A Deadly Co-incidence

Prolouge: 2 weeks before today!


I stood in the crowd looking at the lifeless body of a young African-American woman lying in the street...I wondered, how she had come to such a grisly end...She had fallen 17 stories to her death! That's what everybody on the street..in a crowd that was getting larger by the minute was saying.. She was identified as 27 year old Barbara Courtland....She was definitely a looker...

She had the kind of body that would drive a man wild....Nice long hair...(Coulda been a weave) and a short mini-skirt...Too young, too pretty to be lying on the concrete dead!! I stood silent and I listened to the people talking...None of them had seen her jump...All of them had seen what I was seeing...the aftermath...So sad....

The cops and the firemen and the EMT people were all around cordoning off the place...I soon moved on...The reason I was here was because my friend, Clerow's car had broke down yet again!!! He needed a jump.  Just weeks before...Kool Kat and I had watched another man die in these very high rises..A very bad man...A man who was called "Monster" on the streets...In his case...He had died by his own hand... Just being here and witnessing yet another death was giving me the creeps.

''Hey Bossman...I thought you wasn't comin at first." came the voice of my friend, Clerow...

"I started not to come.....Man, Clerow..When you gonna get a new car man? You make enough money." I said.

"I know Kevin man, but..I drove all the way from Louisiana to Philly in this car...This was my second car man.. I made love to Mabel Jenkins in this car years ago....and her sister ,Corabeth too, years later...This car got history man." said Clerow.

"How does Corabeth feel about it?" I asked. Corabeth, who was now his wife.....Mabel Jenkins, who was now his ex-lover and his sister in law..

''She like you, she want me to get a new car." he laughed sheepishly.

"Come on man...Where is your car? I'll drive around and give you a jump." I said.

''It's around the corner...What happened up the street?" asked Clerow.

"Some babe jumped out the window, killed herself." I said.

''Damn man...that's rough." Said Clerow.



II- Tonight

Sepia and I were the guests of Reed Nelson, his girlfriend, Debbie, Downtown Rob Brown, his girlfriend Delores and their good friend, Meek Rollins..We weren't at Josies tonight..We were at the more upscale 'Mulberry Street' club...Symphony Sam was on the stage..

"Ladies and Gentlemen..it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, my main man...Haven't been around in awhile, but he's back now...Show ya love for....BONE HAMPTON ,baby!" he screamed...

There was wild applause......Reed Nelson turned to me and Sepia and said- "Man Kev..This guy is the business, the straight business..he plays the trombone like nobodies business."

"It aint often I agree with Reed, but it's the truth." seconded Downtown Rob Brown. Debbie, Delores ,Sepia and I all smiled at that remark...Meek Rollins smiled and drummed his fingers on the table...

Bone Hampton was a well dressed man, maybe my age or a little older who played the Trombone....He was indeed good...He played that trombone like a piano...Was playing all different kinds of melodies with his quartet...He had the place jumping....I was digging the music...but I was digging my wife even more this night..
She had on a blue mini skirt that was really hugging her figure this night...It was a sparkling blue....That plus her perfume was entrancing...

At the end of Bone's set...Sepia excused herself to go to the ladies room...I watched her intently as she walked to the ladies room and mused on what a truly lucky man I was...All of that good feeling ended when I noticed two hoods walk in...Drake Evans and Moon Nelson...Drake Evans was a gambler and a loan shark..
Moon Nelson was his muscle...They both worked for a playa by the name of Bernard "Fruit Loops" Kelly...another nasty piece of business that unfortunately was all too common in our neighborhood. It was said that "Fruit Loops" moved a large amount of Heroin and Coke in the neighborhood..He owned two Grocery stores...but everybody knew that they were just fronts for what he was really into...drugs and juice (loan sharking).

They took seats up front...Their reputations was such..That they didn't have to ask...A couple of guys just gave up their seats and allowed them to sit down...When Bone Hampton saw them ,he appeared to be a little
frightened...I noticed it...but my mind was on other things...I excused myself and walked out of the main showroom, which was on the rooftop, down the stairs and to the restroom area...It was extremely dark except for the blue lights which led to the restrooms...Anything could happen in this area....Kool Kat had told me of two young ladies he had had sex with in the hallway and eventually in the bathroom while a concert or party was going on and not once he said had anyone walked up on him!!  I found that incredible!

III-

As I walked towards the mens room, I smelled Sepia's enticing perfume...She grabbed me and pulled me towards her...

''I wondered when you were going to take the hint and come and find me." she giggled..

"I actually was coming to relieve myself." I lied.

"That Bone Hampton is pretty good...butttt...he's not that good." she cooed...

"Damn right about that." I said as I kissed her passionately...

''Ummmm...." she cooed. I ran my hand up her dress...but she removed it...

"Nooo..not here...somebody will see us." she whispered.

''Nobody will see us...I got it on good word that a lot can be done down here." I said.

"Good word huh?" she laughed..

'"Yeah" I said as I pulled her into the ladies restroom and closed the door...There we continued kissing each other.....

Within a few minutes though...we heard voices...I put my hand over Sepia's mouth and we backed away from the door.

"The man wants his money Bone." came a voice.

"Yo man...I gave you half last week..I told you I'd have the other half at the end of this week..I got a couple of gigs." came another voice..

"See that's where you wrong Bone...You gave us half...and Moon and Me took half of that...Our cut...so you owe us some more money mane.."

"Aww Drake..you can't do that man...You can't do that...I'll never pay off my debt you keep doin that..I aint givin you two nothin...I'm givin my share to the man directly and I got a good mind to tell him that you stealin from him..."

"Oh yeah?"

I heard a gunshot!

"Arrggggghhh....Drake....you son of a bitch...you shot me..argggghhhhhhhhhhhh!""

I heard another shot...then the sound of a body falling on the floor...

"Argggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......"

''Tell me again what you gonna do?  If you manage to survive...I'm gone come and find you and get the rest of that dough...ya hear? . Come on Moon, let's bounce."

I heard footsteps ...I told Sepia to stay put....I ventured out into the hallway and there, laying in a pool of blood was Bone Hampton, the jazz trombonist!!!!!!

"Oh my God...man, I'll call an ambulance." I said...

"He shot me in my side and in my shoulder man....dirty bastard...argggggggghh..." said Bone Hampton...

''Don't talk...stay quiet and still." I said.

By now a crowd had gathered...A woman screamed!  Pandemonium was breaking loose in the joint!

IV-

The ambulance took Bone Hampton to the hospital...I gave a statement to the police about hearing an argument and hearing gunshots...but I left out the names of Drake and Moon...I wanted them for myself, for messing up my good night...They were going to pay and pay dearly....I knew that a guy like Bone Hampton wasn't going to tell the police their names either...He owed them money, probably something illegal...and he was probably scared.

"Man...what is the world comin to Kev?" said Reed Nelson as Meek Rollins, Downtown Rob Brown, Debbie, Sepia and Delores stood on the street after everything was over....

''Can't come out and enjoy a nice night out anymore...Damn..What they wanna shoot Bone Hampton for? He was a real nice dude." said Downtown Rob Brown.

I said nothing.  I did however visit Bone Hampton in the hospital the next day.....

"Hey man, thanks for visiting me...and thank you again for calling an ambulance.." he said.

"Man, what are you into?  You owe Drake Evans and Moon Nelson some money don't you? Gambling, Drugs, what?" I asked.

"Man, you don't really want to get mixed up in what I'm mixed up in." he said.

"Yeah...I kinda do....I kinda want to take both of those guys down a peg..." I said.

"Sayyyyyy...I know who you are now!! Your name is Kevin aint it? Kevin Morris...you do favors for people,don't you?" he asked.

"Usually for a price...You aint in no position to pay me now are you?" I asked.

"Nah...not really...but if you was down...I got somethin on "Fruit Loops" Kelly that could at least take him out the game...and without him...those two aint got a reason to live." he said.

"What do you have on him?" I asked.

"How bout a murder?" he said.

''A murder, what murder?" I asked.

''Two weeks ago up by the high rises, a gal fell to her death...everybody say that she jumped..She didn't jump,she was tossed out the window." he said.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Cause I was there." he said.

Was it a co-incidence that two weeks ago, I witness a death of a beautiful girl, and now a shooting and all of this was somehow related?? It sounded like I was about to find out!

(To Be Continued.....)