Dutch

And so...My search for Sissy's musician father began....I called the Department of Public records in Toronto and got them to fax me Charles Van Buren's birth certificate and any medical records they had...which wasn't much!...

I next called the U.S. Customs house and got them to fax me Charles Van Buren's Passport information...That gave me an address which I went to, only to find that this was Sissy's childhood home and that three different families had lived in this house since then...This meant that old Charlie hadn't left the country anytime soon..

I had a social security number and with that I got access to bank accounts and home addresses...This led me to several different places...None that he had lived in recently and to about ten different jobs the man had held...the last one being last year...

That was good..I knew that at least he had been alive last year... I searched further to find out if he had ever become a U.S. citizen....He had!  This led me to several more addresses and several old girlfriends...Black, White,Latino ,Asian....The man didn't discriminate...He slept with all women....He reminded me of Robert Foxworth a little bit.

The women all called him "The Man with the Velvet Charm"...They also reffered to him as "Dutch"...

I could see how going through normal channels had yeilded me nothing and why Sissy was so frustrated.

This man had to own a piece of property, a car, something with his name on it...He had to lay his head somewhere.

I checked a number of hospitals....Checked the morgue...Checked to see if there were any death certificates..Nothing....

How did people simply drop out of sight in this day and age?

They Didn't!  I got lucky...Like everybody else , he had a smartphone... After checking all of the providers...I found his and I found an address where he accepted his mail....It was a post office box...Smart!

He had a Debit card and a bank account....I checked that for movemant and pin pointed an area where he made purchases....In the little Norway section of Philadelphia....An enclave of Russians and East Europeans where a guy like him could blend in....

II-

I was no fool...I wasn't going to go snooping around in this section of town by myself...So I got Clerow and Kool Kat to go with me....

Clerow sat outside in the car...Kool Kat and I walked in the bar...I showed the photo of Charles "Dutch" Van Buren to several people...No one seemed to know him or where he lived... I suspected that this was a lie... I left the bar...Kool Kat said to me...

"Man Kev look, they don't know you....They don't trust you and they're not going to talk to you....Not only that...Trust me...Somebody else is looking for this guy other than you..." he said.

He was probably right....But just as we were getting ready to pull off!!! I got lucky again!!!! Yeah, twice in one day, go figure. I saw him!!!

Charles "Dutch" Van Buren!!! was larger than life!! He was walking down the street.

"Dutch!!! Mr. Van Buren...Wait!" I said...

He saw us and took off running...

"Clerow...follow him!" I said.

We followed him as he ran down the street...Clerow slowed the car down and I got out and ran after him...

For an older guy, this guy could move...but I was in good shape.I caught him in no time...

"Hey hold up....I told Chang Lee I'd pay him next week..Please don't break my thumbs...I need my hands to play ,so I can make money." he pleaded....

"Hey man, I don't work for Chang Lee...Who is he anyway?" I said.

"He's a Loan shark..a juice man....I'm into him for 15 large....If you aint with him, who are you with?" he asked.

"I'm a private detective....Your daughter hired me to find you...She wants to see you." I said.

"My daughter?? Sissy?? Siselia??" he said.

"Yes...she hired me to find you." I said.

All of a sudden his eyes got as large as saucers.....

''Well, this must not be my night...Looks like I been found by two people." he said.

We turned around and a short, thin, Asian man and two thugs...One white and one black were standing behind us...

"Chang Lee!!!" he said.

"I want the money you owe me now!" he said.

"I don't have it...I'll have it next week." he said.

"Wrong answer" said Chang Lee...

His two goons pulled guns out...only to hear the click of two guns behind them!!.....Clerow had his .45 aimed at the head of the white goon and Kool Kat had his riot pump shotgun aimed at the back of the head of the Black goon.....I had my.38 smokeless just inches from Chang Lee's nose...

I smiled....

"Buddy, this just isn't your night." I said.

''Yeah, tell me about it."Smirked Chang Lee as he and his goons raised their hands.

III-

"Thanks for giving us a call Kev....we've been looking for these punks for a couple of weeks now." said Detective Tyriq Pile

"I would have thought your Lieutenant would have been here also." I said.

"We couldn't find Sissy tonight." said Detective Jimmy Barlow who along with three uniformed cops handcuffed and read Chang Lee and his two associates their rights....

"These three cool cats are wanted for the murder of a butcher in this section a month ago..He owed Chang Lee here some money...and didn't pay in time and Chang Lee and his buddies beat the guy to death and then shot him..." said Detective Pile..

"Yup, we got the murder weapon and two eyewitnesses....We had everything but them...Damn man, you came through in a big way...Thanks Kev." said Detective Barlow...

''Don't mention it guys." I said.

"Okay Chang...let's go...." he said as they marched the trio off...

I didn't want them knowing that I had Sissy's father with me, so I didn't say anything..

"Wow ....I don't know who you guys are, but you got me off the hook....With those three indicted for murder...it doesn't look like they'll be around anytime soon....Thank you so much..." he said.

"Now look...Your daughter wants to see you....Where are you stayin?" I said.

He wrote down the address on a piece of paper...

''That's my apartment and that's my phone number...My daughter is a cop now...huh?" he said.

"Not just a cop...she's the Lieutenant of a special unit that cracks major cases...Those were two of her detectives..." I said.

"She still married to that silver tongued lawyer?" he asked.

"Oh nooo,nooo, they're divorced....But she has a nice house and she's involved with a nice guy...Hey look, you and her need to talk,catch up...I'll bring her by your place tomorrow." I said.

"Okay, good...It'll give me a chance to straighten up a bit." he said...."Thanks again Kevin." he said.

I looked at Clerow and Kool Kat....

"Cracked another case eh Kev?" said the big man."

"Yup...I sure did...This was easier than I thought." I said....I didn't know then how wrong I was.

IV-

I slept good that night....Apparently Sissy had been over Eddie C.'s house.....I finally got in contact with her and told her the good news ...that I had found her dad and had helped two of her detectives crack a month old murder case...and that I had a phone number and an address!!!!

I drove to Sissy's house that morning and picked her up.....She was ecstatic!!

''Oh Kevin,I don't know how to thank you...I swear...you ought to be on the force and in my unit...You're the best detective I've ever seen..." she said..

This was high praise from a woman who was at the top of her class herself in the academy and who supervised such great detectives like Carlotta,Tyriq,Jimmy and Duke.

I drove Sissy to the address...We looked around....

''You sure this is it?" she asked.

I showed her the paper with his own writing on it...

She pulled out her phone and dialed the number.....

"It's disconnected." she said.

"What?" I said.

''Let's go up." I said.

The elevator didn't work...So we walked up to the third floor and knocked on the door...A Black man answered....He was tall ,had sandy brown hair, Jeans and a plaid shirt on...He looked at Sissy and smiled broadly...

"Well Hellllloooo gorgeous!" he said.

"I'm looking for my father....Charles "Dutch" Van Buren is he in?" she asked.

"Dutch?? Here?? Nah......He aint lived here in over a year...He sold me this place in fact.....You his daughter?? Whoa mama.....I'll be your daddy if you let me sugar! Damnn Dutch pulled a sister? He  sure made a pretty baby...Your mom must have been fine as hell!Lawd!" he said leeringly...

Neither Sissy, nor I found his leering remarks flattering.

I stepped up then...

"Do you know where he is?" I asked..

"You his son?" he asked..."I hope so, cause baby girl is bangin." said the man..

"I'm not his son..." I said.

"Oh....I'm sorry...I meant no disrespect....But youse one lucky somebody if this is yo woman." he said.

"Where can we find Dutch?" I asked.

"Can't say...He stays with this woman and that woman...never more than a few nights..He drives a 1999 Ford Taurus,Black...That's all I can tell you." he said.

"You know any of his girlfriends?" I asked.

"Nah....but hey look...He plays the sax...Sometimes he gigs at this wine bar called "The Sad Lady...Yeah, you might find him there." said the man, still ogling Sissy.

"Thanks for your time." I said.

"Thank you for bringing this fine woman to my door." he said.

Sissy was in tears as we walked down the hall....I had never seen her cry before...She was always the wise cracking all knowing , tough as nails Lieutenant...

"Don't you worry Sissy...If it's the last thing I do...I'll find him....I'll find him and I'll bring him to you." I said.

"Oh don't bother...He obviously doesn't want to see me." she said and sobbed...I held her in my arms....I hadn't realized how soft her body was, how good she smelled...This was the closest I'd ever been to Sissy...
Robert Foxworth had been a lucky man....I hoped Eddie C. realized how fortunate he was....

We got back in my car and drove to Jakes....

I bought her one of Jake's special dogs and a Coke!

She had regained her composure and even managed to smile....

"You feelin better now Sissy?" I asked.

"Yes...but not for the reason you think...." she said.

"Oh?" I said.

"I may not have a father....but I have a brother...a long lost brother and friend....You Kevin!" she said
and she held my hand and squeezed it for a long time!

(TO BE CONTINUED!)