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I understood how she felt , so I drove her to the location....We sat in an unmarked car with tinted windows and watched the building....
"This feels funny." she said.
"Yeah ,it does..." I said.
"Reminds me of another time you and I sat in a unmarked car together." she said and smiled...
I remembered....
Spring 2009-
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"Yes..Uh...I remember you, but ah , what are you doing here?" I asked.
"You called the police...You said that you had information on Charles Butcher....the drug kingpin..." she said.
"Yeah! You guys should have gotten a package...a package with video and audio tape of him and his dealers not only doing business, but talking about drug deals." I said.
"We got it...We arrested 25 of his dealers and we got the warehouse...picked up 14 people there and enough dope and coke to juice the city....I don't want to guess at how you got that information, but it was good information....The new Assistant D.A. ..a guy named Keith Wallace...says it was the bust of the century...He's prosecuting the whole gang." she said.
"Yeah...Well Butcher and his main man, His connect, Ali Hassan are supposed to meet here...I called Lt. Tragg...Why isn't he here?" I asked.
"Uh...let me put this mildly Kevin...Lt. Tragg doesn't exactly like you that much...He doesn't like most P.I.'s and people like you who are un-licensced who kind of do this for a hobby....He really doesn't like." she said.
"But You...You do like me right?" I said with a smile. I was kind of checking her out...She looked too good to be a cop...She looked like she should be a model or an actress or something...
"Let's not go that far...." she said.
"I gave you guys good information." I protested.
''You did...That's why I'm here..You know....I checked you out...You were a NCIS Investigator when you were in the military...Cracked all kinds of cases,Drugs, Murder, Rape,assaults...You were pretty good..You left the military, used the G.I. Bill to go to college and now you write and edit that magazine....You should be on the force..I could use a good detective....You're smart, you seem to know your business." she said.
"It's a thought....I don't know...Anything could happen." I said.
"Well, at best...Get your P.I. licensce....Then when we talk to each other...At least it will be somewhat legitimate..." she said and smiled for the first time. I noticed how pretty she actually was when she smiled.
''Look...If Lt. Tragg doesn't like me that's fine....He aint exactly my favorite person in the world either with his smelly cigars and his attitude....but you Lieutenant?? You and I could work well together...Why don't you give me your number?" I said.
" Hold on player, I know that you live with somebody....The young lady, whose mother was convicted for that string of murders." she said.
"I didn't mean it like that...I mean, I want a direct line to you....In the line of work I do, I hear things....From time to time,I'll give you a line on drug dealers, stick up crews, fences....all of the playas...and I'll send stuff to you...Help you out...You in turn help me out....Show me how to get that P.I. License....Deal?" I said.
"I'm willing to let by gones be by gones if you are....Plus I sense we are kindrid spirits....of a kind...You want a good collar and you realize that since the bad guys don't play fair...sometimes we good guys have to bend the law a bit too ,for the greater good." I said...She smiled warmly again...
"For the greater good...." she said. "We have a deal Mr. Kevin...Stop by my office tomorrow...Bring me coffee..I like two creams, four sugars.." she said.
"Two creams....four sugars....got it." I said.
"Sooooo, tell me about this young lady you live with....How did that come about?" she asked.
"Her name is Jo-Anne...she goes by the name Sepia...We had corresponded for years and we finally met and it seemed like every time we had a chance to be together ,bodies kept falling...That was kind of like my first case....It was her mother!!!....Her mother found out that she and her daughter were sleeping with the same guy and her mother systematically wiped out all of this guy's girlfriends...He was next before I intervened. It's complicated." I said.
''Wow...So you cracked the case....And daughter still decides to live with you, despite the fact you put her mom away for life? That's something!" said Sissy.
"Yeah....I'm something....but I'd been talking to this woman for a few years...I kind of felt like I knew her,like she was a kindred spirit." I said.
"You Love her?" asked Sissy.
"I do." I said.
"She know it?"
"I think she does....She's from North Jersey....She had no job, all her friends are dead....So I told her she could stay with me until she found a job, got on her feet." I said.
"That was a year ago....She working?" asked Sissy.
"Yeah." I said.
"But she's still with you" she said.
"I told her she could stay if she wanted to..." I said.
"You wanted her to stay." said Sissy.
''Yeah,I did..." I confessed
"True Love huh?" laughed Sissy.
"It is what it is." I said.
"Is there a future?" asked Sissy.
''I'm thinkin of asking her to marry me soon." I said.
''I like that.....That you admit you love her...I'm starting to think of you differently...You're actually a real good guy Mr. Kevin." said Sissy, who smiled again very sweetly....
"You're not bad yourself Lieutenant." I said.
"You can call me Sissy....My friends do." she said.
"So am I your, uh friend?"...I asked.
"Well...uh, I don't really know you that well yet, but you're in the running...how's that?" she asked.
"That's fair enough..Uh oh...Look...There's Butcher!" I said.
Charles Butcher , a major Drug Kingpin, whose estranged and battered wife had hired me to find out if he was cheating on her had arrived...My investigation into him turned up a lot of nasty stuff he was into....I turned my findings over to Lt. Tragg...Who more or less blew me off and sent the new Lieutenant, Sissy Van Buren over to look into my findings...His loss...She was about to make a huge bust....
"Ali baby...What's shakin partner?" he said as he approached his supplier, A major supplier from New York , who supplied Philly,New Jersey and Deleware...
"Don't what's shakin partner me...The cops popped all of my people last night and damn near put me out of business....Since it's you they want...It's you they 're gonna get...Just not alive!!!" he said.
"Hold up man...they got my guys too....Somebody is snitching...on both of us." he said.
"Who? Everybody is in jail.." said Ali..
"Well hell, it aint me, it aint you??" said Charles...
"Don't matter...with you not around....They won't be lookin for me." said Ali, who pulled out a long gun with a silencer.... "Say goodbye Charlie Boy" he said.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...Nooo...put that away...Come onnnn mannnnnnnnnn." screamed Charlie Butcher.
Before either of us could make a move....Ali Hassan gunned down Charles Butcher right in front of us!
Sissy grabbed her phone...
"EVERYBODY MOVE NOW!!" she yelled..
She pulled her glock and she and about 20 uniformed policemen converged on Ali Hassan!!!
"Heyyyy...I didn't do nutttin...I didn't do nuttin..." he yelled as he was handcuffed.
A little while later Sissy walked over to me...
"Thanks Kevin...We just took down a huge drug organization thanks to you,,," she said.
''And my client...The widow of the recently deceased will be happy to know that she won't have to worry about getting anymore beatings from him or him cheating on her with other women...If you can believe she was concerned about that...It's a win -win." I said.
Sissy shook my hand...
"Kevin...I'll see you tomorrow...I think you and I are going to have a very nice partnership." she said.
Sissy and I smiled remembering those early days when we first got to know each other and learned to trust each other!
II-
His car pulled up...
"Sit tight a minute." I said.
I got out of my car and walked over to him....He was stunned to see me!!!
"You!" he said.
"Mr.Van Buren....Mr. Van Buren....You are a hard one to keep up with." I said.
"How did you find me?" he said.
"This is what I do....How long have you been living with Selma Alvarez?" I asked.
"That's none of your business." he said.
"It's not...you're right....But this is her apartment or duplex isn't it?" I said.
He hung his head...
"Yes....What do you want Mr. Morris?" he said.
I pointed to the car...
Dutch was stunned....
"My God...She looks just like her mother did when I first met her.....OH MY GOD, SISELIA!!! SISELIA!!! OHHHHH MY GOD!" he said and broke into tears....He dropped his groceries on the ground.....
Sissy walked over to him....
"Daddy?" she said....now crying profusely herself...
"Baby girl...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry....I know I was wrong...I know I was wrong...I-I-I don't expect you to forgive me, but .." he mumbled...
"It's okay Daddy,It's okay.We have forever to talk about that!" she said and just hugged her father for minutes......
"I-I-I never stopped thinking about you...I was at your high school graduation...standing in the back...You had on that pretty tiara that your mother gave you...and I was at your wedding....You married that Robert Foxworth....Silver tongued lawyer...Glad you dropped him...He was a playboy, skirt chaser...and I was across the street when you made settlement on your new house....You were never far from my thoughts...I was just gone for so long, I figured there was nothing I could say to you...When this fella here come lookin for me the other day...I figured I might be in some kind of trouble." he said.
"Ohhh no...nooo daddy...This is Kevin...He's my very best male friend.." she said.
I was impressed...Touched even..
Dutch saw her and motioned for her to come over....
"Selma....I'd like for you to meet someone.." he said.
"I know who this is....This is Sissy...Your daughter!!!!....He talks about you all the time...I kept telling him to go find you...but he was afraid..." she said.
Sissy smiled....
"Baby...this is my fiance." He said.
Selma looked young enough to be...Sissy's younger sister...
"Pleased to meet you." said Sissy...
"Oh and there is something else....Uhhhh, She's pregnant!! You're going to have a sibling....We just got back from the clinic." he said.
Sissy's mouth opened wide.....
Dutch held his head low....
Sissy smiled and grabbed Selma, hugging her....
"Girllllll that's great news....Oh my god...We've got to get acquainted....We can hang out, shop..the whole works." said Sissy...
"I like your daughter...She's cool people..and all this time, you were afraid to contact her..." said Selma...
Dutch held his head down like a little boy who had been naughty....Then he looked at his daughter and his fiance and smiled...
Sissy exchanged numbers with them and promised to talk to her father again and she and Selma promised to go shopping with her this coming Saturday.....It was a happy exchange....She and her father hugged again and both tried but failed to fight back their tears...
She walked over to me and hugged me again for a long time...
"You sure he's just a friend?" asked Dutch..
''Yes Daddy...He's married!!....I have a boyfriend....I plan to introduce you to him soon."she said....."Maybe the two of you can come to my house for dinner." said Sissy.
"That-That would be nice." said Dutch.
''Yes...it would." said Selma.
Sissy turned and looked at me and smiled broadly...
"Kevin,I can't thank you enough....I can't thank you enough for this...I've never felt better in quite some time...You are my good friend!" she said.
I kissed her forehead.....
"Eddie C. is a very lucky man."I said.
She looked at me and smiled...
"He just doesn't know, but by tomorrow morning he will" she said and she winked.
Loved Sissy's sense of humor.
EPILOUGE:
Gary "Slip" Becker was sentenced to 15-30 years for the 2nd degree murder of Myra Stansfield...
As a favor to Big Chicken...I got one of Robert Foxworth's attorney's Cole to represent Betty Blaze and after a conversation with ADA Keith Wallace...All charges were dropped against Betty and she was released..
(FOR SLC)
5 comments:
GREAT STORY ALL AROUND!
Nice ending and nice look at how Sissy and Kevin began their association...I thought they were going to get it on in the car, but they didn't...Glad they kept it platonic.
Beautiful story and ending..Even Sissy's father wondered how close
Kevin and Sissy are...LOL!
Just finished reading the conclusion from my phone. Comments require a captcha so I'm commenting here. AWESOME!!!!! Thanks for the shout out. Looking forward to seeing Sissy's dad perform.
Great Story All Around...This was Kevin at his best...
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