The Legend of Tennessee Wilkins

Kenny "Silk" Wooten and his lawyer ,Tennessee Wilkins sat in a Seafood Bistro in South Jersey and enjoyed Lobster ,Cracked Crab and a bottle of White Wine... Silk was too smart to ever talk on a phone or in an office...and for something as sensitive as this...He was meeting his attorney at a spot I had never heard of...Unknown to him...I not only knew where he was..(.Owen Todd had put a GPS device under his Bentley)But I could hear his conversation quite well...

See , his "attorney" was not really a lawyer at all...it was consumate con man, Pakastani Sam...

Sami "Pakastani Sam" Ali was no more from Pakastan than I was....His parents had come over here from Pakastan in the 50's and to my knowledge...He had never even been to Pakastan....What he was ,was an old school playa..".The con man's con man" is what Gus called him... I had met him in Josies a couple of years ago and he had held me, Clerow, Kool Kat and Sean Jackson captive with his stories about the sophisticated cons he pulled back in the day....He was a colorful old guy who dressed immaculately. He was close to 80 years old, but still got around pretty good..He had been retired for years, but jumped at the chance to pull this or any elaborate con....

It wasn't about the money for him...It was the challenge ,the art of the con....I had used Marco Gervay and a number of unsavory types to put the word out that if you needed a good attorney , who didn't mind bending the law a bit... Then "Tennessee Wilkins" was your man.... Buck bit the bait and turned his boss, Kenny "Silk" Wooten on to him....

Kenny "Silk"Wooten asked him to meet him at this bistro to discuss his case.... Peeping Tom had wired him up perfectly ...in a place where it wouldn't be found...Now safely away from his office and any prying ears...He was free to talk..

"So what about my case? " asked Silk...

"Well...I looked over what they have against you and the way I see it...You can walk as long as nobody is around who can hurt you." said Wilkins....

"Well, I took care of that...There's two people who will never testify against me..Heh heh,heh...Did your guy locate that book keeper and that accountant?" asked Silk

"Yes....One is in Baltimore...or rather he was....and the other one was right over here in New Jersey....My investigator is the best in the business..He's a regular hound dog..." said Wilkins....

"So the guy you got ...To uh handle that bit of business for us handled it right?" asked Silk.

"Yes...They are both dead, just as you specified....and nobody will ever find either one of them...My guy is good...real good...makes folks disappear..." said Wilkins.

"Good...Without their testimony...the board has nothin..absolutely nothin to tie me to Madison or Clemmons...it looks like they will take the blame for everything.and they're both dead..so case closed." said Silk.

"That board still will never take you back." said Wilkins..

"Doesn't matter...I'm planning to take a little vacation...some place warm..with cold drrinks...Come back when the heat is off and find another pension fund." said Silk.

"It's good your name isn't on anything.Outside of that..all they have is hearsay." said Wilkins...

"Never that...I may not be a real lawyer, but I aint no fool." said Silk...

"Now what about Buck?" asked Wilkins...

"What about him?" asked Silk..

"He killed Madison, Clemmons and that girl Scott didn't he?   He could be the most dangerous weapon used against you." said Wilkins..

"Buck won't roll...Not in a million years...He's a soldier...Besides..I sent him to D.C. ,just to get him out of the way..." said Silk...

"You know, you should have hired seperate ,professional hitters to do all of those jobs...That way...nobody close to you woulda been implicated." said Wilkins..

"Nah ,that cost too much money..Buck works cheap...hahahahahahahahahaha...Hey counselor...you sure you a lawyer? You sound like a gangster.." laughed Silk... "He got a little sloppy with Clemmons and the babe..but he got the job done...heh heh heh." laughed Silk.

"Okay good...with all of your witnesses gone....You'll beat all of those charges and they won't be able to pull up any murder charges." laughed Wilkins....

"Great....Now like I said, I'm going to have to find another pension board to get on and find another pigeon to set up....Oh...before I forget...I need your boy to do one more job for me..." said Silk.

"Who?  You got rid of all of your witnesses.." said Wilkins..

"This one is personal...a damn private investigator named Kevin Morris, who sticks his damn nose into too much business....I already got his address..I want him gone...With him out of the way..I'll feel a whole lot better..." said Silk...

"I'm going to need another 600G's for that.He aint gonna like being called on so soon." said Wilkins..

"Who cares what he likes? He's working for me...he'll do what I say and what I pay for...Explain that to him..." SCREAMED Silk.

"Okay...Okay..you want somebody dead...then dead they'll be..." said Wilkins...

"Good, that damn Kevin Morris got me fired from the board and he was the one that got that babe all scared and worried...I hated killing her...that was one fine babe...I was gonna tap that eventually." he said.

"That was Clemmons girl!" said Wilkins...

"Yeah, and?" said Silk...

"You somethin man...Anyway...we'll meet tonight in town...bring the money..I'll pay my investigator and the hitter." said Wilkins..

"Good...I'll see you tonight in town." said Silk

(Click!)

At a motel, a few miles away..Me,Sean Jackson, Kool Kat,Owen Todd, Clerow, Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson all listened to this conversation and laughed our heads off...

"Damnnnnn...Pakastani Sam could sell ice to a polar bear." said Kool Kat...

"He's got him confessing to three murders as well as bleeding the pension fund..." I said.

"Not to mention soliciting the murders of two potential witnesses against him and you..." said Peeping Tom....

"Yeah, how about that?"I said.

"Let's get back to town...this ought to be rich." laughed Clerow.

II-

It was close to midnight when Kenny "Silk" Wooten drove up in his Bently and walked over to a car that held Lee Spann, my private investigator friend and a big six foot ,three white man, who stood next to him....

"Hey I thought you was comin alone?." ...said Silk.

"Hey I would have , but my guy here wanted to meet you." said Wilkins.

"Meet me for what?" said Silk.

"Just go meet him...The short white boy is my investigator...Lee...you give him the dough." said Wilkins...

''The Big guy is your hitter?"asked Silk.

"Yup...best in the business." said Wilkins.

Silk walked over and shook both men's hands...

"Pleased to meet you...They call me Silk." he said.

"I was on my way out of town and you're askin me to risk my life to kill somebody else...I wanted to know just who I'm working for." The bigger man said..

"You're gettin paid...what do you care?" said Silk

"You got the dough?" asked Lee Spann...''After all, it took me awhile to find them two witneses."he said.

"Yeah..yeah...here is the dough....and if you don't mind hanging around..after I read that Kevin Morris is dead...I'll pay you a bonus.I want his body found!" snapped Silk..

"Sure.You got another gun?" asked the gruff would be hitman..

"You don't have a gun?  " asked Silk....

"I tossed the one I used to ace those two witnesses...and I didn't bring a spare.." he said.

Kenny gave him a side eye..."Yeah ,I got a throw down gun in my trunk...It was stolen from an armory in New York...It aint registered nowhere." he said. "Is this your first time? You ever done this before?" Silk asked jokingly...

"Actually it is...See...I'm a cop!" said the man as he grabbed Silk ,handcuffed him and through him on the car....

"What?? A Cop???  Heyyyyyyy..." screamed Silk...

At this point..I walked out, with Kool Kat,Owen Todd, Clerow, Sean Jackson, Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson as Silk was being read his rights.

"How ya doin Silk? Hows business?" I sneered..."We got every blood thirsty word on tape...You're goin down for three murders and solicitation of three more..." I laughed.

"That's where you're wrong smart guy....Attorney -client priveledge...You can't use anything I said to my attorney in court" he laughed...

''Gee, you really must be a lawyer."I said.

''I watch Television."sneered Silk.

The undercover detective said with a straight face- "Kev, I think he's right."..Then he busted out laughing....We all did...

Wilkens or Pakastani Sam walked over, looked at Silk, shook his head and said- "I'm not an attorney son."

"I pinched this guy ten years ago for bunco..." said the undercover detective...

''What?"said Silk.

"He's no more an attorney than you are." said the detective...

We all laughed...

Silk's head dropped....."Ohh My God...." he said..."I don't beleive this....I'm goin to jail...I aint never been to jail in my life...Ohh My God..." he sighed..

"Pack a toothbrush man." added Clerow....I slapped him on the back and continued to laugh..Then I looked at Silk..

"Ohhh Lord...." sighed Silk, not even looking at me...His mind was on other things...

"Oh yeah tough guy....The FBI pinched your boy, Buck down in D.C. and he's singing like Diana Ross and the Supremes...He gave you up in a heartbeat and nobody had to hit him with a rubber hose.So much for him bein a soldier" laughed Kool Kat...

Silk looked like he wanted to cry...as more police converged on the parking lot...
He just kept shaking his head... "I don't beleive this...I'm goin to jail...ohhhh lord...oh God, help me...ohhhhhhh lordddd!.."

I stood off to the side by myself....

"Jack....Marilyn...This one was for you." I thought to myself as they dragged Silk off.

EPILOUGE:

Kenny "Silk" Wooten was convicted of three murders, solicitiation and conspiracy to murder witnesses and fraud,wire fraud,and an assortment of RICO charges...He was sentenced to Death on state charges,plus life with no possibility of parole in federal court...He was done.

Thomas "Buck" Speed was sentenced to Life with no possibility of parole for his part in the murders...

17 people in New York City who were linked to his Pension Fund scam were arrested by the FBI and received sentences ranging from 17 to 25 years behind bars... 3 people also indicted were found murdered...perhaps there was even more to be told...

On a rainy Saturday Morning, Sepia and I sat in our favorite coffee shop, enjoying pastries and tumblers of hot coffee..

"Wow...it sure is a shame about your friends....Jack and Marilyn...I really liked them." she said.

"Yeah..they were misguided innocents and unfortunately they had to pay the ultimate price for that." I said.

"At least you got Silk and Buck....This time the good guys won."  she said.

"Yeah...this time.." I said as I sipped my tumbler of coffee.