Mean Daddy

The next morning...Sepia and I had a delicious breakfast of Chicken and Waffles at Mabel Jenkins's Soul Food Restaurant.....

"Oh Kevin this is scrumptious." said my wife....

''Glad you like it babes." I said.

"So how is your case going?" she asked.

"Oh I found the guys wife and I got paid." I said and showed her the knot of twenties and fifties in my possession.

''Oh that was easy money." She said.

"No such thing as easy money...Only half the job is done." I said.

"What half?" she said.

"This man's wife is supposed to produce bail money so he can get out of jail and there in lies the problem." I said.

"She doesn't have it." said Sepia..

"No..I'm sure she could get it....She's not married to him anymore. She divorced him while he was in prison." I said.

"He doesn't know it?" she asked.

"Apparently not...She got someone to forge his signature." I said.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to talk to her ...See if I can at least get her to go see him." I said.

"Wow...sounds like a mess." said Sepia.

"Oh it its." I laughed.

II-

I decided not to press my luck...I had already had an encounter with three of Larry Nore's goons a few nights ago... I had checked...They were all still in the hospital and still under arrest..But by now...a guy like Nore had probably hooked up with more muscle..

I took Kool Kat with me to Stephen Bristol's floating crap game... Unlike Chess and Chris's game...Stephen Bristol's game was a bit more sophisticated...It was held in his condo...on the top floor!!

Kool Kat and I took the elevator and walked right into some high priced muscle.....

"Ask your boss if he wouldn't mind having a word with Kevin Morris....He knows me?" I said.

I could tell that they didn't like the way either Kool Kat or I looked...but they didn't wish to have
an unnecessary fight and neither did I if it could at all be avoided...

Stephen Bristol walked into the hallway and took one look at me and smiled...

"Kevin Morris...,Walter?" he said.

"Sup" was all Kool Kat would utter...

"Nice Suit...Tailor made eh?" he said.

''Yeah...Sam the Tailor." I said.

He smiled...

"Sam has tailored  quite a few of mine..He does great work...That must mean you've stepped up in the world." said the gambler..

"Could mean that." I said.

''So what brings you here? I know you don't gamble." he said.

"I need to talk to one of your players...a Barbara Robinson..."I said.

Bristol looked like he'd seen a ghost....

"It's Barbara Kelly now and her boyfriend....He's a real Mean Daddy." he said.

"So I've heard....Do I look like I'm worried?" I said.

Kool Kat laughed...

Bristol just sighed...

"She's in here.....I'm sure he's got someone in here looking ...I don't wish for any trouble." he said.

"There won't be Bristol..Not tonight." said Kool Kat.

I could tell that that didn't reassure Stephen Bristol...I patted him on the shoulder...

"We just want to talk to her that's all Bristol and then we are out...That's it." I said.

"Oh alright...That's her over there." he said and pointed.

III-

She was a beautiful woman...I could see why Sly was so concerned with seeing her...I'd want to see her too if I had been locked up for four years...

I walked over to where she was sitting and smiled...

"Hi...I'm Kevin Morris." I said.

She was cool...She smiled and said- "Hi and I'm not interested."

"I understand you're from West Philly...So am I." I said.

"Good to know...Now we have nothing else in common and nothing else to talk about ." she said.

"Ouuu you're cold.....Maybe I should start over." I said.

"Maybe you should!!...With the next girl." she said.

"Niceee..."I smiled.

She looked at me like I was crazy....

"Now let's talk about your husband...Sly Robinson." I said.

She looked like she'd seen a ghost...

"Ahhhh, Got your attention didn't I?" I said.

''You're the guy that's been askin around about me....Do you know my boyfriend is lookin all over town for you?" she said.

"Well he isn't looking hard enough...I'm not hard to find."I said.

"Look....I don't want you to get hurt...I got no beef with you....Tell my ex- husband you couldn't find me." she said.

"I can't do that...I'm not in the habit of lying and taking people's money."I said.

"People do it all the time..and you should want to do it...You'll stay alive that way." she said.

"If I was afraid of your boyfriend...I would have stopped looking for you after he sent those three goons after me..."I said.

"You put them all in the hospital." she said.

"And I'll do the same to him if he crosses me...Believe that sugar!...Now look, just go see Sly...tell him you're with another guy now...He'll be in county lock up soon." I said.

"No...I'm not his wife anymore...I'm not going to see him..."she said.

"You want me to tell him that?" I said.

"I don't care what you tell him....Now look...get out of here...My boyfriend has spies all over the place..He could be on his way here now." she said.

I smiled...

"Okay ...I'll leave..." I said and I got up and left...

Kool Kat met me at the door...

''We got company in the lobby Kev...Guess who?" he laughed.

"Larry Nore!" I said.

"Yeah." said Kool Kat.

"He got muscle with him?" I asked.

"No...He's alone.." he laughed..

"That was foolish of him wasn't it." I laughed..

"Yeah"said Kool Kat cracking his knuckles and smiling that sinister grin of his..

I got off the elevator....

Larry Nore walked over to me....

"Hi..I'm Larry Nore...Apparently you been askin questions about me..So here I am.." he said rather arrogantly.

"I haven't been asking about you....It was your girl I wanted to talk to...I've talked to her and my business is complete." I said.

''Oh yeah??? OH YEAH??" said the hot headed gangster..He looked like he was going for a gun...Kool Kat put the cold steel of his .44 magnum to his head..and I had my .38 smokeless in his face.

''Not the best idea Mr. Nore." said Kool Kat.

"You guys have no idea who you're messin with...You must not know bout me." he snarled.

''Nor do we care."said Kool Kat.

"Like I said Mr. Nore...My business is complete...Any more questions?" I asked.

"Uhhhh no...Nooooooo..None at all." he said. He was no fool....He had no muscle...He was outnumbered and out gunned....

"Goood...Now I'll be seeing you Mr. Nore." I said and smiled..."Enjoy your night." I said...Kool Kat grinned...

There was a small crowd of people in the lobby...They all saw it and by tomorrow they all would be talking about how Larry Nore got punked...He would not be pleased....But right now there was nothing he could do about it. Some Mean Daddy!

Kool Kat laughed and kept his mag aimed at him as we both eased out of the apartment complex and pulled off...

"What a punk...He didn't even have a snappy threat. Thought he was such a Mean Daddy?" said Kool Kat.

I just laughed and slapped my thigh.

IV-

I went to Homicide and talked to Sissy..

"Did you get my little care package?" I said.

''Sure did..Now we know that Larry Nore was the  silent partner eh?" laughed Sissy.

"Yeah....So I have an idea.." I said.

"What?" she asked.

"Drop the charges on Sly...You haven't got anything really solid to hold him on anyway...Drop em and let him go...but put a tail on him...I'm going to tell him that Barbara has divorced him and that she's Nore's girl now..If he's like any other man I know...He'll shoot right over to whereever she's staying and so will Larry Nore once he finds out that Sly Robinson is out of jail." I said.

"And we'll have the both of them in one place." said Sissy.

"Exactly! And maybe...Just maybe..We can squeeze the location of that money out of one of them....This is about more than money now...This is about love and saving face." I said.

''Kevin!!!!...I like how you think."laughed Sissy.

(CONCLUSION NEXT)