The next thing I did was drive to the safe deposit box that I knew was owned by the now deceased Barbara Miller that same night...I was working on a hunch...Lockpick Johnson cracked it open in no time and Kool Kat,Clerow, Sean Jackson, Peeping Tom and Owen Todd watched as I emptied out an assortment of jewels...
"Holy Crap Kev...what a haul." said Owen Todd.
"This gentlemen is all of the proceeds of several jewelry store robberies..." I said.
"You knew where the swag was all the time?" asked Kool Kat.
"I had a hunch..." I said.
"Still can't tie it to Ray...It's in Barbara Miller's safe deposit box." said Sean Jackson.
"How careful is he huh? Nothing to tie him to anything...Well...I'm going to turn this into the police...This will make someone in Robbery -Homicide and the Major Crimes Unit very happy..I just cleared seven cases....What we are going to do next is replace them with the stunt jewelry I had Clerow pick up this morning." I said.
Clerow handed me a bag with fake jewelry in it, which I replaced in the safe deposit box.
"My guess is...He's got the ice stored here until he can find a fence,then he plans to move it." I said.
"When he does , we catch him here on tape..." said Kool Kat....
"Here and where-ever the meet is." I said.
Owen Todd, Clerow, Lockpick Johnson and Kool Kat looked on as Peeping Tom inserted a small micro digital camera in the area....
"I can't wait to see the look on that cocky bastard's face when we nab him." said Kool Kat.
''Patience Big Man...all good things in time." I said.
II-
Listening to Ray Kind's phone conversations and to him making out with various women in his car for the next few days seemed to go nowhere....He was indeed having a hard time finding a fence/broker...No player in Philly, New Jersey, Deleware or even Maryland wanted to touch those diamonds...
But eventually someone did...Greed works like that...It trumps common sense... A playa from the dirty south who calls himself "Memphis Slim" called Ray one night....
"Ray Kind?" he said...
"Yeah..Who wants to know?" answered Ray..
"My name is Memphis Slim.....We have a mutual friend....if you know what I mean and I know you do." he said.
"Go ahead...I'm listening." he said.
"Well our friend likes bright shiny things...He's like a baby, ya know? He informed me that you like potato chips and for some potato chips, you'd uh, be willing to show a playa a route to these bright shinky things up in Philly I hear so much about!" he said.
"Oh yeahhhh...Lots of good times to be had here Memphis...When could you be in town?" asked Ray.
"I'm comin through this Friday.....I'm gonna be stayin with our ugh, "mutual friend"...I'm bringin some chips...about half...You bring the rocks..I'll bring the chips...I like what I see...I'll make sure the trip was
uh well worth your while." he said.
"I like what I'm hearing Slim...So we'll make that Friday night around 7:00...Then we'll go have some drinks, get some dinner , have some fun....how about that?" said Ray..
"Sounds like a plan...I always have a ball in Philly." he laughed.
"Wow...we got him on tape talkin about the diamonds." said Sean Jackson.
"Not really..He could say that conversation was about anything....He's real smart..but since we know he is...we gotta find out who Memphis Slim is." I said.
"He aint from Philly...I doubt if anybody knows." said Owen Todd..
"Well ask around...Meanwhile...It's time for me to visit my FBI agent." I said.
"Wow Kev...It has been a long time we've talked " said Special Agent in charge, Frank Cotton....''What can I do for you?"
"I need information on a fence..an underworld figure out of Memphis ,Tennessee named "Memphis Slim" I said.
"Slim? " he laughed...
"You know him?" I asked...
"Oh yeah...Long rap sheet...Fences high line merch...Mobbed up.....Connected to a lot of major players in the Memphis area... He's like an elder statesman in the crime world." he said.
''Well I have evidence that he's coming to Philadelphia to make a deal with the guy who masterminded those jewelry store heists ." I said.
"What? Didn't two people get killed in the last one?" he asked.
"Sure did...and all of the participants are now dead...but the main guy...the mastermind thinks he still has the diamonds and is about to make a sale, along with a third person... I found the merch and returned it...I told the local coppers to keep it out of the news." I said.
"Until you set up the pigeon?" he said.
''Exactly" I said.
"Kevin, I'm not going to question how you got all of this info..I'm sure it's illegal, but I'm glad you do what you do.I'd like to have a talk with Memphis Slim" he laughed as I walked out of his office. He had supplied me with a photo of this guy...I now knew who I was looking for.
III-
A few days later....Ray Kind showed up at Barbara Miller's safe deposit box and emptied all of it's contents into his breifcase...We caught it all on videotape. He then drove to a residence in Germantown.
We followed him by using the gps unit under his seat....The one he didn't find. He parked his car and went up to the front door...a woman answered...a woman I recognized.... Jennifer Maclin.....Owny's estranged wife!!! This explained everything...That's who had betrayed him...One of the women who had betrayed him anyway...Poor Owny, done in by both his wife and his mistress.
"He here?" asked Ray.
"He's on his way....You got the stash?" she asked.
"Of course." he said.
Meanwhile, Kool Kat, Clerow, Owen Todd and I sat in my car, right down the street from them. Right across the street from us, sat Lt. Sissy Van Buren, two detectives and two uniformed cops...The stage was set.
Memphis Slim was Clinton "Memphis Slim" Williams...a Black playa from Memphis, who was well connected...He drove up in a 1975 Caddilac... Maroon with a white top.
''Did this cat drive all the way up here from Memphis?" asked Kool Kat.
"I guess." I said.
"Oh my God...Where is the Superfly music?" laughed Owen Todd and Clerow as he got out of the caddy with his assistant.
He looked about 65 years old...He was wearing a white brim, a brown, pin stripe suit and brown aligator shoes...He was sharp! For a man his age ....His assistant was a younger guy who was holding a breifcase....
What happened next was classic!
"Hello, how ya doin...This is my nephew, Al...."Said Memphis
"Hi Al ,how are you doin?"said Ray.
"I'm cool" he said.
"Mr. Williams, Mr. Williams...I'm Ray Kind.....Can I get you anything to drink?" said ray
"Some Vodka....."
"Jenny...Get memphis here some Vodka."said Ray.
"Sure..." she said.
''With some cranberry juice if you got it baby." he said.
"I don't have cranberry juice..how about orange juice?"
"Okay, that'll do." he said. "You got the ice?" he said.
"yeah, yeah...right here in this breifcase...check it outtttttttttttttttttttt." said Ray.
"Ummmmm hmmmmmm.....uhhhhh huhhhh..Wait...Wait a damn minute,What in the wide world of sports is you tryin to pull?" said Memphis Slim.
"What do you mean?" said Ray.
"What is this crap? I know you didn't have me drive from Memphis ,all the way to Philly for this..Where are the real jewels?" he bellowed.
"Those are real jewels...Thats merch from close to eight robberies that I personally masterminded." screamed Ray.
"This here is costume jewelry...Stunt jewelry....You been snookered son...This is some crap...Come on Al..Let's get the hell out of here." said Memphis Slim as he and Al headed for the door ,only to be met by Lt.Sissy Van Buren, her detectives, two uniforms and FBI Special Agent ,Frank Cotton and several FBI agents...
"Hi ya Memphis...Long time no see." he said as he and the federal agents cuffed Memphis Slim and Al.
"I'll be damned..I done come up here and walked into a trap...You damn amateurs..." slurred Slim...
Sissy and the Philly cops put the cuffs on Ray and Jennifer.....
Kool Kat, Clerow, Owen and I walked up on the porch...I stared at Ray real hard.....
"I told you that I always get my man....Goodbye Ray." I said.
Upon seeing me he smiled....
"Wow Kevin, this was you? Nicely done....You're good....But I'm good too...This aint over." he said with a laugh as they dragged him and Jennifer to the police car....
"Like I said...Goodbye Ray." I said.
Kool Kat, Clerow and Owen all high fived each other.....but I was worried....For a moment!
IV-
A few days later, Sepia and I were lying across our bed, in the afterglow of some great sex...just relaxing...
"Wow lover, you wrapped up another one didn't you?" she said.
''Yeah...but something about this case just seemed a little different from the others." I said.
''Really?"she asked.
"Yeah...Like I was dealing with someone a cut above the rest...I don't know." I said.
Just then, my phone rang.
"Who is calling us now?" asked Sepia...
"Ahhh just ignore it..it'll stop." I laughed...Sepia, being a woman, picked up the phone...
"Kev, it's Robert ." she said.
"Foxworth?" I asked.
"Yeah." she said. She handed me the phone.
"What's up counselor?" I asked.
''Kev, I don't know how to tell you this....Your Boy, Ray Kind....Got himself a lawyer...He made bail." said Robert Foxworth.
"He made bail?" I asked.
"Well yeah...He's only charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and theft....He got bail and get this, it's worse..." said Robert.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"He's apparently fled....His house is empty, There's no sign of him...he's gone!" said Robert.
"Gone man, gone." said Robert...
He told me that this wasn't over....He was right!
(Conclusion Next!)
1 comment:
Thought this one was all over and then you throw in a twist....Nice!
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