Still Golden

I met Detective Angela Belton in her office at Internal Affairs ...I looked around and smiled...

"Wow...Detective...you have an office now...huh? You certainly have moved up." I laughed...

Angie smiled sheepishly...

"This isn't my office...It's my Lieutenant's office...He's on vacation and I'm uh kind of minding the store... but I called you here for a reason Kevin....Close that door.."she said.

I closed the door...

Angie pulled out a file....

"I've been working on your case....from a different angle...I kept looking at the original case file and I couldn't get over all of the red flags in this case...Things that should have been looked into.. There were red flags in this case that a first year detective would have spotted...So ,I asked myself ..why would an experienced case hardened detective white wash this case?    I found out...He had a connection with Bobby Holland.....Bobby Holland was a contractor....You remember.....Bobby Holland did the case detective's deck for him and he cemented his steps...He also had some aluminum siding done the year before...All for far lower than he would charge the average person...Look at the billing." she said.

I looked at the billing and the dates and I was astounded...

"Oh My goodness...This work was practically done for free.....The detective and him had a relationship before this happened and afterwords....No wonder he white washed this..."I said.

"I don't like throwing dirt on a dead cops grave...but there is no way...anybody could have looked at this and let so much go...and look at the coroner's report..."said Angie..

"It says "Possible Suicide ,but suspicious." I said..

"Well Guess what?" said Angie...

"Noooooooooooooooooo, please don't tell me..." I said.

"Yes...The coroner at the time...had a deck built by Bobby Holland and had the bricks on his house refaced and had his roof redone...All for nearly fifty percent lower than the average cost for such a job...They both are dead now, but both had a relationship with him...In fact...Bobby Holland has been doing work for and greasing the palms of a lot of city officials for years...Which might explain why so many of his domestic disputes were dropped and he never spent so much as a night in jail."said Angie...

"Oh My God....You really have been doing your homework...I have notes too..."I said...

I showed her my files....Photos and written and signed statements of everybody who was drinking with Bobby Holland on the night of his wife's death and Elmer Chadwick's tape recorded statement that he called him to find out when she got home....and that he was at the house and left and then returned...

Angie smiled..

"Oh My God!!!...you are good...How did you get all of this?"she said.

"I have to admit...The late Anita Johnson had been doing her own investigation..She left behind very ,very detailed files....I re-interviewed everybody in those files who is still alive and I have legally sworn statements and recordings from all of them..Now is what I have and what you have enough for a warrant?" I asked...

"Well...We are very close..I'll show this to Sissy  and Keith Wallace.." she said.

"Where are they anyway?" I asked..

"They are involved in a big investigation....It involves the FBI and The DEA...We have another office that I'm not allowed to tell you about....but when it's a big investigation like that...They often go there to work..away from prying eyes and ears...They are close to wrapping up that investigation....But they are aware of your case...So they assigned a detective to aid you." said Angie..

''Wow! I'm used to working with Sissy and her detectives...I hope it's somebody I can trust....Somebody I know..."I said.

"Ohhh I think you know this person pretty well...She used to be your girlfriend!" said Angie,smiling..

I smiled...

"YOU?" I asked.

"Who else? You haven't dated any other detectives around here have you?" she said.

"No..I haven't" I said.

"Besides..I'm bored...They're off working a big case and they're not around...I won't see my husband until tonight...So....I'm totally immersing myself in this cold case of yours.." she said smiling.

I smiled wryly...

"Wow....A great detective and not bad on the eyes either...I am soo blessed." I joked..

Angie blushed...She was always so cute when she blushed.

"If I wasn't married...I'd kiss you right now.." she said.

Now it was my turn to blush....There was an awkward silence between us....Then finally I spoke-

"Thanks Angie....I got somebody else to interview...." I said.

"Okay..Keep me posted.." she said.

"I certainly will." I said....I stopped as I was about to go...

I pulled Angie to me and hugged her....

"Thanks Angie....After all these years...you're still golden..." I said.

"For you....Always!" she said..


II-

 I found the address of Matt Kunkle rather easy....He was still living at the same residence in Lower Merion, A Philadelphia suburb that he had lived in so many years ago when he was working with the late  Juanita Holland...

I took Kool Kat with me...Not because I thought I was in any danger...but because I liked the companionship...Considering the rowdy dow I had had with Maceo at Elmer Chadwick's rooming house...I should have taken Kool Kat with me then...

Kool Kat would have cleaned that guys clock a lot faster than I had...I was still sore after that fight..

Kool Kat looked at the car outside of Matt Kunkle's house...

''Wow...A mint condition Silver Mustang...Nice.." said Kool Kat...

"I never figured you a fan of muscle cars Kools...You're the SUV type..."I said.

"I am now...but back in the day...I had a couple of these joints...My old man used to work on these ...you remember Kev..and I used to uh occassionally borrow one and drive it around.."he laughed...

"Yeah,I remember....Remember the one you uh "borrowed" for me..?" I asked..

"Yeah..You wanted to sport your girl Angie around in that...I remember....Wow...Everybody was in awe of you Kev..that you pulled fine ass Angie Belton...She was two years older than us..."laughed Kool Kat...

"She was a sweet girl...All the guys were scared to talk to her...I wasn't.."I said.

"Yeah and it paid off...She turned your young ass out didn't she?" he laughed..

"She sure did..."I mused....

"I can't believe she's married to Jimmy....I remember when he was tending bar at Josies..cool little white boy..I knew he liked him some brown sugar..."laughed Kool Kat..

"Yeah...He's got good tastes....They both cops now.." I mused..

"Yeah...Who woulda thought..?" said Kool Kat as we rang the doorbell.

Our first surprise was that Matt Kunkle was Black and not White as we had thought...

"Mr. Morris?" he said..

"Yes sir and this is my associate, Mr. Jones." I said.

"You're a Private Investigator?" he asked..

I showed him my identification and my drivers license...

He waved us both in...

"Can I get you some coffee?" he asked.

"Don't mind if I do." said Walter...

I smiled..

"Yes..Thank you." I said.

"You're here about Juanita right?" he said.

"Yes...I'm looking into it...As a favor to her now late sister..."I said.

"She came and talked to me...I went to the police...The case detective working the case didn't seem to be interested in what I had to say...Especially since I couldn't prove anything.....I worked with Juanita many years...She was a real sweetheart...but her husband...was a first class jerk....When we had a company picnic...HE and another co-worker nearly got into a fight...He was paranoid...He thought every man wanted his wife...Don't get me wrong..She was very attractive...way too good for a loser like him...but you couldn't even tell her a joke and she laugh without him busting a gasket...
The week before she died...she told me that she discovered that he had taken out not one, but two two hundred thousand dollar life insurance policies on her life..She said she thought he was going to kill her...She told me if anything happened to her to go to the police...She wasn't depressed....She very much wanted to live...She had made up her mind to divorce him...Check the city records....She had already filed for legal seperation just two days before she died...I told that case detective all of this..but he never acted on it.." said Matt Kunkle..

"There were suicide notes!" I said..

"She didn't write any suicide notes....They were typed and put in sealed envelopes...I never thought she wrote them...Never....You need to check that out..."he said.

"I plan to...I have a detective working with me on this case....We are very close to bringing him in..."I said.

"I'm glad somebody is doing something about this...It's been a long time..Did you know that jerk shot all of her tires out just one week before?" he said.

"I heard...In fact I was living across the street from them...I remember."I said.

"You look kind of young.."he said.

"I was 14 or 15 at the time.."I said.

He smiled..

"You knew him then?" he said.

"Yes...Not one of my favorite people."I said.

He smiled..

"He was nobody's favorite person.."he said.

"That's some car you got out there.."said Kool Kat.

He smiled...

"That's my baby...My Silver Mustang....I've had that car for over twenty years...She was riding in my car the night she died...I drove her home from work..That was the last time I ever saw her...Please...Please bring that bastard to justice" said Mike Kunkle..

"Oh I plan to." I said.

Kool Kat and I thanked him for the coffee and we got up and headed back to Philly.

III-

We went to Josies for some cold ones....

"Hey Kid...Walter..How you guys doin?" asked Gus..

"Can't complain."I said as he passed us two beers...

"Pink was in here lookin for you." said Gus..

"For me?" I said.

"Yeah...He said he'd be back....Oh there he is now."said Gus.

 The man known as Pink walked over to us....

"Pink my man...Where you been?" asked Kool Kat...

"Out on the West Coast.... Enjoying the warm weather, the girls...You know how I roll Walter....but Kevin..my man...I'm here to see you....Who the hell did you piss off?" asked Pink..

"Take a number...What's up?" I asked..

"Some older guy...He's a contractor...You know the type that does siding,roofing, cement work...just dropped a lot of dough in this guys lap.....the Guy's name is Larry Grace...He's from out of Camden...He's a contractor too, but not that type...He kills people for money...."said Pink..

"Uh Pink, that contractor wouldn't happen to be named Bobby Holland would he?" I asked..

"So you know huh? Yeah..."said Pink...

"Yeah, that sounds about right...Old guy right?" I asked.

"Yeah ,old and mean as a rattle snake.."said Pink..."He's pissed at you..He put a contract out on you boss." said Pink..

"That means he knows I'm serious...I've been asking a lot of questions about him...The type of questions
that could put him in jail if they are answered properly..."I said.

Pink smiled...

"Yeah well if I was you I'd stop asking them questions...This guy Grace is good..."said Pink..

"You got a description?" I asked..

"I got better...I got a photo...I took it with my phone in Rectors last night...That's your guy Larry Grace on the left....That's Holland in the middle.." said Pink..

"Oh I know Mr. Holland...We've known each other for years..I plan to get reacquainted with him sooner than he knows.. Where does this Grace guy lay his head?""I asked.

Pink smiled....

"I don't where he stays in Camden...but here is where he's staying in Philly." he said.


"MY MAN!!!! I peeled off a couple of bills and called Gus..

"Gus...Pink drinks free on me the rest of the night.."I said.

Gus smiled ...

"Aint you the generous one tonight kid..." he said.

I looked at Kool Kat..

"Kools...I think there has been a slight misunderstanding....I think maybe Mister Grace and us should have a little conversation..you know..Straighten some things out."I said smiling.

The big man smiled that sinister grin of his....

"Kev..I love it when you talk like that." he said smiling ruefully...

IV-

Contract Killer, Larry Grace was stunned when Kool Kat and I kicked the door off of the hinges of the room he was staying in...

"HEYYY WHAT THE HELL?? WHO ARE YOUSE GUYS?" he yelled...

He put up a little bit of a fight....I mean he did the best he could..but we uh convinced him that that was not in his best interest...

We confiscated three guns off of him... A sniper rifle....a .22 and a .40 with a silencer...We bagged and tagged them  and confiscated...about  25G's off of him..and took him for a ride to our favorite place..The old water tower...

Here we took his pants,shoes and shirt off and tied him up  and hung him from the Water Tower..

I called the police..

Kool Kat and I divided the cash....

"Not a bad haul ...I digs hangin with you...You puts money in a brothers pockets!!"laughed Kool Kat..

I patted him on the back...and smiled.

"Let's go home big man."I said.

V-

Detective Angie Belton called me the next morning...I met with her in her Lieutenant's office...

"You had a nice night last night huh?" she said laughing..

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently...

"Well,We got an anonymous call... We found a man clad only in his boxers,hanging from his ankles and screaming his head off from a water tower....and we found plastic baggies with three guns in them....guns with his fingerprints and DNA on them that tie him to 12 murders...7 in Camden and 5 here in Philly...He's screaming he was robbed and kidnapped by two goons."she said and looked at me with a side eye....

"Don't look at me." I said.

She shook her head and laughed...

"Okay Kevin....How is Walter doing these days?"she said and gave me the serious side eye.

"He's fine I suppose.."I said laughing...

"You two are something else."she laughed...

"What's going to happen to laughing boy?" I asked.

"Well a number of detectives want to talk to him....He's got 12 murders on him and numerous weapons charges......I don't think he'll be going anywhere for awhile.."she said.

"He was hired by Bobby Holland to kill me."I said dryly...

"How did you find that out?" she asked..

"I have my sources."I said.

"I imagine you do..."she said laughing...

I smiled..Angie had one of the sexiest gap toothed smiles I'd ever seen...She briefly caught me staring at her cleavage...She subtlely covered up...

"He'll never cop to that you know." she said.

"Doesn't matter...He'll be busy explaining all of the other stuff he's done...Like multiple murders and weapons charges."I said.

"You're right..He certainly will."She said.

"I think it's time to pay a visit to Mr. Holland...Don't you?" I asked..

Angie smiled the sexiest smile..

"Yeah Kev...It's been awhile...I'm bettin he has no idea how much we've grown."she said smiling....

I smiled too..

"You're still Golden Ang!" I said.

(CONCLUSION NEXT)