Easy Greasy

Thanks to me being good friends with Lt. Sissy Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide...I was able to view to now more than 12 year old crime scene photos of the automobile crash that ended the life of  29 year old Lillie Palmer and forever altered the life of Jazz Guitarist and Singer, Brooke Taylor...We sat in her office, drinking coffee and looking over the files.

Brooke Walked away from the accident without a scratch.....but Lillie Palmer was killed and pronounced dead on the scene...And yet when I read the actual tox reports....There was no marijauna or cocaine in her blood...only alcohol and though she was legally over the limit...not drunk enough to have been this impaired....

There was an unknown drug found in her system...a psychedelic holucinegen..called Ketalean...

"Hmmm...this was never brought out at trial." I mused...

"No..it wasn't...I'm looking at the transcripts here... Two witnesses said that they saw Brooke at Josies drinking....One woman, Thelma Lewis said that she saw Brooke drink three beers...." said Sissy.

"Yeah and this guy, John Taylor said he saw her drink three beers and that that was it..."I said.

"Yeah....look at this testimony here from Billy "Greasy" Jones...He says that he sold her some weed and that he smoked a blunt with her before she entered the bar." said Sissy.

"That's a lie...No cocaine or marijuana was found in her system...only the alcohol and the mystery drug..So he perjured himself under oath....And he was supposed to be a friend." I said.

"With friends like him...who needs enemies?" laughed Sissy.

"Yeah how about that....And look...the testimony of his girlfriend here, Thelma Thompson...she also said that
she saw Brooke drink three beers, and that she ,get this was" as high as a kite..probably from smoking weed." I said.

"Her friends sold her down the river." said Sissy...

''Sure did..and what about this drug...Ketalean? "I asked.

"It's like LSD.....Very hard to come by....You'd almost have to buy it off the black market....It works like a ruthie....it disolves in a drink...It impairs you within minutes..." said Sissy...

''So theoretically, somebody could have dropped that in her beer and by the time she left Josies...She could have been as high as a kite."I said.

"Yeah...but you have no proof...No witness to that." said Sissy..

"I know...but it's a start." I said.

"Who was her trial lawyer?" I asked.

"A guy named Jack Hickcock...I can give you his address..." she said.

"Who prosecuted it?" I asked.

"You've run out of luck there Kev." she said.

"Why? He's no longer an ADA?" I asked.

"Yeah, you might say that....He's dead...Been dead for several years....Cancer!" she said.

"Oh...." I said.

"I'll get you the transcripts...I'm sure ADA Wallace won't mind you seeing them...or at least me seeing them!" she said with a wink.

I smiled....

"Thanks Sissy..." I said.

"Don't mention it Kev. Really, don't mention it at all."she said and winked...

We both burst out laughing!

II-

I figured , the next person I should talk to should be the man of the hour himself...Billy "Greasy" Jones...a nickname he got because he was so slippery , he had managed to allude the police all these years.. It was said that this guy not only sold weed and coke at one time, but was also a heist man and a boxman (safe cracker ) as well...Yet ,he had avoided prison all these years.


He didn't appear to work anywhere, yet he always dressed to the nines and had a black 2013 BMW parked in front of where-ever he chose to hang his hat...Today , he was by himself in a small storefront bakery buying pastries and sampling the coffee...

I walked up to him...

"Billy right? Billy Jones?" I said.

He looked at me side eyed...

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"Maybe, maybe not...but I know you...You the man I hear, best dope and coke in the area." I said with a smile.

"I aint into that no more...Not me...That was years ago...You a cop?" he asked.

"No...but I got a friend...a friend you used to know....Brooke Taylor, guitarist....I saw you and your lady in Josies the other night....You caught her show." I said.

"Yeah...She was good." he laughed.

"Yeah, she's come a long way since she did a bid a few years back." I said.

"Yeah, that was a shame...She was high and got behind the wheel...Killed that poor girl...She's lucky she wasn't killed.." he said.

"Yeah, she's lucky...Heard you used to be her connect...You used to sell her the good stuff...You sell her something that night?" I asked.

''You know, you ask too many questions.." he said.

"I'm just talkin...You said in court that you sold her some weed that night and that the two of you smoked a bundle...Now I'm a street guy too and I know that it takes awhile for weed to get out of your system...And her tox reports came back with only the alochol from the three beers she drank...So you lied." I said.

"Thought you said you wasn't no cop?" he asked, now visibly worried.

"I'm not....I'm a private investigator.....Just lookin up a few things you know....Because I got this funny feelin that maybe she wasn't as high as the papers and she thought she was when she left out of Josies that night...Like maybe someone or somebody put something in her drink? Something she didn't know about!" I said.

"I wouldn't know." he said.

"No?" I asked.

"No...Now Mr. Whoever your name is." he said.

"I didn't say." I said.

"I don't care...This conversation is over." he said.  He paid for his pastries and walked out...

"Tell Ms. Thelma ,I said hello." I said with a smile.

He grimaced...

I laughed.

III-

Having been a private investigator as long as I had....You kind of know when you're being followed...A Black sedan had been following my 2012 Lexus for close to three blocks now...The windows were naturally shaded so I could not see the driver.

I decided to take my tail on a ride...I drove around for close to two hours until I got tired and finally stopped at one of Chris and Chess's newest condos...It had just opened...I got out my car , walked in and got on the elevator...I went up to the third floor and got off....I waited a few minutes , then I walked down the hall....
Like clockwork...a tall, muscular man got off the elevator...He was wearing shades and was wearing brass knuckles...

"Kinda dark to be wearing sunglasses dont'cha think?" I said.

"You gotta smart mouth and you've been askin questions you shouldn't ought to be askin.." he said as he walked toward me...

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"No, but after I knock out all of your teeth, you're gonna wish you hadn't seen me." he said.

"Hey fella, how bout...I not ask any more questions and we just call it even?" I said.

He shook his head...

"Too late fella." he said.

Oh well, I tried...I didn't give him a chance to hit me...I hit him first, right square in his jaw...and then lit his chest up with lefts and rights...He swung at me and missed and I punished his midsection with more lefts and rights...

He grimaced in pain as I caught him with an uppercut that sent him flying backwards..He charged at me again,swinging his big hands and especially that one with the brass knuckles...I couldn't allow him to land one punch or it would be lights out...I dodged and ducked and began punishing his face with lefts and rights , right crosses, left jabs and what not...Clearly...He did not expect that he would be in for a fight like this...

A few people came into the hallway just in time to see him getting the crap beat out of him...and began laughing and cheering and tossing dollars on the carpets.....

He swung and I grabbed his arm...the one with the brass knuckles and twisted it...He was in excrutiating pain
and I took his fat head and slammed it against the wall until he stopped moving and fell to the ground...bloody, battered and unconscious...The crowd cheered...I smiled and bowed...I took the brass knuckles off of him and a knife and two guns, a .22 and a .38...The unconscious goon was George Stephens.

I looked down at him....and shook my head.....I had struck a nerve with Greasy I see.

IV-

I drove to Brooke Taylor's new house....My wife Sepia was there with her and I was coming to pick her up.
I also figured that by now, Greasy had dispatched his other goon, Doc Johnson to slap Brook around...I was right.. Doc was getting out of his car just as I pulled up...As he walked up the steps,I walked up behind him..

''Ehhh, what's up Doc?" I said.

"He spun around...Who are you?" He said.

"I'm visiting Ms. Brooke Taylor."I said.

He pulled his .45 out...

"Visiting hours are tomorrow...get outta here." he said.

Just then, we both heard the click of another gun....

It was Sepia and she had my spare .38 smokeless aimed at his temple...

"You wasn't planning to harm my hubby was you?  Of course not...because if you were, I'd have to ventilate you and you wouldn't want little ole me to do that, would you?" she asked.

He dropped his gun and put his hands up...I took that gun and his other gun and a knife off of him....Then I showed him some brass knuckles...

"Recognize em?  I took em off of your friend George , about an hour ago...He won't be needing them." I laughed and then I gut punched  him in his stomach...

''Ughhhhhhhhhhhh!"he groaned and collapsed like a tent into the street....

I picked him up by his collar while Sepia still held a gun on him...

"Tell your boy Greasy that I've got my eyes on him..." I said and shoved him back into his car..He pulled off in a huff of smoke....

I looked at Sepia and smiled...

''Damn girl..something about you and a gun is making me hella excited right about now...."

My wife smiled....

"And I thought it was the dress."

By now Brooke was on the steps...She had heard our conversation and she was laughing....

"Brooke...looks like you were on to something....Our boys are rattled...and I'm about to turn the heat up full blast on them." I laughed.

TO BE CONTINUED!