Friends and Killers

ART: "Black Man In America" By Laurie Cooper

We returned in two cars and with a plan of action. Eddie Martin would stay in my house with me and Sepia and Albert King would stay at Cock Robbin's house with him and Vanessa. In addition to that, Clerow, Deacon Larry Weatherford and Sean Jackson regularly drove by our houses.
They communicated with cell phones and Blackberry's. Even our friend's Paris and Blake shadowed us in the coming days.. Still nothing. We all went to work, came home, hung out at Josie's and followed each other home. We kept in constant communication just making sure that each of us made it to our destinations. It was good to have friends.

I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me to ask her before...or why she hadn't asked me ,but I finnally asked Sepia about Eric Slaughter.

"Sepia, aren't you wondering what all of this has been about?" I asked one night while we were
laying in bed.

"I have to admit I have been confused about all of this..and you haven't exactly been Mr. talkative ,Kevin...What is this about..who is trying to kill you?" she asked.

"Eric Slaughter" I said. I waited for a reaction. Sepia's eyes grew big and she looked as frightened as I've ever seen her.

"Kevin...How do you know Him? How did you get mixed up with him?" she asked.

" I don't know him...I am not mixed up with him...but you and Cock Robbins seem to know him,
I was hoping you would shed some light on this guy." I said rather tersly.

She hung her head low....it took her awhile to compose herself, then she began to tell me the
story.

"Momma.......He's a bad man Kevin...Not one who you want to cross...He's pure evil...I haven't seen him in years...I thought he was dead.. He and my momma, they had a thing...years ago..
before I was born..It was a hot and at times turbulent relationship...He said that he loved her,said that she was the only woman he ever really loved...but Momma wouldn't marry him.
Momma married my Father. He said that if he hadn't of married her, he would have killed my Father. He backed off for a time, but all during my childhood, he would send my mother expensive birthday gifts, expensive Christmas gifts...send me things...just to try and show up my Father. My Father despised him..but he didn't dare cross Eric Slaughter...not with "Angel" and
"The Undertaker" working for him. They were his enforcers..even some of the cops were afraid of them." said Sepia.

"Yeah, well nobody has to fear them anymore...they're both dead." I said.

"They are??" she asked.

"That was the undertaker lying on the pavement in front of our house a week ago...and "Angel"
was dropped in front of Cock's house." I said.

"Oh my God...Y-you had them killed?" she asked.

"Nope...but someone who was looking out for me took care of them." I said.

"Who?" she asked.

"Nobody you need to know about." I snapped.

She looked surprisingly hurt and all at once I was sorry about what I said and the way I said it
to her.

"So what happened with Slaughter and your Mother?" I asked.

"Well, after my Dad died of cancer...He just knew that he was going to move in...but my mother
had other ideas...She got to seeing another man...a guy named Donny...He was tall,muscular good
looking and too vain and arrogant to know that he was in over his head. Eric came calling and told him to beat it...He beat Eric up pretty bad...Big mistake...They found his torso on the highway and his head and feet buried in a feild about a year and a half later....Courtesy of the Undertaker"...Me and my mom moved out of Newark after that to West Orange...and that's where we both got involved with Cock Robbins. Eric Slaughter threatened him too, but Cock paid him no mind..He sent "Angel", but Cock beat the daylights out of Angel...sent him packing.
For some reason they didn't retaliate..but a man like Slaughter never forgets and sooner or later
he gets around to evening things up. My mom didn't have to have all of those people killed..She could have told Eric and he would have gladly done it for her at no cost..But she was afraid of him. He eventually put a contract out on Cock..but Cock was in New York City mostly where Eric
couldn't reach him. By the time the Undertaker got the contract....We were all in Philly and involved with you." she said.

" So your mom has recruited Eric Slaughter from prison eh?" I asked.

"No...I doubt it. she's as afraid of him as is everybody else. He must have found out all of the particulars about her going to prison..He's after Cock Robbins because of he was involved with my mom and he's after you because you sent her to prison. But his two goons are dead. Maybe he'll go away." she said.

"Not Hardly...guys like him don't budge.. Tell me...Has he got any other muscle that I should be
worried about?" I asked.

" One guy...I haven't seen him in years...His brother, Pete Slaughter...a sociopath if ever there
was one.." she said.

"Okay, where do you think a guy like Slaughter and his brother would hole up?" I asked.

"Oh Kevin, he could be anywhere...I have no idea." she said.

"You think I could get in contact with him, talk this out....clear this up?" I asked.

"He won't talk to you.." She said.

" But he'd talk to you, he wouldn't hurt you....He knows you." I said.

"I could try, but where would I find him?" asked Sepia.

Just then my phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hey handsome...I got some good news for you.."

"Oh yeah..what is that?"

"Some cat named Pete Slaughter was in town...he roughed up a couple of people ,trying
to find you and was asking a lot of questions."

"So how is that good news?"

"Well, he roughed up the wrong guy...He beat up P.R. Santiago.."

"First of all, I don't know him...and so what?" I said.

"Well ,he runs with the Diaz Brothers and they don't know Eric Slaughter or
care about him...They killed Pete Slaughter and dropped him in the Deleware
River....I saw the whole thing..I laughed my ass off because I was gettin ready
to put two hot ones in him and they got to him first. Just thought you'd like to
know you got one less person to worry about. I think old Eric Slaughter is going
to leave Philly soon...He aint havin the best luck here..."

"Hmmm, doesn't seem like he is. Hey look..you hear things..you got a line on where
he might be?"

"If I did, you wouldn't have to worry about him...but nah Kev, I have no idea.
Your boys ,Eddie and Albert are looking for him and so am I..He's in the wind
now..but he'll surface and when he does, it's all over....Kiss that woman of yours
and make sweet love to her tonight...I just wish it were me you were with...hahaha
am I'm not kiddin...take it easy Kev."

"Thanks-"

click !

Sepia looked at me with a puzzled look.

"Well, Pete Slaughter is dead..."

"What?"

"He ruffled the wrong person's feathers I suppose....Look, strange as it may sound...I don't
want to see any more senseless killings..if you can help me find him Sepia, please do so..
Talk to your mother...I'm trying to save his life." I said.

"Kevin...if somebody wants to kill him...if somebody can kill him...let em..he's as evil as they
come." said Sepia without a hint of sympathy.

I felt a chill like I'd never felt before.


(To Be Continued.....)