Water Front

 Camden , New Jersey....Across the bridge from Philadelphia, Pa.  It was almost sunset.....Of course I didn't expect Randall "Cat" Stevens to return my call or be in his condo when Kool Kat and I returned for him...He had taken what little belongings he had, stuffed them into his car and pulled off...He never intended to return the painting he stole...

We could track him now and I knew he was hiding out in Camden....I had even heard him call a C. Bartlett Jennings and make arrangements to make the switch

in Camden.....

at Adventure Aquarium...

 I made a mental note to take Sepia and Kimmie to the Aquarium after this caper was over...

They'd love it...

Kool Kat and I sat in his Black SUV at a distance...

''Think he'll show?" asked Kool Kat..

"You can make book on it.." I said...

Sean Jackson was in the back seat with his high powered Telephoto lense...

prepared to take photos of the entire exchange....

We were ready!

II-

A Stretch Limo drove up......

"Show Time Fellas." I said.

The Limo had tinted windows....It sat eerily quiet.....

We looked and coming out of the Aquarium, Randall "Cat" Stevens was carrying the painting in what looked like a carboard tube....

We snapped photos of a tall, bald headed man with an earring in his left ear....getting out the limo...

He took the cardboard tube...

"Money please" said Cat Stevens...

"Money? Who said anything about money?" said the tall bald headed man...

"Heyyyyy, we had a deal?" said Cat Stevens...

The Tall Bald Headed man pulled a pistol out and stuck it in Cat Stevens side..

"Call the police...tell em you stole this..and tell em you got robbed by a tall bald headed man with an earring...Heh Heh Heh!" laughed the man..

"Looks like the old dirty double cross."said Kool Kat..

"Like you said, there is no honor among thieves."I said...

We drove up in front of the Limo, Blocking it...Kool Kat and I got out of the limo brandishing our weapons...

"We'll take that painting..." I said..

The back window of the limo came down and in it was a well dressed Black man..... C. Bartlett Jennings...

He smiled..

"I figured if you were smart enough to trace both Sweet Tooth Jordan and Cat Stevens....You might show up here..So I took the precaution and called the cops.." he said..

 "Yeah right...YOU of all people ,calling the cops."said Kool Kat...

He wasn't lying....A Police car drove up...

Two Camden Police Officers pulled up brandishing weapons..

"Drop your weapons!" they ordered...

Kool Kat and I complied and put our hands up...

"I'm a Private Investigator...My ID is in my pocket...This man stole a valuable painting...It's in that cardboard tube..."I said..

The Officer  took the cardboard tube from C.Bartlett Jennings....

There was a blueprint inside....

"THIS?" asked the Officer...

Even C. Bartlett Jennings was shocked...

We looked around...Cat Stevens was gone!  Nowhere to be found...

"Apparently we were mistaken." I said..

The officer checked our ID....

I smiled..

"Well Mr. Jennings....I wasn't the only one who got snookered..."I said..

He was not amused...

'Everything Alright here Gentlemen?" asked the Officer..

"Yeah...We'll be going now!" I said... I glared at C. Bartlett Jennings...He glared angrilly at me..

"Catch you later."said Kool Kat to him, giving him and his tall bald headed bodyguard a baleful stare...

"Oh Most definitely.." he said..clearly not amused that he'd been snookered.

We watched as the stretch limo pulled off....

III-

Back in Philly at Headquarters.....I addressed the guys..

"Randall "Cat' Stevens is a high line Safe Cracker and Thief...He's no amateur.. He's been in the game a long time..He figured C.Bartlett Jennings might try to double cross him...So he tested him....The deal is now off..." I said..

''So what next Kev?"

"Maybe we can buy it back from him....."I said.

I went to the Art Gallery and spoke to Tommy Don...

"C.Bartlett Jennings was behind this? I'm not surprised...He has a Gallery too...He wanted to put another ,smaller gallery in this place...I out bid him for this spot...He hates me... He went to Sweet Tooth Jordan, the biggest and the best Shot Caller in the area...And one who doesn't have a highly visible profile...Sweet Tooth Jordan hires Cat,who is the best thief money can buy....Cat finds out he was short changed by Sweet Tooth and goes to the main man...Who then tries to stiff him...So neither of them have the painting...Oh My God ,this is incredible..."laughed Tommy..

"Cat has the painting....And he's in Camden...I know exactly where he is...and I have a plan...You'll have that painting soon...but I need to know if you know any artists....Good artists who can duplicate a painting..?" I asked..

"I know a couple of guys...Why?" asked Tommy Don....

I smiled..

IV-

I stopped by the Headquarters of the CID and FBI....

"Staying Out of Trouble Kevin?" asked Deputy FBI Special Agent in Charge, Sharon Hopkins..

"For the time being...I'm staying out of Lieutenant Tragg's way..."I said with a smile..  'Where is my favorite Lieutenant and her detectives?" I asked..

"Sissy and the guys are all on the street, working other cases...What Am I ,chopped liver?" asked Sharon jokingly..

"Actually...You're the one I came to see.."I said..

"Oh?" she asked..

"C. Bartlett Jennings!  You know him?"I asked..

"He owns an Art Gallery...He's loaded....He has no criminal record...but it's been rumored for years that he deals in stolen art and merchandise..We never had enough to prove it.....He has a warehouse out on the pier...But we couldn't get a warrant to search it or probable cause...Why do you ask?" asked Sharon..

"Two days ago...this painting was stolen from Tommy Donavan's art gallery

It was painted by my wife's grandfather back in the 40's...Her mother sold it years ago and it showed up at the gallery ,now worth much much more...."I said..

"This guy here, Randall "Cat" Stevens hacked into their security cameras and stole this painting...If you look at his smart phone...You see I tracked him to these apartments...There he is with the painting, taking it into those apartments...That Acura, reported stolen was driven in the robbery...He was hired by this guy here...Sweet Tooth Jordan..."I said ,showing her photos and videos and taped recordings of our dealings with him...

"We've been trying to get something on those two for years...Sweet Tooth Jordan has hired major crews involved in bank robberies, jewel heists ,the works and he is suspected of laundering money for drug crews...."said Sharon..

"I've got surveilience photos of a number of drug suspects taking suitcases of money into his bakery...and these are recordings of Cat Stevens and C.Bartlett Jennings making a deal to exchange that stolen painting...I can give you his address in Camden, where he's hiding out...but I don't want you to hit the place just yet...Give me a few hours.."I said..

"It'll take me a few hours to get warrants...but thanks for the intell....How do you plan to get your wife's painting back?"said Sharon...

I smiled and whispered in her ear...

Sharon giggled..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, you are badddd.."laughed Sharon...

"My wife tells me that all the time..."I joked..

I went home...I picked up Sepia and Kimmie cakes...

We drove along the waterfront..

 "You're going to have that painting soon Sepia..."I said..

"You seem so sure..."said Sepia..

"I know where it is...It's not far from here..."I said..

The three of us sat quietly and watched the beautiful sunset by the river...

(CONCLUSION NEXT)