It wasn't hard finding Albert " Allie Boy" Caldwell....Everybody knew where he did his business....In a small storefront...On the first floor was a daycare center...His "office" was on the second floor ....
Kool Kat and I took the stairs and didn't bother to knock...We just walked in...We were met by a young tough named.. Frank "Paycheck" Brown...See what I meant about the lack of colorful names for players...
"Hey ,who are you guys and where do you think you're going?" he sneered...
''We are here to see the boss man." I said.
"Well you're talkin to him..." he said.
Kool Kat busted out laughing...
"Find something funny playa?" he asked...
You could see the look of pure fear in the eyes of Frank Brown....I can't say that I blamed him...If I didn't know him...I'd be a little afraid of Kool Kat...He was six foot four and his muscles had muscles..and behind those shades...he was a very intimidating figure...
"Hey man, I aint afraid of you...You can die like anybody else." said Frank Brown...
"Aint no need for no dying Paycheck....That is your name isn't it??...Just call your boss out here."I said.
"Heyyy..I said that anything you got to say to him, you say to me." he sneered...
"I don't think you understand.." I said...
"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..what are you doin?" screamed Frank...
"Givin you some understandin" snapped Kool Kat. I just sighed...I hadn't wanted to get physical...at least not yet....but the Big man is not as patient as I am.
Kool Kat snatched him up by his collar, snatched his gun from him and tossed it across the room and then sent Frank "Paycheck" Brown flying across the room into the wall!!!
He hit the wall with a loud thud and then slid to the floor stunned... I winced...
"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." he moaned...
Just then, Allie Boy Caldwell walked out into the room....He was tall, medium build...a little older than I... Nothing about him looked menacing....He wore a nice dark suit, a soft powder blue shirt and a dark tie...with a powder blue hankercheif to match...
"What's goin on? ,Who are you?" he said...He looked at Frank, who was still on the floor moaning and just shook his head in disgust.
"I represent Mr. Joe E. Boyd....I'm here to deliver a message...Cease and desist...He doesn't want any trouble..."I said.
"I don't know what you're talking about.....I got no beef with Joe...He's a has been...I'm what's hot in the streets..." he said.
"Yeah? That's not what Snooka says...He says that you are trying to have Joe whacked..." I said.
"People say a lot of things...Provin it is another story." he said.
"Yeah..well don't get any ideas about Snooka...The cops picked him up this morning for the murder of Solly Gibbons amongst others...I suppose you never heard of him either right?"
"Don't know the man." he said.
"Okay Allie Boy...Just lay off Joe." I said.
"Or what?" he said.
"You'll see...I promise you...Things will not go good for you .Good day." I said.
Kool Kat looked at him menacingly and smiled...Cracking his knuckles...Allie boy didn't seem the least bit moved or impressed....
"So you think you can just walk in here and threaten me right?" he said.
"Oh this aint a threat....It's a promise and what happened to Frankie Boy there?? ...Is just a sample...Good Day." I said.
Kool Kat cracked his knuckles and grinned that sinister grin of his...Allie Boy looked a little taken back then..He should have been. He had no idea who we were...Probably thought we were muscle for Joe.
Kool Kat and I left just as Frank Brown was getting up off of the floor.
"Kev...a guy like that is not gonna back down just because you say so." said Kool Kat once we were outside.
"Oh I know that...but right about now...He's being indicted for conspiracy to commit murder...He'll be off the streets by this time tomorrow...This case is a wrap."I said and laughed as we got in Kool Kat's car and pulled off.
I couldn't have been more wrong!!!
II-
"Wow Joe....this is a little below your style." I said.
"Yeah, well what am I gonna do? It was the best place to hide..." he laughed...
"Good news...Your landlord, Solly Gibbons is the one who gave you up and for his trouble...Jerry "Snooka" Thomas killed him...He also whacked the two guys who failed to hit you the other day outside of Sam the Tailors. But Snooka is safe behind bars and singing like a church choir...The architect of this whole mess...Mr. Allie Boy Caldwell is about to be indicted for several murders and picked up by the cops as I speak." I said.
''Solly was probably into Allie Boy for gambling debts...He was a degenerate gambler..which is probably why it was so easy for them to get to him. Snooka , would do anything for a buck...even kill...The man has got no soul." said Joe matter of factly.
"That's what I'm thinking...At any rate..A friend and I rattled his cage earlier and hopefully he'll step out into the streets and right into the cops hands. He's out of your life and you didn't have to make a move...Didn't have to lift a finger."I said.
"Great! So Allie Boy has moved up in the world eh? He's a biggg man! Took him long enough! You played the game well youngster....I coulda used a guy like you years ago." he said.
"By the way...If I may ask...Why is Allie Boy after you? He worked for you once ,didn't he?" I asked.
"Yeah...and like a lot of em...He's angry...Angry that when I went to prison...There was no money left to keep em afloat...I saved and invested MY money wisely....It wasn't my fault that his family didn't." said Joe Boyd.
"His Uncle was shot to death before his trial." I said.
Joe Boyd looked at me and smiled...
"You are good...You know the whole story eh? Old business....You know how those things go...I had nothin to do with that....A rival crew hit him." he said.
"Rival crew? Come on Joe....Nothing went down without your knowledge and without you allowing it."I said.
Joe looked at me and smiled...
"What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say? That was twenty years ago?" he said.
"Just stay put until I call you...I'll call you when Allie Boy is in custody...Then...You're free and clear..."I said.
He smiled...He passed me an envelope...
"There's ten G's in there...I hear you got a beautiful wife...Take her someplace fancy...Thanks for your help man...You are good." he said.
We shook hands...
"Okay Joe...But still, stay put until I call you and give you the all clear " I said.
He smiled...
"I will...I feel free already." he said...
I smiled and left....Another happy customer....
NOT!
III-
My Phone rang as I was getting inside of my house...It was Sissy...
"Heyyy Lieutenant...What's the good word?" I said.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this Kevin, but I've got bad news..." she said.
"What do you mean? What kind of bad news?" I asked.
"Snooka is dead!" she said dryly...
"What ?" I said.
"Somebody stuck a shiv in his back in the city jail!" she said.
"Oh you're kidding!" I said.
"I wish I was...We are just sick over here...We closed three murders...but whatever case we had on Allie Boy is done now....Snooka was our only witness against him!"she said.
"Damn! That means that Joe Boyd is still in danger!" I said and hung up!
I hated to do that,but I didn't want Sissy to ask me if I knew where he was and I didn't want to lie to her.
It wasn't long before my phone rang again...It was Josephine Boyd.
"Kevin...My dad is gone!!!!!" she said...
"What? What do you mean gone??" I said.
"I went to his apartment...and there was no sign of him!!!I know you told him to stay put..but he's very hard headed...Please find him!!I'm worried sick." she said.
"Sit tight baby...I'm coming to get you....I think I know where he might have gone!"
I said.
"Okay." she said.
I hung up and I called Sissy...
"Heyy Kevin , what's up?" she said.
"Meet me at this address...Come right away...I think I know where Joe Boyd is." I said, giving her Allie Boy's office address..
"Okay Kevin...I'm on my way." she said.
IV-
The avenue was crowded....traffic was bad...It was the beginning of the rush hour...I picked up Josephine and sped to the office of Allie boy..
We were pulling up as Allie Boy and Frank "Paycheck" Brown were coming out of their office...
It all happened so fast.....
Out of the corner of my eye...I noticed a man in a long trenchcoat walking down the street towards them...It was July...and the middle of a heatwave....
The man in the trenchcoat said to Allie Boy....
"Allie Boyyyyy, How long has it been old friend?"
Allie Boy and Frank Brown spun around ...stunned...
"Boyd!!! You shoulda never come here." said Allie Boy, who pulled out his .45...
He was too slow...The old man, Joe E. Boyd whipped out his .45 and fired just one shot!! That's all he needed....The shot went right between Allie Boy's eyes...He was dead before he hit the ground....
Frank Brown pulled out his .45 and fired three shots at Joe E. Boyd...Two hit him in the chest and one hit him in his side!!
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....I don't beleive it...I've been shot! " he moaned as his .45 spoke one last time!!
A slug hit Frank Brown right between his eyes and he tossed his gun up in the air and fell backwards without saying a word...
Lt.Sissy Van Buren pulled up just as the last shot was fired...A police car right behind her!!
Joe Boyd, mortally wounded walked over to a stoplight...He tried to hold himself up..but he was too badly wounded...He toppled over on to the pavement!!
I got out of my car with Josephine who ran over to her father , who was lying in a pool of his own blood on the sidewalk, but still alive...
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD NOOOOOOOOOOO, DADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!" she yelled as the tears began to flow..
A policeman checked both Albert "Allie Boy" Caldwell and Frank "Paycheck" Brown for a pulse...He looked at Sissy and shook his head...both gangsters were dead!!!
I walked over to Sissy...
"Not how I like to close a case...I didn't see this happening Sissy." I said.
Sissy looked at me...
"That's how it goes down in the street sometimes Kevin...At least the violence will stop now." she said....
She walked over to Josephine and put her arms around her and held her tight as she cried...
I leaned down and looked at Joe E. Boyd who was surprisingly laughing...
"Joe...Joe...Why didn't you stay put? ,Why didn't you let me help you?" I asked..
He looked at me...
"I used to run these streets Kevin...I was the undisputed king...and here I was living in a cage, hiding....That's no way for a king to live..." he said.
"Joe...I was gonna get Allie Boy...You coulda walked in the day...It was just a matter of time."I said.
"I know...I know...You did good kid...I did walk in the day...and I put that punk out of his misery for ya..." he said.
"Yeah Joe...you did at that!" I said.
"Take care of my daughter...Watch after her from time to time..." he said.
"I will Joe....I promise." I said.
And then he closed his eyes...Breathed in and out one last time and died.....
A police officer walked Josephine over to a police car for a statement....Sissy tried to smile weakly and put her hand on my shoulder...
"Sometimes, that's just how things go down in the street old friend." she said.
"As much as I've seen I'll never get used to this."I said.
"You're not supposed to...It proves you're still human." she said.
I smiled...Sissy smiled at me...She turned to more police who were now showing up...
"Clean this up." she said...Then she looked at me once again...
"Good Night Kevin...Be easy." she said.
"You be easy too Sissy." I said.
"Always." she said and got in her car and pulled off!
EPILOUGE:
"Gee ,I can't thank you all enough for inviting me here to eat with you all." she said in between gulps of beer and slurps of oysters...
"Heyyy, in light of your dad passing...We are your new family now....You can hang out with us...and as I promised your dad...I will be looking in on you from time to time." I said...
"Awww gee thank you Mr. Kevin...Thank you for everything ." she said. "I wanted to thank Ms. Sissy and Ms. Carlotta too...They came by my house and sat with me last night...They really helped me get through the night." she added..
"Well tomorrow, Sissy,Carlotta and I and some other friends..Angie, Hazel, Sirena and Sharon are all going shopping at the mall...You are more than welcome to come with us." said Bridget..
''Yes and Bonita ,Corrie, Bernadette and I will be meeting up with them for lunch and drinks later." said my wife, Sepia.
''Yeah , A girls day out." said Bridget.
"That sounds nice" said Josie.
"WOW...I lost my dad and gained a family." she said nearly moved to tears...
"Now..Now...No tears...It's going to be alright." I said...Bonita rubbed her back.
"Yeah girl,it's going to be alright" said my wife ,Sepia...
And we all sat there with Josie Boyd...Eating and slurping oysters and drinking beer the rest of the night..and enjoying ourselves...Somehow, I hoped that that made her feel warm and welcome.....
I peered out the window and for a minute,I imagined that I saw her father...the dapper gangster,Joe E. Boyd looking inside and smiling and tipping his hat to me...
I smiled and nodded back at him.
3 comments:
Another good Kevin story! Great ending!
Is it me or is the Kevin stories and the Murder Police storyline merging into each other?
Sissy,Carlotta,Keith ,Tyriq,Duke and Jimmy seem to play as big a part in his stories as Kool Kat,Clerow,Owen Todd,Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson...
And yet..Kevin and company are hardly if ever in their stories...Just wondering that's all!
The lines do get blurred a bit when I'm writing a story...
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