Johnny In A Box

If ever there was a day that someone should have stayed in bed, alone....This was probably it. I didn't have time for the mail...So all through the night...I had my wife, Sepia, Bonita,Robert Foxworth, Chance, Anita, Corabeth,Bernadette and Harry Charles delivering DVD's to all of the different women that Johnny Porter was known to stay with...

The DVD's had all of his sexual exploits...with other women! detailed....You can imagine that the women weren't pleased and that his phones were blowing up....I can even imagine that the woman he was staying with at this very moment was exploding in rage and telling him to get out....

''Johnny you lyin cheatin lout...Don't ever call me again."


''Baby, what you talkin about?"


"You Lyin dog...lose my number."


''Hey, I wasn't with no other woman."

"You are such a liar,it's all here on this DVD that was mailed to me."


''DVD? Somebody taped me.??..Hey that wasn't me..that was my lookalike cousin."


"Don't ever come to my house again."

''Baby please, let me explain."



Meanwhile, he was still worried as to where his driver/hitman, Theodore Hayer was and why he hadn't returned or called...Johnny had to drive his own car over to his girlfriend's house....

But wait!  It gets worse....The Philadelphia Police, Pennsylvania State Police and FBI Violent Crimes task force arrested close to 55 young street dealers during the early morning in a series of raids...They raided the Steak and hoagie shop and arrested Christopher "Mellow Man" White, and Calvin "Cheese Steak" Waller... Kwame "Monk"Peterson was arrested later that day at the train station...

Clerow and Kool Kat delivered the video and audio evidence anonymously to the neccesary authorities, which made it almost a wrap for Johnny Porter's street organization...

The FBI and DEA Drug task force arrested his connect in Atlanta and close to 39 associates and in the Bahamas....The DEA and local authorities arrested his other connect and close to 20 of his associates....Things were really getting bad....Johnny's associates from New York City were hearing the news and blowing his phone up, wanting to know who in his organization was snitching..

At Peeping Tom's house that morning we picked up this call to Johnny's cell...It was from New York City.

"Hello"


"Johnny, what the hell is going on in Philly man?" came a voice.


"Man, hell if I know..Somebody done sent DVD's to all of my girls...got me all jammed up." said Johnny.


"Man screw you and your ho's..You turned the news on? The cops been arresting your boys...All of em....and the Feds..
They got Solly in Atlanta and Ricky in the Bahamas...Those were OUR connects!!"


"Man, I don't know...I just woke up..." said Johnny.


"Well you better do somethin...Somebody in your shop is runnin their mouth, they gave up your whole operation..We sendin a guy down there to help you out..."


"I don't need no help." snapped Johnny.


"Get ya head out of your butt fool...I'm the only one that stands between you and sudden death...Talk to your people...and do it soon."


"Okay...Okay." said Johnny sullenly..


"When we sent you down there, we told you to keep things quiet...don't draw any attention..Now you all over the news and innocent people gettin knocked by the cops and the federallis."


''Alright man, let me get myself together and make a few calls." said Johnny.


(Click!)



Kool Kat, Clerow, Sean Jackson, Lockpick Johnson, Peeping Tom,Chance Howard and I all broke out into laughter as we listened to Johnny getting reamed out by someone backing him in New York...He had no idea how bad things were going.

On this morning....Johnny Porter's world was indeed upside down....Kool Kat,Clerow and I followed him as he attempted to drive to the funeral home and the crematorium only to see the Police arriving and arresting the three men working there and impounding information...Including the bodies of recently murdered Laura Aponte and Ingrid Williams..Apparently they hadn't gotten around to disposing of them the night before...

He was burning up the phones trying to find Theo Hayer, but it was too late...Per my instructions..He had already been dropped off to homicide , with a DVD that showed him murdering two women.....

Hayer was singing like a canary , talking not only about those two women , but the others, Old man Heffington, Beautiful Bobby, Big Goat, Fly Tyrone Wallace, Cakeman Raven, Kornbread Earl Evans, Manny Rodriguez and Tone Capone Muhammad. He even named a few that we didn't know about...He gave up the entire operation....to save himself from a needle...

By Mid afternoon the following day...Johnny Porter was a wanted man, Wanted for close to 17 murders as well as drug charges....He had gone from being a Kingpin to a has been just like that!
It felt good..

"Where do you think he'll go now?" I asked Kool Kat.

"He's probably got a safe somewhere...He'll go for the money.....He'll go to ground for awhile until he can get his head together and get out of town.." said Kool Kat.

"Well we aren't going to give him that chance." I said.

"We still got the GPS unit on his car" said Kool Kat.

"Yeah and we can still listen to any calls he makes on his cell phone." I added.

''My guess is...he's going to call his lawyer." said Kool Kat.

"Who is his lawyer?" I asked...

''Who else would rep a snake like him...Joel Slezak."said Kool Kat.

"Hey, he repped you once didn't he?" I added, laughing...

Kool Kat winced....

"Yeah...Yeah...Come on Kev...Let's get over to his office." he said....Now it was my turn to laugh.

II-

It didn't take Kool Kat and I long to get to Joel Slezak's office and lay it out for him...That he had no choice but to help us or he'd be going down with Johnny Porter.
This was a bluff, There was no mention of the sleazy lawyer on any of our tapes, but he didn't know that and I was pretty sure, he funnelled messages to the contacts and off shore accounts of Johnny and his associates as well as other quasi legal help that could get him censored or disbarred.

Around 5:00 pm...Johnny Porter called him...Just like Kool Kat and I figured he would-

"Slezak...You gotta help me." said Johnny.

"You're in a lot of trouble Johnny...All of your people are in jail...and a lot of em are talking and cuttin deals faster than they can be bribed . I can't get near any of em....The police have an all points bulletin out for you for several murders..Who did you piss off?" laughed the lawyer.

"Somebody is snitchin and they are dead as soon as I find out who.." snapped Johnny.

"That's the least of your worries now kid..." said Slezak.

"I know...I gotta get out of town...You gotta get to my safe deposit box...get me some dough...I need about five mill man...put it in a briefcase..and I'll tell you where to get to me." said Johnny.

"Hey man...I'm not going to risk being seen with you....The FBI is watching my office...
I'm going to send my guy to you with your dough." he said.

"What guy?" said Johnny.

"A guy who works for me...He'll bring your stash....Don't call me on this phone anymore, it's too risky." said Slezak.

"Okay....I'll be at the Emporium Rooming House....In two hours..." he said.

"My guy drives a brand new Lexus...He'll be there." said Slezak.

"Cool...thanks Slezak." said Johnny...

"Don't mention it....I mean really...don't mention it." he said.

He hung up.....

"Okay...I did what you want...Now leave me be." said Slezak..

Kool Kat pulled out his .357 mag and aimed it at the lawyer.....

"Hey,put that thing away!!!" he said.

"This is just a reminder...Don't get any fancy ideas about double crossing us ya hear?...My gun is in good workin condition." said Kool Kat gruffly...

Clerow walked in at just that moment..He was wearing a very expensive new suit and had a shiny .45 on him....He looked at us and grinned.

"Nice suit Clerow." I said.

"Yeah, hangin around me has paid off." laughed Kool Kat.

Clerow grinned that toothy grin of his...

"Clerow...babysit the shyster here..Make sure he doesn't make any unwarranted phone calls." said Kool Kat...

"Y-You...You can't do that." he said...

I looked at him and smiled....Kool Kat and I headed for the door...Clerow sat down, cocked his gun and grinned...

"Hey man..you got anything to drink in yo refrigerator?"

III-

I stopped by and picked up Sepia....I had her sit at the wheel of my car...I figured she wouldn't make Johnny feel uncomfortable or antsy...Kool Kat set up about a block away....I carried a steel brief case. I wore a grey,Italian cut suit...I looked like a banker or a lawyer....

After the longest thirty minutes in history or what seemed like it...Sepia said to me...

''Showtime Lover."

I smiled....

Johnny Porter and another man came walking down the street...The man was muscular, short and was wearing a sports jacket....I could see that he was packing heat...Oh Johnny...He never took anything for granted...

He saw Sepia and he winked at her...She didn't crack a smile...She pulled out a compact and began applying makeup...

"You with Slezak?" he asked.

"Am I?..Who might you be?" I asked.

"Hey, don't get smart, He asked you a question." said the other guy.

"How many times a day do you get slapped ?" I asked...

Just like  I thought, he went for his gun...Only to hear the click of Sepia's gun....She opened the door of my car and aimed a .38 smokeless at both of them...

Johnny smiled...

"Nice...you got a skirt workin wit you....Nice touch...Fine skirt too, Too fine for you....Just toss me my dough." he said.

I tossed him the briefcase...

He grimaced....

"It's kind of light." he said.

Then he opened it....It was empty!

"Heyyyy, what the hell is this...there's nothin in it." he said and he pulled his gun...Sepia cocked hers and fired a round over both of their heads...They both ducked...

"Nothin Johnny, that's what you got nothin..It's all over, You got no streets, no connects, no money, nothin...Not even any girlfriends....it's all over...and you know why?? Too many bodies Johnny..Too many ghosts...You killed too many people..." I said.

"You got nothin..nothin...none of those cats will rat on me...they too scared.." he snarled..

"Oh I'm afraid they already are...and you're wrong Johnny,I got you, I got you in a box...Nice and neatly wrapped up for delivery." I said.

Kool Kat walked up and disarmed both of them...Several Police Cars drove up and Lt. Sissy Van Buren, three Detectives and four uniformed policeman came with her...

She looked at Johnny Porter and frowned....


"You're Johnny Porter, the Kingpin everybody was whispering about?? I expected a little more." she said..

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Detective, read him his rights and book him on 17 counts of First degree Murder." she said.

"What about me?  I aint got nothin to do with this...I aint even from here...I'm from Brooklyn." said the short muscular guy.

Sissy looked at him and said-

"There's a Greyhound Bus headed back to New York tonight...Be on that bus."

''Yes mam...See ya around Johnny." he said as he ran off in a huff!... Kool Kat laughed.

"Call Clerow...Tell him to cut Slezak loose ." I said.

As the police hauled Johnny Porter away, Sissy looked at me and smiled...

"I guess I owe you an apology...When you say you're on to something, you're never wrong...Wow!..." she said.

''When are you gonna learn to trust me Sissy?" I asked.

''What makes you think I don't?  I'm here aren't I?"she said and smiled at me very sweetly.

I just smiled...

EPILOUGE:

Johnny Porter was convicted of 17 Murders...and sentenced to die by lethal injection....Theo Hayer who actually killed the 17 people on orders from Johnny was given Life without possibility of Parole.  Kwame "Monk" Peterson was also given a life sentence....Calvin "Cheese steak" Waller and Christopher White were given 25 years each...

With all of the major players either dead or in jail....Our area of the city was actually very quiet for a long while...Children playing on the street corners again and in the park and playgrounds was now a normal sight...
Old people were now staying out a lot longer...

With the police presence a little better, Most guys who thought about dealing drugs moved their operations elsewhere...

One afternoon, Sepia and I sat in the park...We had two bottles of Champaigne, two glasses and some ice..
We toasted each other..

"Wow Kev....what do you think about us going back to AC...Just you and me?" she said.

"That would be a great idea." I said.

"Did Robert and Conrad pay you for finding out what happened to Cakeman and the other guys?" she asked.

''Oh yeah, they payed...That's why I like working for lawyers..." I said with a smile...

"What's going to happen to that Funeral Home that Johnny owned?" she asked.

"They bulldozed it last week." I said.

"They did?" she asked.

"Yeah....Nothin there but an empty lot...We can drive over there one night...Sometimes I swear you can hear em." I said.

''Hear who?"asked Sepia..

''The dead.. Cakeman, Laura, Fly Ty, Beautiful Bobby, Mr. Heff....All of em...sayin "Thank you Kevin, you got that bastard that killed us." I laughed...

Sepia punched me in the arm playfully...

"You got some imagination lover." she laughed....

I laughed too...Indeed I did!

Laura's Vendetta

"You know he did it...You know he did it!!!  What are you gonna do about it? screamed Laura Aponte, who was crying hysterically as Kool Kat and I attempted to comfort her...It had been 48 hours...Two days and there had been no sign of Manny Rodriguez...Her boyfriend and the last Drug Kingpin in the area...Six other playas had all vanished without a trace over the summer, Big Goat, Tone Capone Muhammad, Beautiful Bobby Hunter, Fly Tyrone Wallace, Kornbread Earl Evans , Cakeman Raven and now, Manny Rodriguez...In each case...Nobody saw a thing, nobody heard a thing...not a gunshot fired!!!, Not a sign of a struggle and not a raised voice!!  Nothing!! All of the men vanished into thin air!!!!

None of them were the type of guys that anybody would care about or miss, except maybe girlfriends!  The people who worked for them, quietly accepted the leadership of Johnny Porter, a New York playa who had moved to Philly and in one quiet summer, had taken over an entire area of the city...with Manny Rodriguez's territory, he now was more powerful than Fathead Newton, The Diaz Brothers and Lin Chou. He was rich behind his wildest desires and he was indeed the King.  The cops had nothing on him....He had no prior police record, and since the streets were quiet, they could care less if he was running things...

"Look Baby, Me and Kev here are working on Johnny Porter, we been following him around for awhile now..If Johnny made the snatch...We are gonna get him." said Kool Kat.

''What you gonna do? Johnny has guys all over this area...It's just two of you....You'll be dead just like Manny
if you try anything...You aint gonna do nothin." she said.

"Have you talked to the Police?"I asked ,knowing how lame that sounded. Even Kool Kat looked at me and gave me a side eye...

"The police?   The police?  They don't give a damn about Manny, a latino drug dealer...Hell, they glad they don't have to worry about him...I can't prove that Johnny Porter did this...but everybody knows...everybody on the streets know and they are all afraid...." she said as she continued sobbing.

She was right of course...The more and more Kool Kat or I asked around about Cakeman Raven or Kornbread Evens or Fly Tyrone Wallace or any of the others, the more and more people began to clam up, to talk less....You could feel the fear on the streets...Nobody wanted to be the next person to vanish...

And Laura was right....I went to Homicide and tried to talk to Lt.Sissy Van Buren, but even she didn't seem to care.

''Kevin these are grown men...You haven't given me one witness, not one person who can say that they saw them abducted or even roughed up...Just because they aren't around...doesn't mean they are dead...You want me to open up an investigation based on hearsay on the street? With no body?? No murder weapon, no suspects and no witnesses..Come onnnnn...we try to duck some punches around here...." she said.  I thanked her for her time and quietly left. She was right though!

II-

Kool Kat and Clerow and I sat in my car drinking coffee and talking...

"What are we going to do boss? Looks like Johnny Porter holds all the cards." said Clerow.

"Not all.....Clerow ,Call Chance , and call Sean Jackson...I want to take a closer look at that Funeral Home that he owns.." I said.

"He owns a funeral home and a creamatorium?" asked Kool Kat

"Yeah...He bought old Zack Heffington's place....." I said.

"Whatever happened to old Zack?" asked Clerow.

"Good Question....He hasn't been seen either in close to a year...Right around the time Johnny bought it." I said.

"Wait a minute....He comes to town a year ago...buys a Funeral Home and a Creamatorium just like that..he sits back and waits until the powerful Eldorado Mack takes a fall, because at the time, he doesn't have enough muscle to take that guy on...Naturally, when the big man takes a fall, all of the smaller players carve up his empire....but by now..a year has passed and our boy Johnny has a crew now...and one by one..he wipes out the competition...and takes even more than Eldorado Mack had..." said Kool Kat....

"Kools...you're right....Nine will get you ten that that is how he gets rid of the bodies...Somebody does the snatch....and they get cremated.....No evidence...no fuss...no muss...Quiet...no attention on him...It's beautiful.I don't know why I didn't see this yesterday." I said.

III-

Chance ,Sean Jackson and I found the funeral home and creamatorium that Johnny Porter owned...We sat across the street from it in a rented car with tinted windows...We watched Johnny Porter himself and his driver ,Theo "Lights Out" Hayer drive up and enter through the front...His main man...Kwame "Monk" Peterson arrived with two associates carrying two breifcases...Calvin "Cheese Steak''  Waller and Christopher "Mellow Man" White also drove up and entered...Two armed hoods stood guard outside.

"Man, it's a shame we can't get in there and bug that place." I said.

"I came out here Kev and watched the place....There is somebody in there at all times..." said Chance Howard.

"That's where the money comes and is counted and stored and distributed." I said...

''That's where they have their meetings.." said Sean Jackson...

"And this is where the bodies come.....They are snatched and killed and brought here and disposed of...Nice and easy, Nice and Clean.....If you start with old man Heffington and then Big Goat, Tone Capone, Beautiful Bobby, Fly Tyrone, Kornbread, Cakeman and now Manny....that's where your bodies are...or now...ashes..." I said.

''Porter's a mass murderer!" said Chance.

"Yeah and we can't prove it...but we can start shaking things up...Make his world turn upside down." I said.

"Yeah...we got enough to start the ball rollin, start gettin his people arrested...Maybe one of em will cut a deal." said Sean Jackson.

"That's what I'm hoping...but it'll have to be somebody big like Mellow Man or Cheese Steak ,Monk or Hayer...They're the ones who know anything that can put Johnny away."I said.  Chance Howard and Sean Jackson nodded in agreement.

After I took Sean Jackson and Chance Howard home....I headed home.....Sepia was waiting for me when I got home...

We kissed and she sat on my lap in the living room..

"You got a letter in the mail today." she said and handed me a letter written with very good  but distinct penmanship.  It read-

"Dear Kevin...I know you and Kool Kat meant well...but you are naive if you think the police will do anything to a guy like Johnny Porter or for a guy like Manny Rodriguez....I'm going to just have to take justice in my own hands....I've got a gun and I'm going after Johnny...He eats at Bottom of the C with one of his broads tonight...If I vanish like the others...you'll know who was behind it...take care of yourself...Laura."

I showed the letter to Sepia....

"Is she crazy?" asked Sepia...

"Crazy or dead....I gotta find Kool Kat....I'll be back" I said.

"Be careful." said Sepia.

Kool Kat and I went to Bottom of the C.   I asked Dollar Bill if Johnny Porter had come in.....

''Yeah, he was here...with some broad.. I need to keep a scorecard with that guy, different broad everytime.." he laughed...

''Nobody else was here to see him?" I asked.

"Nope....He left about an hour ago.." said Dollar Bill...

"The video cameras you have in the parking lot and in the back alley...They still work?" I asked.

"Yeah...sure...." said Dollar Bill...

"I need to see them...." I said.

"Okay Kev...." he said.

Dollar Bill walked me past the kitchen to a room that held his safe and several television monitors...He ran the film back one hour and there it was...What I had been waiting to see...

As Johnny and his girl appeared to be waiting for his driver to pick them up...Laura Aponte approached them in the parking lot...

"Hello Johnny....Long time no see you creep." she said as she aimed the gun at him..


"Heyyyyyyyyyyy sayyyyy...what's up with you...put that heater down girl...you don't want it with me like that." he said.


"You killed Manny you cockroach and I'm gonna do the city of Philadelphia a favor and eliminate you." she snarled and cocked her weapon...


Johnny's girl screamed....Johnny stood in front of her...he raised his hands up as if in surrender...


'' Hey...Hey...heyyyyy look...look...you aint gotta do this....I didn't kill Manny...Manny is fine...He's in New York on some business for me...Really! Come on Laura, me and you, we both from Brooklyn baby..We should n't be gettin down like this" he said..


"LIAR!"she shouted...Just then...she dropped to the ground....Johnny's driver, Theo "Light's Out" Hayer, the tall bald man with the menacing shades had shot her with a silencer....Killed her....


"What took you so long?" snapped Johnny, angrilly...


"That Lincoln Drive traffic is a killer." he said.


''Get the body in the car." said Johnny...


''Wait...I'm not riding in no car with a dead body." said Johnny's date...Johnny frowned and nodded to his driver...To our horror..Theo aimed the gun at his date and fired two times...Killing her instantly!!!!


"Man, it's gonna be a hot time at the creamatorium tonight boss." said Theo.


"She was good in bed...but a pain in the ass otherwise...I won't miss her too much. Call the crew up, tell em to fire up the oven...we got two." said Johnny Porter as he looked around.

''Oh my God. That was an hour ago...I'm surprised wasn't nobody in the parking lot."said Dollar Bill as we turned the Television off...

''Yeah, Johnny's been lucky like that...About seven times...but everybody 's luck run out on em eventually." said Kool Kat.

"Bill ,Print that tape and give it to me. This is what I've been waiting for...I finally know how he's been making people disappear and what has been happening to them" I said...Just then, I heard a gun click.....

"I'm afraid I'm gonna need that video tape." came the voice...It was the voice of Theo "Light's Out" Hayer....He didn't miss much...Johnny tied up all loose ends...He probably figured that there might be a camera and he sent Theo Hayer back here to get it. I wasn't about to play games with him...I quietly slipped my.38 smokeless out ...I gave Kool Kat the eye...The big man nodded and we both spun around and aimed our guns at his head.. His 357 Magnum and my .38 smokeless...He wasn't expecting any resistance, He was astounded...

"Heyyyyy, what is this?" he said.

"I think my .38 and my man Kool Kat's .357 mag beats your little pop gun with a silencer ,don't you Kools?"I said.   Kool Kat smiled and nodded.

"Mannn, you don't know who you messin wit." said Hayer.

"Drop your heater son...We given the orders now...DROP IT..I AINT ASKIN YOU AGAIN!" said Kool Kat loudly as I disarmed him. He was now clearly frightened to death...Hard to believe this stone cold killer was afraid...but I think I'd be afraid of Kool Kat myself if I were in his shoes.

"You're in a lot of trouble pal." I said.

"What are you guys, cops?" he said.

"You'd be better off with the cops." said Kool Kat.... Hayer believed him, he was shaking like a leaf.

His face dropped....

Dollar Bill helped us tie him up and we blind folded him....

We walked him out the back of the restaraunt and put him in the trunk of my car....We drove him out to Fathead's safehouse in Southwest Philly....and hoarded him into the backroom...Roscoe and Ralph Mole were already there...

"Who is this clown Kevin?" asked Ralph Mole.

"This is the killer who has been taking out some of your top competition out our way..Meet Mr. Lights out!" I said.

"Oh really.?" laughed Roscoe...

"Sit on him Roscoe...We'll be back for him tomorrow." I said.

Roscoe just laughed.

"Man..When Johnny finds out...you guys is dead...." whimpered Hayer.

''When Johnny finds out?  , When Johnny finds out??? Man, I want Johnny to find out....Aint nobody scared of Johnny, but you? You think I'm worried about jOhnny?" I said to him...

Roscoe was beside himself with laughter now....Ralph Mole smiled a little bit...  Fathead Newton himself was sitting in the living room eating an Italian Hoagie..He smirked...and shook his head and smiled.

Kool Kat tapped me on the shoulder..

"Come on Kev...We got a long day tomorrow ." he said. I smiled and closed the door to the room, Theo Hayer was sitting in tied up.

.

IV-

Kool Kat and I sat on my steps drinking beer and talking...

"So do we put the kibosh on this clown Kevin or what?" he asked.

"Oh we are going to have fun....By this time tomorrow night..Johnny Porter's world is not going to be the same at all." I said.

The Big  man smiled.

(Conclusion Next-)

Last Holdout

"That's Him" said Kool Kat and Chance Howard almost in unison as the strutting, swaggering Johnny Porter walked out of one of the many young lady's homes that he was known to stay in...He was about my height, brown skinned, no facial hair, slim build.  Nothing fancy about him...He wore a blue Polo shirt, some nice pressed jeans and some brand new white Nike Sneakers....Except for an expensive Movado watch and a pinky ring...He wore no other jewelry and there was nothing about him that would draw attention to him...he looked like any other guy walking the street.  Who would imagine that this guy owned all of the "real estate" in my section of the city almost...

A 2012 Lincoln Navigator sat outside the woman's home...A tall bald headed , dark skinned man in jeans, white polo shirt and dark shades stood with his arms folded as Johnny Porter walked towards the car..He handed him a bottled water and they both got in the car and pulled off...Sean Jackson took two photos of the car and several of Johnny Porter and his driver. The Baldheaded man was Theodore "Lights Out" Hayer, a cold blooded killer who had worked for Eldorado Mack and a number of other major playas before winding up with Johnny Porter.

In the coming days....Peeping Tom and Locksmith Johnson broke into and wired the homes of about six girls , whom Johnny was known to spend the night with....Those two and Sean Jackson snapped photos of and followed all of the young corner drug dealers who plied their trade on the corners of the absent players who had suddenly just vanished...We followed them and took more photos of them without them knowing....
From our surveillance we saw that all of his close to 55 drug dealers turned in their take and was paid by one of three people....Kwame "Monk" Peterson....a cold blooded killer if ever there was one....Calvin "Cheesesteak" Waller, who owned a steak and hoagie shop that like Cakeman Raven's bakery was a front for laundering money, picking up new "product" (drugs) and discussing business. and Christopher "Mellow Man" White, who appeared to be Johnny's second in command..We wired the steak and hoagie shop and picked up a lot of interesting conversation from there.

Chance Howard got us license plate numbers from all of their cars , which led to addresses and even more semi -legal wiretaps... Because this operation had now grown so big...I had to have more people listening to them...So my wife, Sepia, Corabeth, Sheila,Chelsea,  Chance ,Anita ,Bernadette, Harry Charles ,Robert Foxworth  and Bonita all got recruited to listen into the many conversations from phones and cell phones that we were monitoring...Women ,being inquisitive and newsy anyway enjoyed this...

Our intelligence gleaned information on drop sites and on a supplier from Atlanta and one from the Bahamas that was supplying Johnny his stash, and little else... Johnny Porter was not on any of our video or audio taped surveillance. In fact, his name was never spoken... All we had of  him was his sexual escapades with the various ladies...He never talked shop. He didn't even carry a gun....There was no mention of the missing players, Cakeman Raven, Kornbread Earl evans, Fly Tyrone Wallace, Beautiful Bobby Hunter, Tone Capone Muhammad or Big Goat ...All six men and some rumored others had just vanished off the face of the earth...But we had the book on his top Lieutenants and his organization...In time...I could use what we had gathered to put them all away...but it wasn't really them I wanted...I wanted the location of all of the now legion of missing young men and if they were indeed dead,for the man responsible, one Johnny Porter to pay....Right now, I had absolutely nothing that could make Johnny Porter personally pay for anything.

II-

And then we got the break we were looking for....Well kind of....A few nights later, Peeping Tom, Locksmith Johnson, Clerow,Sean Jackson and I were at his house listening to Manny Rodriguez and his girl, Laura Aponte having sex..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....do it Mannny..oHHHHHHHHHHHH, slap me, beat me...just doo me.....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."


"Ohhhhhh girl....it is soooo goood ,arggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh..."


"Go papi goooooooooooooo....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

The bed was squeaking and the headboards were slamming up against the wall......Clerow ,Lockpick Johnson and Sean Jackson were laughing and clapping as though they were seeing a porn movie...I was disgusted...All of this surveillance had turned up little or nothing on the missing men and then we heard a phone ring....

"Who the hell is that?" snapped Manny...

"Ohhhh Manny don't stop, don't stopppppppppppppppp...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."


"Hold up....Hold up...it's my cell phone...wait..."


"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....." he wailed as he continued to pound into her with reckless abandon.


"Oiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......"she cooed and moaned


"Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." he wailed

"Oh God, that was so good Manny...soooo intense." she said


"Wait....the damn phone is still ringing.....Hello...WHO IS THIS?" snapped Manny.


"Mannnyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...it's me...Johnny.!" came a voice.


"What do you want?" snapped Manny...


"You know what I talked about yesterday .....You're the last hold out." said Johnny Porter..


"No...I aint holdin out...I aint givin you 50 percent or nothin else...You offered Cakeman Raven 25 percent." snapped Manny.


"Yes and he refused me...By the way...You seen Cakeman lately?  How's he doin?" laughed Johnny.


"Is that some kind of threat?You don't scare me Johnny...I will bury you and anyone you try to send against me." asked Manny.

"Oh? Is that so?" said Johnny.

"Yeah that's so...and I can get the Diaz Brothers to back me." said Manny.


"Think so huh?" laughed Johnny.


"You just make a move and you'll find out." said Manny.


"Tough talk little man..." laughed Johnny.


"I'm done talkin to you." said Manny defiantly.


"Goodbye Manny, have a nice life...Tell that fine girlfriend of yours I said What's uppppppppp!." said Johnny laughing maniacally..


''Screw you." said Manny and he hung up.


"Who was that, Johnny Porter again?" asked Luara.


"Yeah...tryin to threaten me....Tomorrow...I'm callin the boys...We gonna find that cockroach and exterminate him." said Manny..


"Good for you Johnny." she cooed.

(Click)


Peeping Tom , Lockpick Johnson, Sean Jackson and Clerow looked at me......

"Guys...we got him....we got him good....First time we got his voice on tape....." I said.

''Yeah, but you don't have him making a direct threat, you don't have him sayin much of nothing...It's all implied." said Peeping Tom.

''I know...maybe if we follow Manny, we can catch Johnny or Johnny's guys in the act...Flip one of em and put an end to that swaggering bastard." I reasoned.

"Sounds Personal Kev." mused Tom.

"He's just so cocky...I'd like to wipe that smirk off of his face." I said.

"We better find Manny Rodriguez pretty soon Kev...or he'll become victim number seven." said Clerow.

"You're right...We'll catch his goons in the act or whoever he has taking out his contracts and we got Johnny in a box for sure....Plus we got enough stuff gleaned from our surveillance to take down his entire organization." I said as we all toasted.

III-

The next morning, I was in Robert Foxworth's offices having coffee with him and his young protoge', Chance Howard.

"Kev do you think all of the legwork you've been doing and all the data you got on Johnny Porter..can prove he's responsible for Cakeman and the other's disapearences?" asked Robert...

"Nah...Can't prove it...I'm pretty sure that Cakeman and the others are dead...but today I'm going to stop him from snatching someone else and catch him in the act..." I said.

"Yeah, but how much good will that do ?" asked Robert....It was a good question...a question I couldn't answer.

''Hey Kev...I meant to tell you....I did some research on our boy, Johnny Porter....He bought a Funeral Home and crematorium last year..." said Chance.

"A Funeral Home and a Creamatorium??" I asked.

"Yeah...He bought old Zack Heffington's place....." said Chance.

"Whatever happened to old Zack?" I asked...

"Man, nobody's seen or heard from him since last year.....I think he left town." said Robert Foxworth....

"Left town?" I asked...

"Yeah....His place sat empty for close to a year...Then Johnny Porter bought it and restaffed it." said Chance.

"Why would he buy a Funeral Home and a Creamatorium?" I asked.

"It's a legitimate business...They all buy legitimate businesses to launder money through, Steak shop, Barbershop, Bakery, Strip joint...You know that Kev." said Robert Foxworth...

"Yeah, I know.....I'll look into that later...Gotta go find Manny Rodriguez." I said.

IV-

Manny Rodriguez always stopped by Jakes to have a Hot Dog , a cup of coffee and read his paper every morning...But today...No Manny!!!

''Jake, Did Manny Rod stop in this morning?" I asked.

"Nah...and I'm surprised...because his Yankees won last night and he never misses a chance to rib me about it." laughed Jake.

I looked at Kool Kat....He shrugged.

"He was up all night screwing his girl...He's probably still sleeping it off." I said.

We drove over to her house....Manny's car was gone!!!  We drove to Manny's House....No car, no sign of Manny!!!!

Kool Kat looked at me somberly....

"Kev , we blew it..." he said.

"What do you mean?" I said.

"That was our last chance to get at him....Manny's gone man...He's dead by now." said Kool Kat.

"What?" I said.

"Manny Rodriguez was the last hold out, the last playa who had any territory...He's gone , Game set match...Johnny Porter is the new Kingpin of Northwest Philadelphia....He rules the world now!  There is nobody left." said Kool Kat.

He was right.....I had failed in a big way , What was there to be done about Johnny?

(To Be Continued....)

The Tracks Of My Fears

I guess I should be happy...I was now doing investigative work for Two Lawyers, Robert Foxworth and Conrad Nelson...searching for three missing gangsters who I could care less about...but who had all vanished in the past month seemingly without a trace...

One night, Chance Howard, Clerow, Sean Jackson and I retread all of the places that Cakeman Raven had been known to go, Josie's, The Mermaid Club, Bottom of the C, Mulberry Street and Rollo Jones's Strip club....No one had seen him in weeks...Kornbread Earl and Fly Tyrone Wallace had not been seen in any of these joints either and that was strange indeed..They were always around at one or more of these places..We must have talked to close to 100 people and we came up with nothing.

The next day, Clerow and I visited the barber shop that all of the neighborhood players went to to get their fresh haircuts and we got a little something.

"Yeah...Kornbread Earl Evans was in here...waitin to get a haircut about two Fridays ago...Then he seen a man outside...The guy just kept walking up and down the street...He lit a cigarette, walked away...Then walked back..Stared in the window....Kornbread asked me to let him out the back exit....I did and that's the last I seen of him....In fact, I went out there a few minutes later to let him know that the man was gone, but he was gone...Just like that!!" said Willie Otis...The Barber.

"This man...that kept walkin up and down the street...you ever see him before?" I asked.

"Yeah once...I don't know him...but he drives Johnny Porter around town a lot." said Willie Otis.

"Who is Johnny Porter?" I asked.

"You don't know?  He's the new playa in town..He's from New York.....In just a few months, he's taken over this whole area...Took Eldorado Mack's corners when he went to jail and then some..." said Willie Otis.

"Was Kornbread beefin with him?" I asked..

"Aww man, I don't get into that stuff...I just cut hair." said Willie Otis.

"Okay man...thanks...What about Fly Tyrone Wallace?" I asked.

"Damn Kev...you askin about all of the major guys....He was my main customer...I aint seen him in about a month....He in jail?" asked Willie Otis...

"No....he hasn't been seen either." I said.

"Wow.What's goin on?" asked Willie Otis.

"That's what we tryin to find out bossman." said Clerow....I just smiled.

"Thanks Willie O." I said as we left.

"Feel like a doughnut and some coffee Clerow?" I said.

II-

We next went to Cakeman Raven's Bakery, which was still being operated by his associates.....Clerow and I ordered a half dozen doughnuts and two steaming hot tumblers of coffee...We sat down at one of the tables..

''Everybody know that Cakeman Raven is one of the biggest drug dealers in the city Kev, but his bakery makes the best pastries and serves the best coffee around, you can't argue with that." said Clerow.

"Yeah, that's true....Corrie and Sepia will love these doughnuts....I tell Sepia not to come down here, but she does anyway." I laughed.

"That's that North Jersey girl in her." laughed Clerow.

The manager, Sam Stone came and sat down with us...

"Kev...I was talkin to Attorney Foxworth and his young protoge' Chance Howard and they tole me that you'd be coming by here at sometime." he said.

''Oh they did?" I said.

"Yeah....Look, the last time I saw Cakeman was a week ago...Two guys come in here...They was Johnny Porters boys...They sat over there in that booth and they talked for about an hour...It got pretty loud...and Cakeman had his two security guards toss them both out.... Then he got a phone call and he left in a huff...and when he came back...he looked like he'd seen a ghost...He went in the back and took some money out of the safe and then he went upstairs to his office and he packed a bag....He tole me that he was goin out of town for a couple of days and to mind the store and that was the last I seen of him." he said.

"Okay...So Cakeman left town?" I said.

''No...I don't think he did..I went out in the back alley the next day and I found the bag he emptied the safe with...Full of money...about 50 large Kev....and his grip with his clothes in it....All in the back alley...He wouldn't have taken the time to gather his clothes and some money and just drop em in the back alley..That's when I called Attorney Foxworth." said Sam Stone.

"Hmmmmm.....Where can I find this Johnny Porter?" I asked.

''It's hard to say...He stays with several young ladies....He don't stay the same place two nights in a row...He's all over the map." said Sam.

"Okay Sam....Thanks...I'll be in touch if I find out anything about Cakeman." I said.

"Thanks Kev.'' he said.

III-

Clerow drove me home , on the drive home I talked aloud.

"There's a nasty pattern here Clerow...Do you see it?" I asked.

"This New Yorker, Johnny Porter moves here right after Eldorado Mack goes to jail...He takes over all of his action and then starts cutting into Kornbread Earl Evans action, Fly Tyrone Wallace's action and now it seems Cakeman Raven's action....Now all of these guys are heavy hitters...Not ones to idly sit by and let some outsider come in and take what's theres...These guys had muscle and influence...Now ....they have all just vanished and Johnny Porter is sitting pretty." I said.

''Usually Kev, when a new guy moves in...There's bloodshed, You know, shootouts, bodies fallin...But it's been relatively quiet all summer long...Not a drug related or gangland murder all summer...I must say,it's been damn enjoyable." laughed Clerow..

"Damn enjoyable and damn unrealistic." I said.

"Oh here we are...." said Clerow.

"Thanks for the lift....Don't eat anymore of those doughnuts...Corrie and the kids won't have none." I joked.

Clerow smiled and winked and pulled off.

I met Kool Kat at Mulberry Street, the rooftop bar ,restaurant and jazz club the next night and talked to him about my latest case ...

"So you workin for two lawyers huh Kev?  You done moved up in the world." laughed the big man.

"Yeah...I've been all over town lookin for Cakeman Raven, Kornbread Earl Evans and Fly Tyrone Wallace...three of the biggest Drug Kingpins this side of Fathead Newton and they are all missing."I said.

"They dead Kev." he said just as matter of factly as if he was saying it was a cloudy night.

"Look Kev...I hear things on the street that even you don't hear....They dead, you might as well stop lookin for em." he said.

"Johnny Porter?" I said.

"I'm impressed...That means you hear a little somethin somethin too at times." he said.

"Okay...what do you hear Kool Kat?" I asked.

Porter told them he wanted fifty percent of their action.....You know Fly Ty...He told him to go take a jump in the lake...and Fly Ty aint been seen or heard from since...Kornbread Evans called in a squad of hitters from
New Jersey to take Johnny out....Aint seen hide nor hair of none of em or Kornbread Earl Evans...and Cakeman Raven just vanished..pffft....Before him, Beautiful Bobby Hunter, who originally took over from Eldorado Mack disapeared in broad daylight!! That was two months ago....Tone Capone Muhammad?? Him too Kev...One Minute he was at Jake's havin a hot dog...and the next minute...He was gone...Just like that!!and Big Goat?? Remember him? We was investigating him for the Lance Rodriguez hit remember Kev?" said Kool Kat.

"Yeah...and then he vanished a few months ago...never came back to his house...never was seen again..I had Tom and Lockpick take all of the devices out of his house...I figured he'd left town...." I said.

"All of em...gone baby gone...Big Goat, Tone Capone, Beautiful Bobby, Fly Tyrone Wallace, Kornbread Earl Evans and now Cakeman Ravens..." said Kool Kat.

"How does he do it?" I asked.

''Damn if I know..." said Kool Kat.

"You mean there is something you don't know?" I laughed.

"Man, nobody knows nothin...they just up and vanished...Nobody seen nothin, nobody heard a damn thing...but one thing is for sure... Johnny Porter runs enough territory now to challenge Fathead Newton, The Diaz Brothers and Lin Chou...and all three of em are shaking in their boots...The only independent operater around here is Manny Rodriguez....." said Kool Kat.

"Yeah and how long will that be?" I asked.

"The way things is going...Not long?" said Kool Kat.

"Guess I should just bow out of this huh?" I asked.

"I was hopin you'd want to take Johnny Porter on...just out of civic pride." said Kool Kat.

"You down if I do?" I asked.

"We ride or die baby...you know that." said Kool Kat.

"Good...then starting tomorrow, we start finding out about Johnny Porter and how to take him down." I said.

"I'm all in baby." said Kool Kat.

(To Be Continued....)

Tomorrow, It's Back To The Hood

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ

My wife Sepia and I  and Attorney Robert Foxworth and his wife Bonita were out at a Tony new Bistro enjoying a delicious meal and drinks....This place was a little expensive for my tastes , but Robert was footing the bill...He had just made a killing on some big civil case...It was in all of the papers...He was a celebrity almost....

"Great meal counselor" I said....and I meant it...the food was worth every penny.

''Ouuu yes Robert...you ought to win more cases like this." joked my wife Sepia...

"Yeah, I know....I don't get cases like this that often....but when I do....I like to live it up." joked Robert Foxworth...

"Oh shut up Robert and stop bragging." joked his wife Bonita...

Sepia and I smiled... After our empty plates were cleared, We all wandered over to the bar and ordered drinks...Robert was putting it on his tab tonight...So Sepia and I indulged...While Robert and Bonita danced, Sepia and I stood out on the terrace of this great place...

"Wow, Kevin...it's so nice....Just for one night...Not having any worries....enjoying the good life...." she cooed.

''Yeah and tomorrow, it's back to the hood." I said and we both laughed...

II-

We partied with Robert and Bonita well into the night and then we adjourned to our hotel room...Yes, Robert had rented us and he and Bonita rooms at the spacious Hotel, across the street from this Bistro.....It was truly  nice and relaxing....Our room had a jacuzzi and Sepia and I made good use of it...Making slow simmering love in the warm waters all night long and then ordering two fruit salads and Mimosas, which we enjoyed in bed before we drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I stood in the lobby, waiting for the valet to bring my car around....Sepia and Bonita were still upstairs....Robert Foxworth was on his android in the lobby...He looked troubled....He walked over to me and motioned me outside...

"What's going on counselor?" I asked.

''Ahhh nothin Kev...Well , yeah it is somethin." he said.   I knew that it was...

"Listen..when we get back to Philly, you feel like runnin something down for me?"He asked.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well...All of my cases aren't like that big civil case..I have a few I'd rather not handle....In fact..this was Chance Howard's client...You know Cakeman Raven?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've heard of him...Drug Kingpin....What about him?" I asked.

''Well ,Chance was on a retainer for him....Got him out of jail a couple of times..Also represented him on a couple of legitimate business deals..." said Robert.

"Damn man, you really ought to get a better class of client...You make enough money now...You don't have to rep that kind of lowlife."I said.

"I know...I know...But here's the thing...Cakeman was real rattled the last time he came to my office...Not his usual arrogant self..Kevin, the man was as white as a ghost, like he was scared....He had me and Chance write him a living will." said Robert.

''Yeah? So what?? Somebody probably has a contract out on him...In his line of business, that's not uncommon." I said.

"He wouldn't say anything, but we could tell that he was afraid of something or somebody." said Robert Foxworth.

"So what do you want me to do, find out who's got papers on him?" I asked.

"No...No..That's his business...I need you to find him!" said Robert.

"What?" I asked.

"He had a court appearence yesterday...He never showed up." said Robert.  I laughed...

"Robert...Robert...guys like him often do that....He's probably layin low...probably went to ground because somebody's after him..." I said.

"Thing is....Chance went to his house, went to Josie's, The Mermaid Club, Mulberry Street, the Strip club..all of his known hang outs and nobody's seen hide nor hair of him for close to three days!" said Robert.

''He might have skipped town." I said.

"Kev, his court appearence was just for child support....A guy like him doesn't skip town over child support..He's got money...No Kev, he was scared about something.." said Robert.

"Okay...Okay counselor...When we get back..I'll look into it...but young Chance Howard has done a pretty good job...I don't know that I can cover better ground than he..." I said.

"Well, ask around...You know people that he don't know...People that maybe know somethin.." said Robert.

"Okay...but why do you care? Was the money that good?" I laughed.

"Nah...I know what Cakeman Raven is...I know what he does....but he was kind of a nice guy...in a way...Every year around Christmas, he'd send me a nice Strawberry Upside down cake from that bakery that he owns.." said Robert..

''You mean that Bakery that he uses as a front to launder his dirty money." I said.

''Kev!"said Robert.

"I'm just callin it as I see it...besides..everybody knows the deal anyway...." I said.

"Yeah I know Kev....but he wasn't all bad...Could you just find him? I'm concerned...as a fellow human being." said Robert Foxworth....I gave him the side eye...

"Who are you man?" I asked...Robert Shrugged his shoulders.

III-

The next afternoon...Back in Philly....I was at Josies with Clerow and Sean Jackson and his Attorney friend, Conrad Nelson having a few cold beers and talking...

"Robert Foxworth's got me lookin for Cakeman Raven...Apparently nobody has seen him in three days." I said.

"Cakeman Raven has gone missing too?" said Conrad Nelson.

''What do you mean missing too? Who else is missing?" I asked.

"Two of my clients....Kornbread Earl Evans and Fly Tyrone Wallace have both vanished without a trace in the last month...Missed court appearences... Aint been seen in no bars, strip joints, restaraunts, nothin...Fly Tyrone Wallace bought a suit every Friday and always got a fresh haircut...His barber aint seen him..." said Conrad Nelson.

"Were they under indictment?" I asked.

"Nope...for a change...Kornbread had an assault beef I was defending him on....but he never showed up and Fly Tyrone had me on retainer..." said Conrad.

"You know , now that you mention it....Beautiful Bobby Hunter....the guy that took over Eldorado Mack's corners aint been around lately either." said Clerow..

''Funny thing Kev...The streets have been quiet...Too quiet..No gunplay...No shootouts...No nothing...Just quiet and cool." said Sean Jackson.

"Kinda nice aint it?" added Gus with a smile as he served us a second round of beers.

''Any major playas making noise?" I asked.

''A few small time guys, but they aint makin no noise." said Clerow.

''Hmmm"...I said as I sipped my beer and ate some peanuts....

I said my good nights to my guys and headed home...

It hadn't got dark yet and I drove home...The sun was getting ready to go down...I found Sepia, a few blocks away in the little park...I walked up behind her and put my arms around her...

"Is that a gun in your pocket or are you real glad to see me lover?" she laughed..

''It's both.." I said.

"You sure?  " she laughed slyly....

"Positive...What are you doing down here?" I asked.

''Mourning the end of summer...and the fact that...we are back in the hood, after living in paradise for a night." she sighed.

''Yeah, how about that?" I laughed.

(To Be Continued.....)

Minay's Loft

I was enjoying a nice healthy salad and some Ice Tea at a Tony outdoor cafe on one of the last nice days of late summer , when Joanne ''Sepia"Morris, My friend, Kevin's wife just happened to be walking by...

"Wow Ralph...Didn't think I'd see you eating at a rival restaurant...Dollar Bill better not find out about this." she laughed.

''He won't...Unless you tell him." I said and raised an eyebrow... ''Besides..it's my day off..and I wanted to try the place..Test it out..." I said.

''Test it out? You've got a big date coming up." she laughed.

"I might....uh...I aint sayin it's big or nothin like all that..." I laughed.

"With who...You gotta tell me." laughed Sepia.

"Nah...I think I'll keep this under my hat..." I said.

"Hmmm, you've slept with my girlfriends...Bernadette, Bonita.....You slept with my cousin, Mabel...You've slept with Debbie...Let me guess...Cherry Johnson from Victoria's Secret??" she laughed.

"No I'm afraid not...but you are close...She does work there now.." I said.

"Minay?? Minay Jordan?" asked Sepia...

"Yeah....She moved into that new loft that Chris and Chess bought and fixed up....and I uh helped her move in." I said.

''And then you moved into her right?" laughed Sepia.

''Actually I haven't...I haven't so much as kissed her." I confessed.

"Whatttt? , This is a first for you Ralph." said Sepia...she was right..she knew my track record...

''Well I helped her move in and I went over there with some wine and we drank two bottles and talked and I left."I said.

''You didn't try nothin?  Not even a little kissy kiss?" asked Sepia.

''Nope...I wanted to...I was real tempted, but I couldn't...I mean, she's been through a lot..What with her fiance gettin murdered and all and moving here, gettin a job, gettin moved in....I didn't want to throw all of that on her..." I said.

Sepia felt my head....

"You don't have a fever....I guess you're alright ."she said.

"Just takin it slow...." I said..

''When are you seeing her again?" asked Sepia.

''Tonight...I'm taking some Wine over and perhaps we'll talk some more...I aint rushin nothin." I said.

"Wow Ralph...Good for you.....I'm proud of you." laughed Sepia while giving me a side eye...

I finished my salad....

II-

The building that Minay lived in didn't look like much on the outside...but inside...Chris and Chess and whoever they contracted to do the work had done a magnificent job...and I told Minay so when I arrived with
Two bottles of Wine..

''Wow , you've got a great place Minay." I said...

"Thanks...Glad you like it." she said.  "Not like it's the first time you've been up here." she laughed.

"Yeah, I know...but it's the first time since you fixed the place up...You did a great job...You need to come and fix up my place." I laughed.

"I didn't cook anything...Do you mind if we ordered some Chinese take out?" She laughed.

''Oh of course not. Chinese Bob makes the best ." I said and I dialed them up on my Android...She gave me her order and I gave them mine.  I pulled out two tumblers and filled them with ice...and poured the first bottle of wine..

By the time our food arrived , we had already killed a bottle and a half and were both a little tipsy...We devoured the good hot chinese food and polished off the wine over good conversation...She was great looking and Sepia's words were coming back to me...I did want to try something as Sepia said, but I wasn't sure if Minay was ready....When had that stopped me before?

"Wow...we sure polished off that food.." I laughed

''Yeah and the wine too.." she laughed uneasily...

"Anything on Television tonight?" I asked...

"They haven't come to hook my cable up yet." sighed Minay...

''Wow..." was all I could manage to say...

"Ralph?" asked Minay with that sexy English accent of hers...

''Yes?"I answered..

"You didn't come over here to eat take out with me and watch Television did you?" She asked in a strangely sensual voice..

I stood up....Maybe too fast...she could see the huge bulge in my pants...Which was a little embarrassing..but she was walking around in a slip like dress , showing those shapely legs of hers all afternoon and I had a raging erection that I had successfully hidden up until now...She smiled at me...I pulled her to me and began kissing her passionately...

Minay had been waiting to release her passion for a long time I suppose...she kissed me like I have never been kissed before...I lifted her up and palmed her buttocks, feeling her silky panties and rubbing her legs...


"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Ralph....Ohhhhhhh please...pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...take me...take meeee...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh jesus take me..." she moaned...

I took her into the bedroom...she unzippered my pants  and just marveled at my largeness.....

"My..Myyyyyyyyyyyyyy...."she said with a big smile....I slowly took my shoes and socks off and my trousers...

She slipped her panties off and tossed them and ran into my arms....

Minay straddled me as I sat on the edge of her bed and lowered herself on top of me...She was incredibly wet...I liked that...

I grabbed her hips and began grinding into her with all I had...She began moving up and down and moaning...which made me even more excited....

"Ummm...." she moaned...

I entered her slowly , but deliberately...It wasn't long before I was laying flat on my back and Minay was on top ,riding me for all I was worth...

''Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Rallllppppppppppppppph...I need you..I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed you..ohhhh my godddddddddddd....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.." she screamed...She was a loud lover!

She began licking my neck and sucking on it,which made me begin moving deeper and deeper into her warm and wet lusciousness....Minay was a wild lover...she kept moving up and down and then from side to side...The bed was rocking and slamming against the wall...The best thing was ...There was nobody next door to yell "quiet the noise"....unlike at my place.

Finally ,I was sitting upright and Minay was going up and down....moaning with delight as I continued to ram into her as hard and deliberate as I could...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH RALPH,DON'T STOP...Pleasseeeeeeeeee don't stop, give it to me, give it to me ..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." she screamed....

I was so excited then that I shot off like a gusher !!!

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH..." I shouted with joy....

"Ohhh Ralph." said Minay as we just held each other and kissed .......

I followed her into her shower ....She led me by my penis, which began to get hard in no time, just by her touch and as hot steamy water rained down on both of us...I lifted her up and began to kiss her passionately again....I entered her once more and she held on for dear life....

We made love in that shower until the water got cold...We didn't care...Nor did we notice...Finally, Minay came and when she did...it was furiously....She reminded me of Lois....in that she came so hard she was embarrassed by it.....I still continued to pump her hard until finally I exploded.....


We held each other tightly and staggered out of that shower and got under her covers , wet and naked....We slept for maybe an hour...I awoke and entered Minay again....

''Oh my goodness Ralph...you're a bloody machine..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."she moaned as I made slow sweet love to Minay in the missionary position for close to two hours this time....This time, Minay came slowly and powerfully....

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......." she moaned as I came myself......



III-

The next day, Minay and I walked into Bottom of the C together...She had her arms around my neck and was laughing....

Sepia was there with her husband, Kevin.....They were enjoying a meal as we came in......Kevin looked at us and smiled and continued cutting his New York Strip Steak...Sepia smiled as I walked by and whispered to me...

"Got them drawers didn't you?" she asked.

''Yeah." I said.

"I knew you would...That's the Ralph Scallion I know." she said and winked.

And If

Girl, you've got skin that's softer than a rose petal
Baby, you've got a smile that's warmer than the sun that
makes it grow...
And after the first time we made love
I just had to let you know....
that you were more than I ever expected and I think it's high time that you and I
got connected../

And if it feels like heaven to you...
the way it feels to me..
Then maybe we were destined to be together...
you see
just you
just me..
And if this feels like Heaven..
My mind is telling me so...
Then it also feels like forever
and by now I hope you know.../

Baby, I remember when I used to watch you
walk down the street
back in the days before I got to know you...
There was never a question in my mind...
I wasn't going to waste another second of my time...
I was sold on you..
because I knew then positively..
That there was something special about this feeling you were giving me..

And if it feels like heaven to you...
the way it feels to me..
Then maybe we were destined to be together...
you see
just you
just me..
And if this feels like Heaven..
My mind is telling me so...
Then it also feels like forever
and by now, you ought to know.../

Cryin Time

Kool Kat and I stood in the empty living room of the house, Yvette "Gypsy" Blessings had been renting in West Philadelphia...The murder of Hugh Benet was now three weeks old....The police had not talked to her....They didn't know her name, yet she hadn't been at the Mermaid club or any of her usual haunts...and now, just like her name..She had vanished ,seemingly into thin air.

"Kev, we got that phone...and all of those calls and those text messages are damning enough..." said Kool Kat.

"That's not enough though...it's all circumstantial.." I said.

"You know she's probably ditched the knife by now." he said.

"Yeah..we gotta get her to talking." I said.

"Good luck with that." he snorted...

"I think I know a way to smoke her out." I said.

"How?" he asked.

"She doesn't strike me as a person with means...She's around.....The streets will know." I said with a smile...

"What you got up your sleeve?" asked the big man with a hint of a smile."


II-

We found one of Gypsy's "associates" , a hooker nicknamed "Teardrop" because she broke into tears during sex...Long story...Kool Kat told me about her...Although Gypsy wasn't a hooker, the two knew each other...They had a love hate relationship...Basically hate...Depending on the money...

We didn't have to pay her much for her to tell us where Gypsy was staying....I passed the information on to Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson and Sean Jackson...who got photo and video observation of the house... They also got inside and wired the joint for sound and video....But more important they got me the phone number!

After carefully watching the house..It wasn't long before Kool Kat identified her going in and coming out to buy groceries and cigarettes and beer.

"That's her Kev....There's a guy in there named "Pit Bull"..He's somewhat of a low level playa..No big deal...That's it...Just him and her..." he said.

I looked at "Teardrop"..."Okay baby, call the number and do your stuff." I said.

"Got'cha Kev." she said.

"Hello, who is this?" answered Gypsy.

"Heyyyy gurl...what's been up?" said Teardrop.

"Nothin...how did you get this number?" she asked...

"You get deeper things to worry about girlfriend." said Teardrop.

"What? Huh? What is you talkin bout?" asked Gypsy.

"That guy you was tellin me about....The half breed dude that you was ravin about, that had such a big dick and stroked you so good...the one that got stabbed to death..." she said.

Long Pause...

"What about him?" she asked...

"I was in his crib last week......I had this john....He didn't have enough money for a room, but I needed some money, you dig? So we squatted in that house...You know how that neighborhood is...Every other spot is empty...but his spot was the most livable."

"Get to the point Teardrop, what you want?" she snapped.

"Well...guess what I found...That  I'm bettin the cops aint find?" she said.

"What?" asked Gypsy...

"A cell phone with blood all over it..but here's where the story get's interesting...it's got about 26 calls from you on the phone and all these pathetic text messages from you, all made on the night he got aced...Come on Yvette...Was it THAT good??? My goodness?" she laughed..

"You're lying?" Gypsy snapped.

"How would I even know about it? I'll bet the cops don't know about it....And if they did ,it might shine a light your way." she laughed.

"You bitch....What do you want?" asked Gypsy.

"Just one G.." said Teardrop....

"One thousand dollars...I don't have that kind of money." she snapped..

"Yeah, but Pit Bull does....Get it from him....I know you screwin him in order to stay there..He'll pay it." she said.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU." screamed Gypsy...

"Look...just drop the money in that alley....the same alley where dude got stabbed....
The cell phone is in his crib on the sink....I cleaned the blood off of it for you...And just to make sure you don't try nothin funny....I won't tell you where I hid the doorkey until I have the money." said Teardrop.

"How do you have the doorkey?" she asked.

"He wasn't from Philly...Like most out of towners..He left a spare key on the porch under the mat.....What a jumolke..That's some TV crap like a mug aint it? " said Teardrop...

Gypsy laughed.....

"It sure is..." she said.

"I need the money by midnight, tonight.." Teardrop said.

"You fiend..." said Gypsy.

"It's a recession baby...We all gotta get our money anyway we can!"

Click!

Kool Kat looked at me and smiled...

"Kev, you brilliant..You would have made a great criminal." he said.

"That's why he's so good at catching them." said Lockpick Johnson.

"Hold up you guys..there's more talk from that house...She just told her boyfriend, about her predicament." said Peeping Tom.

"Sounds like a trap to me." said Pit Bull.


"Nah, it sounds just like something that trick would do to get money." said Gypsy.


"Oh yeah? Well...Pass me my gun....Tricks are for kids....When she picks up that dough..I'm gonna blow a hole through her head." he laughed..


"What about the key?" asked Gypsy...

"You won't need no key...I'll jimmy the lock and break in there and get that cell phone myself..." said Pit Bull,.

Teardrop began crying upon hearing the transmission...

"Oh my god....they gonna kill me." she said.

"Relax....they aint killin nobody....They about to get the surprise of they life." laughed
Kool Kat.

III-

Midnight! The so called witching hour...The hour I was about to make something happen. Like clockwork, Pit Bull and Gypsy showed up at the very place that Hugh Benet had met his end...They dropped a bag containing $1000.00 in it right where Teardrop instructed them to. Then they drove off...Clerow follwed them..They parked about a block from the drop site...Pit Bull cocked his gun...and then traveled by foot back to the alley just in time to see Teardrop pick up the dough...He aimed , smiled and then heard the click of a much larger gun to his back....

''Drop that heater Bull." came the voice of Kool Kat , who had a .357 magnum aimed at the back of his head...  Pit Bull was no fool...He dropped the gun and Clerow , disarmed him of any other weapons he had, blindfolded him with a tampon and tied him up!  For the record...We gave him his money back...Which he would discover whenever he got out of his ropes which weren't tied that tight...We moved him farther down the alley out of sight.

We had Teardrop call Gypsy's cell phone.

"Hello."

"Thought you was slick huh? Sendin your man around here with a gun to kill me huh?   I figured as much, so I brought somebody to watch my back...." she said and began bawling like a child...."Why can't- you be trusted?Huh?" she wailed.


''Oh stop cryin..you got your money...Now where is the key?"asked Gypsy...


"It's under the mat. Don't you even care about what happened to Pit Bull...you heartless husssy...." cried Teardrop...At this point, even I was getting tired of all her crying and wailing...


"Did you kill him?" asked Gypsy.


"I'm not like you....He's alive...He's sleepin..." she said....Gypsy hung the phone up.....

Now we watched as Gypsy walked up Hugh's steps, fumbled around for the key and entered the house.  The cell phone was right where Teardrop said it would be....She picked it up and immediately went to erase the numbers and text messages on it only to find...

''There's nothing on this cell phone."she balked.

It was then I turned the lights on....

"No, but there are plenty of numbers and texts on THIS one!" I said, Holding Hugh Benet's real cell phone in my hand....

"Who are you?  This was a trick!" she said.

Clerow, Kool Kat,Sean Jackson, Minay, Teardrop and Lt. Sissy Van Buren,  and three uniformed Philadelphia Police Officers stood behind me...

"Yeah Yvette, I suppose it was....Why did you do it?" I asked.

"Don't say anything else until you are advised of your rights." said Sissy Van Buren, but Gypsy just waived her off...

''I've been arrested enough times to know em... I don't care at this point.... I did it....I stabbed Hugh Benet..because I was tired of guys just using me , saying anything to get me in the bed and then afterwords just discarding me , like I wasn't nothin.....NOTHIN....That man made me feel things in the bed that I'd never felt before or since....I called and called and called him....He never returned my calls...He just tossed me aside ,like a used condom..." she said.

"Ah know that feelin gurlllllllll." wailed Teardrop....The cops,Gypsy, Kool Kat,Clerow, Minay and Sean Jackson all turned and gave the crying Prostitute the side eye...I wanted to laugh, but now was not the time... They handcuffed Yvette "Gypsy" Blessings and hauled her off to the paddy wagon....

''Wow Kev...You was right....Looks like you cracked another one man." said Kool Kat....

There was more wailing from Teardrop....

"She was my closest friend....awllllllllllllllll...Ah knew her since second grade....We lost our virginity to the same playa...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!"

Kool Kat shook his head , exasperatingly...Clerow,Sean and I just laughed...Minay ,understandably looked
bewildered!


EPILOUGE:

Yvette "Gypsy" Blessings was convicted of Manslaughter in the stabbing death of Hugh Benet and sentenced to 5-15 years.  Her new home is the Muncy Correctional Facility for Women for the time being...

Pit  Bull woke up with his $1000.00 in tow...He untied himself and went home, unharmed and only short a girlfriend and oh yeah, two guns...All in all, he didn't make out that bad! Coulda been a lot worse.

Kool Kat, Minay and I sat inside Jake's Hot Dog joint enjoying his delicious Hot Dogs and some Cokes...

"Kevin, Walter, I can't thank you enough for solving Hugh's murder." she said as she chowed down on the Hot Dog..."Oh my God , this is delicious." she said.

''So what's next for you Minay?" I asked.

''Guess it's back to London for you huh?"asked Kool Kat.

"No....I see what Hugh found so fascinating about this place.....I might just stay here...I already have a job...and I just put a down payment down on an apartment....and I met a nice guy...a cook named Ralph..Ralph Scallion.." she said.

I nearly spit my coke out....Kool Kat burst into laughter...Minay smiled ....

"You Philadelphians and your private jokes..." she laughed...




(For Carleen)