Love Is Strange

The next morning Sepia and I went to the hospital to visit Johnny Boy....He had all kinds of tubes hooked up into him...He had been rushed into surgery and was apparently resting...I take it the police had already been to see him and he had already made a statement....There were no cops around when we got there...

When Johnny Boy saw us he smiled weakly...He pointed to Sepia and then looked at me-

"Hey Kevin, who is this?" he asked with a smile.

"This is my wife...Sepia." I said.

"Sepia huh?  Wow...you did alright boy....yes indeed!." he said.  I was used to that reaction.  Sepia smiled, actually blushed a bit..

"Don't believe anything your husband has said about me...it's all lies..." he said with a weak smile. Sepia smiled again.

"Kev, you want me to wait outside while you guys talk?" asked Sepia...

"No...it's all good." I said.  Sepia pulled a chair out and sat down....

"Cops been here?" I asked.

"You know they have." said Johnny Boy.

"You tell em who shot you?" I asked.

"I told em a guy tried to rob me." said Johnny Boy.

''So you lied?" I asked.

"Yeah." said Johnny Boy weakly.

"But you're gonna tell me the truth?" I asked.

"Of course Kev...I don't lie to you baby." he said.

There was silence in the room....We both stared at each other , then we both busted out laughing...Sepia just shook her head.

"Long story short Kev...Here's what happened....You remember that babe I used to go out with a few years back..Felicia Phenell?" he asked.

"You mean the girl you used to run around behind....Yeah, what about her?" I asked...

"Well, listen, she figures into this...."he said.

"I figure the shooter was her boyfriend.." I said.

"You figured right Kev...but more than that...he's a theif...He stole a large amount of money off of me...that was in my possession...The kind of money you can't report to the police...you feel me??...and some very rough customers have had a bounty on my head for close to three years because of it...I was holding it for em and I uh lost it, when they made off with the dough..." he said.

"Drug money?" I asked.

"Nah Kev...nothin like that....Listen, you ever here of Little Ricky Monday?" he asked me.

"Yeah...He used to be a major player....Used to live here in Philly....Got run out of town by Fathead Newton and The Diaz Brothers amongst others...Settled in Atlantic City and had an uneasy relationship with Big Daddy and later Wally Gator...." I said.

"Yeah well...Me and two guys...Vinnie Carroll and Eddie "Paycheck " Green kidnapped him and held him for a five million dollar ransom about three years ago...His people paid up and we let him go..We got away scott free and to this day he doesn't have a clue that we did it." said Johnny Boy.

''WHAT??? You were involved in something heavy and crazy like THAT???" I nearly screamed!!!!

"I was the driver...I drove the car when Eddie "Paycheck" Green and Vinnie Carroll made the snatch...It was their idea...There was another guy...a fixer named Frank "The Boss" Lexington who set the whole thing up involved." said Johnny Boy.

"I heard of him...He's dead." I said.

"Yeah....He's dead like I coulda been dead...See, they entrusted the money with me...I put it in a safe deposit box....and I had the key on me...Frank gave me the assignment...I used to work for him." said Johnny Boy.

"So what happened?" I asked.

"I told Felicia that I had come into some money...I took her out on a few dates...Spent money I didn't yet have, impressed her....For a few months, it was sweet between us...Then I heard that she was seeing this guy named Larry Devol....behind my back, after I was winin and dinin her.." he said.

"Imagine that huh, somebody cheatin on you?" I said with a laugh....Sepia punched my arm and smiled a little.
Johnny Boy continued.

"I confronted her about him....and she told me that it wasn't serious...She had me over her apartment, made me a fine meal....You remember she always could cook...We made sweet love for hours on end...in the shower, on the couch, in the bed, up against the wall...."

"I get the idea Johnny Boy...continue." I said....I saw Sepia holding her head in her hands laughing so hard that she was shaking...

"Anyway...I fell asleep and when I woke up....My key was gone!!!! I rushed to the Safe Deposit box and it was empty....I figured , she and this Larry Devol had run off with the money...I shouldn't have shot my big mouth off and told her about the money....Anyway...I found them...and I tried to get that money back...Larry beat me up pretty bad....almost killed me ...and the two of them vanished...  I called Frank and told him what had happened and he sent some boys down here to find them...but they were nowhere to be found...A month later, Frank was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean in a steel drum with both of his hands cut off." said Johnny Boy.

"A Message huh?" I asked.

"Yeah...Eddie and Vinnie don't play that...They're tough customers...They put a contract out on me too...That's why I've been ghost for three years...But I never stopped looking for Larry and Felicia...I followed them to New York City, To Newark , To Miami and Atlanta...Finally, I got a lead on them being right here in Philly...I actually saw the two of them together....I followed them and I found out where they lived." he said.

"And apparently you ran into Larry Devol last night and he shot you." I said.

''Yeah..but here's the thing Kev...I put an anonymous call into Eddie ''Paycheck" Green and Vinnie Carroll the other day...I told them where Larry and Felicia are.." he said.

''So what?" I asked.

"Kev...those two are stone cold killers...They'll kill both of them....possibly me too if I'm still hangin around here...I'm almost certain that they went through a good deal of that money....There could be trouble.I was sorry I called them immediately after I did....Last night, I called Larry, I arranged to meet him on that corner..I was going to try and get that money from them , to save their lives and possibly mine too...but he's an arrogant ignorant fool...He wasn't hearin it. There could be big trouble." he said.

"Not just for you...but for Felicia right?   You still got a thing for her, even though she double crossed you and is the reason your life is on the line?? Hell man, her boyfriend shot you!!!" I said incredulous!!

"Love is strange Kev." was all he managed to say...

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"I've been a little ghost....but I haven't been completely out of pocket..I know that you uh help people..." he said.

"For a price....You will have to pay me a hefty fee and from the looks of your life , you can't even pay your hospital bill." I said.

"Kev...if we recover some of that dough...there's surely enough for both of us ." he said.

"That's a big "if" baby." I said.

"Kevin please...If you don't help me...a lot of folks could wind up dead...These guys are killers...please!." he pleaded....

"I'll think about it....." I said.

"Don't think too long friend....I might not be around much longer." he said.

We both laughed at that... Sepia and I got up to go....I think he knew and my wife knew that I was once again, back into another caper...

"I'll be back tomorrow with a friend....We'll get you out of here and put you someplace safe...I'm gonna need a lot more information." I said.

"You got it Kev...Anything ya need...Thanks man." he said.

"Sit tight." I said and Sepia and I left the hospital....

"You Hungry?" She asked as we walked into town....

"Yeah...let's grab some food." I said.

(To Be Continued....)