"I was this close to getting the diamonds and putting a dangerous man off the street and two thugs, two dumb thugs had ruined everything...." I said to Philadelphia Homicide Lt. Sissy Van Buren as we stood near the river with the police marine unit early in the morning...They had recovered the bodies of Cameron Shelton, a two bit hood, age 37 and Latoya Milton, age 29...a young sometimes model, sometimes stripper....Both of them had had their throats slit and had been weighted down and dropped in the river....No doubt killed by D.T. I practically had a confession on tape .....But he was the least of my worries..I had to get those diamonds back...I had to find those two punks that stuck up the jewelry store or else there might be two more bodies in the river.
"Well Kevin....At least we found these two....From the looks of the bodies...I'd say they'd been under for about a week...The girl's parents reported her missing about a week ago. This guy here..He's got a record as long as he is tall..Nobody will miss him." she said as we both sipped our coffee in the early morning hours..
"What about the jewels?" I asked.
"Well...These two idiots killed a guy we've long suspected of being a fence, but couldn't prove that he was. Now they're going to have to try to fence those diamonds somewhere, but they are not going to be able to, because my detectives have put a wall around the city....Nobody is going to touch that ice.." she said.
"You've got to do me a favor Sissy." I asked.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Don't publicize that the diamonds were stolen already...make it sound like they took the diamonds from Tiffany's." I said.
"Poor Rollie...He just can't keep it in his pants....He shoots his mouth off to this girl who tells Cameron...Who then tells D.T., expecting to be part of the deal...only D.T. doesn't work like that...He gets rid of anybody that knows about the diamonds and steals them himself...Chances are...He would've done the same thing to you." she said.
"Only..I was planning to put him down...and hard." I said.
"Where is he now?" she asked.
"He's out of pocket." I said.
"How do you get in contact with him?" she asked.
"I don't...he gets into contact with me...He 's not going to call me until he finds those two punks...and the deal is back on ." I said sipping my coffee."
"Well Kev, looks like you got your work cut out for you then." she said.
"Yeah"
II-
I went home...I hadn't seen my wife in hours and I was anxious to make sweet love to her and get some well deserved rest...Like me, she had a few days off and was taking them. We lie across the bed that morning and she said something that made a lot of sense to me..
"Kevin...you said that you saw Amazette Clark the other day?" she asked me.
"Yeah..She's workin in Tiffany's off the Boulevard..." I said.
"Really? No wonder they got stuck up!!!" she said.
"What are you talking about?" I said.
"She used to be a stripper or didn't you know that?" said Sepia.
"Yeah,I knew that." I said.
"Well, she goes with Darryl Angel....the owner's dumbass son...he fancies himself a stick up boy. He and his stupid twin brother, David have stuck up every place she's managed to work at...Bars, Hotels, etc..Looks like she moved up." said Sepia.
The one guy fired a round which went right through Albert Sane's left temple, killing him instantly....The other man looked at him in horror...
"Dave what the hell is wrong with you...What you shoot him for??????" he yelled...
"Darryl, shut the hell up...you just said my name out loud!" he yelled...
"Oh, my bad...just grab the diamonds and let's get out of here." yelled the other man...
They scooped up all of the diamonds and put them in a duffell bag...They then cracked open a strong box and took an undisclosed amount of cash and went running out the front, where a guy was at the wheel of an old Dodge Dart... The car sped off into the daylight....
It all made sense now...These idiots said each other's names the other day...Dave and Darryl...It was them...
"Sepia...You're right..It was them...Is there a third guy that they run with?" I asked...
"Yeah..a guy named Sleepy McNeal...a big waterheaded guy that wears cheap imitation designer suits and hangs around the Mermaid Club." she said.
I rolled over on top of her and kissed her long and hard.....
"Ummmm, what was that for?" I asked.
''You just gave me a break in the case." I said with a smile.
"Maybe I should be the private detective.." she said with a smile.
"Yeah really, you seem to have all of the scoop now of days." I laughed as we continued to kiss.
III-
Clerow was driving and Kool Kat was riding shotgun...I sat in the back as we pulled up into the parking lot of the Mermaid Club...Clerow stayed outside as Kool Kat and I went into the bar..Joe Neptune was pouring drinks from some of his customers when he saw me...
''Hi ya Kev...What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Sleepy McNeal!!! He in here tonight?" I asked.
''He's over there with that girl." said Joe ,pointing to the booth.
He looked just like Sepia described....A cheap suit that barely fit, sweaty and with a large bald head...I walked over to him....
He was practically slobbering over this thick ,but yet shapely girl who was sitting with him....Everything she had on was way too tight and seemed to advertise that she wanted some action tonight.
"What have I got to do to get all up in yo apartment ,baby?" he asked.
"I think you need to thank her for her time and say good night tonight Sleepy." I said.
"Who is you?" he said.
"He's the man who's a lot nicer than I am." said Kool Kat.
He looked at both of us and then shivered in fear...The thick girl looked at us and then said-
"Heyyyy,I barely know him....I aint all up in this mess, whatever it is." and excused herself.
"You guys cops? I hope you is cops." he said nearly in tears.
"I'm not a cop, but I was in that jewelry store yesterday.....You were driving the getaway car...Where are your friends..Darryl and David Angel?"I asked.
"Look...All I did was drive..They paid me for drivin and that was that..I aint kill nobody." he said.
"I know that..All I want is that merch back...I get that back and you're free to go..."I said.
"But mane, Ah aint got nothin." he said.
"Take us to your boys." said Kool Kat.
"Okayyyyy." he said.
Kool Kat just shook his head...They just weren't making tough guys like they used to.
IV-
We put Sleepy in the car and drove him to David Angel's house....As we drove up on the scene, There was several police cars and a chalked outline around....I saw Lt.Sissy Van Buren and several detectives standing around.. I told Clerow and Kool Kat and Sleepy to stay in the car...I got out and walked over to Sissy...
"What happened?" I asked..
"This might have been our shooter in that stickup yesterday...We found the gun on him..." she said.
"Where is he?" I asked.
"Oh he can't talk to you...he's dead...Somebody shot him several times and they tossed his house." she said.
"Oh my God." I said.
"Any prints?" I asked.
"Nothing...Only the victims prints.." she said.
I turned and walked back to the car....I stared at Sleepy...
"Your boy is dead..." I said.
"Darryl?" he said.
"No David....The man who was trying to fence those jewels is no lightweight..He's a psychopathic killer kid and he won't stop until he's killed everybody involved...Got it? So you better level with me...I have to get those diamonds back or there will be more killing...Maybe even you!" I said.
"Oh God...I didn't mean to get mixed up in this...ohhhhhhh." said Sleepy.
''Shut up punk, just tell us where Darryl and Amazette are." said Kool Kat.
"I can take you to their place." he said.
"Good." I said.
D.T. had found David Angel....and had tossed his house...He obviously didn't find what he was looking for. That meant that the merchandise was with Darryl and the Girl....I had to work fast and find the both of them before he did...
(To Be Continued...)
