Before Sundown

I stood outside the jewelry store in Northeast Philadelphia .....Clerow sat across the street from me in a car with tinted windows...Gun ready, just in case...

I was beginning to get worried...A half an hour had gone by and Kimberly Beverly had not shown up....Then....as if out of nowhere...She appeared..She was wearing black skin tight tights that showed off every curve of her nicely shaped body...She was wearing a trench coat, dark sunglasses and a black Nike baseball cap...

"You're late!" I said.

"Oh...you're timing me now?" she snapped.

"Time could mean a life." I said.

"Whose? Yours?" she said.

"It could be yours too? " I said. She seemed taken aback by that!

"We can stand here snapping at each other or you can tell me what it is you want Kevin.....If you knew what I knew...you wouldn't even be seen with me." she said.

"I know you are supposed to kill me..." I said.

She looked stunned!

"Yeah..I know all about you...What you did in Newark, Jersey City, New York City, Patterson...Yeah..I know." I said.

"I had heard that you became somewhat of a Private Investigator...but I didn't know you were that good Kevin..." she said.

"I even know why you couldn't marry me...who you left me for...but I'm not here for that girlie...I'm here to do you a favor...a favor that represents the last thing I'm ever going to do for you." I said.

"Oh and what's that?" she said.

"Tell you that you've been marked for death...That's right!!...Your boy Nato...Who you love so much...The one who makes you look like a fool as he publicly pursues another woman like a lovesick schoolboy has put a contract out on you." I said.

"Kevin, you're crazy....He would never....." she said.

" I figured you wouldn't believe me.......Before I play this recording....I'm even going to give you his name....Leroy...Leroy "Bonecrusher'' Smith. Yeah...Now how would I know that? He's supposed to kill a number of people before the sun sets tomorrow...Fathead, Roscoe, Ralph Mole, Chess, Chris Thompson, Me, Jack Stanley White and Johnny Diamond, the baseball player...You, my dear..were thrown in as an afterthought." I said.

"How do you know this?" she demanded.

"Somebody inside his organization talks a lot....How do you think it got all over the street that he was to have you kill all of those people first?" I lied, though somebody must have been talking to Roscoe.

"It must have been one of his tricks. They was always hangin around...like they was gonna move up....I told Nato about talkin too much around them hoes." she said.

"Well...all I can do is give you the information...You can do with it what you like." I said.

She looked toward the pavement...she tried to manage a smile , but then the tears ran down the side of her face.....

"I'm so sorry Kevin....I'm sorry for everything......but I'm glad you found somebody...I'm glad you weren't crippled by it....I've done a lot of horrible things for Nato...He's had that kind of control over me...I don't know if I can ever make things right...but I can try....Thanks for the heads up." she said and she kissed me. I guiltily felt something throbbing that I hadn't felt in days...I wanted to rip all of her clothes off and make sweet love to her right then and there...but of course, I couldn't..I just stood there...

"Do you need help packing...getting out of town?" I said.

She placed her hand on my face....

"Dear Kevin, Dear sweet Kevin....No...I'll be alright." she said and she walked away...It began to rain...the first rain in two weeks....I walked over to the car and got in.

"You think she'll leave Kev?" asked Clerow...

"Wait and watch my friend." I said.

"You sound like Peepin Tom." laughed Clerow as we pulled off.

That night the local news brought the story....The body of Leroy "Bonecrusher" Smith, a man sought as a suspect in close to thirty contract killings was found shot to death in front of a hoagie shop.

Thirty five members of Nato Jackson's organization were arrested on numerous charges...It seemed an anonymous tipster gave the FBI and local police, names ,evidence and places and names of people who could give them evidence on these people. An additional twelve suspects were being sought by the authorities....This was better than what I thought......The FBI raided the clubhouse...but there was no sign of Nato Jackson.....Where-ever he was...I was certain he was sick by now...His whole show had come to a close ,before he had even got started.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Kimberly Beverly had killed Bonecrusher and had been the anonymous tipster that shined a light on Nato's organization... I also knew that she had packed and was long gone from here too! I wondered if I'd ever see her again.

That night, I took Sepia out to Mulberry Street...The rooftop club that is owned by Fathead....Fathead, his nephew Chick, Roscoe and Ralph Mole were there...

So was Chris Thompson and Chess...They smiled at us as we sat down......

Chris and Chess and Donald Smooth gave me a hug and pounds as I came in and Roscoe said to me...

"I don't know how you do what you do...but I'm glad you're our friend." he laughed...

Fathead said to the manager..

"Whatever he and his wife want is on the house..."

Sepia looked at me and smiled....

"Got all of this out of your system lover?"

"I guess.." I said...

"Guess what I got?" said Sepia.

"What?" I said

''Two tickets to see the Phillies play the Yankees."she said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Well ,you were feeling so down , I thought this would lift your spirits." she said.

"Boy does it.... Johnny "Yankee Killer" Diamond is pitching isn't he?"I asked

"Yes...and guess who is singing? ..........Ingrid Rhodes!!!!" said Sepia.

Those two would never know everything that went on behind the scenes to keep them alive...I thought.... Yet still there was the matter of Nato....As long as Nato Jackson was out there somewhere...People weren't safe...but where was he?? I was more than sure that he wasn't done yet and that he was somewhere plotting his endgame...I could only hope that I'd be ready for him.

(Conclusion Next...)