Many Happy Returns

Kevin and Clerow met me at the Airport in Philadelphia....I was glad to see both of them, but I didn't want to hear what I knew was coming.

"Welcome back Doctor...So when is the big day?" asked Clerow.

"Aint gonna be one." I said dryly..

"No....What happened? Better yet....I don't even want to know." said Kevin.

"What? The great investigator aint curious?" I said sarcastically.

"No, but since I know you're going to tell me anyway...what did happen?" asked Kevin.

"Inquiring minds want to know huh? She had another boyfriend when I got out there." I said.

"Oh...well damn Robert....It aint like you didn't have someone on the side too...Did she know about Bonita?" asked Kevin.

" She had a girlfriend too." I added dryly.

"Ouch...." said Clerow.

"Ohhh.....well, you know how them musicians are." said Kevin as he drove me to my house.

I thanked them both and then poured myself some flat Coke that was in the refrigerator and some Jack Daniels and collapsed in my comfortable chair....I drifted off to sleep............

That afternoon, I showered and shaved and put on one of the suits I bought a few weeks ago that I hadn't worn and headed out to Josie's..... A night in Josie's was always special....I saw them all there...Kevin, Sepia, Cock Robbins, His wife Vanessa, Clerow, his wife Corabeth, Chess and his wife, Rell, Sean Jackson, his fiance, Sheila, Conrad Nelson and his wife, Jill....All em had wives and or fiances...Where was mine?

I saw Chance Howard and Corabeth's sister, Anita, Blake and Cherish, Paris and some girl, "88" and Mabel Jenkins and Reed Nelson and Debbie... They were all glad to see me and even happier to know that I was home in Philly to stay....

It seemed that everyone was out tonight....This was surprising because Symphony Sam and his
quartet was playing...He didn't usually pull out such a crowd...but they were out tonight...I guess nobody felt like being inside tonight... I saw Chris Thompson, Donald Smooth and Roscoe and Fathead Newton at the bar drinking and jiving with Gus the bartender.....

To think, I was willing to give all of this up, All of them up for Brooke....I must have been crazy...This was home, this was where I belonged....

"Well Hello Robert." came a familiar voice. It was Bonita Turner.

"Hey Girl, how you been?" I said.

"The question is, how have you been?" she asked.

"I been a damn fool is what I been." I said.

"Heard you was moving out west and was gettin married....This was news to me , Cause I know we didn't have nothin formal..but I thought we was at least close enough that you woulda told me...I mean like ,damn Robert." she said.

"Bonita...I aint gettin married and I'm not movin nowhere....I'm here to stay...I just kind of got side tracked, is all." I said.

"You mean turned out huh? " she laughed...

"Yeah, somethin like that....I went out there to surprise her and I got surprized..." I said.

"Ouuuuu, she had another fella huh?" asked Bonita.

"Yeah and a girlfriend." I said.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh, wow....You don't be ridin tame do you Robert?" she laughed.

"Nah, never that." I said , smiling for the first time.

"Poor baby...let me buy you a drink." She said.

"No Bonita....I'm gone buy you a drink.....I owe you baby." I said.

"Hey Gus...Anything she wants..double...on me." I said. Gus smiled and winked at us....

Kevin nudged Clerow who nudged Sean.....They raised their glasses to me. I heard Chris say to Chess "Hey man, he back.....and operatin already." Fathead, Roscoe ,Donald Smooth and Ralph Mole all smiled and raised their lglasses....None of them knew how happy that made me feel... We were all family....and this was home....

"So Robert..Where does that leave me and you?" asked Bonita.

"That leaves us where we left off...I-I mean if you want it that way.." I said.

"Fine with me...but one day I'm gone want somethin more." she said.

"That's fair.." I said.

"Let's go back to my place." I said in her ear..

"Damn Robert....after all you been through and you want to do that? You're better than me..but after all, you a man...." she smiled.

"No...I want to sleep with you." I said.

"Robert,I know that." she said.

"No.....not sex...I just want to go to sleep in your arms." I said.

"What? You serious?" she asked.

"Yeah...I'm tired." I said.

"Okay!"

"I love you Bonita." I said and kissed her.

"I love you too Robert." she whispered... "You're my friend." She returned the kiss...it lingered a little longer than we both expected..From the corner of my eye I saw Chris Thompson and Gus shaking their heads and laughing...It wasn't what they thought...I wasn't that guy anymore....Well,at least not tonight.

"Yeah.. You're my friend" I said to Bonita. "Let's Get out of here."

We left Josies together.....We went back to my place.....We drank a little Jack Daniels and Coke ... Alright, we did have sex...but it wasn't long....and that night, I curled up in Bonita's arms and fell asleep..The most peaceful sleep I'd had in a long long while....I was home.

To date , I've missed 118 calls from Brooke...I haven't answered a one of em.


(For the City of Philadelphia)

Always Call First

My Other Ex-Wife Corrine actually drove me to the airport.....I had told her,just like I had told My first wife, Sissy about Brooke and how much in love I was and how I might be getting married and looking to move to San-Francisco...She wished me well and like Sissy, seemed genuinely happy for me. I had been married to two wonderful women..I hoped with the third wife, she would be just as wonderful and this time...this time...I would not mess it up. My days of chasing skirts was over. I guess I should have told Bonita....She would find out soon enough...Word travels fast in Philly and in Josie's Bar...even faster!

My plane took off a little after 8:00am (I wanted the earliest flight available...I couldn't wait to see the look on Brooke's face when I got there..)
Sitting Next to me was a very attractive and shapely Black woman....She had honey brown skin that was flawless and was dressed in some very tight jeans and what we called stripper heels and a nice white blouse. If I was still the old Robert, She's the type I would have definitely put the moves on...But not today,
I was in love mode.

"Hey" she said as I sat down.

"Hey yourself." I said with a smile.

"I know you...Aren't you Robert something or other...the attorney?" she asked.

"Yes, I am...We've met before?" I asked.

"Well kind of...You represented my girlfriend...Alice Pinkston." she said.

"Oh Yeah....Alice...Yes I did..." I said.

"That aint all yall did..She told me about the two of yall in the afternoons and how yall broke the legs off of the bed one time...ummmm, hmmmmm, you is a
mess..." she laughed.

I blushed.."Uh How is Alice? I haven't seen her in awhile." I said.

"She got married....Moved to Atlanta...Got a good job...and her man has a good job...I hear she's pregnant too." she said.

"Ohhh good for her....I'm on my way to San-Francisco to surprise my honey....
I'm gonna make that marriage move too." I said, showing her the rock I got from Tiffany's.

Her eyes got wide when she saw it....

"WOW! She's a lucky girl ,or she's gonna be...." she said.

"I'm a lucky man..." I said.

"I'm going there to surprise my honey too." she said.

"Oh yeah..Well he's a lucky guy." I said.

"Welllll uhhh, she's a lucky girl...it's uh...kinda different for me." she said.

"Heyy it's kool...it's 2010....Whatever floats your boat. Anybody, male or female is lucky to have someone as fine as you." I said.

"Awww thank you...Alice said you were sweet...I'm sorry...I'm talkin to you and haven't even told you my name...It's Georgia...Georgia Brown." she said.

"Pleased to meet you Georgia." I said.

"I met my honey while we were in jail together....We had a moment and I think it meant something to her as much as it did to me....She was in Philly last week,but I didn't get to talk to her." said Georgia.

"Wow...I hope it works out for you." I said.

Three hours later,I was in San Francisco and walking around downtown....I entered a Flower shop and began walking around looking at different combonations.

"Tulips are always nice this time of year....I'm just saying....People always send roses...I try to change things up a bit..." came the voice behind me. To my surprise it was a tall muscular Black brother with huge hands...He held his hand out to shake mine.

"Hi...I'm Warren Alston....I play Bass....." he said.

"Hi, I'm Robert Foxworth...I'm an Attorney." I said.

"You're not from out here are you?" he said with a smile.

"Nah...I'm from Philly....but I'm thinkin of moving out here." I said.

"Yeah? My girl is from Philly....She came out here and was hooked....She thinkin about buyin a house here now." he said.

"Yeah...the West Coast is where it's at." I laughed....

I bought a Tulip display.....Warren ordered one too and the two of us then went to a nice restaraunt in Chinatown and had some good chinese food and a couple of beers....He seemed to be a cool dude.

"I was in Philly a few months ago with my girl....Then I got a gig out here and brought her out here......She went back a few weeks ago....You know a guy named Reed Nelson?" he asked.

"Yeah...I know him well...He's partially responsible for me meeting my girl." I said.

"Reed is a good dude...He stays at my place when he's in town.....Hey you need a
place to crash?" asked Warren.

"Oh I'm in a hotel...." I said.

"Well, My band is playing at this club tonight...Here is the address..If you get a
free moment, come on down and bring your girl." he said.

"Thanks man...I'll do that...If I aint pre-occupied...you know what I'm sayin?"
I laughed...

"Oh! I hear that." he said with a laugh.

I went to my room, Showered and shaved and then rented a car. I got directions
to Brooke's place from a friendly guy on the front desk and then got in my car
and drove off...Brooke was going to be so surprised, I thought! She sure was!

It was around 3:00 pm in the afternoon...My adrenaline was running so high that I didn't even have a hint of jet lag. I drove up and parked and then walked
up the steps of her apartment complex....The door was slightly ajar...I could hear Brooke's sweet voice.

"Ohhhh Thank you for the flowers baby.....You got tulips...You know what I like." she said..

"Yeah Baby...I study you like algebra." came a voice...a familiar voice..

"Close the door baby...." she said.

"I aint worried about nobody watching this." came the voice.

"ummmmmmmm...ouuuuuuuuuuu baby your hands feel so good."moaned Brooke

"I got somethin else that feels good too baby and it's all for you." came the male voice.

"Ouuuuuuu,let me pull it out and feel that thing.....ouuuuuuu..." cooed Brooke.

To My horror, I watched a pair of huge hands lift up her skirt and ease her panties down around her ankles.......She moaned ......She unzippered his pants...
He leaned over and began kissing her passionately....I couldn't believe what I was seeing.. More so, I couldn't believe who I was seeing...

"HEYYYYYY, Warren...What the hell?" I screamed as I shoved the door open.

It was Warren ,the Bass player I met in the flower shop!!!!

"ROBERT???? What are you doing here?" screamed Brooke as she pulled her panties back up.....

"I came here to surprise you." I said.

"THIS is the girl you were talking about brother?Oh My God...If this don't beat all ,I shoulda figured it out when you said you was from Philly...I thought she went out there to see some guy...Hmmmph, a gig with Reed Nelson." said Warren.

" I did have a gig with Reed baby...Robert, you should have called first!" said Brooke.

"Yeah ,I see. What's this Baby mess? What's he doin feelin on your butt?" I said..

"Look,I can explain....I told you I had some things to work out...before I made a decision...Robert ,you shoulda gave me time..." she said.

"Things to work out? I was a thing to work out?? WHAT???" screamed Warren.

Just then ,I heard another voice... A female voice!!!

"Oh My God Brooke, what is this? You in here with two dudes, got your drawers down...What's goin on, is this an orgie or something?? Oh My God..I didn't count on this...You wild girl!" It was Georgia Brown, the pretty young woman I met on the plane.

"Georgia??? What are you doing out here?" said Brooke...

"I wanted to surprise you.....We had a moment, you know back in prison and I thought that meant something.. but I didn't know that you roll like this..You're a little too alternative for me...I'm a respectable girl." she said.

"Prison?? You been in Prison?? What else you aint told me? Lawd Have mercy." asked Warren.

"Georgia..that was one night...one night when I was alone and vulnerable....I'm
not into women like that..that was one night honey...I still love men...You should have called first." said Brooke.

"Ohhhh lawdddd!" screamed Warren, who began fixing his pants.

Georgia eyed Warren and then smiled...

"Wow...If I was still into men, I'd definitely be into you...Whoa...You got quite an impressive package Mister.." she said.

" Thank you very much , Lesbians, Prison, Lawyers...Oh my god...too much for me...I'm out.I don't get down like this, You Philly people are wild..I'm a respectable man" said Warren.

"Robert...You should have called first....I told you I hadn't made up my mind yet." said Brooke.

"Yeah..Well I've made up my mind .I might be a lot of things, but I'm a respectable whatever I am..I don't roll like this." I said...as I dropped the flowers on the floor and walked out.

"Robert wait..Let me explain.....waitttt, please baby...." said Brooke as she attempted to run after me.

That night I stood on the Golden Gate Bridge....There was a white man with white hair standing on the bridge smoking a cigarette... I did a double take...
It was Tony Bennett! ,The singer.

"Heyyyy Tony Bennett.....Oh man, my dad was a big fan..Used to play you and Sinatra around the house all the time...If he was alive now and could see me and you on the Golden Gate Bridge....ohhh wow." I said.

"It's nice out here...Good breeze, A man can think, clear his head." said Tony.

"Yeah..That's what I was doing..." I said.

"Who was she? Someone Special?" asked Tony Bennett.

"Yeah...I came out here all the way from Philadelphia to surprise her." I said.

"And you got surprised, right?" he said.

"Yeah...You got it." I said.

"That's life kid.....That's what the people say...Riding high in April..Shot down in May..." he said.

"Yeah...you got it..."I said ,laughing....

"Pick yourself up kid...get back in the race.....Shit happens......Have a nice night." He said as he patted me on the back and began walking back toward the city and into the night...

I smiled....After a couple of hours....I walked back to the edge of the bridge, got in my rental car and drove back to my hotel....It was daybreak!

(Conclusion Next)

Once Upon a Wife

I sat in the diner drinking a cup of coffee with my first wife, Homicide Lt.Sissy Van Buren. We had been married close to 17 years....She was a good woman..We'd still be married now if I hadn't of cheated on her....One of my biggest regrets in life...We'd slept together occassionally, kind of a friends with benefits type of thing, but that had stopped recently....She had announced that she was involved with somebody.

"Sissy...I think I want to get married again." I said.

"Oh Robert just shut up.....Married?? You? You tried that before, remember....It didn't work." she laughed.

She wasn't being mean she was telling the truth. After we broke up, I married a younger woman,
Corrine....Another good woman....I cheated on her with the same woman that broke up my first marriage...Cindy Waters!! Couldn't leave that girl alone... Finnally, we broke up and I lost my house and my job behind it. Corrine forgave me too...We slept together after our divorce for awhile...then that stoped happening too... Oh and there were other women, My client, The Stripper, Alice Pinkston, The woman I met at a funeral who died while we were making love, The sexy Funeral director who I went to for "greif counseling "twice a week...Bonita Turner, my
business partner and the closest thing I have to a relationship, My Sex rehab therapist, Vonetta
Luckette and now Brooke...beautiful Brooke.

"Sissy I'm telling you, I think I'm in love.." I protested.

"With who Robert?" she asked.

"She's a beautiful lady...She's a musician...I met her at Josie's." I said.

"You still go in there? How's Gus?" she asked.

"Just as cranky as hell....He's alright." I said with a smile.

"Well Robert, what's her name?" asked Sissy.

"It's Brooke." I said.

"She a white girl?" asked Sissy.

"Nah...Nahhh..she's a sister....She's from Newark....but she's out in California now." I said.

"Oh on tour?" she asked.

"Nah, she lives out there." I said.

"So you thinkin about moving out there?" she asked.

"Yeah,I'm thinkin about it....I mean...I have no children...no living family...No real reason to stay in Philly.....I might like a change of scenery, warm weather." I said.

"Robert.....I never heard you talk with so much conviction....17 years of marriage and you never sounded this serious about anything.....By the way, how's Corrine...your other ex...? " she asked.

"She's fine...She's engaged..." I said dryly.

"That's nice...You know...She was good to you Robert, Good for you too and you just messed over her with that Cindy Waters.....Since you was so hooked on Cindy...Why didn't you marry her? You wrecked two marriages over her." said Sissy.

"Yeah, I did....I'm so sorry Sissy.....I've never been more sorry in my life than what I did to you and Corrine... I couldn't marry Cindy....I found out later on that Cindy was crazy and evil too..."
I said.

"Oh well Robert...We all make mistakes...Guess you deserve to be happy too....You sure this Brooke is the one for you?" she asked.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life Sissy.."I said.

"Wow...Maybe you have changed...So what are you going to do?" she asked.

"Well..I'm helping Chance get himself set up and I suppose I could go out to San-Francisco and look for a place first and then slowly begin closing out my affairs here and that would be it.."I said.

"Well, I hate to ask you this Robert, but does this Brooke feel the same way about you?"she asked.

"I'm certain she does...I'm going out there next week to see her....Look, I bought a ring." I said as I showed her the rock.

"Wow Robert, that's some rock....and it's from Tiffany's...You really are serious." said Sissy.

"As serious as can be." I said.

"Well.....good luck then...I wish you the best......If you do get hitched...Send me a photo or something ." she said as she smiled at me and walked out of the diner.

I took a deep breath in and looked around...I'd miss Philly...It was all I knew....Only place I'd ever lived..I'd miss Kevin and Sean and Gus..and Chess and Fathead and all of the people I'd known.....but perhaps it was time for a change..


(To Be Continued....)

The View From The Back of the Room

I was sitting in Josie's listening to some good jazz....That foxy young guitarist named Brooke Taylor was back in town and sitting in with Reed Nelson, "88" and the band on stage...They were cooking... I had some fried chicken and some french fries and a coke and was sitting in the very back...It was dark...Gus had dimmed the lights and everybody was really enjoying themselves, listening to the band play.... Me? My name is Robert Foxworth...I'm an attorney.

I had met the foxy jazz guitarist the last time she'd been in Philly...and we'd had a nice night together....Surprisingly enough...I'd been in sex rehab then...Can you beleive that? I'd also been involved with my therapist, who is now in therapy
herself...Story of my life with women.

Anyway...Brooke saw me in the crowd and she winked at me...I smiled back at her and continued to groove to the music. She was wearing a very tight ,short form fitting red mini skirt and white sheer top....I could see her red flowery bra
from where I was sitting...

After her set was over...Some comedian came on. He had the crowd laughing. I wasn't listening to what he was saying...My eyes were on Brooke. She ordered two drinks at the bar and then walked back to where I was sitting. I was in the very back...

"Hey Robert....Nice seeing you again." she said as she passed me a Mango Mojito.

"It is very,very ,very nice seeing you." I said.

Brooke blushed..she could see how she was turning me on and how I was practically salivating , while watching her move.

"Gosh Robert..Stop looking at my cleavage...drink your drink." she laughed.

" I'll try....How've you been?" I asked.

"I've been good. I got me a little place in San-Francisco.....I play around the Bay
Area..quite a bit....Always nice to get an invite from Reed and Gus to come out to Philly." she said.

"I have to buy Reed a Christmas present this year." I laughed.

She playfully punched my arm and she laughed too as we both drank up and hungrily eyed each other.

The room got dark again as Reed Nelson took the podium with his trumpet..."88" struck the first note on his Piano and the band was on again...
There were few people sitting back as far as we were and most of them were looking forward.. I motioned to Brooke to come near me..She put her drink down and walked over to me....I grabbed her and began kissing her...Deep throating her actually..She didn't resist..She returned my passion....We kissed
all through the next number..Nobody noticed us.

I carressed her back and pulled her into me...I slipped my hands up her skirt...and gently squeezed her round butt cheeks.....

"Ouuuu Robert..Ouuuuu, we shouldn't do this here....let's go somewhere..ouuuu
..ohhhhh Robert...please...ohhhhhhhh..." she moaned..

"Shhhhhh, we don't want to draw any attention to ourselves." I said as I turned her around and began kissing her again...

I moved my hand up into her bra and began softly massaging her breasts...

"You wanted to do that all night didn't you? I saw the way you kept looking at me." she said..

Surprisingly....no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to us...The band launched into another number.....with one of Reed's long solos..(I'd heard this number before)

By now I was blowing into her ear and had one of my hands in her panties massaging her deeply...Her eyes looked as if they might roll back into her head at this point...

She let out a squeal that nearly matched Reed's trumpet sound......Nobody noticed...She was shaking.....She moved both of my hands and straightened her clothes...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhhh.....ohhhhhh myyyyyy." she said.

I smiled..

"Oh my God, you made me cum.....like I've never came before...ohhhh...What just happened?" she said as she tried to sit back down...

"I've missed you." I said.

"Robert,let's go someplace...ohhhh, I can't stay here like this." she said.

"Check please ." I said with a smile as the waitress came to our table. Brooke was blushing like crazy...I smiled further... After I paid the check, the two of us quietly left the club...No one even noticed....

As soon as we were out the door...We were kissing each other passionately...
We took her car back to the hotel she was staying at....We were barely in the room before Brook was all over me kissing me and helping me out of my clothes....It seemed as if it took her no time at all to get out of her clothing...

I lifted her up and took her into her bedroom....She sat on top my erection and lowered herself slowly...She began to move up and down at a rapid pace.....
It was my turn to go crazy....I was trying to contain myself..but it was feeling too good...

"Oh Robert..Don't come yet..Don't come yet.." she cooed...

"Arrrrrghhhhhh, I can't help it..it feels soooo goooood babyyyyy.." I yelled as I exploded...

We held each other like that for close to twenty minutes....Then we began kissing again... She took all of me in her mouth and sucked until I was nearly ready to explode again....Then she stopped...and lay across the bed....I mounted her missionary style and began moving inside her at the slowest pace imaginable...I wanted to savor every bit of her....

This went on for close to two hours...and finnally we both climaxed a few minutes apart....She began to cry as she was climaxing...Holding me as she began to shake...

"Ouuuuu..I've never felt lke this before..." she said.

We both collapsed on the bed and drifted off to sleep....

The next morning we both showered (Not together) and dressed and had a nice breakfast....

"Oh Robert, last night was awesome...." she said.

"It was....Wow..is all I can say." I said.

"You got me wanting to move back here.." she said.

"I wish you would." I said.

"Wowwww...I sure am thinking about it...but would I be coming back here for nothing?" she asked.

"Nahhh...Baby,I want you to be my woman...."I said.

"You have plenty of women.I know all about you." she said.

"I'll give em up for you." I said. (What was I saying?)

""Hmmmmm, I don't know...I'll have to give it some thought...but last night does swing me in your favor...." she laughed...

I pulled her close to me and kissed her for a long time.

"For real?" I asked.

"For real....but I still haven't made my mind up yet." she laughed as we kissed
again."

I slipped my hand up under her dress ,but she moved it....

"Uh Uh..that's cheating.." she laughed.

(To Be Continued....)

Soulmates For the Moment

Making Love to you
on a warm summer night
while a gentle raindrop falls
to the ground outside...
Makes the night so perfect
that I'm glad to be alive..
I only wish I could bottle up this moment
in time.../

you cried when you climaxed...
you called me "Big daddy"
you rode me like a horse
your hair flung around...
sweat ran down your forehead...
you laughed....
and then you came....

I don't want to live past this moment
spent with you...
life could never get much better
love could never get much better
sex could never get much better
regardless of what either of us do...
I don't care to share this feeling
with anyone other than you...
You and I
here and now
Soulmates for the moment
My soulmate for the moment../

you screamed out so loud...
the neighbors know my first name...
I cried out so loud myself...
that I'm sure they know your name too...
How many condums did I use that night?
Who was counting?

People search their whole life for nirvana
such as this..
but drugs and other avenues of escape
is only temporary bliss..
Inside your arms,
between your thighs
is where my new peace exists
Heaven is the softness of your lips when we kiss.../

Underneath God's umbrella of love
we are sheilded from the rain...
naked as newborns, yet free of shame..
unbothered by the madness of the outside...
just you and I
here and now...
Soulmates for the moment....

My Soulmate for the moment...

The Revenge of Sailor Mike

I met with Roscoe on a street corner in Mt Airy...a lively corner where there was lots of people and where we would blend in....

"What's up Kev? " he asked.

"Roscoe...in your travels, did you ever hear the name "Ghost" applied to someone?" I asked.

"Him? His name is Morgan Walker....He's a Jamaican....He's very good at what he does and what he does is kill people Kevin...He's probably killed about 25 people here in Philly alone...and no telling how many in Jamaica...You don't wanna mess with him without some muscle Kevin and none of your people are good enough for the job. I would help you out...but I don't want Fathead knowing that I'm mixed up in this....What business you got with him anyway?" he asked.

"I don't...I just know that Jamaica Jim is planning to have one of those shooters bailed out and Ghost is being brought in to do him....to shut him up." I said.

"Yeah and? It's probably Egghead.....Cause he's weak and he got the lesser charge on him..That'll keep Faheem quiet, if he was gettin any ideas of rollin on his boss." said Roscoe.

"So I should just let it happen, right?" I said.

"Sure....They killed Sailor Mike.....Why should you care what happens to either of them?" said Roscoe.

"Because I want justice man....Not just for those two, but for the guys that make the dirt happen." I said.

"Yeah..in a perfect world....You know and I know that guys like Jamaica Jim and Frank White never get justice...just us...the little people, the pawns...The kings always stay the kings." said
Roscoe.

"Yeah, maybe..." I said.

"Be easy Kev...I gotta see a man about a horse.." said Roscoe.


Later on that morning , at the courthouse....Clerow and I sat in a car with tinted windows and watched as Egghead came walking out of central booking, a free man...There was another man with him...who we recognized as one of Jamaica Jim's thugs.

Clerow tapped me on the shoulder ....I looked in his direction and saw a man , casually dressed in
white khaki pants, a black shirt, sneakers and avaiator shades....He was wearing a panama hat and he had a newspaper tucked under his arm....He walked slowly and stopped a few feet from
Jamaica Jim's man.

Jamaica Jim's man nodded his head and walked ahead of Egghead....The man pulled a gun from under the newspaper and before anybody could do anything...He fired two rounds into Egghead's
head, killing him instantly and then fired two more rounds into the head of the guy who had bailed Egghead out, killing him also!!!! People began to scream and the man smoothly disapeared
into the crowd, which was headed in the direction of the two fallen bodies....

"Boss...He's on the move..I see him." said Clerow, who had his gun drawn and was in hot pursuit..
I followed Clerow and we began chasing this man...This man who moved so smooth. He moved so smooth , it was as if he was walking or floating on air...No wonder they called him ghost....

I saw him spin around and crouch down with his gun aimed....I knocked Clerow out of the way and cut loose with five shots.....Clerow rolled, got himself together and fired two rounds...The man's hat flew off, his gun flew in the air...and he spun wildly around and crashed into some trash
cans...We ran over to him....I felt his pulse....He was dead!

"Wow boss...we got him!" said Clerow...

"Yeah, we did...now let's get out of here...."I said as we got in our car and pulled off!

We headed to the club where Jamaica Jim held court......He was walking out of the clubhouse with his two goons when a 1977 Crown Victoria drove up...Six guys in jeans, hoodies and sneakers got out and opened fire on the three of them...Jamaica Jim and his two goons fell dead in the street....Then a sucession of shots rang out....three of the six men fell to the street dead..
, A fourth turned to fire and he was cut down where he stood....a fifth tried to run and he was shot down...The last guy started the car, but he was shot in the back of the head....The car started moving slowly and crashed into a light post!!!!

Neither Clerow ,nor I had fired a shot....We had no idea where the gunfire had come from...We were astonished....Jamaica Jim and his two men and his six would be killers were all dead! Miles
away in downtown Philly, Egghead, one of Jamaica Jim's goons and the contract killer...Ghost was dead......We did see one guy , running away...My guess was that he was the traitor, the one who had given Big Daddy the information about the would be hit.. Clerow and I got in the car
and followed the man in hot pursuit....I opened my door on the passenger side and rammed it into him as he attempted to run...He hit the ground with a thud....I got out of the car with my .45
drawn and placed it to his temple.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He said... Clerow was laughing that toothy grin of his and had his .38 smokeless aimed at the man's head also.

"Who I am isn't important.....I want Big Daddy.....NOW! Tell me where he is." I said.

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

A Day later ,I sat inside the swanky downtown restaraunt a table away and watched and listened to the man named Frank"Big Daddy" White talking to another guy.

"I don't know what the hell happened yesterday...I don't even know why they dug up ''Ghost'' to hit their own shooter.What a bunch of clowns....I send in some muscle to take them out and they must have put up a hell of a fight...All six of my guys wind up dead...Incredible, These Philly guys are off the hook...." he said.

"Well Frank, at least you aint gotta pay em..hahahahahahahahaha." Laughed the other guy.

"Yeah ,how bout that? They are wild out here...It's like the Wild,Wild West, that's why I stay in AC, These Philly guys...they got no soul." he said.

"But Frank..Who took out "Ghost"? It wasn't our guys.....Somebody else was there...but who?"
asked his associate.

"I don't know....and I don't care....Maybe somebody had a beef with Ghost...He's killed so many people...who knows? Nothin I'm gonna lose sleep about." said Frank White

"So you're Frank "Big Daddy" White huh?" I said.

"You writin a book ? Who the hell are you?" he spat....

"Sailor Mike sent me here." I said.

"Sailor Mike? He's dead..What are you some kind of nut or something?"he laughed.

The other man made a move as if he was reaching for something...I grabbed his arm and put it behind his back and slammed his head hard on the table..then knocked him to the floor...As the astonished guests looked around..

"Arrrrrghhh....awwwww man, that hurt....." he said as he slumped into unconsciousness.

I then grabbed Frank by his collar and gripped him up.....

" I'm the kind of nut that wants to beat the livin crap out of pond scum like you." I said.

"Arrrgghhhhh, who are you...?? What I do to you... You know who I am?? I'm Big Daddy" he said.

"Well Big Daddy, I'm about to give you a big a-----"

"That's enough Kevin....We got him. Yes "Big Daddy"..We know who you are!......Frank White...I'm Special Agent Frank Cotton, Federal Bureau of Investigation ...We've never met before...It gives me great pleasure to place you under arrest for murder,soliciting murder and interstate racketeering." said Agent Cotton as three beefy FBI men placed handcuffs on Frank White and took him away.

"I didn't kill nobody, you got this all wrong...I'm no killer...I just play a little cards...Come on..COME ON!!! COME ON!!!" he screamed as they hustled him away.

"Always a pleasure Kevin...You make my job so enjoyable." Laughed Agent Cotton. I smiled as he walked away.

"And Easy.." I laughed.

"Yeah ,That too!" said Agent Cotton from a distance!

Later on, I was sitting in a mid town diner drinking a cup of coffee when Roscoe walked in.....

"Hey Kevin...Got your man huh?" he laughed.

"What?" I said.

"I said ,you got your man....Frank "Big Daddy" White, Jamaica Jim...the whole crew...you took em down.....Fathead sends his regards....You saved him a possible bloody war...." he laughed.

"Wow, News travels fast huh?" I laughed.

"Yes sir..it sure does..." He laughed.

"Let's cut the crap Roscoe.....You took down those hitters....That had you written all over it." I said.

"Think so huh? Nah.....Wasn't me." he said.

"Then who was it?" I said.

''What do you care?, They dead and you're alive." said Roscoe.

"Every life is valuable...even guys like them....I just wanted to know." I said.

"This from the man who took out "Ghost", "Junkyard Doggie" and "Malik Lockjohn"..Not to mention old ass Sonny Templeton...some of the most feared hitmen in the town's history.Wow." he laughed.

"Okay Roscoe...It was Sailor Mike's ghost right?" I said.

"Yup...If that's who you say it was..Who am I to argue with you? Right? Be Easy Kevin." he said as he walked out and patted me on my shoulder.

"Always " I said as I finished my coffee and watched the smoke from the cup waft off into the air.

Two nights later, Sepia, Little Eddie, His mother Vonetta and I attended another one of Cock Robbins baseball games.. Cock hit three homers and his team won again...13-2......We drank soda, ate Popcorn and nachos and had a grand old time at the game...

Cock Robbins came over after the game and gave Eddie a game ball that he autographed......

"Wow, thanks Mr. Robbins for the baseball." said Eddie...

"Don't mention it kid..I hope you had a great time.." he said..

"I sure did..Thanks for bringing me Mr. Kevin and Ms. Sepia..." he said.

"You are so welcome" said Sepia, laughing.....

"Thank you all so much for getting Jamaica Jim, Big Daddy White and their crew...They terrorized the neighborhood for so long..Now it feels safe again."
said Vonetta.

It would be safe again for a minute...then another Playa would rise up and take over where Big Daddy and Jamaica Jim left off...It was always that way. This was the way of the streets.

"Thank you Mister Kevin...I heard that you got the guys that killed Sailor Mike." he said.

"Yeah...I got em.....and I think , Sailor Mike got em too...I think he was right there by my side, when they got got." I said with a smile, rubbing the little boy's head.

(For my Grandfather, an honorable man)

Heavy Duty

For the next few days, I intensified my surveillance of Jamaica Jim and his crew. Sean and I would rent a different car each day and follow Jim and his goons from place to place...Snapping photos of his every move...In the afternoon...Clerow and Cock Robbins would be following them in yet another car doing the same thing. I even got Big Nasty and Gus's two guys, Eddie and Albert to follow them around in different cars...All in all, they were oblivious to everything. Our big stakeout of Jamaica Jim was garnering us nothing we could use.

Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson had his home, his clubhouse and some woman's house wired for sound and video and that was bringing us nothing but meaningless conversations about anything and nothing... We got a little talk about placing bets on sporting events and horses and even some fights...but nothing that would get him more than a light fine....and then one day...We heard something coming from a cell phone that peaked our interest..

"Hey Boss... Those two guys that uh did that thing for us, you know.....the Sailor Mike job?? They got themselves knocked a few days ago."

"What? Arrested?? How could they??...I told them to keep a low profile.."

"Yeah, well it's pretty bad....Cops got Fahim on two murder charges.....Sailor Mike and some store owner in Port Richmond that he robbed and killed last month...they got his gun with his prints on it.....It matched ballistics.....My guy down at the Police station told me....He's done...
and that other kid, "Egghead"...He's runnin his mouth off a bit...He's goin crazy in stir."

"Ahhhhhhh, I don't believe it.....Okay listen....I gotta meetin with the fat man today.......Pull that kid Egghead out of there.....Bail him out......and call in "Ghost"...Have "Ghost" quiet him.....
For good!"

"Okay Boss..."

"I used Ghost to "quiet" my wife in 1995 ,when she threatened to turn in State's Evidence against me...He'll make that kid disapear..He's heavy duty and efficient...that's what I need....I should of got him to take out Sailor Mike instead of those two damned idiots...but , it's the economy...they came cheap....but you get what you pay for..."

''Aint it the truth? Okay boss...I'm on it."

Sean Jackson, Clerow, Eddie, Albert,Big Nasty, Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom Constanoble
all looked at me.....I smiled the broadest smile I'd ever had in days.....

"We got him my friend...Not only do we have him ordering a murder..We got him admitting to having Sailor Mike killed and confessing to a murder we didn't even know about...It's time to reel
this fish in." said Peeping Tom as we all high fived and cheered....We broke out bottles of wine and some wine glasses and toasted.

A few hours later, Sean, Clerow and I followed Jamaica Jim and one of his thugs to Penns Landing , where he met with the fat man ,I'd seen in the photos taken a few days earlier. This was Frank "Big Daddy" White. He was impeccably dressed in an Italian designer suit with aviator shades and shoes so shiny, you could see your reflection in them...He was light skinned
and with a chubby face that made him resemble a black Oliver Hardy, more than a gangster.

I could tell he was the boss ,just by the way Jamaica Jim and the guy who was with him cowered
and defered to him...He didn't seem pleased...Since neither of them knew us..It was easy for us
to blend in the crowd and take seats near them at the outdoor cafe.

"There is still the problem of my money Jamaica Jim.....I lost a pile on a fight you assured me was a sure thing....My associates in New York bet big and lost big on this fight." said Frank White.

"Frank..Frank...We hit the boxer who wouldn't take the dive...he's gone." said Jamaica Jim.

"I don't give a damn about him...He's not my problem....I want my money....I had to pay New York and Atlantic City...and you're gonna pay me....I want a 70% cut out of all you bring in
until I'm re-imbursed." he said.

"Seventy percent?? Frank!!..I got people I gotta pay." said Jamaica Jim..

"That's YOUR problem...."said Frank White. He then got up and turned his back on Jim and walked away.

"Sounds like our boys aint cool with each other." said Clerow....

"I'll say." added Sean.

"Come on guys..Let's head back over to Peeping Tom's house...See if he's heard anything else."
I said.

When the three of us got there, Lockpick Johnson was jumping around like a kid on the night before Christmas..

"Kev, Clerow, Sean...yall gotta hear this....Tom play it for them." He said.

"Kevin ,my friend....There is some deep going's on...listen." said Tom.

"What's up Boss?"

"Listen....Tell Ghost to clip Egghead tomorrow and after he's finished..I want him to hit Frank
"Big Daddy" White."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Who pays your salary huh? I want White hit....got it?"

"Okay boss..I'm on it."

"Good."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard.....Then Lockpick Johnson smiled again....

"Wait Kevin...you aint heard nothin yet....check this out..." he said.

"Hello."

"Is this Frank White?"

"Yeah, who wants to know?"

"I just thought I'd tell ya.....Jamaica Jim just put a contract out on you....He wants Ghost to take out one of the shooters tomorrow and then hit you."

"What? The balls on this jamolk...Okay, listen here....Get word to Ghost that after he does the
kid...to do the guy that bails him out....then tell him...I'll pay him double whatever Jamaica Jim
is offering him to do me to do Jim."

"Okay.....I'm on it."

"Good lookin out kid..."

"Thanks Mister White.."

Click!

"Hello?"

"Melvin...This is Frank White....."

"Hey Frankie...what's up?"

"Call in the Atlantic City boys....I want em to take out our friends in South Philly..All of em,
includin Ghost.....I'll replace them with some folks who know what they're doin... That's why I don't like it here in Philly, these guys are treacherous...you can't trust none of em...a bunch a
cowboys."

"I'm on it Frank. You know...I'm from Camden myself...I just grew up here."he said.

"The nerve of that Jamaica Jim....Gonna put a contract on ME...Big Daddy!!! I'll show him...
Sheeeeeeeeeeeet! "

Click!

"Can you believe these guys? Can you believe how careless they are?" said Peeping Tom, the ex CIA operative...He would have never talked like this on the phone... Of course..he was a spy..These were gangsters who had no reason to think that they were being spied on!!! We all laughed and called it a night.

I had enough to put Frank "Big Daddy" White and Jamaica Jim behind bars for a long time...but the only wild card was this hitman named "Ghost" I had no idea who he was or what he looked like....but I knew someone who probably did.....I had to find him and bring this show to a close.

(Conclusion Next)

Fish N Grits

A few days later, there was a torrid thunderstorm....The rain was pouring....I sat in Mabel Jenkins's Soul Food Joint, eating a plate of Hominy Grits with Butter and Fried Fish...I had a tumbler of coffee next to me...I was quietly reading the paper. Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson walked in and sat down at the table with me...dripping wet....

"I'll just have a large coffee honey, to go." said Peeping Tom.

"Them damn grits look like they the truth. I'll take an order of Fish and Grits and a coffee to go mam." said Lockpick Johnson to the waitress.

"We got him my friend.." said Peeping Tom.

"Oh Yeah?" I asked as I continued eating."

"It took some time....He has three big beefy bodyguards who escort him everywhere and a third one that always stays behind....but we waited and we watched patiently and he left for about an hour..That was more than enough time for Lockpick to beat the security system and get me intohis house...It's wired for sound and video now.....And get this....We wired the upstairs of this strip club that he hangs out in and holds meetings in and we wired this broad's house that he visits... I gotta device that can hit the tower of his wireless provider so that any conversation he has on his cell phone, any text message he sends....We can read it or hear it...We got Jamaica Jim locked in my friend..." said Peeping Tom.

"Wow, that's great news...I'm gonna bump both of you guys a little extra for that..you guys did better than I expected." I laughed. They got their food and Lockpick Johnson patted me on the back...

"I knew Sailor Mike....He was a good guy...I had my money on him in that fight....He won me a pile Kev...I hope you get whoever done this." he said as the two of them left. An odd pair they were...An Italian ex CIA operative and a Black ex-convict who could break into almost anything and beat any security system....They were a great pair of guys to have working for you.

Sean Jackson, my co-worker and friend came in next and sat down next to me...I felt like a kingpin holding court or something over Fish and Grits...

"Hey Kev....I followed your guy, Jamaica Jim...He met with some Fat guy from Atlantic City....They had words over something as these survielience photos I took shows.....It looked like the Fat guy was running things...." he said.

"Good Work Sean....but this gives me nothing on the killers....All I know is that I'm for sure..Jamaica Jim fixed the fight and he ordered the killing....I know that he didn't do it himself.." I said.

"That guy...I seen him before." said Mabel Jenkins...who walked by my table and peered down at the photos of Jamaica Jim.

"Who? This guy or the fat guy?" I asked.

"The thin dark skinned guy with the pony tail...."88" and I rented a little bungalow in Atlantic City about two weeks ago and he lived next door to us....While we was there, two young guys came to visit him...The walls were paper thin...88 and I could hear they whole conversation." she said.

"No kidding?" I said looking at Sean...

"Yeah...He was hollering at the young boys because some fight , some prizefight didn't go down the way he thought it oughta go.. We heard one of the young boys say that whoever won the fight gave some money back or something and the guy with the ponytail said that he didn't care ,that he had lost more money and that he had people in AC and New York mad at him...He said that he wanted a message sent." said Mabel.

"Wow......Thanks Mabel.....You just cleared up a lot for me." I said.

"88 told me the other day ,when we read about Sailor Mike gettin shot that he wondered if the conversation we overheard might have had anything to do with this?" she said.

"Well, who knows for sure Mabel? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't?" I said.

After she was out of hearing range ,I whispered to Sean....

"This backs up what Vonetta told me and Sepia a few nights ago....Jamaica Jim fixed that fight alright, but for somebody else.....He lost a pile of dough not only for himself, but for others and he had Sailor Mike killed to show them he was cleaning up..making up for it." I said.

"Yeah Kev, but right now all we got is hearsay....nothing we can prove and we still don't have our shooters....Mabel just confirmed what we already know." said Sean.

"Yeah man, you right...We just gotta sit on him..Hope that he'll say something that we can use."I said.

Sean Jackson left and I finished my food and paid my tab...I was just getting ready to walk out the door when another very dangerous man walked in...It was Roscoe....Fathead Newton's lieutenant and enforcer...The last time I had seen him...He had saved my life...He had killed a gangster named Fiddler, who was trying to kill me and my friend, Kool Kat.

"Hey Kev...I gotta talk to ya..Sit down...I won't be long." he said.

I walked over to the very same table where I'd had my breakfast and sat back down.

"What's good here?" he asked.

"I just had the Fried Fish and Hominy Grits." I said.

"Good...Hey mommy..I'll have Fried Fish n Grits and a tumbler of hot coffee." he said.

"So what's up Roscoe? I never got to thank you for Fiddler.." I said.

"Think nothin of it.....Listen...I know you're tryin to find out who killed Sailor Mike...and I'm here to help you....If Fathead knew I was here talkin to you ,he'd put a contract on me....but I liked Sailor Mike, he was good people.....I'd do these two knuckleheads myself...but Fathead doesn't want to cross Jamaica Jim up in South Philly...He's a lightweight, but he works for somebody heavy duty....Anyway...the two dudes who killed Sailor Mike are Lance "Egghead" Parker and Fahim Raheem....Here is their addresses....Inside their house, you'll find the .45 Fahim Raheem used to kill Sailor Mike with, with his finger prints on it...Because the sucker is too stupid to have thrown that gun off...He likes to use it..He used it in a liquor store hold up last month in Southwest Philly in which an old store owner was killed. You find them...you'll find the gun..you'll find the loot from the robbery and you'll find Sailor Mike's killers.....That's all I can tell ya. " said Roscoe.

"How do you know all of this Roscoe?" I asked.

"It's my business to know, I keep my ears to the street..I hear things." he replied.

"Thanks a lot man....hey listen, I got some photos....Check em out...tell me if you know the playas in these." I said as I showed him the photos Sean had took.

His eyes got as wide as saucers....

"Damn man, you are good.....That's Jamaica Jim....He made the dirt happen.." said Roscoe.

"Who's the fat guy in the white linen suit?" I asked.

"Wow...That's the heavy duty guy I told ya about...That's Frank "Big Daddy " White of Atlantic City....He's into everything but the neon lights...He been trying to get a stronghold in Philly for years....Jamaica Jim is his point man in Philly." said Roscoe.

"Wow, usually it's the other way around." I laughed.

"What can I say? It's the damn economy man." said Roscoe just as the waitress was delivering his order. I got up ,patted his shoulder.

"I'll put this to good use and no one will ever know we had this conversation." I said.

"You're the man Kev...Go get the bad guys." he laughed....

I know..I know...He was just as much a bad guy as the guys I was after, but the difference was.....Well, really there was no difference....

That afternoon, I stood across the street from a West Philly rowhouse as Police from Robbery-Homicide ,acting on an anonymous "crimestoppers" tip and photos...arrested 25 year old Fahim Raheem , the shooter and 25 year old Lance "Egghead" Parker...the gunman who had robbed Sailor Mike and led him to his death... Fahim was charged with two murders and "Egghead" was
charged only with complicity in Sailor Mike's murder. He got bail set, Fahim did not.

I had got Sailor Mike's killers....It had been a good day.....but somehow I knew....This mess was far from over. It wasn't enough to have the two shooters locked up...I had to have Jamaica Jim and his boss, Frank "Big Daddy" White locked up too or it wasn't any good. To that end and theirs..I was still pledged.

(To Be Continued....)

Heart of Gold

We followed The woman and her traumatized son to the Medical Examiner's Office where she formally identified the dead man as Michael John McCulley, known to most of as "Sailor Mike", the boxer. He was called "Sailor Mike" only because he had done a stint in the Navy and that had been where his boxing career had begun. He had had sixty or seventy fights and had lost about fourteen fights..He was what you called a journeyman....Went from fight to fight....never quite good enough to get a big payday or contend for the championship. He was also what we called a "spoiler"...The type of fighter who might hurt your up and coming prospect and who you there for might want to avoid until later. From what I knew of him , and it was very little...He was a pretty decent guy.

After we left the Medical Examiner's Office...Sepia and I went to their home...a nice little row home in South Philadelphia. We sat with her as she gave little Eddie some warm Cocoa and put him to bed....Then she sat at the table with us.

"Thank you for looking after Edward...I know he's traumatized.....Sailor Mike was his favorite person in the whole world." she said.

"Was Sailor Mike his father?" I asked.

"Oh No..Noooo.....I had Eddie with another guy.....He's in jail now...I met Mike ,when Eddie was two. Mike and I were lovers up until a year ago. He treated Eddie like he was his own son. Even after we broke up, He continued to take Mike to games, movies and stuff. He never missed his birthday or any holidays...He was the closest thing to a father my Eddie ever had Mister Kevin."

"Do you have any idea who would want to kill Sailor Mike?" I asked.

"The Police said that this was a Robbery gone bad.." she said.

"I know....and Eddie told me that one of the guys did rob him at the gas station....but I was there.... They didn't take much and the guy who robbed him was already on the move...well ahead of him, when another guy fired seven slugs into him...They dropped the wallet two blocks
away....I told the cops that....with all of the money still in it...and you know what? They were wearing gloves.....No young punks, who snatch wallets or purses act like that...This whole thing was orchestrated....This was a hit miss...."I said.

"My Name is Vonetta.....Look...I'm...I'm gonna tell you this...only because you aint a cop...and please Mr. Kevin....whatever you find out....please don't drop my name..please..."she said.

''What is it honey?" asked Sepia.

"He had a fight a few weeks ago." she said.

"Yeah...I was at that fight..." I said.

"He was supposed to drop that fight." she said.

"Drop the fight?" I asked.

"Kevin, he was supposed to lose the fight." said Sepia.

"Do you know Jamaica Jim?" she asked.

"I've heard of him....he's a gangsta" I said.

"Yes...He fixes a lot of fights....He has this kid, John Henry Armstrong....He's heavily invested in him with a lot of gamblers in New York and Atlantic City.....He got some guys to offer Sailor Mike
a lot of money to throw that fight." said Vonetta.

"How do you know this?" I said.

Sailor Mike brought a big bag here two weeks ago filled with hundreds....lots of hundreds....He told me to hide it for him...Then at the last minute he told me....He told me that he couldn't do it...He had a heart of gold like that...He said that he couldn't take this money, take a dive and look
Eddie in the face...He said he was trying to teach him to be a man, to have principals, to have respect...And he said...If he took a dive....he couldn't respect himself...So he gave that money back...Every dime of it. It was more money than he'd ever seen in his entire career...Enough that he could have retired...He wouldn't take it." she said.

"Yeah, but even though he returned it...the die was cast......You can best believe that Jamaica Jim and his associates lost more money than what they gave him....So he had to fall in order for a
message to be sent?"I said.

"You probably right...but there is nothing you can do...Jamaica Jim is a killer and the people he works for don't mind killing either...I told Sailor Mike he should have never gotten mixed up with them...but he wouldn't listen." she said.

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me..." I said.


"We've taken up enough of your time...We're going home now." said my wife.

"Thanks again for everything you've done for Eddie." said Vonetta.

We left.. I was quiet as I drove home.....Sepia looked at me and said-

"Okay Sherlock...I know you...What's your next move?" she laughed.

"Well, first I'm going to get a little information.....then I'm going to take Jamaica Jim and his whole crew down." I said.

"Just like that?" she smiled....

"Just like that....I need to go home and get some sleep first.." I said.

"You know, your confidence is very sexy...very arousing....it always has been." said Sepia.

"Really?" I said with a wink!


(To Be Continued....)

A Little Boy At A Gas Station

I was washing my car early one morning, when a familiar face came walking down the street, Cock Robbins...Once a semi- pro and pro football player and now of days, a teacher and a football coach at the local high school...

"Hey Kev....I bet you didn't know that I play baseball in the off season did you?" he said as he sat on my steps...

"No, I didn't know that...I thought Football was your sport." I said.

"Oh it is...but I play some baseball... Semi-Pro Baseball....I'm on the Chestnut Hill Tigers..." he said
proudly.

"Everything is semi-pro with you, isn't it ?" I joked...

"Yeah, oh well...it pays a little bit....You should come out and see us play...it's really a good time.
bring Sepia a long too...she'd love it." he said.

"Okay Cock...When is the next game?" I asked...

"Two nights from now....I'll email you the driving directions.... It's cheap...$5.00 a person." he said.

"It's a deal." I said.

Cock Robbins wasn't lying.....Sepia and I attended his game two nights later and we had a great time...It was only ten bucks for the two of us and we had good popcorn, a couple of chili dogs and some cracker jacks and we saw a good baseball game with a lot of action too...

Cock hit a line drive single, two doubles and struck out twice...His team won the game, 10 -7....
During the game, I saw a guy I recognized and a cute little boy , who looked to be about seven.
I pointed them out to Sepia.

"See that guy over there...with the kid?" I said.

"Yeah, what about them?" she asked.

"That's the guy I told you about....that I went to see fight two weeks ago...That's Sailor Mike McCulley... He knocked this young kid out, who everybody said was the hands on favorite in the first round...He's been around awhile...I didn't think he had a chance against this kid, but he knocked him out." I laughed.

"Oh really???...Gives you hope huh??" she laughed....

"Oh hardy har har....one of these days Alice....To DA moon..." I laughed...

Sepia laughed too, as we filed out of the game....We saw Cock Robbins in the hallway.....

"Great game Cock..." I said.

"Thanks for coming Kev, Sepia....Hey did you see Sailor Mike, the boxer?? He was here tonight."
said Cock.

"Yeah...I noticed..." I laughed.

A little while later , We were driving home , when I noticed that my gas gauge was on "e", so I decided to stop at a near by gas station.

I accidentally qued in the wrong zip code , my work zip code instead of my home zip code and the
machine refused to take my ATM card...it told me to "See the Cashier"

"What's the matter Kevin?" said Sepia.

"I gotta go in and show my card to the cashier....I'll be right back.." I said.

"While you're in there, could you get me a Sprite?" she said.

"Sure." I replied.

"Hey Kevin...there's that boxer you were telling me about...Sailor Mike..." she said.

Sure enough...Sailor Mike was putting gas in his car....The little seven year old boy was with him.

I walked into the store , picked up a Sprite and told the girl inside to put twenty dollars on pump
number nine...when I heard a succession of gun shots!!!!!

I counted five....I ran to my car and crouched down....Sepia was already out of the car and ducking down behind the passenger side....I opened up the door and got my .38 smokeless out the glove compartment....I looked up....I saw Sailor Mike running after one guy...He had his pistol drawn.....Then I saw another guy get out of a car and run after Sailor Mike....I heard seven
shots....Then I saw the second guy run back to his car and pull off....The first guy was running down the street.....The car stopped...the door swung open and he jumped in... The car went flying
recklessly off into the night!!!

I ran over to Sailor Mike....He was laying face down in the street...in a pool of blood...He was dead! I heard a little boy screaming in horror.......Sepia put her hands over the little boy's face and held him close to her...

An hour later.....The police took statements from me, Sepia and the little boy....whose name was
Eddie. None of us got a really good look at the two guys except to see that they were black males and looked to be in their mid to late twenties...were wearing black slacks, black shoes and white t-shirts....Apparently, Sailor Mike had been robbed...but from the way this went down...This wasn't a robbery...this was a hit....I knew enough to know that...even if the cops didn't think so at the time.

A young, very attractive and shapely woman drove up a few minutes later...She came running over to the little boy, Eddie with tears in her eyes.......

"Oh my God, Oh My God, Eddie are you alright...Oh my God..." she was screaming...

"I'm okay mommy..I'm okay.." he said as he ran to her..

Sepia and I walked over to her....

"Is it true...Is Mike hurt?" she asked.

"I'm afraid he's more than hurt miss..He's dead." I said as she began to weep.....It was never easy to have to tell someone something like this...

I didn't know this woman or her son...but I could tell that they both had a lot of love for Sailor Mike. I didn't know who would want to kill him or why...but whoever it was...I was going to get to the bottom of this and make them pay.

(To Be Continued....)

The Other Side Of The Wall

This place was cheap, the walls were paper thin, but Mabel thought it was kind of romantic...When you've got a girlfriend that has curves like hers and looks as good as she does...You don't worry about things like ambience... They call me "88", I play the piano in a jazz band...Reed Nelson's band... We were off a few days...We had just come back from our West Coast Tour....

Mabel let her sisters, Corrie ,Anita and Vickie run her restaraunt and we left Philly and drove to Atlantic City.. We found a place near the boardwalk...It was okay, but not nearly as nice as I would have liked. I could afford better..I made good money now...but Mabel picked this place on purpose...She said the money and the material part didn't matter.

She was sexy and she was deep. She could cook too...She had cooked a batch of Fried Chicken and some of her Sweet Potato pie...and other goodies for us to eat....She told me to go out to the car and bring them in...

I walked out to the car and I noticed another car parked behind me...Two men got out of the car.. I had seen them before ...In Philly...but I didn't know where..and to tell you the truth, I didn't care..They were staying in the bungalow right next to us...A short skinny guy was at the door...He looked around as if he was looking to see if anyone was looking at them and then he ushered the two other men into the bungalow.

I got the food and then walked into our little place. I put everything in the refrigerator and then
walked into the bedroom...Mabel was wearing only a black bra and black bikini panties...she looked ravishing...She must have seen how my mouth dropped and she laughed....

"88, it's not like you've never seen me naked or near naked before." she said.

"Everytime seems like the first time baby." I said..

"Awww that's sweet.. Do you want to eat first or?" she said with a sly wink.....

"What do you think?" I said....

I buried my tongue in Mabel's waiting mouth as she matched me , kiss for kiss...moan for moan...

"You stupid mugs...I thought your fighter was going to take the dive.." came a voice from next door..

"He was supposed to...I paid him just like you said."

"Yeah, well he didn't take it...he knocked my fighter out."

"He gave the money back."

"I don't care about the money....I lost big money on that fight.."

"These walls are paper thin Mabel...I can hear their conversation as if I'm in the room with them." I said.

"Yeah, I didn't know the walls were going to be that thin....but don't worry about them..I'm sure they aren't worried about us..." said Mabel.

"Yeah, you're right." I said.

"Come here, let me take your clothes off..." said Mabel seductively.... She unbuckled my belt, unzippered my trousers and pulled them down around my ankles......

"My lord....I mean ,it's not like I haven't seen it before but I swear "88" , it looks larger than ever....whooooooo...I do that to you baby?" she said...

"I'm afraid you do." I said sheepishly....

"Let me rescue that.." she said as she helped me get my shoes and socks off and my trousers and my boxers....All I had on was a wife beater undershirt...I pulled her close to me and began kissing her again....I smoothly unbuckled that huge bra and tossed it over by the window....Mabel wiggled out of her panties and slipped my wife beater off... We walked over to the bed and I sat down...

Mabel got down on her knees and looked up at me lovingly...She began licking and massaging my testicles in her mouth...nearly bringing me to climax...but stopping short of that...I moaned and ran my fingers through her hair... She planted soft kisses on the shaft of my penis as I fell back on the bed...

She took as much of me into her mouth as she could without choking...

"Ughhhhhhhh....yessssssssssss..." I said..

We got up on the bed and I turned her around...so that she could continue and I could reciprocate....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh "88"...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...." she moaned...

Finnally, I couldn't take anymore teasing....I sat upward and Mabel crawled toward me and positioned herself on top of my massive erection...and began to move up and down...slowly at first and then faster.....

"OHHHHHH MYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDD!" she screamed........

"look, here's the money...the cat gave it back."

"I don't want your damn money...I got people in New York mad at me because your boy didn't take the dive...keep your money....I want a message sent."

"Message? What kind of message?"

"That fighter of yours has got to fall..."

If I could hear their conversation this clearly, I know they could hear us..maoning and the bed squeaking and all, but whoever they were , they seemed too preccupied to be worried about Mabel and I....

Mabel was now on her back staring at me, kissing me and hugging me......and moaning loud and
throaty as I drilled myself into her.......I swear we both climaxed at the same time and I can't honestly say my screaming was any less louder than hers...

We both laughed and lay in each others sweaty arms.....

"Ohhh "88" I needed that so bad...that's why I wanted us to rent a little dive off the boardwalk so that neither of us would be distracted by the glitter and glam of Atlantic City...." she said.

"Wow Mabel, I never knew you were so deep." I laughed as we both lie in the bed staring at the ceiling fan...

"Hahahaha...sometimes ,I surprise myself ." she laughed.

"You heard what I said...now both of you, get out of here...and when I get to Philly next week,I better hear that that goon of yours has fallen."

"Okay, Okay..we on it."

"Get out of my sight."

"Wow, wonder what that's about? " asked Mabel.

"Nothin that concerns us." I said as I climbed back on top of Mabel and began kissing her again..

Guess

Broke my heart in June
just as the flowers began to bloom
oh me
oh my
seemed like we had just met
and you were telling me goodbye..
I found another love...
someone to bide the time...
we both know that this isn't right...
we should be in the same bed..
on the same nights.../

I hear that you've found someone else...
baby
what were we doing to ourselves??
you were really the only girl for me..
open your eyes
can't you see?/

guess it was just one of those
summer things
guess it was just one of those
flings...
to get you have to bring...
guess it was just
one of those summer things../

the leaves began to fall off of the trees...
and I wondered if you'd ever come back
to me...
with September and the rumor of fall...
I sat around waiting for a text or a call...
I heard that you broke up with him...
and I broke up with her too...
September and October came and went...
Here it was Fall and I was just getting your call.../

Now anyone with any common sense would say..
Nah baby, that's okay....
but...I figured that by now...
You might be seeing things my way...
So predictably......
I was back with you..and you were
back with me..../

Guess it was just one of those summer
things.
guess it was just one of those
summer things
guess it was just one of those
flings...
to get you have to bring...
guess it was just
one of those summer things../

The Sure Thing

I was sitting in Josie's sipping on a margarita and talking to a beautiful young lady one night...

"So tell me gorgeous, what have I got to say to get you to go home with me?" I asked, smiling slyly.

"You're an attorney right?" she asked...

"Yes I am, Robert Foxworth,Attorney at law at your service." I said.

"And that's your car outside right?" she asked again..

"That's one of em, yeah..." I remarked.

'Well then say no more...I'm there." she said...

Why did I do this?, It was just too easy sometimes...Maybe that's why I wasn't in anything resembling a relationship right now... Just as I paid my tab and was getting ready to escort the young lady out the door....That trumpet player, the one I don't like, named Symphony Sam walked in...

"Robert...Robert my man......have I got a peice of business for you...Hey Gus..you too..come over here man...." he said.

"What is it Sam...I gotta business to run..." said Gus, who didn't take fools lightly.

"Listen...I got a piece of this fighter....His name is John Henry Armstrong.....Tough as nails...Undefeated....He's fighting "Sailor Mike" Friday night.....Now is the time to put some money on this guy....He's the next champ...I'm tellin ya...The next champ....Joe Neptune over the Mermaid Club, put a G. down..What you got?" asked Symphony Sam.

"I got nothin...I aint a sportin man." said Gus.

"Gus?, Gus? I'm tryin to put you down with a sure thing..." said Symphony Sam.

"Yo look man...I'm like Gus...I don't bet....on nothin..." I said.

"Aww come on shyster....come see my boy fight and then tell me you won't put some money down on him." said Sam.

"What's in it for you?" asked Gus.

"Nothin....I already got a deuce on him.....I'm just tryin to put my guys down on a money makin
proposition." he said.

"Remind me one day, when I feel like talkin to you, to tell you how I almost lost my house, this bar and the shirt off my back bettin on the horses." said Gus.

"Gus, this aint no horse..This is John Henry Armstrong, all American, next Champion...He's 28 and oh...Never been defeated." said Symphony Sam.

"Oh yeah..Well Sailor Mike has been around, he's had sixty or seventy fights....He's no slouch." I retorted.

"Yeah and he's lost about 14 of those 70 fights...He's old, he's punch drunk..." snorted Symphony Sam.

"I tell you what...I come watch your boy fight...He does good with Sailor Mike......I'll put a little money on him next time." said Gus.

"Next time....Gus man, Robert....Next time. he'll be in Vegas fightin for the title." laughed Symphony Sam as he walked out of Josie's...

"Hey counselor...where's your date?" asked Gus...

I turned around and the young lady I had been talking to was nowhere to be seen...She had left while we had been fooling around with Symphony Sam. Gus cracked up and walked away.

Friday Night, practically everybody was at the Arena to see John Henry Armstrong fight "Sailor" Mike McCulley...... I saw Fathead, Roscoe, Ralph Mole and several beautiful ladies sitting
in the crowd, Chris Thompson, Chess, Donald Smooth, Kevin, Clerow,Sean Jackson, Conrad Nelson, Cock Robbins, Chance, Paris ,Blake and Joe Neptune were sprinkled amongst the crowd of boxing fans also...

"In this corner....From West Philadelphia......Undefeated in twenty eight bouts, weighing 228 pounds....The master of disaster.....the captain of calamity....John Henry Armmmmmstrong.....
(Loud applause) And in this corner... also from West Philadelphia and the U.S. Navy, weighing
225 pounds....with a record of Seventy eight wins and seventeen defeats, plus thirteen ties....
"Death from the sea......" "Sailor " Mike McCulleyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...(more applause), Nowwww, let's get readdddy to rummmmmmmmmmmbllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

The fight began...both fighters circled each other....John Henry was tall, sinewy and chisled....His
muscles looked like they had muscles...He landed a right cross, then followed up with a left...Sailor Mike bobbed and weaved and landed some body punches of his own...then a left and a right combonation...It looked pretty good so far....

Then Sailor Mike moved in and landed a hard right hand ,high and hard to John Henry's temple..
John Henry was staggered..Then Sailor Mike cracked him in his jaw... John Henry fell to the ground like a tree that had been chopped down in the forest... The room got silent!

"one...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight....nine...ten!...he's ouuuttttttttt...The winnah, byyyyyyy knockout! Sailor Mike McCullllllleyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! YOWSAHHHHHH!"

Fathead, Roscoe and Ralph Mole walked over to Symphony Sam, whose mouth was hanging open.....

"It's a good thing I didn't bet any money on this bum...or I'd have killed you Sam." He said as they walked out...

I just shook my head....I was glad that I hadn't bet any money either...Gus had been on to something after all.... I looked around.....He was in the doorway shaking his head. Joe Neptune
however wasn't a happy camper...I saw him pull out his .38 and load it and start heading toward
Symphony Sam...

I tapped Sam on the shoulder....

"Hey Sam...If I was you..now would be a good time to exit, stage left." I said.

"Damn man, I just lost two g.'s man...on this bumb with a glass jaw." screamed Symphony Sam.

"Better to lose your money than your life man." I said and pointed to Joe Neptune who was fastly approaching.

"Good Looking out Robert...I owe ya." said Symphony Sam as he darted toward the exit.....

"Don't mention it.." I said with a laugh.

Big Man on Mulberry Street

The Band was on fire tonight , "88" was playing out of his mind.....and I was blowing a trumpet solo that had people on their feet...In the crowd at Josie's..I could see Chris Thompson in his black shirt,black pants, black shoes and Black shades clapping his hands...His partner, Chess and his wife,Rell clapping also....My main man, Kevin and his wife Sepia, Cock Robbins and his wife, Vanessa, Clerow and his wife, Corrie, 88's girl, Mabel , Deacon Larry Weatherford and his wife,Victoria and Conrad Nelson were also in the crowd and on their feet cheering us on.

I peered the audience and saw my girl, Debbie ,looking as sexy as ever laughing and conversing with Gus the bartender/owner of Josie's. There was someone else in the crowd...A Heavy set ,light skinned Black man with freckles and reddish brown hair. He was wearing a White Linen suit and a straw hat....This was Papa Dock....A new playa on the Philadelphia scene.....I knew who he was...Everybody knew who he was and what he really did for a living. Like Most gangsters ,He hid behind a vaneer of respectability.....He owned one of the hottest new clubs in Philadelphia...Mulberry street....It had a roof top bar and concert area and was attracting a lot of top rate talent. It was said that he was gobbling up a lot of "real estate" and was Fathead Newton's top competition... The two hadn't gone to war...but there was no love lost between them.

We played our last set....I saw Conrad Nelson and his wife Jill conferring with Robert Foxworth and some woman he was with in the corner.. Robert's young understudy, Chance Howard and his
friends, Paris, Blake and their dates had just entered the club... Behind them was a dangerous man I knew from Patterson, New Jersey...His name was Basil....a stone cold killer, he was...he walked over to Papa Doc and passed him an envelope... I turned away from them and finished up
my solo....

After my number was over, I bowed to the gracious applause and walked over to the bar...Debbie gave me a kiss and passed me a drink she ordered for me....Gus patted me on the back..

"Nice work Reed....You packed em in tonight...." he said.

"Thanks Gus...that's what you pay me for." I laughed..

"Yes indeed." he laughed back.

Basil walked over to us...

"What's Happening Reed ? Long time huh?" he laughed.

"Not long enough Basil....What rat hole did you crawl out of ?" I asked.

"Aww Reed, is that anyway to talk to a homeboy? We both from Patterson.." he grinned.

"What do you want Basil?" I asked.

"The gentleman over there in the corner would like a minute of your time."he said ,pointing to Papa Dock.

"What's he want with me?" I asked.

"Go see...I'll keep your lady friend here company." he grinned.

"Uh, No thanks...I'm fine right here by myself." said Debbie without a hint of a smile.....I smiled then.

"Why don't you lead the way Basil?" I said.

He frowned and shrugged..

"You always did like those high brow type broads." he said.

I walked over to Papa Dock's table and sat down...

"What's up?" I asked.

"Reed Nelson....You guys were great....I loved you.....Listen...You know I've got a new club....
Mulberry Street dont'cha?" he said.

"Yeah,I heard of it." I said.

"Well...I'd like to book you guys for five nights....I'll double whatever Gus is paying you." he said.

"We got a five night booking at Ciro's next week.....I don't think we can make it." I said.

"Ciro's???...Fathead's joint? You aint heard?" laughed Basil.

"What?" I asked.

"It's closed....License and Inspections raided them last week.....They found the strip club on the top floor and they caught underage girls in there drinking.. They had surveilence photos and everything...Damn shame.....Fathead has got two or three lawyers fighting in court right now. He also got hit with a number of other violations....They gone be closed for a long time." said Basil.

I was no fool....I pretty much knew that Papa Dock's people put a bug in somebody's ear at L&I, but that that had nothing to do with me...That was between him and Fathead.

"You gone pay me double what Gus is paying me eh?" I asked.

"Yeah babe....You play for a week...You like it...We'll book you for more time." said Papa Dock.

My mother always said that when something seems too good to be true....it usually is. I didn't listen. Gus paid us good bread....but Papa Dock was offering double that....I'd be a fool to turn that down...So I booked a week at his spot......I felt like I had just sold my soul to the devil.

The day before we played our first gig, I sat in the diner with Chris and Chess....I told them about the gig and about my suspicions about Papa Dock.

"Hey Reed...I don't blame you for taking the gig....Fathead's joint is closed down...You guys wouldn't have gotten paid...Now you won't have to miss a weeks work. Don't worry about anything else...You just workin....It's business...Fathead will understand." said Chris.

"Yeah, but I don't want to be in the middle of anything." I said.

"You aint...Just play the trumpet....Anything else is none of your concern...That's between Papa Dock and Fathead." said Chris...Chess nodded in agreement.

The next few nights, We played on the rooftop bar....All of our friends from Josie's ,including Chris and Chess and Smooth were there.....On our next to last night, Even Gus came out...
After our set he came up to me...

"You big timin it kid....Can I book you for next Friday night?" he said.

''Sure Gus."I said.

"I gotta feelin you'll be needin the work." he said.

"Huh?" I said.

Gus patted me on the back...

"Keep your nose clean Reed and make sure that jamolk pays you." he said and walked away.

Our last night, we played to standing room only.... After our set...Papa Dock came over and paid us. He then took me to the side and peeled off a couple of more hundreds from a wad of cash he
had in his pocket.

" That's a little extra for you, Reed. You guys did great....can you come back next Friday?" He asked.

"Gotta gig next Friday." I said.

" Gus huh? I understand. Okay....well, let me know when you can come back.....They love you." said Papa Dock.

"Where's your boy, Basil?" I asked.

"I haven't seen him since Wednesday Night...probably chasing some bimbo." laughed Papa Dock
as he walked away laughing and whistling. Not a care in the world. He didn't seem like a bad guy,but I knew he was a killer.

A few days later, Debbie and I were enjoying breakfast at Mabel Jenkin's Soul Food joint...Kevin walked in and plopped a Daily News on the table... "You ought to find this development quite interesting Reed ." said Kevin as he sat down with his wife Sepia at a table across from us and placed his order with Anita Jenkins.

There was a photo of Basil on the front page....His bullet riddled body was found in the trunk of a car out by the airport.... Police were looking for Papa Dock for questioning....They found his car in front of his house with his wallet and his drivers license on the front seat and his straw hat and his avaiator shades.....but no sign of him. The paper said that he hadn't been seen for days.

His club was closed...It never opened again and to my knowledge, no one ever saw or heard from
Papa Dock again......I know that he didn't kill Basil and I know that he would have never left his wallet, full of cash and credit cards and his drivers license in the front seat of his car. The car keys were on the front seat of his car too, but no sign of him anywhere!

Fathead had gotten even!

That night, Debbie and I lay in bed, sweaty and spent after some heavy lovemaking....

"Reed, you think Papa Dock is ....is....dead?" she asked..

I gave Debbie a sweaty kiss on the lips.....

"Let's just say ....I'm glad he paid us..." I said with a wink...She smiled slyly and laid her head on my chest.


For SLC

Hot Water

Funny what you think about when you think you're going to die. I awoke , went back to sleep and woke up again...It was dark....My hands were tied and there was a gag in my mouth....It was dark and I was certain I was in the trunk of a car...I was also certain that I was going to die...If I told you that I wasn't afraid...I'd be lying. So this was how I was going to meet my end...At the hands of a sick psychopath who I had bested twice.. Once on a ship and again in the city...I had put him on death row and it couldn't hold him...and now, Leonard Culpepper, brilliant ,demented serial killer that he is had finnally bested me...It was kind of funny when you thought of it.

I had been having a blast, cracking cases, outsmarting the cops and sending people to jail who otherwise wouldn't have been caught...but I had apparently met my match in Leonard Culpepper.
Well, at least if I had to die...It wouldn't be at the hands of the jive ass high school principal or that arrogant Lockjohn or that killer cop or the Junkyard Doggie or Fiddler...At least I was going to be killed by the best.

I couldn't believe I was going to die....Sepia would be all alone...We would never have children.....
Clerow and Sean Jackson would probably go back to leading regular work day lives...They would miss me, they would miss the excitement I brought....Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom would still have work...Robert Foxworth would find plenty of work for them....Gus...poor Gus....He would mourn me... Chess, Chris, Smooth and Roscoe would sit in the diner and in Josie's and talk
about my exploits..well into their old age...I smiled thinking about that...

Lt.Sissy Van Buren and Agent Frank Cotton would do all they could to bring Leonard Culpepper to justice...I could be sure of that... but Sepia ....poor Sepia....she'd be all alone...I wondered if she'd move back to North Jersey or if she'd stay in Philly? I thought about my father and mother...Soon ,I'd see them again in the hereafter.....Funny what you think about when you're about to die...

Then I got a revelation....Why give up? I saw Gus in my imagination for some reason and he was pissed at me..."So this is it boy? You just gonna call it a day huh? I thought you had more piss and vinegar in you than that? Figure somethin out...you always have...don't let this jamolk call it a day...you got more adventures and capers to crack...people need your help son...Don't be a bitch...work it out." he said. Then there was darkness. I saw my long deceased mother...."It's not your time yet baby...don't give up...the answer is closer than you know...closer than you know...closer......." It was then that I came to my senses. Yes...Here was a long shot, but it was worth a try. I was in my pajamas and my bathrobe....I kept a fingernail clip and file in my bathrobe pocket...I wiggled my hands with all of my might...the ropes were cutting into my wrists..but I got a hold of the finger nail file...I began sawing on the ropes....It was feeble...but it was worth a shot...I kept at it..the entire ride and I managed to cut away most of the ropes...just enough that with a little effort, I could snap them completely...I wanted him to still think that he had me.

I put the fingernail file back in my bathrobe pocket....I fell back asleep. I don't know how long I was asleep...but I finnally woke up...The car stopped..Leonard opened the trunk up and pulled
me out by my collar...He pulled the gag out of my mouth...

"Get up...Walk Kevin... Scream all you want..Nobody will hear you." he demanded...as I walked into the building...The gym.....

"Hey Leonard, the gym is closed...why don't we come back tomorrow?" I laughed...

"Still the smart ass huh...You never learn do you? You won't be cracking wise much longer..." he
yelled.

We walked up the stairs to the room where the pool was.

"I got a new heater in the pool...it's bigger and better than the old one Kevin...Hahahahahahaha."
he laughed.

"Oh yeah? Is this the Eastern European Model or did you get this from Acme?" I asked.

" Go ahead laugh it up, you won't be laughing when you're burning in that pool..and you're going to get in the pool and burn......and I'm going to watch you boil...hahahahahahaha."
he laughed maniacally...

"Nah...I don't think I wanna." I said...

"You don't really have much of a choice." he said.

"Yeah, I think I do...in fact..I'd rather see you in the pool." I sneered...

"What?" he said...

Before he could make a move, I snapped what was left of my bonds and hit him hard in his stomach...He spun around and I delivered a swift kick to his solar plexus and he
fell backward into the pool of hot water with a splash! The water was much hotter than before..
I jumped back myself as some of that scalding water hit me...


"OHHHHHHH I DON'T BELIEVE THIS ,DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU!! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS, I DON'T FREAKIN BELIEVE THAT I AM IN THIS WATER!!!OHHHHHHHH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LAWDDDDDD...ARGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, IT'S HOTTTTTTT..OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU..OHHHHHHHHH , OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HELPPPPPPPP!...I'm BURNING...OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LAWDDDDD JESUS!!!
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.....MY TOES...OHHH MY LEGS...OHHHHHH MY BACK..AGGGGGHHHHHHH, Urgghhhhhh!...OUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

I was enjoying watching him burn in that water....Soon, I saw smoke coming from the pool and watched as Leonard's lifeless corpse went under and then floated to the top.... Poor Leonard...he hadn't bested me after all....I sat there by the side of the pool and just watched his body floating
and you know what...I laughed....I laughed my head off...For some reason...this was funny...Funny what you'll laugh at, when you think you're going to die...and you don't.

An hour later the police came and lifted his body out of the pool...he was still sizzling.....The water had literally cooked some of his skin off.....FBI Agent Frank Cotton and my friend Clerow was standing at the pool as the water was drained from it...

"What a way ta go...." exclaimed one cop....

"Yeah...He was boiled like a potato." said another..

"I was trying to call you last night Kevin to warn you that Leonard Culpepper had escaped from prison." said Agent Cotton.

"Yeah, well you were three weeks late." I said.

"So was I...the minute I read about it in the paper..I figured that he was behind this...I remember when we tangled with him before." said Clerow....

"Wow...I was uh kind of busy...Sorry I missed both of your calls....." I said.

"That's alright , as usual, you've saved the taxpayers some money." said Agent Cotton as he walked away.

"Close one eh boss?" said Clerow.

"Yeah man, you don't know how close...Let's just say I'm glad most of the people we deal with aren't as smart as Leonard Culpepper." I said.

Later that night, I was lying across the bed with my arms around Sepia.....

"How you feelin Kev?" she asked....


"Like the luckiest man alive." I said.

"I guess so...I woke up and you were gone and I didn't know what to think....Leonard Culpepper
huh? Well, he's dead now....He's out of his misery...." she laughed...

"Well, at least he's not in hot water, but I'm sure it's plenty hot where he's at." I snickered...

"I married a sick and demented man..I really did...oh my God.." said Sepia with a laugh as we both lay across our bed.


For Carlene