The Mystery of Sepia

ART: "Canvas Face Reality (Female)" By Laurie Cooper

We sat in my car outside of the house in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. Sepia and I watched as they pulled the body of 28 year old Opal Jordan out of the house. The Medical Examiner's office had dispatched two black guys to handle the body. I watched as they carried what at first looked like a Hefty trash can bag out of the house. I realized that it was much thicker and that it had what once was a living breathing human being in it.

"Do you want to get out and at least go over there?" I asked

"Go over there for what...those cops aint gonna tell us nothing"
said Sepia ,who looked as pale as a ghost

"Come on.." I said.

I got out of the car...She was hesitant at first, but she followed me....I walked over to where the
police had the scene roped off and I stood next to a group of neighborhood people. I looked around for a talkative person..There always was one in the group. I saw a group of Black women
who looked like they were in their late 20's or 30's just milling around..I walked up to them and just began a casual conversation.

"Hey ,what happened?" I asked.

"You got a smoke?" asked one of the girls.

I went in my pocket and pulled out a pack of Newports...I had stopped smoking, but I still carried a pack just in case temptation hit me..I know, I really gotta stop. I gave the girl a cigarette and I lit it for her...She took a puff and she began her story.

"Well, she came home around nine with that
guy who play semi-professional Football that
she was goin with...they had some words...had
a big argument in front of the house and he got
in his Silver Benz and took off."

Another woman chimed in...

"Yeah, she was outside on her cell phone with someone
and he drove up in a white Nissann Z, mann dat car
was the shizzzat..and she drove off with him....He dropped
her off about two hours later and she went inside...
I didn't see her again. Now they say that somebody strangled
her."


"The person that dropped her off, he or she didn't go inside?"
I asked.

"Nah....they didn't even get out of the car." She said.

I walked over to Sepia and said -
"She had two visitors last night...One was some football
player."

Sepia cut me off -

"I know who HE is....that whore was still trying to get her
hooks into my man."

I looked puzzled and I could see that I had hit on a sore subject with Sepia. She went on-

"His name is Cockraine Robins, but everybody call him
'Cock' for short..He plays semi-pro football..He was trying
to get a position with the New York Giants. He and I used
to be engaged...but, he's a dog..He was sleeping with Opal
and two other girls.."

I was now wondering what I had gotten myself into-

"You think he did this?" I asked

"No..Nah man, Cock Robbins is a lover
not a killer.. There was another girl
he was involved with in East Orange
who ended up dead too...a few weeks
ago and another who was beaten to within
inches of her life...She never saw who her attacker was.
then I got a threatening call saying that I was next.
That's really why I was so eager to take you up on
your offer to come here." She said.

I just wanted a nice safe date...not to be thrown into a murder mystery. I looked at her and
said to her that I didn't think we could find out anymore information here and that we should go
and let the police do what they do. She agreed.

"Well Sepia, Can I take you somewhere
Until we sort this mess out?"

"Yes, take me to your place...
I'll be safe there." she said.

How come I didn't feel as though I would be safe all of a sudden?

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