Pirate Radio

Debbie drove me to Penns Landing and showed me where the boat was docked.   It didn't look like much..at least not from the outside..It looked like it could sink within the next few minutes...

"You want me to come with you?" she asked.

"Nah...that won't be necessary..just sit tight and wait for me." I said with a smile.

Before I got out of the car, Debbie leaned over and gave me the longest wettest kiss I'd had in weeks.....

''Wow, what was that for?' I asked.

"For luck." she said.

"Luck eh?" I laughed.

I got out of her car.. and walked over to the boat...It was eerily quiet..Didn't look like anybody was aboard...
I called out for the captain or crew members , but there was nothing...I walked aboard the boat and walked down it's stairs to the next level...There , to my utter surprise was a state of the art radio broadcasting station..
Inside a sound proof room, I saw a man about my age with a beard talking to a mike... Over him was a bright red electrical sign that said "'On the Air"... A very shapely and attractive young lady walked over to me ...

''Can I help you sir?" she asked.

"Yes....uh..I'm sorry to just intrude...Just walk on your boat...but is there any chance I can talk to the guy on the mike there?" I asked sheepishly...

"Oh My God..You're Reed Nelson!!!" she said.

''Yeah..I am" I said.

"I saw you at Josies here in Philly and a couple of times when you played San-Francisco. My name is Verna...Verna Creighton" she said.

"Wow....Pleased to meet you Verna" I said.

''I caught you at the Baha Jazz festival in Mexico too. and once in Japan." she said.

"Well Alright...Okayyy..You get around." I said.

''My dad gets around...This is his ship... he used to be a big time promoter..You may hve heard of him "Captain Ahab." she said.

''Nahhhh..Can't say that I have." I said.

"Oh well...He retired...but he always loved being on the radio....He worked as a jock for a station out in the Bay area....that got bought up by a conglomerate...he lost his job....but he won this boat from a guy that owed him money..Soon as he discovered it had a radio station and a powerful signal that could cut into almost any market...he began broadcasting on this pirate station of his...We hang around until the FCC or the law starts breathing down our backs and then we split....As you can see I'm kind of expecting" she said.

''Really?...I can't tell." I said

"Yeah..I'm about a month gone...Soon I'll be leaving him for awhile..Until the baby is born." she said.

"Wow....That's something...but how does your dad make any money?" I asked.

"Partially from promoting local gigs with local talent and the other way is through less legal ways that I'm not at liberty to talk about..." she said with a sheepish grin.

''Well when he gets off the air...I'd like to ask him about something he played yesterday." I said.

''He's motioning you to come into the studio with him now...Go On." she said as she opened the door and i walked in.

II-

I walked in.... "Captain Ahab"'s real name was Alexander Creighton...He was part African-American, Part Jamaican....All Hustler....

"Ladies and Gentleman of Philadelphia...We have a local boy here with us today...Mr. Reed Nelsonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...Give it up yalll!" he said...  He pushed a button and canned applause was heard....I shook my head and laughed...

Ahab was a very gregarious and personable guy and we talked about music, the state of Jazz today, Hip Hop, R&B...The election even for a good hour...I thought about Debbie waiting for me in the car and I motioned for him to play some music and cut the mike off...he complied.

''What can I do for you Mr. Nelson...I figured you came here for something other than my company ." he said.

"You played something yesterday..a tune called "Carlotta's Song" by Chet Cook..." I said. I noticed how his eyes arched and how he kind of jumped when I mentioned the name.

''Yeah...a trumpet player like yourself...he gave me a copy of that a few months ago when I was in Puerto Rico." he said.

"You saw him in Puerto Rico?" I asked...

"Uhhhh Yeah, uhhh...we hung out on the boat for days...then he vanished without a trace.." said Ahab...

''Yeah he had a habit of doing that." I said.

"So you know him?" said Ahab.

"I knew him....I am friends with the guy who produced that recording." I said.

"Meek Rollins? I know him." said Ahab...

"What about Chet?" I asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable ,when I asked him about Chet again...Like he didn't want to talk about him anymore.

"Look...between me and you..I think he's in trouble with the law...Just the way he acted.." said Ahab..

He looked up and his eyebrow arched....He also looked relieved....

"My My Myyy..Is she with you? Tell me she's not..." he said....Debbie had boarded the boat and his daughter, Verna had led her to where we were.

"You were taking so long, I was worried." she said.

''I'm sorry Deb." I said.

''You gotta woman like THIS waiting for you and you're wasting time with me asking about some bust out musician?"he asked.

''Yeah...it is kind of crazy." I said.

He frowned....I laughed....

"This is my lady friend...Debbie..Debbie , this is-" I said..

''Captain Ahab..I know him or at least of him....I've been to several concerts he promoted and I remember him when he was on the radio out in San-Francisco." she said.

"When were you in San-Francisco?" I asked.

''I worked out there about ten or eleven years ago...before I met you .I actually lived in Daly City, near Berkeley." she said.

''Always nice to meet a fan." said Ahab.

"Listen Reed, you might want to talk to your band and a few other locals....I'd like to throw a big Holiday jam right here in this city..." said Ahab...

''I'll run it by some people and let you know." I said.

"Please do...I'm serious...and tell that old rummy Gus at Josie's Bar that I said hello." he said.

"You know Gus? " I asked..

"Are you kiddin? Who doesn't know Gus? When I first come to Philly some years ago..He was the first person to let me book acts in his club....Yeah..me and old Gus go back a few years." he said.

We both smiled....

"Well, We'll be going now...and I will put the word out about your jam....uh..It will be in doors I hope...I just played a gig outdoors today." I said.

"Outdoors? Today? in this weather?" he asked.

"Yeah...but the bread was good." I said.

"Of course...why else do it right?" he said with a laugh.

"You got it." I said and he nodded his head in agreement....

"To answer your question...of course it would be inside...I'm hoping maybe that Gus lets me use Josie's for it." he said.

"Okay...that'll work....I'll get back to ya." I said.

"Nice to meet you." said Debbie as we left the boat.....

"Same here toots." he said.

As we drove off Debbie looked at me -


"Well did you find  what you were looking for?" she asked.

''No..but I did find out something." I said.

''Chet Cook is alive and he's here in Philly." I said.

''What?"

(To Be Continued...)

That Old Melody!

It was December....it was cold!   I wasn't on Blue Island as Debbie and I had been this time last year...I was playing for the brunch crowd at Mulberry Street...the rooftop bar and restaurant that was usually closed this time of year....

Millionaire-socialite Rollie Rollerson had opened it up and was having an engagement brunch for close to 2000 people....Symphony Sam and his all star orchestra was on the road...Downtown Rob Brown and Delores were out of town...Brook Taylor was playing dates in San-Francisco and so...that left me and the guys...

'88' reluctantly sat in with me...He don't like being cold...and I got the rest of the guys , the bass player, the guitarist, the drummer...a cat who played vibes, a percussionist , a saxophonist and the great Bone Hampton to sit in on Trombone.....

We played a 9:00 am set......and was just finishing up our last set at noon....Rollerson said that he wanted nothing but classic love songs played..so that's what we played...with a little improvisation of course...
There was wine, champaigne and all kinds of drinks flowing along with Pancakes, Waffles, Eggs, Bacon,sausage, Hot Oatmeal, Grits...you name it and the who's who of Black and white Philadelphia society...

Rollie Rollerson acted every bit like the love smitten suitor... It was all an act...Everybody knew that he was constantly jumping from bed to bed...and some times just minutes before his fiance could catch him....He was treading on thin ice...and everybody but him knew it!

"Great show Reed..Great show....Now come on down here and get some of this good food brothers." said Rollie Rollerson.

"Thanks man." I said.

"I'm with that." said Bone Hampton....

"I know you are man.....You don't even care about the money...just the food." I laughed as Bone, 88 and I grabbed some plates and began helping ourselves..... As we sat an ate...The sound guys hooked up a satellite feed and music began pouring in through the speakers......and I began to hear a very familiar melody...A melody I had vowed not to play...a Melody that haunted me....and a memory too!

Garvin came to the door...He was shirtless, wearing only boxer shorts...Chet pushed past him and there in the bed, clad only in a bra and panties was Carlotta!


''Oh My God Chet...This isn't what it looks like...Oh..I swear." she yelled in pure panic. I didn't know about her, but it sure looked like something to me!


"What are you doing here? Why did you bring Mr. Nelson? Ohhhhhhh my lorddddddd!" she yelled , jumping up and pulling the bed spread off of the bed and covering herself...


"Carlotta...I-I- can't believe this...I've given you everything...I've been devoted to you...You've agreed to be my wife....and you're , you're cheating on me ...with him??" said Chet.

"I think you should leave Chet...We have just finished making love for the second time today...I bring sounds out of your lady that you can never bring out of her..She screams louder than your trumpet..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." he laughed.


"Are you bragging Garvin?" sneered Chet!


Chet spit on the floor and looked at Carlotta in red hot anger...


"You WHORE!" he screamed...


"Chet please...I can explain everything." she said.

"What is there to explain?...You lied to me..You said you had to work late at the office. I decided to surprise you with your favorite flowers and some dinner that I prepared.I went to the office and they told me that they didn't call you in and that you hadn't been to work in two days..That you had called out sick. I went to his lousy restaraunt and they gave me the same story..that he had called out sick. I followed you last night...I saw you leaving this place..your hair all messed up..Your clothes wrinkled...You disgust me." he said.


Chet then pulled a gun out that he had had concealed on him....Before anyone could do anything..He turned and fired! The gunshot sounded like the loudest thing I had ever heard!


Garvin grabbed his side...blood and intestines seemed to be pouring out of the huge hole in him....


"I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS...I HAVE BEEN SHOT! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ,ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu."
he said and fell to the floor!


"There..Do you make sounds like that when you make love?" asked Chet as he put his gun away and ran down the hall!


"Chet!, ChettTTTTTTT...come back!" I screamed..but it was too late...He was gone...People came into the hallway, one woman screamed......Carlotta screamed!

"Come back...Chettttt...come backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!"


"Yo Reed...Reed my man...come back...come back down to earth baby!" said Bone Hampton...

''Oh hey man... it's all good." I said with a weak smile...

" You totally zoned out baby...what's up?" asked Bone Hampton.....

"Long story man...it's that music....that melody." I said.

"Yeah, it is haunting...that's coming from a west coast feed." said Bone Hampton...

''Nah man...that's coming from a ship." said 88.

"A ship?" We both asked...

"Yeah...some guy has a boat..docked at Penn's Landing and he has a radio station on the boat..he broadcasts from the Ship...He's been docked here in town for about a month." said 88.

"Really" I mused and continued eating.

II-

At Debbie's apartment...I layed my Trumpet down and played a few riffs on the Piano....Debbie came into the living room and sat next to me as I played...

''Wow...I haven't heard that tune played in a long time..." she said.

"I heard it played at Rollie Rollerson's brunch gig." I said.

'"Oh yeah? by who? " she asked.

"I don't know....it was coming from a feed and the station , I understand is on a boat." I said.

''Oh..the boat at Penns Landing." said Debbie..

"You know about this boat??" I asked incredulous.

"Yeah...it's been here about a month...The guy has an independent station...." she said.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yeah." she said..

"Hmmm." I mused and continued playing the piano....I was going aboard that boat and soon.

''Still think about Chet?" asked Debbie..

"Every now and then.....but especially today when I heard his melody...

"You think he's still alive?" she asked.

"Oh most definitely." I said.

(To be continued....)

You've Really Got It!

You've really got it for this guy...
and I won't stand in your way...
You've really got it for this guy..
You talk about him everyday../

The question is
how can I make you take your mind off him?
the way he wines and dine you and you just gush
over him.?
I hear he's even taking you on a trip soon...
to the resorts in Cancun..
You're hoping that this Christmas
He has a ring for you...
And that the two of you are planning  for a wedding
in June./

I hate to tell you girl, but you're just wasting your time...
because being married to you is like the farthest thing on his mind../

You've really got it for this guy
and it's crazy for me to say..
I really wish that you could be mine..
I'm sorry for feeling this way../

/but baby baby
you know..
love is crazy..
that's what everybody would say...
if you thought to look my way....
and..
and baby baby....
I've never been sure of much before..
but I'm so sure ...
I could offer you so much more...
More of what your heart is really searching for.../

You've really got it for this guy
and I won't take up anymore of
your time...
You talk about him all the time...
but you really need to give my love a try...
and stop thinking of yourself...
as just a friend of mine.../

Crime Of Passion

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......Bobby...Bobbby, give it to me...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."


"Ohhhhhhhhhh Pamela...PAM.....it's so damn good...ooooooooooooooohhhhhh..."


''Ohhhh Bobby,lay that pipe..Lay that pipe...OHHHH goddd...I'm losing my mindddddd..."


"Geez PAm....this is soooooo goood..ummmmmmmmmmmmmmph...I'm about to blowww my loaddd....arggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg!!"


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she screamed.."I'm cummming toooo..OHHHHHHHHH.."


We were at Peeping Tom's house watching the video Private Investigator Lee Spann had made of Officer Bobby Clarke having hot jungle sex with the wife of his partner, Dave Gillespie... Lee had told me that Dave Gillespie hired him about a year ago to investigate his wife...He suspected that she was seein somebody...

Lee had on him canceled checks that showed Gillespie had paid him handsomely for his services as well as his copies of several videos of the two of them sleeping together...

"Ohhhhhhh baby...does Dave know what he's missing..ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."


"If Dave's penis was three or four inches longer, he might know.."


"Hahahahahahahahahahaha that's cold baby....."


"It's true...He was the worst lay of my life...He comes so fast, I think I'm in bed with a teenager...a virgin."


"Ouch that hurts....Hahahahahahahaahahaha, You're talkin about my partner now..hahahaha..We went through the academy together."

''Well he shoulda got some lessons in lovemaking  around the same time."


"I don't need any...do I baby...ouuuuuuuuuuuu..???"


"No, you surely don't....you've got that big horse cock that I can't get enough of...Ohhhhhhhh."


"Yeah baby!"

"Ummmmmmmmmmm..."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh geezzzzzs.."


"ouuuuuuuuuuu. you know how to make a woman feeeeel.."

Click!



"That was the last one I sent him Kev..I sent it to him on Thursday...That cop died on Saturday Morning.." said Lee...

Clerow, Owen Todd, Lockpick Johnson and Kool Kat were stunned.... Peeping Tom looked at me...

"I could see that setting him off and if you were sending them to him for close to a year..His rage must have been unimaginable...."I said.

''He broke in my apartment....Then I saw him outside my house.. Soon as he was gone...I got these returned checks and these videos....I figured that that was what he wanted.....Then when I read that that cop was dead...It didn't take much to know that I might be next....You were the only one I could think of to call...." he said.

"Well Lee...We are going to wire you up....Call him..Tell him that you're willing to trade him the videos and the copies of the return checks for your life and some cash...Tell him 5 G's, 10 g's.." I said.

"He won't pay that..He'll kill me." said Lee Spann.."This guy is really scary....

"No he won't...we'll be there......Just do as I say....Tell him to meet you in the parking lot of the Mermaid Club after closing tomorrow...Someplace private....Give him a description of your car." I said.

"You sure Kev..I'd just rather get out of town." said Lee...

"Relax...This way you won't have to go anywhere....Trust me." I said.







II-

The Mermaid Club Parking Lot- 2:30 PM 

All of the drinkers and party goers had gone...Even Joe Neptune and his staff was gone...Unlike New York City...After two o'clock, Philly did go to sleep..At least parts of it.

One car sat on the lot... It was Lee Spann's....It didn't take long before an unmarked sedan drove up.....It was Dave Gillespie, dressed in Jeans, sneakers and a leather jacket...I got out of the car first...then Lee got out of the car next...

"Who's He?" asked Dave Gillespie....

Then he did a double take...

''Don't I know you?" he asked.

" You might ." I said.

"He's here in case you try something funny..I don't wish to wind up mysteriously dead like your partner." said Lee Spann.

"Oh you figured that out huh?" He laughed...

"It wasn't hard...He was banging your wife....Not only that..he was banging her well and she was putting you down on video...How long did you plan the murder of your partner?  A year?/ Months? You had a bust out junkie and a bust out prostitute ...You manipulated them..Then you killed your partner and framed the dead man and then you got rid of the girl.....Next you were going to get rid of the only other person who could possibly tie you to the murders.....or blackmail you..The gumshoe who taped your partner and your wife doing it." I said.

Dave Gillespie smiled...

"You got it all figured out huh?" he said.

"That is how it all happened isn't it?" I said.

"Yeah...that was pretty much it....except for one thing." he said.

"What's that?" I said.

"I know who you are now...You're that blogger who moonlights as a private detective ...Kevin Morris...Well, you shoulda stayed out of this...I can't let neither one of you live now...Get the video and get the canceled checks out of that car..." he snapped...

Another guy got out of the car with a shotgun aimed at me and Lee.....He was looking at Dave and giggling...

"Damn man, Clarkie was bangin Pam?  Hahahahahahah..He always said he'd like to..Guess he did..hahahahahahaa." said the other guy...

"SHUT UP!  SHUTTTTTTTTTTT UPPPPPPPPPPP...KILL THEM!!!!..NO NEVER MIND!!!!!" screamed Dave Gillespie, who to our horror pulled out his service revolver and gunned down his accomplice...right in front of us!!! Then he looked up at us in rage!!

"I think you'd better look behind you Big Dave." I said....I hadn't expected this....

Kool Kat, Owen Todd and Clerow all had their guns trained at his head......

"Don't be a fool , drop your gun....It's all over." I said.

He dropped his gun and he burst into tears.....he began to shake and he dropped to the ground...he curled up into a ball and just cried like a baby!


Within Minutes...Lt. Sissy Van Buren, 7 Homicide Detectives and 15 uniformed policemen flooded the parking lot...We got his entire confession on tape ,including his murder of who turned out to be off duty officer
Curt Showers.....

"Damn Kevin...I was sure hoping you were wrong this time." she said as she handcuffed Dave Gillespie and another officer read him his rights...

Lee Spann looked relieved...

"Damn Kevin, you really pulled my nuts out of the fire this time.I owe you." he said.

"Yeah...so does a lot of people." I said as we all went to our cars and left the bloody parking lot!


EPILOUGE-

"

David B. Gillespie was convicted of the murders of his partner, Robert Clark, and of the murders of Officer, Curtis Showers, Charlotte Phillips and Alton Artis....He was sentenced to die by lethal injection... His wife,Pamela Gillespie divorced him and is dating a Fireman the last I heard.


The next night..Kool Kat and I met Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding at a Tony outdoor dining facility..He paid for our meal and our drinks....He handed me an envelope loaded with cash...Now he was all smiles-

"Damn man..You get the damn job done...." he said.

Kool Kat just laughed and slapped his knee...."I told you..I told you that if anybody could clear that kids name and get to the bottom of this,Kev could.." he said.

''Damn Walter..you sure was right... Kev..if you was anybody else..I'd offer you a job in my organization..but I know that that aint your style." he said.

"Nope...it aint." I said.

"Oh well..Always know..You gotta friend in Atlantic City..and anybody..any playa here in Philly ever gives you a hard time..drop my name...Tell em you know Shark Dollars baby." he said.

"I'll do that." I said and laughed as we enjoyed our food...

''Can't believe a cop...a damn cop would do something like that..Ice his own partner." said Shark Dollars..

"His partner was sleeping with his woman...It drove him mad." I said.

"All these women out here?  I just don't see it." said Shark Dollars...He and Kool Kat slapped palms and laughed out loud....

They just didn't understand....Or maybe They did! What did I know?

Throw Away People

Of course, The Philadelphia Police treated the death of Ms. Charlotte Phillips ,age 29, ex-prostitute, sometime drug user as an accidental death....It looked as if she had simply overdosed.....But the people in the projects and on the streets said that she hadn't used in close to two years and that she'd been clean...Her arrest record stated that her last arrest had been for prostitution....Something her friends said she only did in between jobs to make ends meet...The arresting officer had been one Dave Gillespie...the partner of Bobby "Clarkie" Clarke..The slain officer...I wondered if this was more than just a co-incidence!

I was certain that her death was no mere co-incidence...when I told the police that she made one of the last calls to the slain Alan Artis and that now she like him was dead...No one saw any connection and no one wanted to talk to me or about it any further.  I had nothing!  Nothing I could prove.

A  day later...I got a call from Eric ''Shark Dollars" Redding....I really had nothing to tell him....Surprisingly..he had something to tell me..

We met at Mabel Jenkins's Soul Food Joint...On this night..Her establishment was particularly jumping...People were getting their platters to go because , Bone Hampton, Brooke Taylor and a Hot All star band was going to be playing at Josies tonight...I sure wished that I was on my way to that and not working a seemingly unsolvable murder conspiracy...

Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding and two of his goons walked in...They had a little dusty looking guy with them...
I recognized him...He was one of the people who had refused to talk to me, when I interviewed him about Charlotte Phillips.. He looked like he had been roughed up....I didn't like that...but I didn't have time to get into it...

"Hey Kevin...This here is Mikey...Mikey Snopes....He owes me some money....I heard that he wouldn't talk to you the other day....Well...I've TALKED to him and I think he's had a change of heart, haven't you Mikey?" snapped Shark Dollars.

'Yeah man...I certainly have." he spat.

I motioned for them all to sit down and I looked at Mikey...

"What you got for me Mikey?" I asked.

"L-l-Look man....If I tell you this...please ...don't put my name in this...I got warrants out on me.....but dig...This white guy was comin around...hasslin Char....I thought that he was shakin her down for some cash...But from what she told me..It was different....He wanted her to do somethin for her..To set this guy up.
This was weeks ago...So she started callin this guy and makin nice with him...and she even had the dude over a few times..He wouldn't get high with us..but she was uh, you know..breakin him off a little somethin,somethin..you know..sexin him up..She had dude's nose wide open..Had him runnin all kinds of errands for her...Buyin silly stuff like hoodies and sunglasses..." said Mikey..

''So who was this guy? This mark?" I asked..

"It was his nephew...Mr. Shark Dollars nephew, Alan Artis." he said pointing to Eric.

"You sure of that?" I asked.

"Yeah I'm positive...When I seen his photo in the paper..I knew it was him..That's why I come to Mistah Shark Dollars..." he said.

"To trade information for your debt?" I said.  Eric Shark Dollars laughed and slapped his knee.

"Yeah..Yeah man.." he said.

"Tell me about this white guy?" I asked.

"He looked real square...Crew cut, slim build, Tall...He wore jeans and sneakers when he came around..but we knew he was a Narco....he had cop written all over him...Always wore those expensive aviator shades...
Anyway....a day before  the cop got snuffed and they found Mr. Shark Dollars Nephew..he come down here again and went to Ms. Charlotte's spot...She let him in...When he come out..he had on the yellow hoodie that
she had dude buy her...It was you know the type you get from Old Navy..or the Gap.." he said.

I've got photos...Would you know this guy with the yellow hoodie if you saw him again? " I asked.


"I might." he said.

I went to my car and came back with photos of Bobby Clarke, Alan Artis and Dave Gillespie....He took one look at Officer Dave Gillespie and freaked out!!!!

"That's him...That's the guy who was coming down here to see Charlotte..He's the cop that busted her two years ago too!." he said...

'You know him Kevin?" asked Shark Dollars..

"Yeah..he's the slain cop's partner.." I said.

"He's the guy that set my nephew up?...." said Shark Dollars...

"That's what I think....and I think he gave Charlotte a hot shot too...Now I've got to prove it." I said.

"We-We-We straight Mr. Shark Dollars?" asked Mike Snopes...

"Yeah..Get outta here." said Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding. "Now what Kevin?" he asked...

"Now I gotta do what I do." I said.

He didn't crack a smile...

"Thanks for the help...He set me in the right direction." I said.

''Don't mention it." he said as I got up and walked out.


II-

"You want me to give you access to a cop's files ?" asked Lt. Sissy Van Buren...

"Look , what I've told you has got to at least make some sense...This guy was the arresting officer of both of these people..So he knew em...Alan Artis, reformed junkie....Charlotte Phillips, ex-junkie, sometime prostitute... Throw away people that nobody would care about..nobody would miss, nobody would believe!!He got her to string him along and actually purchase the hoodie and the glasses and then call him, probably telling him she'd meet him in a certain place..He kills his partner and then he goes where he knows Alan will be, waiting for Charlotte and he kills Alan, puts the hoodie, glasses and gun on him and vanishes...
The next day or later that day , he kills Charlotte and thus eliminates anything coming back to him..." I said.

"That's a wild story Kevin...you expect me to believe that?" said Sissy Van Buren..

"That's what happened." I said.

"You got this from a street punk who probably won't testify...and you have nothing else...Not a living witness."  she said.

"You're right...but if you let him get away with this....The murderer of three people is walking the streets with a gun and a badge.."I said.

"Alright...I'm going to lay these files on the table and walk away....If you happen to look at them and find something...I didn't see this and I didn't have this conversation with you." she said.

I smiled...

I pored through his files...There was nothing....Dave Gillespie was a straight arrow cop..No disciplinary reports, Seven or eight accomodations..Worked with the FBI Violent Crimes Task force at one time and the DEA  anti drug task force and like his partner, Bobby Clark..He was about to make detective...He too was on the fast track...He was married...Had been married for two years to a former beauty queen.  His wife was "Ms. Philadelphia" and a former "Ms. Pennsylvania"  ..she had also been a former-"Ms. Bikini" Incredible guy...incredible woman....but otherwise ...Nothing strange.  His finances were tight..No outstanding debt..No
nothing...This guy was clean...Too clean....

I put his file back and left....I would have to take a deeper look at him and his wife....Have to find another way...While driving home my phone rang.....Little did I know that this was the call that was going to bust my case wide open!!!

''Hello Kev." came a familiar voice..

"Who is this?" I asked..

"It's been a long time...but it's me...Lee Spann." came the voice..

Lee Spann was another private investigator that I had once worked with...Kind of sorta...

''What's goin Lee?" I asked...

"Look man...I need your help...I think I'm in trouble...." he said.

"What kind of trouble?" I asked...

"Look...a few months ago...this cop hired me to spy on his wife..He thought she was cheatin on him...I got the information he wanted...It was his..his partner.....I gave him a copy of the video tape I made....Well..his partner is dead...That was the cop that got killed a couple of weeks ago and the shooter killed himself...Well..I been thinkin....I don't think it's no accident...and get this...this guy has been shadowing me...I think he's gonna try to kill me....I need your help man..you gotta hide me, get me outta town." he said.

I stopped my car and pulled over.....

''Lee...I want you to meet me at this address...Can you get there on your own?" I asked.

"Yes...I'll try." he said.

"Okay..One hour..Make sure you aren't tailed." I said.

I got on the phone and called Clerow, Kool Kat, Owen Todd, Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom....It was about to be a longgg night!

(Conclusion Next)

Last Call

I talked to Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren about this case...She like I was a bit concerned about this case herself..  We drank coffee and ate Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in her office and looked at the autopsy reports...
The suspect, Alan Artis, age 28 died of a "self inflicted gunshot wound" , yet there was no powder burns on the body...The man was left handed...yet the shot was on the right side of his head.....

"Strange Kevin...Strange indeed...but I've got nothing else... His prints are the only prints on the gun." she said.

''What about the serial number?" I asked.

"It was filed off....you know the drill Kevin...This is a throwdown gun...the kind sold illegally on the streets." she said.

"Hmmmm...." I mused... "he didn't have much of a jacket...just three arrests...two for possession of drugs and one for soliticiting a prostitute...Doesn't sound like a mad dog killer to me!" I said.

"No..it doesn't...He had just did a stint in rehab and had been out for six months..had been clean too...even had a job!" she said.

"I know...I went by his job..I talked to everybody that knew him...They said that he was a hard worker and that he came to work everyday..Never missed a day." I said.

''Maybe he fell off the wagon..I don't know...Drugs can scramble your brains." said Sissy.

"Come on Sissy...This aint him!" I said.

"Well who is it then Kev?" she asked...

"I don't know." I said

"You gotta do better than that." she said.

"Yeah, I know." I said as I walked out of her office.

II-

I drove around and I rousted every hood, every low level playa  and every illegal gun dealer in the neighborhood for the next few days and not one person could say that they had seen or dealt with Alan Artis or even knew who he was.

I went to the church and talked extensively with Pastor Struthers and Deacons Larry Weatherford and Basil Robinson... They knew him..He had been a regular at their young men's outreach and as far as they knew  had been doing good , had been clean and had been off the drugs...

Robert Foxworth and Chance Howard had a contact in Telephone security....I visited him next...I often wondered why Attorney Robert Foxworth had so many "contacts" in so many places, The DMV, Telephone Security and Records....He told me that he paid good money for good information...

"Kevin...Information is the most valuable commodity...It's why I win most of my cases.." he said.  The gambler, Stephen Bristol had told me the same thing once....I suppose that's why he seldom lost a bet or a wager.

The guy in Telephone security tracked all of Alan Artis's phone calls leading up to the night of his death...Most of them ,I could easily eliminate....To the job, to the grocery store, girlfriends, family, even one to Atlantic City....but there was one made at 2:15 am on the early Saturday morning he died.  It was made from a cell phone...an unlisted cell phone...

"Hmmm...This call was made from an unlisted cell phone to his cell phone...Can you trace the owner?" I asked.

''Yeah..it'll take some time." he said.

"Okay..here's my number..get back to me..." I said.

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

A call was made to him at 2:15 am....Less than 45 minutes later, He's dead and a cop is dead.....That was indeed strange...  I drove to his mother's house... Louise Redding Artis, the older sister of Eric Redding was a pleasure to meet...A very shapely and attractive woman....She looked too young to be the mother of a 28 year old...

We sat in her foyer and talked...

"That yellow hoodie that Alan had on when he died...wasn't his.... I never seen it before in my life...He lived here Mr. Kev... I did his laundry, so I know all of his clothes..The damn thing was a little too big for him...He didn't buy ill fitting clothes...and those shades....I can tell you right now that those wasn't his shades...Those shades are like $500.00 a pop...Alan couldn't afford those things...and he didn't have no gun either...Not that gun...He wasn't violent at all...I'm tellin you..I'm his mother..I know that." she said.

"I believe you...I think he was set up." I said.  "Problem is..I can't prove it or why just yet." I said.

"Well...he wasn't violent and he wasn't using...I woulda kicked him out of here if he had of been." she said.

"Well what would have made him run out of here at two in the morning?" I asked.

"Only thing I can think of is some woman.... He loved the ladies...I think that was one addiction he had yet to kick." she said with a smile...

"Any woman friend? He seein anybody?" I asked.

"Nobody serious...In the past few weeks there was one girl that called and came around here once...Some trick named Charlotte ..Charlotte Phillips...lives up in the projects." she said.

"You got an address?" I asked.

" Yeah....let me go to his room..I think he had it and her phone number written down." she said.

She returned with a phone number and an address ...I thanked her and left.... I called Clerow and told him to hook up with me in about an hour... My guy from Telephone security called me back.

"Kev...I got a name and an address for the phone call.....It came out of the projects and the owner of that phone is a Ms. Charlotte Phillips...." He said.

We compared numbers....It was the same number that Mrs. Redding -Artis had given me.  I picked up Clerow and Owen Todd and we went to my contact in Records....Ms. Charlotte Phillips , age 28 was currently on parole.. She had a lengthy arrest record that included Prostitution, Possession of Drugs, Assault ,among other things....She had only recently gotten out of jail.

Now that I knew who I was dealing with...I proceeded to her residence.....  Clerow and I got out of the car..We left Owen in the car as a lookout.... I rang the bell...but there was no need...The door was open....

Clerow cocked his pistol and opened the door..We walked inside...The smell immediately knocked us for a loop...


''Whoa!" I said.

'This don't look good boss." said Clerow.

"It doesn't smell good either." I said. Clerow gave me the side eye for a minute...Then he just smiled. Gallows Humor!

We walked into the next room and my suspicion was correct....Charlotte Phillips wasn't going to be able to help us at all..She was dead.!!!!..With a needle sticking out of her arm, a super shapely young woman lie on the floor beside her sink....Dead as a doorknob and looking and smelling like she'd been dead for close to a week!

I had hit a dead end....I was used to that!

(To Be Continued...)