A Way Out!

Kool Kat drove and bobbed his head to the music as we drove to the Mermaid club later on that afternoon in his new Escalade.

"How you like my new whip Kev?" he asked.

"This a loaner?" I asked him...

"Yeah...My old ride is in the shop..." he said still bobbing his head to the music.

"I had an interesting day today." I said.

"I heard....you could've called me...I was home bored." he said.

"I'm calling you now for the heavy work." I said.

"Yeah that's true.... A whole bunch of uh important folks got pinched today in that warehouse." he said.

"How did Fathead and Roscoe take it?" I asked.

"They don't care...None of their people was there....His supplier is from Atlanta..He and Big Butt never got along." said Kool Kat.

"How about him and Holden?" I asked.

"Holden works for Big Butt...Everybody knows that...and he aint even the number two guy...He thinks he is...but Joe "Chill" Bumpers is the number two guy....Holden ran the warehouse or at least he thought he was runnin it...Joe kept an eye on Holden and probably reports back to Big Butt." said Kool Kat.

"So why didn't you and Roscoe tell me that the other night?"I asked.

"Because we realized he was your friend...We didn't want to ruin him in your eyes, but we figured you'd find out." laughed Kool Kat.

"He's got a contract on me man." I said..

"I'm not surprised" said Kool Kat..."Big Butt got moved to some hole in California...he probably demanded that something be done...and Holden, knowing you like we know you probably figured that you had something to do with it.." he said matter of factly.

"Who do you think he'd get?" I asked.

"Joe." he said.

"Joe Bumpers?" I asked.

"That's why they call him "Chill", he's got ice water in his veins...They say he's killed about 28 guys in his time. Doesn't blink..Tried to kill me once." he said.

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah...we got into it over a card game...Chris and Donald Smooth  smoothed things over between us. It was close...We shot at each other about three times in three nights."
he said.

''Wow" I said.

"Yeah, I got quite a past...That's why I left the street life." he said.

I looked at the big man...He looked at me...We both cracked up.


II-

I played Kool Kat a tape of the conversation I'd overheard-

"Hello" came a gruff voice

"Hey...it's me..." said Holden

''Who is me?" asked the voice.

"Holden....You know who I am."said Holden

''Yeah...a guy who's soon to be a dead man...Da Boss called me a couple of nights ago
from California...He's pissed at you..Says you been runnin your mouth to some skirt about your arrangement and she might be an undercover fed or cop." he laughed.

"No...that aint it at all...I ran into a guy...somebody I used to know a long time ago...at a party...Well it turns out he's a gumshoe...a private eye type...He did some digggin into my background...He's that kind of guy...newsy....goody two shoes...I tried to talk some sense into his head, but I guess he don't see things that way...." said Holden.

"Yeah and?" came the voice.

"I need him uh...taken care of....you feel me?" said Holden.

"This private eye got a name?" asked the voice...

"Yeah...Kevin Morris and I'll supply you with his home address, where he works at and where his wife works at...as well as a photo." said Holden.

''Okay...I'm on it....You say this guy was a friend of yours."he asked.

"Yeah.......kind of .....Somebody I used to know a long time ago...but that I don't know no more." said Holden.

"Makes me no never mind...I was just curious..." said the voice.

"So you'll take care of it right?" asked Holden.

"Sure...I want twenty five G's... In cash...in twenties....I'll meet you tonight at the Mermaid Club....I guaruntee you in 48 hours....dude will be as dead as a doorknob."
he said...

"That will work." said Holden.

''What about the boss?" he asked.

''Well...I don't know...We gotta wait til all of this heat dies down...Maybe I can pull a few strings and work out something for him in California...I had to reach out to a lot of people to get him his present deal." said Holden.

"You aint gonna do nothin...You are so full of it...ha..ha..ha." laughed the voice...

"Joe...come on man..." said Holden.

"No names on the phone...You know that!" he said.

"I'm sorry." said Holden...

"You sure as hell are."

(Click!)

Kool Kat shook his head...."That's him...That's Joe.......You stay in the bar...I'm gonna go in and take a seat by the bar and...." he said...

''What?" I asked.

''That's him..." he said pointing to two men walking  into the bar.

''Who's that guy with him?" I asked.

"I don't know...but this means only one thing." said Kool Kat.

"The target has been changed....They're gonna take Holden out...They no doubt got the bad news about the warehouse bust."he said.

"Gee Bad News travels fast don't it?" I said.

"Don't it now?" laughed Kool Kat.

III-

A Green Buick Skylark pulled up...A Man got out, He pulled a very frightened Holden Wakefield out of the car and motioned for him to go inside the Mermaid Club...

We watched...and then Joe Bumpers, Holden, and the two men walked out...They all appeared to be smiling and they got into the Skylark...They pulled off.

"Follow them Big man...I think they're going to hit Holden...." I said.

"You should let em...He was gonna have you whacked." said Kool Kat...

"I know I should...but I can't...and besides..Don't you want another crack at "Chill"?" I asked.

"You know me so well Kev...Let's hit it." he said.

We followed them from at least two cars behind...Then we lost them in the heavy traffic.

"I think I know where they're gonna take him." said Kool Kat.

"Huh ? " I asked...

"It's an old lot...almost looks like a beach....nothin but sand....It's on the outskirts of town...Nobody would think to look there....It's where you take somebody when you uh need to be uh ruh...alone!" said Kool Kat.

"I don't even want to know how you know that." I said.

Kool Kat just laughed and continued driving.

IV-

The Green Skylark came to a stop.   The two men got out...both were brandishing guns....Joe Bumpers pulled Holden out of the car...

"Heyyyy Look man...You don't want to do this....I told you that the gumshoe was responsible for this....Come on man!" said Holden.

"Man I work for calls me, tells me that his warehouse got raided and close to 100 people got arrested , very important people...heavy hitters from the east coast,and all his guns, dope and coke got snatched by the feds...His name is toast in some circles, I guess you aint seen the news? Busy layin up with some talkative babes." said Joe.

"What??? Raided?? Well I didn't have nothing to do with that?" said Holden.

"Doesn't matter..You shoulda been on top of the operation...Makin sure there were no leaks..That nothin could go wrong." said Joe.

"Hey man..I aint tell nobody nothin...Nothin...That friend of mine.. He knew ...HE KNEW!!!..He's a private detective...he found out on his own...That's why I wanted you to pop him!" screamed Holden.

''Doesn't matter...Man I talk to, wants you dead as well.!" said Joe.

"That's not going to happen!" I said.

They all turned around...

"Who might you be? The Private Detective? Kevin..??" said Joe, not even flinching.

"That I am...I'm the one you want....I found out all of the information on my own..Holden didn't tell me anything...He didn't have to...I knew." I said.

"Really?  wow...You're pretty good...But you realize that we are still going to kill Holden...Boss doesn't think he's a good manager... and since you provided yourself, we can't very well leave you alive either.I do want to thank you for saving me the time of tracking you down...I still was gonna kill you, you know." he said with no hint of emotion in his voice..

"Yeah ,I figured. I'm really sorry that you feel that way " I said...and I drew my .38 smokeless...

"Yeah...I know ya are...Sam, Larry...Kill him!" he said as the two guys slowly turned and aimed their guns
toward me...

His two gunsels drew their weapons and Kool Kat leaped from the Escalade with his riot pump shotgun... He cut loose with two blasts and both men caught both blasts that nearly cut them in half and fell to the ground...as dead as they could be....

 "OHHHHHHHHHH SWEET BABY Jesus....Don't shoot!" yelled Holden..

"YOU!!!! I should've killed you years ago" said Joe "Chill " Bumpers aiming at a ducking Kool Kat...I fired a round that hit Joe in his shoulder and another round that hit Joe in his lower back...He tossed his gun up in the air , spun like a top and screamed....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh...I don't believe it...I'VE BEEN SHOTTTT!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh...." he screamed...

He stumbled and appeared to be going for another gun...

''Kev...he's got another gun...look out!!!" yelled Kool Kat!

Then Kool Kat appeared again and cut loose with a shotgun blast that knocked Joe off of his feet and sent him flying!

He was lying in the field...Quite dead! His stubby little hands holding yet another pistol!

Kool Kat and I stood over his corpse....

"Well at lest this one didn't talk us to death..." I said.

"Yeah...he went quick...I kinda wanted to gloat over him for a few seconds." said Kool Kat.

Holden's eyes were as large as saucers...He put his hands over his ears...

''Kevin...I'm sorry...it wasn't personal...really it wasn't...Just business...Oh Lord...Ohh Lord...please...please don't kill me." he said.

Kool Kat looked at him with disdain and walked back to the Escalade..

"I know it was business Holden...See,I know it had to be business because you handled it like you've handled everything else...Like an amateur." I spat.

Holden laughed maniacally......

''Well Kev...I guess I can't buy your company or Ralph's building huh?" he said.

I looked at him as he got to his feet and brushed his pants off...

Then I began laughing too....We both stood out in that sandy field and laughed just like we did in better times , when we were friends.

EPILOUGE:

Holden Wakefield had to leave his condo and of course he was not able to buy Ralph's building or my magazine...I proved to be a better friend to him than he ever was to me...I had given him a way out!

I never turned in the evidence I had on him and his relationship with Robert ''Big Butt"Thornton..so no charges were ever brought against him...The Police think that Joe "Chill" Bumpers was the number two man,which in fact he was...Behind the scenes.

He sold the properties he already owned to Clerow and to Chris and Chess...My wife and Bonita's company bought his condo...He took the money , got in his car and left Philadelphia for parts unknown....

Robert "Big Butt" Thornton was transferred to an even nastier prison than the one he was in...No longer living like a king and no longer having any money on the books..He is now just another inmate...His parole bid was rejected also....

The mumified bodies of Joe ''Chill" Bumpers and thugs, Sam Whetstone and Larry Pennyworth were discovered some months later in the abandoned field...The papers wrote it up as a "Mob Hit, probably drug related" Like they always do.

And in my living room.....

"Ouuuuuuuuu..."cooed Sepia

"Ohhhhhhh baby.." I moaned..

''Ohhhh Kevin, every time you crack one of these cases you make love to me like it's the end of the world..." moaned Sepia.

"Yeah, that's the good thing about it...I get aroused when I face danger." I said.

Sometime later when we were both spent and lying around naked... Sepia asked me

''Kevin were you serious? "

''Serious about what?" I asked.

"You get aroused when you face danger?" she asked.

"Well that's one of the times." I said.

''When is the others?" she asked.

''Anytime you take your clothes off." I answered..She punched my arm playfully....

"You are soooo nasty." she said...

We both laughed.!