Sympathy For The Devil

Evan Lawson may have committed the most horrible mass murder of the year...Four people , including a young woman all shot to death!  I had to find him...Just in case he was innocent!  I really didn't think he was..but still I needed to find him...He was unemployed, except for a little lightweight drug slinging here and there...From what I knew...He didn't own a car and didn't have a known residence..He crashed with a friend here and there....

I called in all of my markers... Kool Kat and I interviewed several of the young people he hung around with..None of them had seen him...Clerow and I cruised the Mermaid Club and Josies and the Projects all to no avail... The three of us and some of Donald Smooth's associates checked the bus station, the train station and the airport...Zilch!

Meanwhile...I had Lockpick Johnson, Sean Jackson and Peeping Tom keeping an eye and an ear on Eldorado Mack's operation... He owned a Footlocker franchise...Well, one store really...He had kids selling drugs on seven or eight corners...A car came by...His street boss and associates...They picked up the money and they drove to the Footlocker, Where his assistant manager divied up the proceeds and paid everyone and then they left.  They in turn paid the young punks on the corner. We had the entire operation on video and audio...All of course Eldorado Mack himself....He was much too smart to be around any guns or drugs...

We did however follow him to a warehouse , where he met with some men who had Eastern European accents....Sean Jackson got some great photos of the Warehouse.
I sent all of this gathered information to the ATF and The DEA... Within days, The ATF and DEA hit the warehouse and arrested close to 40 people and seized drugs and guns galore...

The Philadelphia Police and The FBI arrested about 25 boys on the corner and raided the Footlocker where his Assistant manager and his street boss were also picked up..
Eldorado Mack himself was nowhere to be found.

"Kev, I don't understand...We supposed to be lookin for the boy and we busy puttin the screws to Eldorado Mack...I don't get it." said Kool Kat.

"I'm tryin to keep that kid alive....He killed Eldorado Mack's street boss...This was a two for...One, These arrests will keep Mack busy and I did the neighborhood a favor, I got the vermin off the streets..." I said.

"Man...you must be crazy..First off Kev...Mack will lay low for awhile...Then he'll just set up again..Somewhere else..Remember, he didn't get caught and none of those folks that got busted will give him up.." said Kool Kat.

"I know Kool, but he also doesn't have time or where with all to hire a hitter." I said.

"You wrong Kev...He already got a hitter on this kid....I'm sure." said Kool Kat.

"It's been two weeks.....We haven't heard anything." said Clerow...

"I know...This kid didn't have that many resources.....He couldn't have gone far." I said.

"Yeah, somebody would have seen or heard something." said Clerow.

"You think he's already dead Kev?" asked Kool Kat.

"I don't know...I hope not." I said.

II-

It was time to pay the kid's aunt a visit...Actually, I should have talked to her a lot sooner.

As soon as I met with City Councilwoman, Mona Jenkins..I got a weird vibe...She seemed the exact opposite of how she'd been a few weeks before when she had hired me.  She had been vivacious, gregarious, playful, even dare I say, sexy...Now she seemed reserved...As if she were afraid....She kept looking around as if she were afraid of being seen with me...

"Oh Mr. Kevin...Here is the remainder of the money I owe you." she said hastily as she passed me an envelope loaded with money.

"Thank you Mrs. Jenkins...But what I wanted to know is if you'd heard from your nephew?" I asked.

"No..No...Uh...No I haven't." she said.

"Then why are you paying me? " I asked.

"Well I know you found him." she said.

"How do you know I found him if you haven't heard from him?" I asked.

"Please Mr. Morris...Please....I've paid you , our business is done...Let's just keep it at that okay?" she said.

"He's in a lot of trouble...I know you know...He and another boy were seen running from a multiple shooting two weeks ago...I saw him in the bar arguing with a man over a woman they both were involved with." I said.

She stared at the ground....

"He was just no good...His father was no account...and my sister?  Ha? she was lousy when it came to picking men....He had no guidance...NO guidance...I am the ONLY one in that family that made something of myself...That's why I have nothing to do with them....Now please Mr. Kevin..please...Just leave it alone.....leave it alone!!!!Please" she said and he hurried off.

My Android vibrated in my pocket....It was Kool Kat!!!

"Kev...I leaned on a few people and I found the name of the other boy who was in the bar with Evan that night." he said.

"Yeah? Who is he?" I asked.

''His name is Tyquan Boyd." said Kool Kat.

"He got an address?" I asked.

"Yeah, I pulled one on him." he said.

"Okay...I'm here with Clerow...I'll meet you at Josies." I said.

"Kool!"


III-

Clerow drove me to Josie's and we followed Kool Kat to Tyquon Boyd's row house...
We were too late...The Police were pulling his bullet riddled body out of a row house..
He had been gotten to!!!

"We are too late!" I said as I pounded my fist into the palm of my other hand.

"I told you Kev...I told you that Mack already had somebody on it." said Kool Kat.

"WHERE IS HE?" I found myself screaming...Clerow and Kool Kat looked stunned!

"Hey man, Why do you care?  This kid shot and killed four people..He aint exactly no angel...Cats like Eldorado Mack just operate on the laws of the street Kev..You know how that goes.." said Kool Kat...He was of course right...but I still wanted to talk to Mack!

We found Eldorado Mack, surprisingly, drinking alone at The Mermaid Club...Kool Kat, Clerow and I "invited" ourselves into his booth...

"Heyyy what the hell..Get out of my booth..Who are you?" he asked.

"Mackkkk..What's up with your manners? No hi ,no hello?" I said. Clerow pulled out his .38 smokeless and put it on the table...Kool Kat didn't say a word..He just cracked his knuckles....Eldorado Mack looked at them both...then at me...

"What's this about?" he asked.

"The kid." I said.

"What kid?" he asked.

"Evan Lawson....." I said.

"I aint seen him...Not since he killed Fruit Loops and that girl." he said.

"Look...I know he killed your street boss..So you put a contract out on him."I said.

"Nawww...You got it all wrong.....Them two been beefin about that chick for months...I don't get involved in that crap....I was just worried about my money...Hell, I replaced Fruit Loops the next day...It wasn't no thing.." He said .

"What about Tyquan...His boy..You had him hit didn't you?" I asked. He looked stunned!!

"You barkin up the wrong tree.... A playa named Pee Wee Hankins shot him.....Tyquan stole some money from him...I aint have nothin to do with that.....The cops already got Pee Wee in custody..You should listen to the news, get your story straight ace...Look man, that's personal stuff, them two boys beefin over some babe...No player gets involved in that...You from Philly, You know that..That was on them...I got Feds bustin my connect , raidin my warehouse, closin my store,Po Po done arrested my people...I'm about to be under indictment myself..What the hell would I be worried about some punk kid and one of my dealers beefin over some babe for???...Go head with that baby!." he said.

Kool Kat looked at me... and silently shook his head. He was right.  I peeled off a few dollars and plopped it on the table.

"What's this for?" asked Eldorado Mack.

"For your time and your pain." I said... The three of us got up and left.....

IV-

Kool Kat and I sat on my steps...It was nearly sunrise....

"You feel sorry for that kid don't you?" said the big man.

"Yeah..seems like everything is or was against him...Like he didn't have an equal shot." I said.

"You good like that Kev...You've always had sympathy for the devil....Cats like me ." laughed Kool Kat.

I looked at my friend...I managed a smile...

"That boy is out there somewhere Kools...Dead already or still alive and afraid...I hope I can find him." I said.



(TO BE CONTINUED)