Cold Sweat

Rollie Rollerson sat in his office sweating like a stuck pig....He had good reason...He had been mailed a DVD that had his entire sexual escapade with that young chippy a few nights before in living color and digital sound...He had been contacted on the phone by a female who said that a "represenative" would be coming to talk with him about it soon...He was not a happy camper this morning....

Like clockwork, Mr. Lee Spann showed up in a very expensive suit , carrying a breifcase...He looked like a banker..He sat down..Rollie's assistant gave him a cup of coffee with crem and sugar to his liking and then left the office.

"What is it you want?" snapped Rollie Rollerson, Lord knows he couldn't afford to have his name is the papers again....People were just starting to forget about his last scandal...

"Mr. Rollerson...Mr. Rollerson...Let's not be hostile...We would like three large every month around the second week of the month....that's all..." said Lee Spann..

"Three large?" he quipped..

"That's right and if you're a day late or a penny short...The first DVD goes to your lovely socialite fiance...I'll bet you did things with that girl in the hotel that you don't do with her....I've seen her by the way...Lovely lady, but not the type to experiment in bed..." said Spann...

"Why you smug little-" said Rollie as he lunged toward Spann, who didn't flinch...

"Now ,Now...If anything were to happen to me...The next DVD goes to the press and then the pastor of your church and oh....God knows how many people might see this..."

Rollie sat back...Smiled and said- "Well...that's a chance I'm gone have to take because I aint payin you nothin."

Now Lee Spann was shocked....He was stunned...

''What? Are you crazy...Do you think we are joking?  Did you see the DVD?" asked Spann..

"Don't have to see it...I was there...but I aint payin you a red cent." said Rollie.

"What?" said Lee Spann...

"Because you'll be either dead or in jail by this time tomorrow." I said as I stepped out of the closet...

"What? Who the hell are you?" asked Spann..

"Who I am is not important....but I just got your entire blackmailing conversation on video tape...You want to see THAT DVD?" I said...

"Man, I don't know you." said Spann..

"But I know you, I know your partners at Central Insurance...I know all about the scam they've been running, with your help and I know about the dead girl that you guys dropped in the ocean. I know all about you Mr. Spann and I've got enough to send you to jail for life for murder." I said.

"Now wait...wait...just-just wait..a minute....Look....Nobody was supposed to get hurt...We..We...We.. We've been runnin this scam for years...I can't tell you how many rich well to do, cheatin men and women we got strung out, payin us money....and up until now...nobody got physically hurt....but when Heather....See, when one of those dudes killed himself...She didn't count on that...she wanted out...and then...who knew the other dude was gonna kill himself too...She kept goin on and on about she wanted out , she wasn't gonna do this no more...Lola kept gettin worried that if the cops found her photos on both men, they'd find her and she'd talk...Lead em to us...Lola said she had to go...Mike and Me...We told her that Heather wouldn't talk..She was a street girl...not the snitchin type...But Lola said  no....We couldn't take no chances...So she called in Garvin." said Lee Spann, who now was sweating profusely...

"Who's Garvin?" I asked.

"He's a hitman...He's real good...Makes folks vanish....He came highly recomended....He's here in the city."
said Spann..

"I want his address." I said.

"Man ,you're crazy...He's a stone cold killer..He'll kill me." said Lee Spann...

"He's going to kill you anyway." I said.

"Say what?"

"Mr. Rollerson, play him the DVD.." I said.

"With pleasure Kev" said Rollie Rollerson as he flicked on the Television Screen-

"About that...My split was a little light....I mean, I put myself on the line...Settin that chick up...so that your boy Garvin could snatch her and all...I could be tied to a murder.." he said.




"Don't worry Spann...you'll be well compensated." said Lola Bey Luden.




Spann got up from the table...He smiled and nodded his head and walked out of the office..



"Michael.." she said to her husband...




"What baby?" he answered...




"We are going to need another Private Detective...Call Garvin..tell him it's time Mr. Spann took a dip in the pool..ahahahahahahahahahahaha.." she said.


'"Will do precious." he laughed.

Lee Spann's jaw dropped!  Not only was he sweating profusely...He was visibly shaken...

"There's a contract out on me?" he asked...

"Yup!  Right after you leave from here sometime today, Garvin is scheduled to take you for a ride on his boat, just like he took that girl." I said.

"Why those dirty double crossing ....What do you want?" he asked.

"I got you Lee Spann...I own you.....I got a little on your bosses too..." I said.

"I'll give you everything...the whole operation...I'll give you names, people and the location of all of the recordings...I'll even testify against those two lying backstabbing bastards....all I want is one thing, immunity from prosecution. Look...Lola started this thing...She got the idea from her brother in law's friend..a guy in our Wilmington Office Named Jimmy Tillotson...They call him "Skip" He told us about all of the personal information we had on certain people and how with a little diggin...you could find their weakness and set em up for blackmail...Lola Liked it and she and her husband bought into it and they hired me...to get the inside skinny." he said.

"So how long were you guys doing this?" I asked.

"About five years....I did work for Mike and Lola here in Philly and some for  Ali and Skip in Wilmington...It was easy...They were all cheating on their spouse or their taxes or doing something they shouldn't oughta..I got it on tape or video ,presented it to em and they paid good money to keep it a secret...Some are still payin.."

"What do the Ludens get out of this?" I asked.

"Extra money...They've been workin for the big boys so long that they hate them....So they add a little cash to their wallets and they get the thrill of watching these big wigs fall and sweat.." he said.

"Like you're sweatin now huh?" I said.

"Yeah..kind of....Do I get my deal or what?" he asked.

"You'll have to work that out with the D.A. and you're in luck...He's here." I said.

ADA Keith Wallace, Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren and three uniformed Philadelphia policemen took Lee Spann into custody....

"Thanks Again Kevin.." said Sissy, who smiled at me....

"Yes...I think Mr. Spann and I will have an interesting conversation......about insurance.." said ADA Keith Wallace.

"Yeah...I can imagine." I said.

"You know something Spann...I'd half way sympathize with you...but three people are dead...Two men, who were too weak to take the pressure and a girl, somebody's daughter who was senselessly murdered." I said.

"I know man and I feel sorry ...I know you don't believe me...Hell- I- I wouldn't believe me...but I do...Nobody was supposed to get hurt....I begged Lola not to hurt that girl...She was my friend...I kind of liked her...I feel real bad about what they did to her." said Spann...

He was probably the only one who actually did feel remorse...I believed him.

Rollie Rollerson wiped his brow...

"I don't know how to thank you Kevin....Oh my God...." he said.

I looked at him with a new found disgust....but I didn't say anything...I just quietly left ,got in my car and headed home.

II-

Lee Spann spilled his guts and Philadelphia Police arrested Michael Luden, His wife ,Lola Bey Luden, their brother in law, Ali Luden at the Wilmington Office and his partner, Jimmy "Skip" Tillotson..They all were charged with Blackmail, conspiracy, wire fraud and other charges...Lola Bey was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder.....

But the real showstopper, the one I had held back from the police was Garvin....the hitman...I had "business" with him...Lee Spann told me that he had a room in the Hyatt near Penns Landing and that he owned a boat.
He said that he walked along Penns Landing in the morning... I even had a photo of him...Kool Kat , Clerow and I walked the pier and to our surprise and good luck...it didn't take us long to spot him...

We watched and we waited until he was about to board his boat...That's when I walked up to him...

"You Garvin?" I said.

He wasn't used to hearing his name called...and he turned around...

"Who wants to know?" he snapped.

"I didn't ask  you that." I said and slugged him hard in his stomach...enough to knock the wind out of him...then I cracked him in his jaw and knocked him to the ground...He attempted to get up, but I kicked him in his side...He grunted....

Kool Kat lifted him up and Clerow put his pistol to his temple.....He was grinning like a cheshire cat...

"Hey what is this about?  Who you with? Do you know who I am?  How connected I am?" he asked.

Clerow put a bag over his head....

"Questions aint in your vocabulary right now killah.." said Kool Kat as we dumped him in the trunk of my car.
We all got in and drove off... We drove what must have seemed like hours...All the way to Cape May and then we stopped the car and dragged Garvin to Gus's boat...

Gus , as pre-arranged was there with Eddie and Albert, who helped us load him on to the boat and shove off.. Once out on the water....Clerow took the bag off of his head...

"Heyyy, what is this about?" screamed Garvin...

I ignored him....

"Kool Kat, get some rope...Tie his feet and his hands....you got that ANVIL?" I asked...

Gus leaned down and scowled at Garvin...

"You piece of crap....You the one that killed that girl huh?  I'd kill ya myself if I was younger." he spat.

"Hey look, you guys...what do you want? Money?? I got plenty of money." he screamed...

Clerow, Eddie,Albert, Gus and Kool Kat all laughed at that...

"I'll bet that girl begged for her life when you dropped her in the ocean, alive...didn't she?" I said...

"Please....Please...I'll give you anything you want...just don't kill me...please don't kill me...I'm afraid of gettin killed...pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....I can't swimmmm....please don't kill me...I'll do anything!...Anything!."
Garvin wailed.....I couldn't believe it...Tears was running down his face and from the smell of things, he had defecated on himself....

"Your lucky day Garvin...You're not going to die...Not today......" I said.

We turned him over to the Coast Guard, who turned him over to the New Jersey State Police...

Gus patted me on the back...

"Good work Kid...but I wouldn't have felt bad if you had dropped his ass in the ocean...like he did that girl!"
said Gus.

EPILOUGE:

Lee Spann was given immunity from prosecution....He testified against all of them...Michael Luden got 15-20 years , Ali Luden got 10 years, Jimmy "Skip" Tillotson got 10 years also...Lola Bey was convicted of Conspiracy to commit murder and First Degree Murder in the death of Heather Gentry...She got Life....So did Garvin, but in New Jersey, where the murder actually happened...

The DVD's, tapes and files on all of the blackmailed victims, totaling up to 22 people were released and returned to them....The lawsuits and restitution civil trials that followed put Central Insurance out of business and in time their office closed.

Lee Spann is still a practicing private detective...Hopefully he'll take less sleazier cases...We even met for coffee a little while later...

"Can't thank you enough for meeting me here Kev." he said.

"Well, I guess I should thank you for testifying and putting those sleaze bags behind bars." I said.

"Yeah...I'm gonna have to find a real job like you have or find another company or lawyer or something to work for.." he said.

"Well yeah...This business is rough, but you get the right kind of cases, you can make some nice change." I said.

"You taught me something though...This whole case taught me something...Something I lacked..." he said.

"And what was that?" I asked....I thought he was going to make a wise quip...

"Ethics man...Standards....I wasn't no killer and after awhile ,I didn't feel good about settin people up, even if they was lousy cheats..." he said and hung his head down...

"Cheer up...Drink your coffee man." was all I could say after that...and we sat and talked and drank coffee well into the afternoon.

(For my wife, Rosalyn, one of the most ethical people I know)