Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Likely Suspects


Robert Foxworth ,Homicide Lt.Sissy Van Buren and I stood in the Medical Examiners Office next to the tanned and well muscled body of one Burke Blaine.
He had made a small fortune by the time he was 21 years old by Producing and Directing a series of adult films....He hadn't made a film in close to three years and rumor had it that he had run through a lot of his money....Yet he still drove the fly sportscar of 2007 and made the scene at most of the events held by the Black movers and shakers of Philadelphia.

Still he was just shy of his twenty sixth birthday and certainly looked like he was in great shape. Chess had told me that he was a regular at one of his gyms and also that he was behind in paying his membership. Chris told me that he was a degenerate gambler who had run up a big tab at the card game that he and Chess would throw from time to time.

Word on the street though was that he was in to Gangster Eddie Chin for 100g's..For a so called Millionaire playboy-socialite...It seemed that Burke Blair owed a lot of people. Robert and I checked his finances... He still had a sizeable amount of cash in his bank accounts...but it seemed he owed more than what he had in liquid funds... The truth of the matter was that he was on the verge of bankruptcy!

"He was murdered Kevin" said the Sissy Van Buren.

"Really? There is no sign of trauma on the body." I said.

""Dr. Evans, turn the body over" she said.

The body was turned over and Sissy pulled his left ear back...It was there that Robert and I saw a puncture mark...

"We were getting ready to call this one "Suspicious and unexplained" until we saw the puncture mark and took a second look. We found a lethal chemical that attacks the nervous system and eventually causes death in close to ten minutes after being administered....Somebody at that party either stuck him with something or shot a blow gun at his neck...We didn't find the chemical at first because we weren't looking for it...The second time..we found it." she said.

"Wow...looks like your detectives have their work cut out for them" I laughed.

Sissy gave me a side eye...I smiled...Robert and I left. This chemical was unlike anything I had ever seen before...but I knew somebody who might have knowledge of it... Peeping Tom Constanoble...A former CIA operative who , retired helped me out on cases by bugging people's residences for sound and video. Robert and I drove to his house.

"Yeah...I've heard of this...pretty nasty stuff...The Russians used to use it. This is nothing some punk Philadelphia gangster would have at his disposal...Somebody with knowledge ordered this on line or they got it from a rogue spy shop...This dead guy...You say he owed a lot of people money huh?
Well somebody shelled out a lot of money to get this stuff and to hire somebody to administer it...It wasn't cheap....So somebody really wanted this guy dead..."
he said.

Robert and I left....I called Kool Kat and Clerow, told them both to meet me at the Mermaid Club. Then I called Jordy.

"Hey Jordy...This is Kevin." I said.

"Hey Kev, what's shakin baby...?" he asked.

"Hey Jordy..There was a heavy set guy at your party...with a round face...Couldn't keep his hands of Della....I noticed , he was missing too..What was his name?" I asked.

"Sounds Like Basil Grundy...He's an enforcer for Eddie Chin....a real high level playa man...dangerous....If I were you, I wouldn't go barkin up that tree...They didn't have nothin to do with nothin." said Jordy.

"Who said they did...and how would you know? "I asked.

"I'm jus sayin Kev." he said.

"Okay...well thanks for the info..." I said.

"Yo Kevin?" he asked.

'What man?" I said...

"You didn't get his name or nothin from me right?" he said.

"Between you and me...I'll never tell." I said.

"Thanks boss." he said.

An Hour later, While Robert sat in the car...Clerow knocked on the door....Basil
came to the door in his bathrobe...

"WHAT!" he bellowed...

"Are you Basil Grundy?" asked Clerow...

Suddenly two men came up behind Clerow and pulled out pistols....

"Hmmm, I guess you are." laughed Clerow...


I walked up behind one guy and pressed my pistol in the small of his back...

"Drop that heater friend....do it now." I said.

The other man wasn't so lucky.....Kool Kat cracked him in the jaw and knocked him off his feat into the corner of the porch...He was out for the night... Basil was about to slam the door, but Clerow put his foot in the door, grabbed Basil,
pulled him outside and slapped him so hard, he spun around and fell down...Before Basil could go for his gun, Clerow pulled out his pistol and stuck it
at his forehead.

"Is that anyway to talk to guests?" laughed Clerow....

"What you niggers want?" asked Basil.

"Let's go inside." I said and we marched the three of them inside.

"You guys don't know who you messin with...I work for Eddie Chin.." he said.

"I work for Eddie Chin....Shut up you little punk." snapped Kool Kat. He was so
big and overbearing that Basil and both of his henchmen obeyed....

I smiled.

"Look fellas....I just want to ask some questions about Burke Blaine....He was murdered at that pool party...You ,Basil was seen with your hands up Della Jordan's dress and as you know that was Burke's lady." I said.

"So what? Yeah I had my hands up her dress...She wasn't none of Burke's lady,he wanted her to be...I put my hands up her dress anytime I feel like it..and I told him AND her that....but I aint kill him....He owed the boss too much money..We needed him alive." said Basil.

"Where is your boss?" I asked.

"I aint tellin you....I done tole you all I'm tellin you." snapped Basil.

Kool Kat slapped him across the face....

"Answer his question." he said.

"Alright...Alright.....He hangs out at the Mermaid Club on Tuesday nights...if he aint there...He's at Crabby's Crabshack...He like Crabs and beer." said Basil.

"Now you see how easy that was....We leavin....and we didn't kill nobody or rough anybody up too much...A little co-operation, that's all the world needs." I laughed.

"Screw You" snarled Basil. Kool Kat and Clerow gave him an evil look.

"Nothin...Nothin...Forget it." said Basil.

We left.

"Kev...you know he's gonna call Eddie Chin...Eddie is gonna have five or six of his goons outside of both the Mermaid Club and Crabby's Crabshack." said Kool
Kat.

"I know...That's why we aint goin there....I'm gonna drop you guys off...I'll deal with Eddie Chin some other time." I said. I gave them both some money and dropped them off.

Later that night at Eddie Chin's house...

"Ohhhhhhhhhh Eddie...put it in meeee...ouuuuuuuuu..."

"Ohhhhhhhhhh babyyyyyyyy....ouuuuuu, ohhhhhh you feel so good..."

"Ohhhhhhh give me more.....morrrrreeee,"

Click!

"What the hell is going on?" said Eddie.

''Eddie somebody is in here."screamed the female voice.

I clicked the light on....I had a .45 aimed at Eddie's temple...

Before the girl could scream... My friend...Big Nasty covered her mouth and pointed a shotgun at Eddie Chin.

"Who the hell are you guys?" he bellowed.

"I need answers to some questions Eddie....." I said.

"I aint answering nothing." he yelled.. "How did you find me?"

"I think you should reconsider." I said as I cocked my gun....

He was no fool, he simmered down.

"Burke Blair...He was murdered...Word on the street was ,he was into you for a lot of cash." I said.

"Was into me for a lot of cash...Funny thing.....I got an envelope the day before he died with a wad of cash in it...supposedly from him...He was paid off... He didn't owe me nothin..." he said.

"You got the envelope ?" I asked.

"What? you want the money?" he snarled.

"No...just the empty envelope." I said.

"What are you, some kind of nut or somethin?" he asked.

"You want to continue with your lady friend here or you want to dick around with me all night? Give me the empty envelope and I'm gone." I said.

He reluctantly got up, gave me the empty envelope and sat on the bed.. As promised, Big Nasty and I left them there , shaken up, but unharmed.

I joined Lockpick Johnson in the car and we pulled off.....

"I don't understand Kev...you roust a guy like Eddie Chin and all you take is an empty envelope?" laughed Big Nasty..

"This enevelope is the key to unlocking this murder mystery." I said.

(To be continued...)

3 comments:

Brenda said...

Wow, this is deep..Who would pay his debt off?

Sunflower said...

This is good! I love detective drama..This is what I call "Negro Noir"

Toni said...

Okay..I'm all caught up...This is another good one Keith!