3:10 To New York City

Kool Kat and I stood on the train station platform.....Clerow stood at one end and Owen Todd stood at the other end...

Kool Kat looked at me and smiled...

"Kev, this has got to be your craziest plan yet...You think it will work?" he asked.

"I have 100 percent confidence in my plans." I said laughing...

Thanks to the fact that we were still listening to and viewing Gangster,Sonny Boston's every conversation inside his gym ,inside his social club, at his girlfriend's homes and even in his condo..We gathered a wealth of information...One..That he indeed ordered Jake Langley and Big Boy Perry to find and Kill Eddie Hawkins and John Smith aka Wayne Galloway...and that Jake Langley was told to kill Big Boy after the deed was done...He was fed up with him...

A tape of this conversation ,plus the fact that the police got a visual of both men entering Eddie Hawkin''s place and Jake leaving..was all Detectives Edwin "Duke"Baylor and Angela Belton needed to arrest Jake Langly and charge him with the murder of Big Boy...He still had the actual murder weapon on him when they took him. It had already been determined that Big Boy was the shooter who killed Eddie Hawkins and John Smith... They had solved their triple homicide..With my help.

Even though they had more than enough to charge him...I asked Sissy to hold back on busting Sonny Boston...I had one more piece of business to take care of...

Thanks to the work of my friends...Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson..We knew that his hitman, Sweet Baby James was due in town on the train this morning...We also knew what train...

Sonny had sent a young thug to meet him...Kool Kat,Clerow and Owen Todd had intercepted him, ripped his trousers off of him and bound and gagged him...He was in the men's room in one of the toilet stalls, unconscious.

The train from New York City arrived and passengers began getting off...Sweet Baby James, a flambouantly dressed man had on a bright yellow suit...and a Yellow Fedora..For a hitman , he sure stood out...

Owen Todd nodded and Chris Thompson, Chess, Donald Smooth and Kool Kat walked up to and surrounded him...

He looked around...They all smiled..

I walked up to him...

"You the guy I'm supposed to meet? Boston?? Sonny Boston??" he asked...

We all looked at each other...

"Nah partner...We are the people Sonny Boston was gonna ask you to kill."said Chris Thompson icily..

Chess and Donald Smooth grinned...So did Kool Kat....

I smiled...

"Here is the deal...The fact that We are here is proof that Sonny Boston aint gonna be around much longer...Are you understanding us now?" I said.

Owen Todd and Clerow walked up...Clerow cocked his .45 and stuck it in his ribs and smiled his toothy grin...

Sweet Baby James looked like he'd swallowed a can of paint...

"Let me help you catch your tongue my man...We got no beef with you...We are going to take you with us...There is going to be a train back to New York City at 3:10 pm..I suspect that you have a round trip ticket...We are going to put you back on that train and send you back to New York...How does that sound?"  said Kool Kat, cracking his knuckles..and giving him a baleful stare that has frightened many playas.

"Th-That-That-That sounds great..."said Sweet Baby...

"Come on man, take that bass out your voice, HOW DOES THAT SOUND?" asked Kool Kat..

"It sounds great..." he said.

Chris Thompson slapped his thigh, he was laughing so hard...He,Clerow,Chess,Donald Smooth and Owen Todd escorted the hitman out of the train station...

In a few minutes, Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor and three uniformed officers showed up..

I pointed to the restroom...

"The man you want is tied up in the men's room in the last stall...He drove the getaway car for Jake Langley..."I said.

Duke smiled...

"Kev, So glad you're on our side...In one week, we've closed four murders...and practically broke the back of a major crime syndicate...Next time I see you in Josies..Drinks are one me...You too Kools." said Duke...

"Much obliged Duke!" said Kool Kat smiling..

"Give the Boss Lady my regards!" I said as Kool Kat and I left...

"Will Do"said Duke..

II-

  Attorney Olivia Bennett -Alexander and her niece, Beverly West sat in the living room of their duplex laughing their heads off...

Olivia's husband, Fellow Private Investigator,Donnie Ray Alexander , an impeccable dresser walked into the living room in a bright yellow suit..Something he wouldn't be caught dead in....

Their Assistant, Josie Boyd was combing and styling the curly wig he had on...

"Damn Kevin...When I said I'd do you a favor...I was kiddin man"said Donnie Ray..

Con Man Extroidinare, Pakistani Sam , who had helped me a few times run scams and who had been represented by both Olivia and Beverly during his con man days was also in the living room...

"Damn..If I didn't know better myself...I'd swear you was Sweet Baby James, the hitman.." he said.

Donnie Ray smiled and then looked at his wife...Olivia who said-

"That cat Donnie Ray is one baddddd mother..."

To which her niece Beverly finished the sentence..

"Shut yo mouff."

To which Josie and I held each other to keep from laughing....

"Okay...Okay...listen...Donnie Ray...just get him to talking about murders...Murders he ordered and murders he wants you to commit...It's going to be the nail in his coffin..I'll be right outside watching....and I got cops poised to swoop in on him."I said.

"You forget..I used to be a cop...I've given this speech to several wired civilians."said Donnie Ray with a smile..

"That's right you have...Wow..Imagine this..Me and Donnie Ray working together.."I said.

He smiled...

"I should be saying that...You're the living legend in this city." he said.

I smiled..

"Okay Kevin..Just bring my baby back home...I need him."said Olivia...

"She's hooked on him like a drug." joked her niece Beverly...

"Piece a cake...We'll all be back."I said.

"You shoulda seen the scam me and Bev ran on this lame a few weeks ago" joked Pakistani Sam...As we left and got into two seperate cars..

III-

Pakistani Sam ,pretending to be Sweet Baby's associate called Sonny Boston and told him that his associate never showed up to pick them up...He said if he didn't hear from them soon, they were headed back to New York City and the deal was off.

Sonny Boston apologized profusely and asked if they could meet at one of his girlfriend's apartments..

He gave him directions and Pakistani Sam told him that he had lived in Philadelphia and he knew the directions...

They met within the next hour...

"Sweet Baby...Sweet Baby...So glad to finally meet you...You come with great recomendations...and you sir are..?"asked Sonny Boston..

"I'm Mr. Tibbs, Virgil Tibbs." said Pakistani Sam...

I nearly spit my coffee out in my car listening to that....And worse...Sonny Boston didn't catch it..

"Ok..Let's get down to cases... This is a big job....In this briefcase is a half a million dollars..You get the rest, when the jobs are done.."he said.

Pakistani Sam checked the briefcase...

"It's all there boss."

"Alright baby..who do you want Sweet Baby to kill?" said Donnie Ray,doing a perfect Sweet Baby-70's gangster imitation...

Sonny Boston laid several photos on the table...

"This is Chris Thompson and his partners, Chess Parker and Donald Smooth...They own some businesses that I want to acquire and they won't play ball...."he said..

"So they gots to gooo ,right you jive ass turkey, heh,heh,heh..."said Donnie Ray...

Sonny Boston gave him the side eye...

"Hey man, you got any liquor?" asked Pakistani Sam..

"Uh no..not in here...This is my girlfriend's joint..." said Sonny Boston

"What kind of jive turkey aint got no liquor?" asked Pakistani Sam..

"Be cool babyyyy..Sweet Baby will hook you up."said Donnie Ray..

"Okay....This guy here...His name is Walter Jones...They call him Kool Kat..I want him gone in a bad way...You can kill him first...I'll give you a bonus for killing him...and this guy here...Kevin Morris...He's a private investigator...I want him gone the most....You'll get a bonus for killing him especially..."said Sonny Boston..

"Ohhh man baby...I been readin the papers...you been doin alright before Sweet Baby got to town...That was you that had that deli guy offed a few weeks ago..huh?" asked Donnie Ray...

"People don't play ball with my new regime..They don't hang around long...I also took out two snitchin ass former associates recently and an incompetant boob that I let hang around way too long." he spat...

"Damnnnnnnnnnn baby, you cold blooded.."he said.

"I am..."

"Well I hate to tell you this baby, but I aint Sweet Baby and I aint a hitman and everything you just said is on videotape..."said Donnie Ray..

"WHAT?" said Sonny Boston....

Donnie Ray pulled out a .22 and pointed it at him-

"Sit down partner...Sit down slow....I'd hate to have to shoot you...DO IT!"he said.

Sonny Boston sat down slowly....He looked totally surprised..

I walked into the room..

Sonny Boston looked at me like he wanted to strangle me...

"YOU!"he said.  "DAMNIT  YOUUUU!!! I CAN'T SEEM TO GET RID OF YOUUU!!"he screamed

I smiled..

"What's the matter Sonny, No  Hi..No Hello? The party's over you cheap punk."I said.

Lt.Sissy Van Buren, Detective Duke Baylor and Detective Angie Belton walked in the room with five uniformed policemen...Three had shotguns and two had glocks...

"It's all over Sonny Boston..." said Sissy as Duke handcuffed him and Angie read him his rights...

He looked at me with pure hatred..

"You better hope I never get out." he spat..

I smiled at him..

"Do you really think I was worried about that?" I said and then hit him as hard as I could in his stomach..

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmphhhhh." he said and folded like a tent...

"Did you really think I was worried about that?" I snarled..

The officers helped him up...He was in obvious pain and they dragged him out of the apartment complex...

Sissy smiled at me and Donnie Ray..

"Nice work Kevin....You too Donnie Ray...What a week this has been...Closed murders and the arrest of a public nuisance..What more can a girl ask for?" she said with a smile, as she Duke and Angie left..

"Nice workin with you Donnie Ray....Pakistani Sam..once again, you proved why you were the best in the game..."I said.

"The pleasure was all mine Kev." said Donnie Ray...who shook my hand...

"No chance of us keeping this money huh?" asked Pakistani Sam..

I looked around...

"Why not? Divide it in threes...We earned it." I said...

The three of us cracked up....

"I love this city"said Donnie Ray....

EPILOUGE-

Derrick "Boom" Jordan was convicted of the murder of Danny Felton and sentenced to life ....Jake Langly was convicted of the murder of Rollo "Big Boy" Perry and also sentenced to life...Both refused to give up their boss, Charles "Sonny" Boston...but the police had enough evidence against him that he was charged with conspiracy in the murders of both as well as the murders of Danny Felton, Eddie Hawkins and William "John Smith" Galloway with special circumstances as well as conspiracy to commit more murders and sentenced to die by lethal injection...

He was dragged kicking and screaming from the courtroom...Some tough guy....

Hitman ,Sweet Baby James Maddox was escorted to the train station by Chris,Chess,Donald Smooth, Kool Kat,Clerow and Owen Todd and told not to come back...He graciously thanked them for not hurting him and got on the 3:10 train to New York City...It is very doubtful that he'll be back anytime soon!
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Sepia and I relaxed in bed...with our baby girl...

"It sure feels so much better with that creep Sonny Boston and his gang off the streets...I knew once you got involved his days were numbered."she said.

"A lot of people helped on this one Sepia...and I'm not just talking about Sissy and the police and my guys...I'm talking about the whole neighborhood...People are looking out for each other around here now...And that's a good thing.." I said.

She leaned over and kissed me softly....

"Speaking of good things."I said...

"Kevin...The baby!" she said,pointing to our daughter who was very much awake and staring at both of us...

I smiled at her and for a minute it seemed like she smiled back...