Fool Me Once

"There was no Kenneth Jenkins D.T.  ,That's what I'm tryin to tell you..."Jenkins" is Private Investigator who was workin for Rollie Rollerson...He got the diamonds back and returned them to Rollerson, then he set you up for the long con...to get you outta the way.." said Bossman Jones , another retired or semi-retired playa depending on what day of the month you asked him.  The two of them were enjoying  New York Strip steaks, baked potatoes and green beans, chased by wine at The Bottom of the C....Dollar Bill's joint.

"Why that dirty chisler....." said D.T.

"Further more..."Jenkins" real name is Kevin Morris....It's kinda funny though...You doubled crossed him and all along, he was usin the old long con-short con game on you..heheheheheheh...." Laughed Bossman Jones.

"I don't find it funny at all...Now will you tell me why you got in touch with me?" said D.T.

''Simple... I know for a fact that Rollerson transferred those diamonds to the wall safe in his office at the Flomar Building...on the 22nd Floor.. I know that you're the best box man money can buy...So I got a proposition for ya." said Bossman Jones.

"I'm listenin." said D.T.

"Here's your chance to get Rollerson and his man back....My guy has a complete layout of that office, the security system, the safe and all....You get inside..Blow dat safe and get me those rocks and I'm willin to pay you a very pretty penny." said Bossman Jones.

"Whattt??? What's in it for you?" asked D.T.

" I already got a buyer...He's on a boat...He's already named his price......" said Bossman...

"What's in it for me?" asked D.T.

"2 Million." he said.

''Two mill...Albert Sane offered me six." he protested.

"Well from what I hear, that offer is now off the table....by the way, How is old Albert Sane doin these days?" laughed Bossman.

"Okay..Okay, I see your point....." said D.T.

"Oh and don't get any ideas about double crossin me...People I work with will find you and please believe me when I tell ya...They will still be finding pieces of you scattered all over the city for years to come..." he said.

''Now Bossman..come on.." protested D.T.

"No, You come on..Everybody knows what you did to Burt...he was your partner..." said Bossman.

"He stole from me...So I shot him and buried him along the Atlantic City expressway." said D.T.

"Yeah and those two kids in the drink...They steal from you too?" asked Bossman..

"They woulda just got in the way...I had to do em..." he said.

''What about the other two?" he asked.

"They are the two who stuck me up and killed Sane...I thought that at least one of em had the diamonds..I had to do them." he said.

"Well that's it...No more killin...just get the swag and we'll make the deal...Here is the layout..study it and do the deed." said Bossman....

"Got'cha....I'll see you in a few days.." said D.T. as he left in a hurry.

"Cheap good for nothin bastard...Left me with the bill." grumbled Bossman...

I walked out of the kitchen and sat down next to the semi-retired gangsta....

"He go for it?" I asked.

"Hook Line and sinker Kev...Just like you said he would...What a moron...and..He copped to four murders..I got it all on tape....Your guys heard and saw the whole thing." said Bossman...

"Yes they did...When he cracks that safe...He's going to get the surprise of his life." I said.  "Thanks again Bossman " I said and handed him an envelope with money in it...

''Don't worry about the meal Bossman, I got it." I said.

"My man Kev...Big difference between you and that cheap bastard." he said.

We both laughed out loud.


II-

The body of one Franklin "Ice " Fitzpatrick was found in Atlantic City with a neat little hole in his forehead and several of the phony dollars he had stolen from us stuck in his mouth...He had passed the phony money to the wrong people... He had been the guy with two .45's that had been the first to enter the room.

The other guy, Harry Cramblin had been picked up in New Orleans by the ATF and the FBI for passing the phony money around...Of course he told a fantastic story to them about how he got the money, but when the feds went to the hotel room here in Philly, Naturally it was an empty room and nobody remembered seeing me ,Kool Kat, Pakastani Sam, Clerow or Chelsea....In fact , the room was booked under the name "George Bush." and nobody recalled seeing "Mr. Bush"...Off to jail he went.

D.T. tried to fence those diamonds in Miami and got laughed out of town...He'd been took , again! and he was hopping mad.....So I arranged for Bossman Jones , an old school playa to contact him and put him back on the trail of the diamonds...It had been six weeks....And I know that he desperately wanted to get his hands on them.

III-

D.T. was the consumate pro...He used rope to repel the roof of the Flomar Building to the terrace...

Then he used a quiet ,but powerful laser to cut the glass and let himself in...He had already disabled the security system...He was Lockpick Johnson's rival when it came to this... Once inside...He used night vision goggles to make his way to the safe...He cracked the combonation and opened the safe in record time..He was good!  He poured all of the diamonds in his duffell bag and tied it tight!

That's when I turned the light on!! Standing next to me was FBI Special Agent in Charge, Frank Cotton...

"End of the Line D.T." I said.

''What?" he exclaimed...

"FBI...You're under arrest...for Interstate Flight to avoid prosecution for  about five murders, Grand Theft and that's just for starters....I've been wanting to put the cuffs on you for a long time D.T." he said.

He looked at me with a white hatred....

''A Private Investigator eh?  and a damn Fed....You guys set me up again." he laughed...

"You know what they say D.T., Fool me once ,shame on you, but fool me twice...I must be a fool." I said.

"No...Nooooooooooo...I aint going to jail...These are my diamonds...This is my retirement...I've worked too
hard... I aint goin out like this.." he said and dashed toward the window...

''Don't be a fool man, that's a 22 story drop." screamed Agent Cotton as he and I both lunged for D.T. , but he swiftly dove out of the window and grabbed his repelling rope and began to repel down the side of the building....

The rope began to give way for some reason and then to our horror, it snapped!!!

"OHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" screamed D.T. as he fell from damn near the top of the building into the street.......

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" he screamed...

His body crashed head first into the top of a parked  Escalade!!!  From the street,I imagine it was a horrible way to die..

When Agent Cotton and I got to the street...his feet were sticking out of the top of the car!...His bloody mangled and lifeless body was twisted and contorted inside the car!!!!

I looked at Agent Cotton....

"Kevin...Some guys have all the luck huh?" he said and shrugged...

"Yeah...some luck." I said.

EPILOUGE:

Sepia was happier than I'd ever seen her a few days later after she ran downstairs and got the mail....

''Heyyy what's up with you?" I asked....laughing myself at her exuberance...

"We got a letter from Rollie Rollerson." she said.

I was actually expecting a new car....

''Yeah, what is it about?" I asked.

"We've got two round trip airline tickets to the Virgin Islands and the free usage of his villa while we are there." she squealed with delight...

"WOW!! Now I feel like jumping up and down..." I said.

"How bout we go in two weeks?" she asked.

"Two weeks it is." I said...

Make no mistake about it...Rollie Rollerson ,as flawed as he is...is my favorite client..May he continue to get himself into jams that only I can get him out of.