I was polishing off a nice slice of Cherry Pie when The city councilwoman and an aide walked in.. They saw me and they came and sat down at my table. She was a very attractive older woman who's hair was just starting to gray..Her aide was young, fresh faced, tall and thin...
"Mr. Morris? Kevin Morris?" she asked.
''Yes mam...and you our City Councilwoman Mona Jenkins." I said as I stood up.
"Yes ,I am...The reason why I'm here is because I need a favor...and I've heard that you can do people big favors...uh...for a price." she said.
''Who have you heard this from?" I asked , very amused.
"I happen to know, Rollie Rollerson...I believe you've heard of him." she said with a sly grin that made her look kind of sexy.
"Yes...I have uh, heard of him...He's on the board of directors of my prime place of employ." I said trying to sound sophisticated...I suspect that she suspected that and that was why she laughed and gave me a sly sexy grin again.
"Nice Car....How much trouble did you get Rollie out of , to earn you that?" she laughed. Her aide smirked...I sat stone faced and had another coffee and another slice of pie.
"Okay, let me get to brass tacks....I have a nephew....He's a rather wayward boy....I need you to find him for me..He's my sister's son...His name is Evan...Evan Lawson...He's about 19....I haven't seen him since he was five. My sister and I were ,uh...a bit estranged." she said.
"Oh?...Where is your sister now? " I asked.
"She's dead. She was murdered by her loser husband.....He's in prison for it... The boy was living with my mother in Mt. Airy, but she can't keep up with him and I'm afraid he's gotten in with the wrong crowd." she said.
"And you don't know where he is?" I asked.
''Well ,he hangs out at a bar called "The Mermaid Club" , Sometimes he hangs out in a nicer place called "Josie's" ,but I haven't been in that neck of the woods in years." she said.
"About four years right?" I said...Now it was my turn to give her a sly grin..She represented that district, yet she was never ever seen in the district, except election time...and she kept getting re-elected because she was afterall, Black, one of us...even though she hadn't lived in the district for years and like I said ...Was never ever seen there.
"You got a photo of him?" I asked.
"Yes..." she said and she handed me a photo taken of him about two years before....
"My mother sent that to me...about two years ago, when he was 16...He's 18 or 19 now...He doesn't look too much different." she said.
"So when I find this kid..What then?" I asked.
" Give him my address and phone number...Tell him to get in touch with me." she said.
"That's all?" I said...
"That's all...He's family...My sister is dead and my mother is too old to look after him...I want to do right by him...by my family." she said as her aide passed me an envelope with seven large in it.
"Done...I'll get the word out to him." I said.
"There will be more when you find him." she said.
"Okay." I said...and they got up..She peeled off a few dollars and dropped it on the table.."That should take care of your coffee and pie" she said with another sly sexy grin.
II-
It didn't take me too long to find her nephew ,Evan Lawson...I went to the Mermaid Club with Clerow the next night and showed his photo around and within an hour , I got the book on him...He was 19...He had recently dropped out of school , His grandmother had kicked him out and he had been living with his girlfriend, One Jada Thornton. I even got her address...
The next night...Kool Kat and I drove over to her apartment building...To our surprise, there were two young toughs standing outside the apartment building...As we attempted to walk inside one of them got in our path.
"Hey, where you think you goin playboy?" asked one.
"Son...Get out of my way...I'm handlin grown folks business." I said.
He pulled up his shirt to reveal a nickel plated pistol....He smiled...His friend smiled too."
"Now ah asked you...Where you two goin?" he said.
Kool Kat began laughing and slappin his knee... I laughed too....I then punched the talkative one in his stomach and then landed another hard blow to his bird chest...Kool Kat hit the other guy so hard that his feet left the ground and he landed on top of my car...Kool Kat grabbed him by his boxer shorts and lifted him up and slapped him several times and then took his pistol....I put the other guys arm behind his back and punched him in his ear and took his pistol....I then smacked his head against the door and watched him fall down the steps to the ground...He groaned in pain..
The other guy put both of his hands up as if in surrender-
"Don't hit us no more...Don't hit us no more.." he screamed like a girl....
"Got anymore questions boys?" I asked.
"Nah..." they said in unison..
"Then git." said Kool Kat.
"Those are our guns!" they said...
"They were...They're ours now." I said.
"I gotta tell you fellas to git again?"snapped Kool Kat. He didn't..They both got up off the ground and ran as fast as their sagging jeans would allow them.. I knocked on the door... A surly young man answered the door..It wasn't Evan..
''Hello...Is Jada here?" I asked.
"Who the hell wants her?" he asked.
"Tell her Kevin Morris." I said.
"Man, I aint tellin her nothin...That's my woman...by the way..where are my guys?" he asked.
I smiled...Kool Kat snatched him out of the door way and slammed him against the wall....He attempted to swing at the big man...Big mistake!!! Kool Kat clocked him and knocked him out for the night!!!!I leaned down and took his gun from him...Around this time...a female appeared..I suspected this was Jada Thornton!
''What Yall want?" she asked.
"We are lookin for Evan ....Evan Lawson." I said.
" He aint here. He in trouble? He used to be my boyfriend...but he aint workin...didn't never work...so I put him out." she said.
''He's not in trouble..We have a message for him from his aunt." I said.
"Oh,well he don't live here no more...Hasn't in six months." she said. "You sure his aunt sent you two? Yall look like gangsters." she continued,
''Us? Gangsters..Nah!" laughed Kool Kat... She smiled at him and laughed...He laughed back.
"I see you moved up in the world... a drug dealer !" I said ,looking at the groggy boy who was now just starting to regain consciousness...She smirked...
"Well, at least he got money. Evan wouldn't work in a pie factory."
"You wouldn't know where Evan is staying would you?" I asked.
"Nope..Haven't seen him in about six months...He be around though...He slingin too...Mostly lightweight.." she said.
"Not big time like your boy here?" I said as the guy finnally stood up..
''Yall nigguhs must don't know who you messin wit...I'm Fruit Loops baby!" he said.
"Ask me if I care...Oh and don't look for your gun...it's mine...as is the other two we took off of your guards outside." I said... Kool Kat cracked his knuckles and stared at Fruit Loops...The boy looked like he might crap his pants...Still he tried to put on a brave face for his girl...
"That's alright....I'll see you cats around...This aint over..." he said.
Kool Kat and I laughed some more.....
"Jada...Thanks for your time...A word of advice... You can do better than this chump right here." I said.
"You don't know who I am!!" he spat...Kool Kat laughed and pushed him aside and we both walked away and got in my car.
"THIS AINT OVER PLAYBOY!" he yelled as we drove off...laughing all the way!
III-
"You and Kool Kat just can't stay out of trouble can you?" asked Gus as he served us beers in Josie's the next night.
''What are you talkin about Gus?" I asked as Kool Kat just smiled and sipped..
"I heard you rousted that drug dealer, "Fruit Loops" and his boys last night." he said.
"Nothin gets by you Gus." I said.
''Anybody that calls himself ''Fruit Loops'' deserves to get rousted." laughed Kool Kat....
"He aint so tough....but his boss, the one he slings for is another story.." said Gus.
"Oh?" I asked.
"A new playa..His name is Eldorado Mack....He's got a number of corners around here..Fruit Loops is his street boss..." said Gus.
"Him?" laughed Kool Kat and I....
" Hey Kevin...aint that the dude you've been lookin for? Evan ??" he asked.
"Yes...Yes it is." I said. "Sit tight" I said...It looked like my job was done...I walked over to him...he was sitting at a table drinking with another guy, who didn't look much older than him.
"You guys old enough to be in here?" I asked.
"Hey what's it to you?" he asked.
''The owner is a good friend...Wouldn't want him to get in trouble because of a couple of under age drinkers." I said.
"Mind your business." he snarled.
''I'm gonna ignore that Evan." I said.
"How you know my name?" he snarled..
"I got a message for you...It's from your auntie...Your Aunt Mona...She wants you to get in touch with her." I said and I passed him the paper with an address, phone number and an envelope with some money in it. His
entire demeanor changed then...
"You saw My Aunt?" He said.
"Yeah, Evan...give her a call...." I said.
Just then his friend tugged at his arm...
''Evan look..it's that boy, Fruit Loops...the one that's messin wit yo girl." he said.
It was Fruit Loops and he had Jada with him....
"Aww hell, I don't believe it..." said Evan , who leaped up and walked over to him...
"Hey man..What you doin with my girl?" he said.
"I'm not your girl anymore Evan, I tole you that." she said.
''Yo girl? She aint been YO girl for a minute now playboy." laughed Fruit Loops...
"Yes she is...We been tryin to work things out." said Evan.
''Well while you been tryin to work things out...Me and Jada here been workin things out....IN THE BED!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." he laughed...
Evan pulled out a pistol....but he was outnumbered....Fruit Loops and the two guys from the night before, that Kool Kat and I had beat up and disarmed pulled out their pistols!!!.....Gus , Andrew, Eddie and Kool Kat pulled out their pieces...
"TAKE THAT CRAP OUTTA HERE! ALL OF YOU!!" screamed Gus...as people ducked behind tables..
Fruit Loops smiled, put his gun away...So did his people...He looked at Evan....
"You and me...We gon dance again buddy." he said.
"Fo sure." said Evan.
They all left.....I breathed a sigh of relief....
"Whew...That was a close one." I said.
"Them youngins came close to get wiped out is what was close to happenin." said Gus.
Kool Kat and I went back to the bar and continued drinking...My job was done...I'd found Evan and delivered the message...It was up to him to contact his aunt and me to collect the rest of my money!
IV-
The next morning , I awoke early and flicked on the Television....
"Last Night was the scene of an ugly mass murder at the Carlton-Chase Apartments.." came the newscaster's voice.
The Carlton- Chase Apartments! That was where Jada Thornton lived!!!!...I thought...
"The Bullet Riddled bodies of 24 year old Jada Thornton, her boyfriend, reputed drug dealer, 20 year old, Alton "Fruit Loops" Artist and 17 year old Wesley Lumbly and 16 year old Curtis Williams was found in the courtyard and in the apartment building....Neighbors saw two young men running from the scene..."
Oh My God...That was Jada ,Fruit Loops and the two young guys from the night before...Someone had slaughtered all four of them....It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess who!
(TO BE CONTINUED.....)
