"Now we know you were sleeping behind your brother's back with his wife. I'm gonna ask again, did you kill him?", the lean pinstriped suit wearing detective asked.

"Man you guys gotta be jiving me with this bull shit, and I told you Hell No! And who told you I was sleeping with my sister in law? That's disgusting!"

"You did", the detective replied, "when we arrived at the scene and saw how you looked at her and how she looked back, and grabbed your waist. Very simple. Body language says alot over ten years in my business Mr. Stevenson."

After three hours, the back interrogation room of the Gunter City Police Station was a sweat box from frustration, lies, fear and questions plus, literally. The wet and drained face of Ralph Stevenson was a mask of anger, confusion and irritation balled into one. The interrogator, simply known as Detective Spiffy, was tired of asking questions and ready to handcuff and place in a cell, the man he felt was obviously guilty due to his familiarity with the family and the second to main suspect, Ralph Stevenson; for deep in his heart he felt on instinct this was his perpetrator due to particular evidence gathered only four days after the crime, yet was trying to corner Stevenson to break and dime the other suspected, for there was only one other, the murdered man's wife.

"Mention certain names here, they'll appear", Spiffy stated after a long silence within the interrogation room. The statement caught Ralph's attention suddenly and with a quick look up, he caught Spiffy's smirking gaze. Ralph stared at Spiffy a moment more, biting his lower lip before angrily jerking his head towards the shabby looking green wall, stating thru clinched teeth, "Dasco is the man you want." A look towards the other officers who were leaning in to hear Ralph's reply, caused a concerned type expression to only show in Spiffy's eyes to whomever was paying attention, as he asked, "Trent?"

"Yea" was Ralph's clinched tooth reply. One of the uniformed officers turned his expression from Ralph Stevenson's seated confession, to the pinstriped suited Detective Spiffy. Spiffy caught the young brown officer's gaze and motioned for him to exit the interrogation room with him.

Once in the precint's hallway just on the other side of the interrogation room's door, the uniform asked, "What's up Spiff?"

"What you think about that reply?" Spiffy asked.

"I mean it's a possibility. You know Trent's known for mesmerizing women for benefits other than laying them, and causing one to cross her husband is not outta the question"

Spiffy interrupted before the uniform could go on, "Even if it's a fast one like Dawn?"

A shrug appeared in the uniformed officer's shoulders as he replied, "I mean yea, possibly. They could've been in on it together." Spiffy's gaze was on the uniform officer, yet looking right pass him at the same time before he replied, "Well yea, you have a point. Trent is sort of notorious, even since a kid. I want you to get clean and take a stroll thru your not so long ago past and check on one of both our old buddies."

A sly smirk crossed the uniformed officer's dark lips, as he replied, "Sure will. I know where to find him."

The long '72 El Dorado traveled at a slow speed as the wheeler looked left and right with an eagle like instinct, as his eyes reflected the danger of a mad lion's. His passenger being the former uniformed officer, Lusain Littleton, twenty-four years old and still learning. "Bob what's been going on man?" Lusain asked. "All's the same Lu, just a matter of change taking it's time. What's been up wit you, you lookin' to pick my brain about Dasco huh?" This statement caught the eager Lusain off guard, as a shocked expression showed on his face while looking at Bob. "I know what you up to Lu, you forgettin' who you trying to pick ain't you!" A gravel sounding chuckle escaped his throat; "Man everybody know Spiff yo' man and he send you my way looking for Trent, and I know he know where Trent no good ass at." Bob's chuckle was a bit louder yet still gravely sounding, as Lusain began to talk, intense stuttering took the place of his words. "W.. We.. Well it's not like that Bob, I was gonna mention him but wasn't sent to directly ask anything about him", a low but hearable "Uh-huh" came from Bob. A couple of driving moments passed as they strolled thru the streets of the Gutter as the sun began falling in the western part of the sky, before any other conversation was exchanged.

"Bob how did you turn out?" asked Lusain, after a minute or two. A slow turn of Bob's head towards the passenger could've been easily read several ways, angry, excited and shocked being three of them. But enthusiastically Bob began speaking as if in a trance but with the charisma of a master storyteller. "Shit man I was fourteen. I was in love wit this chick I'd known all my life at that time. She was twenty-seven, school teacher but in love wit my young ass. Had lived in California and got married out there to a stud maybe ten years her senior who had money. Well anyway she come back home, I see her next thing you know she sucking my dick on a daily, well quite naturally I'm in love now. My dream lady and plus she older and I got her, I mean the works baby!" a huge laughter exploded from Bob as he rendered this story, leaning forward, closer to the steering wheel, then coolly sitting back in his driver's seat before continuing.

"So, well I head her way one day and man I hear her inside getting pounded by this cat I knew who was way older than us both put together, and I'm heartbroke right. So fucked up my heart feel like it done fell in my feet, I cain't move so I sit right on her steps and wait on her to finish. So when she did it was like she knew I'd be sitting out there and she got this look in her eyes that looks like she's laughing and snarling at me at the same time. I don't believe I cried but I believe she saw the sadness or whatever all on me, so she bursts out 'Nigga git yo' ass up! Don't you eva' be in love wit no bitch and never let her know you'll cry ova' her'! Next thang I know she's handing me two-hundred dollus!"

That gravel sounding chuckle escaped him once more as he lit a cigarette with a match before blowing out the momentary fire and placing the match stick in the car's ashtray, as he continued his story.

"So quite naturally I move in wit her and I learn that's her true profession, laying on her motherfucking back, only taught two years in Cali so now she's back home running from her rich stud who wants to give her everything he has if she'd only be this good wholesome girl he figured she could be, instead she's laying and taking care of young ass me! So she became my manager of sorts man and here I am. We stayed together 'bout two years, I'm seventeen now and she brangs me this nineteen year old she says best fits my pedigree, and the Gutter been having the best piece of woman this side of the Mason Dixie."

Lusain's intrigue with the master flesh panderer had grown even more in these minutes from this first hand account from the horse's mouth, whom he'd admired since a kid. Bob continued as he made a left turn onto Ganstersh Way crossing 24th street. "Well she was the reason for my name. Sweet and Sour", looking over at Lusain as if the name drop should make him stand at attention. "Anyway", Bob continued, "we used to go down to the LuCream Nights club on the northside and all the guys in there knew I was too young to be in there but everybody knew everybody so they give me a pass and plus they wanted to lay my manager anyhow. So they start calling me her sweet Bob cause I was young and tender in their eyes, a cool ass sixteen years old, and she started teasing me about it and the owner would see the sour expression on my face when they'd mention sweet, hence Bob Sweet and Sour, even knocked down a drunk or sober fool out a time or two for the label", a gravel chuckle again as Lusain began laughing also.

"So that's the origin of Bob Sweet and Sour?" was Lusain's reply.

Bob looked left and right as if on the prowl for some unsuspecting prey once more, with a little less hint of danger in his eyes before managing a cool chuckle, then leaning his head back upon the drivers seat head rest, cruising even slower now as if in a contemplative mindset as if forgetting the story he'd just shared. "I never told that story to anyone. Damn. And I don't think I should ever hear anyone repeat what I know about myself to me." Lusain looked over to the stoic storytelling driver who was now looking straight thru the windshield, driving at a steady pace with the contemplative expression. "Nall, not at all", was Lusain's reply with all the sounds of confidence coming from his throat. Suddenly they were pulling in front of the Pecan Branch Bar as the Cadillac's tires made the wet road murmur a quick swishing sound. "Tell Spiff I'll see what I find out" was Bob's way of telling Lusain to get out, as Lusian replied "Thanks Bob, I'll let him know and the origin's safe wit me sir." An icy smirk crescented the corners of Bob's thick mouth as he continued looking forward, as Lusain tapped his shoulder, exiting the vehicle.

Lusain entered the Pecan Branch hesitantly, a bar that served plates of fish and grits, bologna sandwiches doused in mayo, and anything imaginable. As he pulled the stained glass door open, the outside neons caused all the patrons to notice him immediately with various expressions and thoughts. The freshly waxed burgundy tiled floor sounded loudly under Lusain's footsteps, as various conversations were overheard. The Pecan Branch was an establishment ran by Sedeena Goud, a longtime server of the Gutter's eating pleasure for years, a landmark as far as the residents were concerned. B.B. King was wailing about blues at 3'o clock in the morning or what not, as silence fell upon the several bar patrons hovering midway of the long oak counter. Lusain motioned to the bartender and caught the eyes of a golden hued bearded young male, seated on the back wall at a round table amongst three women. Lusain's expression became chilled and resentful, as the bearded youth's face expressed fright and shame, before yelling "Stool pigeon!" causing all the bar's patrons to look at the back wall as the stool pigeon hollerer lifted from his chair, overturning the table much to his accompanying female seaters' chagrin followed by their surprised womanly screams of shock and the crashing sounds of spilled drinks and plates. Instantly Lusain charged at him as one of the bar patrons stuck out a foot causing Lusain to hurdle it like a track star. The bearded youth was out the backdoor and in the alley by the time Lusain bullied two of the door's bearers sideways, ontop a table and bar stool.

As Lusian entered the alley-way, several shots immersed within the setting sun's light, ricocheting off of brick, dumpster metal and mortar. Eyes of panic, fright and rage were witnesses' entertainment as squealing cars were the sounds that protruded unto the various yells of chaos echoing from inside the Pecan Branch....

TO BE CONTINUED