Throw Away People

Of course, The Philadelphia Police treated the death of Ms. Charlotte Phillips ,age 29, ex-prostitute, sometime drug user as an accidental death....It looked as if she had simply overdosed.....But the people in the projects and on the streets said that she hadn't used in close to two years and that she'd been clean...Her arrest record stated that her last arrest had been for prostitution....Something her friends said she only did in between jobs to make ends meet...The arresting officer had been one Dave Gillespie...the partner of Bobby "Clarkie" Clarke..The slain officer...I wondered if this was more than just a co-incidence!

I was certain that her death was no mere co-incidence...when I told the police that she made one of the last calls to the slain Alan Artis and that now she like him was dead...No one saw any connection and no one wanted to talk to me or about it any further.  I had nothing!  Nothing I could prove.

A  day later...I got a call from Eric ''Shark Dollars" Redding....I really had nothing to tell him....Surprisingly..he had something to tell me..

We met at Mabel Jenkins's Soul Food Joint...On this night..Her establishment was particularly jumping...People were getting their platters to go because , Bone Hampton, Brooke Taylor and a Hot All star band was going to be playing at Josies tonight...I sure wished that I was on my way to that and not working a seemingly unsolvable murder conspiracy...

Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding and two of his goons walked in...They had a little dusty looking guy with them...
I recognized him...He was one of the people who had refused to talk to me, when I interviewed him about Charlotte Phillips.. He looked like he had been roughed up....I didn't like that...but I didn't have time to get into it...

"Hey Kevin...This here is Mikey...Mikey Snopes....He owes me some money....I heard that he wouldn't talk to you the other day....Well...I've TALKED to him and I think he's had a change of heart, haven't you Mikey?" snapped Shark Dollars.

'Yeah man...I certainly have." he spat.

I motioned for them all to sit down and I looked at Mikey...

"What you got for me Mikey?" I asked.

"L-l-Look man....If I tell you this...please ...don't put my name in this...I got warrants out on me.....but dig...This white guy was comin around...hasslin Char....I thought that he was shakin her down for some cash...But from what she told me..It was different....He wanted her to do somethin for her..To set this guy up.
This was weeks ago...So she started callin this guy and makin nice with him...and she even had the dude over a few times..He wouldn't get high with us..but she was uh, you know..breakin him off a little somethin,somethin..you know..sexin him up..She had dude's nose wide open..Had him runnin all kinds of errands for her...Buyin silly stuff like hoodies and sunglasses..." said Mikey..

''So who was this guy? This mark?" I asked..

"It was his nephew...Mr. Shark Dollars nephew, Alan Artis." he said pointing to Eric.

"You sure of that?" I asked.

"Yeah I'm positive...When I seen his photo in the paper..I knew it was him..That's why I come to Mistah Shark Dollars..." he said.

"To trade information for your debt?" I said.  Eric Shark Dollars laughed and slapped his knee.

"Yeah..Yeah man.." he said.

"Tell me about this white guy?" I asked.

"He looked real square...Crew cut, slim build, Tall...He wore jeans and sneakers when he came around..but we knew he was a Narco....he had cop written all over him...Always wore those expensive aviator shades...
Anyway....a day before  the cop got snuffed and they found Mr. Shark Dollars Nephew..he come down here again and went to Ms. Charlotte's spot...She let him in...When he come out..he had on the yellow hoodie that
she had dude buy her...It was you know the type you get from Old Navy..or the Gap.." he said.

I've got photos...Would you know this guy with the yellow hoodie if you saw him again? " I asked.


"I might." he said.

I went to my car and came back with photos of Bobby Clarke, Alan Artis and Dave Gillespie....He took one look at Officer Dave Gillespie and freaked out!!!!

"That's him...That's the guy who was coming down here to see Charlotte..He's the cop that busted her two years ago too!." he said...

'You know him Kevin?" asked Shark Dollars..

"Yeah..he's the slain cop's partner.." I said.

"He's the guy that set my nephew up?...." said Shark Dollars...

"That's what I think....and I think he gave Charlotte a hot shot too...Now I've got to prove it." I said.

"We-We-We straight Mr. Shark Dollars?" asked Mike Snopes...

"Yeah..Get outta here." said Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding. "Now what Kevin?" he asked...

"Now I gotta do what I do." I said.

He didn't crack a smile...

"Thanks for the help...He set me in the right direction." I said.

''Don't mention it." he said as I got up and walked out.


II-

"You want me to give you access to a cop's files ?" asked Lt. Sissy Van Buren...

"Look , what I've told you has got to at least make some sense...This guy was the arresting officer of both of these people..So he knew em...Alan Artis, reformed junkie....Charlotte Phillips, ex-junkie, sometime prostitute... Throw away people that nobody would care about..nobody would miss, nobody would believe!!He got her to string him along and actually purchase the hoodie and the glasses and then call him, probably telling him she'd meet him in a certain place..He kills his partner and then he goes where he knows Alan will be, waiting for Charlotte and he kills Alan, puts the hoodie, glasses and gun on him and vanishes...
The next day or later that day , he kills Charlotte and thus eliminates anything coming back to him..." I said.

"That's a wild story Kevin...you expect me to believe that?" said Sissy Van Buren..

"That's what happened." I said.

"You got this from a street punk who probably won't testify...and you have nothing else...Not a living witness."  she said.

"You're right...but if you let him get away with this....The murderer of three people is walking the streets with a gun and a badge.."I said.

"Alright...I'm going to lay these files on the table and walk away....If you happen to look at them and find something...I didn't see this and I didn't have this conversation with you." she said.

I smiled...

I pored through his files...There was nothing....Dave Gillespie was a straight arrow cop..No disciplinary reports, Seven or eight accomodations..Worked with the FBI Violent Crimes Task force at one time and the DEA  anti drug task force and like his partner, Bobby Clark..He was about to make detective...He too was on the fast track...He was married...Had been married for two years to a former beauty queen.  His wife was "Ms. Philadelphia" and a former "Ms. Pennsylvania"  ..she had also been a former-"Ms. Bikini" Incredible guy...incredible woman....but otherwise ...Nothing strange.  His finances were tight..No outstanding debt..No
nothing...This guy was clean...Too clean....

I put his file back and left....I would have to take a deeper look at him and his wife....Have to find another way...While driving home my phone rang.....Little did I know that this was the call that was going to bust my case wide open!!!

''Hello Kev." came a familiar voice..

"Who is this?" I asked..

"It's been a long time...but it's me...Lee Spann." came the voice..

Lee Spann was another private investigator that I had once worked with...Kind of sorta...

''What's goin Lee?" I asked...

"Look man...I need your help...I think I'm in trouble...." he said.

"What kind of trouble?" I asked...

"Look...a few months ago...this cop hired me to spy on his wife..He thought she was cheatin on him...I got the information he wanted...It was his..his partner.....I gave him a copy of the video tape I made....Well..his partner is dead...That was the cop that got killed a couple of weeks ago and the shooter killed himself...Well..I been thinkin....I don't think it's no accident...and get this...this guy has been shadowing me...I think he's gonna try to kill me....I need your help man..you gotta hide me, get me outta town." he said.

I stopped my car and pulled over.....

''Lee...I want you to meet me at this address...Can you get there on your own?" I asked.

"Yes...I'll try." he said.

"Okay..One hour..Make sure you aren't tailed." I said.

I got on the phone and called Clerow, Kool Kat, Owen Todd, Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom....It was about to be a longgg night!

(Conclusion Next)