That Briefcase

I took the Claims ticket to the bank where it was registered and I was given the key to a safe deposit box..

Once I opened the box...I saw what all the commotion was...There was a briefcase inside, filled to the brim with money...Close to if not one million dollars and papers...Papers that would be important to someone..Very important...It was a list of payoffs and bribes , a complete record, photostats of cashed checks.....

This was the briefcase that Mr. Dunn was carrying on the train...This was what Terrence Lyles or Shifty wanted so badly....And Whoever Beverly Neary was....She knew that her "husband" had this Claims Ticket...This is what she wanted...

Apparently there was two sides looking for the contents of this briefcase and I had now found it!! I had to get out of here and get out of here fast.

I took the briefcase and drove as fast as I could to Josies...I called ahead of time and told Gus to let me in through the back...

Honey Brown was waiting for me when I arrived...

"Hey Kev...you're lucky you caught us here...It's after two..we were closing up." she said.

''Where is Gus?" I said.

"Right here Kid." he said.

"Lock this briefcase up in your safe.." I said and passed it to him...

"Okay." he said and locked the case up in his big safe, which was in the basement...Only Gus, Honey Brown and I knew about this safe....

"If you don't hear from me in a week, turn it over to Lt.Sissy Van Buren at C.I.D., okay?" I said.

"Sure kid...It must be something very important in that brief case." said Gus...

"Oh you wouldn't believe how important it is." I said.

Honey Brown and Gus just looked at each other and then looked at me and shook their heads.

II-

To my surprise...I heard nothing from anyone for a week...and then ,I got a phone call....Nobody was going to spend ten thousand dollars, which is what I had collected by now and not get some kind of accountability for it...

''Hello Mr. Kevin...This is Beverly....Beverly Neary." came the voice...

"Hello...Mrs. Neary..I figured I'd be hearing from you sooner or later.." I said.

"I need to see you....I'm at a new address..." she said.

"Oh really? You move around a lot.." I said.

"Yes...It's hard to explain...but I had to leave my residence really fast." she said.

"Why, somebody after you?" I said,playing along...

"Kind of sort of...Just stop by in about two hours...Here is my new address.." she said.

Not only was the address different, but the number in my phone was different too...This was a time I should have called Kool Kat...or Clerow, but there just wasn't time...I had to play this string out alone..

III-

I parked three blocks away from the apartment complex that I was told Beverly Neary or whoever she was lived in...I walked around the block three times just making sure there were no strange cars in the parking lot and no goons lurking in the shadows...I saw no one...But then again..How did I know that they weren't in her apartment?  I didn't? I would just have to wing this one...

I had gotten another .38 smokeless....Sissy would be giving me my old one back in a day or two...I walked up to the apartment and knocked on the door...

''Come in...it's open." came the voice... I didn't like this.

I walked in and Beverly Neary was sitting in the living room in just her panties and a bra...she had quite a body on her...

"You look nervous Mister Morris...You're a grown man, you have a wife....I'm sure you've seen a woman in her panties..." she said in a sultry voice...

She looked at me and smiled...

"I killed your husband last week." I said.

"I know...I read it in the newspaper." she said.

"So our business is concluded.."I said.

"No it isn't...You took a claims check off of him...a claims check I want..I'm willing to pay you not only money, but a little somethin,somethin if you know what I mean and I know you do.."she said in a breathy moan and winked at me...

I have to admit...it was tempting...Very tempting..She did look good and she knew it..

"How do you know I have the claims check?  The police might have taken it off of his body.." I said.

"Nooooo..if they had...a very important man would be in jail and the newspapers would have a huge story on their hands....No...the police don't have it...You do and I want it and I'll do anythinggg...I mean anything to get it.."she said.

I eased over to her pocketbook..she lunged at me, but I grabbed her arm and twisted it.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy, what are you doing?" she screamed...

I pulled out her drivers license...

"Let's cut the crap Marilyn...Marilyn Short...That is your name isn't it? You weren't married to the dead man at all...He was in cahoots with you to get whatever was in that briefcase...I'm thinking he was taking too long to call you and to go and get the contents and so you hired me to follow him and then tipped him off that I was following him...Knowing it was going to, hoping it would lead to his death and my getting the claims ticket right...right ?" I said and twisted her arm.....

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS...Yess...stop, you're hurting me.." she said.

Then there was a knock on her door...I pulled my pistol....

"Answer it and don't even think of trying anything funny." I said.

She answered the door and a Puerto Rican man with a gun entered.....I aimed my gun at him...

"Drop that heater son..drop it or I'll drop you." I said.

He did as he was told..

"Heyyy who are you?" he said.

''Who are you?" I asked.

"His name is Billy Blanca." she said.

"Yes..that is my name....I have come here for the briefcase. " he said..

"I don't have it...He does." she said.

"I don't have it...I have the claims ticket." I lied.

"Where is the ticket? I'll pay you ten thousand dollars for it" he said.

"It's with a friend for safe keeping...Give me your piece" I said.

He did as he was told and I tied him and Marilyn Short up...

"I imagine in a few hours if you two work together..you'll figure out how to untie yourselves..."I said and I smiled and walked out of the apartment...

I wasn't on the street five minutes when I heard the click of a gun ..a big gun and felt cold steel on the back of my neck....

"Well, well, well...If it isn't Terrence Nylon...or are you using your real name today? Thomas "Shifty" Mills?"I said.

"We meet again Mr. Morris." he said.

"You know,I called you, but they said your phone was disconnected and I looked all over for you ,asked around about you.." I said.

"I know you did....I'm here now aint I" he said with a laugh...

A white limo drove up....The window came down...

 "Mr Kevin Morris." came the voice...

"Honest Harry Halliday" I said ,smiling...

"You know me?" he said.

"Yes...You're the Philadelphia Tax Commisioner..why wouldn't I?" I said.

"Get in." he said.

I hesitated...

"Mr. Morris...I'm a politician...Not a gangster...If I wanted you dead...it would have already happened...Besides...you're the only person killing anybody now of days...Get in..we need to talk." he said.

Shifty Miles motioned me toward the Limo...

I sure wished I had called Kool Kat.

IV-

We drove to Bottom of The C...Dollar Bill's joint...

Honest Harry Halliday and I sat down...Shifty stood guard by the table..

"You hungry? I am...Order whatever you like...I'm starved...it's on my dime...When we are finished here...I'll take you back to your car." he said.

I ordered a New York Strip Steak, a baked Potato and creamed spinach....He ordered Lobster....

"As you know I am called Honest Harry Halliday....I've been the Tax Commissioner for what, oh ten years now?...Do you know of a man named William Dunn?" he asked.

"Never met him..He was dead by the time I saw him...You kill him?" I asked.

He looked hurt.

"My God...Is that what you think of me? I told you....I'm not a gangster...I'm a politician...I don't have people killed...But I'll tell you what...Whoever did have him killed...I'd buy them the best lawyers money could buy if they ever got arrested.. " he said.

"I take it you didn't like Mr. Dunn?" I said.

"I hated him...He was a rat...He gathered the worst information, the absolute worst he could find on people and traded it for money." said Honest Harry Halliday.

"He was blackmailing you." I said dryly.

"You catch on quick Kevin...He had documents in his briefcase as well as thousands of dollars ,possibly millions he had blackmailed from me and people  I do business with...All lies...lies...but hard to defend...
If the contents of that bag had been made public..Not just me, but a lot of people I do business with could be very scarred by it.." he said.

"I see." I said.

"So you see why it is very important that I get that briefcase and it's contents...I'll pay you twenty thousand." he said.

"I don't have it....but I will be getting it."I said.

"When will you have it in your possession?" he said.

"Tomorrow night..We'll make the exchange at Josies , where I hang out..After closing." I said.

"Fair enough." he said.  he passed me an envelope...I gave it back...

"When you get the briefcase...Then I'll take the money." I said.

"Ahhh, a man of honor...I like that." he said.

Our food arrived..It was good food ...I thoroughly enjoyed it...

True to his word..Honest Harry Halliday paid for the entire meal and he and Shifty Mills took me back to my car....

"I'll meet you tomorrow night in Josies." he said...

I smiled...

Oh you will meet me tomorrow night..but it's not going to go down the way you think I mused.

(CONCLUSION NEXT)