Jessica and I sat in a neighborhood coffee shop...
It was late...but we were having coffee and doughnuts...
"Kevin, do you think he'll show?" asked Jessica.
"He'll be here.." I said..
A tall white man with a sturdy jaw walked in.....He spotted us and he sat down...
"You're Morris?" he said to me..
"I am.." I said.
"I still have a few friends at the bureau...They speak highly of you...That's the only reason I'm here..I don't usually talk to private investigators.."said the man, Retired FBI Agent, Jeff Murtaugh.
"This is Attorney Jessica Sanchez, She is representing Melvin Harris....Back in your organized crime strike force days...You knew him as "Little Mel"
"He was a Bookmaker for Little Caesarline and later , Joey Coconut Browning.." said Jessica.
'Wow...that case goes back awhile...were either of you two even born when that case went down?" he asked..
"I might have been 1 or 2 years old...She wasn't born yet..." I said pointing to Jessica, who smiled.
"But I am representing Melvin Harris."said Jessica..
"He's still alive???"asked The ex-FBI agent..
"Very much so...He and Nate Russell were paroled a few years ago.....They're both alive...Little Caesarline and Joe Boyd are both long dead.." I said.
"Okay, so that whole crew is out of jail...What do you need me for?" asked the retired FBI agent..
"You and the D.A.'s office know that you put the wrong guy behind bars for Joey Coconut's murder..
You got it right with Nate Russell, but you know that Melvin Harris wasn't in the crew...and you know that Little Mel wasn't the killer either...Who was the real killer? Was he on your payroll?" asked Jessica.
"Look...I'm sorry about Little Mel...Yeah, I knew he wasn't the second shooter and I swear I went to the D.A.'s office....We tried to tell Lt. Tragg that one of the guys he had was wrong..We tried to tell him...but he wouldn't budge....Then I got a call from a higher up that told me to back off and I did...
Look Little Mel was no choirboy...He was into illegal gambling, loan sharking...He had juice on the streets...If he didn't fall for this...He'd of wound up in jail eventually anyway for something."said Murtaugh...
"He's no murderer....He had an alibi...."I said.
"Look...that was a long time ago...He's free....What is the big deal?" asked the retired FBI agent..
"He wants to clear his name....His good name is all he has...When he went to jail...His wife left him...His son and his daughter haven't talked to him in years...he lost his house...All he's got left is his good name.."said Jessica.
"I can't help you.."said Murtaugh...
"Frankie "Shotgun" Lewis...I hear he's still alive....That name ring a bell?" I asked.
Murtaugh stood up...
"I can't help you and if I were you....I'd leave it alone.. I'd just leave it alone." he said and got up and walked out..
"That was a waste of time." said Jessica.
"Not at all....His body language just told me everything I need to know..Let's check out Little Mel's alibi...His Doctor...Then we'll check out Nate Russell and then...Mr. Jones and I will track down Frankie "Shotgun" Lewis." I said.
II-
"I distinctly remember that day." said Retired Dr. Richard Galloway... "I set his toe in a small cast and I put a boot on his foot...Told him to go home and stay off of it.. Here...Here is the record of my treatment and a cancelled check...See the dates?" he said.
"So you knew He wasn't at the Fish market the day of the murder.."I said.
"On his broken toe, in a surgical boot...No way he could have shot and killed a man and gotten away so fast.."said Jessica.
"Not on foot....He still had the surgical boot on when they arrested him and through out the trial...I told Lt. Tragg...Senior , not his son who is on the television all the time that he had the wrong man...but he wouldn't listen and he warned me not to ruin his case.." said the Doctor...
"Heard Enough?" I asked Jessica.
She had recorded the doctor's statement and he had signed an affadavit...That with his record of treatment and a signed canceled check proved he couldn't have physically of killed Joey Coconut.
"I've heard more than enough....Thank you Doctor.." said Jessica.
"You're welcome....I knew Melvin was innocent...He was no killer..."said the Doctor.
III-
Our next stop was to the most important witness...A Man who was there...A Man who admittedly fired a gun...Nate Russell...younger brother of Little Caesarline...
Nate Russell, One time gangster, ex-con, believed to have murdered at least two other people he was never charged for was a completely different man...Married, three grown children, nine grandchildren and a successful businessman... He owned three Barbershops, A Pool Hall, a partnership in a movie theatre and a Coffee Shop...More than likely financed with the last of his late brother's dirty money, He was no longer the fierce gangster of his youth...Today he was a successful businessman...And most of the people in this neighborhood had no idea of the man he used to be.
He was very gracious to Jessica and I when we sat down in his small coffee shop... He offered us breakfast...
That was good ,because this morning, we had both started out early...
"Thank you Mr. Russell.." I said.
''Yes Gracias." said Jessica.
"You're an Attorney, the one from the Innocence Project that I talked to on the phone....Did you get my signed Affadavit? I faxed it last week."said Nate Russell.
"I did and thank you...That and his Doctor's Statement will go along way in my appeal."said Jessica.
"This is Kevin Morris, the Private Investigator , who has been helping me with the case.."said Jessica.
"I want to Help Little Mel out as much as I can..We spent 22-23 years locked up....Me in Chester and him at Stanga...My older brother wouldn't let me name the other shooter...but I still told anyone who would listen that Melvin Harris was NOT the other shooter...I told that jackass,Lt. Tragg that he had the wrong guy...I told the D.A.'s Office and The FBI....They knew...because they had put him there..He turned out to be a snitch, a police informant.." said Russell..
"But he committed a murder...didn't they know that?" I asked.
"They knew...He was out of pocket with that....They never meant for him to go that far...but he was who he was...He had to take the contract and fulfill it...They couldn't arrest him ,even though they knew he was guilty because of the embarrassment it would have caused them so they let Melvin ,who had a cast on and was on crutches when they arrested him take the rap...They knew my brother ,Little Caesarline was going to uphold the code of the streets and not say nothin and they knew he'd keep me muzzled too...but now...I'm talking... His FBI handler...Jack Stratton is long dead....My brother is dead...Mel is a free man, thank god...He came home a year before I did..And his killer is still walking around free and that shouldn't be.."said Nate..
"You care to name this killer?" I asked.
"Yeah...Franklin Lewis...He was from North Philly, back then he was known as "Frankie "Shotgun" Lewis...an expert with a shot gun ,a real dangerous man. He's still around...He won't talk to you and unlike me, he's rumored to still be in the life...I'm giving you his name..but if I was you I'd let the cops handle him...or I'd just leave it alone..but he was the second shooter.."said Nate Russell.
"Thank You Mr. Russell."said Jessica.
"I'm doing this for Mel...I got a second chance... Poor Mel..His wife left him, She's remarried and the guy she's with lives right there in the house Mel bought.....His two kids don't speak to him..He lives in a halfway house...I feel bad for him...All he's got is his good name...I keep thinking Me and my late brother bare a little responsibility for what happened to him...He was an innocent man...He never got a chance to live his best life because of this and a jackass Detective who wouldn't listen to anybody or talk to anybody.." said Nate Russell..
IV-
We all met at a stylish restaurant later on that night...
"Kevin, B.L. knows his restaurants...I love this place.."said Sepia..
"I have to say I am impressed.." I said.
"This food is delish.." said Jessica..
"I love Italian Food.."said her boyfriend Chip..
Half of us had Fetticune Alfredo
While the other half had Spaghetti and Meatballs..
B.L. bought a nice bottle of wine for the table..
"Huh? Nice place Huh?" he said...
"Yes B.L.. This is nice..."said Karen Page..
We discussed the case as we chowed down...
"This is incredible....You guys have signed affadavits from his Doctor and the returned check that shows payment...and a signed affidavit from one of the guys who was actually there..The other shooter, Nate Russell...who we know, shot Joey Coconut in the legs...but better..He names the killer, Frankie "Shotgun" Lewis..Oh my god..."said Karen...
"Lewis was on the FBI's payroll...He was a paid informant, even though they knew he was also an alleged hitman, who had quite a few bodies on him...He was giving them information on everybody in Joe Boyd's crew, Little Caesarline's crew and on Joey Coconut....His handler, Jack Stratton knew everything...He knew Frankie "Shotgun" Lewis was the real killer and he protected him... He could have come forward, but the embarrassment to the Bureau would have been monumental and he could have been brought up on charges himself.."I said.
"I know he's retired by now...but I'm gonna have him picked up...He can still be brought up on charges.."said Karen..
"It's a little too late for that Karen." I said.
"Jack Stratton has been dead for 15 years....A Suicide...He ate his gun..."said Jessica.
''Wowwww"said Chip. "He should have been eating this good food."said Chip...
"Rightttttttttttttttt" laughed my wife, Sepia..
"This is a fantastic story...I'd like to have you all on my show when this is concluded." said B.L.
"Frankie "Shotgun" Lewis is still alive and well...and said to still be in the life.. He can be brought in.."I said..
"I don't know...Maybe you guys should just leave it alone.."said Chip..
"No! That's what everyone says...A man's life has been ruined...An innocent man sat in prison for years while this clown has walked free...I can't leave it alone.."said Jessica.
"And I won't leave it alone...I'm going to see this to the end." I said.
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