Prolouge-Never Love A Stranger

Chris and Chess had brought several huge Television monitors and were streaming popular movies every night of the week...in the park...It was being catered by Mabel Jenkins Soul Food Joint and Sam Mother's diner......The food wasn't free...but the movies were....Chris and his girlfriend and Chess ,Rell and their children were there.
My main man Kool Kat was here with his girlfriend,Chelsea.. Along with Lockpick Johnson and his wife and kids and my white friend, Peeping Tom Constanoble..an ex-CIA agent who helped me numerous time on my cases....

And I was here...Me? Kevin Morris, sometimes Private Investigator...Husband,Father and business owner all the time..I am the CEO of Morris Communications who was doing this along with my friends and business partners..Chris Thompson,Chess and Donald Smooth..

Everyone was there.....Clerow and Corabeth and their three children, Sean and Sheila Jackson, Harry Charles and Bernadette, who had just given birth to a third child..Cock Robbins and Vanessa, Mabel and 88, Anita Jenkins and Chance Howard, Blake and Cherish and Cole and Nicole Butler,Josie and Paris...

Josie's employers, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her husband, Donnie Ray Alexander were here tonight...They had just returned from thier vacation  in New Orleans, Louisiana ,

while her close friend and Olivia's pretty little niece, Beverly West and her boyfriend, Nelson East had just arrived too, back from their vacation in the Bahamas....They had their chairs together...They saw us and waved...

Former ADA Soloman Foster was there with his wife, Celeste Tate...Also a former ADA and their baby boy...

They were sitting with Livy,Donnie Ray,Bev and Nelson...That's what was so magical..and so cool about all of us..We all were in different cliques...but we all got along and we all managed to hang out together either at Josies or Chris and Chess's shopping centers and events like this...I loved it..

Deacon Larry Weatherford and his wife Victoria ,Owen Todd and his fiance also had a lawn chair and sat outside with us....So Did Deacon Basil Robinson and his wife..

Our friend Eva Corona was there with a guy I'd never seen before...

Sepia and I were sitting in the field enjoying ourselves....

She had on a white sundress and was rocking our little girl to sleep....  I smiled and tickled our daughter's feet...She looked at me and smiled...

''Kevin ,she'll never go to sleep if you keep tickling her feet." laughed Sepia..

I smiled..but said nothing...

Attorney,Robert Foxworth, his wife, Bonita ,who was my wife's business partner...arrived with their new bundle of joy....a bouncing baby boy...Robert Jr. They sat down with us....

''Ohhhh Bonita...look at him..he's so cute."said my wife Sepia..

"I'm just glad he is out of me and I still have summer left.." said Bonita laughing...

"Heyy old man." I said to Robert Foxworth...

''Nice night eh Kevin?"he said.

"Indeed!' I said.

II-

Chris, Chess and Donald Smooth had their security guys out along the perimeter...Just to make sure that nobody got robbed and nothing untoward went on...

From what I could see..We had a huge crowd....A far cry from the days when Chris,Chess,Donald Smooth, Sean Jackson and I had first moved in this neighborhood.....It had been a dump...except for a few neighborhoods....Then Chris and Chess and later on Clerow and his partner Owen Todd began buying up properties on the cheap and began rehabbing Apartments and Condos and renting them on the cheap to a whole new generation of young people and young families...Between their businesses and their two shopping centers...Jobs flourished and most of these people began to take advantage of the inexpensive and modern housing...

New Businesses like Mabel Jenkin's Soul Food Joint, Aqua Bar, Stoleys, Mulberry Street ,Bottom of the C. ,et al joined old businesses like Gus's bar, Josies and Sam Mother's Diner, Bernadette 's Hair Salon...and the Mermaid Club and everybody began to benefit...The Church and the Schools and Playground...

My wife and Bonita became relators and began selling brand new rehabbed houses to a lot of younger people and families looking to move up...Our little community had grown and prospered as had all of us....

This was one of the things Chris and Chess did for the neighborhood every summer....A free week of concerts or this, free movies...My job, Morris Communications was providing the live feed of current movies for free...It was all good..

I got up wandered around and got food for my wife and our friends... Mabel's workers served up hot heaping platters of soul food...I remembered a time when she and her sisters, Corabeth,Victoria and Anita had to do all of the cooking and serving...They had now become so successful that they were able to hire a full staff for both of her establishments..

Ralph Scallion and his daughter, Raquel or "Rock" as we called her had some workers serving seafood and other dishes at another station...courtesy of Dollar Bill's joint, "Bottom of the C."  and Sam Mother had a station up serving other foods...

This was a nice way for them all to get free publicity and to make a little money..

"Hey Kevin" came two familliar voices...  I turned around only to see my good friends,
ADA Keith Wallace, and his beautiful wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace and
Lt. Sissy Van Buren and her husband,Eddie C.

"Heyyy guys.." I said..

"How was Vegas?" asked Keith Wallace..

''We had a blast and I didn't lose any money.." I joked..

"That's always good." said Eddie C.

"So is your family here Kevin?" asked Carlotta...

I pointed..

"Yeah, they're over there...I'm on a food run."I said.

Sissy smiled..

"You sure now? You're not on a case?" she joked.

"Positive...."I laughed...

"Hey Kev."came the voice of Detective Tyriq Pile, who was there with his wife, Detective Sirena Pile and their three children...

"Hey Rico...I'm out here with my daughter tooo..we are over there.." I said.

"I have to go over and say hello to Sepia and your baby girl." said Sirena..

From a distance..Sepia saw us talking and waved...

I could see that Detective Tony Hopkins and his wife and my good friend, FBI Deputy special agent in charge...Sharon Hopkins were with Sepia and Bonita looking at the baby...THey waved at us..

I felt a tap on my shoulder...I turned around and Detective Duke Baylor and his wife, Dr.Hazel Hunter -Baylor were behind me smiling..

I laughed...We embraced...

"Big Kev" said Duke..

"Hi Kevin" laughed his wife Hazel..

"Hey with all you law enforcement types out here tonight...Who is going to protect the city?" I joked..

"You are!" came the voice of Detective James Barlow...who was there with his wife, Angie...Detective Angie Belton..

"What's up Jimmy?" I said as we both laughed and embraced...

"Not tonight Jimmy...I'm off, as are you guys.." I said.

"Hi Kevin...Last time I saw you, we were cracking a case..." said his wife Angie ,who at one time had been my girlfriend...

"Yeah...that was a good case we brought in...How you doin?" I asked..

"I'm fine."she said and smiled..

Yes she was..I mused..Always had been...

"Well...It looks like your movie is starting....Let me run and get this food before ours starts...Always nice running into you guys..."I said.

"Especially when we need your help with a case."Laughed Sissy...

We all burst into raucous laughter...

As I headed back toward my crew...I had a warm feeling inside...

Sepia kissed me softly as I passed her a platter and platters for Bonita, Robert,Sean, Sheila,Clerow and Corrie,Harry and Bernadette...

What a great night...Hadn't had a major case since the rowdy down on the plane weeks ago....

Life was quiet,Life was good...but that was all about to end almost as soon as the movie ended...

III-

As the movies ended and all of us began to gradually leave the park and head for our homes...I noticed Millionaire playboy and socialite, Rollie Rollerson walking around..

He saw Sepia and I and walked over...

"Oh My Goodnesss...Kevin!!!, Sepia...is this your little one?" he gushed as he picked up our now awake little girl and nuzzled her...

"Yes ,this is she.."said Sepia, smiling...

He jokingly looked at Sepia...

"Sepia ,this baby is too cute...you sure it's Kevin's?" he said giving me a side eye...I smiled ruefully...

"Yes..I'm afraid it is..." she laughed..

We all laughed at Rollie's joke...

"I'm surprised to see you out and about Rollie..." I said.

"Are you kidding..you know me...I've always been a social butterfly..I'm still on the board of the Harris Group, the ones who used to own your company...They are still steamed that you were allowed to buy your company from under them and then turn it into even a bigger moneymaker..They fired everybody that gave you a hard time..They know you'll never sell it back to them." he said.

"Not a chance...I like being the Big Cheese.."I laughed..

"I hear that...I don't blame you Kev." he said.

Our conversation was disrupted by the appearence of a woman, one of my former clients who I wasn't even aware was out here..

"Hello Kevin..." came the voice of Jean Stevens...The former lover of Rollie Rollerson...

"Jean...How are you?" I said..

"I'm fine Mr.Kevin..." she said.."Just out enjoying the movies and the festivities." she said.

''Hello Jean."said Rollie.

"Hello Rollie." said Jean...

My good friend, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander had told me all about how she had brokered a deal between Rollie and Stephen Bristol and how Rollie almost deep sixed it by sleeping with Bristol's fiance...

The two men had buried the hatchet for the sake of money...but Jean had not forgotten his betrayal of her or forgiven him...She had cut all ties with Rollie..Making her the second woman behind Sissy Van Buren that he had ever loved and had messed up a relationship with...

Jean turned from Rollie and walked over to my wife,Sepia...

"I believe we've only met once before....I'm Jean Stevens...one of Kevin's former clients...and you must be Sepia...his lovely wife...Is this your baby?" she said smiling at our daughter...

"I remember you...and yes it is.." she said as Jean gushed at our baby girl...

Rollie had told me and Sean Jackson that sex with Jean was the second best he'd ever had in his life...Second only to Sissy Van Buren...And yet he couldn't leave the younger girls alone..Always had to have them...

I could tell that he missed Jean....but he was dead to her now...and he knew it...

"Well Kevin..nice seeing you again...I see my lawyer and her husband over yonder...Let me go holler at them and then call it a night."said Rollie.

He was Talking about Olivia and Donnie Ray, who were holding hands and descending up the hill..

I had sensed that Jean didn't just show up out of the blue...She needed something...This was proven to be true after Rollie left....

She passed me an envelope.... I looked in it...It was three thousand dollars in it...

"That's a down payment...buy your wife something nice or your baby girl."she said.

I smiled..

"What's up Jean?" I asked.

"I need you to look into somebody for me.." she said.

"Oh really?" I said.

"Nothing heavy....not like before...I've started dating a man...a younger man...and I need you to just check him out..." she said.

"Before it gets serious huh?" I said smiling...

"Yes..before it gets serious..."she said.

"You must have your reservations about him...Maybe that's enough....Maybe you should follow your heart and walk away."I said.

"Welllllllllllllllll...I don't know...I could be wrong..."she said.

"You just handed me three g's and asked me to look into this guy...When a woman does that...a whole lot is wrong.."I said.

"You're a smart man Kevin....I don't want to get into the particulars here..I know you have to get your family home...Stop by my house tomorrow afternoon...I'll give you the details.."she said..

"Okay..."I said.

"Thanks Kevin...Good Night....And it was nice meeting you again Sepia." she said.

"Good Night Ms. Stevens...It was nice seeing you again too." said Sepia as she lifted our daughter ,Kimberly and we headed for our car..

Everybody was gone and the media crew was taking down the speakers and the video monitors and loading them on the trucks..All of the vendors were packing up too...It had been a beautiful night..

Sepia looked at me...I passed her the envelope..

"New case huh lover?" she said.

"Yup! This is supposed to be easy money."I said.

"What have you always told me...There is no easy money..." laughed Sepia..

I pulled her to me and kissed her softly...

"You're a good listener." I said.

No. There was no such thing as easy money and before this case was over...I would more than know that.

(TO BE CONTINUED)