Yuri

I sat at the bar in Josie's the next night and sipped on a beer....My friend, Robert Foxworth, an Attorney came in with some information for me. I have given him the number we pulled off of the plates on the car Seth Kinnison's killer had been driving. He had a friend in records and at the DMV who could posibly tell me just who this car belonged to.

"Hey Kev...I got bad news man." he said.

"Couldn't get a hit on those plates huh?I said.

"Oh no...I got a hit....Only thing is...that car was reported stolen three days ago...and the cops found the car yesterday...They have it now." he said.

"Damn, I was hoping for an address..Oh well...we gave it a shot....Gus...Could you get the counselor here a drink? It's on me." I said.

"Thanks Kev..sorry." said Robert Foxworth.

"It's okay...I got another angle to play." I said.

"When have you not?" He said. We both laughed.

The next day ,Sean and I showed Peeping Tom the videotape of the murder...His eyes got wide!

"You know him don't you?" I said.

"He's former KGB....His name is Yuri....He's real good....He's a master of surveillance... like I am and he can rival Lockpick Johnson as far as beating security and breaking into places...He's a marksmen too....and a pretty tough customer. Whoever brought him here has some deep pockets...Yuri doesn't come cheap....If Yuri is on your trail my friend...you might as well put a gun to your head and shoot yourself....." said Peeping Tom.

"He's that good huh?" I said.

"After he left the KGB...He became a soldier in the Russian Mob in New York City....Even they feared him...Then he began kind of "freelancing" hiring himself out to the highest bidder...He's killed half a dozen people Kevin...He's a beast." said Peeping Tom.

"You think he's gone back to New York?" I asked.

"Not a chance...He's hunting all of those people on that list you told me about..." said Tom.

"Well ,Chris, Chess and Donald Smooth are gone..They are not in town....He's already killed Seth and as for Kool Kat?? Well, I pity him if he runs into Kool Kat." I laughed.

"What about you?" asked Peeping Tom.

"Me? He doesn't know I exist." I laughed.

"Keep it that way...You'll live longer." said Tom.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind ." I laughed.

I was wearing my Kevlar vest with a trauma plate under my clothes....and I had my .38 smokeless and a .22 taped to my calf...I was taking nothing for granted... Peeping Tom had given me good advice.....

I drove home.....Something was weird about my house...It was about 10:30....Sepia rarely turned in this early and all of the lights were dimmed or out...The house looked empty...I should've gone in with my gun drawn...but for some reason I didn't...Big mistake!!!! I wouldn't have to look any further for my killer...He had found me..

I opened the door and flicked on a light. To my horror , my wife, Sepia was gagged and tied to a chair in the kitchen..Upon seeing me , she started shaking her head in horror and motioning for me to move...My reflexes were on point...I detected the big hulk of a man lunging toward me..I used my elbow to crack him in his jaw and snap his head backward...I turned and placed a well timed right cross to his jaw and sent him flying backwards..He was game though..He hit me in my side and I felt like vomiting and defecating all at once....It was the Little Willie Basemore fight
all over again..Then he cracked me in my jaw and sent me flying across the room...I slammed up against the wall and moved just seconds before his big fist landed against the wall and knocked some of the drywall loose...I crouched and landed about ten successive lefts and rights to his face and head....Now it was his turn to go flying...He swung...I slipped his punch and landed seven or eight more lefts and rights to his body....He groaned and I landed a swift left to his jaw that sent him flying again...

I didn't want to waste anymore time fooling with him....I took the nearest chair and brought it down on his head three or four times....The big man fell to the floor with a thud...I was pretty sure he was down for the count..

I untied Sepia quickly!

"Baby, what happened?" I asked her as I held her tight...

"I came home from work and he was already here...rumaging through our things..He was looking for something...He overpowered me and tied me up." she said.

Before she could say anything else....The man was on his feet and had his gun aimed at the both of us..

"I want the Zip Drive.....You will go and get it or I will kill your wife....Then I'll kill you." he said.

"You must be Yuri." I said.

" How do you know my name?" He said.

" I hear things." I laughed.

"Get me the zip drive." he demanded.

I heard my back door creeping open....Had Bristol hired two hit men? I hadn't planned on this being a party.... Then I heard two loud shots...They sounded like two seperate explosions...and the man named Yuri stared at me...

"I.....I....don't believe this...first I get beaten badly tonight, then I get shot....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
ouuuuuu......" he moaned and then fell to the floor dead!

I looked up and into the somber face of Kool Kat!

"Well..." He said. "Looks like I got here in just the nick of time."

"How did you know?" I asked, incredulous.

"I stayed across the street from my house at my lady friend's house... I watched him break into
my house... Peeping Tom put one of those micro whatcamacallits in the back and the front of my house....anyway...he broke in and then left....I figured he might come looking for you,So I came over to check on you..I heard all of the ruckus and I figured you was holdin your own...but I knew this guy's rep...I figured you might be in over ya head a bit." he said.

"Well...we got our killer." I said.

"Yeah, now let's go roust Bristol." he said.

''Roust him? We don't know where he is...and we can't prove a thing...You killed the only link to
him...but that's cool....At least somebody has paid for Seth's death." I said.


The police found Yuri's body floating in the river the next morning.....A few days later they got
an anonymous envelope with the recordings of Yuri killing the security guard and my friend,
Seth...Their murder case was closed and they had their killer...even though he would never stand trial in a court on this Earth!

Lt. Sissy Van Buren and I shared a tumbler of coffee that night and talked.

"I caught your friend's murderer..turns out he was a freelance hitman from New York with ties to the Russian mafia" she said.

''Oh you did? He was? Wow...Seth must have been into something deep." I laughed.

"Yeah, his body turned up in the river and then we got an anonymous videotape of him committing both murders....We however don't have a clue as to how he wound up dead." she said with a smile.

''Yeahhhh, funny how these things happen. You know how it is with these gangsters, no honor" I said.

"You used to deliver me living perps Kevin." she said ,giving me the side eye.

"Do tell" I laughed coyly....

But this wasn't over...There was still the matter of Bristol...I had plans to cause him a world of hurt!

(Conclusion Next)