Somethin About Mary

"Really Counselor, you gotta learn how to eat with chop sticks ,since you like chinese food so much." I joked as Attorney Robert Foxworth and I enjoyed two hot steamy plates of chinese food at "Chinese Bob's" joint .

''Nah Kev, I'll just stick to a fork..." he laughed as we continued to eat...

''If Kim Chee catches you staring at his daughter like that, he may take the fork and chopstick and ram it you know where." I laughed as we continued to eat.

''Yeah...I know...but she is a fine little thing....You know, the old me woulda gotten her in the sack by now."mused Robert Foxworth.

"Or tried to." I mused.

"Nah...I could do it...you see how she grins at me when she catches me staring..." he laughed.

"But ....you're a reformed man now right?" I laughed...

"Not only that...Bonita is hell in the bed...too good a thing to lose." he mused.

"But you knew that and you still messed around before you finally married her." I said.

''Yeah...I know.. Some things take longer to learn than others Kev." he said.

''Point taken counselor ...Speaking of the old you....isn't that someone from out of your past over there ?" I asked.

A very attractive and well dressed Black woman was ordering take out...

"Oh my god....that's Cindy Waters....Haven't seen her in ages." said Robert Foxworth....

She was the cause of Robert's breakup with his first wife, Lt.Sissy Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide...A young attorney working at the same firm who caught Robert's eye...He pursued her until she eventually gave in and he had his way with her...The affair cost him a 17 year marriage.....He then married again...His second wife , Corrine...I vaguely remembered her....Robert couldn't get enough of Cindy Waters....and the revelation of that affair broke him and his second wife up....Married for the third time to Bonita, I wondered if seeing her would wreck this relationship?

To our surprise, Cindy walked over to our table....Robert was as phony as ever in his greeting...

''Cindy...How are you doing? I haven't seen you in ages" he said with that kilowat (but phony ) smile of his.

"I'm doing fine Robert and yourself?" she said with a sweet ,but acid like smile...

"Oh...I'm doing as well as possible." he said with a sheepish grin....He was obviously checking her out and I had to admit..She was good looking, Robert didn't mess with anything but prime beef and Cindy Waters was that...I could certainly see why she had enticed him over two marriages.

"You've lost weight...you look good." he said , still grinning from ear to ear.

"I hear you got married recently." she said coldly....All of a sudden, I felt like I needed a thick winter coat...

"Ye- Yesss...uh, ruh...Yes I did..." he said.   She dismissed him and turned toward me...

"You're Kevin Morris aren't you?" she asked, even though I knew that she knew that...

''Yes I am." I responded...

''You're the reason I'm here...I'd like to hire you to do a little personal investigation for me...I 'm willing to pay."she said.

"What kind of investigation?" I asked.

"I need you to find somebody for me....A friend...She works in the Public Defenders Office....Her name is Mary Powell- Mabry...I haven't heard from her in a few days and I'm afraid something bad has happened to her." she said.

''Mary Maples?  I know her...A fine attorney.." said Robert Foxworth.....Cindy ignored him completely and kept talking to me...

"I've called her landline and her cell phone for two days and gotten no answer....Her ex husband told me the same thing...and when he went to her house....He found her two children there...One of which is his and that's when he called me...She would never just leave her children unattended like that." said Cindy.

"Where is the other child?"I asked.

''With her other ex-husband." said Cindy.

''Wow ....and None of you called the cops?" I asked.

"I did, but you know what they said?  That she's a grown woman and she can go and come as she pleases and that there is no sign of any foul play...but Kevin...Can I call you Kevin?" she asked.

"Yes sure." I said..

"Kevin, she would never just leave her children alone like that...I know her." she said...

''Why do you think something bad has happened, I mean besides that?" I asked.

"Perhaps if you come to my office, I can further elaborate." she said.  She gave me a card with her address on it. I tucked it in my wallet...

"Tomorrow ,I'll give you a call." I said.

"Thank you Kevin." she said.

"Can I be of any assistance?" asked Robert, still grinning...Cindy Waters looked at him tersely and replied-

''No....I don't think so."

Robert's face dropped....It was then and only then that Cindy Waters smiled....

II-

Later on after Robert Foxworth had driven me back to his offices where my car was parked he asked me...

"You're going to take on this case for Cindy?"

''Yeah...She's paying...and it doesn't involve any gangsters or street hoods for a change." I said.

"You know, I know this Mary Powell-Mabry she's talking about. She was Mary Powell when I knew her." he said.

''You slept with her didn't you?" I said...I knew my friend too well.

"Yes lawd...I mean , Yeah , I uh ruh did....Long time ago...before I got married the first time.." he said.

"But not before she got married right?" I said.  Robert looked perplexed , then he laughed and pointed at me-

''Damn boy....no wonder you're so good....you don't miss a thing....Yeah..She was married...I was fresh out of law school...It was my first job....I worked in the Public Defenders office too....Let's just say ,I got to see her legal briefs first hand...She was hell in the bed...whooooeee...but she was married and after about a year,I cut it off....I had met a young Homicide Detective named Sissy Van Buren by then and we started meeting in my office for lunch and what not...but the thing is Kevin....Mary, was or is a great attorney...but kind of wild...I don't know why she is still in the Public Defenders office...All of the lawyers that was there when I was there are in Private Practice now...Just like me...Cindy Waters started there and then followed me to the private firm that I was working for...Mary stayed for some reason." he said.

''Well she was married...I guess she  didn't need the money." I said.

''Her first husband was an Assistant District Attorney...Don't know where he is now....They had a little boy..He should be about six now...Her second husband was a cop....He got kicked off the force a few years back for re selling the drugs he took off of dealers....They have a little girl...She might be four.." he said.

''So she's a female version of ......of YOU!" I said and laughed...

"Minus the kids..." said Robert and we both pointed at each other and howled with laughter....

"Just be careful Kev....In investigating Mary Mabry...you may wind up in a whole different direction than from what you started." said Robert.

''What do you mean counselor?" I asked.

"I don't know...I always thought she had something else going on.....Something on the side..  A lot of guys...used to call her office...and occassionally drop by her office." he said.

"She was a public defender....what's strange about that?" I asked.

"I don't know Kev...it's just that these guys didn't look like they needed legal help...Some of them looked like even if they did need legal help, they could afford private attorneys and wouldn't need court appointed attorneys you know....I asked her once about one of them and she said that he was a "business associate."She wouldn't go into anymore detail.  Just be careful man." he said.

"Always" I said.


III-

Cindy Waters's office was very much like mine.....but not in a high rise at Penn's Landing like Robert Foxworth's and Chance Howard's office...I found her to be very professional and not at all flirtatious and seductive like Robert had described her.   She started right off by giving me a small retainer...and offering me coffee...both of which I liked....

"Kevin...I have heard that your methods are somewhat unorthodox...but just so that you don't have to break any laws...Here is the key to her house and the security code so that you can get in and nose around and see
if there are any clues as to what might have happened to her.....Here is the number to her cell and her landline..Is there anything else you need?" she asked.

''Yes." I said.  "Knowing where Mary is."

Cindy laughed......"Oh Mister Kevin, you are a clever one." she said....

"Oh By the way...Does Chance Howard still work with Robert?" she asked.

''Yes, he does....He's doing big things....I won't be surprised if he doesn't strike out on his own in a few years." I said.

"That's good to know...If you see him...Tell him I.........Oh no never mind." she said as I got up and left her office.

Finding Mary Powell-Mabry's house was no problem at all.   It felt nice having the keys and the security code and not having to break in for a change....The house was eerily silent....There was week old mail....Shut off notices from the electric company, the water company, the telephone company, the cable company and the gas company....That seemed strange....There were children's toys all over the living room...and a sink full of unwashed dishes.....

I walked upstairs into the bedrooms...The childrens beds were made up....but Mary's room had panties and bras strown all over the floor, a waste basket full of used condoms....KY jelly on the floor by the bed...a vibrator , a huge rubber dildo....and several neglige's of assorted colors....I looked in her closet and found a strongbox....A further look revealed a key....Upon opening the strongbox, I found 600K in twenties and hundreds....This was a lot of money for someone who was about to have all of their utilities shut off!! I then found a ledger book.

I looked inside and found names , names of prominent people and amounts of money paid...I didn't know what this was about...but for now...I was taking this stuff out of here...I'm sure somebody would be interested in finding this...

I took the strongbox and the ledger and placed it in my trunk...I locked the house up and drove off as though nothing had happened....but I had a sneaky suspicion that come nightfall...the house would have a visitor.
I was amazed that nobody had been in here sooner...

That night...Kool Kat, Clerow and I sat in an unmarked car and watched the house....Sure enough at a little after one o'clock...a shadowy figure broke into the house.....The alarm went off and we heard him yell.....

"AWWWWW CRAPPP!!!!"

We heard shuffling and thrashing and then more yelling-

"IT's GONE!!!  WHERE IS THAT LEDGER?? WHO KNEW IT WAS HERE????"

"Looks like you got a live one Kev...Let's take him?" said Kool Kat.

"No....We follow him." I said.

(To Be Continued....)