Another Breathtaking Guy

My company..Morris Communications provides a live satellite feed of non stop neo soul, classic r&b,jazz and hip hop to neighboring businesses that apply for it... We have a satellite television station that provides movies, sports and music videos in the same capacity...as well as online and hard copy magazines and newspapers...and a new music streaming service.....That's how we make our money...

We also provide our conference room for use to local businesses who wish to hold meetings...Today, my former client...Bridget Jones had been here most of the morning holding a meeting with my friends, Chris Thompson and Chess ,who owned two huge shopping centers...

She was opening two of her new lingerie stores in their newest shopping center....Also on hand was Cherry Johnson and her assistant, Minay...

Both women ,who were the managers of the Victoria's Secret in Chris and Chess's 1st Shopping Center were on hand to not only welcome Bridget to the neighborhood, but to announce that they too were opening a Victoria's Secret outlet store in the same shopping center...

It was a very friendly and sometimes raucous meeting....I wasn't in the meeting...but I heard a lot of laughter coming from inside the conference room...

Sean Jackson , Harry Charles and I stood outside of the conference room talking...

"Damn Kev, Chris and Chess have those girls dying in there.." said Harry Charles...

"Yeah, considering they're going to be in direct competition..that's no mean feat!" said Sean Jackson..

"It'll be okay...Have you been to their second Shopping Center? It's huge...much bigger than their original one ,with way more stores...Those shops are on opposite sides of the space...Besides..These women have been in quiet competition for years...My wife and all the women I know go to one or the other of both...Now they'll be in closer proximity."I said..

The meeting ended and Chris ,Chess ,Cherry and Minay all filed out...Laughing and smiling...

"It was all good Kevin...great place you got here."laughed Chris Thompson ,who winked...

"Glad you like it." I smiled...   He and his partner Chess...My wife, Sepia and her partner Bonita and my friend,Clerow and his partner Owen Todd, all owners of successful business ventures had helped me buy my small magazine from the Harris group many years before and had watched as I turned one magazine into the communications conglomerate I had now...with Radio and Television stations, Music streaming, online publishing,et al...Chris had thrown in the very building we used for the business and my private investigation agency located in the sub-basement of this very building...

Bridget walked out as Harry Charles and two of his assistants prepared for her second meeting..

"Well...That went well.."said Bridget...

"You have another meeting today don't you?" I said.

"Yes..with your wife....We are going to be neighbors soon...I'm making settlement on my new house today....It's down the street from you and Sepia...I love it." she said.

"Yeah...Sepia and I did a walk through....I LOVE IT!! Wanna trade?" I joked...

"Not a chance!!!.."laughed Bridget...."Here comes your wife now..."she said..

My wife Sepia arrived with her briefcase....

"Hey guys...Bonita won't be able to make it...Something came up...but I have the paperwork here with me....I just need your "John Hancock" Bridget.."said Sepia..

"No problem...uh Kevin...before we go in, could I uh ask a favor?" said Bridget...

"Sure...What's up?" I asked..

"You heard about Brian "Kid Galavan" Galliant didn't you?" asked Bridget....

I hung my head down...

"Yeah...I heard he got killed last week........Shame...I followed him...Went to a couple of his boxing matches with Kool Kat...He was 39-0...about to get a shot at a championship match.... Who would want to kill him?"I said.

"That's the thing..Who? Everybody loved him...I uh must admit...I uh once dated him and considered getting back with him once...He was uh a breath taking guy.."said Bridget..

"I'll say...He was handsome and such a gentleman...I can't imagine anybody killing him.."said Sepia..

"You talk to Sissy?" I asked..

"Yeah...but they are swamped right now...they just closed four big cases...and they appear to be working on something bigger right now..and the detectives that are working the case don't seem to care much and can't get any co-operation from the streets....I was wondering if you could look into it...kick up some dirt...I'm prepared to pay you..."said Bridget..

"Bridget..you're opening up two new stores and you're buying a house...I'd say you're stretched pretty thin right now .."I said..

"Kevinnnnnnnnnnnnn...She's our friend.."said my wife Sepia...

"I didn't say I wouldn't look into it....I just said she was stretched thin...How bout if I uh do this on the house and my wife gets a discount on any new lingerie that comes through your store that's ultra-sexy?" I asked..

Bridget looked at Sepia...

Sepia smiled and shook her head...

"I'm sorry Bridge...He's so impossible sometimes..."she said laughing..

"No...That's a good deal...Okay...Anything new comes in that Sepia wants ,she gets for free...Thank you Kevin.."she said and kissed me on the cheek...

Sepia laughed...

"Ouuu,I'm gonna hurt you.."she said..

"That's the whole idea babes."I said laughing as they entered the conference room..

II-

 I remembered the crime scene..It had been a week since the horrific murder...Brian  "Kid Galavan" Galliant was driving a  Black 2007 Nissan Z  and was hit by a shotgun blast and killed instantly.....Two men were seen driving off..The car wasn't his...It belonged to a friend.

Everybody had been talking about it.....I didn't know him personally, but Clerow, Sean Jackson, Owen Todd,Donald Smooth, Chris Thompson, Chess,Kool Kat and I had been to  a number of his fights..

Kool Kat, not usually a betting man, had bet heavily on a few of his fights and had won big on several occassions...He had bought a round of drinks for us afterwords at Josies..

We had really partied after his last big win...

"Kev..He's got a shot at the championship..."screamed Kool Kat...

We were all happy for him....and now he was dead! Murdered...Kool Kat for one was sick about the whole thing...

I asked around...I must have talked to from 50 to 60 people...Men and Women, and nobody...I mean nobody had a bad thing to say about this guy....

The women loved him..

"Ouuuuu..he was a breath taking guy.." they all said..

The men wanted to be him!!

"Man..he really could dress...and had class too...I loved that guy...Loved the way he sized his man up and took him apart like a surgeon...Now there was a fighter, a pure fighter.."they all said..

I hadn't even established a motive for killing him...Nobody stood to gain anything from his death...Only take a loss..

III-

I sat in the new brewery that afternoon ,having a couple of cold micro brews....It had been a long day...

This was an upscale place...peopled by hipsters and young people...Not the type of place you'd run into hoods....but wouldn't you know I'd run into one...

Burt Cooney...once a fighter himself...now a leg breaker for whatever juice man (Loan Shark) was paying and rumored to be a hired gun if needed...

He walked over and sat down at my table..

He helped himself to one of my brews....I looked at him like he was crazy....

"You know Burt....If your mother had taught you any manners, she'd of told you that you wait for a guy to invite you to his table before you take it upon yourself to invite yourself and then drink his drink...You owe me two fifty..."I said.

Burt laughed...

"Like you're going to get that...Check this out KEVIN!!!...I hear you been asking questions about Kid Galavan's murder...Been goin around all day, askin people about him ,if they know who iced him and all...Not good for your health you know?" he said.

I smiled..

"Did you kill him Burt? Nah...you're too chickenshit to do such a thing..."I said. He didn't like being talked to like that.

"See, that's your problem...You got a smart mouth and you stick your nose where it don't belong...You been pokin it in a lot of people's business lately...just not the right one.."he snarled..

"So I take it that this is a threat right Burt?" I said.

"Take it anyway you want...Consider it a warning...Don't ask anymore questions about it..."he said.

"Or what?  See Burt...I have a paying client that wants to know...So you're sticking your nose in my business.."I said as I quaffed the last beer down and left a few dollars on the table..

I got up and walked toward the door...

I saw him put on some brass knuckles and follow me...

 I really wasn't in a mood for a fight tonight...but Burt was a nasty guy...a guy who hadn't liked me for years...and a guy who needed a lesson taught to him...

Once out the door, I didn't give Burt a chance to hit me with those brass knuckles...I spun around....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.....


"Didn't you used to box Burt?  I guess you didn't win much huh?" I quippped.

"Ouuuuuu youu...I'll TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!!!" he moaned...I hit him with another left -right combonation...

"Oooooof.." he moaned...He swung another haymaker...I dodged it and landed several more lefts and rights to his already bloody face...His lips were swollen and his eyes nearly swollen shut....

A small crowd had gathered to watch...Many who knew Burt Cooney and couldn't stand him...They were enjoying seeing the tar being beat out of him...

He swung aimlessly at me again...Again he missed and again..I answered with lefts and rights to his body and his face...

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

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

"Had enough Burt?" I asked..

He pulled himself up and defiantly said-

"Screw You Kevin,ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he groaned, obviously in pain, but more embarrased that crowd of people had seen him get the snot beat out of him...

His face was a bloody mess, his lip swollen...his nose bleeding and his left eye swollen shut...He pulled himself up...blood running like a river from his nose and mouth....People were snickering....

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!!!...

People began to clap and to laugh.....

"Good night Burt..."I said and then went in his pocket and took a twenty out of his wallet...

"That was for the beer..."I said and tucked his wallet back in his pocket..

"Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn" said one onlooker... "Kicked Burt's ass AND took his dough!" said another..

Burt was breathing , but in pain and nearly unconscious...

I took my phone out and dialed 911...

''See ya around Burt... You need to get back in the gym...work on that right cross..."I said...

He groaned...Then he fell over...Unconscious!!!!

"Sweet Dreams Burt" I said finally as I walked away...

I then walked down the street towards my car as onlookers walked by...Soon an ambulance came and picked Burt's unconscious body up off the street....

Now that somebody had hired this low rent punk to lean on me...I knew that I had stirred up a hornets nest...I was good at that...I was now determined to get to the bottom of this, just to piss off whoever sent Burt to shut me down...

Game on!

(TO BE CONTINUED)