The Westies

"It was five of em Chess...All in they twenties...all wearing jeans, sneakers,black baseball jackets and Yankee baseball caps....They waylaid me before I got to the car and took the money you gave me to deposit in the bank...I'm sorry man." said Frenchie.

"It's okay French...but I gotta ask you...How did they know you'd be depositing the money? " I asked.

"Hell if I know Chess..They knew the make of my car, they knew the route, they knew everything.." he said from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from a near fatal beating.

Frenchie had been part of our inner circle since grade school..A stand up guy all around... I know that he didn't go down easily..He fought...and judging from the severity of his beating...He had fought hard..Which is why they beat him so bad..To get him to stop.

"Chess...All I know is that Dollar Bill told me that some guys bearing the same description hit his guy a week before...Stole his entire days take." said Frenchie.

"Hmmm, I heard that this stick up crew was outta New York....but what are they doing here in Philly?" I asked.

"Don't know...but Chess...If you and Chris catch up with em...Call me..I want to holler at them clowns...for real.." said Frenchie.

"Rest easy my friend...We'll do what we can." I said and smiled.

That afternoon, just hours before what was to be the last night of the Jazz Fest,I met with my partner, Chris Thompson, Donald Smooth, Kool Kat and Ralph Mole.

"Tell me somethin Ralph? I know you got some intell." said Chris, visibly angry at the latest development.

"Well Chris, Chess...They're called the Westies....And they're from out of New York City... They're a tight unit...They work fast and they're very professional...They've hit banks, jewelry stores and payrolls.Their leader is a guy named Jessie Young...He's the nephew of someone we all know...The late great,Wally Gator...Other guys in the crew is Ike Clanton, Freddie and Arthur
Bremer, they're brothers and Frankie Flowers..All of em got sheets and none of em is thirty yet." said Ralph Mole.

"You got a scope on where they lay their heads?" asked Chris...

"No...they lay pretty low...but I know one thing...The guy named Ike loves exotic dancers." said Ralph.

"You mean strippers, don't you?" asked Kool Kat.

"Well uh yeah....and he hangs out at that same club that Fathead has been known to frequent." said Ralph Mole.

"Well..then let's pay him a nice cozy visit." said Chris.

"Chris...Kool Kat and Donald Smooth can handle that." I said.

"He robbed us Chess...Now somebody has got the idea that we weak...I want to personally show these guys and whoever is sponsering them that I aint." said Chris.

"You think they have local "sponsering"?" I asked.

"Yeah..Somebody brought these guys here...and they only pulled those stick ups of Bottom of The C and Frenchie to have spending change..They got something bigger in mind...I'm almost certain of it. These guys aren't just after short money."said Chris.

"What is our money situation?" asked Donald Smooth.

"That money was insured...We still have enough to pay everybody." I said.

Chris didn't seem to care....His pride was hurt by being robbed...That was the part of him that was still in the streets..Never the less,He was my boy and I had to ride with him.

That night, We sat outside of the strip joint in a Black Escalade...I was at the wheel, Chris was riding shotgun...Kool Kat and Donald Smooth had been in the back seat. Frenchie had given us a description of what these guys might be wearing and a little of what they looked like...but only Ralph Mole was familiar with the one of them...Jessie..and chances are..He wasn't here!

Several people wandered in and wandered out....Then ,at a little after 1:00 am, a
guy wearing jeans, a plaid shirt, a black NY Yankees baseball jacket and a baseball cap came walking out of the club...He was sipping on a wine cooler....
Ralph Mole walked out behind us and nodded his head....

Kool Kat got out of the car and began walking down the street behind him...Donald Smooth got out and began walking in the opposite direction. He turned the corner..

After two blocks, Ike Clanton realized he was being followed. He crossed the street. Kool Kat kept walking on the same side...Ike went inside his jacket..He was about to pull a gun when Donald Smooth bumped into him knocking his wine cooler out of his hand...The bottle smashed on the pavement.

"Oh..Oh excuse me brother,I'm so sorry." said Donald Smooth.

"You clumsy asshole...Damn right youse sorry." snapped Ike.

"HE SAID HE WAS SORRY!" came the booming voice of Kool Kat who was now
behind him.

Ike looked at Donald Smooth who now had a gun stuck in his ribs and the big imposing figure of Kool Kat ,who now also had a gun stuck in his ribs....Chris Thompson and I walked toward him....He looked like he was about to defecate on himself.

"You guys cops?? I aint done nothin." he said.

Chris smiled for the first time in the twenty four hours since he had heard we had been robbed.

"We aint cops buddy....We are here to kidnap you and to steal all the money you stole from us." he said.

Ike Clanton fainted!

(To Be Continued!)

The Kool

I had a suit specifically tailored for this event....and I bought myself a brand new pair of clear, aviator shades...I also had one of Fathead's guys score me some cuban cigars. To say that I was as sharp as a tack would be an understatement...but then again...that's why most people don't know me by my government name...That would be Walter Jones...They know me as Kool Kat....

I was at the week long Jazz fest thrown by my good friends, Chess and Chris Thompson....I came on the third night...I had a lovely young woman on my arms who I had only met, two days before named Bernadette...She was the stylish and lovely recently divorced wife of my good friend, Kevin Morris's friend..Harry Charles...I felt kind of funny being here with her...but after all, Kevin and I had just recently saved his life....I didn't go after his woman...She pursued me...Don't quite know how she got my phone number, but she did and she called...several times and texted me a very revealing photo of her nude!!!...I must say..that did pique my interest a bit..

I haven't slept with her yet, but not because she hasn't hinted around to it!!! To tell the truth, this woman scares me..She's a bit too ,too forward...as my mother might put it!..We walked into the square where the festival was...Ingrid Rhodes was on stage singing her heart out...Reed Nelson on Trumpet, "88" on Piano and Symphony Sam on the Saxophone were accompanying her quite nicely...aided by the All star band that was backing practically everybody....

I saw Chess and his wife, Rell sitting in the front row, Chris Thompson ,his partner in crime was with some Hispanic woman. The young boy,Paris finally had a date..a cute little number I'd seen in Josie's a couple of times...The rest of his crew was here too, Blake, his girl, Cherish, Chance Howard and Anita Jenkins.

"Kool Kat, there is Kevin and Sepia...Let's go sit with them." said Bernadette.

"Okay." I said.

I knew what Kevin was thinking the minute he saw us together, but he didn't say anything..He just smiled and looked away. His wife, Sepia's mouth was wide open..She knew how I rolled and she knew that her hair dresser, Bernadette could not keep up with me. Clerow grinned also...and like Kevin's wife Sepia..His wife, Cora-beth's mouth was wide open too. Only Sean Jackson and his wife Sheila greeted us with no smiles or looks of surprise. We sat between Cock Robbins and his wife Vanessa and Pastor Struthers and his wife, Rita.

''Kool Kat, we are the only couple here not married...isn't that something?"laughed Bernadette.

I looked at her like she was crazy and said- "Yeah,how about that?" From a short distance,I saw both Kevin and Clerow trying to conceal their laughter. I smelled some good food and looking for a break from both Bernadette and my friends decided to go towards the smell, alone!

"I'll be back babe....I'm going over there to check out that gumbo...You want anything?" I asked.

"Did you all hear that? He called me babe?" gushed Bernadette. Sepia looked at me and grimaced..So did Cora-beth....Kevin,Clerow,Sean and Cock Robbins were laughing uncontrollably..It was time for me to get up...After all, I had a reputation!

I walked over to the food stand...Mabel Jenkins and her older sister, Victoria Weatherford, wife of Deacon Larry Weatherford were standing over a pot of Louisiana Gumbo...It smelled great.

"Mabel..did you fix this...ummmm....ummmmph...aint had no gumbo in four years." I said.

"What you know about dat youngin?" came the voice of an older man standing behind me...He was immaculately dressed...In fact, His suit looked more expensive than mine...I was immediately impressed.

"Man, I got cousins in New Orleans..I used to go down to the big easy and chow down come Mardi Gras." I said.

"Hi Walter....This is my daddy..Willie "Sweet Dick" Jenkins" said Mabel as she poured me a styrofoam bowl full of the Gumbo..

"Sweet Dick? And I thought I had the koolest nickname." I laughed.

"Yeah? What's your handle?" he asked.

"They call me Walter "Kool Kat" Jones." I said laughing and shaking the old man's hand..I could see why they called him "Sweet Dick"...He had four of the finest daughters any man up here had ever seen...Victoria, Mabel, Cora beth and Anita...and from what Kevin had told me...His fine ass wife, Sepia was Sweet Dick's half brother's daughter..Nothin but fine women in that family..Shame I missed out on all of em...

"How you likin Philly's version of what we do every night in Nawlins?" laughed Sweet Dick...

"I like it mighty fine man, mighty fine." I said...

Just then "88" started playing "My Favorite Things" on the Piano...Symphony Sam did his best John Coltrane imitation and Reed Nelson joined in with an original trumpet solo...Chris Combs played lightly on the Drums...you could barely hear him...While Shady Grady Tatum brought in the rear on the Bass...

"Man, these guys are cookin." said "Sweet Dick" Jenkins...

''Aint they though?" I laughed in total agreement...

"I'd like to do some cooking too." came Bernadette's voice...

Sweet Dick Jenkins looked at me and winked...Mabel Jenkins smiled a conspiratorial smile and then turned her head away from me. We returned to our seats. From a distance , I saw Donald Smooth and Ralph Mole coming towards me...

''Hey Kool Kat...can we holler at you for just a minute?" said Donald Smooth.

I looked at Bernadette-

"I'll be right back baby." I said.

''What's up?" I asked.

"The boy,Locksmith Johnson was at the Mermaid Club....He's got a line on that stick up crew...Five guys, out of New York....young boys...and they stuck up Frenchie last night, took a half mil man...That was money Chris and Chess had to pay the musicians and for the rental of this space..They aint gonna be happy about this." said Ralph Mole.

"We got to tell em, but not now...Tell em after the concert tonight..I'll touch base with Kevin in the morning...Maybe all of us can put our heads together and get to the bottom of this." I said.

"Okay cool" said Donald Smooth.

"How's Frenchie?" I asked.

''He's in the hospital..they beat him up pretty bad..but he'll be alright." said Ralph Mole.

"How did they know Frenchie was the bag man?" I asked.

"They got inside information...Had to be someone here."said Ralph Mole.

"Okay..well they probably couldn't have gone far...At least I hope not." I said.

I returned to my seat... Symphony Sam was playing "Nancy with the laughing face" Another Coltrane classic...Downtown Rob Brown joined him on Trumpet....The crowd applauded loudly...
Bernadette put her head in the crook of my arm and we laid back and enjoyed the music...
I looked at Kevin and Sepia and Chess and Rell and all of the other couples....It was so peaceful...
The calm before the storm!

(To Be Continued.....)

Couples Night

I slipped my hand in her leather pants...they were tight....I then unzippered them slightly...She was wearing black and white striped string bikini panties...I pressed my hands into her warm inviting womanhood...She moaned loudly...."Ohhhhh Robert...Roberttttt..ouuuuuuu....we shouldn't do this..not here." she whispered softly..but I didn't stop...She unzippered my trousers and began softly rubbing my now erect penis...I gasped, just a little bit...We began kissing , french kissing and continuing to play....Finnally she stopped me..."Okay Robert...whewww..we gotta stop this.....We are closer to your house....let's go there." she said. "Oh Brooke, Brooke, I don't know if I can wait that long.." I moaned... "Ohhhhhh Robert.." she moaned.

I awakened with a startled jerk....I turned and looked at Bonita sleeping soundly beside me...We had just finished a "nooner" , an afternoon of wild and crazy lovemaking....and here I was in bed next to her, having a daydream, if you will about Brooke Taylor...The sexy guitarist from San-Francisco. I was dreaming about our encounter in Josie's Bar that night...It had led to us going back to my spot and having ourselves quite a night...which followed over into the next day.

We were going to Chess and Chris's Block party tonight...I kind of wished I was going by myself...Brooke Taylar would be playing guitar right after Rob "Downtown" Brown's set and I kind of wanted to see her one last time for myself..or was it by myself... I pulled the covers down and looked at Bonita's sexy body...I felt myself getting rock hard again...Bonita woke up and stared at me...

"Oh my God Robert...you're a machine..I'm exhausted..Come on now...Don't you think about anything else?" she asked yawning...Well I did think about the practice of the law..My name is Robert Foxworth, I'm an attorney at law.

A few hours later, Bonita and I were standing in the crowded parking lot, looking at the stage...Downtown Rob Brown was preparing to open the show..He was playing a few riffs on his trumpet and the house band was doing a soundcheck.

"Evening counselor" said Kevin Morris, who was there with his wife, Sepia.

"Hey Robert, what's up gurl?" laughed Sepia slyly...She know doubt knew what we had been up to..she looked at me and shook her head and continued to laugh.

"What's goin on Kev?" I said, ignoring his wife....

Sean Jackson ,Kevin's work partner and main man was also there with his wife, Sheila..as was to my surprise, the newly married Pastor John Struthers and his much younger ,but foxy wife, Rita Gordon Struthers.

This looked every bit like a couples night...My protogee' Chance Howard was there with his girlfriend Cherish and Blake was there with Anita Jenkins...Paris , Blake's room-mate seemed to be the only one there without a date.

From a distance , I saw fellow attorney, Conrad Nelson and his wife, Jill and Deacon Larry Weatherford and his wife ,Victoria Jenkins Weatherford.. Clerow and his very pregnant wife, Cora-beth was there as was Cock Robbins and his wife Vanessa. Finally standing in the crowd, alone and looking great was Brooke!!! Sweet Brooke... I wanted to talk to her, but I was with Bonita....and I wasn't about to lose Bonita...I hadn't felt this way about a woman since I'd been married..and both of my marriages seemed ages ago...

Speaking of my ex-wives...They were out tonight too, Lt.Sissy Van Buren, My first wife was there with a tall slender and well dressed gentleman who I had never seen before and my second wife Corrine was also there with her new husband.. Somehow ,I had to figure a way to ditch Bonita ,if only for a short while and get to Brooke...

It didn't take long..Kevin and his wife Sepia and Bonita were standing in line waiting for some hot food platters that were being served by employees of Mabel Jenkin's soul food joint...Mabel herself was holding her boyfriend, Kerry "88" Moore's hand and walking toward a seat next to Cora-beth and Clerow.While they were diverted, I walked over toward Brooke...

"Hello Robert, how are you doing?" she said.

"I'm doing good...and as usual, you are looking as lovely as ever." I said with a wink!

"Thank you..." she said, almost blushing.."I can't wait to see you perform your set tonight." I said ,looking rather sheepish.

"I've got a tough act to follow..Downtown Rob Brown and his quintet are on first..I saw them when they were in San-Francisco..they were really good. That house band is incredible..." she said.

"Yeah, Gus told me that Symphony Sam put them all together.. Say...where are you stayin?" I asked in a conspiratorial whisper..

"Ahhh,Robert....That's what I uh, er have to tell you." she said.
Just then, I heard a deep voice...

"Brooke? Brooke baby...Ohhhh there you are, I brought you a fish platter and a coke." came the voice. It was a tall ,honey brown skinned man whose hair was just starting to gray...He was about six feet ,four and well chisled.. Well dressed too.

''Robert, this is my fiance, Cully Worthy...Cully...This is my friend, Robert Foxworth..He's an Attorney also." she said.

"Fiance?" I said. "Friend, Robert?" I thought to myself. When had she gotten involved, much less engaged to somebody? I thought.

"Pleased to meet you Mister Foxworth....Is this your first night out ?" he asked.

"Uh yeah...I heard Reed Nelson and his band really put on a show last night." I said.

"Yes, Sorry I missed them...but they'll be on again in two days." he said.

"Well Robert..It was nice seeing you again...We'd better go to our seats dear." she said and kissed Cully in the lips, right in front of me....For the second time I was crushed...I watched them walk away and then I heard my name being called...

"Robert!!, Robert!! Oh there you are honey...I bought you a platter...I didn't know what you wanted, so I got Fish and Chicken for you...is that alright?" said Bonita.I smiled at her and kissed her on her forehead....

"That's plenty fine." I said.I put my arm around her and drifted into the crowd....I sat in the row with Kevin and Sepia, Sean Jackson and Sheila, Clerow and Corrie, Mabel and 88 , Pastor Struthers and Rita, Cock Robbins and his wife, Vanessa among others.

Downtown Rob Brown had just finished his set to wild applause...Brooke Taylor and her trio entered the stage....As they played, I eyed her fiance...He looked like a good enough dude...He seemed to genuinely care for her and only her...In that, he was a better man than I...perhaps , one day..I'd manage to be a good man like him!

(To Be Continued....)

It Begins with Hello

The House band was the best Philadelphia had to offer... I mean, even though he was dating my ex-girl, Delores for awhile, Nate "The Snake"Howard is the truth on Guitar as is Fred "Fried Fish" Collins..."Shady" Grady Tatum is no slouch on the Bass either...nor Chris Combs on the Drums... They kept the crowd jumpin in between acts....Me, I'm one of the headliners...I'm Downtown Rob Brown..I play trumpet...

"I gotta hand it to you Gus...This free week long Block party jam is a stroke of genius." I said.

"It aint my stroke of genius....Chess, Chris Thompson and Symphony Sam put this together...I'm just hoping we have nice weather." said Gus.

"Yeah, I gotta admit...When Symphony Sam came to me and asked me to play, I thought it was another one of his scams...but he said that you was puttin up the money to pay the groups." I said.

"That chisler is wrong again...I wish he'd get his facts straight...Chris and Chess put the money up to pay the acts and for the outdoor stage here in the parking lot." said Gus.

"Wow....and your bar and Mabel's soul food joint and Bottom of the C are donating drinks and food for what? Just free advertising?" I asked.

"That free advertising goes a long way junior..Take a guess where everyone will wind up after the concert is over?" said Gus.

"The Mermaid club?" I laughed.

"Oh you got jokes today huh? Well here's a joke..There's your ex...lookin pretty good. Maybe I should go over and make her acquaintence." ribbed Gus.

There is a saying that the finest woman in the world is your ex on the arms of another man....There was Delores sitting up front with her sister, Deborah...both looking good... They were here to see Reed Nelson and Kerry "88" Moore...who were sitting in with the house band tonight and had the crowd clapping and going crazy....In the corner was Mabel Jenkins...she was off tonight, but her cooks and her waiters and waitresses were selling Fried Chicken and fish platters with collard greens, turnip greens, potato salad,corn on the cobb and sweet potatoes...Some had Macaroni and Cheese... Anita Jenkins, her sister and Victoria Weatherford her other sister was overseeing the operation.. Those platters were going fast, They were making a killing. Mabel's boyfriend, "88" was playing keyboards behind Reed Nelson, who I must admit was impressive tonight...Symphony Sam came up on stage and joined them with a wild Saxophone solo...The crowd was having a ball....

From a distance ,I saw Cherry Johnson....I used to date her.....I was certain...She wanted nothing to do with me...I saw Ingrid Rhodes, the singer...I was dating her too once...we were cool, but I was a little uncomfortable around her too...She was getting ready to sing tonight...I did want to see her.

Connie, who used to be a Lesbian and who I had totally turned out kept coming on to me...She and I weren't exactly dating but we were kind of like, friends with benefits...She walked up behind me and grabbed one of my butt cheeks and whispered in my ear..

"Rob...I'm not wearing any panties...."

While that might have been a turn on a month ago...it was starting to wear thin...She had dropped by my house..at least two times in the past month, unannounced and late...once when I had company!!! I had become her booty call...Now, I was irritated at the sight of her.

I made my way through the crowd and sat down next to Reed's girl..Deborah....She was at least cordial to me.

"Heyy Rob, how are you?" said Debbie.

"I'm good...I'm good...How are you doing?" I said.

"Can't complain.....Reed is pitchin a bitch up there tonight....You're not playing behind him are you?" she asked.

"Yes.. he is good tonight....Nah,I'm on tomorrow...Me and Brooke Taylor."I said..

"Ohhh...well then, could you watch my seat...I'm going and get one of those cold brews to go with my platter." she said and exited...She didn't need me to watch her plate...Her sister, who hadn't said a word to me was sitting right here...I had the funniest feeling that this was all orchestrated...No pun intended.

"Hello Rob!"

"Hi Delores....How have you been?" I said shyly..

"Okay and yourself?" she said....

I hated this generic small talk...

"Truthfully, I haven't felt right since we broke up." I said.

"That was on you Rob." she said.

''I know... I got a little extra on you."

"Extra? Hmmmph, extra aint the word....but, anywho...what's past is past." she said.

"I guess you're here to see your boyfriend play...He is pretty good on that guitar." I said.

"We aren't together anymore." said Delores.

"No? Wow, that was quick." I said, suddenly hopeful!

"He got a little extra too! Somethin about you musicians" she said.

"Delores look....I'm past all that..for real...I'd like to get back with you." I said.

"Wow...you don't waste anytime do you?" she laughed.

"Time is a very valuable commodity." I said.

"So Rob....you aint seein nobody? NOBODY??" she asked.

"Not exactly...I gotta friend..." I said.

"With Benefits?" she asked.

"Yeah, kinda sorta..but it means more to her than to me." I said.

"Connie huh?" she laughed.

"Yeah...How did you know?" I asked.

"I hear things." she laughed.

"Well Delores...If you give me another shot, I swear...Connie will be a thing of the past..I swear."

I said.

"Well....We'll see.." she said.

"Come on, let's get out of here...I don't play until tomorrow night . I'll get us two platers and a couple of cokes and we'll chill out at my place" I said.

"Movin kinda fast aren't we playa?" laughed Delores, who pretended that she was reluctantly going along with me.

We walked toward the street....I saw Debbie..She looked at me and winked...and I saw Connie..She looked kind of disapointed, but she didn't do anything....We passed by Ingrid Rhodes and Johnny Diamond...I felt as though I had put my past behind me finally...Where would we go from here? Who knew.

(To Be Continued...)

Chess's Block Party

I sat in Josie's quietly playing chess with Peeping Tom, the ex-CIA operative who sometimes assisted my friend, Kevin on his capers...Kevin had told me that he was quite a chess player and had told him that I was one of the best he knew..I always welcomed a challenge. Peeping Tom was indeed a challenge, but in the end..I beat him!

''Checkmate!" I said.

"Chess...that was very stimulating my friend...I didn't mind losing...THIS TIME!" said Peeping Tom as we shook hands and laughed.

"Hey Gus...can we have two Coronas over here?" I said.

"You beat him Chess?" asked Gus the bartender and owner of Josies.

"Yeah...I must admit...it was challenging...more challenging than beating you." I laughed.

''Okay Chess.. I see you got jokes...Just wait...Just wait...your day is coming." laughed Gus as one of his waiters bought Tom and I two beers...

Chris Thompson, Ralph Mole , Donald Smooth and Symphony Sam came in the bar and sat down at the table with us.

"Everything is set for Tuesday Chess...They break ground on our new development." said my buddy, business partner and former gangster, Chris Thompson.

Chris and I were opening a shopping center that was going to include a supermarket....Not the conventional type ,but a neighborhood collective...kind of like the farmers market with all kinds of products and fresh produce and small bistros inside...We also were going to include another one of our gyms and juice bars...Mabel Jenkins , who ran a very sucessful soul food joint ,just a few blocks from here was opening up a second one that her sisters, Cora Beth and Victoria were going to run...We also had an agreement from a bank too. We had ponied up one third of the cash needed...gotten a federal loan and a loan from Fathead Newton to pay for the rest...We stood to be very wealthy men if this panned out.

"Chess...I never knew I could make this much dough going the straight and narrow.." said Chris.

"And sleep this well huh?" I laughed.

"Yeah...That too!" he said.

''What about the thing with Symphony Sam?" asked Ralph Mole.

"Did he clear this with Gus?" asked Donald Smooth.

"No, but I did....and Gus said that he's cool with it...We will sponser an entire week of the best musicians money can buy performing on an outdoor stage in those parking lots across the street..
Josie's Bar and Mabel's Soul Food Joint as well as Dollar Bill's Bottom of the C will sponser it.." I said.

"Chess, how is that a good deal for them, since it'll be free?" asked Chris, ever the businessman.

"They get free advertising.....They are the sponsers and it makes people aware of our new shopping center....Robert Foxworth and Conrad Nelson are already in talks with other businesses that want to sponser and set up shop in our center." I said.

Just then, Symphony Sam walked in...all smiles and talking a mile a minute...

"Chess, Chess baby....This is going to be stupendous.. I've talked to all of the musicians and I've put together an incredible line up....Reed Nelson and DownTown Rob Brown on trumpet, Me of course on the Saxophone, Ingrid Rhodes on Vocals and check this out... Kerry "88" Moore and Ivory Joe Peters, sharing the Keyboards, Brooke Taylor , that sexy babe from San Fran on vocals and Guitar, Chris Combs on the Drums, Fred "Fried Fish" Collins on Guitar, Nate "Snake "Howard on Guitar, Shady Grady Tatum on Drums and maybe I'll even bring in a local comedian to open up...I got written agreements right here from everybody I just named." he said.

"Well ,for once, Symphony Sam is on the up and up about something." laughed Chris.

"Yeah...everything is set." I said.

"Who's handling security?" asked Ralph Mole.

"Don't worry, I got it under control." said Donald Smooth.

"Yeah, well just in case...I'm gonna call Roscoe and get him to line up some of his people..I hear there is a stick up crew in town out of New York....We don't want any trouble."said Ralph Mole.

"So let me get this straight....You guys are going to have a week long block party eh...a jazz extravaganza for the entire neighborhood?" said Peeping Tom.

"Yup." I said.

"Hmmm...Stick up crew outta New York eh...? I'll have Lockpick Johnson listen up, see if he hears anything..Maybe we can nip them in the bud so that there is no trouble...He hangs out at the Mermaid Club...He and Kool Kat usually hear anything going down before it happens." he said.

"Good lookin out " said Chris.

I wasn't worried about any stickup crew at the moment, just in getting everything ready for a nice event.

(To Be Continued....)

The Watery Morning Death

Abel Gardenor was no fool and he didn't take being shown up lightly...He wasn't going to strike at Gus...Oh maybe later, but right now...He was red hot mad at what he saw as his romantic rival...Ralph Scallion!!! I was worried about Bernadette too...I asked her to close her shop for a few days and lay low...but like Gus..she refused. I don't think either of them realized how nasty a charactor this Abel Gardenor was! I did...and I never left my house without my kevlar vest on under my clothes and my .38 smokeless.

To make matters worse..I was driving around and who do I see Abel standing in front of the Mermaid club talking to but Gorilla Lewis and Elephant Jones....The two stone cold gangsters that Harry Charles was foolish enough to owe $1400.00 clams to. I could have paid his debt off, but I wasn't going to start doing that for him...I had already got him out of one jam..I wasn't going to spend my life doing that.. Still ,I wondered what these three were talking about....I was certain they were going to try and snatch Ralph Scallion. He was another one I really didn't care about. I figured he'd done enough to have some serious karma coming his way...Still, in all, he was no killer...just a regular working guy...and Harry Charles was my friend...even if I was a little cross at him for letting a good woman get away and still gambling. I didn't like Abel Gardenor at all!

I didn't have a desire to tangle with Gorilla Lewis or Elephant Jones...They were cold blooded killers, who between them have ended about 24 people's lives in Philadelphia and it's surrounding suburbs.. They had been around for years and unlike a lot of these wanna be gangsters and playas in waiting, were the real thing...the genuine article...If you threw down with them...you were in for an unpleasent evening...24 people were in their graves who could attest to that!

I sat in Josies the next night when a guy I didn't think I'd see in a long time, Marco Gervay, one of those wanna be gangsters and playas in waiting I referenced came in and sat down next to me at the bar...

"What's shakin Kevin?" he said.

"Marco...I didn't expect to see you again. What are you doin in town?" I said.

"I been back...been keepin my nose clean."

"Oh you have? " I laughed.

"Yeah Kev, Honest...I been workin a nine to five and it's kickin my tail...but at least I don't have to look over my shoulder no more..I'm totally out the game." he said.

"Oh yeah, for real?" I laughed.

"Yeah..but uh speakin of lookin over his shoulder....Your boy, Harry Charles is in serious trouble

Kev." he said.

"Oh yeah..what kind of trouble?" I said, already knowing.

"I was in The Mermaid Club last night and I overheard Gorilla Lewis and Abel Gardenor, remember him? Crazy Abel from grade school???" said Marco.

"Yeah,yeah, what about him?" I asked.

"Abel is talkin about how he's gonna hit that chef over at Bottom of the C", Ralph somethin or other ,because he's makin time with his girl,Bernadette and then Gorilla tells him that Bernadette's ex-husband owes him and Elephant Jones $1400.00 and they gonna hit him." said

Marco.

"All this over a lousy grand and a fourth?" I said.

"Man, you and I know that that's crazy..but with them guys..it's all about the principle of the thing." said Marco.

"Look Kev...I shouldn't even be tellin you this..but they said somethin about a boat that one of em owns at Penn's Landing and about snatchin both of em in the mornin..." said Marco.

"In the morning? Hmmm..It would be a perfect time to do something like that..." I said.

"Tell your boy Harry to lam it man..get outta dodge." he said.

"Yeah Marco..I'm gonna do that..thanks for the tip." I said.

"Hey Kev...For God's sake...you aint hear this from me." said Marco.

"It's good Marco." I said.

There was only one man who I could turn to at a time like this....Walter "Kool Kat" Jones!!! When I called him , he was more than glad to get involved...He and I were driving in his car...He was playing some old Temptations song on his CD player and singing along with it...

"Kev, I'm glad you called me in on this...I mean, you one tough customer..I heard what you did to Little Willie Basemore, but these guys..Gorilla Lewis and Elephant Jones...They aint no joke..You need the help that only I can provide at a time like this.." He said.

"Yeah ,I know...We gotta find that boat man....If I know right...they not gonna do em until they get em on the boat and get out in the water...So we gotta get the drop on em before they get on the water." I said.

Kool Kat looked at me and laughed...

"See this is why you need my help man...you aint gonna get no drop on Gorilla Lewis man.....He and Elephant will shoot you dead as soon as look at you right on the spot...Let me make a call and get us a scope on that boat." he said.

" What are you talkin about?" I said.

"I know folks that know all kinds of things ...The morning is full of surprises Kev." laughed Kool Kat.

My Blackberry went off just then....It was Clerow....

"Kev..Gorilla Lewis, Elephant Jones and another guy just pulled your boy, Harry Charles out of his mama's house in his drawers...He put up a good fight man, got in a few good licks...really clocked Elephant Jones...but he couldn't beat all three of em...They beat him pretty bad and tossed him into the trunk of they car...I'm following them now." he said.

"Well just hang loose...use the GPS tracking system that Peeping Tom installed on their car yesterday...Don't let em know you're on their tail." I said.

"Got it boss." he said.

"They got Harry" I said.

"Dimes to donuts, they gonna snatch your boy Ralph next." said Kool Kat.

He was right....It was nearly six thirty in the morning and the trio of Abel, Gorilla Lewis and Elephant Jones grabbed Ralph Scallion, also in his boxers and pulled him out of his house...Unlike Harry Charles..He did not put up a fight..He begged for his life...

"Hey man..I aint seeing her no more, I'm datin a chinese chick..so you don't have to do this..you don't have to do this.."he cried..

"Shut up....at least the other cat fought back...you're a little wimp." said Elephant Jones as he punched Ralph Scallion several times , while Abel laughed maniacally!

Kool Kat and I followed them to Penn's Landing and parked our cars...Clerow was already there as planned...He pointed out the boat. It wasn't hard to find , based on the information that Kool

Kat had gotten from his sources and passed on to Clerow.

Abel was driving and Gorilla Lewis was riding shotgun....Elephant Jones was in the backseat with a now terrified Ralph Scallion. They parked the car. It was a Saturday Morning..It was 7:00 am.
Nobody was around...Gorilla Lewis and Elephant Jones marched Ralph and Harry into their boat... Abel stayed behind ..He was getting something out of the car. As Abel was getting out of the car..I came up behind him. Kool Kat ,meanwhile had followed Gorilla Lewis and Elephant Jones onto the boat.

"Abel, my man..I always thought a guy like you was too chickenshit to get on a boat." I said.

"I told you that one day you'd stick your nose in the wrong person's business.. And this is that day."he snapped...but before he could do anything..I clocked him and knocked him into the car.I punched him in his stomach and knocked him to the ground...Clerow put his gun to his temple.
He was grinning as usual... "Lie still now..I might get nervous...accidentally shoot your nose off."

"Ouu, You guys don't know what you're gettin yourself into..wait till my boys come out to look for me." he said.

"Yeah, we'll do that ." I laughed.

Like I said...Abel was no fool... he knew not to resist us. I looked around !! There was no sign of Kool Kat....and then I heard a sucession of gunshots..I ran towards what I heard, their Boat... Elephant Jones came running out screaming like a woman...

"Aggghhhh, I been shot..I been shot..lawd have mercy, he shot me in the butt..agghhhhhh."

Elephant Jones saw me running towards him with a gun and ducking, he hit the ground, rolled and then crouched, He aimed his pistol right at me and fired ,he missed....but I didn't, I put two nice rounds in his forehead and he fell one last time and did not move again...I heard more gunshots...Then ,I saw Kool Kat emerge from the boat with Ralph Scallion and Harry Charles...unharmed. He was smiling broadly.

"Man, what did you do?" I asked.

"Same thing you did... What you mean, what did I do? I tried to talk to Gorilla Lewis...and you know how he is?" said Kool Kat, laughing hysterically.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He in there...but uh, he aint in no mood to talk..Where's his punk boy, Elephant Jones?...I never knew he was such a punk...Soon as we started shooting, he run out...." said Kool Kat.

"He's over there...he's not in the talkin mood either."I said. Kool Kat looked at me and cracked up laughing. Elephant Jones lay on the ground, dead to the world...On the boat, Gorilla Lewis lay on the floor,riddled with bullets, a bloody mess...

Just then, I heard two more loud shots...Kool Kat , Harry ,Ralph and I ran towards where Clerow was....

"Heyyyyy, what happened?" I said.

"Man Kev..I tole him to stay still, He tried to overpower me and take my gun...He won't try that no more." said Clerow....Abel Gardenor lay on the pavement, with a hole in his chest...quite dead.

Kool Kat fell out laughing..."You guys is something else...but I sure thought they'd was gonna put up more of a fight than they did..." he said non-chalantly. We had just killed three men and he was as non-chalant as if we had been playing a pick up game of basketball.

Kool Kat loaded all three bodies on the little boat into the body bags that they had probably planned to put Harry and Ralph in.It was funny that there was a third body bag on the boat...Somebody, probably Abel was not going to live to talk about this...These two only trusted each other and they didn't believe in leaving behind loose ends...Abel was too much of a hot head and a talkative one at that...They had planned to kill him too! Poor fool!

"You guys go on...I'll take care of this ." said Kool Kat.

Clerow , Harry,Ralph and I got in Clerow's car and pulled off....We heard a huge explosion sometime later and saw the billowing smoke as we drove away from the harbor into the city!

EPILOUGE:

Sepia ,Bernadette and I sat in Josies a few nights later having drinks and talking quietly...

"You know Kevin, Harry has been around to see me a couple of times..We might go out tomorrow night." she said.

"Oh yeah? That's nice...What about Ralph?" I asked.

"Nahhh, he's really not my type..I saw him yesterday, all up in some other chick's face...He's a player." she said.

"He's a dog." said Sepia.

"Gus must have put the fear of God in Abel Gardenor...I aint heard a peep out of him in days..I don't guess he'll be comin around here no more." said Bernadette.

"No, I don't think so either." I said.

"Kevin, did Harry pay Gorilla Lewis and Elephant Jones off? They aint been around either and Harry walks around like a big weight was lifted from his shoulders. He told me that he's learned his lesson and that he aint gamblin no more or taken bets of any kind." said Bernadette.

"Well uh,er..I heard they left town in a hurry...Went on some uh, boat ride." I said.

"Really? I'll bet someone was after them and they forgot all about Harry." she said.

"Who knows? ,Who cares about those bums?" I laughed.

Just then, Kool Kat walked in...he was decked out in an expensive and tailored suit and smoking one of his cigars...

''What's happening Kevin?" he said as he slapped my palm.

''You, big man." I said.

"Good evening Missus Kevin." he said as he kissed her hand.

"Oh Walter stop." laughed Sepia.

Bernadette nudged Sepia..

"Girl who is that?" she said.

"Oh that's Kool Kat...that's Kevin's friend." laughed my wife.

"Now that's the kind of guy I should be with." said Bernadette.

Sepia and I looked at each other and laughed and laughed!

(For Carlene)