Dirty Work

Pastor Struthers had insinuated that Juanita Rawlins, the Maid of Honor at the dead Rita Cooley's wedding had gone missing. It wasn't true...Attorney Robert Foxworth and I found her easily. She worked in Victoria's Secret in downtown Philadelphia.

We drove to the store and walked in. She wasn't hard to spot either...Pastor Struthers had an almost photogenic memory when it came to attractive females and his description of her was on point. She was indeed a looker....the kind of woman with the kind of looks that could drive any man to distraction...

"Damn....I sure hope this gal aint dirty Kev..She's as fine as hell.." said Robert Foxworth to me as
we walked in...

"She's probably okay...We are just here to get some information anyway." I said.

"Ummmph...Look at this.....Bonita has a mint green thong just like this one.." said Robert as he picked up a couple of thongs on display...

"Focus Robert...Focus...You can do your shopping some other time." I said.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" came a freindly voice that belonged to the woman we came to see.

"You certainly can....We have a few questions to ask you." I said.

"Questions? Excuse me have we met?" she asked.

"No we haven't ....I'm Kevin Morris, I'm a private investigator and this is Robert Foxworth, an
Attorney." I said.

"Pleased to make your acquaintence mam." said Robert.

"Attorney??? ,Private Detective??? What- What is this about?" she said.

"This is about James...James Cooley...Our client has reason to believe that he's not guilty of murder...but of course you know that...He was with you when someone was shooting his wife."
I said.

"Look....I can't talk about this in here....I go to lunch in an hour...Can we meet somewhere and talk in private?" she said.

"Okay...There's a Dunkin Donuts down the street....I doubt if they will have a big crowd for lunch
...Meet us there...Don't keep us waiting...Just like I found you this time...I'll find you again."I said.

Funny what you notice around you when you're talking......I noticed a girl, A shopper look at us kind of funny....I swear I noticed this....It wasn't the look of someone being newsy...It was the look of someone who was stunned...She stared at me and Robert and then quietly slipped out the
side door. I nudged Robert....He noticed her too...He slipped out of the store quietly.

"Okay...I'll meet you guys at Dunkin Donuts." said Juanita.

"Okay...We'll be waiting." I said.

"Wanna return them drawers ?" said Robert.

'What? " said the girl...

"I saw you stuff a couple in your bag.....now hand em over or I'm gonna call the store dick and have you arrested..." said Robert....

"Look Man....look...chill..okay...I was gonna try to sell these...I need some money...I'm sick..I need a blast.." she said.

'Save the drama for your mama" said Robert.

"Look...cut me a break....I know about that murder you and your boy was talking about...." she said.

I walked up....

"You'll say anything for a fix....Robert call the police and let's go." I said.

"Nah...I was there...A married woman right? She had just got married right, she was shot twice in the back of the head...her apartment ransacked?? I was there...I aint do it..but I was there."
she proclaimed.

"Yeah..sure you was." I said.

"Her husband in jail for it...but he aint do it....He shouldn't have lied about bein at work, but he
aint do it." she said.

"Hmmmm, you seem to know a lot...tell me more?" I said.

"I need some money man....I'm sick.." she said.

I reluctantly handed her twenty dollars...

"Talk." I said.

"Look...this guy....He call his self Houston....Houston Overton....He say he need a favor ,right?...He offered to pay me forty dollars if I went to the girl's apartment and ask her if I could use the bathroom...He gave me twenty up front and an 8 ball of Coke....I went to the door and asked her
if I could use the bathroom...She told me no....I told her that I really had to go..She still told me no....Then Houston appeared...He put the gun to her head and forced his way in....I thought he was gonna rob her.....I swear....but Houston made her lie down on the floor facedown and he shot
her two times in the back of the head......I was shocked and I was scared to death....Houston gave me fifty dollars and some more coke and told me to keep my mouth shut or he'd find me and kill
me too...." said the girl..

"What's your name?" asked Robert.

"Sherry....Sherry Coles....Look, I can't go to no court and testify...I can't..and who is gonna believe someone like me anyways.??I'm just tellin you that you right....Dude in jail aint do it." she said.

I looked at Robert....This was a strange series of events....but I needed more. She was right..Nobody was going to believe her....I needed something more...I also needed to know why.

"Come On..You're coming to Dunkin Donuts with us." I said.

"Aww come on man, I told you what you needed to know." said Sherry.

"That's not enough...Let's go or we call the store detective." I said.

"So if I go with yall, I can keep the panties?" she asked.

Robert and I looked at each other and said nothing..We just dragged Sherry to the Dunkin Donuts.

Juanita came on time just like she said she would and she sat down with the three of us. I bought
waters for everyone at the table.

"Who's she?" asked Juanita.

"She's got something of yours " I said.

"Aww man, I thought you was gonna let me keep the panties." she sulked as she handed them over to Juanita.

"What yall wanna know?" she asked.

"Well, we know that you and James were sneaking around on Rita...We know about your little tryst in the church basement and we know you all spent the night together before James and Rita got married and then you took your place as the maid of honor the next day like nothing
happened." I said.

"Seems Like yall know a lot...What yall need from me?" asked Juanita, now a little irritated.

"Maid of Honor? You was the Maid of Honor and you was doin the groom??...In the church basement?? Damn, you is one nasty heifer...." said Sherry Coles.

"DO I KNOW YOU...YOU BETTER STAY OUTTA GROWNFOLKS CONVERSATION YOU SHOPLIFTIN CRACK HEAD..." screamed Juanita.

"I may be a crack head, but I aint no ho...I got standards." said Sherry indignantly. Of course Robert Foxworth was mildly amused by this..I didn't have time to be.

"Look...James and I were together off and on for years....When I found out he was seeing my best friend...I was shocked....He didn't know that the two of us knew each other." said Juanita.

"Small World aint it?" smirked Robert.

"I'll say it is." said Sherry. Juanita, Robert and I gave her the serious side eye and she shut up.

"It is."said Juanita.

"James tried to be dedicated to Rita, but she was high maintenance....and to make matters worse, His Mother couldn't stand her...Never wanted James to marry her....Refused to come to the wedding....James was an emotional wreck during those last months before his wedding...He started calling me ,asking me to meet him for drinks...That's how it started...then one thing led to another and the next thing you know....we wound up in bed....I didn't want to go there, but we did...." she said. She was sobbing now..

"Even after he was married, you all still wound up in bed." said Robert Foxworth. He sounded kind of judgemental...I would think that with his history, he at least would understand...Maybe he did..A little too much.

"What's the deal with you and Rollie Rollerson?" I asked.

"We are engaged..That's why I can't come forth.....A man in his position can't have this connected to him." she said matter of factly.

"Yeah and the man who saw you two in the hotel is in the same predicament." I said.

"What man?" asked Juanita.

"The man that hired us to look into this....He can't have his name mixed up in this." I said.

"Yeah...I'll bet he can't....Pastor Struthers hired yall....We saw him in the hotel with one of the choir members...He can't have his jive ass name up in this." said Juanita.

"I don't know any Struthers." I lied...."The man that hired us can not have his name in this anymore than Rollie Rollerson can." I said , now resenting both Pastor Struthers and Rollie Rollerson who both had seen a detour sign somewhere on the road to morals and decency.

"My god...you people sure in some dirt. A Pastor, a Buisness man, A cheatin Husband, What is the world comin to?" asked Sherry.

"Okay Juanita..You can go....We've got no more questions for you." I said.

"That's it? You just lettin her go?" said Robert Foxworth.

"Yeah....Her involvement in this doesn't go past the bedroom...However Sherry here is a different story." I said.

"Aww come on man...I can't go to no cops.." she said.

"You can take us to a killer ." I said.

Robert looked at me with a smile , the way Clerow did when he knew we were on to something.

"Come on let's go." I said to Sherry.

"Aww man.....you shoulda let me keep them panties..I coulda sold em and got another score." she said.

(To Be Continued....)