Open Window

My bed ,unlike Olivia's bed was definitely squeaking.....and it was definitely ramming against the wall, knocking some of the plywood loose....I had been right...My mid-afternoon foiling of the robbery of the sea side diner in Ventnor City a few days before had made the local news in the Philly-South Jersey area...

The entire thing had been caught on the survielience cameras in the joint...I didn't even know that they had cameras in there....Everyone had been talking about it...

Beverly was out on a date...Josie had gone home for the day and since Olivia didn't have to be in court and had no more clients scheduled...She closed the office...

We wound up,upstairs at my place...Watching the news...in the living room, which led to kissing and fondling and well....

Within minutes Olivia and I stood in the middle of the loft's bedroom nearly nude and embraced in a long , tender kiss...

''Ohhhhhh Olivia, I missed you sooo much.." I moaned..

"Ohhhhhhhh Donnie Ray, I missed you toooooo....." she moaned...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she moaned as we continued to kiss...

She moaned , all the while holding my penis with both of her hands and rubbing it....

I kissed her, thrusting my tongue practically down her throat and rubbing her breasts...I could feel Olivia trembling....and moaning softly...

I lifted Olivia up and layed her across the bed...my bulging very erect penis practically jumped up at her!

"Ohhhhhh myyyyyy........." she said...eyeing it and rubbing it gently with one hand ...Within minutes we were  embracing in a long , tender kiss...that grew hotter and more passionate by the second...

''Ohhhhhh baby, I missed you sooo much.." I moaned..

 Ouuuuuu show mama how much..... " she cooed....

I opened her legs and I entered her very slowly...Surprisingly, she was already wet and I began to maneuver very easily inside of her...

''OH MY GOD...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." she moaned..

"Damnn girl!" I moaned...

  Olivia held me and wrapped her legs around my back as I really begin going in and out of her....

"OHHHH MY GOD.....You are sooooo huge...OHHHHHHHHHHHHH.." she screams!

Now I'm moving faster and faster...and Olivia is screaming to the top of her lungs...

My window is wide open....If someone was outside on the street I know they could hear us....

THREE TO FOUR HOURS of passionate and slow ,yet intense lovemaking went by before we both climaxed mightily and furiously and dozed off to sleep on top of the bed in each others arms...

By the time I woke up, Olivia was already in the shower....She finished and quickly dressed...I got up and eventually did the same...

As soon as I opened the door to let her out...a familiar figure was at the door...Elwood Barnes..her ex husband!!!...All of his hair was gone now and he looked worse!! If That was possible!

II-

He looked us up and down....He tried to peer into my apartment,but I closed the door and Olivia and I walked out into the hallway...

He was no fool...I'm sure he knew that Olivia and I had been up in my apartment doing the nasty....We had on different clothes and we both smelled brand new shower fresh. I had secretly hoped that he had heard us...but that had been hours ago...

"Olivia...I called you hours ago and I didn't get an answer....I even called that niece of yours and it went right to voicemail...I had to see you." he said looking at me sideways.

"That's right...I was bangin you ex." I thought to myself as I eyed him back!

"What do you want Elwood?" she asked...now seeming a bit irritated with him for the first time.

''I want you to meet with my Oncologist....He is the only one who can perform an operation like this.. but I need to be on your insurance...I need to be...Olivia just talk to him...He'll explain the treatment I need and the costs.." he said.

"And the only way I can do that is if I marry you...For a year?" said Olivia...

I began laughing...

"You may find humor in this...but I'm dying.." he said...I ignored him...

"I'll meet with this Oncologist Elwood..but I'm not going to marry you.." she said.

"Liv,just talk to him...and once you do....Maybe you'll change your mind...He's at a mid city diner waiting for me now.." said Elwood...

"Liv, I'll get my car." I said...

"No...Not you...Just me and Liv." he said.

Olivia looked at me pleadingly....

"It's okay Donnie Ray....I'll be back shortly....Don't forget...We have dinner tonight with Uncle Eddie and his daughter."she said.

"It's okay...Do what you have to do babes.." I said...

I then looked at him an whispered where only he could hear it...

''For your sake...I hope you really are dying. Because if I find out you're scamming...you're going to wish you were dead." I said.

He smirked... "How considerate of you Jim Bob." he said.

"I got your Jim Bob." I said. He smiled...

Laura Ravenell had contacted her father and had come to Philadelphia to meet him...she had brought her four year old son, his grandson with her..

We were all invited to a dinner tonight at a place called Bottom of The C.  Run by a guy named "Dollar Bill"..And I thought New Orleans had some strange joints...with funny named people!

III-

I could have protested mightily about Olivia going off with her ex-husband to meet with his oncologist....But I didn't...

I decided to explore my new home of Philadelphia and to make an important purchase... I stopped by Tiffany's on Walnut Street.

I also decided, since I was by myself to do some looking into the life and times of Mr. Elwood Barnes, Olivia's ex-husband.

Elwood Xavier Barnes was born in Boston and educated in the Boston area  public school system. He attended Harvard, where he got his bachelors degree and then wound up at Howard University...Where he was classmates with future  Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Keith Wallace and Robert Foxworth...Those two  matriculated to University Of Penn Law School and graduated with honors..He returned to Harvard ,where he got his J.D.

Some years later, he started dating another recent law school graduate named Olivia Bennett...

Nobody's star rose faster....From a job as head counsel  at the Stock Market to working at a top law firm and on a fast track to making partner...He was the man of the hour...Within a few years..He was a Millionaire..He married Olivia Bennett and they bought a house on the mainline...They were happy .....for awhile...

Olivia had a miscarriage!  He had numerous affairs, they had numerous public rows and several police calls for domestic violence... After her second miscarriage ,it wasn't long before Elwood moved out and was openly living with a white woman, a junior partner from his firm...while sleeping with another partner's wife!!!

This all exploded in his face eventually and Olivia divorced him....She won a huge settlement , the home and one of his cars...This nearly bankrupted him.

He was soon let go from his prestigious job...Didn't matter..He and his new girlfriend moved to New York City and bought a home in the suburbs...Long Island..From there they returned to Boston.

He was let go from this job soon afterwords and his new wife called it quits...In a year, He lost his home and two cars in another bitter divorce settlement...

I checked his finances...He was deep in debt and broke as a joke..He matriculated back to the Philadelphia area just a month ago and is living in a rental property....

No where in all I managed to dig up was there any references to him being sick!!!.....No doctors bills, no medical records!  I found all of that odd....

The rental property he was staying in was owned by somebody I knew though...Clerow...my friend and fellow Louisiana transplant...  He would more than likely be hanging out in Josies....I decided to head there.

I was right...Clerow and another guy was sitting at the bar in Josies when I went in.....I sat down and Gus smiled and passed me a Corona...

''Hey Donnie Ray...I got somebody I want you to meet... This here is Kevin Morris...

He's a Private Investigator like you."said Clerow...

''So you're Kevin Morris...I've heard so much about you." I said shaking his hand...

"I've heard of you too...I just kept missin you,Welcome to Philly man." he said.

"Your wife is Sepia right? 

She and Robert Foxworth's wife,Bonita.,

 sold my girlfriend, Olivia Bennett

 her duplex...

That's where I work and live." I said.

"You're a lucky man...I did some work for Olivia...She's a great person and a great lawyer...and I hope you two and her niece,Beverly will join us for dinner on Christmas day." said Kevin...

"Why I'd be honored!!!!...Thanks man." I said.

"The reason I'm here is ...well....Her ex husband is in town and he's renting one of your places...Personally,I think he's running a game on her...He's dying of cancer he says." I said.

"You don't think he is. Do you?" said Kevin smiling.

''We are both hunters, we have that instinct." I said.

''No doubt" said Kevin smiling. He and I understood each other quite well.

Gus and Clerow looked at each other and laughed...

"Dying of Cancer???Elwood??" laughed Gus...

"He's been in here every night til closing ,picking up broads, drinking, dancing...He seemed alright to me." said Clerow...

''For a dying man, he sure was takin it well." said Gus.

"Yeah, but all his hair has fallen out."I said.

"He was in the barbershop yesterday when I was there. He got a fresh cut... A Hustler....His hair didn't fall out" said Kevin...

How ironic!  He got a hustler(bald) haircut!

"Well he's supposed to be meeting with Olivia somewhere now with an oncologist." I said.

"Oncologist?? He's with Pakistani Sam,..I saw the both of them about two hours ago. I wondered why Sam had on a lab coat " said Kevin, now laughing hysterically..

"Who?"I asked.

"Pakistani Sam...a con man....One of the best....They been hangin out for days....I suspected he was runnin some kind of scam ,I didn't know what it was....I figured it was to get money to pay me my rent."said Clerow...

I smiled...I patted Clerow on the back...

"Me and my guy Owen Todd plan to pay him a visit soon...He's two months behind." said Clerow...

"Nice to know...Kevin,it was a pleasure meeting you!!....Gus...Here's $40.00...Their next few drinks are on me." I said and I left.

''Good Luck man." said Kevin ...I tipped my hat to him...He nodded.

IV-

Beverly, Olivia and I met Uncle Eddie and his daughter, Laura at Bottom of The C..  that night...It was a very nice place...Laura had brought her son with her....

"I can't thank you enough Olivia, Ms. West, Mr. Alexander...For reuniting me with my daughter and the grandson I never knew....Thank you so much." said Uncle Eddie...

Laura smiled weakly....

"It was my pleasure...You meant so much to so many little kids coming home from school to an empty house..We felt safe." said Olivia..

He smiled weakly and held his head down...

"Anyway Laura...Olivia is acting as power of attorney, which she will transfer to you..." he said.

"I already did...I drew up the papers earlier and Laura signed everything... Ms. Laura...Looks like you are a very wealthy young lady....He put one million dollars in a trust fund for your little boy, which he'll be able to use when he's 18 years old and he's left you with one million dollars now and another two million when he's dead..."said Olivia..

Laura smiled...then tears began falling down her cheeks....

''Daddy...the money was nice..I appreciate it...I do...But all I ever wanted was you.." she said.

 "I know.....but I'm here now and this money...This money will make everything right." said Uncle Eddie.

 Olivia, Beverly and I looked at him.

 ..I think Olivia finally understood why I had been upset with him when he said that a few days before...

 .Beverly was hearing it for the first time and she was shocked.

Laura said-

"No Daddy...Money doesn't make everything right."

She didn't say anything more.. We all just sat quietly and had a delicious seafood dinner....Not as delicious as New Orleans...but it would do..

After the meal and drinks...All of which Uncle Eddie paid for...We all stood on the street....Laura hugged Olivia,Beverly and me and got in a cab....

"Thank you guys for everything..." she said.

"No more waiting tables for you huh?" I said.

"Definitely not." she said as she and her son got in the cab, headed for the train station that would take them back to Ventnor City...

She noticeably did not thank her father!!! Bev,Olivia and I noticed it also....

Olivia and I

walked toward my car....

Beverly was a little ahead of us...

''I met with Elwood and his oncologist this afternoon." she said.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Something about him didn't seem too kosher and I swear ,I've seen that man before...I just can't put my finger on where I've seen him...He didn't seem like a real doctor to me..." she said as she held my arm...

I smiled wryly, but didn't say anything..

V-

Sometime after midnight...Uncle Eddie was seen going back to his apartment complex with a bottle of  Jack Daniels.....He downed the entire bottle...  He opened the window of his apartment...He was on the 17th floor!

He opened the window of his apartment...Looked out into the Philadelphia night....and then jumped out the window!!!

(CONCLUSION NEXT)