The Case of the Death Dealer

By Lawrence Johnson Sr.

Alexander Steele meets with his friends for help in the Case of the Death Dealer. Time is running out for Steele to prevent the shipment of fast killing drugs from hitting the streets of Philly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lawrence Johnson Sr.
• Release date: Jul 15, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452354910

Lawrence Johnson Sr.

is author of the controversial Mayan prophecy novel Escape 2 Earth 2012 and the sequel Return 2 Earth. His newest release Inside the Spiral Galaxy is a collection of short stories spun off from the Escape 2 Earth series. Two of the five stories in this collection are Murder on the Eros Star and Terror on Telderan, the prequel to Escape 2 Earth. Other works by Mr. Johnson include A Matter of Time and the paranormal adventure "Dimensions in Time," a short story of two lost brothers who travel through a time portal and find themselves in a struggle to survive. In addition Mr. Johnson's first mystery novel Blackout will be released in 2011.

Book preview

The Case of the Death Dealer

An Alexander Steele Mystery

by

Lawrence Johnson Sr.

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Copyright © 2013 by Lawrence Johnson Sr.

December 2020 Edition

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

The Case of the Death Dealer

An Alexander Steele Investigation

By

Lawrence Johnson Sr.

Chapter 1

Pusherman

The cool evening breeze didn’t seem to faze the crowd of music lovers as they tapped their feet and bobbed their heads to the Latin rhythms of music legend Carlos Santana. The open air venue on the west side in Philly’s Fairmount Park was the perfect night out for Alexander Steele and his longtime girlfriend Shakia.

Shakia ignored the occasional pungent scent of marijuana wafting past her nose. Feeling a chill in the air she tugged on her powder blue shawl and snuggled up closer to Steele. An interior designer by profession Shakia could have easily been mistaken for a model. When the concert came to a close, Steele, the six foot browned skin ex-detective stood and looked around.  As he stroked the corners of his mustache Steele wondered if getting front row seats was worth the hassle of dealing with the crowds after the show.

As the two made their way through the crowd to the parking lot Shakia gently held on to his arm while the couple discussed the concert. Steele made a habit of parking close to the brightly lit areas in case an old enemy or two should be lurking about. It didn’t take long for him to notice the small white piece of paper tucked neatly under the driver’s windshield of his midnight blue Jag. He unfolded the paper and read the note

Steele, Meet me on the corner of 57th and Master at 11:00 tonight. It’s a matter of life or death, signed Trench.

Shakia folded her arms and looked toward the stars in the night sky, it was clear that Steele’s usually calm girlfriend was upset by the note.

Oh hell no, what does that low life bastard want now? Shakia was known for her kindness, something she shared a mutual respect with just about everyone she knew but when it came to Trench respect went out the window and Shakia never held back.

He’s bad news baby. Everything he touches turns to … Steele placed his index over her lips.

When she noticed that more than a few people in the parking lot were watching she dropped her arms to her side and let out a sigh. Early on in their relationship Shakia learned that Steele was a confident blackman who always made his own decisions. Not only did she