Family ,Friends And Secrets

In a small Irish Pub in Port Richmond... A man known as Edward Terrance sat at a table with some Corn Beef and cabbage and a glass of Guineess Stout Ale and a bottle of Jameson's Whiskey and a shot glass...


He ate and drank heartily....He was six foot, two inches...Broad shoulders and wore tinted glasses...


He looked up and smiled as another White Man, with blonde hair and dark aviator shades walked in and sat down at the table with him....


A Waitress gave him a plate and he helped himself to some Corn Beef and Cabbage...


Edward Terrance passed him the shot glass...He gulped it down...


"Ahhhh Nothin like Jameson's" he said...


"You got any word on Dutch yet Neal.?" asked Edward.


"Not yet...Wherever he's hiding...It's good..." he laughed...


"He'll turn up....I put the fear of God in him in that park...He'll turn up and give me that name.." said Edward Terrance...


"You think this is wise Boss man?  Do you know who his older daughter is? He said and placed a photo of Sissy on the table..

''Damnnn, she's gorgeous...That's Dutch's daughter???" remarked Edward...


"Yeah...His older daughter...Her name is Sissy.. Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren, Criminal Investigative Division, Philadelphia Police Department..." said the man known only as Neal...


"I know....That's why I didn't kill Dutch...You know I could've...I had time..but I want him alive.."said Edward...


"Why??He already knows too much.."said Neal..


"I want him to contact his daughter...I want her to solve my brother's murder...Lead me to his killer...It's personal..." said Edward...


"Personal?? Man..This vendetta of yours could ruin our little thing..Our whole operation.."said Neal..


"How? My brother and I have different fathers.. Different last names...Plus...Nobody knows my name...Nobody that matters anyway...Nobody knows what I look like or that I'm the boss...All they have is a nickname and an urban myth..."said Edward Terrence...


"Tarrantula...Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.."laughed Neal..


"Look...Wherever Dutch is hiding...Put the word out that I want a truce...that he's off the hook..He'll show his face and then we snatch him...That will force his daughter's hand...Her and her unit will solve my brother's murder and then...We kill him....We make him disappear.."laughed Edward Terrance..


"All this for Mikey?" asked Neal...


"He is family...The Only Family I have...."said Edward Terrance...


"Speaking of which....His baby mama and his baby have vanished...Hasn't been seen in three days....And His other Daughter and her husband..They've vanished too...No trace."said Neal..


"You didn't pick up any cell phone activity, no credit card operation?" asked Edward..


"No." said Neal..


"That means they are operating from a cold site....His daughter and her detectives are smart and good...I've heard of em..But they are just cops...And they have no idea that I'm wayyy over their heads..." laughed Edward Terrance...


II-

And Speaking of Family....We had been holed up in our safehouse..The place we nicknamed "Copland" for three days now...

Carlotta and I in the end room, Tyriq and Sirena on one side of us...

Duke and Hazel on the other side of us..

Sissy and Eddie C. across from us...

And Selma Alvarez and her baby ,next door to them...

Jimmy and Angie were on the other side of them....

And Sharon and Hop, a few doors down..

We had cable TV and computers...

for entertainment...And Eddie C...Hop and Tyriq made grocery runs..  We stayed inside mostly and did our cooking and eating there.... Although we all had rooms...We lived comunally,like we always did...Playing cards, Backgammon, chess and laughing and talking..


For all intent and purposes.. We were a family.. We just happened to be in Law Enforcement...

Hazel and I went to court and the M.E.'s office every day...and Eddie C.

Went to work and carefully returned to our safehouse every night...He was able to take messages back to Sissy...


"Sissy...I saw Kevin Morris today....He understands your situation...He says you two need to talk...He might be able to help you... He had Pink with him." said Eddie C.

''Where?" asked Sissy..

"He said Josie's...but to come after closing....and come to the back...Gus will let you in and take you to a room they have on top of Josies...I'll drive you there.." he said..

"No...I can't put you in danger...dear heart....I'll go alone..."said Sissy.."I trust Kevin with my life... I need people here to watch Selma..." said Sissy...

"Siss,it's late at night.. These people after you and Selma and Dutch are dangerous..I'll go.."I said..

"We are all going...We'll take the Van...."said Duke...

"Hazel.. You, Sharon , Keith and Eddie C. hang back...Let us handle this..."said Sirena...Who passed Eddie C. a .40..."We'll be alright.." she said.

Sissy, Tyriq,Jimmy, Duke, Angie, Hop, Carlotta and Sirena all boarded our Surveilience Van and headed towards Josies...Our favorite watering spot..

Sharon looked at Selma, Eddie C., Hazel and me and managed a smile..

"They'll be fine guys...This is what they do..." she said.


III-

It was a little after two when Sissy and her detectives drove up...They waited downstairs in the van as Gus looked around and escorted her up the stairs to the room he kept above Josies...


Seated in the room was Sissy's good friend, Private Investigator, Kevin Morris...and the man known as "Pink..

Kevin hugged her for a long time and kissed her on the cheek.. She kissed him on the cheek..


"Siss, if you were in trouble...Why didn't you call me? You know I'd of helped you...Your the godmother of my child and my friend...We go way back babes.."said Kevin...

"I know ,I know...but enough people are involved in this as it is..."said Sissy...

Pink hugged her too..but she broke away from his embrace...He was enjoying it a tad too much...

Kevin spoke first...


"Sissy...Your dad is okay..." said Kevin...

"You know this how?" said Sissy..

"He reached out to me after he narrowly escaped being executed in the park.. He told me the whole thing and I put him somewhere...Somewhere he'll be safe until this thing is sorted out...Apparently he has some dangerous drinking and card playing buddies...
You ever hear of Jimmy Newlin?" asked Kevin...

''Yes...We've been watching him...He is looking to take over the drug trade in Philly..."said Sissy...

''Well He has formed an unholy alliance with this guy, Nike Johnson...Who also is trying to take over the drug trade in Philly..."said Kevin... "Your dad likes to play cards and gamble in the high stakes crap games floating around...Well Jimmy Newlin, Nike Johnson and another guy known as Mikey Lester played in those games...Mikey Lester was the third playa in this triangle...He too was selling Heroin....from a warehouse in Camden....He was undercutting the other two and it was a better grade of Heroin,I heard." said Kevin...

''What has this got to do with my Father...?" asked Sissy....

''As Kevin said...Your pops played in high stakes crap games with these guys...He knew they were gangsters...but I don't think he knew just how dangerous these guys are.. Mikey Lester was shot and killed and dropped in the river....one night a few weeks ago...His body washed up over in Camden..Your pops witnessed the murder...and about this Mikey Lester...He was just a front...He's aligned with a very dangerous and powerful man known only as Tarrantula.." said Pink..

''Second time I've heard this name...Who is he?" asked Sissy...

"He's the real man on the streets Sis.. The power behind the scenes...He was backing Mikey Lester...Nobody I know has ever seen this guy...And nobody I know knows much if anything about him except that he was a real dirty and skillful CIA Analyst at one time....He was in Afghanistan and made friends....The kind of friends who will front you enough Heroin and Opiates for the right price...He has been buying this junk for awhile now....Mikey Lester set up shop on the outskirts of Camden and was supplying Philadelphia, Baltimore and D.C."
said Kevin...

"So with him dead...Things have slowed down for this Tarrantula character right? Why not just replace him and keep it moving?"asked Sissy..

"I don't know....It's personal with this guy...Like Lester was family or something or a real close friend...Not just that....I hear he's a control freak...He was dating this babe, Odessa Harris..She worked here...She talked about him, but never mentioned his name or where he lived...I saw her just before she died...She was scared....Then I heard that Dutch had gone to ground...I met with my man Kevin who has been looking into this for Dutch and we compared notes....We saw your husband the other day and told him to get word to you that we needed to talk."said Pink..

"I'm grateful to you both....Thank you."said Sissy, who got up...

''Siss...I'll arrange for you to see your dad in a few..He wants to see you...If you need anything and I mean ,anything...Get word to me.. Through Gus..." said Kevin...

"I will..."said Sissy...

"How are you getting back to uh wherever you are?" I asked Sissy...

"The guys are outside."said Sissy pointing to the van...

Kevin smiled...


"Tell em I said Hi." he said.

"I will ."she said smiling....

IV-

When They returned to "Copland" Hazel, Selma and the baby were fast asleep....

So was Eddie C.

Only Sharon and I was still up....


"I told the others to go to bed...I stayed up to wait for you..."said Sharon...

''Good We need to go to work...Let's go to the Monitor Room.." said Sissy...

Inside the monitor room...Carlotta spoke first...

''We've been looking at Mikey Lester for awhile...We weren't able to discover how he was getting his Heroin...but now that we know...Maybe we can make some headway.."she said.

"He's dead...But what is important is who is trying to take over from him....Jimmy Newlin and Nike Johnson..." said Tyriq...

''We need to get on top of them....But I don't think they have anything to do with the murder or your father.." said Jimmy..

"One of those two murdered Mikey Lester and whoever he is, this Tarantula person is willing to move hell and highwater to find the killer.." said Sirena.

''Siss, if the killer was either of them and your pops witnessed it..Wouldn't they be after him...??To silence him??" said Hop...

"Good Point Youngin....The Killer must be someone else...Someone who scares your pops more than either of them." said Duke..

"Still..We need to take both of them off the street.....Their lives could be in danger...Not that I care...and they might know who really killed Mikey Lester..."said Angie...

"Good Thinking....Tomorrow...Chica, Rico, Jimmy...Bring Jimmy Newlin in....Take him downtown to HQ.... Hop....You and Sirena take Nike Johnson...Maybe..Just maybe..They can lead us to this Tarantula person."said Sissy...

"I sure hope his mama didn't name him that..." I laughed..


We all busted out laughing...

"I have some friends in the intelligence community....I'm going to check into this Analyst that left the CIA....Maybe I'll identify your Tarantula person..."said Sharon...

''Angie.. Come with me tomorrow...There was one guy I didn't interview....An Aide that works in the Mayor's Office named Edward Terrance...He hasn't been in the past two days or returned my calls.." said Duke.

"I need to get my hair done...It's been a few days....but yes, partner.. I'll come with you.."said Angie.

Carlotta went in the refrigerator and began mixing some pancake batter....She turned on the oven and turned on the Waffle Maker...


"It's quarter of four...We've been up all night...I'm starting breakfast...." she said.

Sirena ,Angie and Jimmy cracked eggs and set plates on the table..and began frying bacon and sausage...

"Damn, that smells good.."said Tyriq..as he started a pot of coffee.....

Duke began frying some Hash Browns......

"Yes Lawd." I said...

Sharon and Hop were in the corner kissing passionately....

Sissy Smiled...




"Family and the best of friends..." she mused...


V-

And while we prepared to eat an early morning breakfast...Miles away in another part of the city....In an apartment...A bed was squeaking something terrible and the headboard was slamming against the wall..


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu..Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Neal..Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." moaned Drug Kingpin Nike Johnson and the man known as Neal plowed into his rear end.....


"Yesssssssssssssss....Yesssssssssssssssssssss...."


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...." moaned Nike Johnson.....


Both men exploded passionately...They had been making sweet love for hours..


Drug Kingpin ,Nike Johnson, Black, six foot four and muscular ,curled up in the bed and covered himself as the white man known only as Neal sat on the side of the bed sweating...


"Neal..you really put it on me..." said Nike Johnson...


"I had to...I hadn't seen you in days.."said Neal...


"How is your Tarantula now of days.?" laughed Nike...


"As deranged as ever..."laughed Neal..


"Did you find Dutch Van Buren?" asked Nike Johnson...


"I have to admit..I haven't been lookin for him that tough...He's too scared to show his face in public...And him being scared has had the opposite effect...His daughter...The big time cop has gone to ground too...Tarantula thought by threatening Dutch, that Dutch would call her and she'd solve the Mikey murder....Hah...That aint gonna happen."laughed Neal..


"You won't let him hurt me will you?" asked Nike..


Neal leaned over and kissed him passionately...


"Of course not..We are gonna put the whole thing on Jimmy Newlin...Once Tarantula is satisfied..We Wait for him to set up again and we take him out!!!!" said Neal..


"You sure are good playin one end against the other..."said Nike Johnson...


"That's what I do.."said Neal..


"You know...Poor Dutch doesn't really know who killed Mikey Lester..He only saw the tail end of it..." said Nike..


"I tried to tell Tarantula that,but he's crazy...He's got it in his mind that Dutch knows something."said Neal..


"If he did...I'd of had him killed by now.....I almost thought he knew my little secret."said Nike..


"What? That one of the biggest gangster's in town is Gay?" laughed Neal..


"No silly...About me and you..." he said...


Neal laughed...


"Nobody knows about me and you....That's our little secret..." he said...


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuu.." moaned Nike Johnson...


(DEFINITELY TO BE CONTINUED)