The next day, Dabnis and I drove up to the fancy Cul de Sac where Ellen Dantley lived...
"Mannn, A sister is paid if she lives here..."said Dabnis..
"She is paid quite well...I peeped her tax returns.." I said.
Dabnis laughed.."Mannnn , how come you never became a cop?"
"I was an NCIS investigator for years when I was in the Marines....That's how I paid for my college...I have a Bachelors Degree in Communications /Journalism and a Masters in Administration of Justice." I said.
"You know....With credentials like that...You could go to Law school.." said Dabnis..
"Your wife told me that....I think I wear enough hats right now...don't you?" I laughed.
"Oh yeah, Mogul in the making, Private Investigator... I think Tragg hates you so much because you're smarter and better than he is at what he does..." said Dabnis..
"Oh I know that and I love rubbing his nose in it.." I said.
We rang the doorbell three times before Ellen Dantley came to the door,.,
"Wow...My day off and you guys come here...Who are you? What do you want?" she asked.
"My Name is Dabnis Coley..I'm an Attorney..I'm representing a young man who was hit by the car you were riding in a few days ago..We were told you witnessed the accident...You had just got out of the car owned by Mr. Harry Love, a very important man at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. Uh this is my investigator , Mr. Morris."said Dabnis
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." I said.
"Hold up...Hold Up...Where did you all get my name from? Who told you I witnessed anything?..I wasn't riding in Mr. Love's car....I don't know what you're talking about!" said Ellen.
I pulled out three Large Glossies , Time stamped photos pulled from the Traffic Cam and the Business cam that showed her clearly getting out of Harry Love's car just minutes before the hit and run accident.
I then showed her a picture of her drawn by a sketch artist, given to Dabnis by three people who described her and made statements...
She was both embarrassed and furious at being caught in a lie and positively identified..
"I don't believe this...How did you? Uh....You're a P.I. , I guess that's your job.....Well look...I didn't...I wasn't driving...I just got a ride...I wasn't in the car when it happened...I-I-I ,I'm not saying anything without legal counsel..." she said.
I suspected she knew a lot more than she was saying..
I passed her a court summons...
"I didn't want to have to do that....I just had some basic questions....I'll see you in court.."said Dabnis..
"Let's go Kevin.." said Dabnis...
"Goodbye Ms. Dantley…" I said.
"I don't believe this...I didn't want anything to do with this.."said Ellen.
II-
Dabnis and I went to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and met with Mr. Harry Love in his office..
"Gentlemen.... you say you are an Attorney Mr. Coley and Mr. Morris here is your investigator? What can I do for you? Oh...Coffee?" he asked.
"Yes,please!" said Dabnis.
"Thank you sir.." I said.
Three steaming hot cups of coffee was brought out..
''So what brings you here?" asked Harry Love.
"A young man was hit by your car a few days ago...He's in the hospital with a broken leg..."said Dabnis.
"MY CAR??? That's impossible!" he said. "I haven't driven my car this week!" he said.
I showed him a glossy of the actual accident and of his car pulling off....and his license plate...
"That is your car sir.." I said..
"It is...but I wasn't driving it...I swear...I've been out of town on business ..I got home yesterday, you can check...I didn't have the car...Let me call my assistant in here.." he said.
He got on his phone.. "Send Delroy in here." he said.
His assistant, A young Black man about my age with green eyes and a goatee walked in..
''What's up Bossman?" he said.
"These men say you were driving my car and you were in a hit and run? A man is in the hospital..Is this true?" asked Harry Love.
"No...Noooooo..Come on...I would never do that." said Delroy..
''Come on man...my client is in the hospital with a broken leg....You hit him and kept going."said Dabnis, tired of the lying and evasiveness of seemingly everybody involved.
I pulled out three Large Glossies , Time stamped photos pulled from the Traffic Cam and the Business cam that showed him letting Ellen Dantley out of Harry Love's car just minutes before the hit and run accident.
I then showed Delroy a picture of Ellen drawn by a sketch artist, given to Dabnis by three people who described her and made statements...
Next ,I showed him a glossy of the actual accident and of his car pulling off....and his license plate..
"Still want to say that that's not you...and that's not your bosses car? Come onnnnnn man..."said Dabnis.
''Mannnn, who are you?" asked Delroy..
"I'm an Attorney, my client is in the hospital with a broken leg...
"This is Mr. Kevin Morris, The Private Investigator , who is working with me.." said Dabnis..
"You two are drawn...I haven't been in any accident and certainly not a hit and run.."said Delroy..
"Then let's go look at the car.." I said.. There should be a big dent where the body hit.." I said and a broken front light on the passenger side..." I said.
The four of us went to the indoor garage..
There was the car...Without a scratch on it!! The front light on the passenger side looked brand new...
"WHATTTT?" said a shocked Dabnis..
"There's not a scratch on the car...and the front light...It looks brand new..."I said.
''Apparently there has been some mistake guys...There is no way my car was in any accident...I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now and any further conversation regarding this matter will be had with my attorneys." said Harry Love..
"In other words...Get to steppin Gentlemen.." said Del Ray...
"This isn't over Del Roy.." I said.
"It's Del Ray." he said..
"Whatever...This aint over!"said Dabnis as we left..
Once we were gone
Harry Love chided his assistant..
"Youuuuu idiot...what were you doing driving around with that girl all day while I was gone? Was your mind so clouded that you hit someone and kept going?" he snarled..
''It was an accident...The guy ran out in the street with no warning....I couldn't stop...Not in your car....Look those two aint cops..That's some lawyer and a P.I.. They got nothin.."said Del Ray..
"Are you an idiot...They've got my car, my license plate from the Street Cam.....They know it was my car!!! I can't afford to draw undo attention to myself...You know that.."said Harry Love..
"I'm sorry bossman...I'm sorry."said Del Ray..
"Trying to impress that girl......You know I told you...You can lose a lot of money chasing women..but you never lose women, chasing money!" said Harry... "The girl...She can talk, say you were driving her in my car.."said Harry...
''She won't talk..She wasn't in the car when it happened."said Del Ray...
"Go Talk to her.....Make sure she understands that her silence is golden..."said Harry Love..
"I'm on it Bossman.."said Del Ray.
III-
It was still early morning...
We went to Sam Mother's Diner..
Sepia and my daughter Kimberly were having breakfast with Jazzy...
''Sepia girl, you and Kevin's daughter is a little cutie..." she said, playing with Kimberly...
''She's a Ham is what she is.." laughed Sepia.
"Nooooooo she's a cutie pie.."laughed Jazzy...
Three Bowls of Banana Oatmeal arrived....
"There is our girls.." I said as I sat down next to Sepia and Kimberly...
And Dabnis sat down next to Jazzy...
He too smiled and cooed and played with Kimberly..
as our food arrived..
Omelettes
Hash Browns
and sausages...
"So Guys...How was the great investigation?" asked Sepia.
''We found the girl...even when she saw the photos of her clearly in the car...She denied being in the car, then she dummied up...Refused to talk." I said.
"Harry Love denied it being his car, even after we showed him photos and his license plate...And his asshole assistant, who I believe was the one actually driving the car, denied it too, even with proof.."said Dabnis..
"And in the week since the accident, he's taken that car to a body shop, got it painted, new front light, the works...You can't tell the car was ever in an accident..I'm going to check out the body shops and hope and pray he charged this on a credit card....If so, we got em both cold.."I said as we continued to chow down..
Lt. Tragg walked in..
He noticed Sepia and the Baby..
Kimberly smiled at him..
"Cute kid...Luckily...She gets her looks from you Mrs. Morris and not her dad!." he said.
"That wasn't very nice.."said Sepia.
"Just Ignore him girl.."said Jazzy...
''Might as well, all the other women do?" laughed Dabnis..
Our entire table erupted in laughter..
Lt. Tragg stomped his foot and stormed off..
IV-
I told Dabnis that we should visit that girl again, Ellen Dantley.....
I told him that I had a feeling that somebody...Harry Love or Del Ray was hiding something...and I thought we should have another crack at her before they did..
Unfortunately, when we arrived..
There was a slew of police around the house...We stepped inside... I saw a familiar face, Dr. Hazel Baylor.
''Kevin, Dabnis...What brings you here?" she asked.
"The young lady that lives here witnessed a hit and run...We were here this morning.."I said.
"I'm representing the Hit and run victim...he's in the hospital..apparently the car she was riding in belonged to her boss.."said Dabnis.
''Well , I don't know any young lady....but this guy was found here."said Hazel.
"Guy?" said Dabnis..
"Guy?" I said.
Hazel showed us the body...
It Was Del Ray Horton, the personal assistant of Harry Love.
"You know him?" asked Hazel...
"Yes...He's Del Ray Horton, The personal assistant of Harry Love, U.S. Stock Exchange..We talked to him this morning." I said.
''We believe he was actually driving the car in the hit and run accident..The young lady who lives here was his passenger. I've got a client in the hospital with a broken leg." said Dabnis.
"There was no young lady here...He was shot in the back of the head with a .22 Death was instant!"said Hazel.
"WOW!" I said..
Just then, Lt, Tragg and six uniformed officers walked in...
''What have we got here?" he bellowed.
''Damn, why couldn't it be Duke, Angie, Sirena, Hop, Carlotta, Rico,Jimmy, Sissy?" I said.
Thinking of my detective friends...Good detectives I could actually talk to and work with...
"I know Kevin...I say the same thing everytime I catch a big case..and He's on it, rather than them!" Hazel said to me.
Dabnis smiled.
''What are you two bozos doing at my crime scene?"He asked.
"We came here to see the young lady who lives here..Apparently she is not home....He on the floor is."said Dabnis.
"His name is Del Ray Horton...29, cause of death, Gun shot wound to the back of the head." said Hazel..
"He's been dead about four hours.." she said..
"You two said a girl lives here? She your client?" asked Lt. Tragg.
"No , she witnessed a hit and run a few days ago....My client was hit by a car, this man was driving..It belongs to his boss at the Stock Exchange..."said Dabnis..
''Well she's not here and if this guy was the driver...He's of no help to you now...So Get out of here!"said Lt. Tragg..
"Come on Dabnis...Nothing else we can do here.."I said..
"Good Night Hazel.."said Dabnis..
"Good Night Guys.."said Hazel.
''Hazel we have to have a talk about you allowing outsiders on my crime scene...Not just them, but Olivia and Beverly and Donnie Ray, Yvette Jones and Jade...."said Lt. Tragg..
"Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk ? Shut up... They didn't touch anything...In Fact they identified the body....OKAY GUYS, WRAP HIM UP!" said Hazel, who walked away..
"The Deputy Of Operations and Doc Gibbons will hear about your surley attitude and lack of respect." he said,.
She kept walking, never turning back. She despised the man....
Hazel ignored him and followed the body outside...
"Dabnis...This is bigger than a simple hit and run case....Somebody is hiding something.."I said.
"Yeah I know...It's turned into a murder mystery"said Dabnis, swallowing hard..
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