The Sun Fell Out Of The Sky

Gus, Clerow ,Kool Kat ,Willie Green and I all stood on the boulevard looking at the body of Cecil Taylor.....He had been shot two times with a .22 caliber pistol in the head and was lying in a pool of blood...He was a low level hood..a junkie who snatched purses, stole a car or two... a general nuisance , but really of no consequence...Red Lipstick was written on his shirt like the other victims-

PERVERT

It said.  This was apparently the first victim of the so called "Lipstick Killer" that had no dealings with Willie Green, Brenda Green or Fat Sam Collins...and Willie Green couldn't have committed this murder...He had been drinking with me, Kool Kat, Clerow and Gus...We had heard the gunshots and gone running out in the street...only to find, Cecil Taylor, shot to death...the latest victim of a serial killer.

"Damn Kev, you still aint got a clue as to who is doin this?" asked Gus.

"I did, but this throws my theory off completely." I lied.

"Yeah, well this aint like you, you usually on top of things kid....I sure hope you or the cops finds this lipstick killer soon....it's bad for business...people scared to come out." said Gus...

This killing was different for all of the wrong reasons....Most serial murderers kill in a pattern....Fat Sam was killed at night....Brenda was killed in the afternoon....and Cecil Taylor had been killed in the morning...Willie neither knew or had any dealings with Cecil Taylor....I wanted to know who did and fast..

I took a run to Police Headquarters and looked up Lt. Sissy Van Buren of Homicide...

"You know Kevin, I expected to hear from you sooner...this being in your neighborhood and all." she said.

''Can I see Cecil Taylor's rap sheet?"I asked.

"Sure."  she said.

Cecil Taylor's rap sheet listed 12 convictions, Petty Theft, carjacking, indecent exposure, possesion of controlled substances, driving under the influence of alcohol..et al...  I looked at the indecent exposure complaint...It was filed two years ago by the same person who had rented the cars, had registered a gun and had probably slashed my wife's tires...Same person that was walking around wearing fuschia colored lipstick.

''See anything interesting?" she asked.

"Enough....Stay close to your phone...I'm going to give you a call later," I said.

"Hope it'll be good news." she said with a laugh.

"I can't promise you that." I said.

II-

I stopped by Peeping Tom's house and got him to wire me up really good and then I drove to Belinda Rhodes's house...I rang the doorbell and she came to the door in a tight Black party dress with yet another new hairstyle and black fishnet pantyhose and  matching black stripper high heels...She was a stunning young woman and Willie Green was a lucky man to be getting this every night and sometimes twice a day.

"Hey Kevin...This is a surprise...All the time I've lived here, you've never visited me...what is the occassion?" she asked so cheerfully that I hated what I was going to ask her next.

"I gotta question to ask you." I said.

"I know...I know...Look I'm sorry, We'll close the window...I know we been pretty loud." she said.

"That's a request Belinda...Not a question." I said.

"Oh.....I see....What is it you had to ask me?" she said.

"Why?" I said with a sigh...

"Why what?" she asked looking very innocent.

"I understand why you might have killed Brenda Green and I know you did...but why did you kill Fat Sam Collins and Cecil Taylor...?? They didn't do nothin to you..." I said.

She looked as if the sun had fallen out of the sky!

"Belinda....I have a gun registration, I have both car rentals that co-incide with the night and the afternoon of both murders...Fat Sam and Brenda Green and I have you on videotape slashing my wife's tires....You knew that Willie was in the mall with Gus...You stalked him....You flattened her tires because you knew that He and Gus would help her, being they knew her and he would have a perfect alibi when you went and shot his wife to death....When you killed Fat Sam...You knew that Willie was halfway across town at Bottom of the C, so no way he could be tied to this and you knew Willie was with me at Josies....So you killed Cecil Taylor...I know the whole story....And I know you wanted him so bad you killed his wife so you could have him...but why the others?" I asked.

"WHY??? WHY??? You ever want someone, sooooo bad, that it just hurt? Huh Kevin?? Huh??? For years I've been wantin that man.....I been doin everything but throwin my drawers at him and he bein the good man that he is, just smiled and ignored me.....That harpy he was married to just treated him all kinds of ways and all the time, I kept sayin...He should be with me...I 'd treat him better, cook for him, clean for him, give him all the love and sex he could want...It wasn't fair...When she pushed him out the door naked..That was the last straw.." she said.

"So you cooked up this bizzarre plan to kill her?" I said.

"Sure did." she said.

"But why Fat Sam?" I asked.

"That Fat bastard was practice...He raped me, six or seven years ago....Was breathin all over me and manhandlin me just like he was doin Brenda in Josies ...You seen him..Only he went further...ripped my clothes off and pulled me into his apartment......I was too scared to report it...plus, I knew he ran with them drug boys...I didn't want em comin back on me." she said.

"And Cecil Taylor?" I said.

"That pervert exposed himself to me when I was 12...and again when I was a little older I swore out a complaint against him...I guess you know that...Yesterday,I saw him up at the high school exposing himself again to the young girls up there...I had two bullets left...I had to use em...plus I figured if I got him and he had no ties to Willie or me,it would look like a mad killer was loose and throw the trail off of both of us." she said without a hint of remorse...

"Damn girl...that was a brilliant plot...brilliant....You had me stumped for weeks.." I said.

"What gave me away?" she asked.

"You used your real name on the car rentals and the gun registration and you wore the lipstick....If you had left the lipstick out of the equation...I wouldn't have had a clue it was you." I said.

"Danggg" she said.

" I had bits and pieces of the puzzle...but the lipstick was a dead giveaway." I said.

"I thought the lipstick gave my crimes a kind of flair." she said , halfway smiling....

"You always did have style girl.....Always...I always admired that about you." I said.  Surprised that I was starting to tear up.

"You wearin a wire aint you?" she asked.

''Yeah girl, I am.." I said.

''Cops are listenin too huh?"she asked.

"Yeah...They are." I said.

Just then the doorbell rang!...

"You'd better get that." I said.

She did...It was Lt. Sissy Van Buren, two detectives and three uniformed policemen.....

Belinda looked at me and managed a weak smile.....

"I didn't kill much.....Tell Willie, when you see him...that I'm sorry...and that I love him and that I did all of this for him." she said as tears began to flow down her face....

"I will kid....Take care of yourself.." I said.

"I will Kev...You take care of Willie....Be Easy baby.." she said and she kissed me on the cheek....I couldn't believe it, but a tear was running down my face as the police took her to the paddywagon....Tears were streaming down Belinda's face too!

"You gonna be  okay Kevin?" asked Lt. Sissy Van Buren.

" Yeah.. Yeah..Sure" I said....I stood there and watched the police cars pull off...I watched until they were out of sight...I pulled a napkin out of my pocket and wiped my eyes..

Sepia witnessed the whole thing...She walked across the street....

"Got your killer huh?" she asked.

"Yeah....So how come I don't feel so good about it?" I asked.

Epilouge:

Belinda Rhodes was convicted of three counts of first degree murder and given three life sentences..... Willie Green however forgave her....He asked her to marry him and Pastor Struthers, his wife Rita, Sepia, Bonita,Robert Foxworth, Deacon Larry Weatherford , his wife Victoria and myself all drove up to the Prison to witness their wedding..Bernadette and Harry Charles came too...Bernadette did her hair and make up...They got married in the prison chapel and were allowed to consumate the marriage in a private cell area for conjugal visits...

Every month, Willie gets a haircut and gets dressed up and drives up to the prison to have a conjugal visit with his wife.  The warden told me that Belinda Rhodes is one of the most well behaved inmates he has ever seen..
No doubt she doesn't want to jeopordize their conjugal visits....

"Kevin, I never met a more pleasent ,decent inmate in my life.....It's hard to believe she's a triple murderer.." he said.

"Yeah...I can't believe it myself.." I said...

"Just one thing.." he said.

"Yeah, what?" I asked...

"Those two are so loud, when they, when they...you know..when they have their visits....They keep the entire wing awake with all of their ....uh...."

"Yeah,I know what'cha mean...I used to live across the street from them..." I said.

''Nice people though." he said.

I laughed and as I walked to my car I thought to myself ...In a strange kind of way...True Love conquers all doesn't it?


(For Anonymous....)



(The Song is for my main man, SLC)