Un Invited Guest

"OHHHH MY GODDDD..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOO.." came the wails and screams from the dressing room at the Sad Lady Bar.

Lt. Sissy Van Buren, Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor, Forensic Investigator, Hazel Hunter and six uniformed policemen arrived at the bar a few minutes after I arrived and broke the news to vocalist,Lynette Dubois that her boyfriend, Tyrone "Buddy" Dwyer had been murdered in her apartment complex..

"I'm sorry to have to ask you this Ms. Dubois, but didn't he know you were performing tonight?" asked Detective Duke Baylor..

"No..I hadn't mentioned it to him...He was probably paying me a surprise visit.We 'd just recently got engaged." she said...the tears just streaming down her face...My wife, Sepia put her arms around her as she sobbed...

"It's alright girlfriend...it's alright. How you doin Sissy?" she said.

"I'm fine Sepia....I sure hate to have to break news like this to people." sighed Sissy...

''I know girl...it's never easy.." said my wife.

" Ms. Dubois...Did anybody else know that he might be coming to see you?" asked Sissy.

"I don't think so...No..." she said continuing to sob uncontrollably....

"Are you sure?" asked Sissy..

"Yes...I'm sure...Look ,I don't know nothing else...I'm sorry." she said, continuing to sob.

"I hate to ask this...but is there another man in your life?? An ex boyfriend??..a stalker??" asked Sissy...

"No...No...Noo....I don't know anything..."OHHHH MY GODDDD..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOO.." she wailed...She wouldn't say anything else...

"Sissy,I'm going to walk her to the ladies room." said Sepia..

"Okay...I don't have any other questions...Nice seeing you again Sepia...We all have to hang out again like we did a couple of months ago."said Sissy.

"Yeah...Bonita, Corrie, Sheila, Bernadette, Bridget and Ms. Carlotta before she becomes a married lady." said my wife..

Sissy smiled....

"Yes...Hope the next time we talk it's under better circumstances Sepia." she said.

"Yeah, I hope so too!" said Sepia.

Sepia walked Lynette to the restroom...

Lt. Sissy Van Buren looked frustrated...

"Come on Duke...Dr. Hunter...Guys...We are not going to get anything out of her...She's too distraught...Maybe we can talk to her another day." she said as she and her detectives and policemen cleared out...

The body had already been removed and there was nothing else to be gained from the night...

I grabbed Sissy's arm just before she left....

"What do you think Sissy?" I asked.

"I think she's distraught...Which I can perfectly understand...She just got engaged recently and now her fiancé is dead.. murdered....I know how I'd feel...but I also think she knows more than she's telling." she said.

"You think she's afraid?" I asked.

"I know she's afraid." said Sissy.

"So this was a contract hit?" I said.

"Can't really say...but it does look like that. He wasn't a playa...At least not a known playa. This guy was a solid citizen." said Sissy..."Good night Kevin. Maybe you can get something out of her...If you do...You know my number" she said and smiled and walked to her car...

The crowd had disapated.. Sepia walked Lynette back out to the bar, which was emptying...It was after 2:00 am in the morning..

''Is she going to be alright?" I asked..

"I don't know Kevin...They were engaged...He had just asked her to marry him last Friday and she had said yes.." said my wife...

''Awww mannnn."I said, shaking my head.

"Lynette...this is my husband, Kevin." said Sepia..

She looked up, but didn't smile...She just continued to cry.....

"I'm-I'm sorry...I hate to meet you like this...Ohhh my God....That bastard, how could he?" she said.

''How could who Lynette?" I asked.

"Nobody...Nobody..." she said.

"Can we give you a ride home?" I asked.

"No...I'll be alright." she said.  "Thanks for coming Sepia...Nice meeting you Kevin." she said and then walked out into the Philadelphia night..

II-

That night in our living room, I walked up behind Sepia ..She was wearing one of my shirts and just a pair of bikini panties...I had just gotten out of the shower and walked
over to her...I put my arms around her...I kissed her neck up and down and under her chin...her earlobes and finally her lips....

She broke our embrace gently for a minute...

"Lover...I'm worried about Lynette.." she said.

"I gathered that." I said.

"She's afraid of something...I mean deathly afraid...and she definitely made a slip up tonight...I know you heard her." said Sepia...

"Yeah ,I heard her..."I said.

"Kevin...You know I don't get involved in your work...but could I ask you to do your wife a big favor?" asked Sepia.

"And what is that?" I asked, while kissing her neck and eventually her breasts...and in between her breasts...

''Could you...Could you look into this?.. She's my friend...I think she's in trouble...She's in deeper than she knows..." said Sepia.

''She's in deeper than WE know." I added and laughed.

''What is the going rate you charge your clients?" asked Sepia...

"HA!  It depends on their economic situation...You are the co-owner of a business and one third owner of my business, so for you, top dollar!" I joked...

Sepia, turned toward me and gave me a long, slow, sensuous kiss.. She fondled my raging erection softly and kissed me some more..

"Well uh...Can't we uh work something out?" she said...

"Welllllll, uhhh, err, ahhhh,I'm certain that we could uhhhhh,work something out...a discount or something..."I said as she continued kissing and fondling me....

''A discount? Hmmmmm, I'm listening" cooed Sepia as we continued kissing....

I slipped her panties down slightly and with my one hand I could feel that she was moist and getting wetter by the second... Soon I had my shirt off of her and had her in the bed...

I  began kissing her neck, behind her ears...under her chin and finally those sweet lips of hers....

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...ohhhh lover, I'm about to come..." she moaned and she slowly broke my embrace....

I rolled over on top of her and entered her moist center slowly..and kept moving slowly until we got into a nice groove...There for hours we made sweet love in the quiet of our bedroom....oblivious to the storm that was coming!! She was on top of me for awhile ,just looking down at me and sweating...moving up and down....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lover...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Kevin, I love you sooooooooooooooooooooooooomuchhhh...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned..

"I love you too baby...ouuuuuuuuuuuuu.." I groaned as we began moving
faster and more furious...I'm glad our windows were closed...I'd of hated for the neighbors to hear the hollering and moaning we were doing...

Sepia was extra passionate tonight and driving me insane with her soft skin, great smelling fragrance and butter soft kisses up and down my chest and on my neck...

We both came simultaneously and explosively....trembling in each others arms....

"Sepia?" I said as we lie across the bed some hours later..

''Yes?" she said.

"After that performance you put on me last night....I'm waiving your fee completely."I said and smiled..

"I knew we could work out something.....That was just a down payment.." she said laughing.

What an incentive, I thought! Sepia cuddled up into the crook of my arms and slowly drifted off to sleep...I smiled and watched her for a long time before I too drifted off into a sound and peaceful sleep.

III-

So, two nights later,I found myself back at the Sad Lady Bar...Watching the same band perform and listening to Lynette Dubois do two sets....After her set was done..A comedian came on...

I left the bar and walked to the back where Lynette's dressing room was..She was sitting by the mirror, crying her eyes out...She had held up well during the show..A true professional.

I walked in...Lynette saw me and stopped crying...She took a hankercheif and dabbed at her eyes....

"Hi Lynette..."I said..

She was startled.

"I didn't mean to startle you..."I said.

"You...You're....You're Kevin...Sepia's husband." she said.

"Yes...Did Sepia tell you what I do for a living?" I asked.

"Yes..She told me that you own a company that publishes magazines and newspapers and that you own a radio station too." she said.

"Yeah, well that's one thing...I'm also a private detective...I help people." I said.

She looked at me like I was crazy...I showed her my P.I. license and my gun and my license to carry.

''What do you want with me?" she asked.

"I want to help you...My wife is concerned about you...She asked me to look in on you." I said.

"Tell Sepia thank you, but I'm okay.." she said.

"No you're not..Your fiance was murdered...He was murdered gangland style..You know it and I know it... Those cops that were here...They're good...They know it too..You want to tell me how much trouble you're in..and with who?" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about...Look, Kevin...you shouldn't be in here...Please ,I'm telling you for your own good... Get away from here..." she said.

"Okay..Here is my card...When you feel like talking..Call that number..We can meet someplace else..."I said.

Just then a hand grabbed the card from out of her hands and ripped it in half...

''She won't be needin that." said the man who ripped my card.

"Why don't you let her decide what she needs or not?"I said.

He was brown skinned, about my height, my build..wore a very nice Italian cut suit and had expensive shoes and a nice smelling cologne on...

"What's your name fella?" he said...

Lynette got up and ran out of the room past him..

"My name is Morris, Kevin Morris..What's yours?" I asked.

"My name is Larry...Larry Santana...On the streets they call me "Baby",but never to my face." he laughed...

"Ohhh I see." I said.

"I see you have a habit of inviting yourself places where you aint invited." he said.

"Oh is that so?..How do you know I wasn't invited here?" I asked.

"She didn't invite you in here and more important...I didn't invite you...See, the man I work for owns this joint.." he said.

"That would be Eddie Coker." I said.

"No need to drop names ace... You're uninvited...So get the hell out." he said and pulled a switchblade out and opened it...

"Relax...I wouldn't waste a drop of your blood on these new freshly buffed floors...This is just how I go about making a point." he said and he poked me lightly with the blade...

I pushed his hand away..

"I don't like getting poked with a knife." I said.

''And I don't like uninvited guests...So here is a warning pal...I don't ever want to see you in this establishment again or talking to Lynette...Understand?" he said.

"I'll let her determine that." I said.

"No, No ,I just determined that...Now goodbye Mr. Morris." he said.

I walked by him....

"Nice talking to you." I said sarcastically.

"If I have to talk to you again...It won't be so nice Mr. Morris." he said and poked me in the side again...

I took the door pulled it back and slammed it hard into his face as hard as I could...So hard, the wood slightly cracked...

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhh..." he groaned..and I punched him in his stomach harder than I've punched anybody in a long time...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmph", he groaned and bent over in pain and then I caught him with an uppercut that sent him flying and knocked him to the ground...

He went to reach for his switch blade, but I stepped on his arm...

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." he moaned....

I pulled out my .38 smokeless and put the muzzle to his nose...

"Uh ugh ugh now....Let's not get stupid...These aren't my nice freshly buffed floors..I wouldn't have a problem wasting your blood all over them." I said...

I picked up the switchblade, put it in my pocket and eased up off of him...His nose was bleeding profusely and his eye was swollen nearly shut....

Lynette and a few people saw him lying on the floor....They were almost in disbelief...

"Next time we talk...If there is a next time...I might consider giving this pig sticker back to you...but then again..Nahhh,I doubt it...It's mine now...Like I said...Nice talkin to you Baby." I said and stepped over him and walked out.

IV-

The next morning, I brought  Lt. Sissy Van Buren a tumbler of hot coffee and stood with her on the roof of the C.I.D. Building...

"Sissy ,you ever heard of Larry "Baby" Santana?" I asked.

She smiled...

"Yeah...He's a suspect in about 12 unsolved murders and that's just here in Philly...I hear it's three in Atlantic City...He works for Eddie Coker, the new would be Crime Kingpin.  Duke, Tyriq  and I questioned him yesterday...He was seen around that building where the Dwyer Murder took place..." said Sissy... "Of course he said he didn't have anything to do with it...And we don't have any witnesses to dispute his claims." she said.

"Yeah...He and I had a little talk too you might say." I said.

"Kevin!! Did you do that to him? His eye was swollen shut...and it looks like his nose was broken..He told us that he uh tripped and fell." she said laughing..

"Yeah well we had a little disagreement, but after I talked to him a little more, he understood my point." I said.

"Like you uh talked to Mike Train huh?" laughed Sissy....

''Well I didn't stuff 'Baby' in a dryer." I said.

Sissy nearly spit her coffee out laughing...

"Sissy, I think you and Duke need to look at Baby Santana a little closer...I went to talk to Lynette and as soon as he entered the dressing room, she got frightened and ran out...I think it's him!!...He's your killer. She's definitely afraid of something." I said.

"I know she is. If Baby Santana is the killer...He did it on orders from Eddie Coker.. Eddie Coker is the power up there...He decides who lives and who dies. He owns that club and that apartment complex where the murder occurred and our girl lives." she said.

"Maybe I can get you something solid on Eddie Coker." I said.

"You know him?" asked Sissy.

''Only by reputation...He's from the neighborhood.. A little older than me...but I remember him...Seeing him around.." I said.

Sissy got serious then..

"Kevin...Don't fool around with Eddie Coker...He's serious business...12 people have had disagreements with him and have all been found dead in the past year...Nobody talks, Nobody sees anything up there...Everybody is afraid of him. This is why we haven't been able to make a case against him. I got 12 other open murder cases related to him and Baby. Kevin please!!!....Oh why am I wasting my time??..." she said.

She pulled me to her and hugged me for a long while...That soft body of hers.. Those sensuous curves almost made me want to stay in this embrace a little longer, but I couldn't..

"There was a time when I didn't worry about you or hardly care about what you did...Shame.. You start liking somebody and then you start caring about them." She said.

"And worrying..."I added and smiled..

"That too." she said and we both laughed.

(TO BE CONTINUED..)