Cold Gray Light Of Dawn

Dawn!  Dawn in Philadelphia! Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon. Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon.

Dawn ..... I sat on my steps drinking a hot steaming styrofoam tumbler of coffee...I watched as the smoke drifted from the cup into my nose...Inside my house...My wife lie asleep, grieving the loss of a close friend and one of the last links to the life she knew before she came to Philadelphia...The life she knew in North Jersey...

24 Hours Earlier-

Lt. Sissy Van Buren had told me that Jewel Gardenor's murder matched two other murders of exotic dancers, who called themselves going a "date" (sex) with a client...a little something extra...all three girls were beaten to a pulp after they had had sex with whoever had killed them.

She told me that the killer had left an enormus amount of semen in all of the girls , but that there was no DNA match for their killer in the city or in the FBI VICAP files....Yet, the DNA linked one man to all three murders.

Kool Kat drove up and parked his car in front of my house.  My car  and Sepia's car was in the garage. He too had a cup of coffee..

"Hey man..how ya doin? He said.

"I'm good." I said.

"How's Sepia?" he asked.

''She's taken it hard." I said.

'Two of those girls worked for Rollo Jones." said Kool Kat.

"Yeah and this one was workin for "Aunt" Jemima." I said.

''Hmmm...Well it's Sunday...They aint gonna be open...but we can find, Rollo and Aunt Jemima and question em." said Kool Kat.

"Way ahead of you." I said.

"Oh and to change the subject a bit...Guess who I saw yesterday at the Aqua Bar?  Ray Kind...Apparently, he got himself sprung." said Kool Kat.

"Yeah, I know...Gus said that he saw him in Josies..." I said.

"'I heard he's got a judge in his pocket...a federal judge."said Kool Kat...

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Yup...Judge granted him bail despite the fact that the Feds said he was a flight risk....and guess who his lawyer is?" said Kool Kat.

"Please not Robert Foxworth or Conrad Nelson!!" I said.

"No...Neither of them...Think of the slimiest snake you know.." said Kool Kat.

"Ralph "Pretty" Penny." I said.

"None other." said Kool Kat.

"He's so crooked, when he dies they are gonna have to put his casket in the ground sideways." I joked...

"Hahahahahahahahaha." laughed Kool Kat.

I smiled...then I thought-

''So Laura...Are you married?" I asked.


"Married to my work...I'm a Judge now...A Federal Judge...." she said.


"Ohh wow...isn't that something." I said.


"I was a U.S. Attorney with the Justice Department out in L.A. for awhile...until I became a judge and got the chance to work back here in my hometown." she said.  

''Guess what else?" said Gus.


"There's more?" I said.


"He was in here with that girl...that girl you was so crazy over years ago...Laura...Laura Como!!!" said Gus..

Could it be? Was Laura... My Laura possibly in bed with Ray? I thought to myself.....She was a Judge, a federal judge at that!  Could it be true...That She was the judge in Ray's pocket?? I hoped amongst all hope that this wasn't true.

"Yo Kev...You alright man?" asked Kool Kat.

"Yeah..Yeah I just was uh lost in thought...Let's go roust some pimps. "I said.

Kool Kat smiled.

II-

We drove to Rollo Jones apartment in my car , a few hours later...A sexy young girl in a sheer see through gown answered the door..

Kool Kat couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Hi...You guys must be here for Rollo...I'll get him." she said..

Rollo Jones... Big Chicken's right hand man and the boss while Big Chicken was in jail walked into the living room in his boxer shorts...He yawned... He took one look at Kool kat and me and he frowned...

"Damn Kev..Kools..who yall lookin for now?" he said.

"Two of your girls died last two or three months." I said.

"Yeah...I know...it's a tragic thing...it happens you know...one of em picks up a nut..somethin goes wrong...he loses it.." he said non-chalantly...

"But this was different Rollo...these two girls were beaten to death within a few weeks or two...Police say they got a DNA match for both girls...Same guy." I said.

"Look...I done talked to the cops three or four times.. I don't know nothin." he said.  I could tell by looking at him that he was lying...Maybe he didn't tell the cops anything...but he knew more than he was telling.

"You don't know nothin Rollo?  Nobody new been around? Nobody that didn't look like they didn't belong ?" I asked him..

Kool Kat looked at him hard....Rollo called us over to him...

"Look,I don't want no trouble , you hear?" he said.

"Rollo...I won't say a word." I said.

"There was a guy.... A lawyer...he defends a lot of gangsters...  They say he's connected...He started comin around...Ralph...Ralph "Pretty " Penny...After the two girls died...He stopped comin around..That's all I know..I don't know if he did it..or even if he was datin the broads..." said Rollo.

"Okay man..it's all good..." I said.

"Kev please...don't mention my name." He said.

"You have my word man." I said.

Kool Kat and I left his place and got back in my car...

''Where we headed next?" he asked.

"Next? We are going to see Mellissa "Aunt " Jemima. " I said.

Melissa ''Aunt"Jemima was a classy and beautiful black woman..She was close to 40 years old and she dressed to the nines...Could still turn men's heads a decade younger than her! Had an SUV and two other nice cars and a nice home in a section of Philadelphia that was predominately white...I'm sure her neighbors had no idea how she really made her money... pimping girls in West and North Philly and running a profitable strip joint....

She let Kool Kat and me into her house , but she looked at us with trepidation...

''Look ,I done talked to the cops...I -I aint got an idea who did this." she said.

"I gave Jewel a ride here myself so cut the crap...Now you put her to work the first night she was in town...I could have told the cops that, but I didn't...Who did you set her up with?" I asked.

"I can't give that kind of information out." she said.

"I could tell your white neighbors what you really do for a living." I said.

"You 're a real prick, you know that?" she said.

Kool Kat laughed and stomped his foot and slapped his sides,,,She looked at him and she laughed too..

"Oh alright,,,I set her up with this lawyer...Ralph "Pretty" Penny...He's connected..If he even thinks I talked to the police...He'll kill me." she said.

"He'll never know, because I'll never tell....I promise you that." I said. "Come on Kool Kat...Let's go." I said.

We left and drove back to our part of the city...On our way there Kool Kat asked me...

"If we can't use their testimony...How are we gonna get him? " he asked.

"Oh I have a way.." I said.

'Aint it somethin?" asked Kool Kat.

'Aint what something?" I said.

"He's Ray Kind's lawyer." he said.

"Yeah...I know." I said.

"You think Ray is mixed up in this?" he asked.

"Nah...this aint his style,...I doubt that he knows what his lawyer does in his private time." I said.

''Or cares." added Kool Kat.

"But tomorrow..We are gonna find Ray and his lawyer." I said.

"Ray hangs out at the Aqua Bar most nights...His lawyer is another story." said Kool Kat...

"It doesn't matter...we'll find them both." I said.

III-

Dawn!  Dawn in Philadelphia! Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon. Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon.

Dawn and I sat on my steps drinking a hot steaming styrofoam tumbler of coffee...I watched as the smoke drifted from the cup into my nose..So  much was whirling through my mind... Ray Kind was a free man...for now at least...The woman I once loved could possibly be the judge that was in his pocket and to top it off..his lawyer is possibly a serial killer.

What a past 24 hours this had been... and now here I was ..the dawn of a new day...sitting on my steps..taking it all in and awaiting...some answers..

(Definitely To Be Continued...)