Expiration Dates

What was it with this guy and fish?  He hung out in the Aqua Bar, a stylized bar that had large aquarium underneath the bar and overly expensive drinks and now he was calling a meeting with Jack Clemmons at the Camden (New Jersey ) Aquarium.....I found this out through listening to a call he made from the phone in Buck's SUV to Jack Clemmons the day before...

I followed them both there and tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible...There was a nice crowd there.. I was wearing shades and a nice suit I had only recently purchased...I blended in with the crowd and followed them...

"Big Cheese...Big Cheese...you called?" laughed Jack Clemmons..

''Yeah Jack...We need another loan for 400G's..." said Silk.

''What? 400G's??" said Jack.

"Did I stutter?" said Silk.

"Look man, you haven't paid back the other two loans you took out already and what is going on with Gottlieb??  This kinda dough will bankrupt the company....They won't be able to continue..." said Jack.

"I'll handle the repayment of the loans...Just get me the dough." said Silk.

"Hey man..look...people will start to talk about this kind of money flowing out of the pension fund like this....You said that we would make a pile of money on Gottlieb...I haven't made a dime." said Jack.

"Hey,I said I'd repay the loans...now get me the dough." said Silk..

"Look man...Marilyn is already getting suspicious...She thinks you guys are shady...like gangsters...but I set her straight...I told her that you guys are on the up....but I don't know if she'll sign off on any more money without  repayment of at least one of the loans...I don't want her to become a problem." said Jack.

"She's not my problem Jack...She's your problem...Now you straighten her out , you feel me?...or I'll explain the facts of life to her myself...Now I said...I'd repay one of the loans...Now get me the dough okay?" said Silk.

"Okay...Okay...what about the other loan?" said Jack, who stood there looking stupid as Silk walked away...

"Just get the dough Jack and don't worry about it." said Silk.

I followed Silk...He faded into the crowd and then got on the ferry, headed back to Philadelphia!

I walked back into the crowd ...I saw Jack standing by himself by the shark tank.......

"Hello Jack." I said.

''Kevin...What are you doing here?" he asked.

''Funny,I might ask you the same thing." I said.

''What are you talking about?" he said.

" I saw you with your business partner." I said.

"Oh Kenny...uh yeah." said Jack.

"How's business?" I asked.

"Business is good." He said.

"Jack, cut the crap okay.....Your company, Gottlieb is drowning in debt..In fact, it hasn't turned a profit in a quarter and you haven't made a dime off of it and you have two unpaid loans and this clown is asking you for more money...Money you can't keep signing off on...Money your girlfriend will not sign off on...because she knows that it's drug money...dirty money....She knows that this guy Silk is using the Pension fund as his personal ATM and he won't stop until he's bled it dry." I said.

"Aww Kevin, you're crazy...Stop with the private eye jive okay...There is no conspiracy here...This is a business deal...Things happen in business." said Jack.

"Jack, wake up...wake up...Silk is a drug dealer....Everybody on the streets in Philly knows who and what he is..Everybody except you." I said.

"Kevin look this is just business." said Jack...

"What does he do with his money?...With the money you give him?" I asked.

"He's investing in some properties...a big real estate deal in New York...It's going to make us a pile of dough.."said Jack...

"Is that what he tells you?.....It's going to make Silk a pile of dough...It's not going to make you a dime...Have you made any money yet? Jack,These guys are bad people and you don't make contracts with them...Once they don't need you, Once they can't use you anymore...the contract expires and when the contract expires...So do you...Ask James W. Madison." I said.

''Aww Kev...this is just business...MY BUSINESS...NOT YOURS."  screamed Jack.

"Jack when we were kids...coming up...what was the worst thing you could be?  A dupe, a sucker...That's just what you are..a sucker....Silk is playin you like a deck of cards...and guess what? You got the losing hand....Remember what I said about expiration dates Jack...When the contract expires...So do you my friend." I said.

"Nice speech Kev." he said dryly.

"Okay Jack....good bye....Have a good life." I said.

II-

A week went by...I kept my eye on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Pension fund...None of the two loans were paid and Marilyn refused to sign off on another one...One night...She stopped by my house!!

Sepia answered the door...

"Hey girl...I was just going to call you , Ask you if you wanted to go shopping with me and Bonita this weekend." she said.

''I don't know....Is- Is your husband home?" she asked.


"Yes...He's in the living room.What's up?" she asked.

"I have to talk to him." she said.

"Marilyn are you alright?" asked Sepia.

"No...I'm not." she said.

Sepia walked her to the living room where I was sitting , sifting through some files on my cocktail table...Marilyn had some files.....

"Kevin...you've got to help me....and help Jack..." she said...then she burst into tears...

Sepia held her...We both looked at her...

"Hey what's the matter girl?" asked Sepia.

''We are in deep trouble...Jack mentioned that you're some kind of private detective Kevin...Maybe you can help us.." she said.  She handed me some files....

''What is this?"I asked.

"Loan applications, Certificates of deposit, Electronic withdrawal slips....They date back to a year..." she said.

"Hmmm, they all are going to a holding company...a holding company called "Silk and Wool Limited" out of New York City...Only this company doesn't really exist and the owner, Thomas Speed is really an ex-con that lives here in Philly." I said.

''So you know?" she said.

"Yes I know...I started looking into all of this the night after we all had dinner....I see that guy James Madison signed off on a number of things until he went missing...Then you and Jack signed off on everything else... The one signature missing is Kenneth Wooten...It's not on anything...Nothing can tie him to any of this." I said.

"But I can...I can testify that he is the mastermind behind this...That we've been giving the money to him and God knows what he's doing with it.I can give you the name of an accountant and a bookkeeper...Here is their phone numbers and their adresses...They cooked the books for Mr. Wooten...They switched a lot of numbers around...but it's all smoke and mirrors...They know who and what he is..but they're scared of him." she said... "I made a DVD stating as much .....Here take this...With these files and their testimony it will coroberate everything...It's at least enough to make somebody look." she said.

" Okay...I'll check em out...I'll talk to them...and I'll talk to the board chairman..Look...I can hide you somewhere ,where you'll be safe.." I said.

"Can you really? Is it that deep?" she asked.

''Yes it is...These guys aren't nice guys..These guys are killers and with the amount of money involved here...They'll kill to keep a light from shining on their action...Go pack a bag...I'll stop by your apartment to pick you up in about two hours." I said.

"Okay...thank you Kevin.." she said.

In hindsight...I should have either went with her or sent Clerow and Owen with her.


III-

Clerow and I drove to Marilyn's apartment complex....Ralph Mole was with us...He was going to escort her to Fathead's safehouse...I had used it to hide people before......I knocked on the door...It was surprisingly open....

Clerow, Ralph and I pulled our pistols and walked inside...There was blood on the floor and on the wall and the apartment looked like a fierce struggle had gone on....No sign of Marilyn.....We questioned several people on the floor...No one had seen anything, but several had heard thumps and thuds and screams....It being Philadelphia...Everyone had chosen to mind their own business!!!  There was a video camera in the hall....It wasn't on!!!

We said nothing....Clerow, Ralph and I quietly left.....we knew what had more than likely happened.....

A few nights later...Kool Kat called me...

"What's up big man?" I answered...

"You better come down to the 28th street Bridge quick man...it aint good." he said.

''What's up?" I asked.

"They found your girl...Marilyn..." was all he said and he hung up!

I got Clerow and Owen Todd and the three of us drove to the scene, Where the police marine unit was pulling a car out of the river.....Inside the car was Marilyn !!!! She had been shot two times in the back of the head....probably in her room and stuffed in her car and dumped in this river!!!

Kool Kat, Lt.Sissy Van Buren and several detectives and policemen were at the scene already....

"Kevin...What brings you here?" she asked.

"I know her." I said...

"You do?" she asked.

"Yeah...She's my friend's girlfriend..." I said.

''Where is he?"she asked...

"He's on his way...I called him." I said.

Jack Clemmons drove up...I hadn't talked to him since I saw him at the Aquarium.....As soon  as he got out of his car, I motioned him over to us....

"I got here as soon as I could." he said.

"Get over here Jack" I said.....

He walked over to us...As soon as he did, he stopped...His eyes got as large as saucers....There was Marilyn's car, and there in the front seat was her corpse!!!!.....

I angrily punched him in the arm... As the cops, Kool Kat, Clerow and Owen looked on...

"Marilyn.....Oh my God...Marilyn.....She's ......She's....:"He said in anguish...

"She's dead, stupid..Still think your business partner is on the up and up?" I said.

(Definitely To Be Continued....)