Bad Influence

I had Clerow and Owen Todd escort my wife Sepia and my daughter to work and daycare everyday and Chris and Chess and Donald Smooth had a couple of their security guys watch my house after I had gotten the threat over the phone...

I was equally concerned about Eva Corona's safety...I stopped by her apartment...apparently...She had been threatened too....She was in the process of moving in a few weeks anyway and had her stuff boxed up...

Again my boy Clerow came to the rescue...He, Owen Todd and Harry Charles packed her stuff and moved it into their storage units... Clerow not only rented Condos and Apartments, he rented Storage space too.. His operation wasn't nearly as big as Chris and Chess, but he and Owen made good money...Neither one of them ever looked like they wanted for anything..

I then called my boy Ralph Mole....He and Roscoe allowed Eva to stay in Fathead's old safehouse...With that done...I went about finding her missing boyfriend...

I had his photo  everywhere...West Philly, North Philly,South Philly,Germantown,Mt. Airy, Fox Chase,Mayfair, Southwest Philly, Northern Liberties,Little  Norway,Chinatown,Fishtown...Kensington...Northeast Philly...I noticed that someone had been pulling them down....I soon had new ones up and more of them....This was beginning to look more and more like foul play...But I didn't want to tell Eva that..Didn't want to tell his family that and get them upset...

I talked to his Mother, Step-Father, Sister,Brother and cousins...Aunts,Uncles, School mates..and fellow employees...Anyone who knew him...I checked their alibis, their financials  and even talked to their neighbors just to clear them as suspects...

Then I checked on my missing person himself..

Shawn Washington,Like Eva Corona was 23 years old...Born and Raised in Philadelphia Pa. Educated in the Philadelphia School System...His biological father never married his mother.. Died three years ago..Was raised by his mother and Step-Father...Had one older sister and one younger brother...

No police record...Well at least nothing serious...a couple of DUI's..A couple of drunk and dis-orderlys...No jail or prison time...

He had gotten an associates degree at Community and was supposed to enter Temple University in the Spring...He was working as a Delivery Clerk at a small non-profit in center city....

Nothing about this kid raised any eyebrows....So where was he?

II-

A check of his financials on Christmas Eve proved that before he went to Rectors...He had been at a number of bars....Starting with Roxys....

I went there...Talked to a number of people and even saw film footage taken that night of him...He was alone..Drinking and having a good time..He appeared to try and hit on a young lady who rebuffed him...
He was spoken to by a bouncer and he left....

He was next at Aqua Bar and he appeared to be with another guy about his age...According to the film footage...They knocked back a few drinks and the other guy who I did not know left before him....
Same thing happened...He appeared to try and hit on a young lady who rebuffed him...
He was spoken to by a bouncer and he left....

By now he was good and drunk...He wound up at yet another spot I knew of...and a popular one amongst young people...Stoleys...

 He met with this same guy!...The Guy I had seen him with in Aqua Bar....They appeared to quarrel...It nearly turned into a fist fight....A Bouncer broke them up and this mysterious guy walked out...He appeared to try and hit on yet another young lady who rebuffed him...It was not his night.
He was spoken to by a bouncer and he left....

Next he wound up in of all places...My joint...Josies..

 Unlike the other three spots...He behaved himself here... He ate something...He listened to the music and he danced with a couple of girls....Then he quietly left...

"I don't remember him kid...I put some of these posters up like you asked...and a couple of people said they remembered him....I told em to call you cause they have him on film they took with their cell phones.."said Gus..

"Thanks man." I said.

"Course if he was that drunk and raisin as much hell as you say he was in those other spots....I would've remembered him...But he behaved himself in here." said Gus.

"That's because he knew you weren't having it." I said.

"Damn right..." laughed Gus.

Before he wound up at his final destination...He was apparently, according to the activity on his credit and debit cards at yet another bar...Nappy Headed Lou's

A new joint halfway across town...and low and behold...Here was that same mysterious guy, who had showed up in Aqua Bar and Stoleys drinking there...

They talked briefly...Both tried unsuccessfully to pick up girls and both left without incident...

After I left that bar...My phone rang again....

It was that same mysterious voice..

"You just won't leave this alone will you?  I know that babe aint payin you that much...What are you doin screwin her?  You won't be able to screw her if you're dead...Forget about Shawn Washington."

"Who are you?  "I asked..

"You better hope you don't find out....I  know you have her hidden somewhere....but I'll find her and when I do..It's lights out....You keep askin questions about this and tryin to dig up somethin and it'll be lights out for you too pal."

"You threatenin me?" I asked..

"Youuu better believe it...You better believe it buddy." he said.

(click!)

I was getting close to something....Something that had somebody worried...

III-

I went back to my basement office of Morris Investigations... Peeping Tom,Lockpick Johnson and Sean Jackson met me there...

First thing I did was have them trace the number I got the two threatening calls from...Thanks to Peeping Tom,I was able to order and buy on the black market sophisticated equipment that rivaled any police department or federal agency....Peeping Tom was ex-CIA....

"This number is more than likely from a burner phone Kev...but we have traced it...." he said.

I found the phone in a dumpster in the housing projects in West Philly...I bagged it..Maybe it would have some fingerprints....

My next stop was to C.I.D. headquarters and my old friend, Lt. Sissy Van Buren...

Sissy was practically glowing when I saw her...She was recently married..I had never seen her look so happy, so serene and so sexy ,if that was possible..She greeted me with a warm smile as usual and a long hug...

Hugging Sissy had grown to be a guilty pleasure of mine...Her nice warm ,round body, her great smelling fragrance...her soft skin....

''Heyy Friend..Happy New Year!" she said.

''Same to you babes..How is the married lady?" I asked..

" She is doing just fine..Just fine.." said Sissy.

I passed her a cell phone in a plastic bag...Sissy looked at it..

''What's this?"she asked...

"It's a burner phone....I got a threatening call and I traced it to this phone...I'm hoping maybe your guys can pull fingerprints from it." I said.

"You got a case?" she asked..

''As a matter of fact,I do...A young girl, Eva Corona  asked me to find her boyfriend, fiance rather who vanished on Christmas Eve.." I said.

''So those posters I see everywhere are you?" she asked..

"Yeah...I figured if people see enough of them maybe somebody will remember something, give me a call." I said.

"Anybody call you?" she asked.

"No....but I did talk to some people who saw him in five different bars....and had film footage of him ,taken from their phones..I have this photo here of this guy ,who appeared to be with him...in three of the bars...I don't know who he is..." I said.

Sissy called a young police officer.....

"Officer Calhoun take this to the FBI office..Ask Sharon to run this photo through Facial Recognition and find Detective Tyriq Pile or Dr. Hazel Baylor....ask them to see to see if they get a hit on the fingerprints.." she says...

"I'm on it Lou.." he said.

She then looked at me..

"Come with me." she said.

We took an elevator down a few floors to the Missing Persons Unit...

"Lieutenant!" said the Desk Sergeant...

"Anybody remember a missing persons case recently involving a Shawn Washington...disappeared on Christmas Eve?" she asked..

"We've got a few....You can check the decks." he said...

Sissy checked the decks.....

"Here it is Kevin...An Eva Corona came in and filed the report on December 27th....It's Detective Ed Wing's case.." she said...

They walked over to Detective Wing's desk....

"Where is Detective Wing?" she asked...

The Desk Sergeant looked sad....

"Oh I guess you didn't hear...He died last week....damn shame...Man was gettin ready to retire in a few months...Had a heart attack while workin out on the treadmill...." he said.

Sissy looked exasperated....

"I'm sorry to hear that...So who took over his caseload?" she asked..

"Uhhh ruh..We haven't got around to replacing him yet..." he said.

I laughed...

Sissy shook her head.. Let's look at the file...

The file was only one page... He interviewed the bartender and the bouncer at Rectors...They told him that Shawn Washington left right after midnight by himself...He was drunk, but appeared to be on foot. I had collected more information than that.

"I'm sorry Kevin...You probably have collected more information than the dear departed Detective Wing.."she said..

I just shook my head...

"Aren't you glad to be blessed with such superior detectives in your shop?" I asked.

"Every day of my life I am." she said as we left and got back on the elevator...

IV-

 When I got back to Sissy's floor, a pleasent sight greeted me..Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace was waiting for me...She hugged me and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and that beautiful smile of hers..

"Hola Kevin..." she said.

"Heyyy Chica...." I said-"Happy New Year....

"I have something for you....Rico went to lunch and Hazel went over to the M.E.'s office, but they apparently got a latent finger print off of your burner phone....His name is Tony Locke.....Two convictions for Assault, Arrested for manslaughter two years ago , released because of insufficient evidence..." she said.

"Let me guess...Witnesses suddenly got cloudy memories right?" I said.

"Si.." she said in Spanish and laughed...

''So he's muscle...He's working for somebody." I said.

"Sharon told me to tell you hi..She ran your photo through facial recognition and she got a hit....His name is Ronnie Lawrence, 29...He's a drug dealer...Sells Marijuana...Recently moved up to Heroin we suspect...Has five arrests, one conviction...Did a nickle (five years) in the state pen...." she said.

"Hmmm, what would this kid being doing with two guys like that? " I wondered....

"You think they might have something to do with his disapearence?"asked Sissy.

"There as good as anything...I mean this guy...Ronnie Lawrence was hanging out with him on Christmas Eve in three of the bars he was in...and this other guy...Tony Locke has called me and threatened me if I keep trying to find out what happened to Shawn..." I said.

"You think you might need our help?" asked Sissy...

"Nahh, not yet...I don't know if this kid is dead or not...but it has been three weeks and there has been no further activity on his credit or debit cards...and I can't find his car..." I said.

"You said he was engaged...Maybe he got cold feet and just dropped out of sight." said Carlotta.

"I don't rule that out..but he'd have to eat..he'd have to stay somewhere...He'd have to gas up his car." I said.

"You're right Kevin...He could be dead...At least that's what it looks like.." said Sissy.

"Well ,at any rate..I'm not going to start the New Year off by dropping a case in your lap....I'm going to dig further...Enjoy the quiet while you can." I said ,laughing..

Sissy and Carlotta smiled...

"Thanks Kevin...and we will." they said laughing that conspiratorial laugh between them that I found so sexy..I waved as I left them.

V-

I bought a few groceries and drove out to Fathead's safehouse...I knew there was a possibility that I was being followed ...So instead of driving...I took three cabs and a bus and watched attentively to make sure I wasn't followed...

I delivered the groceries to Eva who was glad to see me..

"How you doin baby?" I said.

"I'm fine...."she said as she put the groceries in the refrigerator..."Mr. Mole and Mr. Roscoe have been real attentive and they taught me how to play Poker.." she said.

I looked at Ralph Mole and Roscoe who were smiling sheepishly...

"Oh did you now?" I said ,laughing...

"She's a quick study Kev." laughed Roscoe...

"Here is a cell phone...You only use this to call me...Never call me from here okay?" I said.

"Yes."

"I have two photos...You recognize these guys?" I asked..

She looked at the photo of Tony Locke...

"Never seen him before....but Ronnie,I know." she said.

"You do?" I said.

''Ronnie and Shawn grew up together...They're friends.."she said.

"You know Ronnie sells drugs and he's done time right?" I said.

"Yeah ,I know..but Shawn wasn't into all that..He just knows Ronnie from the neighborhood."she said.

"Just friends huh?" I said.

"Yeah..but I wish they weren't...Ronnie is a bad influence on Shawn." she said.

''I'll say." I said.

I spent a little more time laughing and talking with them...Roscoe drove me back to my house and pulled off..

As I walked to my door, my phone rang again...

"I told you to leave this alone...You're hard headed...It's only a matter of time before I catch up with you ."came the  mysterious voice.

"Hey Tony...This is getting old and you don't scare me...Come on let's stop playing this game...Where is Shawn?" I asked..

There was a long pause...but I could hear him breathing...

"Yeah ,I know who you are..I know all about you...Tell me where is Shawn?" I asked.

(Click!)

I spooked him...As I walked up my steps...I saw Sepia in the doorway holding our baby girl...

I smiled...

(TO BE CONTINUED)