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