A few nights later,I sat in the basement headquarters that was Morris Investigations and watched video,along with listening to phone conversations ,the less glamourous part of the private investigation profession with Peeping Tom, Sean Jackson and Lockpick Johnson...Clerow and Owen Todd arrived with Cokes and Hoagies and Steak sandwiches for all of us...
"Anything new guys?" asked Owen Todd..
"Are you kidding? This is the dullest case we've ever had...Except for knowing who is buying panties and what kind...there is nothing much to watch here.." said Lockpick Johnson....
"Yeah...I'm going to have you go in Bridget's stores and take all of our devices out..Nothing is going on there."I said to him...
"Oh ..Oh Kevin listen to this...I just picked up a call at Eddie Collins's apartment...and it's not from Bridget...you might want to hear this.."said Peeping Tom...
We huddled around to listen...
"Yo What's up man?" said Eddie Collins...
"You might have a little problem Eddie.." came the voice...
"Problem? What kind?" said Eddie..
"Is this a clean phone?" asked the voice..
"Are you calling from a clean phone?" asked Eddie Collins...
"Of course I am...Who would be bugging THIS phone?" came the voice...
"Well ,except for calling my girl....I don't use this phone..."said Eddie..
"You don't call our girl on this phone?"
"No never...I don't even use my cell...I have another cell...a burner phone that I use to contact her when I need a re-up...And she and I meet and handle business face to face...I use cash like you said...for everything..There is no money trail and I don't make any waves...My three clients are people I can trust...People we've done business with before..."said Eddie..
"Well yesterday...a call from New York came into the Philadelphia Police department...particularly the C.I.D....I've been keeping tabs on that unit because they've been responsible for making a number of cases on our competitors and friends...Their top person a Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren and the Deputy SAC of the FBI called the DEA and ran a make on our girl...Right around the time you and her were in New York." came the voice..
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah...I don't know who made the call...I'm trying to find out...but There is no reason why Philly P.D. , the FBI and The DEA should be interested in her since she has never even set foot in Philly...I'm thinkin maybe you're the target....I been lookin into it..but so far I haven't found anything yet..."
"Louis....I've kept things quiet...I live like a monk...I don't make no waves..."said Eddie..
"Okay ,I believe you...You pay me to keep my eyes and ears open...That's what I'm doing..."
"Thanks...Look...I got meetings tonight at all three drop off sights...I got fresh product..."
"Make your meetings ,then drop out of sight for awhile...Go to A.C."
"You know Louis...That's a good idea...Thanks.."
"Anytime kid."
(Click!)
I looked at my team....
"Well, what does this mean?" I asked...
Peeping Tom looked at me...
"I traced the number Kev...Whoever made this call made it from inside the DEA office in Wilmington ,Deleware...!!! They have a mole in their shop....." said Peeping Tom...
"Yeah and anybody who is privy to Philadelphia Police, FBI and DEA goings on at that level is not some agent or secretary.....It's got to be someone high up...like an Assistant U.S. Attorney..." I said.
"Anybody over there you can trust?"asked Peeping Tom..
"U.S. Attorney Brendan Burns and DEA SAC Carol Redding." I said.
"You need to call one or both of them....Tell em they have a mole in their shop....His name is Louis..."said Peeping Tom.
"I'll do better...Duplicate that tape....and mail it to both of them....They can make a voice print and determine who their mole is themselves...Meanwhile...I'm going out tonight gents..."I said.
Clerow smiled..
"Did you call the big man?" I asked.
''Sure did boss..." said Clerow..
"Well...I'm out.." I said.
II-
Aqua Bar was jumping tonight...
"You know me Walter...I do as good as I can." said Pink...
"Don't we all.." said the big man grinning....
I smiled and said nothing...
Eddie Collins walked in...Dressed to the nines...He sat down in a booth on the other side by himself...A barmaid or Mermaid as they were called here brought him his drinks...She was dressed in tights with a green
bustier and little green shorts that almost looked like panties...She was like the others ,very busty and very leggy.
"Thanks Darlin...." he said.
"There goes your boy." said Pink ,pointing out to Kool Kat and Me...Eddie Collins.
A Hispanic man and two young hispanic men walked in and sat with him...They passed him a briefcase...He smiled and nodded....
Another man sitting a few tables away from him got up and started walking towards the door..
They all shook hands...The men finished their drinks and followed him outside...Owen Todd, using a micro-camera snapped photos of the entire meet...
Sitting outside in a car, Clerow and Sean Jackson got photos of the man opening the trunk of Eddie Collins car and passed them a Gym Bag....It all happened very smooth and very fast...
"That Latin Guy? That's Rafael Diego....He has the hot package in Northern Liberties....he supplies all the independent crews...Those were his Lieutenants..." said Pink...
Eddie Got up and paid his tab...Squeezed one of the barmaids butt and smiled and left.....I got a phone call..
It was Clerow..
"He's on the move boss." he said.
''And so are we" I said.
III-
Here I was in Stoleys....Only my third time here...It seems like the last time I was here,I was doing the same thing..Shadowing a sleezy narcotics Peddler...
Surprisingly...Eddie Collins was totally oblivious to me,Kool Kat and Pink...We were sitting a few feet from him this time and instead of Owen Todd...It was Sean Jackson who was subtlely snapping photos of him and his lieutenant in the bar...
Like Aqua Bar, the place was packed...
Same set up...They passed him an envelope...Which he passed to his Lieutenant, who counted it...He nodded ,The white guys didn't even bother to buy any drinks...They followed his man out to the parking lot ,where they picked up their gym bag of goodies out of the trunk...and went on...
Clerow and Owen Todd got photographs of them and their license plates...
Two Black Men and an Asian Man came next....Sean Jackson got photos of them also...
Exact same set up...They passed him an envelope...Which he passed to his Lieutenant, who counted it...He nodded ,The white guys didn't even bother to buy any drinks...They followed his man out to the parking lot ,where they picked up their gym bag of goodies out of the trunk...and went on...
Clerow and Owen Todd got photographs of them and their license plates...
"I'll say...He's bigger than Fathead, The Diaz brothers and Lin Chou ever were....And the cops don't have a clue.."I said..
"He's raking in the dough...." I said.
IV-
"This is my joint."said Pink...
A Russian man and two other men walked in and sat with him...They talked...He passed them a briefcase....They in turn passed him a briefcase....
"Pay your guy and our girl...The rest is your end..." they said..
"I don't know who they are...But I suspect...They are Russian Mafia...A lot of them frequent here from time to time." said Pink...
''Wow....This is bigger than I thought." I said.
It had been a wildly successful night....I had enough evidence compiled now to send to the authorities...It was time to pull the plug on him and his organization...I instructed Clerow and Owen Todd to box up our findings and to ship it to Lt. Sissy Van Buren..She'd know what to do with it...Eddie Collins career was over..
My last stop was Josies...
"Yeah I know...I had a busy night...Can I have a cold one?" I said.
Gus smiled and passed me a Corona...
''Sure kid.."
Bridget was sitting not far from me with a very pregnant Celeste Tate...an attorney in private practice now ,who was once an ADA...
"You think he just wants a quick screw...right?" said Celeste...
Hoagie had entered Josies and spotted Bridget and was headed towards her....And I thought tonight couldn't get anymore interesting...
"Hello Kevin.." he said.
I raised my bottle of beer..
"Evening counselor."I said.
"Bridget." he said.
I smiled...I patted Hoagie on the back and paid my tab.....
I walked out into the Philly Night...
(CONCLUSION NEXT)
No comments:
Post a Comment