"Thank you for coming Kevin...." He said and passed me a tumbler of coffee...
"Well Eddie...This is what you pay me for..."I said sitting down in his office, which could use a good cleaning...
His desk was a mess...Full of papers and what looked like legal documents....His Trash cans looked like they hadn't been emptied in two weeks...
His office smelled like stale beer, stale coffee, uneaten Hoagies and Cheese steaks...and smelly feet...
"What'cha find out Kevin?" he asked..
"Well, The police don't believe that Mr. Nelson is dead either... They have a body that is so badly burned...It isn't recognizable...They're trying to get DNA....but they don't have Nelson or any of his family member's DNA to compare it against...I looked at the body...It's a male, same age, height and build as Curly Nelson...but from the charred clothes, I can tell that that isn't him..."I said..
"Well who is it?" he asked.
"I don't know...but I have a few ideas that I'm looking into....I visited his condo and talked to his wife..."I said.
"She was no help was she?" he asked.
"More than she might know...Of course she told me that he's dead....But in the week that he's been dead...Nobody has claimed the body....Nobody has made any funeral arrangements and his business is going on as usual...His corners are still doing steady business as usual...Mr. Nelson has not been seen at all...but he doesn't have to be....That condo he lives in is huge...He has his wife there, he has all of the comforts of home there..Food...Computers, 56 inch curved Flat Screen TV....He doesn't have to be seen or leave...I've got a couple of my guys watching that Condo....The wife leaves ever so often..She goes shopping like most women..She buys groceries..and get this...She buys enough for two...and here is the kicker..."I said pulling out two glossy photos...
"She gets a visit at least twice a week from these two cool cats...You recognize them?" I asked showing the photos to Eddie.
He looked at the photos and smirked..
"Yeah I know both of them...Two nasty pieces of business...The first guy here...the tall thin, well dressed guy is Tommy "Tommy Gun" Noonan...That's Curly's number two...His lieutenant and enforcer...He handles the day to day on the streets...He supplies the boys, he pays the boys and he takes in the money....The muscular guy is "Benny"..Benjamin Carter...His driver and his muscle...Anybody gets out of line ,Benny handles it..." said Eddie..
"Now they of course could be dropping by to make sure the grieving widow is alright....But considering they both have briefcases and bags...My guess is they are dropping by to deliver the count to him and to get instructions from the boss.."I said.
"So you're thinking that the boss..Curly Nelson is in his condo and has never left...right?" said Eddie.
''Absolutely..."I said.
''Well How do you flush him out, outside of starting a fire in that damn suite?" said Eddie.
We both cracked up laughing...
"I have an idea I'm going to explore...I'll get back to you tomorrow...Maybe I'll have some good news for you." I said.
"Gee Thanks Kevin.." he said and shook my hand...
"Courage Eddie.....A change is gonna come ."I said.
"Thanks Kevin..." he said as I left...
Filled with Laptop computers, Flat screen monitors and spyware and other equipment that could rival any police station.....
My good friend, Peeping Tom, an ex-CIA operative and his five friends, four ex CIA agents and one ex KGB agent manned the office most days....Today was one of them...
Also present was my guys, Lockpick Johnson, Sean Jackson, Clerow and Owen Todd...
"No sign of Curly Nelson yet huh?"I said.
"Nah boss...but those two goons have been over there three times today....They left with the wife and then they all returned...Then the two guys left...."said Clerow..
"You think Nelson is in the apartment Kevin? "asked Peeping Tom....
"I do...That's why I didn't ask you guys to go in and wire the place..I suspect he may be in there and he may not be alone...Or he's armed...It's not worth the risk just yet.."I said.
"What can we do?" asked Lockpick Johnson...
"Nothing...This calls for some street sense...When technology fails...We have to use good old fashion treacherousness."I said laughing..
III-
Despite being in the middle of this case... I needed a break.....I met my wife, Sepia and our daughter, Kimberly in the park...
She would always smile when she saw me and walk towards me...and then fall down right when she got up close to me...I would catch her before she fell and pull her towards me, laughing and hugging her..
Sepia watched the two of us and just laughed..
For the moment...Everything felt so peaceful, so light..
I wondered to myself if a storm was coming...
I gave serious thought to closing up shop...Why did I keep on doing this? Helping people? I made enough money and Sepia made enough money to take care of ourselves...I didn't need to risk my life at times with this Private Investigation thing...but then again..I never felt more alive then when I was out on those streets with the guys...Investigating...bringing some hood to justice...
"Because....Kimmy should be good and sleepy when I get her home and then you and I could have some alone time.."she whispered...
"Just something to think about baby."she whispered...
IV-
"Thanks for the brews Kev...but I know you....You aint buying me brews just to be nice..You want information don't you?" he asked..
He smiled..
"Yeah..Shame about what happened to him huh? Somebody got to him.." he said.
"Knock it off O. You know and I know that he's very much alive....What do the streets say?"I asked.
He looked around and then he whispered...
"Listen...you didn't hear this from me okay?" he whispered..
"Of course not!" I said..
"Who else you been askin about him?" he asked..
"Nobody...Well his wife and she insists he's dead..." I said.
"I don't know for sure whether he is alive or not..I aint seen him..Nobody has...but business is rolling as usual...He was buying major product from London Cummings and his boys....As was every damn body else in the city...It was the bomb, good stuff..So I hear.... London and his boys screwed up bad and the cops intercepted a major...and I mean a major shipment...This boat had enough product to juice the city and then some for months on end....That led to a big investigation and heads rolled...Cummings and his whole crew are now dead...The hitman they hired dead....and the city is dry...Bone dry, Everybody been buying from other suppliers....other connects...I hear that Curly sub-contracted the hit on old Mac Heath...in county....The Feds have the actual killer in custody and he named Curly as the one who sub-contracted the hit....He got his orders from some guy...Some big guy, real connected...The one who was supplying the shipment."said Owen..
"Nobody knows...And it seems that everybody who did know is dead, except for Curly Nelson...The Federallis want him to lead them to this guy...This big guy..He knew that testifying or even giving the idea that he might testify would put a bullseye on his back and he wasn't about to do that..." said Owen.
"So he bails himself out and fakes his death?" I said.
"That's the story I'm hearing...but it's just a story....Can't prove it...Hell he could be dead...Aint nobody seen him...Nobody that's talking..."said Owen.
I nodded.
"You don't think another crew is making a move on him?" I asked..."Just being the Devil's Advocate"I added.
"Nah....and think about this...If he really was dead...Wouldn't now be the time to do it? Nah...The Streets know he's still very much alive...He's trying to fool this out of towner...this big guy who was a major connect." said Owen..
"If I've begun to figure out he's still alive and the police that I know are figuring it out too...How long do you think it will take for this man he's so afraid of to find out also?" I said.
Owen shrugged..
"I don't know....I'm just glad it aint my problem..."he said.
We both laughed and quaffed down more beer...
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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