Nowhere To Run

I stayed with Curly's body until the police arrived....I made the formal identification and gave the police the license plate number and description of the car...a late 70's Cutlass Supreme.. I even gave them the shooter's alleged nickname.... 'Sunshine" and a description...

With that completed...I headed home... I knew that they would find the car...Which they did, the next morning...Nearly burned to a crisp, identified by the vin number and of course...reported stolen....

I knew that the shooter and the driver were both in the wind now...but maybe not!!!

The next morning, I stood on the corner, drinking a Dunkin Donuts coffee in one of their styrofoam cups when Kool Kat drove up!  I hadn't seen him in a month...I smiled.

"What's Up Big Man?" I said.

"Kev...What it do baby?" He said with a smile...

"Where you been?" I asked.

''Chelsea and I went to the ATL...I met her family!"he said...

"Really?  Sounds serious ." I joked.

"Yeah, whatever!" he said smiling....''So what's up?"

I passed him some photos....Photos of a man making love to a woman...(Curly's wife)and leaving Curly's House...  Kool Kat looked attentively and smiled wryly.....

"Sunshine" he said.

''So you know him?" I asked.

"I know of him...I wouldn't say we were friends...He's a low level player, muscle for hire at times...Who is this woman? she's fine." he asked.

"She is my late client's wife....Mr. Sunshine was having an affair with her....Mr. Sunshine also murdered my client last night and tried to shoot me." I said.

Kool Kat's whole demeaner changed..

''You know this?"he said.

"Kools I looked right in his face...He got out of the car, had a gold plated .45" I said.

"A Gold plated .45?? Wow never seen anything like that." he said.

"There was another guy with him." I said.

"That would be Ricky...Ricky Ransom...His boy...He's a car theif and a gunman on occassion." said Kool Kat.

"Who do they work for?" I asked...

"They freelance...Whoever is paying at the moment.."he said.

"What's his government name?" I asked.

"William...William Jones...They call him Billy sometimes." said Kool Kat.

"Okay...Before we visit Billy "Sunshine" , there's a lady I want to talk to first." I said.

Kool Kat smiled-

"Now that's what I'm talkin bout." he said with a grin.

II-

Kool Kat and I went to Curly's widow's house.... Jessica Kunkle was surprisingly sitting by herself crying...

A part of me felt bad...It was me afterall that had given Curly information proving that she had been sleeping with not just one man, but two... But I had never expected Curly or anyone to lose their life behind this...

Naturally after I explained that to her, she didn't look at me in the best light...

"So you tellin me this is basically your fault?" she said, still crying.

"My fault?  You were cheating on him with two guys...He suspected it..He got me to confirm it and you're blaming me??? Girl you're crazy.....One of your suitors is the one who killed him!" I said.

At that, she looked at me in disbelief....

"What? What are you talking about?" she said.

"I was with him in a bar last night... William "Sunshine" Jones and Ricky Ransom ambushed us...I got a good look at both!" I said.

"Ohhh my godddd...Are you serious? Sunshine killed my husband???" she said screaming and crying even louder....Kool Kat restrained her....When she calmed down
she looked at me....she began to talk.

"Look...I loved Curly, but he was always away from home, working around the clock...Sometimes I hardly ever sawhim for days on end....I won't lie...I slept with Sunshine...I met him in Josies....At first we were just drinking buddies...He had mad swag...He was kind of attractive....I admit,I slept with him a couple of times...But then he got possessive ...Wanting all my time, stalking me....I tried to break it off, but he wasn't having none of that. He found out about my other friend, Dallas and I think he threatened him....Dallas stopped calling me, stopped emailing me and from what I heard...He quit his job and moved...Sunshine and Ricky intimidated him.I never thought they'd kill my husband..." she said.

"Where does Sunshine live?" I asked dryly...I had no sympathy for her at all...

"I'll write it down...He hangs out at the Mermaid Club...Sometimes Josies and Sometimes the Aqua Bar.." she said.

''Where do you think he's more than likely to be today?"I asked.

"Well he eats his meals at Sam Mother's joint..at least that's where he used to take me all of the time." she said.

"Thank you." I said.

"Be careful...He and Ricky pack heavy." she said....I kind of knew that!

"Thanks for the tip." I said sarcastically. Kool Kat just grinned.

III-

Kool Kat and I drove up to Sam Mother's diner... Kool Kat walked in surveyed the place and walked out!  He smiled that sinister grin of his....

"They both in there Kev..." he said.

"Okay...let me make a call...To Homicide...." I said.

After I made my call..We walked in....Both guys were eating at a table ....Kool Kat sat down next to Ricky....and I pulled up a chair next to "Sunshine"

"Hello gents....Kill anybody lately?" I smirked...

Sunshine threw hot coffee on me, I ducked, but it burned my arm!

"Eeeeeeeyowwwww" I screamed...As Sunshine leaped up and ran... Ricky went to dive across the table, but Kool Kat clocked him and knocked him across the dining room....Sam Mother ducked behind the counter....Customers spread out and ducked!

Kool Kat and I ran after Sunshine down the crowded street...People got out of our way as we ran in hot pursuit of the young killer...

"It's all over Sunshine...The police are on their way....Give it up man." I said as we ran after him....

Then something so bizzarre occurred, I couldn't believe it  was what happened next!

Cornered near a dead end alley, Sunshine pulled out a gun...Not the gold plated .45 , but a Nickel plated .45 , put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger, blowing the back of his head off!!!!

"Oh Hell!!!" said Kool Kat....

A crowd gathered around!!!!

I hung my head.....

"Somebody call the police" I said.

IV-

The police arrived and arrested Ricky Ransom....The Medical Examiner's office came with a wagon and collected the body of William "Sunshine" Jones...

Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren and Detective Carlotta Rodriguez arrived on the scene...

''Wow Kevin.. I guess I should thank you for clearing a murder for me...but I generally like to have a living suspect." she joked wryly....For once, I didn't smile...

"I was just going to hold him for you.....I -I-Didn't know he was gonna...He was gonna
,He was gonna do this!" I said softly....I was visibly shook up from witnessing a suicide.

"I knew this guy Kevin...I've busted him before...He was kind of uh troubled...He tried to hang himself in custody last year...I am not surprised by this at all..." said Carlotta.

It didn't make me feel any better....

It's funny what you think about at a time like this...
but I kept thinking...He killed Curly with a Gold plated .45...and here he killed himself with a Nickel plated .45...Where was the Gold gun? Where did he get this nickel plated gun from?? Funny what you think about...

"You alright Kevin?" asked Sissy...

"Uhh Yeah..Yeah.." I said. Carlotta rubbed my back gently...

"Let's go home dawg!" said Kool Kat...I didn't argue with him...I got in his Escalade and we pulled off!

Later that night at home, with Sepia...

"Sepia....Am I away from home too much?" I asked.

"No...you're here enough." she said.

"Really? Because I can quit this private eye stuff and just concentrate on the job!" I said.

"That's your hobby baby..I wouldn't ask you to do that..."she said.

"But I'd do it in a heartbeat if you asked." I said.

She kissed me, long and hard...She felt me trousers....

"Ummmmmm, as long as you keep it hard like that, you can do whatever you want and as lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng." she said....

We kissed passionately....

Then my phone rang!

"Ahhhh ,who is this?" I thought..."Excuse me baby." I said.

"Hello"

"Mr. Morris.....You don't know me, but I know you...Someone you were associated with stole two prize guns off of me...It's important that I have one of those guns back in my possession...I am willing to pay you handsomely for it's return...I'll get in contact with you tomorrow." came the voice..

"Huh, who are you?" I asked.

(Click!)

Sepia looked at me puzzled!

"Who was that?" she asked.

"I don't know." I said.

(To Be Continued)