Tall,Dark and Deadly

A rare Friday night that I'm not at Josie's having a cold one with the guys...I'm just out walking alone, enjoying a nice warm spring night in the city... I spot a tony outdoor bar and grille and spy three very sexy young ladies ,who I recognize...I walk over to them...

"Well hello Mrs. Foxworth, and Ms. Jones...Who is that fox you have sitting with you?" I say slyly....

Bonita laughs out loud...So does Bridget Jones...

''Hey Kevin...What are you doing in this neck of the woods?" asks Bonita, my friend, Attorney Robert Foxworth's wife..

"Oh Just out walking, getting some air...enjoying the night."I said.

''Hi Kevin."said Bridget Jones...

"Hey Bridget,How are you? Whose your friend? And does she have a man?" I joked..

Their "friend" was my lovely wife, Sepia, who is smiling and playing along...

"I'm afraid I'm married sir." she says coyly, blinking her eyes at me...Bonita and Bridget are in stitches...

I sit down next to her and kiss her neck and her cheek and whisper...

"Well,if you don't tell him...I won't."

Sepia cracks up laughing.....

"Ouuu..that kind of talk can get a guy hurt...My husband has a very big gun..." she says..

"So do I." I say and she can't play along any longer, she starts laughing......as does Bonita and Bridget...

Sepia comes and sits on my lap....

''So why are you busting up our "Girls Night Out?" she asks...

"Oh don't mind me ladies..I was just in the area." I said.

"You seen my hubby?" asked Bonita...

"Earlier tonight...We were at Aqua Bar and then he left to meet up with ADA Keith Wallace at Josies.."I said.

"We are supposed to be showing him and Carlotta a house in a few days.." said Bonita..

"Yeah...Robert told me that Keith and Carlotta are engaged and are house hunting...Good for them...They're both good people." I said.

"Yeah, they are..I knew they were going to wind up getting married...I could see it."said Bridget...

"How bout you and Chazz?, Bridget, How's that working out?" I asked.

"Kevin...I think I'm being deceived...He's supposed to be blind right? But I think he can see...I think he's defrauding the public." said Bridget Jones.

I smiled...I was keeping Chazz's secret...but more and more, he was starting to say and do things that would let it be known that the blind piano player wasn't blind at all...Gus,  Honey Brown, Dutch Van Buren, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez and Symphony Sam had all asked me if he could see and I had lied to them all saying that as far as I knew he was blind...

"Well,I'm all tapped out...Bridget...I'll drop you off wherever it is you want to go." said Bonita..

"Thanks Bonita. Let me call Chazz, tell him I'm coming." said Bridget...

''Well Hubby...I'm assuming you didn't walk here from Aqua Bar..Where is your car?" asked my wife.

"It's down the street." I said.

"See you Monday girl." said Sepia to Bonita...

We walked to the parking lot to my car and we pulled off....In hindsight..I should have gone straight home...but I remembered something...

''Hey Sepia...I gotta stop by Josies..Do you mind?" I asked..

"No...Not at all...You can buy your wife a drink to top the night off." she laughed..

"Ohhh then you won't be good for anything...you'll be drunk." I joked...

"You buy the right kind of drink and I might surprise you." she said and winked..."

I smiled.

II-

Josies was packed as it was on any Friday...Gus spotted us when we came through the door...

"Heyyyyy, It's Mr. and Mrs. Morris!" he said as we came in...Sepia sat down at the crowded bar...

I peeled off a couple of twenties and put it in Gus's hands....

"That's my tab...from last week...I forgot." I said.

"Aww kid, I know you're good for it." said Gus...

"Give Sepia whatever she wants....Is Chazz here/" I asked.

"Yeah he's over there..." said Gus pointing to Chazz in the corner ,whispering to a young voluptuous young lady, who was giggling...

"You sure that guy is blind?" asked Gus...

"That's what he's told me." I said as I walked over to Chazz...Gus gave me the side eye!

Upon seeing me, Chazz smiled...

"Hey Kev..How you doin?" he said.

"Hey how did you know who he was?" asked the young lady...

"I uh, smelled his particular brand of cologne." said Chazz , thinking fast....

"Wow, you're good." she said.

"How's my money doing Chazz?" I asked...

He owed me money for doing him a little favor of the private investigative type....He went in his suit jacket pocket and passed me an envelope...I counted the money...It was all there...Chazz was good about paying his debts!

"We good?" he said.

"Yeah we solid.....Now listen...Bridget is on her way to your house..I was just with her." I said.

"Ohhhhhhh..Thanks Kev...I gotta get outta here...Where's Mickey?" he asked...

I pointed to a guy who was in the corner asleep...That was his driver...

"Got'cha...Good lookin out Kev..Be Easy babe..." he said.

"Always." I replied..

III-

I was on my way back to the bar to get my wife when my path was blocked by two very attractive women!!

"Ladies...This is definitely not the time." I joked..

"Relax...We asked your wife over at the bar where you were and she directed us to you." said the one..

I looked over at Sepia, who winked at me and busted out laughing...

"I know you don't know me.." said the one..Who I knew to be Antoinette Bennett.

"Uh actually I do...You're Antoinette Bennett and this is April Bennett, your sister...Your late father hit the powerball for about sixty million and left it to his three daughters....and by the way, where is your other sister,Veronica?" I asked. She looked impressed.

"That's why we are here Mr. Morris...We want to hire you."said April Bennett.

"Huh? " I said.

"We know who you are too!...You're a Private Detective...You come with great references.." said Antoinette.

''Is your sister missing?" I asked.

"No, but she's about to make a big mistake." said April who passed me a Glossy photo of a man..He was tall, dark and handsome and dressed well...Brown skinned, with a well cut moustache..

"Who's this?" I asked.

"His name is William, William Hutton....He and my sister are engaged.. We think he's shady and a fortune hunter.Somethin about him isn't right...He has the look of a killer" said April Bennett.

" The look of a killer eh? You want me to look into him right?" I asked.

"Exactly...All we want is information..So we can show her that he's no good." said Antoinette.

"That's it?" I said.

"That's it. We've heard rumors...Stories that he's been married before and that all three of his ex wives are now dead.Possibly murdered." said April...

"Hmmm, So he's Tall dark and deadly." I joked...

''That's what I think. Before he met Veronica, he was tryin to holla at me..But I wasn't feelin him, he was just too slick...too much of a fast talker...Then I started hearing stories about him..You know how the streets be talkin." said April.

Antoinette gave me an envelope full of cash...I knew how money had a way of talkin.

"That's a down payment.Please look into him...We don't want anything untoward to happen to our sister..She won't listen to us...That guy is bad news...It's all over him." she said.

''Okayyyyy.. "I said and pulled out my smartphone...

"Can I have a number and an address to contact you ladies?" I said.

''Why certainly." they said.

We exchanged addresses and numbers....

"I'll be in touch." I said.

"Oh Thank you Mr. Kevin." they said.

IV-

I got Sepia and we went home....

"Well money bags...you got paid today from work...Chazz paid you and you got a little somethin somethin from those Bennett gals thanks to me." said Sepia...

I peeled off one thousand dollars and put it in her hands...The rest of the money,I put in my sock drawer...

"You got paid today too.From work and just now from me.." I said.

She laughed....

"Yes I did.." she said.

"Now...When am I going to get paid?" I joked..

"The faster you help me out of this dress, the faster you'll find out." she said..

"Mmmmmmm..I like it when you talk like that " I laughed...

"I just know you do." said Sepia.

Loved my wife!

(TO BE CONTINUED)