Finding Matt Browne

Wylie maneuvers her late model Ford through Philadelphia’s neighborhoods towards center city to meet with the loan shark that called her. Generally she would be body guarding someone for her boss but when there is no one to protect, she does skip tracing to buy groceries.

She parks the car on a side street, a few steps from the bar the loan shark uses as an office. She gets a wolf call from one of two passing guys that make her smile and feel happy that she still has it after thirty-five years.
The bar is a hangout for draft beer drinkers and cheap wine sippers. She goes to the bartender.
"I’m looking for Adam," she says.
"Down the hallway to the employee only sign."

She knocks on the door until a little tough guy opens it.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"I’m Wylie looking for Adam."
The man steps aside. "Come in Wylie, I’m Greenie. Adam is over there," he says, pointing to a desk against the wall and sitting behind the desk is Adam. "You’re Wylie," he says.
"Yep."
"Lenny says you’re good at finding people."
"So long as they’re in the city."
"I think this guy is still in the city."
"Sure hope so," Greenie says, "he’s into Adam big time."
"The punk borrows money from me and then skips," Adam says. He gets a Polaroid photograph from the drawer and drops it on the desk. Wylie picks it up. "This him?"
"That is the fuck that think he is going to burn me," Adam growls.
"Not you, Mickie the Dyke," Greenie corrects Adam.
"Let me handle this," Adam snaps.
Wylie heard of Mickie, a rough streetwise lesbian who controls the loan sharks in center city.
"Just let me know where he is hiding out," Adam says.
"We’ll take care of the rest," Greenie says.
"It’s a hundred a day," Wylie says. "One hundred up front."
"Okay," Adam says. He gets a roll of bills from his pants pocket.
"Do us a favor and hurry up and find this shit head before Mickie gets word of it," Greenie says.
"Will you please leave her out of this," Adam snaps as he gives Wylie two fifty-dollar bills.

In the vestibule of the apartment building, Wylie looks at the nametags over the mailboxes but there is not one for Matt Browne. An elderly woman enters the vestibule.
"May I help you," She asks.
"Yes. Please. I’m looking for my friend Matt Browne. He gave me this address some time ago; I guess he moved."
"You must mean Mattie; I haven’t seen him lately; I think he did move because Gregory got another roommate."
"Gregory?"
"Yes. He’s in number eight."

A male voice comes through the intercom. "Yes?"
"Hello. I’m looking for Matt Browne," Wylie says.
"Who?"
"Matt Browne."
"Who are you?"
"I’m his sister and our father died and mom and I are trying to locate him and this was the last address he gave us."
"He doesn’t live here anymore."
"Are you Gregory because mom wants to go to the police about this?"
"Wait. I’ll be right down."
The man joins Wylie in the vestibule. The aroma of perfumed soap leaves the man’s body and fills the tiny space. "Look," he says in an agitated manner, "my sugar daddy kicked Matt out a long time ago because he couldn’t leave his prostitution ways."
"Beg your pardon?" Wylie asks in a surprised manner.
"Your brother is damn near your sister."
"Is that why he left?"
"He kept his hand out for money all the time until Greg got tired of it and put him on the street. I treat Greg like he is supposed to be treated and finally got that creep brother of yours out of his head and I want it to stay that way. So if you come back here again and get that whore back in my sugar daddy’s head, I’ll slice your damn throat open."
"I’m not here to screw with your life honey I just want to know find Matt for mom."
"Well tell mom he is not here."

Wylie walks to her car. She deduces that Matt Browne is not only a bad gambler that skips on his debts he is also a homosexual that preys on sugar daddies. She decides to wait until the nighttime hours to hunt for Matt Browne.

Royal hears the car horn. He rushes to it counting dollars for the sexual pleasure he will provide, but he sees that it is a woman behind the wheel and stops and then struts away from the car until he hears his birth name called out. He looks back at the car and sees Wylie’s face poking out the window.
Royal screams and hurries to the car. "I thought you were some wife or girlfriend with an attitude." He gets into the car. "Girl I can’t remember the last time I saw you. You still with that gorgeous lawyer?"
"Me and her walked our separate ways awhile back," Wylie says. She hands Royal the photograph. He studies it. "He is a want to be kept boy but he can’t step out of the whore status. I haven’t seen him in any of the hangouts lately, but you could probably get a lead near the cultural center from a tall sweetie that reminds you of that star in that movie dance fever."

Wylie sees the man Royal mentioned on the corner. She stops the car along side him and rolls the window down.
"I don’t do women," the man says.
"I can live with that," Wylie says. "But, I’m looking for Matt Browne."
"Don’t know him."
"Dad died and mom wants him home with her."
She realizes the man’s attention is on a car behind her across the street with headlights flickering. "I’ll get out and you and me can talk," she says.
"Damn lady what the hell do you want?"
"Like I said mom wants bro to come home."
"I heard he got a sugar daddy somewhere around society hill; that is all I know, honest."

Wylie believes it would be best to cruise that neighborhood from noon to midnight, starting tomorrow, so she goes home for some sleep.

"You’re sure it's him?" Adam asks.
"Yes. I found him and stayed with it for three days to be sure."
"He’s a fag," Greenie mutters.
"Who he has sex with is not our concern," Adam says.
"I know that but I never would have figured it."
Adam gives Wylie a fold of bills. "You’re paid plus a bonus."
"Thanks," she says.
"We got it from here," Greenie says.

In her apartment, Wylie relaxes on her armchair in her underwear with a can of beer, listening to the television until a special news flash gets her attention. The body of Matthew Browne was found in a center city alley. The police are investigating it as a hate crime because of the alley’s proximity to a gay bar. "Those bastards," she screams out her anger.

"You told me the guy owed you money and that is why you paid me to find him," Wylie says.
"That’s right," Adam says.
"Why is the man dead?" She asks.
"Shit happens," Greenie smirks.
"Killing someone just doesn't happen," Wylie says.
"The guy we sent to tune him got carried away," Adam says.
"Did he get carried away on his own or did you tell him to?" Wylie asks.
"He got carried away," Adam says. "Why are you worried?" He asks in an agitated manner.
"This can be trouble for me," she says.
"How?" Adam asks.
"Yeah, how?" Greene asks.
"Listen you two ass holes," she snaps.
"Who are you calling an asshole," Greenie growls as he rise from his chair.
Wylie stands ready to confront him.
"Cool out," Adam shouts.
"I’m no ass hole," Greenie says.
"Stop acting like one," Adam says. "Sit down," he demands. He tells Wylie. "The guy we sent to deal with Matt went overboard and we’re dealing with it."
"Why should you worry about it?" Greenie asks.
"Cops backtrack on killings and I’ll be on their track, and I don’t need the aggravation they can give a person."
"It’s being handled," Adam says.
"If they come to me, I’m sending them to you," Wylie says.
"You snitch," Greene growls and rushes to Wylie and get knocked back by her foot to his chest. Adam stands. "We got it taken care of," he says. "It will never come to you or us."
"I hope not," she says.
Greenie struggles to his feet. "Listen lady, if Mickie found out about this Adam and me would be in the same box with Matt Browne," he says.
"That's right Wylie," Adam says, "she don't like doing business like that so we clean it up before she gets wind of it."
"Okay," Wylie says, "but just to let you know, I pack when I get a funny feeling."

Wylie walks into her apartment in time to stop the telephone ringing. It is her boss. "Come into the office tomorrow, I got a job for you," he says.
"It’s about time." END