Survivor's Luck

In my line of work and in the line of work of any detective...Private or otherwise 50 percent of success comes from a thorough scientific investigation...The other 50 percent comes from sheer dumb luck....
Today would be a case of both...

First off..My investigation into the mysterious disappearence of Frankie Fallon started in the sub-basement of my business...Morris Communications and Investigations...

Here in the sub-basement of the building that houses my legitimate communications business ,which publishes magazines and newspapers, both digital and print...runs blogs ,websites and podcasts of all types..houses a streaming television station and radio station as well as music streaming service..and employs over 100 people now was my other business..My investigation services..

Here ,I had 30 administrative people ,who were bonded and who handled case files and other paper work..

as well as my good friends, Peeping Tom and Lockpick Johnson, who supervised them and five new investigators, all formerly with ties to the intelligence community..here is where my real work was done...

Today, I with them and my good friend, Sean Jackson...

We were looking up Frank Fallon...

He was born, Francis B. Fallon in Jersey City, New Jersey, Educated in Public Schools there and surprisingly,holding an Associates Degree from a nearby Community College...He attended St. John's College in New York City for three years and then dropped out..

He got involved in the more lucrative world of crime, Book making, Gambling...Running wire houses in Brooklyn and Queens...He made some very very influential friends in the underworld and profited well...
He was busted by the NYPD ,along with 13 others, convicted of Wire fraud,illegal gambling and other crimes and sentenced to 10 years...

He was paroled after serving 8 years and returned to Jersey City, where he opened a pawn shop and became widely known as a fence...and money launderer...This was a little safer...It grew...and after two years he opened a Jewelery Store... He continued to fence and used his New York contacts to launder money...It was largely believed that he became a shot caller...He set up scores...Bank Robberies and recruited local crews....He laundered the dirty money and paid them off...This was all alledged. not proven.

We gleaned all of this by being able to hack into the crime files of the New Jersey State Crime commission and The FBI...

One way he managed to stay out of trouble this time was by paying off the local law enforcement...Something he hadn't done in Brooklyn and Queens...

We had photos of him, but they were 10 years old...

Peeping Tom had a computer that could calculate what he'd look like now, at nearly 60 years old...

"Okay..We know that he vanished in December of 2009, Three months after the Jersey City Job and he vanished with 10 million dollars of that loot and didn't pay any of the bank robbers a cent...The first and only time he was known to stiff somebody..."I said..

"Because that crew was a bunch of lightweights Kevin..."said Lockpick Johnson...

"Kev,look who they were, a bunch of Semi Pro Football players..Louis Cantrell, Cock Robbins, Brett Jano...none of em connected to anything or anybody...None of em heavyweights...What could they do without implicating themselves?,Who could they go to?" said Sean Jackson...

"Yes Kevin and Cantrell and Jano are dead..."said Peeping Tom...

"Cock Robbins is no threat, but Angelo Atwood was a stone cold stick up man and killer, as was Rhett Jano..."I said..

''Atwood was killed by Newark Police in a hold up in 2011 and Rhett Jano went to prison for 10-20 in 2010...He was free and clear....." said Peeping Tom...

"So in 2015, he winds up in Camden....He gets married....He get's divorced in 2017 and falls off the grid....Now where is he?" I asked..

"Glad you asked..." said Peeping Tom..

"He's changed his name, but he is still using his same social security number.." said Lockpick Johnson...

"Oh?" I said..

"He is now known as Frank Degeneres and get this...He is a Developer now...Has a construction company that has rehabbed a number of houses in the Philadelphia area and Apartment complexes.." said Peeping Tom...

"You got a photo of him?" I asked..

"Nah...None...but I got an address for him..." said Tom...

I smiled..

"That's all I need..."I said, smiling..

II-

At this moment...My beautiful wife, Sepia and her business partner...Bonita and my other two sometimes partners , who were now their business partners...Clerow and Owen Todd were having a very important meeting with a client that seemed not to be related at all..

"So Mr. Degeneres is it?  You have developed these properties?" said Sepia ,looking at a mock up photo..

''Yes...My construction company rehabbed this entire block and we were looking for sellers...The wire tells me that you guys are the best in the area...The Unity Group..." said the well dressed man who sat before them..

'We like to think so.."said Bonita , who showed her other two partners...Clerow and Owen Todd the photos..

Clerow smiled..

"If we like your price, we can have those units filled in no time...You will let us walk through with our inspectors and have a look won't you?" asked Clerow...

''Sure..Sure..You tell us a time that's good for you.." said Frank Degeneres.

"You sure look familliar" said Frank Degeneres to Sepia..."You ever live in Jersey City?" he asked.

"I'm originally from West Orange...but my husband is from Philly ..and I live here now.."said Sepia..

"You look familliar too!" she said, staring at him...

"I remember you...You won MS. PANTIES, 2008 didn't you?" he said,laughing..

Clerow and Owen Todd laughed...

Bonita smiled...

"Sepia, face it girl, you're a celebrity...You'll never live that down.."laughed Bonita...

Bonita was a runner up herself in 2010 in the Ms. Panties contest...She like Sepia was from New Jersey, South Jersey and like Sepia was married to a Philadelphian, Robert Foxworth, my good friend..

"I'd almost swear I know you from somewhere...But I'm a West Orange girl..." said Sepia..

"Yeah, but you used to come to Jersey City...Didn't you used to date some guy ..some semi pro football player...Cock Robbins??" he asked..

"I did...That was a long time ago...I'd like to forget about that time and him!"laughed Sepia...

"I hear that! " laughed the man...

"He's married now...He and his wife don't  live too far fro me, but I don't bother with him..." said Sepia..

The man laughed...

"Good For You...I never thought too much of Cock Robbins..I thought you could do better , even back then.." he said..

"Frank Degeneres...I just don't remember anybody by that name..."said Sepia..

" Well , we never really met...I was a big football fan...I was friends with some of the players...I remember seeing you with Cock a few times... is all...I haven't lived there in years..."he said..

''Well Mr. Degeneres...Monday Morning...We'll inspect your new buildings with our inspectors and if we like what we see, we'll make you an offer and hammer out something.."said Bonita..

"Great, Great...Pleasure doing business with you..."he said...he looked at Sepia..

"Nice meeting a Jersey girl.." he said..

"Yes..." said Sepia..

After he left, Sepia turned to Clerow...

"Clerow...That guy had gangster written all over him.." said Sepia..

"I know...I got that impression too.."said Clerow..

"I remember where I know him from....It was Jersey City, He owned  a pawn shop...He was a fence....and rumored to be a shot caller...Cock bought me some jewelry from him...I knew it was hot....He used to go by the name..Frankie Fallon..."said Sepia.

"Ohhhhhhhh?" said Owen Todd... "So he's moved to Philadelphia and reinvented himself..." said Owen....

"He's a developer now...isn't that something?" said Sepia..

"Maybe we better hold off on doing business with him huh?" asked Bonita...

"No we go on as normal...but Clerow...Find my husband and get word to him..." said Sepia...

"I'm on it.." he said..

III-

I was with Kool Kat on another side of town at the time..

"So Kev..I did a little inquiry on Mr. Frank Degeneres..He is a legitimate and licensed Developer..And his Construction company is on the up.."said Kool Kat...

"Yeah,I looked into that..." I said..

"But it's all a front...His construction business launders dirty money, a lot of dirty money for drug dealers and stick up crews...He's still very much a shot caller...The people I talked to, KNOW this.." said Kool Kat...

"That's where he lives..."said Kool Kat...

I had Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson and my five guys break in,clone his phones and computers and wire his place for sound and video...I doubted that we'd find anything out here..It was his home...but you never knew..

A few hours later..

'This innocent looking building is where he runs a floating crap game...

"I'm talking a big game...Lots of money on the table..

said Kool Kat...

"Once a gangster, always a gangster..huh?" I laughed...

Kool Kat laughed...

My phone rang...It was Clerow...

"Yeah...Oh Really? Well How about that?  Yeah, we are already on to him...I'm in front of his clip joint already..."I said..  "Thanks Clerow.."I said..

''What was that about?" asked Kool Kat...

"Our boy Frank Degeneres, AKA Frankie Fallon is a Developer ,who just cut a deal with my wife's firm.." I said...

''Aint that nothing?" laughed Kool Kat..

"Look...there's our boy right now.."I said.

Frank Degeneres, AKA Frankie Fallon was with two thugs...He looked around and then headed for the back...

"I'm going after him...You stall laughing boy there..."I said..

"I'm on it Kev.." said Kool Kat...

IV-

Frank Degeneres and one goon walked behind the house where inside, a spirited crap game was going on..

inside..with lots of cash on the table..

As Frank and his one goon headed to the back...

Kool Kat walked toward the front door..

"Yo partner...Where the hell do you think you're going?" said the one goon...

"I'm going inside.."said Kool Kat...

"Ohhh no you aint.." he said and cracked his knuckles..

Kool Kat smiled..

Three or four punches was thrown both ways between the two men...

The goon was stretched out on the pavement with two black eyes and a bloody nose...

Kool Kat went in the trunk and tied him up...He smiled..

"Sweet dreams playa..." and preceded to walk inside...

He had his gun loaded and cocked..

I approached Frank Degeneres from the back..

"Mr. Degeneres or should I say Frankie Fallon...That is your real name isn't it?" I said..

He was shocked..

'Who are you?" he asked..

"A private investigator...I've been searching for you...Someone wants to talk to you..."I said.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost...He looked at his bodyguard...

"Take care of him Luke.." he said..

Why did we have to play this game..? I mused..

Luke was pretty big, heavily muscled..

He was fast too..He punched me in the jaw.... I was stunned...He tried to  throw another haymaker, but I blocked his second punch and landed a hard punch to his jaw...He swung wildly again..I blocked this punch and tore his mid section up with a series of lefts and rights...

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..Why do these big  guys always throw haymakers??..They practically telegraph their punches and they leave themselves open.


I needed to get back in the gym...My reflexes were a little slow...I didn't fight that much and didn't feel like fighting today...


I dodged his wild swings  and ripped his midsection with well placed lefts and rights and then cold cocked him in his jaw, sending him spinning around...I attempted a swift kick to his solar plexus , but he caught my foot , twisted my leg and sent me flying to the floor... I quickly got to my feet..

Frankie Fallon was shocked that I was doing so good against his goon... He wasn't in good shape and was wheezing and blowing and my next punch sent him flying..He fell up against the wall and slid down into the street...He was done!

 Before he could get up...I put my .38 snub nose at his nose....He was still wheezing and blowing...He was relieved that the fight was over..His nose was bleeding and his face was swollen beyond recognition..

"Okay...Both of you...Get your hands up!" I said..

Inside...Kool Kat fired a shot from his big gun into the air...

That ended the card game... Players and Gamblers grabbed their cash

and ran for all they were worth...

We emptied the joint...

Frankie Fallon looked at me in fear and even more fear when Kool Kat walked out..

''Who are you guys? What What do you want?" he asked..

''Believe it not..I don't want anything from you....but I got a message for you...A guy name Rhett Jano is out of jail and in Philadelphia...He wants a cut of a Bank robbery you set him and his crew up for and then stiffed him...He seems to think my wife..Mrs. Jo Ann "Sepia " Morris knew something about it...She used to go with Cock Robbins, the only living survivor of that heist years ago..."I said..

He thought about Sepia...

"Yeah...Sepia Morris...JoAnne Cokely...That's your wife...I just cut a deal today with her real estate group...a legitimate business deal....You're Kevin Morris...You're a P.I.?" he asked..

"Among other things.."I said..

"You're working for Rhett Jano? he's a psychopath.." said Frankie Fallon..

"I'm not working for him...but he has tried to snatch my wife and he's looking for Cock Robbins, who also lives here in Philly now..My wife never knew anything about that heist..."I said..

"I can believe that...We told them to dummy up, to keep their mouths shut..."said Frankie Fallon..

"And Cock and the others never got a penny and they didn't say anything..Atwood, Brett Jano and Louis Cantrell are all dead as is Opal Gardener, who drove the switch car in the original diversion...And Rhett Jano is out of prison and on the warpath...I want him to leave my wife alone...she has nothing to do with this.."I said..

''So..So you're going to lead him to me?" asked Frank Fallon..

"No..I want nothing to do with him...He's in County Lock Up right now..He got pinched a night ago for illegal fire arms...but he won't be locked up forever...Just a heads up...You're his problem...YOU handle it!" I said..

"That's it?" he asked..

"That's it.." I said..."Come on Walter.." I said..

Kool Kat put his gun away...

Frank Fallon and his bodyguard sat there...stunned...

"You believe him boss?" asked his goon...

"Yes...I believe him...."said Frankie Fallon..

''What are we going to do?"He said..

"Rhett Jano is a Psycho..He's bad business for everybody involved...I don't think it would do any of us any good to have him around anymore..."said Frankie Fallon..

"I agree boss.."

"GET IT DONE!!" he said..

"I'm on it boss." said the goon.

Kool Kat looked at me..

''What do you think he'll do?" he asked.

"What all guys like him do...Arrange to have Rhett Jano hit.."I said..

"That would solve everybody's problem wouldn't it?" asked Kool Kat...

"I don't know...Would it?" I asked..

(CONCLUSION NEXT)