Mirages

Little Pistol and I sat in a dark 2010 Charger with tinted windows outside of the office of Dr. Boston Farber...A legitimate physician by day....Doctor to the underworld by night. Chris and I had sold him his nuevo-modern office...Isn't that something? A guy that was trying to kill us was holed up in one of our buildings.

Smokey Robinson was singing "The Love I Saw in you was just a Mirage" on Little Pistols ipod...We were both nodding our heads to the music , while making sure our guns were ready.

"I never imagined you to be an oldies fan." I laughed.

"Aww come on Chess...you know I dig all that Motown and Philly International jazz...I used to be glued to WDAS on Sundays when either Butterball or Harvey Holiday would be spinnin the oldies." laughed Little Pistol.

I seem to remember him doing more break dancing and trying to look like Run-DMC when he was a youngin...but I'd let him have his memories the way he wanted to.

"I don't see any sign of Farber's car." I said.

"Maybe he's home....It is after hours." said Little Pistol.

"Okay...There's two guys guarding the back.....We disarm em and tie em up....Then we go in." I said.

Mary Wells was singing "My Guy " on the ipod now....I had to admit ,I was impressed.

"Okay Chess...you ready?" said Little Pistol who was keyed up...

"Yeah...Let's do this." I said.

We got out of the car....I walked around the block and on the opposite side of the street so as not to be too obvious....Little Pistol walked down the front of the street...He shoved his gin in the rib cage of the first man and had him back into an alley , tied up and blindfolded before he knew what was going on....When his partner came to see where he was, I did likewise...Put my gun to his temple....tied him up and blindfolded him. We left them both in the alley.

My plan was going like clockwork....Little did we know then...the plan was about to take a murderous turn. Little Pistol and I entered a strangely quiet office.....No patients in the waiting room...No noise at all... No sign of Dr. Farber , No receptionist, no nurse, no nothing!!! Something was definitely amiss...

"Chess, I don't like this....If the office is closed ..and it should be...Why are all the lights on , but not a soul around?" asked Little Pistol.

"Man do you hear yourself? Because it's closed?" I laughed.....It would be the last time I would laugh that night....I heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked...I spun around and I yelled...

"Little Pistol, duck!"

We both ducked and a man fired a shot gun at us...It tore through a section of the wall...Then we saw Bobby Valentine in the hallway with two pistols blazing away...Little Pistol returned his fire and ducked behind the receptionists desk..I fired at the man with the shotgun who ducked down the corridor...

"I had a couple of guys purposely talk about my whereabouts in the bar....I knew that nosy ass Gus was listenin and I knew he'd tell you where I was....He next on my list, as soon as I off you two knuckleheads." said Bobby Valentine.... I had to admit...He was good, he had lured us into a
trap..

"Little Pistol is that you?" He screamed...

"Yeah Bobby, it's me." said my cousin...

"I never liked your punk ass, killin you is gonna be a pleasure." he said.

"The feelin is mutual Bobby...I never liked you either." said Little Pistol...

The man with the shotgun appeared again...I opened up in his direction....but his body began to jerk in opposite directions...He tossed the shotgun up in the air and fell to the floor. Somebody else was in here shooting...

"Looks like you kind of outnumbered Bobby V." laughed Little Pistol.

"Hah...I can handle the two of you by myself." he snarled.

"Always had more talk than action." came the unmistakable voice from the shadows....but how ?

"Chris? Is that you?" I said.

"Yeah man, it's me." he said....

"But how?" I said.

"Me and Donald Smooth followed you....I figured out what you was up to when I saw Little Pistol
in town yesterday." he said.

I looked at my cousin...He shrugged-

"I had to eat!"

"Okay ladies...now that yall done had your reunion, I'm gonna...."said Bobby V.

"You're gonna nothin...Put them heaters down and shut up" said Donald Smooth who had the drop on Bobby...He had a .44 mag pressing against his temple.

And now Chris, Me and Little Pistol had the badman surrounded and had guns drawn!

Bobby Valentine was many things...but he was no fool...he dropped his guns.

"If you're gonna kill me , then get on with it....Don't waste time talkin me to death." he snarled.

"Nope.....Nobody else is gettin killed tonight Bobby....." said Chris....

"I've already beat you.....What you are going to do, is pack your bags and your son's bags and you're going to leave Philly...tonight.....If you ever return, I've got a friend who has a tape recording of you and your boss, Wally Gator on the phone talking about several killings...That will put you on a table with a needle...You feel me? So pack your bags, take your snot nosed kid and run and keep running." said Chris.

"You wait til Gator hears about this" snarled Bobby.

"I guess you aint heard....beings you been holed up here in this office...The FBI got Wally Gator and 39 of his associates early this morning...on an assortment of charges, Murder, Conspiracy,
you name it...Gator and his people are in jail. Big Daddy can't help you, He had additional charges brought against him....and Fathead and The Diaz Brothers have their people hunting you
as I speak....It would be in your best interest to get to steppin." I said.

"Uh....okay....you win....I'm out......Oh, Doctor Farber and his staff are locked up in the basement,
you might want to let them out." said Bobby V. blandly. He was a beaten man and he looked it..
Gone was the arrogance and the swagger...He just kind of slithered out of the office and into the night.

The Marvelettes were singing - "When the Hunter gets captured by the game." on Little Pistols
Ipod.

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

A week later, Chris and I were at his house drinking cokes, eating popcorn and watching the baseball game on his 55 inch flat screen television in his living room. My wife, Rell and one of Chris's girlfriends were in the other room talking, while my baby boy was amusing himself with some toys..

"Any word on Bobby V.?" I asked.

"I heard he's in California...but he could be anywhere...anywhere but here." laughed Chris.

"Philly is too hot for him, he won't be back here." I said.

"Ya never know...." laughed Chris.

"Chris ? Were you going to kill him?" I asked.

"The question I should be asking is were you?" said Chris.

"I don't know....but I'm sure glad you gave him a way out that didn't involve killing him." I said.

"Yeah......Chess? Thanks for having my back!" said Chris.

"We're brothers man." I said.

"No doubt!" said Chris.

We were silent then...Nothing more needed to be said..We just turned and continued to munch on popcorn and watch the Baseball game!


(For William C. Taylor -R.I.P. 12/1/65 - 7/8/10 )