Cold Cutz

I couldn't get Kool Kat to leave Philadelphia now. With Domingo dead and having survived numerous attempts on his life, The world's luckiest black man was intent on hanging around if only to taunt the two co-conspiritors. I had enough evidence to put Fiddler behind bars for Attempted murder...several of them...Sometimes when you have the winning hand, you like to savor it...You don't like to throw it all out there. I wasn't going to show my hand just yet...I was going to wait and see what the day brought me.

I couldn't stop Kool Kat from going back over Beverly's house...She was surprised to see him...She apparently knew of Domingo's reputation and to hear that the feared hitman had met his death made her equally frightened of Kool Kat. She coudn't know that we knew he was coming and that we were armed and ready for him..

The bed was squeaking louder than ever and both Beverly and Kool Kat were howling and moaning loud enough to wake the dead...By now, Fiddler was as hot as a pistol....Out of a half a million dollars that he had paid to the late Domingo and forced to return the other half that he'd borrowed.... His love for this woman had cost him and his organization far more than he now figured she was worth and the fact that she was still openly sleeping with a man he hated was grating on him....

This was the scenario when Peeping Tom called my cell phone a few days after Domingo's demise.

"What's going on Tom?" I said.

"You might want to get with me and hear the latest recording out of that other house you had us bug (Fiddler's house)...We got problems my friend." he said. I got Clerow and Sean Jackson and we drove to Tom's house. Lockpick Johnson was there enjoying a Ham and Cheese sandwich and a beer...He tossed us a corona a peice as we enetered the house.

"Theres cold cuts on the table fellas..make yourselves a sandwich." said Tom.

He had a nice spread....Ham, Bologna, Salami, Swiss Cheese, American Cheese, Mayo, Mustard
Jewish Rye, Potato Salad... We made sandwiches and sat down at the table. Four Black guys and an Italian ex CIA operative..Who could have imagined this scene?

"That guy Fiddler....He is out of his mind with rage that you clipped his hitter...So he's hired some guys from out of town to hit Kool Kat AND the broad." said Tom.

'Well I'm not surprised at that." I said.

"Yeah..Well here is the burn....Fathead Newton has sent his boy Roscoe to do Fiddler...." said Tom.

"How do you know that? You heard that?" I asked.

"Nah, not on tape...that's on the street in circles I run in...They've been rivals in that section of Southwest Philly ever since Fathead took over...He knows that Fiddler's muscle is low and weak and now he's gettin ready to make his move." said Lockpick Johnson.

I didn't care about what happened to Fiddler...but I didn't want my friend Kool Kat caught up in a hit that was really meant for that scheming coniving woman he was with. I had to get to him and fast.

"You guys enjoy your sandwiches...I can do this alone." I said.

'You sure boss?" said Clerow..

"Clerow, don't talk with your mouth full of food...Yeah, I'm sure " I said as I got in my car and floored it.


When I got to the West Philly housing projects where Beverly lived...I could already hear the bed squeaking and lots of loud noises coming from her room...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH gooood lawwwwdddd, you puttin it on me daddy,ohhhhhhhhh."

"Ohhhhhh come on woman, give me more...give me morrrreeee...ummmmmph..."

"Ouuuuuuu....Kooooool Kattttttt...ohhhhhhh give mama some mo ..oohhhhhhhh tell mama where you got all of that money stashed baby..ohhhhhhhhh...oohhhhh I'm losing my mind in here...ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my goodness...ouuuuuuuuuu..."

Just as I was going to set up..I saw two young guys in jeans, t-shirts and hooded jackets...loading
pistols and heading toward the building where Kool Kat and Beverly were consumating their " love." I was getting ready to head across the street when I felt cold steel on my neck.

"Uh,Uh,Uh...Don't move anymore....I might get nervous...might shoot you." came the voice that I had come to know so well...It was Fiddler...I was a fool for not bringing along at least one person to watch my back.

"So you're the one who's been watching over Kool Kat eh? You must be pretty good...Took down my men and took down Domingo....I figured you might wind up here...I don't know how or where you been gettin your information....but that comes to an end...Now march....I'm gon let you watch my boys kill Kool Kat...then unfortunately I'm gone kill you...but don't worry, it'll be quick
and painless...I respect you...you're good...This aint personal kid..it's just business." he laughed.

We heard a woman screaming ...then we heard a sucession of shots....Poor Kool Kat...his luck had
finnally run out I thought. I had to find a way to bluff this guy and get away somehow...but how.
I heard the sound of things being broken, then saw one of the guys come sailing through the window....The door came off the hinges and the other hitman came flying through the doorway.

Fiddler and I had our mouths wide open...We couldn't believe it.....Then I heard a gunshot!

''Arggggggggh.....I don't beleive it....I've been shot."said Fiddler as he fell to the ground behind me.

I looked behind me and Fathead's cheif enforcer, Roscoe looked at me and smiled..."What's shakin Kev?" he said as he tossed his gun into the sewer and got in his car and pulled off.
The two would be hitters had gotten up, brushed themselves off and ran for all they were worth.

Kool Kat came to the door in his Boxers and a stocking cap. He saw me and he saw the dead body of his cheif rival, Fiddler lying behind me...He laughed and shook his head...

"Damn Kev...you are one lethal SOB...."

I didn't crack a smile....Kool Kat went back in the room and emerged a few minutes later in his clothes...Beverly came to the door in her white sheer nightgown cooing at Kool Kat...

"Baby don't leave...don't leave me like this....Fiddler dead, they gone....now we can really get down to business in peace." she cooed.

"Yeah...maybe some other time." He said as walked with me to my car.

"Well Kev...that about wraps things up....Fiddler is done and I'm ready to catch a plane to parts unknown..Take this key and go to the bus station tomorrow and go to this post office box...I left
you something for your troubles...Hahahahahahaha, you come through for a brother....I owe you
big time man." He said as we embraced.

"You had your fill big man?" I laughed.

"Yeah Kev...I've had my fill." he said as he walked to his car... "Of everything!" he said.

The next day, Kool Kat took a plane to Puerto Rico.....I took the key he gave me and opened the
locker in the train station....There was a breifcase with 100 large in it....I guess it was my fee for
saving his life and watching his back.

A few days later, My wife Sepia and I were sitting in a deli enjoying sandwiches and cokes....

"Oh God Kevin...these sandwiches here are the best and so loaded..." she said.

"They aiight" I shrugged.

''What are you talkin about? do you know of anyplace better?" she asked.

"Actually I do." I said.

"Yeah right." she laughed....

I smiled....I actually did!