The Agony of The Feet

Robert Foxworth filed another motion a few days later and found a judge who he convinced that Skillet Jackson was not a flight risk or a danger to society...The judge granted Skillet bail...Gus took up a collection at Josies and raised enough money to make his bail.

At the end of the week Skillet Jackson walked out of jail a free man.

"Ah sho wanna thank you for gettin me outta there, the bed was hard and the food sucked." said Skillet as Gus and I helped him get into my car.

"Yeah, well jail aint supposed to be pleasent." laughed Gus as he patted his good friend on the back.

"Kevin...Any luck on my case?" asked Skillet.

"Robert and I are working on a few angles...Let's all go and get some breakfast." I said. "Good idea Kev" said Gus.

We stopped in Mabel Jenkins Soul Food Joint. I ordered both men, some Grits, with Scrambled Eggs , Country Maple Ham steaks and some steaming hot tumblers of coffee..

"Damn Kev...This is the best grub I've had in days." said Skillet as we wolfed down the good food.

II-

The next day, Robert and I talked to Lt. Sissy Van Buren and her lead Detective. I told them to examine Skillet's feet...He was a size seven...The bloody footprints were a size 12 or 13, possibly larger....There was one fingerprint smudge on the bloody pipe...It didn't match Skillet...or anybody on file for that matter... They had sent the print and the palm smudge to the FBI and they didn't get a hit either.

The killer was someone who had never been in trouble with the law before. The blood and DNA all belonged to Bobby Crachet. There wasn't one witness who could place Skillet at the scene of the murder either!!! Slowly but surely, the case they had against Skillet was falling apart.

He had passed a lie detector test while he had been in jail....Assistant District Attorney Keith Wallace decided to drop all charges against him for the time being. The question remained...Who had killed Bobby? He owed money to Skillet and to Gus...Neither of them had killed him...The question then was who else did he owe money to? Who else who might not take so kindly to not being broke off?

I called Kool Kat and Clerow and Lockpick Johnson...The four of us drove over to the Mermaid Club, Joe Neptune's joint.. We questioned a number of players there...Bobby didn't owe any of the high rollers any money.

Next we talked to Chris Thompson and Chess...They ran a floating card game that attracted a lot of players...but nobody there had even heard of Bobby. The next day, Kool Kat and I drove over to where Bobby worked....Scully's....We talked to his plant foreman, Burt Snyder...

"Yeah...Bobby was a chisler....He bet everybody on the basketball games...If he lost and he often did.. then he'd disappear ...Always welched on his bets....He was a chisler.....And then that injury of his...He was full of it...Nobody here believed that Bobby was really hurt....but they paid him his disability anyway." said Snyder.

"What? You paid him already?" I asked.

"Yeah ,the company paid him...He got a mint....He didn't deserve a penny of it...Had that man and his wife drivin him around...buying his groceries...takin him to games, takin him to the doctors offive.......and never paid them a red cent...what a louse." said Snyder.

Kool Kat and I drove back to the apartment complex.... "Kev...you told me that that guy Ray and his wife fixed his meals and took him to the games right?? " he asked.

"Yeah and I understand that the wife was cleaning his apartment." I said.

"Well...you think they was doing that for free? He was tellin everybody that he was about to get a big check...He told Skillet that he'd pay him when he got paid...Told Gus the same thing...Neither of them knew that he'd already been paid...but that married couple knew ...Cause they brought him down there to get the check..." said Kool Kat.

"Yeah...they knew.....and you're right...I mean, I know that they were his friends....but I'm sure they expected something for cooking his meals and cleaning his apartment and driving him around..I see where you're going with this Kool Kat...but we can't prove any of it." I said.

"Well...Do what you do...Wire his spot up." said Kool Kat.

"He's not going to talk about this....He doesn't have to...He's pretty shifty...He's already seen me..and he won't talk to a stranger...There's got to be another way to get him." I said.

"Well ,do you know anything about him or her?" asked Kool Kat...

"Yeah, he's got a fine wife that he bangs a lot and he's got big ass feet..." I laughed and then it came to me...."

"His feet!!!!! That's it Kool Kat.. He wears a size 15!! The bloody footprints were huge... He lives three doors down from Skillet.....He dropped that bloody pipe in front of his door and took his shoes off....That's why the footprints stop right at Skillet's door and don't go any further."

"Yeah man...but you can't prove it." said Kool Kat....

"I could if I could get into that apartment and look around." I said. Just as we were walking into the apartment complex....We heard glass shattering...and the sound of a loud argument...



"You lousy bastard....I can't believe you Ray...I can't believe you....I give you all the lovin you want, when you want it...how you want it and as MUCH as you want and you go and sleep with my SISTER??? MY SISTER Ray....I don't believe you.." came Thelma's voice.

"Thelma ,I can explain....I went over there to take her those groceries and she's walkin around wearin next to nothin....She came on to me....It wasn't the way she told it...Not at all.." said Ray.

"Ohhhh,I don't want to hear it...You said the same thing about my cousin..." screamed Thelma. "Well all of you gals is fine as hell." said Ray... "Get out...Just get out.."

she screamed and tossed shoes at him and clothes!!!! "And I told you to stop leaving these damn shoes all over the house..you got red paint all over them." she screamed.

I'm betting that it wasn't red paint....but rather blood. Why hadn't he gotten rid of those shoes? I wondered. Ray ran down the hall past Kool Kat and I and charged towards his car...He got in and pulled off.....

''Walter...Did you see what I just saw?" I asked. "Way ahead of you son." laughed Kool Kat.

(Conclusion Next)

The Chisler

The room was quiet now....I knocked on the door...

"Who is it?" came an angry voice...It was obviously Ray.

"Hi..uh...My name is Kevin...I'm an investigator...Could I ask you a few questions about the tragedy that occurred here the other night?" I said.

"Can't it wait?" came his reply...

"Oh Ray, open the door." came a female's voice...obviously Thelma.

After a few minutes...Ray opened the door...He had on a white terry cloth bathrobe that was way too tight for him...His wife ,Thelma, a very shapely and attractive woman closed her night gown upon seeing me...She was very well endowed and it was very hard for her to conceal her breasts
in the skimpy little nightgown she had on...

By now, Robert,Gus, Sepia, Bonita and Phil had left.....I was there by myself.....They were waiting for me downstairs...

"It's horrible what happened to Bobby...He was such a nice guy." said Ray, a young Black man who looked to be about my age...

"Yeah..We were just down in his apartment about an hour before ...before his tragic accident." said his wife Thelma.

"You were?" I asked.

"Yeah...Bobby had got hurt on his job...He was out on disability....We took him dinners, made lunch for him...My wife cleaned his apartment for him." said Ray.

"So you guys were friends?" I asked.

"Yeah...Bobby was my main man." said Ray.

"You said he was on disability...He couldn't have been hurt too bad...He was at the bar just the night before his death." I said.

"Yeah...he hurt his back on the job, but he was gettin better...I used to drive him to rehab and to his Doctors Appointments. He and Skillet always went to Josies when uh Reed Nelson was playin...They really dug the jazz music and all and the hot wings...heh heh heh..." said Thelma.

"Did you know anything about Bobby owing Skillet money?" I asked.

"Yeah...Skillet loaned Bobby some money so he could get the brakes fixed on his car..and Skillet told him when he got his first disability check he was going to pay him...but I don't think he ever did...A damn shame." said Ray...

"You heard the two of them arguing?" I asked.

"Nah....Uh...we were uh....ummmm...uhhhhh....heheheheheheheh...Occupied..."laughed Ray.

"That's uhh okayyy...I get it...So you didn't hear anything?" I asked.

"Nope...Not a thing...Sorry..." said Ray....

"Rayyy.. Rayyy..I told you about leaving your shoes all over the place...I just tripped over your big boats.." said Thelma...

I looked at one of his shoes...They sure were big......

"What size do you wear?" I asked.

"Me? a size 15...." laughed Ray...

"A size 15?" I laughed...

"You know what they say about a man with big feet?" Ray laughed as he eyed his wife...

"Oh shut up Ray." laughed Thelma.

I laughed too....

"Okay...Thanks...If I have anymore questions...I'll let you know." I said.

"Sure..anytime bruh." said Ray.

I walked downstairs where Robert,Bonita, Gus and Sepia were waiting.

"Anything?" asked Gus.

"Nah...They were making love at the time...they didn't hear anything." I said.

"Figures" laughed Sepia as she and Bonita gave each other that look that women can give each other and giggled.

"So we got nothin." said Gus...

"Well not yet anyway...Where did Bobby work?" I asked.

"He worked over at Scullys...." said Gus..

"That factory , out by the Airport?" I asked.

"Yeah...He hurt his back...or so he said....but I think he was just milkin a fake injury so he could get a check...He had a big bar tab too!" said Gus.

"So he owed you money too huh? He owed Skillet money ...I wonder if he owed anybody else money?" I asked.

"Probably did.He was a known chisler, hardly ever paid anyone what he owed em, you had to track him down and literally catch him with the money in his hands." said Gus.


"Okay..Well that needs looking into." I said.

(To Be Continued....)

Brained!

I picked Sepia up from her hair appointment and subsequently dropped Harry Charles off after work.

"Where are we going Kev?" she asked. "Over to that apartment complex where Ralph Scallion lives." I said.

"Oh lord, what has he gotten himself into now?" asked my wife.

"Nothing...For once this doesn't concern him...Skillet Jackson has been arrested for a murder that occurred there a few nights ago and Gus asked me and Robert to look into it." I said..

"Skillet Jackson? That sweet old man?? Awww, he didn't kill anybody..." said Sepia.

"Well, that's what Gus and Robert believe too." I said.

When I got there, Robert Foxworth and his fiance, Bonita was already there...So was Gus.. The yellow police tape was still blocking off the apartment of Bobby Catchet...the murder victim.. Dried Blood was everywhere....The hallway looked a gruesome mess....there were bloody footprints that led down the hall and up the stairs all the way to Skillet's apartment...Then they stopped. Robert and I scoped out the scene....

"Looks like the killer hit and beat this guy with the pipe and then walked up the stairs and dropped it here....in front of Skillet's door." said Robert.

"Gee counselor, you're a genius...I bet you were at the head of your class." said Gus sarcastically.

Robert Foxworth ignored him and looked at me...I studied the bloody footprints which I was surprised that nobody had cleaned up yet.

"The City has had to cut back a lot man and crime scene cleaners and technicians are one of the things they have cut back on." said Robert.

"Oh yeah? I'll bet if this happened in Mayfair or out on the Mainline...it woulda been cleaned up by now." groused Gus....I agreed...but I was glad that it wasn't...I examined the footprints...

"Damn.....whoever our killer is..He sure has some big feet." I said.

"Yeah...looks like a size thirteen or more.....Skillet wears a size seven...He got small feet for a man." said Gus.

"That's good to know...That could help clear him..." A few doors down we could hear a bed squeaking loudly and banging up against the wall and the sounds of sweet lovemaking...

"Ohhhh...Ohhhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhh........Ohhhhhhhhh my goddddd ......." "Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu........" " OHHHHHHHHH baby...I'm about to...I'm about to....ohhhhhhhhhhit's soooo damn gooood..." "Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu, don't come....don't come...just a little longer....just a little longer, Ohhhhhh."

Sepia, Bonita and Robert all blushed and looked toward the floor...Gus, looked disgusted and grimaced....I just laughed....

We saw a man coming up the stairs just then... A heavy set ,middle aged Black man....He banged on the door.. "HEYYYYY, SHUT UP THE NOISE....I'M TRYIN TO WATCH TV....FOR GOD SAKES!!!" he yelled.

Sepia, Bonita and Robert giggled.... Bonita tugged on my arm and whispered to me... "Kevin...I recognize that voice...He lives next door to Ralph Scallion...He used to bang on the wall and yell at us when we were making love....you know, back during the time that Robert and me had broke up and I was breifly involved with Ralph." she said.

"Oh really...Ralph had you hollering like that?" I joked. "Oh shut up." she said and playfully punched me in the arm....It was a good thing that Robert Foxworth was out of earshot of this conversation... He hated Ralph Scallion!

"Oh I'm sorry guys...you here investigatin that murder huh? My name is Phil...Phillip Ford...I live right below those guys in there...between that guy and his wife and my next door neighbor and his assortment of women...I can't get any sleep at night, can't even watch a ball game..This is the noisiest building I ever lived in."he said.

"Phil...Phillip Ford it is? I'll bet you heard these two men arguing the other night didn't you?" I asked. "Well I heard Bobby arguing with somebody...I can't say it was Skillet...It was somebody...I never left my apartment...They were arguing about money...Apparently one of em said..I can't believe you're not gonna break us off, after all we done for you, you lousy chisler." said Phil.



"All we done for you? So there was more than one person out here right?" I asked. "I only heard two people arguing...Bobby and another man...I never heard anyone else...Anyway like I told the cops...I only heard the argument...I didn't see anything and I certainly didn't know it had escalated to a violent murder.

"Ohhhh...Ohhhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhh........Ohhhhhhhhh my goddddd ......." "Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu........ohhhhhh Rayyyy, Rayyy, it's soooo good." " OHHHHHHHHH Thelma...I'm about to...I'm about to....ohhhhhhhhhh it's soooo damn gooood.. you're drivin me outta my minddddd...ohhhhhh, arghhhhhhhhhhhhh....' "ooouuuuuuuu weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.....oh Rayyyyy" "Ohhhhhh Thelma...."

"Ohhh hell, I wish those two would get a job....Practically all day, everyday those two...He does go out some nights and come back late and drunk...Then they're arguing for two hours and then they wind up back in bed....She has the nerve to accuse him of cheatin with other women!! When would he have the time?? Seems like they're always in bed." said Phillip.

"Yeah, well bein unemployed, don't give em much else to do." said Robert Foxworth. Bonita and Gus stared daggers at him after he said that...Sepia smiled and tapped me in the side..Although I wanted to laugh...Now was certainly not the time. At this point the bed was squeaking even louder and ramming against the wall....Phillip looked at all of us exasperated and shrugged...

"See, right there, this is what I'm talkin about...all day..around the clock..Cept when they was down in Bobby's apartment helpin him out...That was the closest thing either of them had to a job and me to a break .If them two ever finish...talk to them...They were Bobby's closest friends... They were in his apartment all the time." he said.

"I'll do that...when is a good time to catch them? I mean, when they aren't....Oh forget it." I said. Robert,Bonita, Sepia and even Gus were now laughing uncontrollably at this point....

"Man what can I say....between them over top of me and that cat next door to me..it's a non stop porn movie in this building....a few years back...Some guy was goin at it with his babe so hard the bed came through the ceiling and into Skillet's apartment...I kid you not." said Phil. Sepia and Bonita howled with laughter at that story.

Robert Foxworth, who used to live in this building himself looked towards the floor...Gus and I stared daggers at him.....then we looked at each other and laughed....Sepia and Bonita had no idea what we were laughing about.

I wanted to interview the married couple...perhaps they could give me more of an idea about who might have brained this guy with a pipe...Maybe they couldn't....beings as it looks as though they were each other's best company, still...it was the only lead I had and maybe Skillet's only chance.


(To Be Continued...)

Murder On The Menu

Sean Jackson, His wife Sheila and I were enjoying lunch....Actually, it was a lunch meeting....My new assistant, Harry Charles was with us too...Harry and I had Italian Hoagies with all of the fixings and Cokes...Sean had Chinese food, while his wife, Sheila had a Chicken Salad sandwich on Rye with a Ginger Ale...There was a bowl of Potato chips in the middle of the table...

"Well Guys..that wraps up this meeting and with the new issue ready to go to print...I guess we can call it a wrap for a few days." I said.

"That's good...I need a couple of days off." laughed Sean Jackson.

"Oh you do huh? For what?" I laughed.

"To take his wife out for some rest and relaxation." chimed Sheila...

I held up both palms in mock surrender...

"Far be it from me boss lady to come in between you and your mate's plans." I laughed..

"You and Sepia have any plans? Outside of the bedroom?" laughed Sheila.

Sean and Harry cracked up laughing.....

"I mean....We aint seen neither of you out lately...Not at Josies ,Not at Bottom of the C...Not even at Mulberry Street." laughed Sheila.

"Yeah Kev...That is true.." laughed Sean.

"We'll be out this weekend....I hear Ingrid Rhodes is singing and Brooke Taylor may be sitting in with her band." I said.

"Yeah...that oughta be good." said Harry Charles.

"And YOU..Mister Charles...You need to bring Bernadette out more...." said Sheila...

Just then....Robert Foxworth , the attorney and Gus...The bartender and owner of Josie's entered our office space...

"Counselor, what brings you to my job? " I asked as Gus looked around and studied the set up...

''So this is where you work eh kid? Nice...I'm impressed." he said.

"So.....What brings the both of you here....and together at that? " I asked.

"Well Kevin....I have a client who is in trouble and I could use your investigative expertise." said Robert Foxworth.

I looked at Gus....There had to be a reason he was here too...and plus , I knew he 'd make it plain.He didn't disappoint.

"Listen kid....you know my friend, Skillet Jackson? Well he's in trouble...He's been arrested and charged with murder...First degree murder...Only I know he didn't do it...He couldn't have done it...I got the counselor here to represent him....He's in the correctional center with no bail...for a murder he didn't commit." said Gus.

"Okay...back up Gus...How do you know he didn't do it?" I asked.

"Because he aint got a violent bone in his body....you've met Skillet...He's a cantankerous old coot I know...but a killer...No way....I can pay ya Kev...but I need you to look into this for me..." said Gus.

He looked like he was at his wits end... Gus had been there for me many times before...No way I was going to take money from him...

"Okay Gus....Don't worry about any money....your money is no good with me.... Just tell me what happened."I said. Sheila, Sean and Harry were engrossed in the conversation now...

"Okay...two nights ago...Skillet and this guy that lives in his building....Bobby Cratchet was in my joint...I remember because Reed Nelson and the boys were playin that night...They got in a big argument about some money that Bobby owed Skillet..It was a rather loud argument...They nearly came to blows....In fact, I had to break it up....A day later, Bobby is found in the hallway of the apartment complex with his head bashed in...blood everywhere and the murder weapon, a bloody pipe is found outside of Skillet's apartment." says Gus.

"Yeah Kev...The cops arrested Skillet and charged him with murder.....Another person in the apartment says that he heard Bobby and Skillet arguing some more that day...just minutes before the murder." added Robert Foxworth.

"Well if he heard them arguing and you said they were arguing just the night before...there is your motive Gus...Money has been known to get a guy killed in Philly and elsewhere." I said.

"But this aint him Kev...Skillet lives a floor up from Bobby...You mean to tell me that I'm gonna brain somebody with a pipe and then walk back to my apartment and drop the pipe outside my door with the man's blood on it?" said Gus.

"I gotta admit Kev...that does look a little strange, Which is why I agreed to take the case." said Robert Foxworth...."Plus, I got this bar tab and if we can get Skillet off..Gus is willing to overlook it and all..." said Robert.

Sean ,Sheila and Harry looked at each other and laughed...Gus grimaced....I sighed...This looked like an open and shut case except that I agreed with Gus....Nobody would brain somebody with a pipe and then drop it in front of their own apartment, thus incriminating themselves.....

"Alright Gus...I'll look into it...." I said.

"Thanks kid...I knew I could depend on you." he said.

"Now Gus...About that Bar tab?" inquired Robert.

"Get my friend squared and I'll think about it." said Gus.....

I just held my head down and laughed to myself.

(To Be Continued.....)

Face it baby!

ART: " WHISPER" By Laurie Cooper

Face it
You'll never know..
You'll never know what we can do
until you try...
and your curiosity
will never understand the concept of me
until you ask why.../

You'll never know the answer you seek
about what we can do in bed..
It'll always be a secret I'll keep...
while I play with your head../

Sometimes love , well you know
it can be funny in the strangest way..
you'll give me that look
and say that you don't understand a damn
thing that I say../

You never know how good I can
make it for you until we try..
You'll never know good love
girl
until it stares you in the eye.
Nothing that you'll ever understand
so don't ask yourself why./

Face it baby!
I want to love you..
Someone will always want to make love to you..
it might be someone who's not around..
might be someone from across town..
but true love
isn't where you look for it..
it's where you it finds you
You say that you already know that.
well I'm just here to remind you..

Face it
You'll never know..
You'll never know what we can do
until you try...
and your curiosity
will never understand the concept of me
until you ask why.../

He'll never know what he might've lost
til you catch his eyes..
and he'll never know how little the cost
,no he'll never realize..
but hey girl
sometimes love
well you know, it can be funny that way
was that something clever
you thought that maybe someone else
would say?/

Nobody knows who really loves them
even when they see their eyes
don't bother to clock it baby
don't even bother to ask why.../

Face it baby!
You'll never know..
You'll never know what we can do
until you try...
and your curiosity
will never understand the concept of me
until you ask why.../

Baby Momma Blues

"Derek ,I'm so sick of you and your whores....but most of all,I'm tired of all of your lame excuses.....Just make sure my child support is paid on time." said the young woman.

"I aint gone pay a got-damn thing til you swab that baby's mouth and get the DNA test done, so I know it's mine." said Derek.

"It's yours alright...unlike your other trollips and tarts, I was only sleepin with your dumb ass." snapped the young woman..

"That aint what I heard.." said Derek...

"Forget you...." she said.

"Forget you tooo." she yelled.....

"I WOULD LIKE TO FORGET BOTH OF YOU.....IT'S THREE IN THE MORNIN,
I'M TRYIN TO SLEEP..SHUT UP THE NOISE.!!!!" bellowed my next door neighbor.

"Nigga ,who you think you talkin to...you shut up!" screamed Derek...

"Yeah, you shut up...don't be talkin to my man like that!" screamed the girl.

"I'M TALKIN TO BOTH OF YOUSE..NOW SHUT UP THE NOISE...DON'T MAKE ME COME OUT THERE." yelled my neighbor.

"Well come on wit it then sucka." yelled Derek.

Lois was laying in my bed with me giggling her head off...

"I remember him the last time I was here...he sure is uptight." she laughed as she snuggled up next to me....We kissed again.....We had been doing nothing but kissing and snuggling most of the night.. Lois was going to have my baby in about five months ,I still hadn't decided just what I was going to do..

"He needs a girlfriend...some good lovin would take the edge off of him." I said with a laugh...

"I bet you're never edgy are you?" asked Lois with a slight grin..

"Come again?" I asked.

"Anybody that is packing like you packin and as slick talkin as you are probably gets his share of good lovin. I'm not naive Ralph...I wasn't the first woman you brought up here and I probably wasn't the last..." she said. She was right!

"Lois...Tell me about your kids, your..uh other kids.." I said.

"I have a son...He's 9...I have two daughters....one is 5 and the other is 3...They were all by my late husband...They're staying with my mother in Patterson." she said.

"Your mother know about this?" I asked.

"Yeah...she wasn't too happy about it...neither was my dad...but I'm grown, what can they say?" she said and leaned over and gave me a long slow kiss....She rubbed my now raging erection....

"Ohhhhhh, if I wasn't pregnant like this...I'd take care of that..." she cooed..She rubbed my back softly...

"Try to calm down." she said.

"Aint no way I can calm down with you in my bed ,practically naked....Pregnant or not." I said.

"Awww, I turn you on like that?" she said.

I laughed.

"Lois...I got a 21 year old daughter." I said.

"Ex-Wife?" she asked.

"No...I've never been married..It's from a girl I knew years ago...I hadn't seen her in 21 years....I just found out two days ago...She's divorced and she lives here in Philly now...she said that the girl wanted to know who her biological father was,so she brought her to see me." I said.

"You sure it's yours?" she asked.

"She's mine...I'm certain of that much..." I said.

"Wow, 21 eh? You missed her entire life." said Lois, who kissed me again for a long while.

"Yeah, I know...but I don't want to miss this one...If you moved to Philly..I'd set you up with a place...I-" I said before she stopped me.

"Hold up Ralphie...Baby, sweetheart....I'm in the business of moving out of Patterson now....My husband was a bad man....He killed people for a living..He made a lot of money....He left me well over a million dollars in an offshore account before he died..plus other money I found hidden in the house after his death...I just bought a house for me and my children in Teaneck, New Jersey..." she said.

"Okay....but I want to have a part in this child's life....I know you don't need it, but I'd feel better if you allow me to give you child support for this one." I said.

"Wow...you are sooooo sweet...You're not like most guys...Most guys would be glad that they were absolved from all responsibility." she said.

"Yeah and they'd probably sound like those two outside ...That aint me...I laid down with you and made this child...Had a great damn time makin it too, I must say...And I'm willing to send you some child support...." I said.

"Awwwww, you are somethin else.." she said... She moved the covers and moved herself down towards my still raging erection...She took all of me in her mouth and began going to town....

"Ohhhhhhhhh, aggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I moaned as Lois worked her magic...

"WHAT ARE YA DOIN? I'M TRYIN TO SLEEP...SHUT UP THE NOISE!!" yelled my next door neighbor.

Lois looked up at me and giggled...Just then, I exploded like a gusher.....

"Ohhh myyyyy Ralph..." she laughed....

We both laid there in the bed together, while the couple who was outside arguing continued with their banter...

"I'll bring you your child support and some chicken wings tomorrow,I promise.. but it hurts my feelins when you call my other friends, whores." said Derek.

"I'm sorry baby...I won't call them tricks, whores no more...and make sure you get lots of hot sauce on them wings like I like." she said.

"I sho will baby." he said...

"OKAY NOW WILL YOU BOTH GET FROM IN FRONT OF MY WINDOW I'M
TRYIN TO GO TO SLEEP..SHUT UP THE NOISE." said my neighbor.

"Screw you man." said Derek.

"I'M GETTIN MY GUN AND I'M GONE SHOOT YOU." screamed my neighbor.

"Well come on wit it mane." screamed Derek.

Lois and I laughed and laughed and held each other.......

II-

The next morning, I took Lois to breakfast...We exchanged numbers and addresses and I promised her that I'd try to get up to North Jersey at least twice a month to see her.. I drove her to the Train Station....

"This aint goodbye Lois...I want to hear from you too...Not texts or e-mails...but phone calls...." I said.

"You will Ralph...you are soo sweet." she said and kissed me at the bus station for a long time...

The weekend came and as I promised...I took Rowena, my daughter, Raquel and her boyfriend Ray out to brunch....We had a nice meal and good conversation...
After I dropped them off...I drove Rowena to Josies where we sat in a booth and had drinks...

Reed Nelson and Debbie and her sister Delores came in...They saw us and walked by us...Downtown Rob Brown came in too...He looked at us..Smiled at me and winked...

"Rowena....I got something to tell you." I said.

"Yeah Ralphie...What is it?" she asked.

"I just found out I'm going to be a father again." I said.

"Oh really? Girlfriend?" she asked rather non-chalantly...

"Actually,it was a one night stand...The woman is from North Jersey..She was in here one night a few months ago....Her husband had died and she came down here to pick up the body and oh well, we got to talking and.."

"You talked her out of her panties ,just like you did me huh? Whooooooo, you got some potent sperm man....See? That's why I told you to get them condoms." she said ,laughing at her own joke.

"It's not funny Rowena....I plan to know this child.....I'm going to send her child support and I'll be goin up there to visit twice a month." I said.

"So why are you tellin me this Ralphie?" she asked.

"Well I wanted you to know what I was doing..I want to be straight with you and all." I said.

"You aint my man, you don't owe me that...Just because we uh had some friendly sex the other night doesn't mean you owe me an explanation..You can do what you want." she said.

"Well ,I uh thought that we, that you and me might uh..well you know..kick it." I said.

"You and me? In a relationship?? Hahahahahahaha...I don't think so..I like being free and single...I have another friend anyway..." she said.

"You do?" I said.

"Yeah...we aint got too serious yet...but we been goin out a few times..." she said.

"He got "benefits" " I asked.

"You are too funny Ralphie....Yes...he's got benefits...." she said.

"Oh." I said.

"It's okay Ralphie...you'll find somebody......You got a good heart, among other things....Heheheheheheh...but I'm not the one for you right now...I had a good time with you....I aint gone lie...My legs start shakin when I think about you and me in bed...but..." she said.

"But what?" I asked.

"But my heart doesn't flutter...This guy...he makes my heart flutter." she said.

"Oh..I see." I said.

I drove Rowena home....I was silent the whole drive....When I got to her door...
I walked her up to her house....She smiled at me...

"We can still be friends Ralph...After all, we have a daughter together." she said.

"That sounds good..." I said.

"Be well Ralphie." said Rowena.

"You too." I said as I walked back to my car and drove off....

Epilouge-

I sat in Josies by myself the next night, drinking a bottle of Henny and listening to Reed Nelson play his trumpet....

"Ladies and gentleman...I'd like to play my latest composition...I call it the "Baby Momma Blues." he said....

The band began playing behind Reed Nelson....Gus and Honey Brown and mostly everybody was clapping their hands to the beat......but not me...I understood the irony of it all!

Another Day,Another Woman

I awoke the next morning in Rowena's bed! That's right ,in her bed.About two hours after she and my newly discovered daughter left Josies...I called the number she gave me...

"Hello" she said.

"Rowena, this is me, Ralph." I said.

"Wow...I didn't expect to hear from you this soon." she laughed.

"You didn't expect to hear from at all did you? Tell the truth?" I said.

"Well.......I didn't know....Ralph ,it's nearly two in the morning..." she said.

"I know...I just wanted to ....uh, see you." I said.

"You saw me tonight...at Josies..." she said.

"I know but uh....,well...that was a public place...I kind of wanted...to uh...see you...uh...al- alone."
I blurted out....

"I don't know Ralph...it's late....." she said.

"Raquel is sleeping I guess." I said.

"Raquel doesn't live here....She's got an apartment a few blocks away.."she said.

"Ohhh wow...She really is grown up.....Listen, I'm sorry for waking you up..." I said.

"You didn't wake me up...I was sitting up watching television." she said.

"Tryin to unwind right? Yeah, I'm like that too when I come in after hangin out." I said.

"Yeah...I'm just chillin, sippin a wine cooler and watchin videos on BET." she said.

"What are you wearin?" I asked. She busted out laughing then...

"What? Ralph, you crazy....hahahahahahahahahaha...." she said.

"I'm sorry..It is rather late and I guess we too old for that kind of talk." I laughed.

"I'm in my night gown." she answered, still laughing.

"Maybe I'll stop by at a more appropriate hour...I didn't mean to call you this late." I said.

"If you want to come by and see me Ralphie...Why don't you just ask me straight up?" she said.

"What? I thought I did." I said. She hesitated for a few minutes..then sighed.

"Oh ...alright...If you comin...then come on....you know how to get here?" she asked.

"Yes...I know the way." I said.

"Okay...well don't take too long...I might fall off to sleep......oh and Ralph...bring some condoms...There is a seven eleven down the block from my house." she said.

"Condoms?" I asked...

"Yes...You're not asking to come around here at this time of night to talk, I know.." she said.

I laughed.....

"You know me so well...don't you?" I laughed.

"Yes....and after twenty one years, I don't want another baby." she said with a laugh.

That night....I went to Rowena's house.....She had put on a little weight since I knew her, but in twenty one years...who hadn't? Her body was every bit as soft as it was then...Her kissable lips just as soft as melted butter....We made love close to eight times that night...I couldn't get enough of her...she couldn't get enough of me either....Finally, we took a break and drifted off to sleep...It was the most peaceful sleep I'd had in a long while...

I got up, showered and put my clothes on...Rowena was just waking up.....

"Leavin Ralph?" she said.

"I have to work....but if you get dressed...I'll take you to breakfast." I said.

"It's a deal." she smiled. "There is an IHOP not far from here" she said.

"That'll work." I said with a smile.

II-

After we ate breakfast, we exchanged numbers and adresses again and I promised to take Rowena out the next weekend...To a nicer joint like Mulberry Street....I fully intended to get to know my daughter and to spend more time with her mother....My goodness, that woman was hell in the sack! I could see myself making her my girlfriend..Something I hadn't done with any woman for years. She was enough to make me throw away my players cards.
I got to work....washed my hands, put my apron on and got to preparing the afternoon special... Dollar Bill walked into the kitchen and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Ralph...there's a lady out in the dinin area that asked for you." he said.

"A lady? Who? " I asked.

"I don't yodel and I don't know...You need a score card to keep up with your triflin self...Says her name is Lois..." said Dollar Bill.

Lois! Lois Collins...That's right...She had texted me a day ago...said she wanted to talk to me about somethin.....That was before I got sidetracked with Rowena....

Lois laughed and tucked her head under my shoulders....."Oh I'm so embarrassed...I've...I've never carried on like that...and I've got your sheets all wet...Oh I'm so sorry....Wow Ralph,you, you, you made me come so hard...."she laughed. 'Whooooeee...I've never come so hard like that before." she said with an embarrassed school girl like smile...

I smiled at the thought of that night.....How lucky was I? Two of the best lays I'd ever had in my life in one week!!! I walked out into the dining area...There she was , Her back was to me, but I knew that back like I knew my own hand..

"Lois...How are you doing?" I said.

Lois turned toward me....I could see that...She was expecting!!!!!!!!!!

"Lois! You're pregnant!!!" I said.

"Yes Ralph......I see that you still have good sight ,among other things." she said.

"Is- Is this what uh, you had to tell me?" I asked, already knowing the answer....

"Yes Ralph....I'm four months pregnant....with your baby." she said.

I slumped down in my chair......I couldn't believe it....After all of the women I've had...my past and my recent present had caught up with me...In 48 hours, I discovered that I have a 21 year old daughter and a child on the way!....

Lois smiled weakly....I managed a half smile....Above us, the flat screen television went to a commercial... It was for Trojan condoms.........We both looked at each other and held our heads down.

(Conclusion Next)

Rowena and Ralph

While I lay on the floor of Josies in half consciousness...I remembered what else happened that night with Rowena some 21 years ago...Downtown Rob Brown and his band finished their set..I walked Rowena out to my car...We drove to a small diner and had two or three steaming hot cups of coffee...

The coffee was good for both of us...It revived us!..She kept staring at my face and smiling..I wondered if she was still drunk...

"You have very pretty eyes." said Rowena..

"I'm supposed to tell you that." I replied.

"No, Ralph...it's true...You're usually back in the kitchen cooking or planning the meal and I only see you when you're talking to the cooks or taking orders...I never noticed how pretty your eyes are...and your lips..." she said.

"My Lips? What about my lips?" I asked, starting to laugh and starting to think..."Damn,I've got this in the bag....don't screw this up Ralph...you may never get another shot at this."

"Your lips are absolutely luscious. Thick and pink, just like I like it. I want to lean forward and kiss them ." she said. Now I knew she was drunk!

"You can if you want to." I said and she leaned over and gave me the kiss of life....Her lips were softer than I'd ever imagined. Rowena knew how to kiss a man...I mean ,after she paused..I was in a daze...

We talked a little bit longer...but I wanted to do more now than just talk....I leaned over to her and kissed her again...this time a little longer....I kept thinking about kissing her more, closer..
personal....

"Is this turning you on as much as it's turning me on?" I said....now totally aroused....Rowena smiled the sweetest smile I'd yet to see her smile and said....

" Abso damn lutely."

"Well let's get the hell out of here and we can see just how much more I can turn you on?" I said.

The waitress came to get our order...I paid her for the coffees...Rowena grabbed her purse and we got in my car and drove to a motel, a few blocks from the Boardwalk....It was 90 degrees that
night....The room was cheap...The Air conditioning was an iffy thing..It was on one minute, off the
next....We didn't care....

Rowena was wearing a white sundress....It was very easy to slip off ..I slipped it off and tossed it on the chair...My shirt and trousers were off in seconds...I pulled Rowena close to me and began kissing her more passionately now, right there in the middle of the floor....

"Ralph turn the light off." she said.

"No...I want to see you..all of you....I've dreamed about your body for years girl and now I'm finally seeing it....You are perfect...just perfect..." I said , and she was....If ever I've met a woman with a more rounder, firmer, perfect body, Rowena was it....

"Thank you Ralph." she said and peered down at my now massive erection....

"Oh my God....and to think, I've been kind of blowing you off when you've tried to talk to me...Oh
my...If I'd of known you was packing like this...I'd of talked to you longer...ouuuuuuuu,look at you Ralph!!!" she said with a sigh...as she rubbed her hand against my hardness...

I slipped her panties down slowly and she slipped her bra off.....I picked her up and laid her down softly on the bed....There wasn't a bit of me that desired to tease myself with foreplay...I just wanted to be inside of her as soon as possible, forget technique....I had a strong feeling she felt the same way....

I entered her with an urgency and began to move faster and harder with each stroke.....

''Aiiiiiiiii papiiiiiiii...ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph.....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Ralph it's soooooo gooooood...it's sooooo goooooddddd....ouuuuuuuuu papi...more....moreeeeee.....
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh myyyy goddddddddddddddd...ohhhhhhhhh Ralphhhhhh,Ralph........" she moaned as I continued to stroke her harder and harder...When I felt myself about to come...I slowed down...I began to slow down, think of tomorrow's menu........

"Ouuuuuuuu Ralph....ohhhhhhhhhhh baby....babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...I never knew ..ouuuuuuuuu....." she continued to moan...She gazed sweetly into my eyes and then began kissing me with those soft lips of hers.....She wrapped her legs around my back and clamped down on me like a vise...I was really drilling into Rowena now....Her screams could have woken up everyone on the block...I exploded a gusher into her......

We made love like that, at least another seven times that night....until we finally collapsed in a hail of sweat! We weren't tired..We got up put on our clothes and walked to the boardwalk, We walked down on the beach...Stripped to our underwear and went for a late night swim in the Atlantic Ocean...it was exhilarating!!

II-

Rowena and I would meet at lunch sometimes and make love in the back seat of her car...Sometimes, I'd wait until she got off work, drive her to some cheap hotel or motel off the boardwalk and make love to her multiple times...This went on for the rest of that summer....Then one day...I came to work and found out that she'd quit. I drove by her apartment complex in Atlantic City...and it appeared that she'd moved...I was told that she had people in nearby Pleasentville....I drove there, but they told me that she was in New York City.

I never saw or heard from her again.....I worked at the Nutty Neckbone until it closed for business a year later...That's when I moved back to Philly...I was from Philly anyway, so it was a
homecoming... and now here I am....

III-

Gus and several guys revived me and got me up...I sat at the table and drank some water....
Rowena smiled sweetly.....Raquel looked stunned...Not as stunned as I...

"Wow...a daughter huh? All this time..I wondered if I would ever get married and have kids.."
I said.

"Well....we don't have to get married....and you don't have to do anything...We've managed quite well over the years....It wasn't your fault....You didn't know....I didn't know I was pregnant until after I got to New York.." said Rowena.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you come back?" I said.

"It wasn't your fault....You weren't making enough money...and you just weren't ready to be a father then." she said.

"You never gave me a chance." I said...

"I know...but we did alright....I got married when Raquel was two....We lived in California for awhile, then we came back to New York and then we moved here to Philly about five years ago."
she said.

"How long you been divorced?" I asked.

"Oh about five years." she said.

"Right around the time you moved here huh?" I said.

"Yeah...You'd be proud of your daughter...She's in her sophmore year at Temple...been on the deans list every semester." said Rowena.

"Well...I see she gets her brains from her mother." I said with a smile.

"Oh stop...but thanks for the compliment." she said. she then took out a piece of paper and wrote on it..

"Here's our address...You should come by...get to know your daughter....Maybe we could uh..catch up...If you want to..." she said.

"I would like that...I would like that very much." I said. Rowena kissed me on the cheek...
Raquel smiled at me...

"Are you alright Mr. Ralph?"she said.

"Yeah...Yeah...I'm...I'm fine baby." I said..

"It was nice meeting you." said Raquel...

"It was nice meeting you too." I said.

"Look Ralph...We gotta go...but it was nice seeing you again....Stop by and visit us."said Rowena with a smile as she and Raquel walked out of Josies...

Epilouge-

"That was a nice looking lady you was talkin to Ralph...That another one of your chippies?" asked Gus the bartender and owner of Josies.

"Used to be." I said.

"The younger one with her wasn't bad either...that her sister?" he asked.

"No...That is my daughter Gus....Our daughter." I said.

Gus's eyes grew as wide as saucers.......

"WHAT? You have a daughter? You have a daughter with that woman??"he asked.

"Sure do." I said.

"Ralph...I got a brand new respect for ya." said Gus...

I just laughed.

(To be continued...)

Surprise, Surprise

I was finishing up the main courses for tomorrow's meals at Bottom of The C. where I worked. My name is Ralph Scallion...I'm the head chef here...I make a pretty good living here...I'm close to making a down payment on my first house...Wasn't always that way....Just as I was covering up the food and placing the trays in the refrigerators...My android..went off....It was a text...It was Lois Collins...a foxy widow I had shared a memorable night with months ago... I slowly unzipped her dress...She had so much going on...She had to help me get that dress off! She stepped out of her heels and slipped her pantyhose off...I unzippered my trousers...I had had a raging erection all day long and it wasn't about to be any less raging now... She stroked it gently for a long while...Then, before I could make a move or anything...She was on her knees..taking all of me in her mouth...


''Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...arggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!"I moaned... "Ouuuuuuuu....I haven't done this in soooo longgggg....ummmmmph...ouuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned as she continued for what seemed like an hour...I couldn't take much more....I pulled it out of her mouth and gently lifted her up....I kissed her breasts hungrily and massaged them with both of my hands.... I layed her on the bed softly and parted her legs and used two fingers to gently enter inside of her...she writhed and moaned very loudly...I heard my neighbor banging on the wall... "I'm sorry for being so loud...but it feels so gooooood....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, soooo goooooood."she moaned... We kissed and she stroked my penis a little bit for awhile and finally, I could resist no more..I entered her with all I had...We began rocking then....in and out...back and forth.....first very slow and then hard...faster...faster....My bed began a rhythmic rocking back and forth and into the wall... I must have been daydreaming....
The memories of that night still brought a big wide grin to my face...I wonder what Lois wanted? I also wondered why she hadn't called in all this time too? "Hi Ralph...Sorry I haven't been in contact....I will be in Philly tomorrow...I need to meet with you in private...I have something to tell you...See you then." she said. Wow...maybe another chance to roll in the hay with her...She certainly was a lot of fun in bed...I couldn't wait to see her! "Closing up brother?" said my boss, Dollar Bill. ''Yup, everything is ready for tomorrow."I said. "You goin out tonight?" he asked. "Yeah...Downtown Rob Brown is playin at Josies..." I said. "Oh yeah? He's cool, but I like Reed Nelson and his band better...but uh...I could see why maybe you wouldn't want to see him play...I heard yall had a little rowdy dow." said Dollar Bill. He was a newsy bastard...He really wanted to know what happened and I was sure he had heard that somebody had tipped Reed off that I was bangin Debbie ,while he was away...I'll bet it was my newsy neighbor...Anyway..Reed beat me up and gave me a warning... I definitely was not going to Josies when he was playing or if I thought Debbie and her sister were there. For all I know, her big mouthed sister might have told!



II- Josies was packed tonight...Downtown Rob Brown was dressed in all black...Black silk shirt, Black Slacks, Black gators and a Black Fedora...He had an Electric trumpet...Something I hadn't seen since years ago, when he played at the Nutty Neckbone...a club I used to cook in ,that he played early in his career...It was in Atlantic City...Long closed now... Downtown Rob Brown had a new band...A new Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer and man on the Fender Rhodes. They were tight...They kicked off the jam and then Rob Brown came on with his Electric Trumpet and began playing.... He was playing something I had heard before...Oh my God...he wrote this song years ago...Back when we were both working at the Nutty Neckbone...It reminded me of her...Rowena!!! Sweet Rowena...Man, talk about a great chick...She was it! She was a waitress at the Nutty Neckbone.....


Guys would give her orders for both drinks and food and she would bring them either to the bar or the kitchen...I was top chef there too...The place was owned by Wally Gator....back before he became a major Philadelphia player...Big Daddy had given him the club to run....He too, wasn't anywhere near as big as he would become... Gator is dead now and Big Daddy is doing a long stretch in the State prison system..Wow...How times change....


I used to always try to talk to Rowena ....She was the Daughter of a Puerto Rican Mother and an African -American Father...She was gorgeous...Had long hair that came to her waist , was a caramel skin color...built like a ship!!! Just stacked in every way...She looked like a model....Every guy in the joint who thought he had some game was throwing a line at her...Including Downtown Rob Brown... I would try to tell her a joke or engage her in conversation everyday...She was polite...and she would laugh at my jokes...but she rarely if ever engaged me or anyone else in too long of a conversation....


One night...I finished early and I had my street clothes on...I sat out in the restaurant and listened to Rob Brown and his band warming up...Rob always warmed up on the Piano....He would play whatever it was he was going to play on his trumpet on the piano during rehearsals...He played the very selection he was playing tonight! I remember saying to him...."Hey man, that is beautiful" He said-"Thanks...I call it 'Rowena's song." I asked him...."Ohhh, you hittin that?" He seemed offended..."Nah....I was just talkin to her the other night and I got an idea for this tune...Why are you on her?" he asked. "Not yet, but I'm gonna be." He looked at me like I was crazy...She was out of my league...but that hadn't stopped me before. Rowena came in and sat down next to me... "Hey aint you supposed to be at work?" I said. "I'm off tonight." "Yeah? Well I'm done for the day....Look..I been askin you out for like a year now and you always been comin up with an excuse...Why don't me and you go somewhere tonight? Somewhere different...like dinner?" I said. She looked at me like I was crazy too, but she laughed.... "Okay...you're on....but this doesn't mean that I'm on the hook to be your girlfriend or nothin..Besides..I'm bored......Can we go after Rob's set?...He told me that he wrote something that he wants me to hear." she said. "Okay.." I said. We sat through his first set....He purposely didn't play the song....He wanted her to stay..I ordered several drinks for the both of us....By the time Rob did play her song..She was so sloshed ,I doubt if she even heard it...If anything..I was going to have to take her home...You know I was pissed..I was a little annoyed with Rob Brown too... III- Anyway...Here he was , playing that same song......I looked up and to my surprise...There was ... No...It couldn't be!!!!!...It was Rowena!!! After all of these years?? She was with a gorgeous younger woman..who looked to be , just barely old enough to be in here....She too was carmel colored, with long hair running down her back and a shape that rivaled Rowena's...Rowena looked great, don't get me wrong...but the young girl with her looked even better!!! Va VA Vavoom! I walked over to the booth where they were both sitting.... "Rowena? Rowena Hanks ?? Is that you??" I asked. "OHHH MY GODDD...Ralph...Ralph Scallion???? I can't believe this....it's you!!!!! I've been asking around about you....I heard that you work at Bottom of The C....We were going there tomorrow." she said. The younger woman looked me up and down, but said nothing. "You were? Wow...How long you been in town?" I asked. "I've been living here in Philly for five years....Since my divorce.I live in Olney." she said. "Ohhh, so you got married huh?" I said. "Yes Ralph..I got married when she was two...." she said ,pointing to the younger woman with her. I should have guessed...It was her daughter!!!!! Wow. She looked like Rowena spit her out..How could I have not seen that? "Wow, got married, had a baby...man!" I said. " No...Had a baby...Then got married....This is Raquel ." she said. "Oh,pleased to make your acquaintence." I said. The young girl smiled sweetly and then shook my hand...I must admit..that felt awkward...I don't usually shake women's hands. "There's a reason I've been searching for you all this time Ralph." she said. "Yeah?" I asked. "My daughter is 21.....Well, don't tell Gus...She will be 21 in eight weeks....She's always wanted to know who her biological father was or rather is....I felt that now is the time to tell her." said Rowena. "Tell her what?" I asked. "Ralph...This is your daughter....Raquel!!!" she said. I fainted! I don't remember falling to the floor, but I think I did....Several people were standing around me , trying to get me up! (To Be Continued.....)

Win Some, Lose some

The information I got from Big Chicken turned out to be good information...It lead me right to Glen Bridges apartment. Glen Bridges was the man in the tan suit with the sunglasses I had seen snooping around. I had got his photo from the prison records. With his address, Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom were able to break in and wire it for sound and video. With Peeping Tom's trigger fish device and a well placed GPS system placed on his rental car...We were able to know where he was constantly...We were able to listen to his many phone conversations...

"Glen what's goin on man?" said Raif Collins.

"I don't know Raif....I haven't seen any activity around his house..Neither he nor his wife have been to work...Maybe they went on vacation or somethin...They'll show up sooner or later....I got a high priced hitter on the job...Soon as he shows up...pop...He's history...Then you'll have your guy hand over that dough right?" said Glen.

"Yeah,yeah...just take him out...and do it soon...Don't screw it up this time...no druggies."said Raif.

"I was tryin to make it look like an accident....The best murder is the murder no one knows has been committed." said Glen.

"Just get it done. I can't get caught on this cell phone." said Raif.


"What you doin wit a cell phone in the joint?" asked Glen.

"You think I could discuss a murder conspiracy with you on a prison phone where they listen in on your convo ,stupid?"said Raif.


"Nah...I guess you couldn't." said Glen.

"I know a guy...His people come up...He has contraband, Cell phones, weed laced cigars, the works...It's wide open in this joint...I got it made up here...This almost aint like bein in Prison." said Raif.

"Damnnnn...almost makes me want to come back." joked Glen.

"Just get Kevin whacked, okay? He beat the crap out of me and now I'm stuck here for life. Nah, he's got to fall." said Raif.

"Well, I'll do the best I can to make sure he does." said Glen.

"Yeah?, well make it happen and make it happen quick." said Raif.

"Okay...I'm on it." said Glen.

This taped conversation was enough to convict both Raif and Glen.....but I needed the hitman....In order to do that..I had to show up again...So in the next few days...Sepia and I returned to our home...There was no sign of anyone...but I knew whoever was assigned to kill me, would be coming soon....Bonita drove up...Sepia got in and they pulled off...Robert Foxworth followed them in his car.. I tuned the security system off and waited....Sure enough..someone started working on the back door of my house and began sneaking in....The man was wearing latex gloves and had a silencer on his pistol...He slipped in and slipped up the stairs to my bedroom where he pumped three bullets into the sleeping figure in my bed...A manequin!!!

Sean Jackson snapped a photo of him...He turned around stunned...And Clerow put the muzzle of his .45 up to his temple...Kool Kat and I came out of the closet and disarmed him.. Kool Kat ripped his pants off and his shirt.. The man was stunned... I pulled out my .38 smokeless and aimed it at his head...

"If you got anything you'd like to tell me....Now is the time fella." I said.

He looked like he had crapped his pants.

II-

The would be hitman ,Clyde Joseph told us everything...about Glen , where he lived and about the contract coming from someone he used to jail with...His testimony and the recorded conversation gave the police all they needed to arrest Glen Bridges and charge him with Solicitation of homicide. Clyde Joseph's gun was a match for the gun used in Mickey Moore's murder. He was charged with first degree murder and sentenced to life. Glen Bridges was charged with Conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder in that case. He also received a life sentence. He and Josephs were on their way back to prison and my guess is they wouldn't be going to the Pennsylvania Men's Colony either.

I wish I had been there to see the look on Raif Collins face when the guards pulled him out of his dormitory room, presented him with the tape recorded evidence against him and sent him to one of the tougher institutions in Pennsylvania with an additional 25 years added to his life sentence.
Warden Sulima Chase told Kool Kat that he cried like a baby, screamed that he'd been set up and begged them not to transfer him....He even ratted out his contraband man....It was all to no avail,
Raif Collins was sent to a maximun security prison....I'm sure Glen Bridges and Clyde Josephs will be glad to see him when he arrives there!

Harlan "Big Chicken" Platt went before the parole board...As promised I put in a good word to the Warden and the Board about how he helped me foil a murder for hire plot and was responsible for the arrests and convictions of Glen Bridges, Clyde Josephs and the mastermind, Raif Collins. The Parole Board members took all of that into account and said that with a few more months good time, maybe they would consider this at his next parole hearing!!!, but right now...he still needed to do a little more time!!! As expected, he was not a happy camper!

"WHAT???" screamed Big Chicken.... "You lousy screws..." he yelled! He stomped his feet angrily and had to be restrained ....He punched one of the guards , which got him beat badly by two other guards and tossed into solitary confinement..... This certainly won't look good at his next parole hearing.Win some ,Lose some!

Epilouge-

I had chocolates lined up on the dresser of our bedroom and rose petals leading from the bedroom to the bathroom where Sepia was taking a warm and soapy bubble bath....I watched her from where I was sitting on the bed in anticipation of her retreat from the bathtub.....
Awaiting her was a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a tumbler of ice cubes...

Sepia emerged from the tub...She toweled herself off and wrapped it around her waist and walked toward me slowly....We kissed passionately for minutes and I untied the towel and let it drop to the floor...We hungrily kissed and fondled and sucked every part of each other that we could and fell into the
bed...

With my tongue,I took one long stroke, parting her lips. Then another. From side to side, I licked, and teased her, until I could feel her silently begging me to put my tongue inside her. I parted her lips with my fingers, and gently darted my tongue in and out of her. At this point, she reached up and grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. I moved the pillow, I smiled at her and kissed her passionately. I felt her moans reverberate through her vagina, as I pressed my mouth firmly against her. As her torso began to stiffen, and her thighs tightened around my head, I could tell she was about to come. I wasn't ready for her to do so just yet ,so I pushed her legs back, and tongued her clitoris, coaxing her into a writhing orgasm.

As she lay breathless on the bed, I slipped of my bathrobe. My erection had been raging from the second I saw her leave the tub. I entered her with a surprizing slowness and began to move in and out with a smooth rhythmic grace...Sepia matched me stroke for stroke...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh baby...it feels sooo good.." she moaned as I entered her and we began to make sweet ,unbridled ,passionate love for hours in the comfort of our home...

The orgasm I had and what felt like multiple orgasms she was having felt like it lasted several minutes, even though it was just seconds. I collapsed on top of her, kissing the nape of her neck.

"Ouuuuuuuuuu, someone really missed me." cooed Sepia as we both lay there in bed spent and laughing.

It certainly felt good not having a bullseye on our backs and not being on the streets either...I know I owed my pals at Josies a visit, it had been weeks since I had stopped in...but tonight, they'd have to take a rain check.

Lesser Of Two Evils

I told Sepia to pack some things and I took her over to Bonita's place to stay while I was gone. I locked my house up tight and put on the security system that Peeping Tom had hooked up for me.

Anyone breaking into my house would be video taped. Not only that, the police would be contacted immediately with very clear photos of them. Clerow, Gus and Sean Jackson were the only ones with the security code and they said that they would check my house out on the regular while I was gone. With my wife, Sepia safe and my house secure, Kool Kat and I drove up to Angel City where the state's newest correctional facility , The Pennsylvania Men's Colony was.

If not for the barbed wire and re-inforced steel on the outside of it, The Pennsylvania Men's Colony looked like a college campus with high rise dormitories. The men were not locked up in cells...They were locked up in rooms. The rooms had two beds...A sink, A toilet and two dresser drawers. There was one Televison in each room...Depending on how much money one had on their books..The television had cable or it did not.

There was a swimming pool here, both an outdoor and in indoor pool....There was a huge golf course and a basketball court and a baseball field. The inmates took classes in modern classrooms that rivaled my college classrooms...Some played baseball, some played basketball, others lifted weights....There was a couple of trailers for conjugal visits. This was only for married inmates....

Practically all of the inmates here were guys with little or no violence in their past. First time offenders or honor inmates...Most of the hard luck cases I had put behind bars were doing hard time in other prisons....Even though this was pimp, Harlan Platt's first conviction.....He was not the type of inmate I thought would be sent to this type of prison....Harlan "Big Chicken" Platt was still a stone cold Philly gangsta in the best sense of the word.

The first surprise was that the warden was a very attractive and shapely black woman named Sulima Chase. She wore a grey pin striped skirt that hugged her curvaceous body in every way possible, white sheer pantyhose and matching grey pumps, A white see through blouse that didn't hide her beautiful laced bra and not a hair out of place...This wasn't lost on Kool Kat, who couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was quite impressed with him also!

"Warden Chase....My name is Kevin Morris, I'm a private investigator from Philadelphia...I'm here to see inmate, Harlan Pratt." I said.

"Yes...I remember your call from the other day...." she said , talking to me but looking Kool Kat up and down..

"Excuse my manners...This is my associate, Walter Jones." I said.

"My My My Mister jones....you look like the type of guy that would wind up in here.....behinddddd bars." she laughed.

"Nah mam...I'm strictly on the straight and narrow path." he laughed.

"I'll bet you've got a lot of straight and narrow.." she said ,winking at Kool Kat.

"If you like...maybe I'll show you one day." he said, giggling like a school boy...

"Ummmm, hmmmm, I sho would like that...." she said.

"What's a nice lookin babe like you doin up here being the warden of this prison?" he joked.

"I don't know...Tryin to find the right guy." she joked.... Both Kool Kat and her pointed at each other and laughed. I just shook my head.. I had one of the guards lead me to the waiting area...
In the waiting area...Several inmates were talking to their wives, girlfriends, children...I sat and waited for 15 minutes...Finally, a guard brought Big Chicken into the room.. He saw me, pointed and smiled and sat down behind the glass...He motioned for the phone receiver..I picked it up and we began to talk...

" Well Kevin, by now, I'm sure Rollo has gotten in touch with you and clued you in" he said with a laugh.

"Yeah...What I need you to do is clue ME in." I said.

"Well...You remember a guy named Raif Collins?" he asked.

"Yeah...He killed a friend of my wife's....He tried to kill me too."

''Yup and you broke his jaw and put him in jail with a death sentence."said Big Chicken.

"Yeah, yeah,so what about him?" I said.

"His death sentence got commuted to life without parole....He's here because he's been a very well behaved inmate....He has a lot of money on his books, just like I do....He worked at a beer distributor as a front...He had a couple of kids movin dope and coke for him for awhile...so he still
has a lot of money on his books...Enough to approach me about havin you whacked..He 's still upset about the beatdown he says you put on him....Anyway, that's neither here nor there..I turned him down cold.....He's stuck in here for life...I only got six years and I'm up for parole in a few months....I aint tryin to get involved in nothin heavy....so I turned him down.....but another cat didn't turn him down...Glen Bridges is his name...He was gettin released soon and Raif contacted him with the same offer....50G's to knock you off and he took the contract...." he said.

"Glen is a real smart guy, real efficient at what he does....He was a heist guy originally , but he always bragged that he had done a few contract killings for a couple of people....That's the guy who is following your every move on the streets of Philly and who paid that junkie to rig your car. Yeah ,I heard all about it....Shame your wife drove the car that day instead of you." he continued.

"So what do you want me to do?" I said.

"I'm gonna give you an address....This is where Glen is staying...He's an ex con, so you can get a photo of what he looks like...and as for Raif...You wire me up, let me talk to him and he'll sing like a canary..." laughed Big Chicken.

"Aren't you worried that it might get out that you're a snitch?" I said.

"Nah...I run this joint up in here.....I can do whatever I want...The cons come to me for advice , for favors, for everything....All of those conjugal visits aint wit they wives..heheheheheheh...some of those ladies are my girls...Hell, some of the guards have uh conjugal visits..heheheheheh...Anything even looks like it's gonna happen to me...and these guards and these inmates will fall all over Raif." laughed Big Chicken.

"Okay Chicken....I'll take this evidence and get Bridges...I'll have somebody up here to wire you up in a few days...This works out, I'll give the warden a good word for you." I said.

"Yeah...the way I see it...I'm the lesser of two evils." laughed the Pimp.

"Yeah...exactly." I smirked dryly...

As I walked back down the corridor, I saw Kool Kat emerging from the wardens office...he was straightening his shirt and pants and jacket....The wardens hair was all out of place and her blouse was completely out of her skirt...She looked dazed....

"So, you'll call me won't you Walter?" she sighed..

"Sure baby...most definitely." he said with a grin....

I just shook my head....

(Conclusion Next)

Mickey's Monkey

Sepia was released from the hospital and things kind of went back to normal...I got her car out of the shop....My insurance kicked in and I got a brand new 2011 Aqua BMW out of the deal and we went back to our normal routine...Still, I had a nagging suspicion about my old car....The brakes had definitely been tampered with! The Mechanic who worked on my car and passed it for inspection was an ex-con I knew named Mickey Moore...Mickey had done good work for me before....I can't believe that he would have done something like this....

"He would for the right amount of money." said my street wise friend...Walter "Kool Kat" Jones who was driving me to Mickey's Auto Body Shop. I had decided to have a little talk with Mickey.
Only thing was...The place, which did a brisk business was closed...Locked up. That was odd!! We asked a few locals what the deal was.

"Man, I aint seen hide nor hair of Mickey in two weeks....He was supposed to do work on my car." said one guy.

"Man, Mickey back on that stuff again...He done prolly went on a bender." said another. Mickey had once been a heroin addict as well as a dealer....He had done a five year stretch in the state pen...

But one guy had a more telling comment to make -

"About two weeks ago...two guys come around....One had on a tan suit jacket and sunglasses, black slacks....He passed Mickey an envelope...Looked like it had money in it...They talked a minute and Mickey locked up and got in the car with the two guys....That was the last time I seen him."

From what this guy told me, That was also the day that my wife went missing and had her car accident. She could have been killed...but further more...The accident had been meant for me to have, not her...I was definitely going to talk to Mickey and find out who this man in the sunglasses was.

Kool Kat and I went and got Lockpick Johnson and we went to Mickey's house. We knocked on the door, rang the bell and knocked on the window....There was no answer....Lockpick Johnson did what he does best and we entered the house....Once inside...the smell knocked the three of us for a loop!

"OHHHHH HELL." said Kool Kat...

"Good Lawd" said Lockpick Johnson....

I knew that smell well...It was the smell of death.....The smell of a decomposing body.....We covered our noses and went into the living room and there sitting on the living room couch was Mickey Moore....Quite dead, with two slugs in his head and blood ,now dried , all over the couch, the floor and his clothes...He looked like he'd been dead for two weeks....

Kool Kat looked at me...

"Kev...you got problems boss...This looks bad." he said.

"Tell me something I don't know." I said. "He gets money from someone to screw up the brakes on my car.....He screws the job up and he's killed." I continued...

Kool Kat looked at his arms...

"Needle marks...He was still usin....If he a junkie...They couldn't trust him anyway, so they would have shut him up to keep his mouth closed." he said...Lockpick Johnson concurred.

"Who is they Kool Kat?" I asked.

"Whoever is trying to kill you boss." said Kool Kat.

"The guy they say passed Mickey the money? In the tan suit and the sunglasses with the black slacks?? I seen him before......He was standing across the street from my house the day Sepia took off in my car and he was outside the hospital the night we found Sepia...." I said.

"He's either the hitter or he's the middle man...but either way Kev..We gotta find out who this guy is." said Kool Kat. I concurred.

II-

Just like this caper seemed to fall in my lap, so did a clue to just what was afoot. I was sitting in Josies having a beer the next night when Rollo Jones and two thickneck bodyguards of his walked in. Rollo Jones was the pimp, Big Chicken's main man on the street now that Big Chicken was serving a stretch in state prison...He walked over to me and sat down.

"Hello Kevin...How's things?" he said with a smirk. I said nothing, I just glared at him.

"Seems like a friend of mine could do you a big favor." he said.

"A friend? Would that friend be your boss, Big Chicken?" I asked.

"Perhaps....You know, Big Chicken is lonely up there in the prison...He would really like a visitor.
You should pay him a visit...sooner, rather than later, you feel me?" he said.

"Alright Rollo, let's stop playing games...Lay it out for me." I said.

"There's a contract out on you...The man that supposedly arranged it screwed up.....He's waiting patiently to try again...He's a man who recently left the prison...same prison my man Big Chicken is in....Now heres the play...Big Chicken was approached by a man in that prison to put a contract on you...but see, Big Chicken say-"Nah man, murder aint my game....I'm all about love baby...I runs women...." So this man, he finds another guy who is about to be paroled and he offers him a great deal of money to off you.....Big Chicken will give you the man and the name of the guy on the street assigned to off you." said Rollo.

"Oh really? Why should I believe you?" I asked.

"You don't have to.....but you aint got much time.......Big Chicken can answer all of your questions right away." said Rollo.

"What's in it for him?" I asked.

"Thought you'd never ask.....You put in a good word with the warden about how Big Chicken helped foil a murder plot and put the man who almost killed your wife back in the slams where he belongs and that goes along way to helping Big Chicken get his parole...You do that and Big Chicken is willing to let bygones be bygones." he said.

"So I put a murderer back behind bars and I let a pimp walk?" I asked aloud.

"Lesser of two evils babe." said Rollo.

"Okay...I'm going to see Big Chicken tomorrow...Where is he?" I asked.

"He's in the new prison...The Pennsylvania Men's Colony in Angel City." he said.

"Really? Him?" I asked.

"It's his first offense...He didn't have any priors before that." said Rollo.

"Hmmm...Interesting." I said.


(To Be Continued.....)

I Once Was Lost

Gus and I drove to Peeping Tom's House....I hated to wake him up this time of night, but he was the only one who could help me...

"What can I do to help my friend?" said the Italian, who had once been a major CIA operative.

"Sepia has my car....There is a GPS device in the car that you installed....also....try to hit the towers with your trigger fish machine and see if you can locate a signal on either her Blackberry or her
Android...It'll lead us right to her." I said... I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner." I said.

"Okay my friend....." he said.

"Kev, you sure know some interesting people." said Gus.

"He used to be with the CIA Gus...He was very good at what he did." I said.

"Hey...can he be trusted? None of what you see in here can leave this house." said Tom.

"He's good...I trust him with my life." I said.

It took awhile..but Peeping Tom came up with something.....

"Kev..I got two hits...and look!!! They are both coming from the same place...The car , where-ever it is has her cell phones in it...The signals are strong." he said.

"Yeah...but is she with the car? " asked Gus.

"I don't know...but something is better than nothing...Let's go." I said.

I called Clerow, Kool Kat, Robert Foxworth and Sean Jackson and told them where to meet me.
Gus and I drove , surprisingly enough just a few miles from my home....There was an overpass near the bridge.....There was a break in the overpath and tire tracks that ran down the side of the road into a gully.....There was my car...My BMW!!!!It was upside down!!! Gus and I ran towards the car as fast as we could.....and there was Sepia.....still in seat belts and wedged between the air bag and the seat belts...She was still alive!!!!!!! She had been in an accident!!! and had been stuck like this for 4 days!!!!!!!

Gus and I pried the door open....We cut the air bags and dragged her out....She gasped for air and cried like a baby as I held her in my arms....I was crying too.....By now...Robert Foxworth, Bonita, Sean Jackson, Sheila, Kool Kat, Clerow ,Corabeth and Mabel had arrived.....They were all
overjoyed to see that Sepia had been found and found alive!!!!!!

The police and a towing company arrived shortly afterwords......

"Well Kevin....I am so happy this had kind of a happy ending...I was thinking the worst....It's amazing that she's still alive, being stuck in that car for four days with no food or water and upside down..." said Sissy Van Buren...

"Kevin....It was your car...The brakes...they didn't work." said Sepia.

"That's impossible...I just got that car inspected the week before , I had all new brakes put on it."
I said.

"They didn't work and I skidded off the side of the road ...I texted you, but I dropped my phone and couldn't get to it." she said.

"Oh My God..." I said...

A Detective checked my car.....

"Hey , the brake line on this car was cut." he said.

"What?" I said.

"Kev man....whoever did this...didn't know she'd be taking your car...This was meant for you." said Kool Kat.

"You got problems that maybe I should know about?" asked Lt. Van Buren.

"It appears I do." I said.

I held Sepia tightly....Not wanting to let go....I kissed her forehead....

"She's going to the hospital to be looked at..." said a policeman.

"Okay...I'm coming with her." I said.

II-

I sat in the hospital with Sepia most of the night...I held her hand and stroked it softly.....She smiled at me....I looked outside the hospital window and there he was again!!!.....The man in the tan suit.. with the sunglasses...He made a phone call and then when he was finished ,he lit another cigar...He was just standing there smoking...

"Hey..Stop...who are you?" I said...

He laughed and got into the car and pulled off....This time he was by his self...I was mad at myself, I didn't even get a license plate number...I walked back to Sepia's room...She was sitting up now...

"Kevin, who was that?" she asked.

"I don't know...but I think he had something to do with your accident.." I said.

"I thought you said that Mickey worked on your car?" she asked.

She was right! Mickey Moore, an ex-con and mechanic who I gave work to and sent a lot of customers to had done the work...He was also a recovering Heroin addict...I wonder if he was using again?...I wonder if somebody had gotten to him? Maybe this man in the tan suit and shades... But why? Who was he? I'd never seen him before in my life...What was his angle?? That was what I had to find out...I peered over at Sepia...She had fallen asleep...The sun was coming up, a new day was beginning.

(To Be Continued...)

Searching For Her

"So Kevin, the last time you saw your wife was in the morning when she left for work, right?" asked Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren of the Philadelphia Police.

"Yeah Sissy...She left for work before I did....That would have been around eight o'clock." I said.

"Was everything good between you two...I mean there was no tension or anything?" asked another
Detective.

"Noo..Nothing like that..We had made love the night before and early this morning while she was getting dressed we wound up making love again....She complained that I was going to make her late." I said.

"So everything was good huh?" he asked.

"Yes." I said, a little annoyed that he would make me repeat myself...

"You got a text from her at 8:45?" asked another detective.

"Yes...Look here...it says "Kevin...Help" I missed it because I had my phone on vibrate and it was in my office desk while I was at a meeting." I said.

"So you were at work all day huh?" he asked.

"Yeah....My co-workers here, Sean Jackson and his wife Sheila can vouch for me" I said. Sean Jackson and Sheila agreed that I had been in their company all day.

"How'd you get to work? You said that her car is in the shop and she has yours?"asked Sissy.

"We came by and picked him up.....Sepia was supposed to come and get him after she got off." said Sheila Jackson.

"But she never came to work" said Bonita ,who was also sitting there.

"Well...We can't file a missing persons report until after she's been missing for 48 hours Kevin...She's a grown woman...She could leave and she wouldn't have to tell you why." said Sissy.

"She didn't leave though....All of her stuff is here!!! I think she's met with foul play.." I said ,nearly in tears at the thought...

"Come on Kev....Come on now...Let's think positive." said Sean Jackson...

Sissy took me to the side...

"Kevin, give me her debit and credit card information and her Blackberry and Android numbers.. We'll check and see if there is any activity....We have the description and license plate
number and photos of your wife...I'll fast track this...We'll turn up something." she said and patted me on the back...

"Thanks Sissy." I said.

I rented a car..... Sean and I rode around town, going to all of Sepia's favorite spots....Nobody had seen her...Peeping Tom had a way of checking her phones and her credit and debit cards to see if there was any hits or activity...Clerow, Lockpick Johnson and Kool Kat also rode around looking for her...Nothing!

Chris Thompson, Donald Smooth and Chess not only searched, but they had their associates searching too...At Josies, Gus, Andrew, Eddie ,Honey Brown and Big Nasty asked around and drove around...It was great to have such good friends helping me out...Robert Foxworth and Conrad Nelson and Chance Howard kept an eye out and Paris, Blake, Cherish and some of their friends drove around searching for Sepia too...

She had just dropped off of the face of the Earth...48 hours passed and finally the Philly coppers started looking for her...We put posters of Sepia all around the neighborhood..In Josies, Ciros,
Bottom of the C, Mulberry Street and The Mermaid Club....I was turning the city upside down...

II-

I stood outside of my job with Sean Jackson, Clerow and Kool Kat...72 hours had passed and I feared the worse....Funny the strange things you notice when you are concentrating on something else.

There was a man, with a tan suit jacket, Black pants and sunglasses standing across the street from us...He lit a cigar after he made a phone call...He then got in his car and pulled off..The same man had been at the corner of my block the day that Sepia disappeared. I remembered him because I thought it odd that a man would have on Sunglasses at 9:00 am on a cloudy overcast day. He saw me get in Sean's car..He made a phone call , got in his car and pulled off.
Co-incidence? Who was he? Why was he at the corner of my block and why was he across the street from where I worked?

Maybe I was just paranoid...Was my wife being held captive somewhere?? Was she hurt?? Was she still alive??? Was this man somehow responsible??? I had to know....It was thin...but it was all I had.. I didn't say anything to Kool Kat or Clerow, but my mind was going in all kinds of directions..

III-

I was sitting in Josies a few hours later having a Corona .....

"You miss her kid?" asked Gus.

"Yeah man...I hate myself for missing that text message." I said.

"Don't beat yourself up kid..It's not your fault..." said Gus...

Just then something hit me!!!!! I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before...I leaped up out of my seat...

"Gus....you got somebody that can take over for you?" I asked.

"Yeah kid..what's up?" he asked.

"I just thought of something...I don't know why I didn't think of it before...I need your help." I said.

"Honey....Take over for me, close up at two on the dot." said Gus.

"Okay Gus." she said.

"Where we goin Kid?" asked Gus...

"To find my wife." I said.

"Oh really? You know somethin I don't know? asked Gus..

"Not something...someone!" I said.

As Gus and I left the bar, there he was again!!! The man in the tan suit jacket with the black slacks and those sunglasses...He was just getting off of his phone.

"Hold up Gus..." I said.. I pulled out my .38 smokeless and began walking across the street towards him...He was standing outside of his car on the passenger side...There was someone else in that car on the drivers side that I didn't see...When he saw me coming towards him..He smiled, got in the car, closed the door and pulled off!

"Who was that Kev?" asked Gus.

"I don't know, never seen him before in my life....but I'm going to find Sepia and I'm going to get to know him." I said as I put my gun back into my jacket.


(To be continued....)