Hey Western Union Man

We drove to the Detention Center , just in time to see Attorney Conrad Nelson and James Cooley
walking out and into the street. I had initially planned to interview James Cooley, but now he was a free man.

''Hey Conrad, come here a minute ."called Robert Foxworth.

Conrad walked over to our car. He was a dapper man, a brilliant attorney, who I had worked with before.

"Hey what's up...You reppin James Cooley?" said Robert.

"Yes...Strangest thing...I got a call from a man yesterday who told me that he'd wanted me to represent James and that he'd wire me a retainer... I never met the man...but I went to the western union office this morning and my money was there...So I went and bailed him out and kept the rest." said Conrad.

"This man have a name?" I asked.

"Yeah, Hank....That's all I know." said Conrad.

"We've been hired to look into the murder...perhaps we can work together on this Conrad." I said.

''Sure Kevin , I can use all of the help I can get." said Conrad.

"Okay....I'll keep in touch ." I said.

"Okay Kev and Robert." he said.

"He said Hank didn't he?" said Sherry Coles , who was sitting in the backseat of our car.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"The night Houston killed that girl...He took me to the Western Union place....He made a call on his phone....To somebody named Hank...He said "Hank, it's done...she's gone." and this guy Hank
said..."The money is there....get it and go." she said.

"Wait a minute....." said Robert.

"What?" asked Sherry.

"You went with this guy, witnessed him kill somebody and then heard him say all that on the phone.....So my question is, how come you're still alive?" asked Robert.

It was a good question....Most hitmen didn't leave witnesses around....especially talkative ones like Sherry.

"Look, Nobody gonna believe somebody like me....and another thing, if I go to the cops...and I tell
on him...I'm in effect tellin on myself, because of my part in it...You think a jury gonna believe that I wasn't part of the set up? she said as she dropped her head.

"It still don't add up Kev." said Robert.

"I know..I know....Listen...does this Hank person know about your involvement?" I said.

"Oh no...Noo..." she said.

'Who is he?" I asked.

"I never met him.....He's just the guy that told Houston where the money was." she said.

"Okay girlie....here's the jackpot question.....Where do we find this Houston Charactor?"asked
Robert.

"Well...He drinks at the Mermaid Club...Joe Neptune's joint...and he hangs out at that Strip Club
'C-more Fanny"....Either spot is a good spot to catch him..." she said.

"Okay......I'm gonna let you go now..." I said...

"You is?" she said.

"You gotta cell phone?" I asked.

"Sold it." she said.

'Where do you live?" I asked.

"I crash with friends." she said.

"If I let you go, chances are, I'm not going to see you again, am I?" I asked her.

"Not if I see you first." she said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I figured.....Well anyway....Thanks for your help....take care of yourself." I said and opened the door of the car...She jumped out and went running off into the teeming streets.

"Robert, get Sean and get to that Western Union spot and see if you can find out something about this "Hank" person....." I said.

"What are you going to do?" He said.

"Clerow and Donald Smooth and I are going to go fishing." I said.

"Fishin?" asked Robert..

"For a Hitman." I said with a laugh.

A few hours later....Clerow, Donald Smooth and I sat in a car outside the Mermaid Club....I didn't know what Houston Overton looked like , but Smooth did....He told me that Houston was a contract killer...A very efficient one and that he was surprised he used a crackhead on a job...even more surprised that he left her alive.

We sat and watched person after person come and go....and then we saw our boy, Houston come out of the bar and walk west toward the main intersection....I got out of the car and followed him
down the street....I called to him...

"Houston my man...Hey killer....Can I have a minute of your time?" I said.

Houston was no nonsense, just like Smooth had said....He turned around and before he could go for a gun, I spun and put a swift kick in his privates....he grunted and I put a nice left right combonation to his jaw...He swung and I grabbed his hand and bent his fingers back and put my knee in his groin and gave him a swift right cross to his temple , which put the bad man down and out...

Clerow ran up to him and placed a gag in his mouth, while Donald Smooth tied him up.....We tossed him in the backseat of our car and then pulled off....We pulled up in front of the Western Union Building...Robert walked over to the car.

"Hey Robert...This here is one Houston Overton...Contract Killer....What have you got for us?"
I asked.

"Plenty Kev....The "Hank" in question is Hank Woods....He runs a Grocery store in East Oak lane. He wired the money to Conrad to fish James Cooley out of the joint and he's the same cat who wired money to Houston Overton, a few weeks ago, the night of the murder.....Hank Woods
is the guy who put the contract out....." said Robert.

"Good work Robert....I took two guns off of this clown...I'm bettin one is the murder weapon."
I said.

"So what do we do with him Kev?" asked Donald Smooth.

"I'm gonna turn him over to the police." I said.

We turned him over to the police and I was right...One of the guns found on him was indeed the
murder weapon. He swore that he bought it on the street....but there was no permit and the serial number was scraped off.. The cops could hold him on a weapons charge , even if they hadn't formally charged him with murder yet...

The good news was that the real killer was off the streets...The lingering mystery was...Why would a grocer put up money to hire a hitman?? And to kill a young girl....Why? I had to find this
Hank fellow....He was the key to solving this murder.

(To Be Continued....)