Everyone Knows It's Wendy

"Well Chess, Everything seems to be in order here.....We have all of the licensces and paperwork...and as far as I can see, you guys can open this thing up for business on Friday." said the Contractor. Max Carlyle.

"Thanks a lot Mr. Carlyle...you guys did good work" I said as I shook his hand. I had used his workmen to gut an old long abandoned apartment building and turn it into what would be one of the most stylish condos in West Philaelphia. We had used a substantial amount of money, gleemed from our card game to pay for the project which began about a year ago. The Building was given a complete new face and the inside looked incredible...It had cable, was wifi compatible
and had a rooftop that could be used for parties and affairs... Chris and I both had agreed that we were going to make this affordable , so that some of the people we knew could actually afford to live in a nice place like this.

"By the way Chess..Where is your partner, Chris?" asked Mr. Carlyle.

"Hmm, I don't know...He was supposed to be here an hour ago." I said, looking at my watch.

"Well, I gotta go..got another job to do." said Mr. Carlyle.

"Of course...Thanks again." I said.

It wasn't like Chris to miss a business meeting...even one as non-important and routine as this one. He was about the business. No Matter, I had some other business to attend to. I got in my car and drove over to Mabel Jenkins Soul Food joint. When I got there...Mabel , her sister, Cora
Beth and her other sister Anita were working hard...Getting great southern cuisine prepared for the lunch crowd. Ever since Chris and I had loaned her the money to start her restaraunt and her other sister,Victoria money to start her catering businesses...They had done nothing but bring in big money.

Because of it's location, Mabel's spot was where everybody came after Josie's closed...To get that good hot meal after a night of drinking and partying.... It was also where people came for breakfast and dinner dates. We liked Mabel. She was fine as hell and a good businesswoman. Chris always said that if she wasn't involved with our friend, "88", that would be the type of woman he would want to be involved with.

"Hey Mr. Chess..How you doin?" said Anita..the youngest of the four Jenkins girls.

"I'm doin good...where's your sister?" I asked.

"Which one?" she laughed playfully.

"Mabel...you know who I come here for gurl?" I joked as I playfully swatted at her.

Mabel had already seen me and she came out and greeted me with a smile and a hug..

"How you doin Chess..What you havin baby?" she asked.

I pulled out a couple of dollars and said-

"Get me two Fried Chicken sandwiches, a Coke and two sweet potato pies to go."I said.

"Chess..what you pullin out money for? You know your money is no good here partner." she smiled.

"That's what I came to talk to you about Mabel...You guys have been doing very good on this corner and it seems to me like you've already paid us back the money we lent you to start this
business......so in effect , you are officially the boss now...Chris and me are no longer your silent
partners...You are free and clear as of today!" I said.

"What? You guys were so good to me..I can't believe it." said Mabel.

"And we'll still be...We are still your friend Mabel...If anybody gives you any trouble, we are just a phone call away..It's just that, it's time for you to enjoy all of your profits and not have to kick a percentage to us anymore...We aint gangsters...We just saw an opportunity to help a sista out."
I said.

"I'm so thankful for everything you and Chris did for me and my sisters Chess. Hey did you hear that somebody tried to kill your boy Fathead last night?" she said.

"What?" I said..."No!"

"Yeah...two guys took shot at him as he was coming out of that strip club he likes. They missed and Fathead got away." she said. "He always get away...that's like the third time somebody tried to shoot him in front of that club...mybe he should find another club."laughed Mabel.

" Yeah maybe...hahahahaha, Wow...I'll have to tell Chris, when I see him." I said...No longer caring about Fathead and his gangster lifestyle...As far as I was concerned...that was on him...that was the life he chose to lead. Someone was always going to be trying to make moves to topple the king. That was why I was so glad that Chris had chosen to get out of the game.

"I saw Chris and his new girlfriend this morning." said Mabel.

"New girlfriend?" I said.

"Yeah...They came in here this morning for breakfast. I didn't dig her...she seemed like a straight chickenhead...Mr. Chris can do better than that..Her name is Wendy something or other" she said. I scratched my head....I didn't think anything of it...and I got in my car and went home. My wife Rell and my son were there waiting for me and the food.

"Hey Chess...you just missed Chris..He just left here a few minutes ago..." she said.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Yeah, he came by here with his new girlfriend..." said Rell.

"New girlfriend huh? That's why he missed our meeting?" I laughed, not really caring.

"Yeah,I know her....She from the neighborhood....I don't dig her Chess...You better holla at your boy and warn him." said Rell.

"What's her story?" I asked as I chomped into my fried chicken leg and took a sip of my Coke.

"Her name is Wendy Thomas....She used to be married to some gangsta guy..but he's dead....She said she was in the Cayman Islands and just got back in town...but she probably lyin...She always
used to lie back when I knew her...I just don't think she right for Chris..but he seemed smitten."
said Rell.

I'd seen Chris with many women.....and I'd known him to have many women ,all at one time usually...but smitten was not what I had ever seen him...I would have to check him out. Only thing was..I couldn't seem to catch up with him.

One place I could catch up with him would be Josie's...It was Thursday...He'd be in there for the happy hour that featured Alaskan Crab Legs....Chris loved his seafood. I kissed Rell and my baby
boy and headed to Josie's.

Sure enough..There he was..in a very expensive new suit that looked tailor made....and with a very sexy looking woman sitting on his lap...I suspected this was Wendy. Chris had a drink next
to him and a plate of Alaskan Crab legs... Donald "Smooth " was sitting across from them with a
mallet and some butter..He was cracking the legs and dipping them in the butter and feasting..While Chris was feeding Wendy some jumbo shrimps, in between taking sips of his drink.

"Hey man, what's up?" I said.

"Heyyy Chess.....Sorry I missed that meeting with Carlyle this morning, I got held up.."he said.

"Ahhh, don't worry...We were just closing the deal....We open up next Friday....Chance,Paris and Blake have already expressed an interest in moving in there." I said.

"Ohhhh that's what's up....Did you uhh take care of that uh thing with Mabel and them?" he asked.

"Yup, they are free and clear just like we agreed.." I said.

"Oh Okay ,cool.....Excuse me for being rude.....Chess..This is my baby here....Wendy Thomas....
We been uh kickin it...Wendy, this is my oldest friend...Chess....We call him that cause he play chess all the time.heheheheheheheh." Laughed Chris....

"Hey now...My late husband..Georgie used to play chess too." she laughed.

Her late husband?? Why was there something about this girl that seemed familiar and sinister
all at the same time?

(To Be Continued...)

Myesha

I sat in Josie's alone. Drinking one beer after another and finnally graduating to Hennesey. Gus was a bit alarmed. He walked over to me , while he was drying a few glasses that he was washing.

"Hey Kev....Never known you to drink like this....You alright kid?" he said.

"I don't know Gus...I don't know.....What would you do if you had a friend...a good friend...and he's doing bad things?" I asked.

"Well youngin...your friends are all you got in this world....that and your own good name....I could tell you what I'd do...but it's what you would do, is what's important.... I've known you a long time Kevin.....I knew your father and I know if your old man was alive...he'd tell you to cut that "friend" loose...He'd also tell you to do the right thing." said Gus.

"Yeah...he would." I said.

"You know what else he'd tell you?" said Gus.

"Huh?, What?" I asked.

"He'd tell you not to drink anymore and to go home with your wife." he said.

I smiled at him for the first time that night.

"You called her didn't you?" I laughed....

"Yeah, I did...Here she comes now...she's going to take you home." he said with a laugh.

Sepia walked over to me and took me by the arm....I smiled at her and rubbed her cheek..

"Come on Kevin....let's go home and get you in the bed." she said.

"I'm too tired for that" I laughed.

"I wasn't talking about THAt, silly drunken man..." she laughed.

As she was helping me up....as fate would have it..the man responsible for why I was drinking walked in the bar. William "Soap" Ivory....He had a beautiful woman on his arm...It wasn't Velma...It was a younger woman..much younger, but beautiful never the less. He eyed me and the shape I was in and smiled..

"Kevin...wow is that you? Never known you to drink like that man...Wow....and who is this? Is this your wife?" said Soap.

"Hey Soap...Yes..this is my wife, Jo Anne Morris....everybody calls her "Sepia" " I said.

"Pleased to make your acquaintence.....I'm Billy Ivory, they call me "Soap'' ..Kevin, you gotta keeper there..she's gorgeous!" said Soap.

"Thank you...I've heard a lot about you." said Sepia.

"Most of it was probably true. hahahahahahahaha......Excuse me for being rude...This here is Myesha....Myesha this is my boy, Kevin...We known each other since forever and this is his wife, Sepia." said Soap.

"Pleased to meet you...Sepia is a pretty name" said Myesha.

"It's a nickname, but thanks anyway..my government name is JoAnn." said Sepia.

Sepia walked me out to her car and put me in the passenger side and She took the wheel...We would come back for my car the next day. As we rode home I wondered who this Myesha person was and how Velma felt about it or if she even knew......

The next morning, I woke up and squinted as the sunlight shone through the window...Sepia was up and dressed already..I heard the doorbell ring and I heard her downstairs talking to Clerow.
She called upstairs for me to come down, that Clerow was here... I got up ,put my bathrobe on
and walked downstairs to my living room.

"Hey Clerow...What's going on?" I asked.

"Kev, we were still listening to the goings on at your boys office and we pulled this from last
night's surveilance." he said.

''We already got what we need to put them both away...you guys can shut it down now." I said.

"Okay, but you need to hear this last recording...check it out." said Clerow.

"Walter Green??? Walter Green Soap? You gotta be kidding..He's old enough to be my grandfather and plus, he smells and he's nasty...I think he might have something." said Velma.

''What he has is a condom company that makes big money and a factory that needs plumbing.
What he has is a lot of dough." said Soap.

"Then you sleep with him....NO...I will not...I can not...that man makes me sick on my stomach
just looking at him.." protested Velma.

"If you loved me like you say you do, you would do this for me....as much as I've done for you.
I thought you loved me baby..didn't I tell you that I'm gonna make you a Vice President of my company, give you a staff of your own? Huh? Aint I been taking care of you?" cooed Soap.

" Awww Soap, come on..I slept with that Preacher and I slept with Rollie Rollerson and Radcliff for you...aren't they gettin you enough money, damn?" asked Velma.

"Bottom line, you either gonna do it or you aint...now what is it?" asked Soap.

"Ohhhhhhh, alright...alright." said Velma.

click!

"Okay Clerow, so he's lined up another client...We know that he's been pimping her, what is the
big deal?" I said.

"Thought you'd never ask Kev...The old dude came over there and got his rocks off right? Only
there was somebody else sittin outside the office...That city dude ,Radcliff Aikens.....and right after Old man Green left..he called her from his car." said Clerow, who continued playing the
recording.

"Who is this?" said Velma.

"It's me ,Radcliff Aikens.."

"Cliff, what you want? I told you that I can't be with you like that." she said.

"No...I see that you can't....You just screwed that old dude , didn't you?" he asked.

"What? What are you doing, stalking me now?" she asked..

"Call it what you want...but your boy..plumber boy is layin up with a young chippy named Myesha Evans ....and he been layin up with her for awhile....You doin all this stuff, all this disgusting stuff for him and his business and he's screwing some young girl's brains out.
If you don't believe me...Go to Ciro's tomorrow night...Your boy will be there with that babe."
said Radcliff.

"Aww, you just a big hater...Soap aint got no other woman...I'm his main woman now."
she scoffed...

"Well Humor me then..Go to Ciros tommorrow night..." said Radcliff Aikens.

click!

I smiled a big broad smile...Clerow was grinning that toothy grin of his......

"Tomorrow is today....They are going to be at Ciros and so are we." I laughed.

That night..Ciros was crowded.....I was surprised that Fathead Newton and company weren't here, this being one of his favorite night spots..It was as crowded as Josie's probably was on a Thursday or a Friday night...Wall to Wall people... I took Sepia with me...She being a woman wanted to see the possible fireworks and see "Soap" get his come uppance....I still hadn't made a decision on whether to go to the cops with the evidence I had that they were responsible for
Sheryl Billip's murder.

Sepia ,Clerow, his wife Cora beth and I all sat at a table. "Soap" was there at another table with
Myesha...He saw us and sent a round of drinks to our table... After awhile ,I wondered just what was the purpose of this..What could I hope to acheive by being here....Even if Velma did catch him with another woman..What was she going to do but cry and run off? Soap would just tell her whatever it is he told her that made her do his bidding and then would tell the other woman the same thing and this merry little triangle would continue...Slick playas like Soap always managed to come out on top no matter what...Tonight however was going to be different.

Velma entered from the rear exit...Clerow nudged me...I smiled.....Velma looked very calm and serene...Too calm and serene! She saw "Soap" and Myesha.....Myesha was feeding him shrimp..
She was sitting on his lap and looked like she was giving him a lap dance...She had on a very tight
Black Mini skirt....Soap looked like he was on cloud nine...He never saw Velma pull a pistol out of
her pocket book....It was so loud in there..that few people heard the pop sound as the bullet peirced his skull and exited out of his forehead ....and blood and brain tissue followed it as he fell
to the floor dead!!!!But they saw it and they scattered and screamed.....Velma fired again....This
time three bullets struck Myesha and she tossed the shrimps in the air and twisted and turned as each shot hit her body and she fell on top of "Soap", also dead....As a final act...Velma put the gun in her mouth and fired one last time..... She fell backwards just as dead as she could be!


I covered Sepia's face. Clerow covered Cora beth's face and we hustled them both out of there..
It was a horrific scene...Nobody had expected that....We were all shocked and a bit traumatized.
I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed.......I didn't have to make up my mind about bringing
my friend to justice....His own hubris had done the job for me.

I did turn in the evidence I had to the police sometime later so they could close the Sheryl Billips
murder case. Velma had killed her on orders from William Ivory. The sordid story of what was going on did get out....and unfortunately names did get mentioned...Both Rollie Rollerson and Radcliff Aiken denied ever meeting Velma and swore that their relationship with William Ivory was completely legit....but nobody believed either of them..

As for me...Well it's another Friday night and I'm back in Josies with Sepia,Sean, Sheila, Clerow,
Corrie, Cock Robbins, Vanessa, Conrad and his wife,Jill, Blake,Cherish, Paris, Chance and Robert
Foxworth...munching on fried chicken, drinking beer and listening to Reed Nelson, "88" and the
band turn it out... Gus is busy drying glasses and yelling at his bartenders...For now...All is right
in my world.

(For Carlene)

Un-Identified Blackmail

Sean,Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson , and I sat in the van outside of his home as my wife , Sepia, wearing one of her tightest and shortest dresses..a dress she rarely if ever wore out of the house and some stripper heels knocked on his door. The "He" in question was City Official
Radcliff Aikens..

I didn't like using Sepia this way and in a way I felt no better than my friend, "Soap" who used Velma and her sexuality and sensualness to attract business...I was no better than "Soap" except that I didn't get off from this and my wife was not going to sleep with Aikens. Aikens came to the door in his bathrobe...Upon seeing Sepia, he got a grin from ear to ear on his broad face.

"Welllllllll huh loooooooooooo gorgeous! How are you?? " he said.

"Hello Mr. Aiken, could I have just a minute of your time?" said Sepia very sensually, she was carrying a Breifcase. Aiken thought it was business..It was Business...Monkey business.

"Baby, you can have all of my time....Come in, Come in...don't stand out here in the cold he said."
Un known to Aiken, my wife was wearing a very powerful wire that was allowing us to hear very
clearly everything that was said.

"Sit down, Sit down....Would you like a drink?" said Aiken.

"No...I won't be long....I would just like to show you some things that person who I represent would like for you to see and hear." she said.

"Ohhh? " he said,looking puzzled.

Sepia opened the breifcase and showed him huge glossy photos of him leaving Soap's office , of him talking to Velma Whetstone and of her fixing his clothes in the doorway. She played him a
recording of the noises he and Velma Whetstone were making in the bedroom...and last but not least...She showed him photo copies of City contracts he had signed and authororized for Ivory
Plumbing and Associates to do all of the plumbing in City Hall and other munincipal buildings.
Sepia told me later that his mouth dropped to the floor upon being presented with this evidence.

"Who-WH-Who, who you workin for?" he asked.

"Who I work for is of no importance to you...However, something like this could be very damaging to your career if it were to get in the newspapers or on television and radio don't you agree?" smiled Sepia.

"Oh my God....Oh my God....or if my wife found out!!!" he said ,now visibly sweating....

"You're married Mr. Aiken?" said Sepia...

"Yes.....my wife is out of town......She and her girlfriends have been in Jamaica for close to two months." he said. We snickered in the van upon hearing that....We all knew what THAT might mean..I'm sure my wife was good and p.oed by now...I was just hoping she would hold it together
and play her part.

"Listen...How much does your guy want?" said Aiken.

"Mr. Aiken, the person I represent doesn't want any money from you and this person is not interested in ruining your repretation." said Sepia.

"Well what does he want?" asked Aiken.

"We want you to go see Ms. Whetstone, just like you were going to do....Only get her to talking..
Talking about how Mr. Ivory uses her to get clients...Ask her about a murder also." said Sepia.

"A murder? What?? Are you guys cops?" he asked.

"No we aren't cops...We are interested parties.....get her to talking about a murder...a girl named
Sheryl Billips.." said Sepia.

"I know her...that was Soap's girl...You think "Soap" killed her??" asked Aiken.

"Just get her to talking...that's all you have to do....Don't call the police and don't try to get cute
and cross us..We are watching you...If we suspect that you're trying to cross us..We go public with this......You play ball with us...and we are out of your life forever..." said Sepia.

"That's all I gotta do." said Aiken.

"All you gotta do....Good day Mr. Aiken." said Sepia as she got up and walked out. He stood and watched as she walked down the street, three blocks and turned the corner as planned.
By that time we had driven away..We didn't want him to see our van. Sepia found our van and got in..I hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

"You did good baby." I said.

"You think he went for it?" she asked.

"Sure he did....He'll make a beeline over there..He's too scared of a scandal not to." Said Sean.

Unknown to Aiken..I had Clerow in a rental car parked down the street from his house. Clerow was to follow him to his destination and give us the high sign. We had both her house and that office bugged...I just hoped they didn't change up and decide to go to a hotel.

Sometime later, Aiken met up with Velma at her house....He apparently had no problem playing his role. For one thing..He didn't care for "Soap" too much and another ..he enjoyed screwing Velma a lot, a whole lot and most of all, this was the easiest payment of blackmail he had ever heard of....

Of course the bed was squeaking something feirce and there was screaming and moaning and howling...sounds of people falling out of the bed, rolling on the floor, changing positions and heavy breathing... I wanted this to come to an end so that the conversation could begin...Sean, Tom and
Lockpick on the other hand were enjoying it....they acted as if they were watching a porn movie.

"For an old guy, that Radcliff Aiken can sure go....They been at it for two hours.." said Peeping Tom.

"Damn, this is good." laughed Lockpick Johnson...

Finnally one or both of them came and the pillow talk began....

"Ohhhhh lawddd that was good.....Does "Soap" know how good your stuff is baby?" said
Aiken..

"He used to know , back when we first met...he couldn't get enough...we'd do it four or five times a night." said Velma.

"Then what happened?" asked Aiken.

"He got bored , I guess....He just stopped seeing me that way...He got strung out over that other chick." said Velma.

"Who Sheryl ?" asked Aiken.

"Yeah, you know her?" said Velma.

"Yeah, "Soap" brought her to a couple of fund-raisers and some parties out at Rollie Rollerson's Elk's Inn....You ever been there?" he asked.

"No, Soap never took me nowhere and when our sexual relationship ended...The only time I ever saw him was at work...and you know him, he always runnin somewhere... But then..for a
minute ,he changed towards me..." she said.

"What do you mean he changed?" asked Aiken.

"He started wanting to have sex with me again....and then one night...he asked me if I loved him, if I really loved him....Of course I say yes...and he said , then you'd do something for me,
something a little different if I asked you to right? and I asked him what and he explained to me that if I was real "nice" to a couple of guys....guys with big money that he wanted to do business with , he would appreciate it very much....By nice , he meant sleeping with them.
First it was Pastor Struthers...That old dog, then Rollie Rollerson..."


"You gave Rollie Rollerson some? What?" he gasped....

"Yeah, but that was business..." she said.

"Well what about me? Was I just business?" he said.

"At first you were.....but wow...you are hell in the bed...that's why I let you come to my home... none of them other guys ever been in my bedroom." she said.

"What about Sheryl?" he asked.

"What about her? That trick had "Soap's" nose so wide open it wasn't funny....I hated her...He
couldn't think straight....He told me he was gonna marry her....Here he had me whorin and trickin for him and he was gonna marry little mis pure. He tried to get her to trick for him...for his business too, but she was too prissy for that.. She come up in here unannounced one afternoon and caught me and you in the bed...and she told "Soap" that they were through..
The man almost had a stroke...I had never seen Soap so distraught.....I would've killed the bitch even if Soap hadn't of asked me to." she said.

"Soap asked you to kill Sheryl?" he asked.

"Yeah...When she told him she was getting a restraining order and threatened to go to the D.A. with what he had me doing, he couldn't afford to have her around...He gave me 2g's to do it..but for Soap, I would've done it for free...That's how much I loved the man, so Radcliff..I
thought about your offer...but I can't be your woman..I'm in too deep with "Soap" she said.

"So what are you saying....This is it?" he said.

"That's what I'm saying....We got the contracts and there is no reason for us to do this anymore." she said.

"You just confessed a murder to me?" he said.

"You can't prove I said that and as far as you know...everything I said was a story." she
smirked.

We had what we needed! The next day, Sepia came to Radcliff Aiken's house. This time he was
fully dressed.

"Thank you Mr. Aiken....We suspected that those two killed Sheryl.....We had her condo bugged.
We edited out the sex parts of the recording." she said.

"So that was it...You guys aren't going to take any of that other stuff to the media?" he asked.

"You have our word...You were never our target. we wanted those two." she said.

"Thanks.. They can both go to hell as far as I'm concerned." he said and slammed the door. Sepia laughed.

That night I sat alone in Josie's...waiting.....I had more than enough evidence to turn both "Soap"
and Velma in.....but I hesitated in turning it in to the police...he was my friend....how could I turn
my friend in? I had to make my decision soon.

(Conclusion Next)

The Trouble With Women

I sat in the coffee shop in Chestnut Hill waiting for my guest...This was far from either of our neighborhoods with no chance of anyone either of us knew seeing us talking. She was late...This was the trouble with women...they operated on a different time schedule than men ,I thought.

I ordered a big steaming tumbler of Coffee and two Cherry Danishes and I waited patiently. I took stock of where my investigation had gone so far. I had discovered that my friend William "Soap" Ivory was pimping his beautiful Administrative Assistant,Velma Whetstone out to several important men. Important men who he was securing huge plumbing contracts from. They had some kind of crazy relationship going on that no one understood except them.

I had foiled a rival's plan to set "Soap" up. My surveilence of his warehouse and his office was turning up nothing...There was no conversations in either place that could be deemed illegal or even interesting. The line of men going in his storefront office and coming out, fixing their clothes and with big smiles on their faces had stopped. I suspected that "Soap" had told Velma that I was on to them and she was meeting with these guys elsewhere like her condo.

I was wrong again...We scoped out her condo....Nothing...Not Pastor Struthers,
Not Radcliff Aiken, the city official, Not Rollie Rollerson, Black millionaire playboy...Nada...Everything had dried up. I nosed around and dug up what I could on Velma Whetstone....She was born, Velma Louise Bradley....She didn't have any criminal record at all...Not even a parking ticket. She was a high school graduate who had gone to Community College. She had worked mostly low paying jobs and then had married a guy named Ray Whetstone. Ray Whetstone was a minor playa , who had gotten himself sent to prison for 99 years for murder. She was recently divorced...She had been a stripper for a minute until she met William " Soap" Ivory.

"Soap" had a moderately successful Plumbing company...He made her an administrative assistant..paid her debts off and gave her three months rent money to move into this ritzy titsy condo....She worked for him as an administrative assistant and "Soap" helped her out with her bills whenever she was short..just like he said.

He may have been romantically or sexually involved with her for a minute..but apparently he had broken that off and began seeing the now dead, Sheryl Billips.
Which was where I was at right now and why I was meeting with her sister, Juanita Billips..Who I hoped would fill in the blanks.

"Waiting Long?" she said as I looked up.

"No, not too long." I lied. She certainly was worth waiting for...She was ,like her deceased sister..a stunner....A gorgeous woman who dressed well and who's clothes agreed with her every curve.

"I'm Juanita Billips..We spoke on the phone." she said.

"I'm Kevin Morris..I'm a private investigator looking into your sister's murder."
I said.

"You talk to the cops?" she asked.

"I did...They gave me what you've probably already read in the papers...Your sister probably knew her killer because she opened the door for whoever it was and took two shots to the head which killed her instantly. They found her sprawled across the floor near her front door. They lifted a latent print off of the
doorbell...but it doesn't match anybody they have on file.....Other than that..this is all we have. I saw your sister the night she died." I said.

"You did? Where?" asked Juanita.

"I was in a bar...Josie's and she came in and was having a rather heated conversation with a man named Ivory." I said.

"Yeah..Him? William Ivory...They call him "Soap" I know him..I can't stand him. She was engaged to him...I was so glad she came to her senses and broke it off with him..he was terrible." she said.

"Really? Did he beat her or cheat on her?" I asked.

"Nah..he wasn't the violent type.. He was weird though...You know? At first, he was cool..He'd buy her things....co signed on her car...Take her to shows and on nice vacations...the works....She told me that he was the bomb in bed..made her toes curl...but-"

"But what?"I asked.

"He wanted her to do things for him, Things she didn't want to do..Weird things...I don't know how to explain this to you....See, she found out he had a chick on the side..some chick named Velma." said Juanita.

"I know her..she works for him...She was in the bar with him that night too."I said.

"Yeah..Well, he swore up and down that there was nothing between them..nothing romantic...but Sheryl didn't believe him...Then he asked Sheryl
to "entertain" a client of his...a guy who he was trying to secure a plumbing contract from...and by entertain, I mean sleep with him...Sheryl was outraged that he would even ask her to do something like that...but Soap told her that if she loved him, she would do it...Sheryl refused and broke it off with him." said Juanita.

"Well what happened then?" I said.

"Oh he begged and pleaded for another chance...I told her to leave him alone..but Sheryl gave him another chance. They were okay for about a month and then she discovered that he had this chick ,Velma doing this for him...She went by his office one day to surprise him with a home made lunch she'd made for him and she heard the bed in the back room just a squeaking like crazy and she heard a man moaning and yelling and a woman moaning and hollering too.
At first she thought that it was Soap....but then she realized it was Radcliff Aiken...the guy that works for the mayor. She ran out of there in horror, because she knew what "Soap" was doing...She told him it was over and not to bother her anymore." said Juanita.

"When was this?" I asked.

"Two weeks before she was killed." said Juanita.

"So why was she at Josie's that night ,if she had already broken it off?" I asked.

"Prolly cause beggin ass "Soap" begged her to come there , to try and persuade her to come back to him and not to tell his secret. I know my sister..She wouldn't have told on him..but once her mind was really made up that she didn't want him...it was made up." She said.

"Yeah,when I saw her ,I got that impression too....Well...Juanita...you've helped me a lot..More than you know." I said.

"I don't see how..unless that will help you figure out who killed my sister." she said.

We finished our coffee and went our seperate ways!

While Driving home..My Blackberry went off... I answered it...It was Sean Jackson.

"Kev, where you at man?" he said.

"I'm in Mt. Airy now..why?" I said.

"Get with me....Tom and Lockpick pulled something off of the tapes that you gotta hear." he said.

"I'll be right there." I said.

Once at Sean's house...He played me a recording..It was a phone conversation between Radcliff Aiken and Velma Whetstone-

"Baby look, why you wastin your time with that plumber? He's a lightweight, you oughta be with me...you know it and I know it..." he said.

"Soap has been good to me...If it wasn't for him...I wouldn't have nothin...He gave me a job, a car, pays my bills when I'm short...he does it all...I owe him."
she said.

"You don't owe him nothin...You done paid him...I know he's hit that..a couple of times and that freakazoid is whorin you out, got you sleepin with his potential clients...guys you probably can't stand.....You aint got to do that...You think about it..I can put you in a house...get you a better car, a brand new car and you won't have to work at all...I'll take care of you...Get away from that freak..Now you think on it.." He said.

"Hmmmm, you make an attractive offer Mr. Aiken." she said.

"Damn right...You think on it and let me know what's up." He said.

"Okay." she said.

Sean Looked at Me...I looked at him.....Things were definitely getting deep! And here lies the trouble with women...they usually have more options to weigh.

(To Be Continued..)

Slippery When Wet

I was correct about what I suspected...Rollie Rollerson hit the ceiling when he discovered that his club had been ruined by water damage...He and Soap came out the next morning to survey the damage...I sat across the road from them in the van with Sean Jackson , Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom Constanoble...We had brought some Hamburgers and Fries from "Five Guys" and a couple of Milk shakes from the Bakery... This was going to be good.

"Peeping "Tom Constanoble, an ex-CIA operative had a ton of old "toys" he used in the days when he was a spy...Including a boom mike that could pick up a conversation from blocks away.
Sean Jackson, a photographer who I worked at the magazine with had a very expensive camera that he borrowed from the office...He was snapping great photos of Rollie Rollerson exploding in anger at William "Soap" Ivory.

"Look at my place...I'm ruined....I can't believe I hired you goof balls to do this job....Oh my God... I'm ruined...I hope you have a good lawyer....because I'm gonna sue the pants off of you."
screamed Rollie Rollerson.

"Rollie ,look..my guys are the best...I know that they didn't do anything like this...I know it..
let me go back and talk to them..." said Soap meekly..

"There is nothing to talk about....You're going to pay me for this mess and I'm going to get Sam
Jenson on the phone to fix this mess you numbskulls made...Get outta my sight.." he yelled as Soap walked away.

Jenson!!! Sam Jenson...the guy who had been shooting off at the mouth in Josies earlier in the night. He kept saying he had a surprise..I wondered if he did. I wondered if this was the surprise?

"Well Kev...What's our next move?" asked Peeping Tom.

"Glad you asked....I'm gonna give you an address....Hit the place..wire it up for sound and video.
I want to know everybody that comes in and comes out of there." I said , giving them Velma
Whetsone's address.

"What about Soap's Warehouse?" Asked Lockpick Johnson...

"Yeah, get that place too and get two people to sit on it ,Meanwhile Sean....go get Clerow...We are gonna do a little fishin of our own.." I said.

"I'm on it Kev" said Sean.

While Tom and Lockpick went off to do the surveilances... Clerow and I went inside the now closed Elks Inn and took a look at the plumbing...Clerow owned and rented out apartments and homes was quite the handyman himself.... I knew that he would know what to look for.

He looked at all of the pipes and immediately knew what the deal was...just like I knew he would.

"Man, these pipes were doctored...Somebody used pipes that were nearly rusted out and they covered them with rubber to hide how bad they were...and Kev look at this here....It's a corosive...Somebody came in here and used this stuff to burn right through the pipe fillings... They coated them with this crap..it's still on here. These pipes were bound to go. Any Insurance investigator will pick this up right away. Whoever done this was a bunch of amateurs"
said Clerow.

"Okay....but "Soap" wouldn't have used material like this...He's good at what he does." I said.

"Maybe he bought something and don't know he bought it." said Clerow.

"You're right. I've got to get in his office and that warehouse and check his records." I said.

Two nights later, with the help of Lockpick Johnson and Peeping Tom, We got into the storefront
office of William Ivory and Associates. Peeping Tom brought an old associate of his along with us. A guy who could hack into the system of any computer. The computer Ivory and Velma used wasn't hard at all.

We seached databases for hours until we found what we were looking for....A sale made to them of rubber piping, purchased from a "Floyd Mayweather" , just days before the work on the Elk's
Inn was done. "Mayweather's" address was the same adress as Sam Jenson's Plumbing....I was guessing that Velma was not a sports or a fight fan and that the name "Floyd Mayweather" meant absolutely nothing to her and she probably didn't check the address...or even know that her boss was in competition with Sam Jenson.

I used the printer and printed out the contracts and bills of lading and we got out of that office without Soap or Velma ever knowing that we had been there. I had in my possession a peice of the piping and a sample of the corrosive chemical that ate through the pipes...Wearing a wire, I
presented this evidence to Sam Jenson the next day.

"Sam, I know that it was you that sabotaged the Elk's Inn to make my boy "Soap" look bad and I
have the proof here in writing that you used a phony name and trickery to sell this to Mr. Ivory's company...You even dropped the price so that they would look foolish if they didn't buy it
and I heard you in Josie's complaining about being aced out of a job and what a big surprise you had in store for the Elks Inn" I said.

"So what...that's your word against mine....I don't know how you got that stuff, but it don't prove a thing.... It don't put me in for it." he said.

"That's right Sam, it don't...but I know and you know that you did this..That you set "Soap" up..
It was purely brilliant...I didn't think you were that smart." I said.

"Yeah? A lot of people don't think I'm smart...but I am...I put that plan in motion months ago...cause I had a feeling that Billy Ivory was gonna get that contract....Hahahahahahahaha, I fixed him..didn't I? He's in so much hot water now...hahahahaha , no pun intended, hahahahahahahahahahahaha, I fixed him." he laughed.

"You sure did Sam." I said as I walked out of his office... Minutes later, Three Detectives and two plains clothes men walked into his office and arrested him....They were listening to the entire conversation.

That night, I sat in Josies at the bar....William "Soap" Ivory walked in and sat down next to me.
He was smiling...

"Kevin...I don't know how to thank you man....I had no idea that Jenson set me up like that...How did you figure it out?" he asked.

"I'm good at what I do Billy." I said.

"Yeah....so I see.....With Sam in the can...I was able to straighten things out with Rollie and resume business. Man...How can I repay you?" he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask Soap.....I need to know about a girl...a dead girl...a girl you was in here talking to last Friday Night named Sheryl Billips....I understand you and she were an item."
I said.

"Damn Kev..I thought maybe you'd want drinks on the house .Yeah Kev... We were an item...Were an item...She's dead now and besides....she broke off our engagement....That's what she was doing the night you saw us in here Kev." he said ,looking very remorseful for the first time.

"And that's it?" I asked.

"That's it Kevin....There is no more." he said.

"Soap man, I think I know about you and Velma.. The kind of game you two got goin on.." I said.

"Look Kevin, you been a hero already today.....Don't go tryin to be a hero again.....and don't ask questions you'd really be better off not knowing the answer to." he said.

"So is that a threat Soap?" I asked

"Nah babe....just lookin out for you, is all.We been friends a long time bruh." said Soap.

I smiled and drank my Corona...the one he bought for me and munched on my Fried Chicken.
He got up fixed his coat and smiled at me. Then he patted me on the back..

"Gotta go see a man about a horse." he laughed and walked out the door. I had caught one slippery rat today...Another more slippery rat was walking away...I wouldn't get to the bottom of
this just yet...but I knew my day or night was coming.

(To Be Continued....)

Backwashed

I thought the only decent thing to do would be to go talk to "Soap" about the mysterious death of the woman he had been talking to in Josie's the night before. After finishing our meal..Sepia and I drove over to Ivory Plumbing and Associates. It was a small store front that housed only an office and a backroom. "Soap" had a big warehouse across town where most of the men who worked for him could be found and where most of the equipment was....This storefront was where he could be found.

Sepia and I walked up to the front door...The lights were on in the office, but at least from the street...no one could be seen....The front door was also locked! It was afterall a Saturday, Maybe the office was closed I thought...Then Sepia tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to walk around to the side of the building....We could hear what sounded like a bed squeaking loudly
and what had come to be all too familiar sounds...

"OHHHH YEAHHH...OHHHH YEAHHHH..OHHHHHHHHHH BABBBYYYYY..OUUUUUUUUU.
Sweeeeeeetttt jesussssssss...owwwwwwwwwwww....OHHHHHHHHHHH....." came the sound of a man as the sound of the bed got louder...

"Ouuuuuuuuu, ohhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhh my goddddddddddd! Ohhhhhhhhh, baby don't hurt me...ouuuuuuuuuuuuu......." came the sound of a woman....

Sepia looked at me and smirked....

"I guess your boy "Soap" is out to lunch.." she laughed.

"Nah...His car is nowhere around here.....Unless he just bought a 2010 Lexus with the initials
"R.A" monogrammed on the side." I laughed.

We heard a snapping sound and then two loud thumps....then laughter.....

"Come on Kevin...I don't want to hear anymore of this....Sounds like I'm intruding." said Sepia.

"Why is this getting you turned on?" I laughed....

"No..it's not..It's making me feel like a pervert." she said.

"Alright, we'll leave....I'll swing back by here in about thirty minutes." I said.

In a half an hour , we drove back to Ivory Plumbing and Associates....This time the door was unlocked and I did see movemant in the office...A Tall Black man who was beginning to bald and who had gray hair was fixing his clothes and walking out the door....The Hottie who I had seen Soap give the envelope full of dollars to walked him to the door...

"I know him!" said Sepia as we sat in my car directly across the street from them.

"You do? who is he? " I asked.

"That's Radcliff Aikens...He works for the City...he's a major, major player in City Hall politics and operations....He has the mayor's ear." she said.

"Oh yeah, well what's he doing at a Plumbing office?" I asked.

''Laying Pipe" laughed Sepia.

"Ouuu girl, you are sooo bad...but bad is sexy.." I laughed and pinched her behind.

"Ouu Kevin, stop it." she laughed playfully.

The woman, who I knew only as Velma..came to the door and smiled at him...Aikens waved and then said-

"Tell Billy that that city contract is all but his.....I can guaruntee that his guys will be doing all
of our plumbing work." said Radcliff Aikens..

"Thank you baby." said Velma....

"Nahh, thank YOU....My lawd woman...I felt like I died and went to Heaven.." he laughed.

"Ohhh, you just say that because it's true.." she laughed.

He got into the brand new Lexus that we saw and pulled off....There was no sign of Soap anywhere.

I drove Sepia home....and then doubled back....I was no longer worried about talking to Soap right now...I wanted to drive by that Storefront and see what I could see. I parked across the street again and just sat...To my horror, I saw the Pastor of my church, Reverend John Struthers walking out of the office , fixing his clothes...Velma walked out behind him and took a
hankercheif and began to wipe what looked like lipstick off of his cheeks...She also helped him pull up his zipper...

"Pastor , pull up your zipper...fix yo clothes baby...you can't be seen out in the street like that..everybody will know what you been doin...tee hee heee.." she laughed.

"Gurllll, you tell Mr. Ivory that he can do all of the plumbing for my church...and I know a few other Pastors who need some work done on their churches too." laughed Pastor Struthers...

"Ohhhh Thank youu baby.." she said and gave him a big wet kiss on the lips...

''Woman, don't do that...We might have to go in there and get started again...hahahahahahaha."
laughed Pastor Struthers.

"Ouuuuu Pastor, you are sooo fresh" coooed Velma.

What was going on here? Was Soap pimping Velma out to get clients? If so, were those envelopes really to pay her bills or were they to pay her fees? I couldn't believe that Soap would
stoop to something this low...Not the guy I knew, Not the guy that I went to school with, was in the Marines with and had been friends with for a lifetime???

I drove up to Josies and sat at the bar, ordered a beer and some chips and watched to see if Soap
would come in....I had all but forgotten about the dead girl who had been shot to death the night
before.

"Hey Gus, you seen Soap?" I asked.

"Billy was just in here...you just missed him..He was on his phone, looked like he was in a hurry."
said Gus.

Another man was sitting at the end of the bar...Sam Jenson....Like "Soap" he was a plumber too..
He was talking rather loud to another man who I did not know. It was quite obvious he was upset..It was also obvious that he was sloppy drunk.

"Man, I can't get any damn business...I had to lay off two of my guys the other day.....That damn
William Ivory has got everything sowed up....He got the churches...Got the City contracts and he took the Elk Inn, right from under me..." he said.

"The Elk Inn? Aint that Rollie Rollerson's joint?" said the other man....

"Yeah....but I got a little surprise for him.....I don't know where he's gettin his information from,
but I all but had that deal in writing and then Rollerson met with Ivory and aced me out of the deal and threw the job to him...but they gonna get the shock of their lives soon...just wait..heheheheheheheh." he said.

I wondered what he meant by "surprise" and shock of their lives.....and what did this have to do with the dead girl? Probably nothing....but my boy "Soap" was into something deep and I was hoping I could find him and help him before he went too far...or had he already?

I decided to visit Rollie Rollerson.....Him ,I knew..He had been on the board of the directors of the very Magazine of which I was employed...Had gotten me fired once when I was working a case that involved his then wife...and had given me the very car I was driving as a peace offering
to keep my mouth shut about what I had turned up.

I drove out to his suburban home and to my surprise...There he was ,standing in his door way with his pants half way down kissing......Velma Whetstone, who was massaging his erect penis with her hands....

"Ohhhhhh baby, you do that soooooo goooooooooodddd...ouuuuuuuu...ummmmmmph...." he
moaned...

"It's cold out here Rollie....let's go inside before your neighbors see us.." she cooed..

"I don't care about the neighbors...ohhhhhh...ummmmmnnnnggghhhh..." he moaned.

"Well ,I do...fix your clothes....come on..let's go inside..." she said.

"Tell your boss, that as far as I'm concerned....He's got the plumbing contract to the Elks Inn and
a few of my other places for life if he wants them...as long as I can spend some time with you in the sack....ohhhh..oouuuuuuuuuuu..ohhhhhhhhhhhh.." he moaned.

"Oh thank you baby..I'm sure he'll be appreciative." she said.

Velma was a very busy woman, it appeared and thanks to her...William "Soap" Ivory and his associates were becoming very wealthy men...They had plumbing contracts all over the city and with some very heavy hitters...

There was nothing more to see here...I decided to drive by the Elk Inn and see what was going on there. The Elk Inn was a very classy joint.. A little expensive for my tastes. The Hoi Poloi of the city of Philadelphia all frequented this spot...The food was overpriced..and the drinks were high...But it was the kind of place where..If you had to ask about the price..you probably didn't belong there in the first place.

I walked in, ordered a drink at the bar and watched the Lakers play the Cleveland Caveliers on the 60 inch Flat Screen that was suspended from the rafters ....I was relaxing in one of the comfortable seats when I felt drops of water on my head. At first I thought I was imagining it and then I felt more drops of water...Other people began looking up and then water began running across the floor....It was a little at first, then it became a lot...I heard a woman scream, then I saw a man jump up...The next thing I know...Water was running everywhere!!!

Well you know what happened next....It was as if the floodgates opened...Water was gushing out
of several pipes and flowing like a river...women were screaming and men were running in every
direction....I got up and ran for a door..I opened it and water came flowing out of the door and knocked me down...I got up and a rush of water carried me and several people out into the lobby
where more water was gushing...I picked up a trash can and hurled it through one of the windows and made my escape, followed by most of the patrons...

When Rollie Rollerson got news of this...He was going to be furious......If Soap's guys did the work, They were going to be out of a job...Right now...Rollerson could have cared less..but come
Sunday Morning....it was going to be a diferent story.....Meanwhile, William "Soap" Ivory was still out of my immediate grasp and all of these shenanigans had nearly made me forget the dead girl I initially wanted to see Soap about..Somehow or another , all of this was tied together...I just didn't know how.

(To Be Continued....)