Somebody I Used To Know

I was actually at work on this day....Editing a few stories, working on upcoming stories and going over photos with Sheila and Sean Jackson... I was quite proud of the magazine we had built...We came here as employees several years ago and now we ran the magazine...We had now taken the magazine online and we had brought in major advertising accounts....Our lawyer, Conrad Nelson had steered us clear of any troubles and we were making a nice profit...We had 32 employees and they all had a very nice health and benefit package thanks to me...The thought that someone like Holden Wakefield was about to buy us made me sick to my stomach...He was in deep to a very dangerous man...a gangster!!!!

My phone rang....It was Peeping Tom...and if he was calling...it meant that he had something!

"Tom...what's up?" I said.

"A bunch of things Kev...You need to get with me as soon as possible." he said.

"I'm on my way." I said.

I called Harry Charles into the office...I had recently promoted him to Office manager

''What's up boss?" he said.

"Tell Sean and Sheila that something came up and I had to go....The office is yours buddy." I said as I rushed out the door.

"I'm on it Kev." he said, smiling gingerly.

II-

I drove to Peeping Tom's house as fast as I could considering the daytime traffic.

Upon arriving...He and Lockpick began playing recordings of Holden's recent phone calls...

''He got two very telling calls last night Kev." said Tom....This one was from a Federal Prison in California" he said.

"In California???" I asked..

"Hey take a listen." he said.

"Hello."

''You wanna tell me what the hell is goin on out there."

''Who is this?"

"It's me...Bobby."

"Heyyy Big Butt, what are you doin in California?"

"That's what the hell I want to know.....I was in Pennsylvania in the new joint, with the swimming pool, the golf course...a room of my own...a computer, cable tv and meals brought in from the outside.."

"Heyyy I told you I'd take care of you, didn't I?"

"Yeahhhh..well some FBI guy started diggin his nose into my business, Started talking to the PA. Crime Commission..Threatened to take it to the newspapers......My cable is gone, my computer is gone....They transferred me to Cali to this joint...where I'm in general population and have to eat in the cafeteria with the other inmates....The Warden and several of the guards at my old prison got fired... NOW I'M GONNA ASK YOU AGAIN...WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN ON??" screamed Bob Big Butt Thornton

"Big Butt...I don't know...I don't know.....I been square with you....I did everything you asked me to do." said Holden

"You been talkin to some broad? Some broad that might be an undercover cop??"
screamed an enraged Big Butt Thornton.

"Nah...Nahhhhh..Never." said Holden

"I think you are trying to double cross me....." said Big Butt Thornton

"No man..Never...I swear..." said Holden

"Somebody is responsible for this!!!!!!!"said Big Butt Thornton

"I think I know...I mean..I gotta an idea....I'll fix it."said Holden

"You better fix it or you're gonna get fixed...you feel me??"said Big Butt.

"Yeah Big Butt..."
(click!)

Tom looked at me...

"Kev...that's just one phone call...That's the one he got...This is the one he made." he said.

"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!)

Peeping Tom looked at me gravely......

"Kevin...He put a contract on you." he said.

''Won't be the first time I've had one on me." I laughed.

"You said he was your friend." said Peeping Tom....

"I thought he was...He's just somebody I used to know." I said.

III-

My phone went off just as I was leaving Peeping Tom's house...It was Owen Todd...

''What's up Owen?" I asked.

"Kev...You need to get with me immediately...Clerow and I have been shadowing Holden all day like you said and guess what? We found his warehouse?? His real warehouse...And if you get here in time...You can catch a whole bunch of big fishes baby...Several trucks are coming in...My guess is they are filled to the gip with Dope and Coke." he said excitedly...

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"I saw several big wigs from New Jersey and this area goin inside and loadin up their
trunks..." he said.

"Too bad Sean wasn't there with his camera." I said.

''Way ahead of you Kev...We called him when we found this spot... He met us here and he set up...He's been photgraphing this all morning.." he said.

"Good work guys..stay out of sight...I'm on my way." I said.

IV-

I called the police and the FBI.....They knew from the past to trust my instincts.... What occurred next was a raid of major proportions... 62 people from Philadelphia, New Jersey, Deleware and New York were arrested on site. Enough Heroin and Cocaine was seized to juice up the entire Tri-State area for close to a year!!!! 27 people who drove the trucks were also arrested and shipments of guns were also seized....The FBI,DEA ,ATF ,Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia Police congratulated each other....But had it not been for the legwork that me ,Clerow,Owen, Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson had done none of this would have been possible.

"Owen...you and Clerow and Sean did good work...Now get out of here....and get safe" I said.

I stood there after everyone was gone and wondered what Holden would do now...His beach-head here was gone and a lot of people were going to be angry once they figured out what had happened...

He was out of business...He was also out of my heart...No longer my former partner, no longer even my friend...We were on different sides of the law now...He was just somebody I used to know.

(Conclusion Next)