Doin You A Favor

 

A FEW DAYS LATER-

Joey Page was awake and talking and seeing visitors..

"I'm so glad you're okay Joey." said Sepia.

"So am I" said Bonita..

"You're no more glad than I am...Wouldn't want to let down my two favorite realtors." said Joey...

"Not tomention your two favorite work out partners.."laughed Kool Kat..

"Heyyyyyyy you and a lot of others ." said Joey...

''Soon as you feel up to it..We can start talking about who shot you." I said.

"He'll talk to me about that...I'm the detective handling this case , the operative word being DETECTIVE, of which you are not Morris...Now get out of here!" said Lt. Tragg.

"NO!  We were here visiting our friend...We were not interfering with your investigation.."said an angry Sepia..

"It's okay babes...Let's let the Lieutenant conduct his investigation...MAYBE, JUST MAYBE..he might catch the shooter." I said sarcastically...

Kool Kat and Bonita snickered and followed us out ...

"Goodbye Joey, take it easy.."said Sepia.

''We'll talk." I said.

"Goodbye Ladies and Gents, thanks for coming...Kev, we'll talk."said  Joey...

"No you won't....You'll talk to me...I'm the detective in charge of this investigation."said Lt, Tragg.

II-

Lt. Sissy Van Buren sat in her car...She looked up when she saw ADA Keith Wallace..

"I got em...79 warrants...All signed...." said ADA Keith Wallace...

"It's a shame Vinnie Carrow isn't on that list...He would be if not for that bonehead, Lt. Tragg, blowing 

Carlotta, Sirena and Angie's cover..but that's alright...we got enough...Best to move now and move fast."said Sissy.

She got on her phone...

"Rico, Duke...It's a go..Round em up.." she said..

Tyriq, Carlotta, Jimmy, Hop and Sirena, along with plain clothes cops from Vice and Narcotics arrested  39 drug dealers , photographed and recorded making transactions at that Pizzeria..

Duke, Angie FBI /ATF Deputy Special Agent in charge Sharon Hopkins and DEA Regional Special Agent in Charge Carol Redding

backed by Federal Agents from the FBI, DEA and ATF rounded up an additional 39 Russian Mob suspects...

It had been a good morning...

Lt. Danny Ho, who was helping them out arrested Manny Reid and made an interesting find

A. 40 caliber gun , that turned out to be a ballistics match for Joey Page's shooting and a photo of Joey Page in the trunk of Manny Reid's car. On the back of Joey's photo was his home address..

"I guess I should turn this over to Lt. Tragg, it is his investigation."said Lt. Danny Ho..

"No, this was recoverd during MY INVESTIGATION...That idiot walked into that Pizzeria last week

and blew three of my detectives cover..accusing them of horning in on his investigation...It almost cost us today's bust..."said Sissy.

"Yeah I heard...thank god you had enough to indict all of those guys,plus all the dope and coke you found on the premises...You put that operation out of business.."said Danny Ho.

"We didn't get our target...Vinnie Carrow...He's still a free man...but I'm going to hold on to this.. I owe a friend a favor." said Sissy, smiling.

III-

I had heard about the big busts in Fishtown, Port Richmond and Little Norway.. I had no idea it would have anything to do with my investigation... Joey Page wasn't able to give me much of a description of his shooter.. He swore to me and Kool Kat that he had nothing to do with any drugs and certainly nothing to do with the Russian Mob.. As for his wife's brother...The two men hated each other..and had no dealings whatsoever..

I arrived at C.I.D. headquarters in time to see their version of the "Fishbowl" or interrogation room.. and inside it sat , Emmanuel "Manny" Reid. Manager of the Pizzeria by day, Street Boss by night for Vinnie Carrow...allowing his Russian Gangster friends to launder dirty money through his shop and selling a very lucrative package of Heroin/Cocaine and Opiates to several represenatives of local drug organizations..78 people were now behind bars and a large amount of drugs were confiscated from the basement of the pizza parlor..

No charges were brought against his boss, Vinnie Carrow...whose only crime was hanging out there,taking phone calls and eating about three pizza's a day...

"I called you here Kevin because that gentleman is Emanuel Reid, Vinnie Carrow's number two man.. and in the trunk of his car, we found a photo of Joey Page and a .40 caliber pistol with a fresh clip in it that is a ballistics match for your shooter. The photo has Joey's home address on it." said Sissy.

"He shot Joey? But Why?  Joey swore to me that he had nothing to do with any drugs or Vinnie Carrow...He can't stand him and the feeling was mutual.." I said.

"His sister is going through a rather messy divorce....I just thought maybe you'd like to question him, while I'm holding him in custody." said Sissy.

"Hello Manny...I'm a private Investigator." I said showing him my identification...I'm trying to find out who shot my good friend Joey Page. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" I asked.

 

He laughed. "You're kiddin right Lieutenant?  You got a private eye questioning me?" 

"If I were you..I'd do whatever I could to help myself out...We have you on RICO charges and Drug charges...This is Attempted Murder and Conspiracy...You'd better start talking and talking fast...because if not...All 78 of those people we popped yesterday are going to be home long before you."said Sissy.

"Look, I don't know no Joey Page..." said Manny.

I dropped the 40 caliber gun on the table..

and the photo of Joey Page 

with his address on the back..

"This gun, which is a ballistics match to the shooting and this photo was found in the trunk of your car...This is your handwriting...Did you shoot my friend? Who put you up to it?" I asked.

"I didn't shoot nobody....The day that kid was shot..I was in the Pizzeria all day....Your uh detectives can attest to that." he snarled.

Carlotta, Angie and Sirena were his alibi...He was in the Pizzeria all day...No way he could have shot Joey Page.

"Look you're in enough trouble as it is...Turn in State's Evidence on this attempted murder and conspiracy and I'll drop those charges on you....Think about it." said Sissy.

"Think he'll go for it?" I asked Sissy.

"He's got no choice...He's facing a long prison term...If we put Attempted Murder and Conspiracy on top of this...He's gone for life..."said Sissy

ONE HOUR LATER-

"Alright...the guy you want..is a guy named  Guido...Guido Casella

He lives in South Philly.. I paid him $5000.00 to do the job....I don't even know this guy, Joey Page...I was just the middle man...I swear...I called him...I gave him the money and the gun and I paid him, that's the truth..." he said.

"Vinnie Carrow put you up to this?" I asked.

"I aint sayin no more...That's your shooter..." he said and true to his word..He wouldn't say anymore.

"I got what I need...Thanks Siss...I can take it from here.....Uh do you uh want me to call the Great Detective when we have him?" I asked.

"No!  You call me...This is my case now!" said Sissy..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Listen at you young lady.." I said and we both laughed.

IV-

LITTLE ITALY, South Philly

"Gotta hand it to you Kev, between your agency and your contacts with law enforcement, you do good work and fast...I can't believe you got a line on this killer so fast." said Kool Kat..

"This restaurant is a popular place for wise guys and guys trying to impress wise guys...Our guy is the latter..He has two convictions..Burglary, Assault with intent to kill..He did five year stretches for both..It appears he's moved up in stature.." I said..

Guido Casella was chowing down on Chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and buttered rolls..

he was enjoying his food immensely...We let him finish...

"You've got quite an appetite Guido....And to eat a fine meal like that in here...You've got a lot of cash." I said as I sat down..

"I didn't invite you to my table moulie.." he said.

"I heard you like to shoot people for pay....Like my friend, Joey Page last week..I heard you did that job, is that true?" I asked.

"So what if I did?...I aint doin no job for you, I don't care what you're offering... I'm not prejudiced, but you Moulie's do dirty sloppy business...I prefer people I know.." said Guido..

"Like Manny Reid?  " I asked.

"Manny sent you to me? I doubt it...He hates Moulies as much as I do..I shot that Sambo...but I aint workin for you...No Offense!" he snarled..

"Oh None taken...I didn't come here to offer you a job.." I said , getting serious.

"Oh you came to make a move eh?" he said and looked like he was going for a gun.

"Watch it Junior...Not a smart thing to do.." said Kool Kat, giving him a baleful stare...

and showing him his .357 magnum..

Now Guido looked frightened...

Just then Detective Jimmy Barlow walked in.. 

"Hey Guido...It's tank time stupid....Thanks Kev...I got every word..." he said.. 

I was wearing a wire.

"You guys cops?" he asked.

"I am..They aren't...You shot their friend...I'm doin you a favor Guido... Hook him up boys, read him his rights." said Jimmy..

"Give the boss lady my regards Jimmy." I said and nodded.

''Will Do Kev." said Jimmy, smiling.

Kool Kat smiled and we left..

The cops that came with Jimmy read Guido his rights and took him away...

Later that afternoon, Kool Kat and I met with Joey Page at his house.

"Kev, Walter, I can't thank you enough...My shooter is in jail and the guy who paid him is too..Man, that was great work." he said. "I knew that Bumbling Lt. Tragg wasn't going to get anywhere." he said.

"We got lucky...The man who paid your shooter was part of a larger investigation into drug trafficing and Money laundering...The police found a gun and a photo of you in the trunk of Manny Reid's car...He ran the Pizzeria in Fishtown where all this activity went  down..Now I know you don't know him and you have nothing to do with that...but you know his boss." I said.

"His Boss?" asked Joey.

"Vinnie Carrow, your brother in law...He didn't say it...but Vinnie told him to find a hitman and Vinnie gave him the money to pay him...Unfortunately...Vinnie wasn't arrested in the big sting..but Mannie and most of his associates and customers are behind bars." I said.

"You're safe for a little while...but if I know right..Vinnie is going to set up another operation and he might get somebody else to come at you again..."said Kool Kat.

"This isn't Vinnie....He could care less about me....This was his sister, my damn ex-wife..She's behind this..."said Joey..

I suspected as much.

(TO BE CONTINUED)