"John Doe"

I went up to the hospital the next day to see the mysterious man who was nearly murdered on my block....He was getting better...He had a bandage on his head and he was sitting up in bed...

"Hi...Your name is Kevin right?" he said trying to manage a smile..

"Well that's good...you remember my name...now how about yours?" I asked..

He shook his head..

"Nah, can't remember a damn thing.." he said.

"Well look...that guy who tried to shoot you remembers something about you...And you'd better start trying to remember something soon..before he finds out where you are and comes back for you." I said.

"How will he find me?...I don't know my name...I'm registered as "John Doe" Hell, I don't even know where I am." he said.

"Wow son, you're in a pickle..."I said...

I went in his closet and went through his clothes....I found a wallet!!!! It had a drivers license in it...Why didn't I do this before?

It read...John Kilroy Jr. and it had an address.....It was surprisingly about ten blocks from me.....There was about one thousand dollars in the wallet and a key......

I showed him his wallet....

"Your name is John Kilroy Jr. and this is where you live...Here is a key...Does this mean anything to you?" I asked...

"No....I have no memory of this key." he said.

"It looks like a safe deposit box key..." I said.

He looked at it and shrugged his shoulders....

"Well...Get some rest...I'll be back up to get you...Take you to your house, Maybe if you see a familiar looking place, it'll jog your memory."I said.

"I hope so." he said.

II-

I sat in Josie's bar later on that day....I knew that Gus, the owner and head bartender had his ear to the streets...More so than some players who were deep into the game..

"Hey Gus?" I asked..

"What's up kid?" he said as he passed a drink to a thirsty customer....

"You know a guy who calls himself or goes by the name of "Clean" ?" I asked...

Gus raised an eyebrow....

"My question is how do you know him?" he asked...now looking concerned...

"I don't...He was shooting at a guy yesterday and I heard the driver call him "Clean"...He uh also took a shot at me and I think I wounded him."I said.

Gus smiled and then shook his head...

"You sure dance with some nasty ones kid..."Clean" is Gene Mckindles...He used to be what you are...A Private Investigator...before that he was a cop....He was dirty....He got kicked off the force for shake downs...He then got a P.I.'s license.....Which he lost when he did a nickel as a guest of the state of Pennsylvania for assault with intent to kill.." said Gus...

"He beat up some hood?" I asked.

"No..he beat up his ex-wife and her boyfriend....pretty bad...almost killed the guy...He deserved more time..Anyway ,ever since then...He's been muscle for hire...He does P.I. work, but it's off the books...Like I said...He's unlicensed...He's real bad news..." said Gus..

"Who do you think he's working for?" I asked..

''Who is the hood of the week?  He might be working for anybody...just like you." said Gus..

"I don't work for hoods." I said.

"Come on now Kev...You worked for Fathead Newton recently and you have worked for that fella in Atlantic City, Eric ''Sharkdollars"Redding." he said with a wink.

"No grass grows under your feet does it old man?" I said laughing as Gus passed me another Corona...

"No it doesn't...But you're nothing like Clean....I can say that much..." he said and laughed..

"Thank's for the info Gus."  I said.

"Hey...you didn't ask me where Clean lays his head?" he said...

I smiled..

Good Old Gus....I may not know much about my client...but I knew who I might be up against...

III-

Like most sleazy guys with his reputation..."Clean" Gene Mckindles lived in a low rent apartment that doubled for an office.

Clerow ,Sean Jackson, Peeping Tom ,Lockpick Johnson ,Owen Todd and I sat outside in our van with tinted windows watching....

"That's him boss.." said Clerow as "Clean" and the thug he was with the day before walked out of his  storefront apartment..They both had their arms heavily bandaged..Clean had his arm in a sling...That means I had wounded both of them...

They got in a car and they pulled off...

We looked around...Lockpick Johnson,Peeping Tom, Sean Jackson and I moved quickly...As soon as the streets were empty.....Peeping Tom used a new device..a device that temporarily jammed the signals of the crime stopper cameras on the blocks..So that we could move in stealth...

Lockpick Johnson beat the alarms as well as the locks and got us in...Sean Jackson and Peeping Tom wired his office for sound and video...and cloned his cell phone...Owen Todd stood guard in the hallway with his pistol ready in case we had any visitors... I rifled through his files looking for anything pertaining to my "John Doe", John Kilroy Jr.   but I could find nothing.

Then just that fast...We were all out...

IV-

I sat in the basement of my office building in the headquarters of Morris Investigations with my guys and watched and listened to "Clean's" goings and comings for about the next two days...

He made collections for the local loan sharks...When it was needed he and his partner beat someone up to persuade them to come up with a payment..When it was needed he showed up with a local hood with his gun to persuade another hood to do business with the one he was with...He was a disgrace to P.I.'s everywhere...All he was was local muscle for hire...Men like him was the reason why my friends, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez -Wallace and FBI special agent, Sharon Hopkins despised most Private Investigators..with the exception of me and my good friend, Donnie Ray Alexander.

We sat and we watched him and listened to him talk to low level hood after low level hood and then we got lucky...He got a call from someone who didn't appear to be like the others...

"Kevin, this is an encrypted number....Which means it can't be traced...."said Peeping Tom...

"Well let's listen." I said.

"Mister Mckindles....It's been a week what do you have to report?" came the mysterious voice..

"Uh sir...We had him...and he got away from us..." said Clean.

"You used to be a cop...don't you know how to find people?"

"I've looked in all of the local hospitals...Nobody by that name has checked in...I'll find him..I'm sure he'll turn up."

"No...He better turn up.....I hired you because I heard you were the best in this kind of business...If this matter isn't handled and handled as quickly and discreetly as possible...then Mr. McKindles..it will become MY business and if it has to become MY BUSINESS....I'll make sure you are out of business for good...Do I make myself understood?"

"Yes...Yes sir..."

"I'm paying you a hefty fee for your services...I want a positive return on my down payment...."

"Yes Sirrr..Sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..I'll find him within the next 24 hours...."

"DO IT!"

(Click!)

Clerow and Owen Todd looked at me...So did Sean Jackson...

"Well fellas...This means I have to get our John Doe out of that hospital and somewhere safe right away.."I said.

Lockpick Johnson looked at me..

"Guess it's time for you to call Ralph Mole huh?  " he said.

"Yeah..I'll need the use of his safe house..."I said.

"You'll also need your friend...Walter."said Peeping Tom..

I smiled again...This was right up Kool Kat's alley..

''Yeah,I'd better get on all of this."I thought.

V-

I went to the hospital and checked "John Doe" who I now knew was John Kilroy Jr. out and drove him out to Fathead Newton's safehouse...

Ralph Mole was there tonight with Roscoe Wallace, who used to be Fathead's enforcer....

He smiled and let us in....

"Ralph ,I can't thank you again for this favor.."I said.

"No thanks needed Kev, all that you've done for us...Who's after this guy?" he asked as John sat down in the living room....

A football game was on...Seattle Seahawks against the Dallas Cowboys...Roscoe was drinking a bear..he looked up..

''Hey fella...you a football fan?" he asked.

"I-I-can't remember.." said John Kilroy...

"That's the problem...He can't remember much....Clean Mckindles was after him, roughed him up a bit...He's got amnesia.."I said.

Ralph and Roscoe nodded their heads...

"Clean " eh?  I can't stand that guy....I didn't like him when he was a cop and I like him even less now.." said Roscoe.

"Yeah, well I want this guy kept here until I can figure out what Clean wants with him and who he's working for...Sounds like a heavy hitter.."I said.

"If that bastard is mixed up in this...chances are it is...He hires himself out to the real heavies now of days."said Ralph Mole..

"Hey man, you hungry?" asked Roscoe...

"Yes...I am...Starving..." he said...

"We'll get him some food...a hot shower and spruce him up...He's safe here Kev." said Ralph..

"Thanks man....John...Sit tight dude...Here, take this phone...Call me on this phone and this phone only okay!" I said ,handing him a cell phone..

"Got it Mr.Kevin and thanks..." he said.

I got in my car and headed home... I wanted to see my wife and my baby girl...I missed them.

(TO BE CONTINUED)