....I called the Department of Public records in the city in the Dominican Republic where he was born and got them to fax me Armando Lopez's birth certificate and any medical records they had...which wasn't much!...
I next called the U.S. Customs house and got them to fax me Armando Lopez's Passport information...That gave me an address which I went to, only to find that this was a home that three different families had lived in since he had ...This meant that I would have to look a little harder.
I managed to get a social security number and with that I got access to bank accounts and home addresses...This led me to several different places...None that he had lived in recently and to about ten different jobs the man had held after his decline from the music industry...the last one being last year...
That was good..I knew that at least he had been alive last year... I searched further to find out if he was a U.S. citizen....He was! This led me to several more addresses and several old girlfriends...Black, White,Latino ,Asian....The man didn't discriminate...He slept with all women....While he could..When the money ran out...So did the girls...as well as everything else.
I then searched the public records in Los Angelas and I found a marriage licensce for one Armando Lopez and Karen Juarez...Better known as the rapper, Sexy Mami..These two were the power couple in Latin Hip Hop...They were married for two years...She had a residence in Los Angelas that I found had gone into foreclosure and a residence in New York City that had also gone into foreclosure...To my shock and surprise..She was living right here in Philadelphia in Northern Liberties....I had Clerow, Lockpick Johnson and Owen Todd ride with me when I went to see her..Just for company...I didn't need their help on this case,
I'd looked her up....She was living in a small apartment complex in Manyunk with a white girl...
''Nah..I aint seen him...but he didn't go far...He's somewhere here in this city...Jive turkey...He owes me money." she said. She was a far cry from the sexy latina I had drooled over in my youth...She still had a pretty face, but she had packed on the pounds..
"He's probably livin with some woman....Find out who his girlfriend is and you'll find him." she said.
As we left Clerow said to me as he was driving away...
''I lived in Louisiana and I remember her....Man, she had body goin to bed Kev." he said.
"Lawd Jesus...Clerow aint lyin Kev" said Owen Todd...
''Yeah..but now...She's packed on the pounds." I said.
"I still wouldn't kick her out of bed." said Owen Todd...
Clerow and I both looked at him and cracked up laughing...Lockpick Johnson just shook his head.
I searched for any records of him owning property in this area...There was none...No home, no apartment or condo rental....A lot of musician types like him lived with a woman...Which meant everything was in her name...I couldn't find Gas, Electric, water or cable in his name...It didn't even appear that he owned a car ,but I did luck up and find a cell phone in his name...I had a number and the provider...It took me no time to find an address...
I checked out the address and sure enough...Sexy Mami was right...The address was that of a woman...A Wanda Powell...an administrative assistant in one of the offices in downtown Philly...
I had Sean Jackson with me this time and he snapped some pretty good photos of the house, the young woman and the child that I could use.. Even got some photos of the man, Spanish Fly himself going in and out of the house.
"Time aint been good to him Kev." said Sean Jackson...
''No, from the haggard way he looks and this neighborhood...It has not." I said as we drove away.
All in a days work...And now to wait for Ms. Carmen Rodriguez..
Carlotta's older sister, Carmen Rodriguiez was a bird of beauty...Every bit as stunning as Carlotta...
So when the two of them walked into my office..I noticed both Sean Jackson and Harry Charles staring so hard, I thought their eyes would fall out...They had both seen Carlotta before...But seeing her and her sister together was incredible...
"Kevin...This is my older sister Carmen.." said Carlotta...
I stood up and kissed her hand...
"My..My..My...So you were Mercedes friend? The Private Investigator from Philly that she talked so much about...I am impressed...My sister tells me that you are the best private investigator she has ever known...And my sister and my little cousin loathe P.I.'s ,so for them to give you such high marks...You must be good."she said.
''Well,I do alright." I said. "I told Mercedes yesterday that all of you Rodriguez women are gorgeous."I said.
Carmen looked at Carlotta...who shrugged her shoulders..
"Mercedes is my friend...We got close while I was in San Juan."I said.
"So I've heard...but she told me that you were a perfect gentleman......She had wished you hadn't been." laughed Carmen...
''Carm!"said Carlotta.
"He knows...Don't you handsome?" she said..
"Yeah...I know...but Mercedes is cool, She's good people and I'm glad to hear that she's happy and in a good relationship."I said.
"Yes...She is happy....I love her to death...With my baby sister up here..She's the only sister I have in San Juan." she said.
"Well Carlotta told me who you were looking for and I think I've located him..."I said showing her an address and the photos I had of him and his lady and the neighborhood he was now living in.
Carmen looked at Carlotta...
"Oh My God!!! You told me he was the truth...Aye Mios Dios...He is good!"said Carmen.
Carlotta smiled.."I told you.." she said.
"I spent two days looking up records in Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angelas and the Dominican Republic...Thanks to Modern Technology...and asking some of the local musicians around here...Apparently he's fallen on some hard times...I understand that you and he were a couple at one time...Why are you interested in him now?" I asked.
"He was my first love...I just feel like I need to have closure.....Know what happened to him...I wondered for years....We didn't end too good..but if not for him...I don't know what I'd be..He is partially responsible for me being an Attorney today...My little sister was the go getter in the family..She was in college and after college she went to the police academy...got her own place...I was really proud of Carlotta and Mercedes followed right behind her, community college, the academy...and then when we moved to Puerto Rico..She became a cop too...Me? I was a little wild.. I'm a lawyer today largely because of Spanish Fly...I have to see him just one last time."she said.
"Well Seeing him obviously means a lot to you...But I've got to tell you...He lives with a woman..I know a little something about his situation...How bout we take a ride this afternoon...and I show you?" I said.
"That sounds good... I think I like you already Kevin." she said.
"How Lucky am I? I'm liked by all three of the Rodriguez women." I joked...
Carlotta put her arms around me.....
"I knew him first." she joked.... We all busted out laughing...
As we walked out...Sean Jackson whispered to me...
"Yo Kev..what's up?" he said.
"That's Detective Rodriguez's older sister...She's a client. She's the one that was asking about Spanish Fly" I said.
"Yeah? Need any more photography work?" he asked sheepishly...
"Not yet...I'll let you know."I said.
"Make sure you do." he laughed.. Harry Charles just shook his head.
Peeping Tom just happened to be in the office...I had had Harry Charles pay him for some equipment I had had him purchase for future investigations...He took one look at me, Carlotta and her sexy sister and shook his head and smiled...
''How good it is to be you Kevin.." he said.
I looked at him, smiled sheepishly and winked.
III-
"Wow...It seems like it's been soo long since I was in the neighborhood."said Carmen..
"You were just up here last Christmas Carm."said Carlotta..
"Oh yeah before you go...I want you to see Antonio..He's a detective now..Works in my unit and guess what?? He's engaged to Sharon Ferrell." said Carlotta..
"I told you that...He and Sharon live together and they're getting married in two weeks." said Carlotta.
"For Real???? Oh WOW!!!!He finally got his Sharon...He loved that girl soooo much...I used to feel so sorry for him..Back in the day she used to just do him so wrong....Be with him one day, then with some jock the next day..." said Carm....
"She works with me too..She's our FBI laison..."said Carlotta..."I think she finally realized that she loved him too...When he stopped chasing her." she continued..
"Yeah ,that is when you finally realize a lot of things, when you stop chasing after them, when you stop wanting them so bad." mused Carmen as I drove along the streets...
"I used to tell Antonio...To stop giving Sharon the time of day...To find somebody else...Forget about her..Then , she'd realize that she liked him...Then she'd realize he was the only one who was really in her corner....Seems like I should have taken my own advice...I could see his problem...but I couldn't see my own.." said Carmen.
Neither Carlotta or I said anything...we remained silent until I pulled up in front of the house.
"This is it..." I said.
Just as I pulled up, a young Black woman came down the block...she had a toddler with her...A little girl who couldn't have been more than two years old and a bag of groceries in the other hand...She rang the doorbell and a tall skinny man came to the door in his boxer shorts and a wife beater..He had a day's worth of stubble around his chin...Other than that...He didn't look like he had aged at all..
It was him!!! Spanish Fly...Armando Lopez...former rapper!!!
Carmen looked at him in awe....
"Oh My God...That's Fly.." she said.
"Looks like he has a wife and a baby..." she said.
"That's not his wife and that's not his child either....The woman's name is Wanda Powell...that's her place and the baby's father is a guy named Lee Anderson, who is at the city jail on a drug charge..." I said..
"You do your research well." said Carmen...
"Didn't I tell you he was good.?" said Carlotta..
"So, what do you want to do?" I asked..
"I need to talk to him...but not now...Not in front of his girlfriend...Alone...Can you arrange that?" asked Carmen...
"Carm..You asked Kevin to find him...He did...Now why are you being extra?" asked Carlotta...
"I came here for closure...I have to at least talk to him.." said Carmen...
"I'll arrange it...Just give me some time...How long you in town Ms. Carmen?" I asked..
"Don't call me that...I'm Carmen or Carm..That's what my friends call me and you are my friend Kevin.."she said.
Carlotta smiled warmly....
While we were sitting there...The door opened...Spanish Fly was dressed now...He had on a decent pair of trousers, a shirt, a jacket and some nice shoes...He turned and yelled back inside..
"I'm going down to the corner store...I'll be right back babes.." he said...
We followed him slowly down the street...When we got to the corner... Carmen yelled out the Window...
''Fly!"
He turned and squinted, then his mouth flew wide open and his eyes got as big as saucers..
"Carmen? Carmen is that you??" He said.
He did a double take...
"Is that Little Carlotta....Oh my God??" he said.
Carmen,Carlotta and I got out of the car.....
Spanish Fly went up and hugged Carmen...She had tears in her eyes...
"Oh My God....How have you been? Look at you...You're as gorgeous as ever! and Carlotta...you look fantastic....I saw your picture in the paper...You're married now right? You're a Detective and you're married to the Assistant District Attorney right?" he said.
"Yes....This is our friend Kevin....He's a private investigator." she said.
He smiled..
"That's how you found me huh? I wasn't worth all that." he said.
"You're a hard man to pinpoint...It took me two days." I said.
"Then I wasn't that hard..." he said without smiling...He looked at Carmen..
"So what do you do now?" he asked.
"I'm a Lawyer...I work for my father...We both live in San Juan...He is an important Agent and Promoter."she said.
"Wow ,you took my advice and did something with your life....Good for you...Hey uh look...I want to talk to you... You in town for awhile?" he asked.
"For a few days.." she said.
"Look...I'm performing at this club tomorrow night... Club Ballygreen...You familiar with it?" he asked.
"I know where it is." I said.
"Cool...bring Carmen there...My girlfriend won't be there....She uh thinks I'm too old to be a rapper, but there's a few big time cats comin out tomorrow...Meek Rollins the record producer.." he said.
"He produces Jazz, Funk, Neo Soul." I said.
For the first time , he smiled at me...
"You know your music my man...He is also friends with a New York Producer named "Steady Old Bee" , who I heard is lookin at the Philly Hip Hop scene...Tomorrow might be my ticket back into the big time.." he said.
I doubted that...But I wasn't going to destroy his dreams...He was wayyy past his prime...At least for Hip Hop...
He looked at Carmen...He smiled...
"Breakin up with you was the most painful thing I ever did...I shouldn't of done it...But I'm glad you turned out alright...We gotta talk...Nice seein you again Carmen, Carlotta...Congrats on the wedding and the new house...and I didn't catch your name my man?" he said.
"Kevin...Kevin Morris..." I said.
"Yeah, Yeah...Carmen...here is my cell phone number...He said ,pulling out his phone and putting his number in hers...Call me sweetie and please come out and see me tomorrow...There is going to be a good band performing...The Liquid Love Band...I think I know some of the cats in that band...You'll love it." he said.
He walked off into the afternoon...
Carlotta and I looked at Carmen..
"You alright Missy?" I asked.
"I will be...Know a place where a girl can get a drink?" she asked.
"Want to go to Roxy's?" I asked.
"Let me call my wife and tell her where I'm going." I said.
''Let me call Keith...He knows I'm with you and Carm though." said Carlotta.
Carmen smiled...
"Oh? Someone Special?" I asked.
"I've met someone...I'm not sure how special or serious it is yet...but once I get Fly out of my system, I feel I can move on.." she said.
Carlotta hugged her sister and kissed her on the cheek..
I smiled..
"I suspect you got a story to tell Ms. Lady." I said.
"I do.You sure you wanna hear it?" she said.
"Who doesn't like a good story?" I said.
Carlotta looked at both of us and smiled.
(TO BE CONTINUED..)
3 comments:
This is getting Good!
So far,so good...No mayhem! I can't believe it..A Kevin story where guns won't be fired ,fist won't be flying and bodies won't be dropping..or am I getting ahead of myself?-LOL!
I'm liking this story right now.
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