Hard Lovin

And so my peculiar little case brought me back to where it began in Josie's Bar....Gus was at the bar serving drinks... I came up and sat down...He passed me my usual..a bottle of Corona..

"Hey Kid..What you mixed up in this week?" he asked.

"I'm lookin for a guy...a guy I hear you know." I said...

"Who might that guy be?" he asked, giving me the side eye..

"Harry Jordan...used to be a big deal reporter...Now a free lance writer...Did a peice on Vinne Delack...the photographer..." I said.

"You mean the late Vinnie Delack don't you?" asked Honey Brown ,who just happened to be walking by and overheard our conversation...She passed Gus ,the night's sales receipts.

"Yeah...that's him." I said.

"Harry hangs out at that diner near the airport...You know it...Nat's place... He drinks and he plays cards....You know...He was a straight guy once had a beautiful wife...She was about twenty years younger than him...beautiful woman...Harry loved the ground she walked on...She left him though and he fell apart...Lost his job and his home...Just went to hell...He lives in a rooming house and makes his money writing free lance peices...When he aint home,he's in the back room of Nat's Diner playin in that high stakes crap game or he's drinkin at the Mermaid Club or here or Roxys....Shame a man let a woman leavin him bring him down like that." said Gus.

"Yeah...but it can happen if you really love somebody that hard." I said.

"What do you know about hard lovin?  I mean , I know you love your wife ,Sepia..but you young...too young to know about that kind of hard lovin and heartbreak...I hope you never learn about it." said Gus...

"I hope not either...Thanks Gus." I said and plopped four dollars on the counter for my beer and a twenty for the information.

"Be Easy Kev." he said.

"Always" I said.

II-

I drove to Nat's Diner out by the airport...I had been here before ,looking for a player named "Wild Eyes"...Now I was looking for Harry Jordan...

I went in the diner, ordered a tumbler of coffee and called for the manager, a guy named Nat, who I'd done a favor for years ago....

"Hey Kevin...What's good?" he asked.

"Card game still hot?" I asked.

"Always baby.." he said.

"I'm lookin for Harry Jordan, the reporter." I said.

"You mean the drunk....he's in there...probably losing his shirt." said Nat.

He pointed to the back room....

''Thanks Nat." I said.

''Hey man, say hello to Kool Kat, Donald Smooth, Chris Thompson and Chess when you see em. I know I told ya that before, but I been so busy Kev, I just aint had the time to get out that way." he said.

''Will do Nat.You need to come out to Josies...They're all in there most weekend nights...They'd love to see you." I said.

''When I get the time Kev...I may come through.I'm busy doin nothin...You know how it is baby."said Nat.

"Yeah Nat, I know." I smiled.

I walked to the back of the diner and an electric buzzer opened the backdoor for me and I entered a backroom where a high stakes crap game was going on. Several low level playas were involved in a spirited game....a table of all types of cold cuts and cheeses remained untouched...Proof positive that this was a hot game...Cold Brews and Barbecued Chicken wings were being consumed though and several scantily clad young women were sitting around the men, looking bored...

Harry Jordan was in the middle of an intense game...He wasn't losing tonight...He was actually winning..

"Hey Harry...You havin a good night?" I said.

He was an otherwise pleasent little man , who despite having the reputation of being a drunk and a degenerate gambler was dressed quite well...He looked like a banker or a wall street mogul.

"I am...Don't come in here and jinx me...Who are you?" he asked.

My name is Morris, Kevin Morris....I'm a private investigator.." I said.

"Private ,which means you're being paid by somebody, Private which means I don't have to talk to you if I don't wanna. Only reason I might talk to you is because I know who you are...You own Morris Communications ,I did a couple of pieces for one of your magazines...and on the side, you're a private Investigator, pretty good friends with our crime busting young ADA and several top detectives...including his wife..." he said.

"Now why would you not want to talk to me? I just want some information is all." I said.

"Okay...Information is a very valuable commodity...Let me play this hand out.You gotta pay to see my cards doc." he said.

HE played a few more hands and then rounded up his chips....

"Looks like I win boys" he said.

The men paid up...

"Mark that on your calenders." grumbled one man....

Harry Jordan counted his money...

"You drink Kevin?" he asked.

"Socially." I said.

"You got a car?" he asked.

"Yup"I said.

"Okay...You familliar with Roxys?" he said.

"Yeah." I said.

"Follow me there...I'll talk to you there." he said.

"Okay." I said.

We walked to our cars...I followed him.

III-

So here I was in the third establishment of the night and this was just the first person I was interviewing in this case...Incredible...
Roxys.. had a nice little crowd...No live music...no DJ...You went here to drink, talk and watch sports or videos.. The crowd was much younger...

Harry Jordan offered to pay for everything...He ordered his drink and a beer for me...He cracked the peanuts that were in the little tray and looked at me and smiled..

"What's this about?" he said.

''The Late great Vincent Delack..You wrote a great peice on him." I said.

He laughed...He downed his drink and ordered two more just that fast....He was frightening me , the speed at which he was drinking....

''Yeah...I wrote a couple of pieces on him...He was becoming quite the personality..Man about town...Jet setting photographer , took photos of all of the celebrities about town...He took wedding photos of two of your friends...ADA Keith Wallace and that pretty Puerto Rican  Detective he married...He was more than just a celebrity photographer...He was a celebrity himself!" he said and ordered yet another drink...

''Did he have any known enemies?" I asked.

"All men have enemies Mr. Morris....It's your friends ,you have to be aware of." he said and downed yet another drink...I was afraid he'd be too drunk to talk to me after awhile.

"Vinnie was very friendly with every lady who walked past him...He never saw a skirt that he didn't feel the duty to relieve a young woman of...Didn't matter if she was someone's wife, girlfriend...whatever...If she caught his fancy...He had to have her..." he said and ordered and downed yet another drink..

"Yes..I think everybody knew he was somewhat of a playboy...His conquests were the stuff of legend...His lovelife made more press than his photography." I joked...

"Perhaps you should find his little black book and interview the many ladies or should I say notches on his bedposts." he said.

I smiled..

"It's not funny...He loved women and he left women...He discarded them like a man changes his socks...With no regards for their feelings...He wasn't a very nice man." he said dryly and downed yet another drink...

"That's quite some tab you're running." I said.

"Relax...I duked the guy $75.00 when I came in...When we get to the end..I'll duke him some more...I'm flush tonight ,in case you haven't noticed." he said.

''So you think one of his girlfriends may have killed him?" I said.

"Just a theory Mr. Morris." he said.

"A nice one...but it doesn't play..." I said.

"Oh no?" he said.

"No...there is evidence that the killer was a man.." I said..

"Cops tell you that?" he asked.

"The Detective working the case told me that." I lied...I hadn't talked to any cops...I just wanted to see how he would react.

"Then you talked to Detective Tyriq Pile then right?"he said.

"Uh yeah." I said bluffing.

"They found a pair of panties...but it didn't amount to much ,that was to be expected...Vinnie being Vinnie..Vinnie had two or three cell phones...His main girls call one...all the others called the other two cell phones..The cops didn't find one of those cell phones in his apartment...I know...I wrote the story for Vanity Fair and Philadelphia Magazine..." he said.

"Where do you think those cell phones are?" I asked.

"They might be at his studio..Might be in one of his two cars..Who knows?"he laughed.

"Hmmm, well if I can identify the suspect..You might have another story." I said.

He raised his glass..

''Somewhere in this...You have a paying client." he said.

"I do...An interested party that was close to the deceased you might say." I said.

''A woman ,I take it." he snorted.

"Indeed." I said.

"Did you tell her she was better off now that he was dead?" he laughed.  I didn't answer.

"So what's your story?" I asked.

"My story?" he said.

"Gus told me that you were married once...to a beautiful woman." I said.

At the mention of his wife, his mood grew dark....

"I was....she was my life...She was my reason for waking up in the morning....I thought I'd be married forever....But....she left me...Left me for a smooth talking daddy who chewed her up and spit her out like she was nothing...I forgave her...I begged her to come back to me...but she couldn't forgive herself...I found her hanging in the living room from the chandelier when I came home from work..." he said.

"Oh my God...I'm so sorry." I said.

"And at that...I'm through talking to you Mr. Morris." he said and paid his tab and mine...

"Can I talk to you again some time?" I asked.

"Sure Kid...I'm either here or at Nat's...You know where to find me." he said.

He got up and walked out and got in his car....Despite the amount of liquor he drank...He seemed quite sober.

I watched as he drove off into the Philadelphia Night.

IV-

I drove home...It hadn't gotten too dark yet..I saw Sepia in front of our house...I lifted her up, spun her around and kissed her...

She giggled like a school girl...

"Put me down...Put me down....you crazy man.." she said laughing...

I kissed her for a long time...

"Ummmmmm lover what was that for?"she asked...

"Just because.." I said.

''Just because what?" she asked..

''Just because you're still here and I haven't gone crazy and started drinking.." I said.

"Huh?. What?" she asked.

"It's a long story dollface." I said.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)