Retirement Fund

A crowd of people gathered around as did the police and people from the Medical Examiner's Office.... I identified the deceased white male as Dennis Douglas...An Attorney I had met only a few days before.....The decomposing African -American female's body wasn't identifiable but I was 100 percent certain it was Public Defender, Mary Powell-Mabry....

I gave my statement to the two Homicide Detectives on the scene as did Mr. Abbott and an All points bulletin was put out for Duke Snyder...A relatively easy one...or so I thought.

''Well Kev, wasn't much for me to do in this one...but it's all good...Guess it's nice to have an easy one huh?" laughed Kool Kat.

"Yeah...sure is...Thanks for your help guys...." I said.

"Guess we'll see you tonight at Josies huh?" asked Clerow...

"Yeah...first round is on me.." I laughed. "And thank you for your help Chance." I continued to the young attorney, who's leg work had helped so much..

"It was my pleasure Mr. Kevin." He said.

I dropped all of them off and decided to drive over to Cindy Water's office to collect my fee and give her the final report on the case...Suddenly, my Android began to vibrate....I didn't recognize the number.....

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello yourself gumshoe...." came the coldest voice I had ever heard...

"Who is this?" I asked.

"I'll let you figure that out...you've figured everything else out..." he said.

"Snyder...Duke Snyder!!" I said.

"Very good gumshoe...you really are good....and fast too...You know...a few days after I snatched sugar britches..I came back to that house...Just in time to see you comin out with a strongbox full of money and that ledger....You got to it before I could or her ex-husband....I started to kill you then, but I thought better of it....I followed you...Then I get a call from you wantin to meet with me...That's when I started checkin you out....I know where you live, I've seen that fine, sexy wife of yours...I know where you work, everything..Even know who hired you...I gotta hand it to you...You deal with some sexy women." he said.

''Where are you? What do you want?" I asked.

"That's what I'm gettin at....I'm at that cute little lawyer's ofice...You know..the one what hired you.....If you want to see her and her staff alive again...you'll bring me that Ledger and that strong box with that money in it.." He said...

"That ledger won't help you...The cops already have your name and address Snyder,it's all over for you." I said.

"I doubt that....They don't know where I am right now...Only you and these good people do...and don't get cute and tip them off...You do that and I start killin people....
You got one hour...bring me that book, that dough oh yeah and the keys to your car....
They won't be lookin for me in your car gumshoe..." he said.

"You're crazy, you'll never get away with this." I said.

"I think I will, it's a longshot....but I think I will....I need that dough..It's for my retirement fund." he laughed.

"Retirement fund???" I said.

"Yeah...I'm leavin town...Gonna start over someplace else...Some dough and a nice Lexus will look good on me." he laughed...

"You're mad." I said.

"You got one hour or the dyin starts..." he said.

Click!

Duke Snyder was crazy....but he had me in the short and curlys..He knew I wouldn't jeoapordize Cindy Waters and her staff.

II-

I stopped by my house .....Sepia was there...I whispered instructions to her...I didn't know if he had bugged my house or not...Then I got a ledger book and a strongbox and filled it with cash....I got in my car and prepared to drive to Cindy's office...

Sepia appeared at the door...She looked worried...I walked back up the steps and kissed her long and passionately and tried to smile..

"Don't worry...I've been in tough situations before...Just do what I tell you...It'll all work out." I said, hoping I was right.

"Be easy lover." she said.

''Always" I said.

When I knocked on the door of Cindy Water's office, I noticed how silent it was...What did I expect?   I only hoped that they hadn't killed or harmed anyone.
The door opened slowly and Duke Snyder put the muzzle of his .45 to my temple.

"Nice and Easy gumshoe...Nice and easy..hand over that dough and that ledger ,oh and your peice" he said.

I did as I was told and he marched me into the inner office where Cindy Waters, her receptionist and her administrative assistant were tied up , bound and gagged, but still alive...A man with a hood had a gun pointed at them....Duke passed him my .38 smokeless.

"Well, at last I meet the brains of this operation..." I said with a smile.

"What, what are you tryin to say?" sneered Duke Snyder...

"Oh come on Duke...I know that you're too stupid to be pulling the strings in something like this, Isn't that right Josh? Joshua Mabry, Ex dirty cop and  current all around dirty guy.." I added...

The hooded gunman removed his hood and smiled....

"Damn, I said you were good...How did you know?" he asked.

"I didn't know at first....but after I talked to William Powell and a young lady in the neighborhood, I realized the discrepancy in the story you told me and the story both of them told me...You said you   came over there and found the children dirty and hungry and uncared for....But then I figured....How would you have come over there and not have looked for the ledger and the money while you were in the house legitimately? You got a call from Lola Bey, her neighbor...She had the kids over at her house, and she called William Powell....You were never in that house and by then ,you already knew that your ex-wife was dead....That's why you came back that night...To get in there and get that money and that ledger....Only I had beaten you to it. It seems your boy Duke here also had designs on that money and that ledger...both of you unknown to the other came back there to break into that house..."I said.

Josh angrily eyed Duke Snyder , who just smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"You knew because you and that white lawyer , who by the way also represented YOU in your case were blackmailing your  ex wife....Only she stopped playing ball...So Douglas hired his client and ironically her client to make her disapear...am I right so far?" I said.

Josh Mabry laughed...."Yeah...Yeahh...go on Kev.." he said.

"You never had any intention of splitting close to one million dollars three ways...So you got your boy Duke to ace the white boy ,Douglass out of the deal...You already knew who hired me and so here we are...You got your money, your ledger and my car and nothing to lead anybody to you..You don't intend to let any of us leave here alive and that includes you too Snyder.." I said.

"You're full of it....You tryin to trick us, play us against each other, Just shut your yap gumshoe." said Duke Snyder...

"Come on Duke...Even you can't be that stupid....The cops are on to you...They found the bodies in your warehouse....You're too much of a liability now." I said.

"He's right Duke.." said Josh Mabry coldly...To our horror, he aimed my .38 smokeless at Duke Snyder's head and pulled the trigger....Blood and brains splattered across the wall and Duke Snyder fell to the ground, very, very dead...

"You're right Kevin....Duke was holding you all hostage and started killing everybody and you killed him....but unfortunately, he got you too and you died of your wounds.." he laughed.

"That's how you're gonna play it?" I said ..

"That's the only way to play it....Nothing leads to me...nothing at all..Nobody even knows I'm here." he said.

"Pretty good plan...Now if I was you, I'd get away from that window..." I said.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" he said...

A shot rang through the window....fired from across the street..It ripped through his shoulder and came out the front of him....Another shot hit him in back near his lower left side....He screamed in agony as he tossed his gun in the air and pitched forward....

"ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....I DON'T BELIEVE IT.........I've  been shot!!!..."

He fell to the ground.....Still Alive, but in pretty bad shape.... I walked to the window and looked across the street.... Roscoe was taking his sniper rifle apart and packing it up....He looked at me and cracked up laughing and waved and then left the room, across the street from the office...On the street, Kool Kat nodded and put his gun away, got in his car and pulled off...Within minutes...Roscoe got in his car and he too left the scene....

I knelt down and looked at him...He was still breathing.....

''Damn man....that looks like it hurts."  I said....

He winced in pain...but he extended his middle finger to me  just before he lost consciousness.....I laughed my head off.....The laugh of a survivor....I wondered how many more of these close situations did I have left in me.


I untied Cindy and her staff and called the police....

"Wow....You really are good." said Cindy Waters...

"No...Those guys were just that bad." I said....

"You're a married man and a good guy Kevin, but I swear...I am so turned on right now..." said Cindy Waters seductively...

I smiled at her and I opened the door slowly and left the office.

EPILOUGE:

Josh Mabry went back to prison...This time for the rest of his life....First Degree Murder and complicity in the murders of Dennis Douglas and Mary Powell-Mabry.

I gave the 600k to my church...They used it to make a down payment on a building for their youth outreach program, which was being run by Deacon Basil Robinson.

The contents of Mary Powell Mabry's ledger was never made public. A lot of men are breathing  many sighs of relief right now...

Cindy Waters paid me quite well for my services and asked me if she could use me for future investigative work...I told her sure..As long as she was paying...

Sepia and I were in our bedroom talking...

"That was a close one..." she said.

"Yeah...but I had faith that either Roscoe would come through or Kool Kat....They like anything that involves shooting...I'm just glad Roscoe didn't kill him....If he hadn't of been able to get a shot off..Kool Kat would have mowed em both down coming out of the door.." I said.

"Wow, you always stay a step ahead don't you?" she said.

"That's how I stay alive sugar." I said with a smile as I put my arms around my wife and held her tight....

Smells Like Death

If it's one thing Gus told me that always rang true...It was..."No Matter what you do out in the street..Somebody knows about it and for a price, somebody will talk about it."

Lola Bey, was willing to talk about it....Hey price was basically a cheap breakfast...I had been asking around the neighborhood about the missing public defender....Everybody knew her, Everybody knew she was a lawyer "that worked for the city."  Only a few knew what else she did..A small few...Mostly men and all they could tell me was that she was great in bed...nothing more..

After spending a week talking to neighborhood folks, I ran into a cute neighborhood girl,Lola Bey who offered me more information than the average person...She was friends with Mary Powell Mabry and she lived across the driveway from her.

She agreed to meet me at a tony little coffee shop and lounge.  She was cute, Petite, Brown skinned with a devilish grin I found appealing.  She wore a Black mini dress that  that seemed more at home in July than in early October...but it had been unusually warm now of days.

I ordered us two coffees and some pastries and sat back in a chair so comfortable, that I could have gone to sleep in it...  She was prompt, which I liked and pleasent, which was also a plus.

"So Lola, What can you tell me about Mary that I might not already know?" I asked ,hoping that she indeed could tell me something, anything..that would give me a clue as to what happened to her..I felt as though I had been doing all of this legwork the past month for nothing.

"Well Mr. Kevin...I lived across the driveway from Mary...I used to watch her kids for her...She paid me well, both to watch the kids and for my silence." she said.

''So you knew that she wasn't just practicing law.?" I said coyly.  Lola smiled and continued...

''Oh God yes..the whole side of my block knew....Guys coming in and out like a revolving door all times of night and sometimes in the day...yelling to the top of their lungs about how "good it is." ,Her yelling too...It was crazy....And plus...she always paid me on time and well...and if I needed a little loan, she would hand me the cash and wouldn't sweat me about paying it back...Yeah, I knew she was hookin...Didn't know why, since she was a lawyer and all." said Lola.

"Tell me about the last time you saw her." I asked.

"That's the real interesting part Mr. Kevin....Two months ago...Mary told me that she was getting phone calls late at night...or well,early in the morning....That the person would just breathe heavy and hang up..It was unnerving her....I told her that it was probably just some freaky guy she had uh "dated"...She said no, that this was different!....Also...there was a car, a green Monte Carlo that cruised the neighborhood constantly...It was eerie...I saw the car once...or twice." she said.

''Would you recognize the driver if you saw a photo of him.?." I asked..

"Yeah...He was a Black guy, balding...in his late 50's or early 60's...He was one of Ms. Mary's clients...his name was Duke...something or other...Mary was scared of him...She said he liked to do things with handcuffs and bondage and she wasn't into that...Just straight sex for her..." she said.

"Anybody else strange come around?" I asked.

"Oh yeah  there was this white guy that came by....A suit and tie type guy...I met him once...Didn't catch his name...but he looked like a lawyer type." she said.

''Was he a client too?" I asked.

''No....He didn't stay long enough...He was always came, got an envelope from her and left...She didn't like him too much...but she always gave him that envelope..." said Lola..

"The last day I saw Mary, she and that white dude had a heated argument , right out front and she told him not to come around anymore.....Then that afternoon....She told me to watch the kids...That she was going to the corner store to get some cigarettes....That was the last time anybody remembers seeing her...And in fact...The guy at that corner store says that she never made it there....After I didn't see her for two days...I called her ex old man, Joshua Mabry and he called her other old man, Mr. Powell...They came and got they kids and that was that." said Lola.

"So you called both ex husbands?" I asked.

"Yeah.." she said.

"Neither one of them was in that house?" I asked.

"No...Not at all. They came to my house." she said.

"Hmmmmmmm. How about her family?" I mused.

"Her Mother and father and her brother came by here and they talked to me, asked me some questions." she said.

"Did they go into the house?" I asked.

''No...They didn't have a key and neither did I. ..But I did see that Green Monte Carlo cruising the neighborhood...But the dude never got out of the car....There was too many people out and about I suppose." she said.

"Wow" was all I could manage to say.

''She's dead isn't she Mr. Kevin?" she asked me....Suddenly she looked like a small child.

"Probably...but I'm going to make sure that whoever did this pays for it." I said....Didn't know if I could keep that promise or not...I paid for our coffee and pastries and stood up...I rubbed her soft hands and gave her a faint smile and left.

II-

I sat in Robert Foxworth's office....I felt as though I should be with Cindy Waters...but there would be ample time to see her....The young attorney, Chance Howard came in to the conference room where Robert and I were sitting and tossed a handful of briefs on the table...

"Guess what? This Duke Snyder guy....I know that you know already that he's an ex con....Did a bid for attempted rape and attempted kidnapping....Well guess who represented him??? Dennis Douglass of Powell & Douglass where you went yesterday." said Chance.

''How did you know I was there yesterday?" I asked.

"Ms. Waters called me to see how I was doing...I asked her how the case was going and she told me that you were checking out a lead at Powell & Douglass, so I went out there, checked out their set up and then did some digging of my own....On Duke Snyder, the one guy on the list who hasn't returned your calls and on who repped him." said Chance.

Robert Foxworth and I both gave Chance the side eye and then looked at each other.....

''Good Work Kid.. I think I've already figured out just what was going on here....Where does this Duke Snyder work?  I know where he lives..."I asked.

''Here's where it gets interesting Kev...He works at Abbotts Hardware and Home Supply....There are several Public Storage Bins across the street from Abbotts...." said Chance.

''So let me guess...You went down there?" I said.

''Yeah and Old Man Abbott was complaining to Duke Snyder about how bad one smelled..Snyder told him to just give him until the weekend and the smell would be gone." said Chance.

I smiled....

"Kid, when I retire from this business, you're going to take over...you're quite a good investigator." I said. Robert Foxworth gave him the side eye and smiled himself...

III-

Clerow parked the car right across the street from Abbotts....Kool Kat, Chance Howard and I got out and went inside the store...We found Old Man Abbott in the back, counting the days take.

"Hey Kev....Sorry man, I'm closin." he said.

"I'm lookin for Duke Snyder." I said.

"He didn't come in today..damn chisler...If he don't clean out that Storage bin...I'm gonna fire him...It smells like death." said Mr. Abbott..

"That's his bin..We probably need a warrant to open it up." I sighed.

''Warrant Hell, that's my bin...He has one key, but I have the other...I told him that what ever he's got in there, needs to come the hell out...It smells even worse now than it did before..." said Old man Abbott...

"Can we have a look see?" I asked.

"Don't know why you'd be interested in that bin, as bad as it smells, but I guess it's okay.." said Old man Abbott as he went to get his keys...

Kool Kat And Chance Howard walked outside...Clerow walked over to me...

"Damn boss...it smell so bad....I couldn't stay in the car...what the hell is that smell?" he asked.

I pointed to the Storage Unit.....

''That my friend....Is a tomb." I said.

"Okay boys....let me open this damn thing up." said Old man Abbott!

"GOOOD GOOOBLY GOOK...WHAT THE HELL?" he said as he opened the storage unit.....

There in full sight of all of us lay the freshly deceased body of Attorney Dennis Douglas...with a nice neat hole in his head.....and lying next to him was the mummified , badly decomposing remains of a woman who I believed to be Mary Powell-Mabry...

Kool Kat, Chance and Clerow were stunned....Old Man Abbott fainted......I got on my Android and called Cindy Waters...

"Hello."

"Hi Cindy....I've found Mary Powell Mabry!" I said.

"Oh My God....Is she...Is she...d-d-dead?" she asked.

''Pretty Much." I replied.

(Conclusion Next-)

Facing Her!

Sometimes the part of this private detective gig that I hated the most was interviewing people...I called everybody listed in that ledger, which was about 200 men...I started with guys I knew first, Like Pastor Struthers and Rollie Rollerson....and over the next three weeks, I met with about 199 guys and spoke to them discreetly, either in Josies, The Mermaid Club, Bottom of the C, Mulberry Street, Ciros ,the Church office and a local juice bar...All of the men thanked me for my "sensitivity " and my promise to keep what I knew discreet and out of the paper...All of them had wives and lives to protect....Most of them had slept with the comely attorney years ago and would understandably like to forget about it....

All of them described to me more vividly than I would have liked the "glorious" , adventuristic and insatiable non stop sex they had with her...The meetings in hotel and motel rooms, office breakrooms, et al and the things she would do for them that they couldn't get done elsewhere...None of them regretted the huge amounts of money they had paid her for her services...

And yes...they all knew that she was a married woman and a court officer....She couldn't blackmail them without putting herself in also...It was a symbiotic relationship that worked...Some of the men worked in the D.A.'s office and found themselves facing her in court after "facing her " for hours in bed the night before...None of the men seemed to have any malice towards her and thus...one by one, I eliminated them all from suspicion...


II-

I met with Cindy Waters for lunch at Bottom of The C...and brought her up to speed on what my investigation had turned up....Nothing... She didn't know about her girlfriend's secret nightlife (or at least she said that she didn't.) She didn't know about the money or the ledger, until I told her and showed her all of the names in the book and told her about all of the people I talked to...but she did have this to say.

"I appreciate all of the legwork you've been doing Kevin, but you haven't found her ...That's what I paid you to do...Find her,it's been a month now." she said.

"I know...Nobody has seen her and she's been missing a lot longer than what you know....Despite what she was doing on the side....I know one thing....I talked to her Father and Mother and her brother and they all told me that this woman would not have left her kids behind like that....She wouldn't have just left her house with that money there and that ledger, her insurance for the future out like that....I think she's dead...I'm 99 percent certain she's dead...." I said.

"Ohhh My God...Noooooooo." said Cindy as she started to cry...


"Cindy...maybe you can help me...I haven't talked to her first husband....Did you know him?  What was he like?  Would he have harmed her?" I asked.

''William?  I know him...Oh my God...I slept with him...after they were divorced ...She never knew that...He wouldn't hurt her..He wouldn't hurt a fly...He was the Assistant District Attorney of Homicide before Keith Wallace..." she said, still sobbing...

''You got an address on him?" I asked..

"He's in Private Practice now....Powell & Douglass....It's out on Route 611, outside of Abington, PA. " she said.

"Okay...I'll see what I can turn up." I said.

III-

I immediately got on the road and drove out to law office of Powell &; Douglass....It was outside of Philadelphia in a predominately White Area...Gus always told me..."If you're gonna play the part ,look the part."

I had on a brand new tailored suit and $400.00 shoes...I was driving a Lexus....I pretty much looked the part.
Unlike the others....I did not tell William Powell ,I was coming.  I arrived.... My first surprise was that his partner, Dennis Douglas was white...As was the receptionist... William Powell was a tall, six foot three inch , brown skinned man with a close cropped haircut and impeccably dressed and coifed...He's what we would've called a prettyboy back in the hood...He spoke very well...Kind of reminded me of the gambler, Stephen Bristol a little.

His partner ,Dennis Douglass had that college , frat boy, jock air about him...He eyed me suspiciously , but kept trying to make small talk with me..He asked me three times who I was in different ways and what my business was with Will.  I told him as politely as possible that I was a Private Investigator and that this was a private matter between myself and Mr. Powell.

William Powell came out of his office and I rose...He smiled and shook my hand.....

''Mr...er, uh Morris is it?" he said.

''Yes sir." I said.

''Can I offer you some coffee?" he said.

"Please do....Thank You." I said.

The Administrative assistant...A shapely and busty blond poured me a hot steaming tumbler of coffee and I added cream and sugar....William Powell already had a cup of coffee and so we both went into his office and closed the door.

"So Mr. Morris...What is this about?" he asked.

"It's about your ex wife....Mary Powell-Mabry...She hasn't been seen or heard from in about two months now." I said.

''Yes....I know... Her uh second husband, Josh Mabry called me a few weeks ago and I came and got my daughter." he said.

"And you didn't think anything was unusual about her not being at the house?" I asked.

''Of course I did... I called the police, So did her other ex-husband and her family...They've opened up a missing persons investigation...." he said.

"Uhhhh Mr. Powell...Did you know about how your ex-wife made a living, in addition to working for the public defenders office?" I asked.

He leaned forward and said quietly to me-

''YES , I knew....She was a...She had a problem...She was a nymphomaniac...She was insatiable....That was why I had to eventually divorce her....Yes...I knew that she was turning tricks as they say...but I couldn't prove it....I won my house, but I lost custody of my child....She was good at hiding things" he said.

''Did you know about a ledger that named names and dates and payoffs?" I asked.

"No...but I assumed that she kept records of some type...She was a very organized person...She won most of her cases because she was always more prepared than the next person." he said.

I imagined that after she'd had wild mind blowing sex with an opposing attorney the night before, his mind probably wasn't even on the case he had to try the next day....I smiled to myself at the thought...

"When is the last time you actually saw your ex-wife?" I asked as I sipped my coffee.

''About three months ago...She told me that she was afraid, that she had a bad feeling about something." he said.

''Oh? What?" I asked.

''She said that someone kept calling and hanging up.. All times of night...I told her that it was probably some nut...I even joked that it was some disgruntled customer of hers...We laughed about it. Last time I saw her was two nights before she vanished..a neighbor called me and her  other ex husband and we both came to her house and picked up our kids." he said.

"You say a neighbor called you?" I asked.

"Yeah..her name is Lola ..Lola Bey, she lives in the house directly across the driveway.She called us to pick up our kids." he said.

"So you never were in the house?" I asked.

"No...I wasn't." he said.

I made a mental note of that.

"So there was no bad blood between you two?" I asked.

"Oh nooo. We've been divorced for years sir and we've both been remarried and divorced again...I...I even slept with her the last time I saw her...It was a spur of the moment thing...but we both needed it and we both enjoyed it...It was quite pleasurable." he confessed..and gave me a sly look that men give each other when describing good lovemaking.

''Well, I guess that concludes our interview Mr. Powell." I said as I got up.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help...and I do sincerely hope that she is alright...that no harm has come to her." He said.

"I hope it hasn't either." I said, but I was certain I was wrong.

IV-

Robert and Chance had a "friend" that worked in Telephone Security.....I checked all of her phone messages dating back to six months the next two days...I eliminated calls from family, utility companies and some of the men on the ledger...There was a series of calls from the Abington-Willow Grove area made at 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM in the morning for about a month leading up to her disappearence and a series of calls from a Duke Snyder made around the same times....The calls to Snyder were longer...He was the one person on the list who had not returned or even answered my calls..He had not even acknowledged my calls.

The calls from the Abington-Willow Grove Area were made from a payphone, in fact two or three payphones within blocks of the Powell and Douglass law firm....How careful the caller had been... But Duke Synder had an address..I could find him.

I did some checking on Synder's background...First of all...He had a record...He served three years in Prison for Assault.. He had attempted to rape a 23 year old girl he had picked up who was hitch-hiking....She had barely escaped with her life....That made Mr. Synder , a person...My number one person of Interest.



(To Be Continued....)

Okay, I bite!

We followed the man to a nice row home in a typical African-American neighborhood in Philly...We watched. It appeared that he had a wife and two children...a girl and a boy....He didn't look like a criminal....I wondered why he had broken in the house.

I took a photo of him going in the house and coming out...Took a photo of his car and the license plate...And then told Clerow to pull off..

"Kev We aint going to at least talk to him, rattle his cage?" asked Kool Kat.

"We know he broke in that house Kev" said Clerow.

"Yeah ,I know....He doesn't look like he's going anywhere....We've got the Address and the license plate of the car....Let's find out who he is first guys."I said as we pulled off..

Finding out who he was , wasn't a problem at all....The next day I took the license plate number, the photo of him and the house address info to Robert Foxworth's man in public records....He ran down the information for me...

The man was Joshua Mabry...Mary's estranged ex-Husband...Her second Husband to be exact...  They had been married a little over three years and had had a tempestuous relationship at best....He was a cop...A narcotics plain clothes Detective....He had busted a huge player and had seized a lot of good dope and coke that little by little began to vanish from evidence...He and a partner were stealing the dope and re-selling it...or so they thought to undercover DEA agents....

Busted.....he turned state's evidence against the main players, which caused them all to go to prison....He did two years in a Federal Prison at an undisclosed location and was released....He was booted off the force in disgrace and was now the head of security for some warehouse....It cost him his wife, A beautiful attorney who worked in the Public Defender's office.  He lost the house and custody of their son...Who was just born when he went to prison and was now six or seven years old.

He had remarried and had a newborn.....For all intents and purposes he seemed to be on the straight and narrow.

Armed with this information...I called him and asked him to meet me at Josies...I told him that I was a private detective investigating the disapearence of his ex-wife and that it would be best if we spoke in private...He agreed and so the next night...He met me in Josies... We sat in a small booth for privacy and had two Coronas and some of Gus's famous Barbecued Hot Wings...

"This is a nice joint...I've always meant to come here, but I never made it ...A couple of my friends have told me about this joint." He said.   He was about my height and build, brown skinned with a close haircut and an ear ring in his right ear , clean shaven and pretty well dressed...Definitely not a player though.

"Mr. Mabry...you broke into your ex-wife's home a few days ago and was looking for a ledger.." I said.

"Hey now wait a minute.." he said.

"You wait a minute...I took a photo of you coming out and a photo of your car and your license plate...I even followed you to your house..." I said.

"Man, you are good." he said with a sheepish grin...

"Look man, I don't want no trouble....I can't go back to jail." he said.

''Who said anything about jail?" I asked.

"Well why were you following me?" he asked.

"I wasn't following you...I've been hired to find her." I said.

He looked perplexed....then he sighed..

''Get in line...Everybody is lookin for her. The gas company, the cable company, the electric company, you name it...She hasn't paid a bill in a month....My name is still on those bills and the credit bureaus were callin me...I called and called and called and she never answered and when I went over there, the children were there , Hungry and dirty and damn near starving....I called her other husband, William Powell and he came and got his daughter and I got my boy and we called Child welfare....Aint nobody seen her." he said.

"When is the last time you saw her?" I asked.

''About a month ago when I went to visit my boy." He said.

"I heard you rumaging around in the house going on and on about some ledger." I said.

"Yeah...I need that ledger...It could prove her an unfit mother, like I been sayin and get me custody of my boy, that all I want." he said.

"What's in this so called ledger you're looking for if I may ask?" I said.

He was silent for awhile....Then he smiled slyly...

"You don't know do ya?" he said...

"Know what?" I asked...

"Why do you think we got divorced?" he asked.

"Because you went to jail, you stuck up drug dealers and resold the dope.." I said.

"Well...I admit....I did my dirt...but that aint all of it...She was cheatin on me while I was in jail." he said.

"Cheating on you?" I said.

"I guess whoever hired you to try and find her doesn't know or they didn't bother to tell you." he said.

"Okay ,I bite! What didn't they bother to tell me?" I said.

"Mary had a side thing goin on....I didn't know it at first...but it became crystal clear eventually....My wife was a lawyer by day in the Public Defender's office and by night, she made her livin, staring at the ceiling...She was a hooker, Kev...A hooker! A high price one at that.....When I found that out, I hit the ceiling." he said.

''And you killed her!!!" I said....Though I didn't know why I said that...I didn't know if she was dead or not, but I was starting to suspect that she might be.

"Noooo...Noooo...I just got a divorce....I was paying her alimony, I lost my house, I lost my boy....Yeah...I felt like killing her...but I didn't...I went over there to have it out with her...When I realized she wasn't there I searched for that ledger." he said.

''How did you know about the ledger?"I asked.

"I found it by accident, while we were still married...It had names, payoffs, amounts,dates....That and other things that proved what she was doing...But during our divorce hearings , that ledger mysteriously vanished...I could never find it...but I knew it was there somewhere....It would've helped me out a great deal...It would've proven that she was unfit." he said.

I believed him...

"You have any idea where she is?" I asked.

"No...not a clue....but if you come across that ledger....One of those guys in it might hold the clue...Maybe they don't want that book being made public." he said.

II-

The next day, in Robert Foxworth's office, Robert ,Chance and I looked at the ledger and all of the names on it...Surprisingly, he knew a lot of the people on the ledger and was surprised...

"Oh My God Kevin, this here is a Doctor....This is another Lawyer....This guy was on City Council...and this guy, he's a major businessman...one of my clients...Dirty negro...I knew he was trying to get in her panties even back when I was with her, always laughin and grinnin..." he mused...

"Mr. Kevin, even I know some of these guys....That guy there owns a record label or he used to...This guy here is an actor....This guy here is a singer, this is the bass player in Reed Nelson's band....oh my God, Pastor Struthers name is on here....This goes back a few years though, Councilmen Drinkwater...and Deputy Mayor,
Parsons....Holy mackrell...She was really gettin her freak on.." laughed Chance..

"I notice your name is surprisingly NOT in this ledger counselor " I said giving Robert Foxworth , the side eye. Chance Howard looked at his boss and giggled. Robert didn't show any emotion...

''Kev....you've known me long enough to know that I don't pay for lovin...... I had that gal and I never paid a dime...I can't vouch for these other guys..." he said... Chance and I looked at each other and just laughed.

"Look Kev...there is your boy, Rollie Rollerson....He's on here three times...Looks like he really enjoyed himself..." sneered Robert Foxworth....

I was afraid to look any further...I was hoping I didn't see any of my friends like Gus or Kool Kat on that ledger..I didn't.

"You realize that if this got out...If these guys even suspected they were on some ledger....This could be very, very explosive don't you?" asked Robert.

''Yeah...that's why I've got to go about this very discreetly." I said.

III-

When I got home, I told Sepia all about this latest case I was on and what I had found out...I showed her the ledger and the strongbox with the 600K in it.

"Wow...I can't believe all of the guys on this list...Rollie Rollerson, Pastor Struthers....Oh my God...You guys are just dogs....."she said as she guffawed with laughter...

''I'd be pleased if you not talk about this to anybody." I said.

"Oh Kevin,you know  I won't...At least not until you crack the case" she said and went running...I chased her around the living room and into our bedroom where I tackled her and tossed her down on the bed....We began kissing passionately and laughing for a few minutes and then we stopped to catch our breath...

"You know Kevin...it's funny...Nobody mentioned the money.." she laughed...

I rolled over and then I thought....

"You know... You're right Sepia. He knew about the ledger...but I don't think he knew about the money....but what I don't understand is...They were getting ready to shut everything off in that house...I saw the shutoff notices...With this kind of dough, she could have more than paid it off....It makes me wonder.." I said.

''Yeah...that and the fact that you still don't know what happened to her." said Sepia...She giggled when she said that...I rolled over on top of her....in between kisses I said...

"I can always depend on you to keep me looking at the big picture...."

"That's what a good wife does.." she cooed.

(To Be Continued...)

Somethin About Mary

"Really Counselor, you gotta learn how to eat with chop sticks ,since you like chinese food so much." I joked as Attorney Robert Foxworth and I enjoyed two hot steamy plates of chinese food at "Chinese Bob's" joint .

''Nah Kev, I'll just stick to a fork..." he laughed as we continued to eat...

''If Kim Chee catches you staring at his daughter like that, he may take the fork and chopstick and ram it you know where." I laughed as we continued to eat.

''Yeah...I know...but she is a fine little thing....You know, the old me woulda gotten her in the sack by now."mused Robert Foxworth.

"Or tried to." I mused.

"Nah...I could do it...you see how she grins at me when she catches me staring..." he laughed.

"But ....you're a reformed man now right?" I laughed...

"Not only that...Bonita is hell in the bed...too good a thing to lose." he mused.

"But you knew that and you still messed around before you finally married her." I said.

''Yeah...I know.. Some things take longer to learn than others Kev." he said.

''Point taken counselor ...Speaking of the old you....isn't that someone from out of your past over there ?" I asked.

A very attractive and well dressed Black woman was ordering take out...

"Oh my god....that's Cindy Waters....Haven't seen her in ages." said Robert Foxworth....

She was the cause of Robert's breakup with his first wife, Lt.Sissy Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide...A young attorney working at the same firm who caught Robert's eye...He pursued her until she eventually gave in and he had his way with her...The affair cost him a 17 year marriage.....He then married again...His second wife , Corrine...I vaguely remembered her....Robert couldn't get enough of Cindy Waters....and the revelation of that affair broke him and his second wife up....Married for the third time to Bonita, I wondered if seeing her would wreck this relationship?

To our surprise, Cindy walked over to our table....Robert was as phony as ever in his greeting...

''Cindy...How are you doing? I haven't seen you in ages" he said with that kilowat (but phony ) smile of his.

"I'm doing fine Robert and yourself?" she said with a sweet ,but acid like smile...

"Oh...I'm doing as well as possible." he said with a sheepish grin....He was obviously checking her out and I had to admit..She was good looking, Robert didn't mess with anything but prime beef and Cindy Waters was that...I could certainly see why she had enticed him over two marriages.

"You've lost weight...you look good." he said , still grinning from ear to ear.

"I hear you got married recently." she said coldly....All of a sudden, I felt like I needed a thick winter coat...

"Ye- Yesss...uh, ruh...Yes I did..." he said.   She dismissed him and turned toward me...

"You're Kevin Morris aren't you?" she asked, even though I knew that she knew that...

''Yes I am." I responded...

''You're the reason I'm here...I'd like to hire you to do a little personal investigation for me...I 'm willing to pay."she said.

"What kind of investigation?" I asked.

"I need you to find somebody for me....A friend...She works in the Public Defenders Office....Her name is Mary Powell- Mabry...I haven't heard from her in a few days and I'm afraid something bad has happened to her." she said.

''Mary Maples?  I know her...A fine attorney.." said Robert Foxworth.....Cindy ignored him completely and kept talking to me...

"I've called her landline and her cell phone for two days and gotten no answer....Her ex husband told me the same thing...and when he went to her house....He found her two children there...One of which is his and that's when he called me...She would never just leave her children unattended like that." said Cindy.

"Where is the other child?"I asked.

''With her other ex-husband." said Cindy.

''Wow ....and None of you called the cops?" I asked.

"I did, but you know what they said?  That she's a grown woman and she can go and come as she pleases and that there is no sign of any foul play...but Kevin...Can I call you Kevin?" she asked.

"Yes sure." I said..

"Kevin, she would never just leave her children alone like that...I know her." she said...

''Why do you think something bad has happened, I mean besides that?" I asked.

"Perhaps if you come to my office, I can further elaborate." she said.  She gave me a card with her address on it. I tucked it in my wallet...

"Tomorrow ,I'll give you a call." I said.

"Thank you Kevin." she said.

"Can I be of any assistance?" asked Robert, still grinning...Cindy Waters looked at him tersely and replied-

''No....I don't think so."

Robert's face dropped....It was then and only then that Cindy Waters smiled....

II-

Later on after Robert Foxworth had driven me back to his offices where my car was parked he asked me...

"You're going to take on this case for Cindy?"

''Yeah...She's paying...and it doesn't involve any gangsters or street hoods for a change." I said.

"You know, I know this Mary Powell-Mabry she's talking about. She was Mary Powell when I knew her." he said.

''You slept with her didn't you?" I said...I knew my friend too well.

"Yes lawd...I mean , Yeah , I uh ruh did....Long time ago...before I got married the first time.." he said.

"But not before she got married right?" I said.  Robert looked perplexed , then he laughed and pointed at me-

''Damn boy....no wonder you're so good....you don't miss a thing....Yeah..She was married...I was fresh out of law school...It was my first job....I worked in the Public Defenders office too....Let's just say ,I got to see her legal briefs first hand...She was hell in the bed...whooooeee...but she was married and after about a year,I cut it off....I had met a young Homicide Detective named Sissy Van Buren by then and we started meeting in my office for lunch and what not...but the thing is Kevin....Mary, was or is a great attorney...but kind of wild...I don't know why she is still in the Public Defenders office...All of the lawyers that was there when I was there are in Private Practice now...Just like me...Cindy Waters started there and then followed me to the private firm that I was working for...Mary stayed for some reason." he said.

''Well she was married...I guess she  didn't need the money." I said.

''Her first husband was an Assistant District Attorney...Don't know where he is now....They had a little boy..He should be about six now...Her second husband was a cop....He got kicked off the force a few years back for re selling the drugs he took off of dealers....They have a little girl...She might be four.." he said.

''So she's a female version of ......of YOU!" I said and laughed...

"Minus the kids..." said Robert and we both pointed at each other and howled with laughter....

"Just be careful Kev....In investigating Mary Mabry...you may wind up in a whole different direction than from what you started." said Robert.

''What do you mean counselor?" I asked.

"I don't know...I always thought she had something else going on.....Something on the side..  A lot of guys...used to call her office...and occassionally drop by her office." he said.

"She was a public defender....what's strange about that?" I asked.

"I don't know Kev...it's just that these guys didn't look like they needed legal help...Some of them looked like even if they did need legal help, they could afford private attorneys and wouldn't need court appointed attorneys you know....I asked her once about one of them and she said that he was a "business associate."She wouldn't go into anymore detail.  Just be careful man." he said.

"Always" I said.


III-

Cindy Waters's office was very much like mine.....but not in a high rise at Penn's Landing like Robert Foxworth's and Chance Howard's office...I found her to be very professional and not at all flirtatious and seductive like Robert had described her.   She started right off by giving me a small retainer...and offering me coffee...both of which I liked....

"Kevin...I have heard that your methods are somewhat unorthodox...but just so that you don't have to break any laws...Here is the key to her house and the security code so that you can get in and nose around and see
if there are any clues as to what might have happened to her.....Here is the number to her cell and her landline..Is there anything else you need?" she asked.

''Yes." I said.  "Knowing where Mary is."

Cindy laughed......"Oh Mister Kevin, you are a clever one." she said....

"Oh By the way...Does Chance Howard still work with Robert?" she asked.

''Yes, he does....He's doing big things....I won't be surprised if he doesn't strike out on his own in a few years." I said.

"That's good to know...If you see him...Tell him I.........Oh no never mind." she said as I got up and left her office.

Finding Mary Powell-Mabry's house was no problem at all.   It felt nice having the keys and the security code and not having to break in for a change....The house was eerily silent....There was week old mail....Shut off notices from the electric company, the water company, the telephone company, the cable company and the gas company....That seemed strange....There were children's toys all over the living room...and a sink full of unwashed dishes.....

I walked upstairs into the bedrooms...The childrens beds were made up....but Mary's room had panties and bras strown all over the floor, a waste basket full of used condoms....KY jelly on the floor by the bed...a vibrator , a huge rubber dildo....and several neglige's of assorted colors....I looked in her closet and found a strongbox....A further look revealed a key....Upon opening the strongbox, I found 600K in twenties and hundreds....This was a lot of money for someone who was about to have all of their utilities shut off!! I then found a ledger book.

I looked inside and found names , names of prominent people and amounts of money paid...I didn't know what this was about...but for now...I was taking this stuff out of here...I'm sure somebody would be interested in finding this...

I took the strongbox and the ledger and placed it in my trunk...I locked the house up and drove off as though nothing had happened....but I had a sneaky suspicion that come nightfall...the house would have a visitor.
I was amazed that nobody had been in here sooner...

That night...Kool Kat, Clerow and I sat in an unmarked car and watched the house....Sure enough at a little after one o'clock...a shadowy figure broke into the house.....The alarm went off and we heard him yell.....

"AWWWWW CRAPPP!!!!"

We heard shuffling and thrashing and then more yelling-

"IT's GONE!!!  WHERE IS THAT LEDGER?? WHO KNEW IT WAS HERE????"

"Looks like you got a live one Kev...Let's take him?" said Kool Kat.

"No....We follow him." I said.

(To Be Continued....)

I Can't Wait

I thought about Nicole Butler all week.....The sex had been incredible...but it just wasn't that..It was her, the way she smelled...How soft her sheets were, What she wore...everything about her....I was expecting her to visit me in D.C. in a few days....I had just left Philly on Sunday and I had purposely not called or texted her until Wednesday...and when I did...I didn't get an answer...On Thursday...I sent her a text...

"I can't wait to see you on Saturday...Hope you're still coming."

She sent me a text back....

"I'm still coming....I hope to be cumming even more...lol."

I wrote her another text...

"I won't dissapoint...I'm a hard as hell right now just thinking about you."

She wrote back-

''You are so nasty.lol."

II-

Saturday Morning at 8:00 Am.....I was at the train station here in D.C. when Nicole arrived....She had taken the earliest train available just as we had planned...She saw me and gave me the brightest smile ever...

"Cole...I don't believe we are doing this...I feel like we are sneaking..." she said after we embraced...

"Sneaking from who?" I asked.  "I don't have anybody and you told me that you're not dating seriously." I laughed.

"Come on...a single ,young Black Attorney in D.C. and you don't have anybody?" she asked ,giving me the side eye.

"I date...I didn't say that I didn't...I date a few women, but none that I consider serious...Nobody that uh would slash my tires if they saw me with you." I said.  It was after all the truth and in fact...I hadn't had sex in six months before I 'd had Nicole last week...but I wasn't going to tell her that...Didn't want to look too pathetic..

We had breakfast at a small place I frequented....She had two eggs over easy, bacon and toast with Coffee , While I had two strawberry filled crepes with a side of scrapple, Coffee and Orange Juice...

After breakfast , Nicole looked around....

"Wow...Howard University was sooo long ago it seems and then again...it wasn't... Tell me is that Victoria's Secret still around?" she asked with a sly grin...

"Yeah...it's ten thirty...It doesn't open until eleven..." I said.

''Take me to it.. I want to buy some things." she said.

"I'm sure you won't need them...I don't think you'll have anything on too long." I said slyly...

She looked at me kind of funny, then kind of ran her hand discretely up my leg and felt my erection.....Her mouth opened wide.....She looked at me and shook her head...

"Wow!" was all she said..."Ummmmmph...Ummmph...Ummmph....I can't believe I turn you on like that.."she said and laughed as she shook her head.

"You have been since I've known you Nicole." I said.

"I just never knew...Never knew you gave me a thought...." she said.

"I had quite a few thoughts about you." I said.

"From the stiffness in your pants...I can see." she whispered and giggled.

We wound up going to Victoria's Secret anyway..

III-

Once inside my apartment....Nicole dropped her bag and hung her jacket up in my closet....She looked around...

"This is nice Cole..." she said.

I leaned her up against the wall and began kissing her.....She kissed me for a few minutes  and then eased away from me...

"Relax Cole...I'm not going anywhere...I just got here." she said...

"Nicole, I can't wait..." I said and began kissing her more and squeezing her behind...

She slowly unzippered my trousers and pulled it out and began massaging it...

"My...MYYYYYYYY...you are huge....I never knew...I never suspected when we were in college..." she said marveling at it...

"If you had known would you have given me some play?" I asked as she turned around and backed into me...

"Hmmmmmm...No....I would've stuck to my guns...you were still sleeping with my soror...Like Omar used to say on the Wire..."Man gots to have a code."  She giggled.  I pulled her to me...I unbucked her jeans...and
we both worked them down...she stepped out of them and I took my shirt off and slowly stepped out of my pants....

"But you aint no man.." I said...

"Not hardly..." she laughed as we kissed passionately and  I led her to my bedroom...

We never made it to the bed.....I had Nicole on the floor on all fours while I eased in from behind...Her rear end was just so round, so firm...so delicious for want of a better word to describe it that I had to start from here....I started slow , but generally began to thrust harder and faster....She felt so wet, so soft...

"Nicole...I couldn't wait...I just had to have you.." I said...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, yessssssssssssssssssssss...Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss....It feels so good Cole....OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....." she screamed as I thrusted harder...

"I won't....I won't....I promise....I won't make you wait this long againnnnnnnnnnnn.....ouuuuuuuuuu." she moaned....

She was screaming louder...she had her legs spread and all of that butt up in the air....and me, I was sweating profusely and still going at it....

Finally, I pulled out and I lifted her up and laid her across the bed...I stared down into those gorgeous brown eyes of hers and I entered her like nobody's business...I wanted to savor this experience, So I took my time...
I made slow, steady sweet love to Nicole the rest of the afternoon....

''Ohhhhh my Godddddddddddddddd, OHHHHHHHHHHHHH......Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." she maoned ..."Don't Stop...Don't Stoppppppppppp...please...don't stopppp." she moaned, which turned me on more...

We both came hard and surprisingly together......

We lay there in bed, sweating and sighing...Nicole turned to me -

"I want you in my mouth.." she said matter of factly.

I was surprised...She had always been a prissy,proper type girl in college...I couldn't even imagine her doing something like this....I had never thought to ask...

"Just lie still and relax she said as she crawled on top of me and began to kiss me slowly and to rub me...My penis, which had had a great workout this afternoon, amazing came back to life...She moved down and slowly began to kiss it and then masterfully put her mouth around it and began take as much in as she could..

I ran my hands through her hair as she continued to give me immense pleasure....I couldn't hold it through this as long as I would have liked to and I exploded...

"Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh.." I moaned as I came intensely.....

We entered the shower and as the hot water poured down on us...I kneeled down and kissed her from her panty line down to her thighs ...I worked my way between her legs to her clit and began sucking and licking something furious....I don't know if it was the hot water or what I was doing, but Nicole came several times right there in that shower.....

She took some soap and began to soap me down , All the while rubbing and stroking my penis as I began to kiss her neck and her earlobes and finally her lips....We brought each other to another climax right there in the shower..

It was 9:00 pm at night by the time we finally laid down in bed to sleep....Spent...Totally clean, and spent from an entire afternoon of non-stop lovemaking....

It was a deep and peaceful sleep, the deepest sleep I'd had in my life...and when I woke up on Sunday Morning..Nicole was staring at me...To my surprise...I was erect and rock hard....She looked at me and said once again..."WOW!   You're still hard after all we did yesterday...???"

"I'm surprised myself." I said...

She eased over and mounted herself on top of me....and began moving up and down on top of me....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmph...let mama take care of that......ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

It sure felt good having some good loving early Sunday morning.....

EPILOUGE:

Nicole and I stood in Union Station waiting for her train back to Philly later on that day....

''Wow Cole....I spent a whole weekend in D.C. and didn't see a thing but the inside of your bedroom and your shower." she laughed.

"Complainin?" I asked with a smile.

"NOOOOOO...Not at all...." she laughed...

"Come up to Philly next Friday if you can...We can go to this spot called Josie's..Have some drinks and hear some good music....Reed Nelson and his band is playing and the keyboardist, "88" is sitting in with them too and the next night...Downtown Rob Brown is playing and Guitarist Brooke Taylor is in from San-Francisco ,sitting in with them." said Nicole.

''Sounds like a plan...Maybe we can hit Mulberry Street too or uh Bottom of the C. and have some dinner." I said.

"Okay...I'll call you " I said....I was getting ready to kiss her, but she backed up...

''No Cole..You kiss me and I may just wind up going back to your place and never getting home."she said.

"I wouldn't mind." I said.

"I know you wouldn't." she laughed as she boarded the train...

She blew me a fake kiss as the train pulled off....I stood there and watched until the train was out of sight...Nicole was making me a believer in long distance love or lust, whatever it was.