bedroom, put on that
tape of your greatest conquests that you like,
I'll join you shortly." she said very sweetly,
while looking at me and rolling her eyes.

"Alright baby, but don't keep big daddy waiting"
said Cock as he walked towards the room."

She side eyed Cock again as he walked off and up the stairs to her bedroom and then began to talk to me-

"He's the stupidest most self absorbed guy
I have ever met...I can't wait until he gets
a job, so he can get out of here...Of course
if it wasn't for the fact that he's so good
in bed and has such a huge-"

"Uh Ms.Valley..I think I get it." I said, not
really wanting to know anymore..I had heard
it all before..

She smiled, she had heard most of the story and she had seen that godforsaken DVD....
she knew my deal at least ,so she got down to business-

"I need you to find someone for me,
that's all...and I'm willing to pay
you..This is someone dear to me who just
vanished into thin air..I just need to know
that he's alright, that's all..I'll pay you..
That's all you gotta do..Find him for me..I
can't give you all of the details just yet...
Give me your cell phone number..I'll send you
a text message in the next few days and I'll
get in contact with you..layout the whole deal
for you okay." she said.

She gave me an envelope with five hundred dollar bills as a down payment and I gave her my cell phone number..I thanked her and got in my car and drove back home.
That night, I cooked for a change...Some Spinach Lasagna, a nice salad and some of Clerow's Citrus Punch... I ran a hot bath for Seapia and waited for her to get home.
When she got home she was very surprised...

"How was the interview Sepia?" I asked

"It looks promising...I even found some
Apartments that I might want to move into."she said.

"Well, you know...you don't have to move right away,
I mean..uh, ruh, if you uh...er..ah..don't want to."
I said.

"Well why wouldn't I want to Kev..I don't want to
impose on you unless....What are you trying to say..
You askin me to uh, stay here with you?" she said

"Well...uh, er...uh...I could be.." I said.

"I'm not that kind of girl..I can't live with a
guy unless I had some kind of commitment...you
wanna be my boyfriend?" she teased.

"Would that be so bad?" I asked.

"You're serious aren't you...I thought you were
kidding." She said..

"What if I'm not kidding?" I asked.

"You sure?" she said...

"You better give me an answer before I change
my mind." I said suddenly feeling confident.

"Okay...let's see how it works...when I get this
job...I can help you with the bills."she said

"Girl we sound like we married."I laughed

"I know right?" She laughed....

Guys like Cock Robbins..they get a lot of girls, but they don't get em all....
Could you beleive this... My cell phone was going off...it had only been hours
since I left Laura Valley.. I had a text message from her though-

"Kevin, meet me tommorrow
at Josie's Bar...1:00..
come alone."

Here we go...

(To be continued....)

The Singing Blogger

ART: "Freedom Dance" By Laurie Cooper

I awoke on this particular rainy morning in early fall to the smell of bacon cooking on the grill and the sound of someone mixing something. It was eggs being mixed in a bowl...I presumed that scrambled eggs were in order. I heard toast popping out of the toaster and heard Steve Harvey and Nephew Tommy on the radio... Morning. Sepia was fixing breakfast. She had been staying with me for about a month now. She had moved to Philadelphia from East Orange, New Jersey and was in the process of looking for a job as well as a place to stay. I didn't mind her staying with me. She kept my house clean and in order and she cooked for me. She was great company to have around. I had a modem in my study and ran three computers simultaneously.
I wrote my column for the magazine I am employed at from my study and wrote posts for my two blogs from the other two computers. I only actually went to my office two days a week...I got paid through direct deposit and I paid all of my bills on line.. I didn't have to leave my house if I didn't want to...charmed life that I lead. My name is Kevin Morris and this is another one of my stories...

"Get up Sleepy head..breakfast is ready" said Sepia.

"Okay,I'm coming...I was just looking at the comments
on my blog." I said.

Sepia was dressed to the nines today.. a Blue Pen stripe mini dress, with a matching top and black sheer panty hose, with matching black pumps.

"Where are you going in all this rain?" I asked

"I've got a job interview.This looks promising." she said.

I sat at the table and began to eat the breakfast she had fixed for me..I tossed her my car keys.

"Where is this one?" I asked.

"It's in King of Prussia..I did a mapquest to help me
find it..Could you call the shop while I'm out and see
if they've finished with my car?" she asked.

"Sure thing." I said

"You're a doll" she said as she kissed me and hurried out the door.

Part of me dreaded the day that she did find a job...that would mean that she would be leaving to find her own place and I so enjoyed her being around...but of course, I couldn't tell her that.
She wasn't gone ten minutes when I went back to my computer and saw a strange e-mail.

'Kevin, I'm a friend of a friend.....I need your help....I've commented on your blog on a regular
basis, please call me at this number 215- 777-9311." SB.

I called the number and a familiar voice answered the phone-

"Kevin , is that you?" It was Cock Robbins, Semi Pro Football player and player extrodinaire or so he thought.

"Cock Robbins, is this your idea of a joke ?" I asked

"Naw, Nah man..a friend of mine, a lady friend of mine
is in trouble and I told her that you could help her"
said Cock.

"Cock, I'm not a cop, I'm not a private Detective even, I'm
just a writer..I can't help your friend.." I protested.

"Just talk to her man...you smart and you can figure things
out...here she is." He said.

Before she began talking..she began singing..She sang one of Beyonce's songs almost to the note.
I now knew who it was I was talking to. The Singing Blogger. I read her blog religiously. Her blog was unique..It had audio downloads after each of her posts of her singing. She had a beautiful voice...she should have a recording contract with that voice..She had an even sexier body. (She had video downloads on her blog too.) Not surprisingly, most of her commentors were males..males who were salivating over her sexy videos as well as her beautiful voice...The
"SB" was for Singing Blogger..I should've guessed. Although I had commented on her blog numerous times and she on mine, like most people in the blogosphere, I had never actually met
her, until now and just like before..she was mixed up with Cock Robbins....Whatever she wanted
, it couldn't be good.

(To be continued.......)

Thinkin of You (a Mean Poem)

ART: "Feelin' It" By Wak

I'm gonna be thinking about you

when I know you're feeling bad

It's gonna put a smile on my face

knowing that you too are sad..

alone on Friday night

in your room in your sexiest underwear...

waiting for someone to call...

hoping that someone cares.

I'm gonna be thinkin about you

when I know you're alone and blue..

knowing that I did what you...

what you told me to do...

You told me to find someone

who could treat me better than you...

find me a girl, who would treat me

the way I deserve to be ...

treated..

You didn't think I could do that,

Did you?

I'm gonna think about you

when I know that you're all alone...

not getting any text messages

nor any calls on your cell phone..

sitting alone in your room on a

Saturday night in your sexiest underwear...

trying to find one of your old standbyes to

call...

and no one is at home or bothers to care...

I'm gonna be thinking of you.

Take Me To The Water

ART: "Flower Shower" By Wak

The Sun was rising over the mountains at the
event of dawn..
I stood at the river bank
where original life spawns../

The Salvation I need in life is right here with you
Immersed in fluids
during the early morning's cool../

/Take me to the water
and wash me down
baptize me in your love
immerse me
take me down../


/The water is always chilling
the first time
but pleasent sensations
still come to mind../

The Release of the tension signals
the liberation of the soul
the chill of the water gives
me a slight loss of control../

/Take me to the water
and wash me down
baptize me in your love
immerse me
take me down../

/Here I am...
just come and take me
Take me to the water
and wash me down...
salvation is in your love
immerse me in your waters./

Can't Say No More

ART: "N'Love By Wak

I'm supposed to be the one that makes you come ..
like the falling rain, everytime you say my name
but you do that for me..
though it took a little while , now I see..
because I'm satisfied through and through
,nights spent making sweet love to you./

/girl, when you do me like you do..it's better
than any woman I've had before and I ..can't say
no more...
I can't say no more../

/That mystery fragrance that you wear
the style and color of your hair..
the tenderness of your touch, that thrills
me so much..
the sound of your voice..
never left me much choice...
except to surrender to you totally...
you've got me thinking about sex with you
constantly../

/and I've never felt like this about anyone
in my life..
I've heard people talk about this on Oprah
or Dr. Phil once or twice..
I feel like warm water is gushing through my veins
and once in bed with you..
I am truly feeling no pain../

/When we do it nice and slow..
when we get into a rhythm and a flow..
I can't compare you to anyone else that I know
or have known before..
I just can't say no more..
I can't say no more../

/Baby,when you do me like you do..
it's like every sensation is brand new.
and I could bore you with stories of how
I used to spend my lonely nights..
but right now, everything seems just right..
I can't say no more..
I can't say no more./

Erotic

ART: "Deep Passion" By Merrill Robinson

/Kiss me
like you've missed me
all of your life...
hold me
as though I was your husband
make love to me
as though you are my wife...
because you are../

/and I
will do anything you ask me to do
anything you say
anything you want...
let's get erotic
let's skip romance tonight ,if that's okay with you../

/Make love to me
as though all those other nights
were wasted..
and I'll go places
that you have seldom been tasted../

/if you get naked..
i'll do anything , you ask me to do..
anything you say
anything you want..
so let's get erotic
let's skip romance tonight ,if that's kool
with you.../

/Llevare' tu cuerpo a lugares
que tu' no sabes existian
Dejemonos llevar por la passion
Olivedeyos el romance por una noche'/

/anything ..anything you ask me to
anything to satisfy you...
let's get erotic
that is what we both need to do...
tonight../

While I'm Trying To Sleep

ART: "Midnight Snack" By Henry Lee Battle

I want to hold you
want to kiss you
want to undress you
want to hear you moan too..
what I won't do..
is sit by the phone
wishing you were here
while my neighbors bed rams into
the wall of my room..
and I sit here surrounded by four walls
of gloom/

/Don't waste any more time on the phone
grab a taxi..I'll pay the fare..
just get here soon, I don't care..
I'm jealous of the hours my neighbor
and his girlfriend keep..
while I'm trying to sleep
while I'm trying to get some sleep../

/you see he's
holding her tight
doing her right
his kissing her
caressing her
all through this night..
and she's starting to moan..
you could be sounding like that too..
if you weren't still on the phone
that could be my bed ramming up against the wall
of his room../

/put down the cell phone
grab a taxi...
I'll pay the fare
just get here soon..
I don't care..
I'm jealous of the hours my next door neighbors keep
when I'm trying to sleep
when I'm trying to get some sleep./

-30-

I woke up at the crack of dawn...Sepia lay next to me , nude and silently sleeping... Her clothes were on the floor, tossed in various directions as were mine. We had made wild ,passionate love several times the night before...I was exhausted, I was surprised that I was awake at all...I was awake, but for the first time in about a week, thorougly happy. For the past week I had been driving up and down highways from Philly to New Jersey trying to solve a series of murders and get next to a beautiful blogger I had met from East Orange. All of that done, I now wondered what the day had in store for me.

I got up, Shaved and took a long hot shower and threw on some cologne.. I got dressed and cleaned up around my house...I picked her clothing and underwear up off of the floor, folded it gently and placed it on the chair. She was still asleep.. I walked to the corner and ordered two steaming hot styrofoam cups of coffee from Dunkin Donuts and then walked across the street to the Fresh Grocer and bought some Krispy Creamy Donuts ...You can't beat that combonation.
Just as I was walking out ...My bluetooth buzzzed...It was Cock Robbins.

"Hey Kevin, how are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing good Cock, how are you doing?"
I replied.

"I'm doing good...say, look here, I got a
business proposition for you."

"Yeah? I'm listening.." I said. Thinking to myself..."Here it comes...."

"That little caper we just had might make a good
movie.." He said

"You think?" I replied, humoring him.

"Yeah, it's got everything, Sex, Murder, Intrigue,
blackmail and me, a handsome debonair Football
player caught in the middle of it...Girls, Cars, Danger..
Man, It could make millions...Now Denzel Washington
could play me and maybe Don Cheadle could play you
and-"

"Slow down playa ...you got this all figured out huh?"
I laughed....

" There's money to be made good brother...write this
thing and call me up..I could act as a Executive Producer and
consultant. Now don't sleep on this bruh..I know some folks..

and with your writing skills and my brains..we could make some serious cash." He said.

What killed me was he was serious...I had to laugh to myself. He then sounded a little solem and he weakly asked me-

"Hey bruh? How is Sepia doing?"

"She's doing just fine.." I said.

"Well if you see her..tell her that I'm sorry and that I'll make it up to her one day." He said.

"Will Do...You take care of yourself Cock...Stay out of trouble, ya hear?" I offered.

"Sure thing Kevin, you know me...Hey ,gotta go...one of my honeys is at my door now..Think on

that movie deal ,okay.." said Cock.

"I sure will bruh." I said, laughing to myself.

When I got home, Sepia was up and dressed. We sat at my kitchen table and ate the donuts and drank the coffee.. I turned on some music...Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain...My Uncle gave me the original record before he died...I had since bought the CD and downloaded it on my IPOD.

It was still timeless music.

"Miles Davis? You are so deep Kevin...I like that about you." Said Sepia.

"So are you..you have a great knowledge of music....I like that about you." I replied being surprised that a girl her age would have even of heard of Miles Davis.

"So what will you do now?" I asked, Wishing and hoping secretly that she'd stay.

" I don't know...I don't have anyone in East Orange
and I hate my job as you know from reading my blog.
I might just want to start over again...a new city,
a new job...you know?"

"Got any ideas of where this transformation might
take place ?" I laughed...

Sepia sat quiet for awhile, then she sighed-

"Hmmmmmmm, maybe a big city on the East Coast."

"Oh, New York, right?"I said, hanging my head..No way Philly could compete with the Big Apple.

"Nah, New York is great, but a little too busy for
my new tastes." She said.

"Oh ,your new tastes" I said.

"Yeah" she giggled...
"I was thinking of a smaller city,
a city of Brotherly love."


(I dedicate this story to my wife, Rosalyn, because she has always liked a good mystery.)

Bloggers,Lovers & Killers

I sat in my home with the lights off in my favorite chair...I was in my boxers and had a robe on. I heard the lock being jimmied... He was good...I expected him to break the window. I heard him walk softly up the stairs...He pushed the door of the bedroom at the top of the stairs open...There appeared to be a sleeping body in the bed...He pulled a gun out of his pocket and adjusted his silencer to the pistol..He raised the pistol and fired two shots into the sleeping body in the bed. Cock Robbins was dead and his mission was over. Well, that's what he thought...The "sleeping body" was a bunch of pillows neatly arranged to look like a body. He soon realized that someone else was sitting in that room in the dark... Namely, me. I said to him-

"Hello Stranger, I've been waiting
for you?"

He was startled.. He jumped , he spun around only to see the muzzles of four revolvers pointed squarely at his head....

"What the hell is going on? What is this.?" He said.

I flicked the lights on and standing behind him was two Philadelphia Homicide Detectives and two Homicide Detectives from East Orange ,New Jersey.

"Put your hands up and drop that gun
buddy, you're under arrest for attempted
murder ,breaking and entering and suspicion
of murder in the deaths of Gail Young, Opal
Winters, Brett Jano and Leon Cantrell." said one of the Detectives.

"I want a lawyer " said the reed thin Black man, who was
wearing a doo rag and a black leather jacket, with tan
khaki pants and black canvas sneakers.

"Now that's the smartest thing you've done today"
I said as one of the detectives took his gun and the
silencer and put it in a plastic bag.

"Detective, I'm sure if you check the ballistics of that
weapon, it'll match all of the killings." I said.

"Thanks kid...your friend gave us all of the information
we needed..We found and arrested the sleazy Private
Eye, Dick Watkins, that recomended him in East Orange...but tell me
how did you figure all of this out? asked the Detective from
East Orange.

I could have told him that my Grandmother always taught me to "close your mouth and open your ears and you'll learn a lot of things " but I didn't.... I listened to what everybody said and I
put it together that he had hurt somebody really bad, somebody other than his wife and they had hired a sleazy middle man , a private eye to find out information on every other woman involed with Cock Robbins...This private eye, Dick Watkins (whose name came up everytime I asked someone about sleazy business dealings in East Orange.) must've been the one who hipped Brett Jano to the fact that his friend betrayed him by sleeping with his woman, Opal Winters... Brett Jano ,Dick Watkins and his friend Leon Cantrell then set up the video taping scam at club Coldhouse to send to Cock Robbins's wife, Veronica. That wasn't enough though.

The person who viewed that DVD first must have been enraged....and that's when the game changed...That's when this mysterious person got Dick Watkins to hire a hit man...Not only to kill Cock Robbins, but every woman on that DVD , (except one ) They also wanted everybody who knew about it to also be eliminated...Leon Cantrell and Brett Jano. My guess is that the sleazy Private Eye was going to be next on that list after Cock Robbins. When I made that call yesterday, I knew that the person on that phone was going to dispatch their killer to clean up things here in Philly. He walked right into my trap. The Detectives were quite pleased with my explanation .I had helped them clear up four murders.

Sepia and a very much alive Cock Robbins entered the room as the police were escorting the killer out of the door and into the squad car.

"Well that looks like that...Thank you so much
Kevin for catching the killer..but the thing is
bruh..I never seen that man before in my life...
Maybe I was screwin one of his broads or something.."
laughed a relieved Cock.

I couldn't believe how stupid this guy was.. Couldn't he see that he wasn't out of the woods yet?

"Cock....That guy was hired to do you and those others
in...aren't you curious about who sent him after you
or do you know who sent him? " I asked.

Sepia seemed confused by all of this, She looked at Cock, then at me and finnally I said to Cock

"Somethin you ought to tell her.."

But before I could get any more words out, I heard a click and felt a muzzle in the back of my head.

"He's not going to tell her shit....I'm going
to tell her myself" came the voice...

Sepia's eyes got as big as saucers and she squealed-

"Mommy......Mommmy? Oh my God."

Yes, It was Jean Cokely......I figured it out while we were at her house...She spat Cock Robbins
name out a little too emotional...Not like a mother protecting her daughter, but more like a spurned lover. Before we left East Orange, I dropped Sepia off at her place and did a little nosing
around...It wasn't hard to figure this plot out...Then I called Clerow. He set everything up.

"Baby...I didn't know...I met Cock Robbins
a year before you did.. He complimented me
,sent me flowers, took me to hotels, made love
to me everyday, sometimes twice a day...made me
feel like a young woman again.....I was head over heels
in love with him...then just like that, he vanished....
Wouldn't return my calls, wouldn't answer my e-mails
or my texts. I followed him one night after he left his
Football practice and I saw him with YOU!!! My own daughter.
The low down nasty dog was screwing both of us....then I saw
him with that whore, Opal Winters.....Oh she was a whore...
So I hired a Private Eye to get some more information..Come
to find out this sucker got a Wife and is seeing yet another girl...
I wasn't going to let him get away with that....I had to get rid of
him and everybody that might lead the police to me. So now...
Smart ass Kevin...You and that whoremonger Cock Robbins
got to go." She snarled.


"I don't think so" I said.

"What the hell you mean, you don't think so?" She snapped.

"Hey Clerow...you got all of that?" I said.

"Yeah man, every single word" laughed Clerow....

I was wearing a wire in my boxer shorts and everything she said had been recorded by my main
man Clerow. To make matters worse for her, there was now a gun on her...Deacon Larry Weatherford held a pistol to her head....

"Well Alright now...
get up on the downstroke...
I'm a Christian man mam and I don't wanna hurt no
woman...put the gun down...it's all over."said the Deacon.

Jean Cokely was defeated...she dropped her gun. The Detectives hadn't gone that far...They came right back up the stairs and put handcuffs on Jean Cokely...The murders had been solved.
You see, I had had Clerow call her and tell her about the set up I had planned...Making her think that her hitman was already in custody and that she had better come and handle things herself.
I had Clerow offer to lead her here if she promised him money...I knew she'd take the bait and that I'd bag the killer and the mastermind. It was a long shot, but one that had paid off in the end.

"Whew...Kevin, Clerow, Deacon,
How can I ever thank you guys
for saving my life?" said Cock Robbins

Sepia looked at Cock Robbins and she shook her head.

"My mother? My mother??
My Mother you low down nasty bastard??"

"Girl,it wasn't like that, see what had
happened was...."

The yelling and screaming began...I walked outside with Clerow and the Deacon... The Deacon got in Clerow's yellow Cooper...I peeled off some 20's and gave a stack to Clerow and to Deacon
Weatherford...

"Guys, I can't thank you enough" I said...

Clerow looked at me as he pulled off in his car and smiled-

"Kevin, you already have brother...
I got to stick by you...you know how to
put money in a brother's pockets..."

They pulled off into the sunlight of the fading day.....From the street I could hear Sepia yelling
and screaming at Cock...I sat in my car, turned on the Radio...Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows " was playing...How appropriate!

(Conclusion tomorrow........)

ColdHouse

ART: "Speakeasy" By Victor Ostrovsky

Sepia and I looked at the DVD in total shock...It was like watching a porn video..In fact it was better than any porn video I'd rented in months...There was very good film footage of Cockraine
Robbins getting it on with Sepia, with Gail and with Opal...Not at the same time, but at different times. If I didn't know better,I would swear that it was a porn movie...It was the same bed and the same room...and the same technique...Cock Robbins would walk a nearly inebriated young woman into this room...ease her unto the bed...while she was nearly comatose and have his way with her...I was seeing parts of Sepia's body that I was longing to see...I looked over at her and could see that she didn't feel comfortable about this at all. She seemed to sigh releif when the scene switched to Opal.... I was trying to be professional and cover the fact that I was really being aroused looking at Opal and Cock Robbins...They were much more ,lets say active than he and the nearly drunk Sepia had been....My goodness.... and Gail was much more graphic.. Veronica Robbins looked at it with detached amusement..she seemed to know that I was turned on while Sepia was very uncomfortable. If the guys at the magazine knew what I was into right now..they sure would be envious I thought to myself. Murder, Intrigue, gorgeous women...My boring little life had become a James Bond movie.

After the DVD finished playing...I turned to Veronica and I asked her if she knew any of the women or where they lived.

"Nope, didn't know any of them, except that slut Opal..
didn't care to know em either. The lady that sent them called
me to make sure that I got the DVD...She said that I shouldn't
worry ...that everything would be taken care of. I don't
know what she meant by that." she said.

Sepia was furious-

"That bastard...He took us all to the same place....
I know where this was filmed at...it's a speakeasy
in Brooklyn called "Coldhouse" That's where the
Football players and Strippers and Rappers were."


"I take it you didn't know you were being filmed?"
I asked...

"No...but I know who made that film....That jive ass
Leon...He was always talking about how he'd like to film
me naked...Cock threatened to knock his teeth out....
He must've done this to set Cock up...and he must've been
in cahoots with Brett Jano..They were friends." Said Sepia.

"And both Brett Jano and Leon are dead...so there had to be
a third party...someone who knew all of the players...
which leads us to one person...Cock Robbins!! He must
have known he was being blackmailed and was doing a little
damage control." I reasoned.

"He got threatened too.." said Sepia.

"Of course he did...He had it look like that to take the shade
off of him. I'm calling Clerow right now."I said.

"Kevin, it's not Cock....I'm telling you..I'd know if he was
in this.. I just would...Somebody is trying to get him and
they are killing everyone around him." said Sepia.


I didn't believe her, but I had another angle to play out...I think I now knew who the killer might
be...and I was going to set a trap...

"Come on Sepia ,we are going....
Mrs. Robbins, I'm sorry about all
of this...I want to thank you for your time." I offered.

"Oh, it aint no thing...beleive that baby
aint nothing but a thang." She said.

"Where we goin Kevin?" Asked Sepia...

"We going back to Philly...Uh excuse me,
can I use your cell phone Sepia.. my battery
is dying....?"

"Sure...Here?" she said.

I turned to Veronica Robbins and I asked her if I could use her bathroom before I left...She pointed to where it was. Once in the bathroom...I went through Sepia's phone...I found the
number I was looking for and I dialed it..... I put in a code before I dialed so that the number
would show up -"Unrestricted."

"Hello...." said the sensuous voice...

"Hey baby....how are you doing?"I said.

"Who is this?"

"Don't worry who it is...I got a hot tip
for you...I know where Cock Robbins
is staying in Philadelphia...."

"Who is this?"

I gave the person on the other line the address of the safehouse in Philly where Clerow had him stashed..then I hung up. I called Clerow in Philly and gave him my instructions...Then I flushed the toilet and walked out. I gave Sepia her phone back. I motioned her to the door. I thanked Mrs. Robbins again and the two of us got in my car and pulled off. Sepia looked at me and said-

"Why are you smiling?"

"I know who the killer is...
it was right there all the time
I just didn't see it..."

"Who is it?" She said...

"You'll find out when we get to Philly..."
I said as we hit the highway.


(To be continued.............)

Sex, Lies & a DVD

We drove all night down the highways of New Jersey...I stopped at a rest stop and got Sepia and I some food.. We had a burger a peice, some milk shakes and some greasy onion Rings...We found that neither of us was into french fries. Sepia told me to move over and that she would drive the rest of the way...I was surprised that she would even offer, but impressed. I must admit..she seemed like the high maintenance type of chick who wouldn't dream of driving. I got a blanket from out of the trunk of the car and she spread it over me. She got in the drivers seat and pulled off. She clicked on my ipod and this time , Miles Davis's Kind of Blue" began playing softly as we drove..

"Now this I like" she said.

"What do you know about Miles?" I asked,
a little bemused.

"I love Miles...My daddy used to play all
of his stuff when I was a little girl." she said.

"Oh really, he was into Jazz?" I asked.

"He was into music period...Had a vast
collection, Miles, Trane, Dizzy, Aretha,
James, Motown, Stax, Philly International.."
You name it..My daddy had it.."

"Where is your Dad now?" I asked.

"He's been dead for close to ten years now."
She said, then added-
"Prostate Cancer."

"Oh" I said..

I couldn't imagine that anyone as sexy as this girl could have ever been a child...it just seemed
like she was always.....well...like this... I kept looking at her until I dozed off. I don't know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up...The car was parked in front of a house on a street I didn't recognize and I was alone. I got up, looked around and then heard a tapping on the window. It was Sepia. She was dressed differently...Had on a nice sun dress and some flat shoes.
The heels were gone.

"So you finnally woke up
sleepy head." She laughed.

"W-Where are we? How long
have I been asleep?" I asked.

"Did you know that you snore?"
she giggled..

"Huh?? I do not" I retorted.

"Welcome to East Orange Kevin,
This is my apartment..I went in
showered and changed..Can I drive
some more...I need to holla at my
mama and I know these streets better
than you." said Sepia.

"I don't know em at all..this is my first
time here." I said as I tossed her the
keys.

Sepia drove us to her Mother's House. I was not ready for what I was to see. Sepia's mother was drop dead gorgeous...It would be an understatement to say that I could see where Sepia got her looks from. Most of the time I would look at a girl's mother and say that I could see that she must have been quite a looker when she was younger...In the case of Sepia's mother, I would say that she is quite a looker right now...She was incredible and very flirtatious. She made us a delicious breakfast of Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Biscuits and Hash Browns. We had hot steaming cups of coffee and two tumblers of Orange Juice. She was a very gregarious woman...She talked on and on about everything and nothing, yet she kept it interesting. She asked me about Philadelphia and my line of work and my folks. She also looked at me kind of side eyed at times with a seductive type stare...I could look at Sepia and tell that there was a twinge of jealousy and a hint that there could have been a slight rivalry at times between the two. Sepia told her about the trouble that she might be in and about Cock Robbins. Cock Robbins !! The mention of his name changed Sepia's mother's outlook. Jean Cokely (Her government name-lolol) almost spat his name out of her mouth-

"Cock Robbins, that nasty dirty dog...
I hate what he did to my daughter...
Somebody needs to kill him..." she spat...

Whoa..That sounded a little too personal to me....but I let it go..We had another stop to make..The person we came here to see in the first place...Veronica Robbins, Cock's estranged wifey...

"I'm his ex wife" said Veronica Robbins to both
Sepia and me.

Here was another stunningly beautiful Black woman.....So far I liked what I was seeing in East Orange...Maybe I should leave the city of brotherly love and move here, I mused.

"Cock was served divorce papers last week
by my Attorney. We are no longer together...
In fact, I am planning to marry his so called friend,
Brett Jano...Won't he be surprised." she laughed.

"Brett Jano??? I guess you haven't heard?" I said.

"Heard what?" she said.

"Brett Jano is dead...he was shot to death in Philly
a few nights ago...we think it's the same person who
killed Gail Young and that other girl Opal that your ex-
husband was seeing..." I said...

"Oh my God..Noooooooo, Brett, not Brett....aggggggggh
ggggggggggh...." she sobbed...

"Mrs Robbins, Mrs. Robbins....I'm so sorry..but listen
I have to ask you....Brett was your husband's friend..
and it's mighty strange that you and he...well you know?
Was he the one who told you about Opal,Sepia and Gail?"
I asked...

"No...he didn't tell me...he only knew about Opal....he
didn't know about the other girls...He knew about Opal
because he was kind of seeing her...she was a football
whore, hung around the locker rooms and the hotels
trying to land a Football player...even a semi pro hack
like Cock...She was sleeping with Brett first and when
He found out that Cock, his friend was sleeping with
her too...he told me about it...and to get back at Cock,
he put the moves on me...only we fell for each other,
crazy as that may seem." she said.

"Yeah, it does seem crazy." I said.

"Besides...it was some woman that called me up
and told me about the other girls...even mailed
me the DVD..with him and those girls having
sex..here it is..I'll show you." she offered.

Sepia and I looked at each other......A woman??? My main suspect had just cleared herself.

(To be continued.....)

A Safe Haven

I looked at Leon's cold lifeless body and a chill came to my body...This was real, four people were dead and the trail was leading to these two people who I didn't know. Sepia grabbed Cock's arm and began to shiver-

"Baby, I'm scared...I'm scared...
we gon die..." she whimpered like a child..

"Cock, get in your car...don't touch that car
and let's not hang around here..The cops are
going to be swarming around here soon and
I don't think you want to be here when they
get here..let's go..come on.." I said.

I didn't have to ask him twice... Cock got in his car and Sepia got in mine and we tore out of there. I had to go someplace that I knew would be safe...Someplace no one would look for us.
Who ever was killing these people was pretty effecient. They weren't leaving anything to chance.
They seemed to know where everybody involved was.. and they were on the move..I don't know if they knew about me or not. I decided to swing by my house.

I stopped by my house. There was no sign of a break in or anything out of the ordinary. Good, I was still an unknown player in the game. While in my house, I got my .45. I had a licensce to carry. I wasn't about to be caught up in this mess with no protection. I had an idea for a plan of action.

"Cock...your wife?
Veronica...did she have a lot of money?"

"Well yeah, but hey what are you gettin at?"

"You think she had enough to hire a private
Detective?" I asked.

"Kevin, what are you gettin at?" asked Sepia.

"Whoever is killing these people has a lot of information,
They knew your phone numbers, they knew about your
blog, they knew where all of the players in this drama lived
and they knew schedules...now that is something, only a
private detective can get them." I said.

"My wife wouldn't have done this man, she don't care about
me like that..." said Cock

"How can you be so sure?" I asked

"Because she got a man too..she was cheating on me
and I was cheating on her...She don't care to go after me
like that man.." He said.

"Cock was there any other woman you were seeing?" I asked.

Cock looked over at Sepia and said-

"Yeah...there was one other."

I could tell that he didn't want to talk about it in front of her and I didn't press him...I could find out later...right now I had to find a safe haven for us until I got more information. I called Hype
Magazine and told them that I was going to be gone for a few days...I told Cock to be cool that I
knew a place he could stay.

"I sure appreciate you doing me this solid Clerow." I said to my friend.

"It's kool Kevin..I own a couple of these properties...I rent em all
the time..Now that Cora Beth and I got the baby and all, I need all
the money I can get.."

"Clerow, it's just $100.00." I said.

"Thas alrright...one hundred dollars is one hundred dollars I didn't have."
said Clerow.

"Cock, you stay put and stay out of sight until we get back." I said.

"Where are you and Sepia going ?"He asked.

"The place where this mess started...East Orange." I said.

(To be continued......)