The Aligator's Tail

The Ambulance took Mambo's body to the morgue...The Police and Homicide detectives questioned everybody around...Of course...Nobody saw a thing...One million people on the boardwalk, walking the streets, and nobody saw a thing!  I just shook my head....

I pulled Dutchie to the side ....I looked at him real hard...

"What?" he said.

''What? Married to your cousin eh? You are so full of it Dutch.....Fathead Newton sent you down here to babysit him....to keep him out of trouble...Just what did he do back in Philly?" I asked.

"Damn Kev...I heard that you was in the Marines for awhile and that you used to be in NCIS....Didn't know you was still doin investigations?" he replied...

"Yup...I'm a private investigator now." I said , showing him my licensce...

''Word?  I thought you wrote for some magazine?" he asked.

"I do...I do this on the side." I said.

"Damn....you know, somebody told me something to that effect.." he said.

"Dutch...what did he do?" I asked...

"He was playing in Chris and Chess's crap game and he lost his temper and beat up little Jimmy Tenderloin  from Chester.....It was pretty bad Kev...Little Jimmy died about a month later and cats from Chester came up to Philly lookin for Mambo.  Fathead was gonna let them have him at first, but my cousin pleaded with him to protect him....So Fathead sent him to AC....Shark Dollars is doin Fathead a favor....Fathead sent me down here to sit on him watch him...Keep him out of trouble...Only this is the worst place...He gambles and screws with prostitutes all day long...." said Dutch.

"You don't mind that he cheats on your cousin?" I asked.

''What the hell do I care?  She was dumb for marrying him. Now if you'll excuse me...I gotta go call her." he said.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked...He had a cloth wrapped around his hand...

"I cut it....A bottle of champaigne broke in my room and I was trying to get the glass up off the floor." he said.

''Oh." I said. "You think the Chester boys caught up to him?" I asked.

"Nah...Who knows he's down here except Fathead?" he replied.

''Think Fathead just decided to cut his losses?" I asked.

''Who knows? Coulda been Shark Dollars..he was gettin pretty tired of him." said Dutchie.

''Well ...I'll let you go on and make your call" I said as he walked away.

In all of the confusion, I forgot to give Dutchie the money Sepia had given me..

II-

The next day...I stopped by Mambo's room....The door was open...Since the police probably hadn't made an identification yet....I figured they hadn't discovered his room yet...I walked inside...It was a nice enough place...And to my surprise...Very neat!

I walked in the bedroom !  The bed was unmade...There was a frilly bra and a pair of panties lying on the floor....In the window was a peculiar african statue....It was of an Alligator!!! I peered at it...It had a splotch of blood on it!   In fact , there was blood on the floor by the bed...

This sculpture was solid wood and it was heavy....I decided not to touch anything...I called the Chief of Detectives!  He knew me....I had just been here a few weeks earlier on a case...When the Chief of Detectives and his boys arrived, I told them who the victim was and pointed to the bloody sculpture....


"OWW!!" screamed one of the detectives.... He had tried to pick the sculpture up by the tail and had cut himself...

"Geez , watch it Jim...The tail on that thing is sharp." said another Detective...

"I'm bettin this was the murder weapon." said another cop.

''Yeah...It's heavy as hell...You lift it by the tail and smack...right across the head." he said.

''So you don't think he was killed on the street?" I asked.

"No way....The body was already in rigor when we got it to the M.E.'s office...My guess is he was killed somewhere else..Like here...and somehow, they transported the body to the street and dropped him there ." said the detective.

''But how?" I asked.

''We'll have to ask whoever killed him." he replied..

Just then Lola walked in....

"Oh..What's going on??  I uh just came to get some things of mine." she said picking up her bra and panties.

'I'm afraid those are evidence mam." said a cop.

''Evidence? Evidence of what?"she asked.

"The man in this room was murdered yesterday...Do you know him?" he asked...

"Murdered?? Mambo?? Oh my God." she said.

"Get the lab boys in here...dust this place down for prints...get DNA from that blood...get prints, get whatever." He barked.

Lola was crying...A police officer escorted her out....I walked back towards my room....

III-

Sepia and I went over to the Borgata and caught a show...Earth,Wind & Fire was performing...After the show, We walked along the boardwalk arm and arm that night....From a distance, I saw Eric "Shark Dollars"Redding.   He was wearing a very expensive and well tailored suit as usual and just staring at the ocean...He saw us and smiled and waved us over...

"Hey young lovers...how are you guys doing?  Just two more day here huh?" he laughed.  "Did you enjoy the show?  I had to reach out for those tickets." he laughed.

I wondered if our benefactor was in fact the murderer , a thought that didn't sit too well with me...

''We had a great time...Thank you so much." Gushed my wife.

"Shame about Mambo huh?" I said slyly....I wanted to see his reaction... There was none!  He pulled out a cigar and lit it and turned to me.

"You don't mind do you?" he said as he lit up....

"Nah, do your thing." I said.

"No shame Kev...You seen him...He was a pain in the ass...He won't be missed by anyone I don't think...I'm just glad I got my money before he kicked the bucket!" he said.

"What?  You got your money?" I said.

"Yeah..Dutchie paid me the 50G's ,plus ten percent....for my pain he says....Hahahahahaha...what a card, for my pain." laughed Shark Dollars.

"When did he pay you?" I asked...

"Two days ago...Same afternoon your wife won that 100G's and he was cryin poor mouth...Chisler..I knew he had it..Woke me up at midnight, bleedin all over my damn floor and handed me the cash." he said.

'' Let me see the palm of your hands." I asked.

He showed me the palm of his hands....Not a scratch  ...I smiled...

He looked at Sepia..."What's with your old man?" he laughed.

Sepia shrugged-"He's strange like that." she said..

"Come on...let me buy you two some drinks." he said and we went to one of the Casino bars...

IV-

Sepia, Eric ''Shark Dollars" Redding and myself was joined at the bar by Brad.....

"Heyy slow down partner...That's your fifth drink." said Eric to Brad.

"I'm okay Shark....I'm just wondering where my wife is...The police cut her loose hours ago." he said as he ordered yet another drink... Sepia and I sat quietly and watched.

Brad pulled out his phone and dialed...I looked at his hands attentively....Like Shark Dollars, clean as a whistle, not a scratch....I smiled...I knew who at least one of the killers was!

We continued to drink well into the night and Sepia and I stumbled back to our room...

''Kevin...I'm drunk" she giggled.

"Yeah, but you look good in this damn dress."I said ogling her as she sat on the bed and took her heels off..

''Kev, what was all that looking at people's hands business?  You looked at Shark Dollars and then you looked at Brad's hands?" she asked me..

"I was just eliminating my suspects, that's all." I said.

"What suspects?" she asked...


"Well, I was looking for a cut on their hands...Neither one of them had it...Only persons hands I haven't seen is Brad's wife." I said.

"You gonna look at her hands too?" asked Sepia...

''I don't think I'll have to." I said and I smiled.

(Conclusion Next)