A Man From New York

So we stood there...I had my .38 smokeless on Frank Gillette, He had his .45 on me...Kool Kat had his shotgun on Smiley ,who had his shotgun aimed at Me and Ruby...

''Put that gun down Kevin." said Frank Gillette.

"Now why should I do that?  You shoot me...I'm going to shoot you and Kool Kat will shoot Smiley and all of us will be in a world of trouble." I said.

"Okay....So how bout we back out of here...Real quiet like...Nobody gets shot...Win ,Win!" said Frank Gillette.

"How bout you give up that rock?" I said.

"Uh-Uh...Aint gonna happen...I'm lettin you three outta here with your lives...That's it..." he said.

"Ohhh, you lettin us outta here?" said Kool Kat.

We stared at him for a long while......Nobody moved or spoke...

Finally....

"Okay Frank, you got it!!!!...We'll settle up some other time." I said.

"Heh ,Heh, heh... I look forward to it..." he said.

I took Ruby by the hand and Kool Kat joined me by my side...We still had our guns drawn and we backed out of the meat packing plant...

Once on the street...Kool Kat looked at me...

"Damn Kev...he bluffed and you blinked.." he said.

"What were we gonna do Kools, Stand there and stare each other down?? Or worse...Get into a close ranged shoot out and all of us wind up getting shot or worse, killed??" I said.

"No case is worth people getting killed." I said.

"Aww man, Those two got that ruby...They'll be long gone and you'll never see them again.." said Ruby...

''Maybe...Maybe Not!" I said.

Just then we heard a succession of gunfire...A volley of shots...the sound of not one, but two bodies dropping in the alleyway...

"Awwwwwww helll, I don't believe it...I've been shotttt!...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." came the moan..

Kool Kat , Ruby and I ran around the front of the building...just in time to see a white 2012 Jaguar pull of in a huff of smoke...

Lying in the front seat of a Black Lincoln Navigator was Smiley.....He caught three shots to the chest..He was dead! Just not his week!

Frankie Gillette lay in the street on his back...in a pool of his own blood..He had caught three shots in the chest, two in the side and one in the leg...He was still alive, but barely...

I stood over him...

"Frankie...Who did this?" I asked..

"Damn, back stabbin, double crossin...brother...baby brother...ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." he said and then he died..

''What did that mean?" asked Kool Kat..

I smiled...

"At last...I think I know...Come on Kools, Ruby...Let's go have a drink." I said.

" A drink?" they both said.

"Yeah, a drink." I said.

II-

The Aqua Bar was on the third floor of an old warehouse....It was beautiful inside...It had a bar the length of the floor and underneath the marble surface was an aquarium...a huge aquarium with every type of sea life.... and beautiful busty bar maids who looked like they might have started out being strippers...

 The bar stools were shaped like starfish and clams....The Club D.J. spun a mixture of Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul and Acid Jazz music....When he wasn't spinning...Good music came through the ultra modern bose speakers from a satelite feed...A bit high for my tastes , but I was learning to like it...

The three of us ,Ruby,Kool Kat and I sat at the bar drinking....

"Okay Ruby...You said that my clients, Lewis and Lloyd Atkins and Mr. Tanner stole that Ruby from a guy in New York City...??" I asked.

"Not Lloyd...He didn't have anything to do with it...Lewis and Karl Tanner stole it from a man named Malik Underwood, a collector..." she said.

"That's the guy I was tellin you about Kev." said Kool Kat.

"How do you know this?" I asked Ruby.

"Because Lloyd Atkins told me so.." she said.

"Lloyd Atkins? You work for him??" I asked.

"No...No...No...He and I, Lloyd and I was kind of friends...Friends with benefits." she said.

"Go Ahead, this is getting good." I said. Kool Kat smiled.

"Well one night after we uh, you know...We was lying in bed, talking about it and he told me that his brother and Mr. Tanner stole this worthless piece of ruby from some guy in New York City named Malik...and he didn't know why it was such a big deal...Under guard at the jewelry store and on display....He showed it to me a few days later and I was entranced by it...I just had to have it...So I googled it and learned of it's history and the treasure chest...and I told Lloyd about it...He was incensed that his brother and that white man made a deal and didn't cut him in on it.." she said.

"Why did you steal it?" I asked.

"I figured that if they was making that much over it...I could steal it, sell it back to Mr. Malik Underwood for a cool fortune." she said..

"That's who you were waiting for that night when I saw you at the Oyster House." I asked.

"Yeah...Only those two goons.. Frank Gillette and Smiley showed up instead...I figured that Tanner and Groovy Lou hired them to get the ruby from me.." she said.

"No..They hired me to get it back, You were making a deal with Malik Underwood in New York...and Frank Gillette and Smiley were hired help...There is only one person left who could have hired them, and now our little mystery is solved..." I said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I know who is behind all of this......I'm going to call Lewis Atkins and Tanner right now and get them to meet me at the Art Museum." I said.

"You wanna clue me in Kev?" asked Kool Kat..

"Awww come on now Kools, Don't you like a good mystery? You haven't figured this out yet?" I laughed.

"Well clue me in" asked Ruby...

"In time baby...In time." I laughed.

III-

Ruby, Kool Kat and I entered the museum from the back door ,which was  open....The alarm had been disengaged also. It was very apparent to me now just who was behind this.When we got to the exhibit floor, I had Kool Kat ,who had hung back switch on the floor lights....

Not to my surprise, but to Ruby's was Lloyd Atkins, holding the ruby and looking for the matching treasure chest...!!!!!

I aimed my .38 smokeless at him...

''And so, the real culprit appears!!" I said.

Lloyd looked like he'd swallowed a canary...He spun around...shocked to see me and Ruby looking at him..He dropped his flashlight.

Ruby laughed and smacked her thigh...

"Lloyd!! Seriously?? I didn't think you had the guts." she laughed.

"I had the guts...My brother and old Tanner weren't going to cut me into this..." he said.

"Lloyd!!! What is the meaning of this?" said Lewis Atkins, his older brother and Karl Tanner as they entered the musuem...

"He has your ruby Mr. Tanner and Mr. Atkins... He hired Frank Gillette and his partner to retrieve that ruby from his friend here, Ms.Ruby Johnson....And after they did the deed...He murdered them..Isn't that right Lloyd?" I said.

"Lloyd...is this true..??" said Lewis..

"Don't Lloyd is this true me...You two goldbricks were gonna cut me outta the deal.....I was tired of being on the sidelines...It was my time to get that money in the treasure chest...Time for me to make a power move!" he said.

"Power move! Bah...What do you know about making a power move?" spat his older brother.

I turned to Tanner and Lewis Atkins...

"It's rumored to be millions in that treasure chest...That's why you two stole it from a guy in New York." I said looking at both of them with disgust....Neither would look at me directly.

Before they could answer...a single gunshot hit Lloyd right between the eyes..He was dead before he hit the ground...

Tanner, Atkins and Ruby was stunned....I was beyond surprises tonight....

"And you sir must be the man from New York?? Malik Underwood." I said.

"Very good...These  two yokels,Groovy Lou and Karl Tanner stole that rock from me...That broad, Ruby there stole it from them and then tried to cut a side deal with me to buy it back....Can you believe that?I was here in Philly all week watching the entire thing unfold...You Philly niggas is off the hook...just as treacherous as hell...but I thought you handled yourself well with those two goons Lloyd hired though...." he said.

" Thanks....So...now ,you've come to get your ruby right?" I said.

"Yeah...Shame you witnessed me murder a man..Now I'm gonna have to off all of you... Shame...You, I like, You're my kind of guy Kevin..But you know too much.Stand over there, First I'm gonna see what's in this chest." he said... He made Ruby, Tanner,Lewis and I stand over in a corner..

He took the ruby and placed it in a circle on the chest that matched it's dimensions and turned it counter clock wise..The Chest opened...but a huge knife was released that plunged into Malik's chest....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu....ummmmmppphhh....I...I DON'T BELIEVE IT.....I'VE BEEN STABBBED!! OHHHHHHHHHH!" he moaned and fell to the floor dead....

Kool Kat came running in with his shotgun cocked... I waved him off...

"No Need for that Kools...He's dead and Lloyd is dead.." I said.

"Damn...what happened...?" he said.

"Long story short..Lloyd hired Frank Gillette and Smiley to get the rock, they did and he double crossed them, killed them both....Malik came here and killed Lloyd, took the rock and opened the chest..A chest that was booby trapped!!!!!...." I explained.

"Danggggg.....Not his day ,huh? Well let's see what's in there." said Kool Kat....

Tanner, Atkins and Ruby went to the chest....Inside was about roughly two  dollars in old quarters!!!!!....A map of Philadelphia from the turn of the century and what looked like a bottle of Coke from the turn of the century, undrank!!

''Whatttttttttttttttt?" said Lewis Atkins...

"This is worthless" screamed  Karl Tanner...

"No damn joke Sherlock...I see you were at the head of your class.." spat Lewis Atkins derisively.

''Well you have the Ruby" I exclaimed.

"I appraised that piece of junk months ago...It's worth $35.00 dollars." screamed Lewis Atkins...

"YOUUUUU...You idiot!!!  I risked my life with you to steal it off of this numbskull here on the floor, because of an old wives tale you told me about the chest having millions of dollars in it..and jewelry and it's got eight old quarters and an unopened bottle of Coke and an old map...You dunderhead." screamed Karl Tanner...

"Who you callin dunderhead fool?" yelled Atkins...

"You, you idiot!!!!" screamed Tanner..

"I'll knock your block off." screamed Lewis Atkins...

"Yeah? Try it...Try it...I used to box you know..Come on...COME ON!!" screamed Tanner...

"Yeah I'll bet...You used to box..HAH!" said Lewis Atkins..

"Come on then...I dare you..make a move." said Tanner..

''You feelin froggy fool...Jump!" screamed Atkins..

The two men began screaming and yelling  at each other very loudly.....

Ruby looked at me...I shrugged my shoulders...She ignored them and picked up the ruby off of the floor.

"Well, this ruby is pretty..I don't care what it's worth...You think I can have it?" she asked...

I gave it to her...

"Knock yourself out...I don't think they care." I said...Kool Kat was watching the two men argue and laughing his head off!

"Thank you Kevin...You are so cool...If you ever come in Big Chicken's joint...You can have a lap dance free from me." she said..

Kool Kat looked at me and smiled...

"I'll take that into consideration." I said. Kool Kat laughed and shook his head...

"Can I go now?" she said.

"Sure...I'm no cop....I'm not holding you for anything." I said.

"You are sooo cool...I misjudged you..." she said and kissed both me and Kool Kat in the lips and left.

"Damn...I wonder if she'll give me a free lap dance?" asked Kool Kat...

I just shook my head and laughed.

"Come on then...I dare you..make a move." said Tanner..

''You feelin froggy fool...Jump!" screamed Atkins..

I motioned to Kool Kat...who was still laughing hysterically...

"Come on man..Let's get out of here." I said.

"They still owe you money." he said.

"Ohhh yeah." I said.. "But I wouldn't try to collect it now." I said.

"YOUUUUU...You idiot!!! " screamed Tanner..

"Who you callin idiot?, fool?" yelled Atkins...

"YOU!" yelled Tanner.

"I'll knock your damn block off ." said Atkins..

"Try it...just try it...come on with it ..." said Tanner..

"You aint even sayin it right...it's come on wit it." screamed Atkins.

Kool Kat and I looked at them shook our heads and quietly left...We could still hear them yelling and screaming at each other as we got in his SUV and pulled off!

EPILOUGE

I called Sissy and told her the entire story about my case...Where she could find the bodies of Frank Gillette and William "Smiley" Tate...and who killed them. (Lloyd) ,I told her where she could find the bodies of Lloyd Atkins and Malik Underwood...She laughed so hard as I told her the story that she threatened to send Carlotta or Tyriq Pile to pick up the bodies..She said her sides were hurting. Five men lost their lives behind
two dollars , an old map and a bottle of Coke. Sissy was still laughing when I hung up the phone.

Karl Tanner and Lewis Atkins paid me handsomely...a few days later...From what I understand...the two don't speak to each other anymore and Lewis Atkins has been asked to resign from the Trustees Board of the Art Museum...

Ruby Jackson still dances in the strip club by night...By day, she takes classes at Community College.

It was that rare relatively warm day in the middle of the winter...About 58 degrees... Sepia and I sat on a park bench , kissing, saying nothing...

While sitting there I thought about another, now dead adversary of mine...A guy named Lennie, a murderer and what he said to me...

 Lennie turned around , startled....before he could do anything , I grabbed him in his collar and slammed him against the wall....

"You ever put your hands on her again and I'll rip your little body in shreds" I said amazed at my sudden fury...

"You really sprung over this trick aint you playa?? It's kool..I aint gonna mess with her no more...you aint gotta worry bout that..being she was just playin me all along....We straight kool...You need to do like uh Beyonce said in that song and put a ring on that girl's finger...cause YOU aint never gonna do no better than what you got right there and that's the truth ruth." he said.

Then I thought about what came next...

Sepia looked at me and managed a weak smile...

"I guess I messed up huh Kevin? I pressed him too hard too soon." she said.

"Ahh,don't worry about it..more than one way to skin a cat..we'll get him on
the comeback..You know he was right about one thing he said." I said.

"What's that?" asked Sepia...

"He said that I'm not going to do any better than you." I said.

"Awwww Kevin...that's so sweet, but considering it came from a rat like him
I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not." she laughed.

"How long we been living together?" I asked her.

"I don't know...about a year or so..why?"

"It would be a lot easier on both our minds...if there was a Mrs. Morris living
in that house." I said.

"What are you saying Kevin?" asked Sepia...

"Marry me." I said.

The rest was as they say, history....and Sepia and I have been together ever since...

''Wake up sleepy head." she said.

"Huh?? What?? " I said.

"Daydreamin??" she asked..

"Yeah...I was.. About you." I said.

"That's the second time...Is this a new trick of yours to get some?" she asked..

I laughed and kissed her again..

"Yeah ,I guess it is..." I said.

''Oh, just checkin.." she said and laughed....

And we sat on the bench in the park on that unseasonably warm Saturday and laughed our heads off in between long sensual kisses.