Hole In His Soul

Monday Morning started off with a bang... I called Kool Kat and told him that our old friend Big Chicken was back in town and I suggested that we pay him a friendly visit... The big man laughed...and said that he'd be waiting for me outside of his house...He was bringing Owen Todd along too....

Owen and I parked in front of his house... Kool Kat was standing on his front steps with a tumbler of Dunkin Donuts coffee when a badly painted sedan sped around the corner at top speed...It stopped at the opposite corner and backed up...A man wearing jeans, sneakers and a black stocking cap got out with a pump shot gun!!!

I saw it just in time...I yelled....

''Big man, look out!"

Didn't have to tell Kool Kat twice... he ducked, just before the gunman cut loose, blasting his front door...

Owen Todd and I opened up on him...He spun around and fired at us...Kool Kat cut loose with his .44 magnum!

His shot hit the gunman in the chest! He fell backward into the car..... The driver leaped out and began firing at Owen and I , who dropped down and crawled behind a car...

''When I count to three Owen...give him somethin he can feel." I said.

''Got'cha Kev..." he said.

"One...two...three." I said...

We both opened fire on the driver..I hit him in the shoulder....Owen hit him in the side... He got back in the car and floored it....taking off and leaving a trail of blood and broken glass...

Kool Kat, Owen and I all stood up...a crowd of people began to come out....Chelsea came out of the house in her night gown...

"Oh my God...Walter what happened??" she screamed.....

"I don't know...Get back in the house...Keep the door locked and if anybody tries to come in....take that gun I bought you and blow they brains out." he said.

She did as she was told...We all drove back to my house where Clerow and Lockpick Johnson were standing...

"Hey guys what's up?" I asked...

"Kev...two goons tried to kidnap me... I was in one of my apartments, showing a customer or who I thought was a customer an apartment and he pulled a gun on me...or tried to....I got the best of him and shot him in the shoulder...Another guy attempted to run up on me , but Lockpick shot at him and they both jumped in a car and pulled off!" he said.

"Yeah Kev...I just happened to be in the neighborhood , when I heard the shots and saw the commotion." said Lockpick Johnson....

"Kev what's up?" asked Kool Kat....

"Bob "Big Butt"Thornton is out of jail and in town....He's recruiting soldiers to take me out....He's got good intelligence....Most of my adversaries don't even know about you guys." I said.

"Yeah, but these guys did...They knew where to find us and where you'd be at." said Owen Todd.

"Yeah, more than just a co-incidence." I mused.

"I thought you said that Big Chicken was out of jail?" asked Kool Kat...

"He is, but this wasn't him...He's a pimp....not really a gangster." I said.

"Still, you are responsible for him going to jail...." said Kool Kat...

"Nahhh...He was over that..besides...he asked to see me and how did he know I was going to see you? No ,this was somebody else." I said.

II-

"Kevin, your house has been compromised.." said Peeping Tom as he used a "sweeper" an electronic device that discovers bugging devices...to "clean" my house of all of the bugs...video and audio.... He took a look at my smartphone...

"Somebody broke in your house....and they bugged it...they also cloned your cell phones...That's how they knew where you were going to be and your appointments...If you've talked to any of your friends....then whoever did this knew about it....Your house is clean now....and apparently they didn't know about the micro-cameras we planted in here...We've got a photo of your assailant!" he said.

Sure enough, we had a clean photo of the man who broke into my house and wired it....I didn't recognize him.

We all went to my office, which had also been bugged....and we went through my files , which had probably been looked at and copied... Once again...we got a nice clean copy of the man...the same man who had broken into my home...He was good.

I told my guys to stay vigilant and close to the phone..that I'd call them when I needed them...I told Kool Kat.

"Tonight...we pay Chicken a visit..."

The big man nodded.

III-

Once more ,I was at Robert Foxworth's office...With the help of Chance and Cole, I checked the P.I. Licensces of  several people in the area and came up with the name that matched the face... Pete Berger...of Berger Investigations... He was a sleazy, but good Private Investigator who had a hole in his soul where his morals had once been....He'd do anything for a quick buck and it didn't matter who he was working for.

"Pete Berger eh?  I know him...He did some work for me years ago...very sleazy, but good  at what he does...You think he's in bed with Bob "Big Butt" Thornton?" asked Robert Foxworth.

"Yeah, this had "Big Butt" written all over it.Very well planned...Berger gave him the book on me, my friends, where I live, where I work and his two crews attempted to wipe us all out." I said.

"What are you going to do now Kev?" asked Chance.

"I'm going to visit a sleazy Private Eye" I said.

"I'll go with you." said Chance Howard.

I looked at Robert...He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders...

"How about you junior?" I said, looking at Cole...

"Next time Big Kev...I'm due in court this afternoon" laughed the young Attorney.

I didn't have time to fetch my guys...So I took Chance along...

When Chance and I drove to Peter Berger's office ,it was quite obvious that he was not going to be able to tell us anything....He was dead...Police were all around....I asked the detective on duty what happened...

"He's a P.I. Like you....I guess somebody was dis-satisfied with his work....He got out of his car and somebody filled him full of lead..."said the detective.

"Wow!" I said. Instead of a hole in his soul...he had several holes in his body...I thought to myself.

Chance and I left....but I made a mental note to return to this office later on.

IV-

Against my better judgement, I went to see "Harlon "Big Chicken" Pratt without him...Kool Kat was going to be livid...but I didn't have time to go and get him..Big Chicken was where else...In his office on top of the check cashing / chicken and waffles joint.....I knocked on the door and Rollo Jones, his number two man opened the door...

''Oh hey Kevin." he said.

"Hey Rollo." I said and walked in.

"Big Chicken...How long has it been ?" I said as I entered his small office...

Harlon"Big Chicken" Pratt, pimp extroidinare looked at me and smiled..

"Kevin Morris....You mean to tell me that you're still alive?" he said and laughed at his own joke.

"For the time being.." I said.

"Yeah ,I heard about your little rowdy dow this morning....They found an old badly painted sedan and two bullet riddled playas in it...and they found two other playas on the other side of town , shot up too...Guess you've been busy huh?" he laughed.

"Not me...but somebody has been busy..We didn't kill any of those guys..We wounded them, but not badly...and I'm guessin you're going to tell me who, right?" I asked.

"Well, one...Raif Collins escaped from prison last week.....He's gunnin for you and me...See...he always blamed me for him being booted out of Stanga and sent back to do hard time...and he blames you for him bein in prison in the first place...so we got a common enemy."said Big Chicken.

''Yeah...but today's attacks and the bugging of my home and office wasn't him..." I said.

"Nope...That was a playa named Bob "Big Butt" Thornton, who also got released a few weeks ago...Man, when you make enemies Kev, you make heavyweights...This guy has major juice on the streets...He's really got it bad for you..." said Big Chicken...

"Okay, now tell me something I don't already know...He hired a P.I. to bug my house and my office...He tried to take out all of my associates...and failing at that, what might he do next?" I asked.

"Well, he cleaned up that mess..It's my guess that he'll strike at someone close to you or eventually kill you...At least he's not after me."he said.

''You're all heart Big Chicken." I said.

"Look ,I originally wanted to hire you to find and eradicate our mutual friend, Raif Collins...." but that was before I found out that Bob "Big Butt" Thornton had a bounty on your head..." he said.

"I'll take that money...and I'll return Raif Collins to prison." I said.

"Sure of that? You might not live long enough to run into Raif Collins." said Big Chicken.

"Let me worry about that." I said.  "Who do you think he'll get to do me? " I asked.

"I don't know for sure...but there is a guy in town...a real psychopath...his name is Clinton "Deadeye"Williams...They say he never misses....That would be my guess." he said.

"And of course, you don't know where any of these people lay their heads right?" I asked.

"Come on....I just got out of the joint...I don't hear the streets that well.." he said.  Rollo Jones just shrugged his shoulders.

Just then, my smartphone vibrated.....I answered it...It was Bonita Foxworth and she was hysterical...

"Kevin....Kevin...Some guy just kidnapped Sepia....at gunpoint!!! You gotta find her." she said.

"WHAT??" I screamed...

"We were coming from lunch and he drove up in a jeep...He had another guy with him...They pulled out .45's and they took Sepia at gunpoint...." she said.

"I'll be right there." I said.

"Something to matter?" asked Big Chicken.

"My wife has been kidnapped." I said.

"Big Butt is on the move." he said.

Chance and I rushed out of his office and down the steps and got into my car...

(DEFINITELY TO BE CONTINUED.......)