The Usual Suspects

I usually took Clerow or Owen Todd or Kool Kat with me when I was on a case....but I figured I'd take my wife, Sepia with me this time...We were just looking for the wife of a young hothead and I had no reason at all to think that there was any foul play involved in her "disapearence..."

More than likely, she was probably in the bed with some man. I didn't want to tell Jimmy Dee that..but then again...I'm sure he suspected it. She was very flirtatious!

Sepia and I went to Pork Pie Nelson's house...We had seen Pork Pie and Edna leaving the bar together the night before...They probably overslept!

"I can't imagine her sleeping with an old man like that." said Sepia.

"Pork Pie is sitting on a lot of dough...He's gets a check from the military, a check from his government job and a check from the city...Yeah,I could see it." I said.

''But she's married to Jimmy Dee." said Sepia.

''Jimmy Dee , who works for the Water Department and has the frostiest demeaner this side of the North Pole... I can't say that I blame her for sleeping with anyone other than him." I said.

"You better watch talking like that lover...He is your client." she mused.

We both laughed as I parked the car and we  both walked up to Pork Pie Nelson's house and rang the doorbell.

Pork Pie came to the door in his bathrobe and boxer shorts...When he saw Sepia behind me ,he smiled and said-

''Hi ya Kevin...Heyyyy Sepia." he said.

''Hey Pork Pie....Uh Listen...Is Mrs. Walton over here?   Her husband is lookin for her." I said sheepishly.

"She was here last night....but she left hours ago." he said.

''Hours ago?" I said.

"Yeah." he said.   Then he pulled me to the side so that Sepia couldn't hear me..

"You uh didn't tell Jimmy Dee that you saw her with me in the bar did you?" he asked.

'No...He doesn't know who she was with...He hired me to look for her and bring her home...He doesn't know where I am right now." I said.

"She needed a loan..That's why she come over here...I gave her $600.00...She good for it..She always pays me back.." he said.

"That's all she came over here for?" I asked.

"Well...we kissed and made out a little bit...I was gettin ready to take her clothes off and make some sweet love to her when she got a text message...She got up ,buttoned up her blouse...said she had to go and run out of here like a bat out of hell...and that's the last I seen of her."

''What time was this?" I asked.

''A little after three in the mornin." he said.

"Thanks Pork Pie." I said.

Sepia and I got back into the car and pulled off..

"So was she there?" she asked.

"Yeah, but he says that she left at three in the morning...she got a text message or something." I said.

"Jimmy Dee?" asked Sepia.

"Maybe." I said.

II-

I dropped Sepia off at the beauty parlor and hooked up with Kool Kat... The big man and I went looking for smooth player, Fast Tony Costner....He hung out in a North Philly Social Club called ''Ricks" , a bust out joint for cats like him...Ex cons...

"Haven't been in here in years." said Kool Kat.

"Can't believe you were ever in here...This doesn't seem to be your style." I said.

"Well not now...but once upon a time...." laughed Kool Kat..

We walked in and started walking toward the booth where Fast Tony was drinking and talking to another man...A young tough saw us and started walking towards us...

'Relax Junior...We just want to talk to Tony." I said.

"My name aint junior " he snapped and threw a punch at me..I grabbed his arm, put it behind his back and slammed his head on the table..He fell to the floor...Another went for his gun, bu Kool Kat had his .44 magnum cocked and aimed at his temple.. Fast Tony jumped up...The man he was talking to eased out of his seat and slid away...He had a black eye and a bruised cheekbone and swollen lip..He looked like somebody had beaten him up recently.

"Relax Tony...Welcome back...Heard you got out. What happened to you?" I asked..

He grimaced, but he didn't answer my question.

"Yeah Tone..we just got a few questions to ask you, that's all...no need for all this." said Kool Kat.

"What's this about?" he said.

"I'm just lookin for your ex-wife, Edna...You seen her?" I asked.

''What you want with Edna?" he asked...

"Have you seen her?" I asked again.

"Yeah I seen her...Last night at Josies...We talked awhile.Saw you too..You got a nice lookin wife..You should see more of her and stay out of business that don't concern you." he said.

"You seen Edna today or since then?" I asked Tony, ignoring his last statement.

"Nah...why?" he asked.

''No reason...a friend of a friend is lookin for her." I said.

"Her punk husband hired you Kev to look for her?  He come around here too askin had I seen her...He almost got himself shot.If I was you...I'd give him his money back..Aint no future in being mixed up with her." said Tony.

"Oh Really? You know somethin I don't know Tony?" I asked.

By now the young tough got up off of the floor and dusted himself off...

"Nice job!  GET outta here." snapped Tony to the young guy who scurried off.

" I know it's nice to breath in and out everyday..and to mind my damn business. You might want to talk to that old guy, Pork Pie Nelson...I saw her talkin to him last night." he said.

"Still the make believe tough guy eh Tony ?" said Kool Kat.

''Whatever man." said Tony.

"Come on Kools...There's nothing else to be learned here." I said.

Kool Kat and I left.

"Pork Pie Nelson??  She's bangin that old dude??" asked Kool Kat.

''He loans her money....I already talked to him....He said she was over last night and he gave her $600.00, then she got a text message of some type and she left." I said.

"Hmmm..and she aint been seen since?" said Kool Kat.

"No...hasn't been to work in two days either...." I said.

III-

I talked to close to twenty five people who were close to or knew Edna Walton within the next few hours and nobody knew where she was . Nobody had heard from her in 48 hours... I questioned the tall thin young man at my office who had been seen flirting with her...Apparently he had been visited by Jimmy Dee and had a black eye and a busted lip to show for it!! He hadn't seen her since the last time she had been at work.
I decided maybe I'd better pay Pork Pie Nelson another visit... He had after all been the last known person to see Edna alive.

I didn't feel like calling on Kool Kat again today and Sepia was already home...Clerow was with Corrie and his kids...So I went alone... I rang the bell three times...No answer!  That was strange.....I went to knock on the door and it was surprisingly open......I walked in.

"Pork Pie!  Yo Pork Pie!! It's me Kevin..." I said....

Nothing seemed amiss until I walked into the living room....The television was on....and Pork Pie was lying on the couch with his mouth wide open.

He's either drunk or he's asleep I thought to myself and chuckled.....but he was neither...I went over and shook him and he was stiff as a board!


HE WAS DEAD!!!


(To Be Continued....)