Blind Man's Bluff

I decided to pay this bar called "The Sad Lady" a visit...Like everything else in Charles "Dutch" Van Buren's life....it was a bust out....The Sad Lady had three customers in it and two were asleep,  the other one was in the restroom moaning and groaning. The bar tender was busy watching television and there was no sign of anybody playing any music...

''Hey Sweeny, you alright in there?" he yelled to the patron in the restroom.

"Yeah man, don't worry about me." came the voice...

"Well hurry up and come outta there...and quit all that groanin and moanin.." he said.

I allowed myself to smile slightly.

The bartender however did know Charles "Dutch " Van Buren...I duked him a few dollars and bought two beers and he told me that Dutch was somewhat of a rascal who owed everybody money...and who drifted from house to house...

He said that if I wanted to catch him....He'd be playing at a bar called "Hush Puppies" on Thursday....Unlike the others...I didn't get the feeling that this man was lying... I had found Dutch Van Buren before and I would find him again and bring him to Sissy if I had to do it at gunpoint...

It wasn't Thursday yet, but I decided to pay Hush Puppies a visit... It couldn't hurt!

II-

So I drive over to Hush Puppies and I see a body being moved out of the bar and into an ambulance and a throng of people around...I also see my second favorite Homicide Detective at the scene....Detective Carlotta Rodriguez...

As soon as she saw me she smiled brightly...

"Hola Kevin...Aren't you far away from home?" she asked.

"Yeah I am...too far." I said -"What happened?" I asked.

"A murder...a woman named Myra Stansfield...age 32, strangled...." she said.

''Wow" I said.

"And check this out....I've got one eyewitness....and he's blind!" she said pointing to a guy sitting at the piano stool.....Him!! I recognized...His name was Chazz...Chazz Gillison...an old friend of mine...A piano player who I believe could give B-Flat and "88" a run for their money...that's how good he was...and unfortunately...Blind...

"He said that the killer didn't say anything." she said..

"Wow..talk about bad luck." I said.

"What are you doing in this area so much?...Tyriq and Jimmy said you helped them catch three bad guys we'd been looking for ,for three weeks now last night." she said.

"I'm working on a case....Had nothing to do with that...I just happened to run into those boys...."I said.

"A case huh?  What'cha workin on?" she asked.

"I'm being paid to find somebody.....Which is why I was here...They were supposed to meet me here, but with this murder and all you coppers around...I guess I blew that." I said laughing...

"Sorrry." she said with a fake ,but very sexy pout!

"But you know It's always a pleasure to see you Carlotta." I said with a smile..

"Likewise Kevin...I wish you could give me the same luck you gave Tyriq and Jimmy....Aint I'm supposed to be your girl?" she asked...

"If I hear anything dollface, you know I'll holler at you." I said.

"Good enough Kev...Be easy baby." she said.

"Always Chica...Always." I said. She smiled.

Carlotta got in her car and pulled off, along with the police and ambulance workers...The crowd soon dissapated...

Chazz Gillison walked over to me with his cane....

"What'cha know good Kevin?" he said.

''You babe...Heard you was in Europe." I said.

"I was....Heard that B-Flat is back in town, got married to Honey again and is steady giggin....That's good..I been talkin to Gus about playin some dates at Josies.." he said.

"Yeah, you oughta slide through." I said.

"Hey man, that Puerto Rican Detective you were talkin to is fine..." he said.

"How would you know?" I asked with a smile..

He took his sunglasses off...I looked into his eyes...and I could see my reflection!!!!!

"Chazz, you can see!!!!" I said.

"Yeah Kev...I was in Europe and I got an operation...They used a cold laser,removed my cataracts..I can see perfectly." he said.

"So why did you lie to Detective Rodriguez??...You saw the entire murder." I said.

''Sure did...But if he had known I could see, he woulda killed me too...And plus...I've made my livin bein a blind keyboardist....If people know I can see there goes my money man." he said.

"Chazz...a killer is on the loose..." I said..."Plus, as good as you can play, who cares if you can see or not?" I asked.

"Look Kev...Let's take a walk." he said...

We walked a few blocks....Chazz went in his pockets and pulled out a money clip...He peeled off close to a thousand dollars....he passed it to me.

"You walk around with this kind of dough on you? Are You Crazy Chazz?" I asked.

" Like a Fox !Kev look...I know you're some kind of private detective now...I'm gonna give you  a description of the killer. You get him!....If you haven't gotten him in 48 hours...I'll call the cops...You can keep the dough.."said Chazz.

"Man, I'm workin a case...I'm lookin for somebody." I said.

"Who you lookin for?" he said.

I showed him a photo of Dutch Van Buren...

"Oh..Dutch??...I know where he lives and where he's giggin..." said Chazz..

"Where?" I asked.

"Get this guy off the street and I promise you Kev...I'll give you Dutch Van Buren on a silver platter...I promise!!...Everybody knows where I live...I aint goin nowhere." he said.

"Okay,spill it Chazz."

"The cat's name is Gary Becker....They call him "Slip"...He dresses in great tailored suits...He wears a long trenchcoat....Has very expensive shoes...Wears a nice cologne and wears his hair in a David Ruffin like process...real slick...He strangled Myra with a gray scarf." said Chazz.

"You know why?" I asked.

"No... All I know is she used to be his girlfriend!! They broke up a few weeks ago...Heard he was seein some other babe up in your neck of the woods.. You know how that goes... I think he owed her some money or something...I don't know the whole story...She was listening to me play the piano...He walked in, strangled her and walked out...Never said nothing....The bartender was in the bathroom and there wasn't any customers in the joint...They come on Thursday night when there is a live jazz band and crab legs and chicken wings..." he said.

"Where can I find this Gary "Slip"Becker?" I asked.

"I don't know...but I know a guy who lives near you who might could tell you." said Chazz.

"And who is that?" I asked.

"Big Chicken" he said.

"Big Chicken!! The pimp??" I asked.

"Yeah....Slip is a low level playa..Thinks he's a gangsta...but he's small potatoes. He runs with one of Big Chicken's girls....Chicken will  know where to find Slip." said Chazz..

"And you'll put me on to Dutch right?" I asked.

"Absolutely. Word is bond brother." said Chazz.

''Okay...This is very important." I said.

"I see..I see how important it is to you babe." said Chazz.

"How long you been livin up here in Little Norway?" I asked.

"Bout six months...Ever since I come back from Europe.....Got me a little Russian chick up here that I live with....She's fine Kev." said Chazz.

" Only you Chazz! Otherwise though, you straight man?" I asked.

"I'm good Kevin..Be Easy man." said Chazz as he turned and walked in the opposite direction...

"Always!" I said.

III-

I went home....I hadn't been with my wife in a couple of days....I mean ,I'd seen her, but I'd been running these streets mixed up in all of this mess...

"What kind of case are you working on now lover?" asked Sepia...as I rubbed her feet in our bedroom.

"Well, Sissy asked me if I could help her find her father....She hasn't seen him since she was 16.....I found the guy....Up in Little Norway.....Some Loan Shark and his goons found him too...Long story short..They're all in jail...Sissy's father has vanished again....Tonight I go someplace else to find him and I walk up on a murder....That my friend witnessed and won't tell the cops about...He told me if I take the killer down, he'll hand Sissy's father over to me." I said.

''Wow Kevin,I know there is more to it than that, but you've got my head spinnin...Talkin bout twists and turns." she said.

I got up and walked over to the dresser and pulled out $1000.00 in cash....I put it in front of her...

"At least I got paid for my troubles....This is yours...buy yourself something nice with it." I said.

Sepia's eyes got wide....She smiled...

"Gee thank you husband.....I wish I could do something for you in turn....but then , what am I saying? Of course I can..." she said with a sly grin...

Within minutes I had Sepia up on our dresser drawer...legs spread open and me thrusting away slowly ,I was making sure to savor ever minute of what I was doing...

''Ouuuuuu, ohhhh baby, you feel sooooooooooooooooooo good. Slow downn, slow down...mama isn't going anywhere.....ohhhhhhhhhhhhh goddddddd!" moaned Sepia.

Being around Sissy and all of her femininity had made me long for my wife....I didn't feel like stopping...

I lifted Sepia up and continued to thrust with uncontrolled abandon...steadily marching her over towards the bed......
Soon I tossed her on the bed and mounted her again.....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmph, oh Kevin, what has gotten into you?....ouuuuuuuuuuuu."she cooed.

She wrapped her legs around me and allowed me to seemingly enter her even easier...She was good and wet and soft as ever.....

''Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I love you sooooooooooooo muchhhhhhhhhhh!" she screamed as she climaxed powerfully.... It took me awhile to climax, but when I did, it was equally powerful...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled...

"Ohhh myyyyyyyyyyyy." said Sepia just barely catching her breath..

We both lie across the bed looking at each other and smiling faintly....

"Was that one thousand dollars worth?" laughed Sepia...

I smiled at her...

"It'll do." I said.

Sepia punched me in the arm playfully...

"You are sooo wrong for that." she said with a smile.

 I felt better than I had in a few days.....but tomorrow...I had a killer to catch and someone's father to find.



IV-

The next day, I ran into Detective Carlotta Rodriguez again...This time when I was at C.I.D. Looking for Sissy.

"Hey Kevin...What brings you here?" she asked.

''I was looking for Boss Lady." I said..

"She's not here right now...I think she's over the M.E.'s office." she said.

"Well Look...Since You're here, Listen...I may have something for you on that Stansfield Murder."I said.

"You do?" she asked.

"Indeed....I can't go into the details....You're going to have to trust me....But I'll be wearing a wire and I'll give you a call when I get everything set up and I am pretty sure by this time tomorrow...You'll have a suspect in braces.." I said.

Carlotta had the sweetest smile...

"I want to ask you how you got this information....My instinct as a detective tells me I should ask you, but Boss lady always said just to trust you and that you always brought it home...So I'm gonna trust you..Boss Lady told me once that she trusts you more than some cops on the force." said Carlotta.

''Wow, Sissy said that?" I said.

"Yeah and guess what? So do I?" she said.

"That's uh high praise indeed...I hope I never let you guys down." I said, trying to hide the fact that I was genuinely touched...

"You haven't so far." she said.

"Well, keep your phone line open dollface...I'm going to have something good for you." I said.

"My phone line is always open for you baby." joked Carlotta...We both laughed....

Sometimes you never know how much you're loved and appreciated.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)