Six Million Reasons Why

Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander and I met in a small undisclosed  coffee shop...When she arrived ,I passed her a tumbler of hot coffee....

She smiled..

"You know how I like my coffee...You remembered." she said.

"It's my job to remember details..."I said.

She looked around...

"This is a nice place Kevin....The way you keep buying me coffee from time to time,I'd swear you had a crush on me..You do know I'm a married woman." she joked..

"I do know that....I asked you here because I need some information about one of your past clients.." I said.

"Ohhhhhh, so you're just using me....I would have rather you had an unrequited crush on me.." she joked..

"Not working today eh?" I said...

"No..I'm off.."she said.

"Where is your husband?..I could use his help..."I asked.

"He's in court with Bev today.Since you're just using me...Why do you need to know"she said ,laughing in between sips of coffee.

Olivia's sense of humor could rival Sissy's...I loved a woman who could make me laugh...

"Sorry...The client in question is a Jean Bell...better known as "Jazzy Belle" I said...

Olivia looked at me and frowned...

"Oh.. Her....I defended her three times...Prostitution...Kept her out of jail..I tried to help her...You have to understand Kevin..I was a public defender then..I had a huge backload of cases at the time...but she...She reminded me so much of my young niece, Beverly ,who was still in college at the time...I swear I tried to help her off the books..

She came from a real messed up situation...Her mom was a stripper/prostitute...Her father was unknown to her...could have been one of three men..She had dropped out of high school...  She got herself involved with all the wrong guys and she followed her mother into that street life...."said Olivia..

"You kept her out of jail three times...You helped her get her GED....And in fact you helped her out when she started at Community College..."I said.

"I was there when she graduated...Got her Associates degree and I got her her first and probably only honest job...A court clerk!  She was on her way to a new life. For a few years she was doing well.." said Olivia...

"So what happened?" I asked.

"A man...The wrong man....She met a real slick guy....He had a nice car, nice clothes..lots of bling....Soon she was dating him..and soon she was in trouble...Caught
with enough dope and coke in the trunk of his car which she was driving across state lines to juice half the city.....She said that she didn't know what was in the trunk...Which I didn't believe...." said Olivia.

"Couldn't help her this time huh?" I said.

"No...She did three years in a federal women's prison in Kentucky...When she came back to Philly she was a different woman...Changed..Hardened....She stuck herself with whatever man was talking the most money...I'm afraid she's lost now.."said Olivia,sighing...

"You can't save everybody Livy.....But look at the wonderful job you did with your niece, Beverly...She never got herself in any trouble...finished school...She's an established Attorney and a partner in your firm....That's a girl you saved..."I said trying to reassure her.

I thought briefly of Josie Boyd, the daughter of a slain gangster, who I had promised to look after...She was working as Olivia's office manager now...Doing well for herself...She was a homeowner and had a nice car..Olivia had done wonders with both girls...But neither of them was hardcore like Jean Bell.

Olivia was lost in thought for a moment....She took a few sips of her coffee..

"So what kind of trouble is Jeannie in now?" asked Olivia..

"Potentially big trouble...She's with a diabolical man who not only is an escaped convict, but a multiple murderer and a kidnapper...I don't think the police know her name yet...but I know she nearly kidnapped my baby and she's in this man's company."I said.

"Oh My God...Why is she with a man like that?"asked Olivia...

"I can give you six million reasons why Livy....He and another man is holding your friend and my friend, Robert Foxworth hostage and they want me to pay six million dollars for ransom....and I've got little over twelve hours to make the payment for their freedom..."I said.

"Oh My God...Robert??" she said.

"Yes..."I said.

"You're going to pay them?" she asked..

"I have no choice...And they're watching me closely...They are tracking me by my phone...So I have to stay at home.."I said.

"Yes..I saw that you are having work done...I drove by your house yesterday...What happened?" she asked.

"Three members of the gang broke into my house and tried to break into my safe.....It was booby trapped...Didn't end too well for them or my front windows and part of my living room..My windows have been replaced and the work is nearly finished on my living room...I'm having new furniture brought in this morning."I said.

'What happened to those guys?" she asked..

"Uh them?...They're still trying to put them back together at the morgue!" I said.

"So what do you need from me?" she asked..

"You got any addresses she used to live at?  I suspect Mr. Tickle and your former client may be holed up there..."I said.

"I'll give you what I had...but as usual...We never had this conversation.."said Olivia..

"That goes without saying."I said.

I kissed Olivia on her cheek...

"Thanks babes...Thanks for being a good friend and a listener.." I said.

"Always Kevin...Be easy!" she said.

"Always babes!" I said .

II-

About an hour later I was at C.I.D. headquarters... FBI Deputy Special Agent in Charge, Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins , Lt. Sissy Van Buren and Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor sat in Sissy's office with me..

'We checked out those two addresses you gave us Kevin....There was proof that the gang had been in both of them...but they had cleared out awhile ago.." said Duke..

I punched the palm of my hand angrily...

"Damn it..I was hoping we could get to them before it got to this.."I said.

"So are you going to pay him the ransom Kevin?" asked Sissy.

"Yeah..He sent instructions to send cash..To put it in a briefcase...I have the cash...Of course he said no cops whatsoever..." I said.

"I can put a team on you Kevin...These guys are good...You won't even know that they're there....They train for stuff like this." said Duke..

"I can do you one better Kevin...This small micro-strip is a tracking device...I can slip it in with the money....We'll be able to track him." said Sharon....

"He'd suspect a bug in the briefcase...I'm sure he'd switch the money to a bag or something as soon as he got it..."I said.

"We won't make a move until we know Robert and Mr. Teller are safe..." said Sissy..

"Okay cool...the exchange is tonight....Though something worries me.."I said.

"What's that?" asked Sharon...

"Tickle is crazy...He'll kill at the drop of a hat...I've seen him do it...He doesn't share
his winnings...He's got a poor misguided young woman with him, who I don't want to see burned...I'm hoping he doesn't kill her...."I said.

"Things done got wayy too serious to worry about that now Kev...Not to be crass, but that's just the way it is.."said Duke..

"I know man...I know.."I said.

Just then, Detectives Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace, Antonio Hopkins and James "Jimmy" Barlow walked in the office...

"No luck Kevin...Hop and Jimmy tried to trace those texts you got....They come from a burner phone that we can't trace.." said Carlotta...

Forensic Investigator, Dr. Hazel Hunter-Baylor, Duke's wife joined us just then..

"Hi Kevin...I found something that may help...Some soil...It looks like it was on the shoes of one or two of the kidnappers..We found it at one of the houses they abandoned...It seems to originate near Tacony Creek...Maybe they were in the area at one time...It's not much, but it's all I have right now." she said.

"That's okay..Thanks Hazel." I said.

She smiled and rubbed my back. She was such a sweetheart,

I smiled ruefully....

"How smart is Mr. Tickle?  He's figured out nearly everything...He's crazy as a fox, but at the same time, smarter than any adversary I've ever faced." I said.

"All bad guys ,no matter how smart make one mistake...That's how we get em."said Carlotta...

I hugged her....

"I hope you're right chica..." I said.

"I am always right...Just ask my husband..."she said and smiled sweetly...

"She means that" laughed Detective Tyriq Pile ,who had just joined us...along with his wife,Detective Sirena Pile..

We all busted out laughing.. I smiled with my friends and quietly left...

III-

I had left my phone in my car and had parked it a distance...About six blocks..Near Sam Mother's Diner...I didn't want Mr. Tickle to suspect that I was talking to the cops.

I stopped in the diner and to my delight...There was my buddy, Walter "Kool Kat" Jones...

"Hey Kools.." I said.

"Hey Kevin....I saw your car there...I wondered where you were.." he said as he drank his coffee and finished his meal..

"I was talking to the cops." I said.

"Heard you got a problem.." he said.

"Yeah...a six million dollar problem."I said.

"Who we gotta rob?" he laughed....

"The question is..who's robbing me?  My friend, Robert Foxworth and Mr.Otis Teller have been kidnapped and they're being held for ransom...I gotta pay these guys tonight." I said.

"Sounds like you could use my help.." said the big man...

I smiled..

"You know...I could at that...This man...He's a man I've tangled with before...He and his people don't know you....You're good at hangin on the sidelines...Think you could have my back tonight when I make the drop?" I said.

"It's as good as done.."he said.

"Come heavy." I said.

"But of course...You just gave me six million reasons why I should...That kind of cash tells me that this is gonna be a major party.." he said.

I smiled...

IV-

Sometime later, I was at home...I had just finished paying the construction workers for finishing up the work on my house when I got a text...

"Kevin...I'm being held hostage by Mr. Tickle...Me and an old guy who says he knows you...I don't have much time...but all I can tell you is that where-ever I am..I can hear trains running...Kind of like the El and water flowing...I hope that helps you find us..
R.F."

Somehow or other Robert had made contact with me...This might be the break I needed to turn the tables on Mr. Tickle..The last time he had held Robert and I captive in Puerto Rico...a break like this had helped us...He had slipped up again...So smart,but so stupid...

Where did the El run that was near water?  I had to figure that out...I thought about what Hazel had said about soil from around Tacony Creek...but there were no occupied houses in that area...

About an hour later I got another text....

"Mr. Morris...I hope you have gotten the cash I have asked for...Six Million Dollars...
An Associate of mine will meet you at a place I deem safe...You will give her the briefcase containing the money..She'll transfer it to a sack...Just in case you thought you'd bug the briefcase...Once she is safe and in route...I'll give you instructions as to where you can pick up your friends....Do not try anything Mr. Morris and don't try to have any cops or FBI agents around...I'll be watching...If I see anything that looks like a cop...Your friends are as good as dead...Stay near your phone..I'll be communicating with you more in the coming hours....You should have made that deal with me earlier ,for your uncles money...Now I'm asking for twice as much...I know you have it...I need this money..I have plans for it...I'll not be denied this time..."

That's okay you sick bastard...I'm going to make sure you choke on this cash...I swear it! I vowed...

(CONCLUSION NEXT)