In The Pocket

Kool Kat and I sat in a Nissan Z roadster with tinted windows...across the street from a social club where 39 top lieutenants of the Raleigh Crime Syndicate were having one of their meetings...

They had no idea that my agency had been investigating them for weeks...

I had a client...an Ex-Con and former player named Harry Pocket...Who paid me 10G's to protect him...There had been three attempts on his life in the Maximum Security prison he had been serving time in...The attacks began when it was announced that he was being paroled...

He believed that his former business associates in this Crime Syndicate had planned to have him whacked...They believed that his early parole , He served six years of a twenty year sentence...meant that he had started talking to the feds about the Raleigh Crime Syndicate...Which had made deep inroads into Philadelphia...They had bought three or four condos and a couple of lofts...It was believed they were laundering their dirty money through the properties...

He came to me for help...Protection and revenge....He gave me the in's and outs of their organization...

Clerow, Myself, Owen Todd and Sean Jackson spent weeks following these guys around, snapping photos of them and watching who they met with...  Our investigation turned up the represenatives of a number of drug crews who were buying Herion, Cocaine, and other opiates from them...

We had actual photos of outdoor meetings and pick ups...We even knew the location of some of their warehouses...

They had women on the streets , which were supplied to a number of clubs for profit...and they had goons who were shaking down a lot of these small clubs...We had photos of a particularly brutal beating that led to a murder...

I supplied these photos and forensic evidence to Lt. Sissy Van Buren and Forensic Investigator, Dr. Hazel Baylor..

It was enough for a warrant and the arrest by detectives, Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace, Tyriq Pile and James "Jimmy" Barlow..and Tactical Squad Police..

of the three goons and their boss who took part in the murders...and the arrests of 8 goons and their bosses who were shaking down the clubs...Working with Vice...They also arrested several of the prostitutes and their pimps as well...It was a good haul and one that made the Raleigh Crime Family very nervous!

In subsequent weeks...I gave FBI Deputy Special Agent Sharon Ferrell Hopkins ,the names of eight wanted fugitives ,who were being hidden, for a fee by the Raleigh Crime Syndicate...

Sharon and her FBI picked up all 8 fugitives...

The Raleigh Crime Syndicate was now in a panic...They looked weak, somebody was talking...They thought..Two of their lucrative operations had been shut down...

Eight murders occurred within the next week...All of mid level guys suspected of talking and or of being former allies of Harry Pocket.

Again, I supplied Sissy and Hazel with the evidence they needed to make cases...

Detectives Sirena Pile and Tony Hopkins and police,

arrested four of the killers and the men who ordered them killed..

Detectives Edwin "Duke Baylor and Angela Belton Barlow and tactical squad police

 arrested another four killers and their bosses...

But far worse...Thanks to my client, Harry Pocket...I knew the names and addresses of the 39 top lieutenants in this syndicate and day by day...night after night, aided by Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom and my five new investigators, four were former CIA, one was ex-KGB..We got into their homes, apartments, lofts, condos and wired them for sound and video, cloned their computers and phones and took microphoto copies of ledgers.....This gave us bank accounts, names,addresses of drop offs and pick ups et al....

We disabled street cams ,so as to avoid detection...and slipped in and out anonymously....

Sissy, with Carlotta,Tyriq, Jimmy, Sirena, Hop, Angie and Duke

  and the Tactical Squad....

backed by the FBI and Deputy Special Agent in charge, Sharon Ferrell Hopkins

arrested all 39 top lieutenants in the Raleigh Crime Syndicate, seized and froze all of their assets and snatched their vehicles and commercial properties..

 DEA Regional Special Agent in charge, Carol Redding and the DEA with Vice and theNarcotics Strike Force used information I gave them and raided

several warehouses ,loaded to the brim with Heroin, Coke and other opiates and arrested an additional 57 men...

With that, The Raleigh Crime Syndicate's back was broken...Only the boss, Collie Raleigh remained at large..

Kool Kat and I watched the whole thing from across the street...

"Damn Kev...you hit the motherlode....That's all of the big boys..."laughed Kool Kat...

"Yeah...They don't have a clue...that it was my agency, Morris Investigations that got the evidence that is going to send them all away for a long time.."I said..

''That's okay...You don't want that kind of thing being known on the street..You're just  a Private Investigator ,who helps people..That's all the people need to know.."said Kool Kat...

ADA Keith Wallace tapped on the window of the car...

I lowered the window on the passenger side..

''Heyyy Keith..."I said and smiled...

"Sissy and the guys thank you Kevin...We had just started looking at these guys and were about to begin a long investigation into them...You saved us the work...I don't know how I'm going to thank you." said Keith Wallace..

"Thank My disgruntled client...Who of course I can't name...He gave me the names of all of the players...I did the rest.."I said..

"Well a grateful city thanks you...These guys were parasites..."said Keith Wallace..

"Always glad to be of service.."I said..

"And we are glad to have it...Thanks again.." he said..

Kool Kat grinned after Keith Wallace walked away...

"Always glad to be of service...Come on ,let's get out of here and go have a few cold ones.." He said.

I laughed..

"Yeah, I'm about ready for one.."I said.

II-

Kool Kat and I went to a bar up in Manyunk where our friend,Pink  bent his elbow...

"Hey you two, Sit a spell." said Pink...

"Hey Big Guy..."I said.

''What you know good Pink?" laughed Kool Kat..

"Cops been busy all week...busting people, major people...Guys once thought to be untouchable...word on the street...They think they were betrayed by a guy named Harry Pockets, just got out of the joint, used to be a top guy in the syndicate...but the cops were raiding places and busting people he couldn't have known about ,so they thought other people were talking...guys were dropping like flies...8 guys got clipped and the guys that killed them got pinched by the cops and their bosses...They didn't know what to do...And it wasn't just the cops...The Feds were moving in on them...Now all of em are in jail...and nobody knows how..."laughed Pink...

I smiled...

"I guess our cops are just that good.."I laughed...

Kool Kat nodded and smiled..

"Yeah guess so." he said and smiled at me.

We said no more on it...We just drank.

III-

On the way home, Kool Kat said to me..

"Damn Kev, we been doin this Private Investigator thing for a few years now...Look how big and sophisticated we got.."he mused..

"Yeah, I got a base of operations now, an administrative staff, more investigators and modern equipment that rivals most police forces, even the feds..."I laughed.

"I mean, we got to those people and took em down and nobody on the streets is the wiser...They goin to jail and they have no idea we were behind it...Shame we can't take credit.." he said.

"I've gone to great lengths to keep your and everybody else who works for me, identities a secret...Even my cop friends don't know you or the location of our office..."I said (which was in the basement of Morris Communications....The multi-media company I owned and ran.)  We do a lot of counter-intelligence and put away a lot of heavy hitters...Only a few people know that I'm a "Confidential Informant" of the Philadelphia Police Department...That's to keep us all safe from reprisals...."I said as he dropped me off in front of my house..

"Good to know.." he laughed... He waved at my wife, Sepia, who was standing on the porch with our daughter, Kimberly..

"Heyy Bad girl and little lady." he said..

"Hey Walter....Thanks for bringing my hubby back to me.." she said..

"You know I can't keep him from you..."laughed Kool Kat...as he drove off..

"Heyyy babies.."I said, kissing them both...''What's for dinner?"I asked.

"I've got a nice Sirloin Steak on and a Baked Potato for dinner....For desert....Me..."She whispered.

I smiled sheepishly....

"I like that..."I said..

"I just know you do.."she said...

That night after a nice meal...Sepia put our daughter to bed and then joined me in the bedroom, where no sooner was she in the door...We were kissing passionately....

"Ummmmm, ouuuuuu,let me close the door and lock it first Kevin....Ouuuuuuuuuu...." she moaned..

"Hurry up...I can't wait..." I moaned...

Sepia and I continued to kiss, even more passionately...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Sepia....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..Girl, I thought about you all day" I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu you did???.......I love you so much...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."she cooed..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh babyyyyyyyyyyyyy.." I moaned.

I slipped her sundress off....She unhooked her bra and slipped out of her panties...I was already undressed..

 We made sweet love that warm night like it was nobodies business.....The bed rocked and began to squeak a little bit....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu sweetie pie ...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, you are just showing off, like you always do...in this bed.." she moaned..

The headboard rocked from side to side...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmph..." I moaned...

SIX TO SEVEN HOURS went by....We were enjoying ourselves immensely....


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu , Kevin... ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." moaned Sepia....

"Oh My God!  Oh My God!  Oh My God! Sepia! Oh My God....You're driving me crazy...."I yelled...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh KEVIN, SWEETIE PIE!!. Oh My God!   Oh My God! Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she moaned..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I moaned loudly

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god...We've got to quiet down...we might wake the baby!!Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she moaned.


"STOP SHOWING OFF IN THIS BED!!!....Oh my god!" she moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu babyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.."I moaned....

''Yesssssssssssss, you are hitting mama's spots...Wouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! MMMMMMMMMMMM!!! Work me daddy! Work me....Ummmmmmm"she moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Sepia....Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." I moaned....

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu my goodness...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she cooed.

I came so hard...I thought I was dying...Sepia was crying, sweat was running down her face and her body was trembling...She was having a massive orgasm...

We listened...All was quiet....

We cuddled up and held each other tight as we drifted off to sleep...

What a night we had had!

The next morning, Sepia had breakfast ready for me...but she couldn't stay...

"Gotta show a house, early this morning and gotta take cutie pie to daycare she said as she kissed me softly...

"Thanks for last night.." she whispered and kissed me again...Kissing me in the hallway...

I kissed little Kimberly and watched out of the window as she strapped her into her car seat and pulled off in her car...

IV-

I got a call from my client, Harry Pockets...He did owe me some money...

I drove over to the rooming house he was holing up in ,under an assumed name....I offered to hide him in my safehouse, but he declined...He trusted no one...We met in his rooming house...Several times and he gave me just enough information for me to use...It was good information...And considering the Raleigh Crime Syndicate was turning the city upside looking for him and had never found him...It was a good hiding place...I was certain that I was the only one who knew where he was laying his head...

I walked in....Harry looked afraid..

He was a tall,slender white man, about my height and build...With a tattoo of a serpent on his arm...He had been a Marine and then a factory worker, before getting involved in the Raleigh Crime Syndicate...In which he went to prison for Manslaughter...A 15 year sentence that suddenly ended after a little under five years...I too wondered if he had snitched on somebody...

"Coffee Kevin?" he said..

I had had breakfast...but I saw no reason why I couldn't oblige him...

We sat down and drank our coffee...

"I believe I owe you this.." he said and passed me an envelope...It had another 15G's in it...

''There is an extra 5 g's in it..Thanks...You and your people are really good..."he said..

''You pointed me in the right direction and I got the information...just like you said..."I said.

"And more...Even I didn't know about those eight murders and the people behind it." he said as we sipped our coffee..

"Me and my guys did a good job of following em,photographing em in action...Plus we had their phones cloned, their computers cloned and their residences wiretapped.."I said.

He busted out laughing...

"Damn, you and your guys are better than the police...Can they even use what you gave em, I mean legally?" he asked..

"Sure can..."I said...

"Good, those double crossing bastards are all going to jail...for a long long time..." he laughed..

''While you're free to create your own organization from top to bottom right Mr. Pockets?" I asked.

He stopped smiling...

"You're smarter than I thought..." he said..

"ADA Keith Wallace and Lt. Sissy Van Buren of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Philadelphia Police Department are  good friends of mine...

 
So is FBI Deputy Special Agent in Charge, Sharon Ferrell Hopkins,

DEA Regional Special Agent in Charge,Carol Redding..

And U.S. Attorney, Brendan Burnside..

So I know...you in fact were a co-operating witness...You gave them information on several distributors ,who did business with the Raleigh Crime Family....You gave em names, bank account numbers and addresses...That's why your 15 year sentence was cut short...and you're free after five...."I said.

He smiled..

"Hmmmm, you have pretty powerful friends...Dangerous to me...Very good Kevin...Very Good...You're right...And I had two very powerful friends...While I was in the joint..Bob "Big Butt" Thornton....You may know him and a Cyrus Tickle...I know you know him...Big Butt Thornton kept me alive in the joint..his boys kept those Raleigh hit men off of my ass...He and Tickle went on and on about how you out smarted them and put them in the joint...so when I got released from prison...I figured you were the perfect one to come to...If anybody could checkmate the Raleigh gang...You could and you didn't let me down...I don't know how you did it or who you have working for you, but you knocked them out..."he said...

"And you've paid me....My work for you is done.."I said..

He smiled..

"I'm afraid not....See....I owed Bob Big Butt Thornton a favor for saving my life in the joint...and I owed Cyrus Tickle a favor.." he said.

''Cyrus Tickle?" I asked. "He's in the new Maximum Security Prison awaiting execution for multiple murders..."I said.

"Is he? You might want to check again Kevin...In uh the few days you have left to live.." he said..

''What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You're too dangerous a man and you know too much about me for me to leave you alive...The coffee you just drank with me, contains a toxin....In 72 hours...You will be dead....before you can do or say anything to hurt me....Oh yeah, there is also a sedative in that coffee..It will put you to sleep for awhile...Mr. Tickle sends his regards...Heh, heh ,heh..." he laughed...

"Pocket....You bastard!" I said...

Suddenly....I felt my head spinning....I felt a heaviness I had never felt before and then a dizziness....

"Pocket.......You bastard...." I said again before I fell to the floor....

I was barely conscious....I saw him pick up a phone...

"It's done....Yeah ,he's unconscious! My debt is paid...I don't expect to hear from you again" he said...

V-

When I woke up...I was on my front steps...Sepia was holding the baby and looking at me...

"Honey Bunny , what are you doing on the front steps asleep? And wipe your mouth off...You've been slobbering..." she said..

I had awakened from the most restful sleep I'd ever had...I wondered if what had just happened to me had been real...

My Car was parked in front of my house...The keys were still in the ignition...I wouldn't have done that...

I checked my watch...

"I've been here asleep for close to four hours..."I said..

''Wow, I must have really put it on you last night...You left your keys in the ignition and you're asleep on the steps.." said Sepia..

Kimberly laughed...

But nothing was funny about what had just happened to me or what was implied....


(TO BE CONTINUED)