God Don't Like Ugly

I allowed Ralph Scallion to use my office at my job....Since he no longer had an office or even a building to do business in..It had been two days since the massive explosion had destroyed his entire restaurant and the two buildings next door to it...

My wife Sepia and her partner Bonita weren't too happy either...They were both planning to show those other two spaces to perspective buyers...They had hired me to look into the explosion,so I was already on the case...

Ralph looked like hell..Like he hadn't slept since the explosion or bathed...or shaved....He had sunk his life savings into purchasing that establishment and in one night it had all gone up in smoke..

"Kevin...you and I both know that Joey Thompson did this...You can't let him get away with this.."said a distraught Ralph Scallion...He was in tears and the frustration on his face was evident..

He was the reason I do what I do..Somebody had to stand up for the powerless...Protect em from the wolves and bullies of the world...I figure it might as well be me...I had lost money in this venture myself...Ralph had contracted me to stream my Satellite radio station and Television stations into his establishment...So if this was Joey Thompson...He had cost me and my wife income and I definitely was not pleased...

"You know...Dollar Bill came over to my apartment yesterday.....Minay told him what happened...He was shocked...He really looked hurt and shaken...He offered me and Roc our old jobs back at the Bottom of The Sea until we can get back on our feet....That was good of him...He's alright..."said Ralph Scallion...

"You are insured aren't you Ralph?"I asked.

"Oh yeah...heavily insured...The Cyclone Insurance Company....I'll get my money...To buy another shop...Next time..I won't buy across the street from a gangster..." said Ralph...."I wish I could pay you to go after him Kev." said Ralph...

"I'm already being paid to look into it...Sepia and Bonita took a serious loss in income because of that explosion...They have hired me to look into it..."I said..

Ralph managed to smile a bit.

Everybody knew that this was Joey Thompson's handy work...but proving it would be another thing. I had Clerow and Owen Todd following him with Sean Jackson, who had  photographed his comings and goings for the past two days....

"Ralph , go home, get cleaned up ,get some sleep...and I promise you...Joey Thompson will pay for his misdeeds if he is in fact guilty...."I said..

II-

 "And that is going to take some time." came the voice of an attractive dark skinned woman who suddenly appeared in my office.

"You are Ralph Scallion?" she said looking at Ralph ,who suddenly perked up and smiled..

"Yes....YES I Am.. and you are?" he said.

"I'm Bonnie Shay...I'm an insurance investigator for Cyclone insurance...I was told I might find you here." she said..

I smiled..."Hi ,I'm..." I said.

"I know who you are Mr. Morris...You are the CEO of Morris Communications...I used to read your blog and then your columns back when you worked for this company..before you bought it and expanded it...and rather well I see...I also know that you're a Private Investigator...Which is the second reason why I'm here.." she said and smiled..

This caught both Ralph and I off guard....That and that she'd said all of that in one breath...

"The uh second reason?" I said..

"I could use your help....You know these streets and you know the guys on these streets...The running rumor is that one of your neighbors, a Joseph Thompson had your place leveled because you refused to move your location..."said Bonnie Shay...

"I like that...you do your homework.."I said.

"I have to...I haven't been able to get a meeting with Mr. Thompson...But before I even do that..I want to go over the landscape..." she said...

"Already covered." came another voice...And for the second time today...There was a stranger in my office....I was going to have to have a talk with Harry Charles about this..

A white guy, tall, about my age...With a nice suit on....He was either a lawyer, a wiseguy or a cop....Turns out he was a cop...

He offered his hand.....I shook it..

"Diamond...Bobby Diamond....DETECTIVE BOBBY DIAMOND, Arson...  I picked up Joey Thompson yesterday...but he has a rock solid alibi...He was at his home at 5:00 am when the bomb went off...The street cams show his arrival and his key card in his loft shows what time he arrived and that he didn't leave until well after...I checked his phone records too..He didn't make any calls." said Detective Diamond..

I smiled..

"Of course he's going to have a rock solid alibi...You don't think he'd do it himself?" I said.

"I picked up Moon Doggie as well and he too alibied out...but I know what you mean..This aint my first rodeo...I know how these guys work..and I know him....There was another mysterious explosion attributed to him a couple of years ago...Same thing...Rival guy refused to move his drug operation a few blocks away...Rival's house exploded a night later...Which is why I'm here...Lt. Sissy Van Buren and her detectives said that you are one of only two Private Investigators that they like and trust...They sang your praises, as did the FBI and the DEA...I can't argue with that...So you must be good...I was suggesting we work together...You can be my eyes and ears on the street." he said.

I smiled..

''Wow..Everybody wants to work with me huh? Not a problem..Give me your phone number....So I can contact you....I ask only one thing."I said.

"What's that?" he said...

"I work independently....I may do a few things that aren't so uh legal...Things you both would be better not knowing or witnessing....But I'll get you good clean information that you can use....Just don't ask HOW I got it....We good?" I said.

Bobby D. looked at Bonnie Shay...

''Works for me." she said.

''Hey ,you get me my information so I can make my collar and I didn't ask you a thing.."he said.

We all shook hands and smiled..

"Coffee anyone?" I said.

III-

 Ralph Scallion, Bonnie Shay,Detective Diamond and I surveyed the sight of the explosion...The smoke was still sifting from the debris...and an old bombed out car was in front of the building...

"Oh My God....this looks like a terrorist attack."said Bonnie Shay...

"It was." I remarked...

"From the looks of the burns...There was two accellerents..Which is odd if this was just a normal fire..."said Detective Bobby D. as he searched through the ruble and examined things...He had a crew of arson specialists examining the rubble...

"I got guys on the Traffic cams, Street cams and ATM cams in the nearby area...I've expanded the scope to 15 square miles...I don't know how long it will take before we get a hit..."said Detective Diamond..

"I've studied arson myself in my line of work....and look...the first blast came from here..near the front...and then the second blast and fire ,originated in the kitchen area..."said Bonnie Shay...

"Which means you guys suspect arson?" I said..

"Oh yeah...but proving it beyond a shadow of a doubt will take time... And then there is the question of WHO is responsible."said Detective Bobby D.

"With All the money I stand to get in insurance...it makes me look very guilty doesn't it?" said Ralph Scallion...

"I must admit Mr. Scallion...It does..Which is why I was told to leave no stone un turned.."said Bonnie Shay...

"I'd like to turn your stones."whispered Ralph Scallion to Bonnie Shay...

''Excuse me Mr. Scallion?" she said.

"You heard me...I find you extremely attractive...Why don't we have drinks after this and..."he said.

"And what?" she asked..

"And..And..we'll see where things go from there.."he said.

"I'm an insurance investigator...I'm currently investigating the explosion of your establishment..i.e-YOU..I'd see a conflict of interests Mr. Scallion."she said.

"Conflict of Interest? Not me...I'm quite interested in you..I see no conflict there..Just think about it.."he whispered...

Bonnie Shay was a dark skinned woman, but I would swear she blushed and smiled ,despite fighting mightily not to...

"But that gangster, Joey Thompson did this..Everybody knows this..." said Ralph Scallion...getting back on the subject at hand...

"Everybody says this...but right now..There is no proof that he had anything to do with this...For what it's worth..I believe you Mr. Scallion...but I have to do a through investigation.."said Bonnie Shay..

"As do I.."said Detective Bobby D.

"So I'm a suspect?" said Ralph Scallion...

"I can't lie to you Mr. Scallion....Yes you are....So is Joey Thompson...Until my investigation has concluded.."he said.

"God don't like ugly.."said Ralph Scallion.

"Come on Ralph...I'll take you home...Let them do their job...I'll call you when we have something..."I said.

"Detective?   Ms. Shay? I'll be in touch." I said.

He looked at Bonnie Shay one last time..,.

"Ms. Shay...I'd like to uh stay in touch with you too."he said and winked..

She smiled sheepishly..

"Oh myyy.."she found herself saying and she giggled to herself like a school girl...

IV-

In the basement of Morris Communications at the semi secret headquarters of Morris investigations...I talked to my guys...

''So what do you guys have?" I asked. Clerow, Owen Todd and Sean Jackson had been shadowing Joey Thompson for the past two days in different rental cars....and taking photos of him...They had placed GPS tracking units on both of Joey Thompson's cars and on Moon Doggie's car...So far they hadn't discovered that they were being traced.

"He bought a bakery up in Little Norway Kev..The one that used to be owned by the Nidal Brothers...He's got two partners...These two cool cats...Never seen em before Kev.The Bakery is a front for his drug operation...High grade Heroin...I don't know where it comes from...But this guy here...He drives the stash in early in the morning and they pack it down in the basement....."said Owen Todd.

"He has about 39 regular customers....They come at night,long after hours...They pick up their stash and they get paid...and or make payments...Sean got good photos of them..."said Clerow..

''How does this tie in with Joey Thompson?" I asked.

Sean Jackson showed me photos...

"He and Moon Doggie come in...Have coffee and doughnuts and their two partners....go over the books with them...All the books...and they get their cut...He gives his orders and they leave..Always after a night where the buyers have come."said Sean Jackson..

''We need to get inside that Coffee Shop...How heavily guarded is it?I asked..

"They got one guard boss...Two cameras...One in the front and one in the back...."said Clerow..

Peeping Tom looked at me...

"I got five guys...Five ex-CIA guys and one ex-KGB guy..."he said.

"So you have six."I said ,laughing...

"Uh yeah..We've cracked far more sophisticated security systems than what these bozos are probably using...If Lockpick Johnson can bypass the security...We can take out those cameras and get inside and wire that bakery for sound and video for you in ways you wouldn't believe." he said.

"Of that I have no doubt...Can you clone phones and computers and get a look at those books?" I asked..

Peeping Tom smiled..

"Come on Kev...What do you think we spent our careers doing and under far more difficult circumstances..." he said smiling...

"Okay...you and Lockpick Johnson round up your guys...You need muscle?" I asked..

"Nah..we'll have hardware on us..."he said.

"Be careful"I said.

We had exposed his drug operation....somewhat...But that wasn't what I wanted...I wanted a bomber...

So while Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson and their operatives went about their task...I was busy looking at the photos of the three partners....

I faxed the photos to Lt. Sissy Van Buren, FBI Deputy SAC Sharon Hopkins and DEA SAC Carol Redding...Between the three of them..Somebody should know who they were..

I figured between the Philadelphia Police Department, The FBI and The DEA...somebody should know who these guys were..

V-

So like I said...I went to a bar... The Mermaid Club...A nice enough establishment...but the clientele was a little more low rent than say Josies....

I sat up at the bar where my friend, Joe Neptune was the bartender....

"What are you havin Kev?" he asked..

"Two Coronas." I said.


He smiled...

"Comin up....You're fishin for somethin aren't you?" he asked..

"Yeah...You heard about Ralph Scallion's joint.."I said.

"Yeah everybody heard..We are all sick about it.."he said. "Some White Detective named Diamond come around askin questions...He had some black broad with him...an insurance investigator...No one would talk to em.."he said.

"Yeah I figured..Listen...between me and you Joe...This job was done by a highly skilled bomber..He used a car bomb and a bomb already in the kitchen somewhere to do the job.....You know anybody new that would be new in town that might be into that kind of work?" I asked..

Just then I was tapped on the shoulder...

"You really need to mind your business Kev."came the voice of Mason "Moon Doggie" Montana...

I turned...Joe Neptune looked frightened...

"It is my business, My wife and her partner and I lost money in that deal....."I said.

"You know...I can't stop a cop and whoever that was with him from askin questions...but I sure can stop a nosy guy like you."he said.

"You really think you're going to stop me don't you? And you think I'm going to let you don't you?" I said.

People began getting up and moving away...

"Moon Doggie...Not in here...Joe Neptune is a good guy...Let's take this outside."I said.

"Good...I aint never liked you anyhow."he said..."Or your boy Kool Kat neither..."he said.

"I'll be sure to tell him.."I said..

"You aint gone have no teeth in your mouth to talk with and your jaw gone be broke by the time I get finished with you."he said as we walked out the back....

I saw him putting on brass knuckles as we walked out the back...

Which is why once out the back door-

 I didn't give him a chance to hit me with those things..I kicked him in his groin...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, agrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."he moaned and I punched him three or four times in his face...drawing blood...

He went to swing at me with that left hand and I blocked it and hammered him again with a left- right
combonation...

I crouched and backed him up with some lefts and rights to his body and slammed a left right combonation to his jaw which sent him flying into the wall...A trash can that was stacked fell and crashed onto his head...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he moaned in pain...

''Wow..That looked like it hurt." I remarked. Now he was furious....

"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YOUUUUUUU!!!" he yelled and lunged at me again...

I caught him with an uppercut and another left right combonation and more punishing lefts and rights to the body.....

He winced in pain and fell to the ground.....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lawddddd..." he moaned...

His face was a bloody mess, his lip swollen...his nose bleeding and his left eye swollen shut...

He tried to swing at me again with that hand that had the brass knuckles...I used a trash can to block it..

"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." he groaned....

He charged at me..I crouched and I landed about 12 good lefts and rights to his face.....I caught him with an uppercut that damn near ripped his head off and then clocked him in his jaw and sent him flying.... He quickly got to his feet and charged me again...throwing haymakers...I dodged them all and ripped his midsection with well placed lefts and rights and then cold cocked him in his jaw, sending him spinning around..

I again punished his midsection with 10-12 lefts and rights and then planted more lefts and rights to his face...He fell to the ground..

He slowly got back up and I crowned him with a trash can....

"Ooooooooooooooooooouuuu." he moaned and fell to the ground again...out for the night!!!...

The crowd clapped....and cheered and whistled...

Joe Neptune laughed his head off....

Moon Doggie was groggy...he looked like he was trying to go in his jacket to pull out a gun...A familliar face appeared...It was Kool Kat...Kool Kat cocked his .357 magnum and placed it at his temple..

"Uh-Uh -Uh...I wouldn't do that ace."he growled...

He shook his head...

"What I tell you about goin out and not callin me Kev?" he said laughing...."Although I see you did just fine without me.." he said and took Moon Doggie's gun from him...

He was a bloody mess...

"He don't like you Kools..."I said laughing and standing over him...

"Awwww geez..I'm heart broken..." said the big man..

I leaned down and looked at Moon Doggie...

"So uh what was that Doggie?? I should mind my what? Tell your punk boss...that it's just a matter of time before he gets his...God don't like ugly..."I said..

Kool Kat was laughing his head off...He leaned down...

"And just so you know Doggie...I never liked you either."he said and we walked away...

Moon Doggie tried to get up, but he couldn't...he fell back down and lay there unconscious in the alley..

(TO BE CONTINUED)