Cancelled Check

Sepia and I and Nadine sat in a little coffee shop on Broad Street drinking tumblers of Hot Coffee and eating pastries...

''I heard that you got fired for missing so many days Nadine...I'm really sorry." I said.

"Yeah ,he notified me by registered mail...Because he didn't know where I was staying. I got served when I returned to my apartment. That's okay Mr. Kevin...I didn't want to work for that creep anymore anyway." she said.

"Well times are tough out here girl and if it makes you feel any better...My partner, Bonita Foxworth and I have a receptionist/administrative assistant position open at our company that you're welcome to if you want it...We'll at least match your salary at Scurlock's job." said my wife Sepia.

"Oh thank you soo much Mrs. Morris." she said.

"You know that those two hoods were looking for you too and that they were going to kill you...That's why I told you to go to a friend or relative's house and not to come back there." I said.

"Yeah...and I thank you...Was anything you got out of that office of any value?   I just hate to see Scurlock get away with this." she said.

''Well..I've been sitting back on a lot , but we have enough to hand to the feds and put him away for up to 25 years for the embezzlement, tax evasion and wire fraud among other things." I said.

"Not Murder? Not attempted murder?? " she asked.

"No...He's too smart to say anything on the phone and we don't have anything to tie him to those two boneheads that got killed in my house ." I said.

"Did you look thorougly through that stuff I gave you?" she asked.

"Pretty much....I handed it to some lawyers to look at." I said.

"Well those two guys came to the office a few times and he gave them checks...I think there might be a few cancelled checks in those folders.." she said.

''Really?" I said.

"Yeah...I don't know what he paid them for....but those two guys didn't look like they were good for much except what they did...Find people ,abduct people and kill people." said Nadine.

I smiled...she was smarter than she knew!

"You're right." I said.

My eyes lit up!  That might be the edge I needed!

Sepia smiled...She looked at Nadine....

"I only see that look three times...His Birthday, Christmas Eve and well you know." she laughed and gave Nadine the side eye.

Nadine smiled back at her and the two women giggled....I tossed some cash on the table...

"See you ladies later." I said as I headed out the door and to my car.

II-

Back in Robert Foxworth's office, Robert,Chance, Cole and I sifted through  documents and other files that we had retrieved from Scurlock's Office. It took awhile...but after much searching, there it was!!! Two checks for 50G's a peice made out to Fred and Arthur Angel....My two would be , but now deceased killers. All I had was a bluff, and a long shot....but I had to take it.

"Kev...These are two cancelled checks..So what?" said Robert Foxworth..

"Those two guys that tried to kill me and Sepia were contract killers...What else would these checks be for? Look at the large amount of money....It's not like those two knuckleheads were accountants or book-keepers." I said.

"Yeah Kev...But you don't know what this was a payment for. It just says "consulting" That could be anything...You try to make a murder case out of this and any first year lawyer could tear your argument to shreds..." he said.

"Yeah...a lawyer might....Let's hope Scurlock isn't that smart." I said.

Robert shrugged his shoulders...

" Yeah let's hope he isn't...That's a nice bluff....but it's weak." He said.

"I know Robert, but it's all I got..." I said.

"He probably thinks he's safe right about now...The only two people who can link him to any murders are dead and with no ties to him.." said Robert.

"You're right and these two cancelled checks are a connection." I said.

"Connection to what?" he asked.

"It proves he knew them and that they worked for him...They were both ex-cons and career criminals...Let him explain to a jury what he paid them for." I said.

"Alright Kev....it's your show...Go get him!" said Robert.

"I plan to...Evening Gents." I said as I got up and left.

"Go get him Kev" said Chance Howard and Cole...Robert Foxworth just smiled and chuckled.


III-

Clerow drove up and parked in front of the Office....Kool Kat,Owen Todd and I got out of the car...We were met in the hallway, by a big six foot four tough who sternly said... "Office Hours have been suspended."

Owen Todd pulled out his .45 and stuck it in his stomach ...

''What did you say son?" he asked.

"Nothin...Go right in...." he said.

Kool Kat ,Clerow and I grinned, nodded our heads and kept walkin....

''I'll keep goober here company guys."said Owen with a smirk.

Once inside the office.. we heard a woman moaning in ecstacy...

"OUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..oh ..oh...oh...ohhhh..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Mister Spurlllockkkkkkkkkk!  ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Spank me, slap me, beat me..doooo meeeee..ohhhh god, it's so goood...ouuuu."


''Ummmmphhhhh..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ohhhhh...ohhhhhh....uh oh..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
...geeeeez...I'm going blind......ohhhhh geeezzzz...I'm about to blowwwwww my loadddddd!...argghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."


"Ouuuuu, Mister Spurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlockkkk..Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."


"arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...aggggrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Spurlock had a young blond  on his desk , naked...riding him...He was naked also.......His eyes were rolling into the back of his head...the legs on the desk were rocking back and forth feverishly...like they could break at any minute...

"Bet she can't type a lick." laughed Kool Kat...

"No wonder he fired Nadine." I mused....

Clerow laughed his head off...They both noticed us in the office...The Blonde screamed!


"AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...What are they doing in here?? Johnnn, I'm not into anything like that." she screamed.


Spurlock jumped up and ran behind his desk to cover himself, grabbing feverishly for his boxer shorts....

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he yelled.

"Aww gee Johnny,where are your manners...No Hello, No how are you doing? I thought we were friends?" I said as I sat on his desk.

The blonde grabbed her bra and put on her blouse and inched away from Spurlock...She grabbed her skirt..She was looking around the floor for something...

Kool Kat tossed her thong to her....

"Get dressed honey...Take a coffee break...Don't come back!" He said....

Spurlock went for the drawer...but Clerow put his pistol to his temple....

"I wouldn't do that dock...Might be hazardous to your health." he said with his toothy grin!

Both Spurlock and the girl got dressed...The girl ran out of the office without looking back.

I cocked my pistol.....but stopped short of aiming it at him...He sat down....He was sweating profusely...

"What do you want?" he asked.

"The Hughes...Where are they?" I asked.  He knew that I wasn't playing.....

"They are buried in the marshlands, up by the airport...I don't know exactly where." he said.

"We know everything...The embezzlement..the wire fraud...the money laundering...all of it.....The Feds are on their way here...I thought you might like to see these." I said and I put the two cancelled checks on his desk...

"What are those?" he asked.

" Downpayment for murder. You explain to the cops why you paid those two guys...I'm sure the D.A. would love to hear it. It's all over Spurlock....All over....I just stopped by to tell you that." I said. "Come on guys...let's go." I said .

"That's it? We just leavin?" asked Kool Kat.

"Nothing else to do or say." I said. "Have a nice life John."

...and at that, Kool Kat, Clerow , Owen Todd and I left the building....As we were getting in the car, we heard a gunshot!

"What the hell?" said Clerow...

"What was that?" asked Kool Kat...

"That was justice!" I said... and we all got in our car and drove away!

EPILOUGE-

By the time the police got to the office building , a crowd had gathered....Inside they found the partially clothed body of John Spurlock on the floor in his office with a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.... With all the evidence we turned over to the authorities and the tapes from his office ,it was enough to formally declare the Hughes dead and to assume that they were more than likely murdered by Fred and Arthur Angel on orders from John Spurlock.

It took close to a month, but the skelatal remains of Gary and Lisa Hughes were found, where John Spurlock had said they would be found....in the grassy marshlands out by the airport...  


I stopped by Sepia and Bonita's office one day at lunchtime.....Bonita greeted me at the door with a smile....

''Hey Kevin, care to join us for lunch?" she asked sarcasticly...I smiled and said nothing...

"Sepia will be out in a few minutes....The new girl Nadine, you sent us is working out great...." she continued.

"Glad to hear that...where is she anyway?" I asked..

"We are waiting for her to come back from lunch." said my wife Sepia.....The two of them laughed that conspiratorial laugh that women laugh...

''What?" I asked.

Sepia pointed...  Coming up the street, hand and hand and laughing gingerly was Owen Todd and Nadine?? I laughed and shook my head...Would wonders never cease? I thought...

''Alright ladies mind your business...Where are we eating today?"  I asked.

"I'm in a Mcdonald's kind of mood ." said Bonita...

Sepia looked at me...I shrugged my shoulders  -"Oh why not?" I said and the three of us walked down the boulevard towards Mickey Dees.