Johnny said, “I heard something about back then. Something about one of your friends, another musician who died.”
I said, “One of my friends died?”
Johnny said, “Yes, and think it may have been your friend Bobby J. Blues.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Bobby J. Blues dead.
Johnny said, “I think he may have been killed.”
I said, “Killed?”
Johnny said, “Yes, I believe so.”
I said, “You said you weren’t sure which of the other musicians it was?”
Johnny said, “There’s actually a way I may be able to look it up online, but I’m pretty sure that it was your friend Bobby J. Blues that was killed because that name sounds familiar.”
As Johnny was telling me all this I could feel the wind being knocked out of me. First, I witness a murder, next I wake up in the future, and now my great-grandson is here telling me that one of my friends may have been murdered. I was just thinking what’s next? This couldn’t possibly get any worse. But I was wrong when Johnny told me that it was Bobby J. Blues who was killed and that Silk could’ve been involved.
Johnny said that because of the lack of enough evidence or witnesses Silk was never convicted and Bobby J. Blues' murder went unsolved. Hearing this made me even more uneasy. Things had just got worse. I was now hearing that my friend may have been murdered by the same man I had witnessed kill another man.
Johnny said, “Even if Bobby J. Blues wasn’t killed by Silk, you still witnessed Silk kill someone else. You still have to tell someone what you saw. Silk probably murdered Bobby J. Blues as well. If you don’t say something Silk will get away with killing Bobby J. Blues as well. I think that may be why you’re here. If you report that you saw Silk kill Ron, maybe he will go to jail and he won’t have the chance to murder Bobby J. Blues. According to the newspaper report from 1927, Bobby J. Blues was killed January 8, 1927.”
I said, “That’s the day before me and Bobby J. Blues are set to go on tour with our bands.”
Johnny said, “Well according to this old newspaper article online, Bobby J. Blues never got the chance to go on the tour. He was murdered before he was scheduled to leave. That tour never happened. It was canceled because of Bobby J. Blues’ murder.”
Upon hearing this I became even more upset, shocked. Bobby J. Blues was murdered and the tour never happened. If what Johnny was telling me was true I could hold the key to preventing the murder of Bobby J. Blues if I could make it back to 1927 in time. Maybe Johnny’s right, that could be why I’m here to make things right, to do the right thing. If I never woke up in the future I never would’ve found out about Bobby J. Blues’ murder.
I find it ironic to find out that his murder is by the same person whom I just witnessed murder someone else. If it was Silk that murdered Bobby J. Blues then I will certainly have to tell that I saw Silk murder Ron. Even if I couldn’t stop Silk from murdering Ron maybe I could still do something about Bobby J. Blues. That’s if I can ever get back to 1927. If I can get back to 1927 in time to stop the murder of Bobby J. Blues. If I can get back to 1927 at all. This was all just too much to take in. If I could get back to 1927 Harlem I might have to stand up to Silk, even though it isn’t the easy thing to do.
I continued to talk to Johnny. He told me about our family. He told me how Lanna was his great-grandmother. So I found out that I had married Lanna. So she was the one. Even though Johnny had told me about when and how Bobby J. Blues died, I asked him not to tell me about how or when I died. I preferred not to know this information. I still couldn’t believe that I was here in 2016 Harlem talking to my great-grandson.
At times, I still didn’t know if I was really here or if it was all a dream. A dream that I still wanted to wake up from, even though I could wake up to a nightmare back in 1927 Harlem if I decided to go up against Silk and his crew by reporting that I had seen Silk kill Ron. That was still a chance I would have to take. The life of my friend and fellow musician could very much depend on it.
Getting back to 1927 seemed as far away as the moon at times, but I wasn’t about to give up hope yet. If I was here for a reason to change something back in 1927, then I must be destined to be able to go back to 1927 Harlem. I decided to stay at Johnny’s house that night instead of going back to the apartment that Carl had let me stay in. I still can’t believe I’m here at my great-grandson’s house in 2016.
It was 9:47 p.m. when I looked at my pocket watch. I looked out the window at the night sky through the window at my great-grandson’s house. I could once again feel my eyelids beginning to grow tired. As I closed my eyes I began to think of 1927 Harlem. I could almost hear the jazz music from the nightclub calling me.
I opened my eyes to my piano and music sheets before my eyes. From the look of everything around me, I knew that I was back in 1927 Harlem. Everything was just like it was when I left. The backstage area, the furniture. The nightclub even smelled the same.
All of a sudden I could hear a voice say, “West!” It was Lanna’s voice. Now I knew for sure that I was back. As I saw her walk into the room I ran towards her with open arms.
She said, “West you seem so happy to see me. You act like you haven’t seen me in years.”
I said, “It feels like it baby.”
She laughed and said, “Oh baby, you just saw me last night.”
I said, “Well, It felt like forever.”
She said, “I’m going to put the finishing touches on my new song. My group and I are going to rehearse for the show tonight."
She told me bye as we kissed each other.
I said, “See you later baby.”
I felt so relieved to be back. It was like waking up from a bad dream that you can’t wait to wake up from. Even though I was glad to be back I knew there was something that I needed to do. After all, time may be of the essence. I remember what Johnny and Carl had told me when I went to the future. I got a second chance to make things right and I wasn’t about to waste it by not doing anything. I needed to find Bobby J. Blues.
I was walking around backstage when I saw my band mate Simmy Day Jones, one of the best saxophone players in Harlem, walking backstage with his girlfriend Maureen B. Hill, a well-known blues jazz singer here at the nightclub.
Simmy said, “Hey West. How’s it going man?”
I said, “It’s going okay. How are you doing Maureen?”
She replied, “I’m doing good. I can’t complain.”
I said, “Simmy, have you seen Bobby J. Blues?”
Simmy said, “Well I saw him earlier. He said he was going to go get some breakfast and hang out at the coffee shop with Duke.”
I said, “How long ago was that?”
Simmy said, “That’s been almost and an hour ago. He’s probably still there hanging around. You know Bobby? He can talk for hours.”
I said, "Thanks."
Simmy said, “Alright man, later,” as he and Maureen continued down the hall.
I was pretty sure which coffee shop Bobby J. Blues went to hang out at. I walked about three blocks down and went into Minnie’s Coffee Shop Diner. I saw Bobby J. Blues sitting down drinking a cup of coffee with some of the guys from the group Satin Rivers. They looked like they were about to leave.
As I was walking up, the lead singer of the group, Stevie Cool Fox, also known as Stevie C. Fox, said, “Hey congratulations on the tour that you and Bobby have coming up. That was a good show you and the band put on the other night man.”
I said, “Thanks Stevie.”
Stevie said, “You know with this tour you all have coming up your music careers might really take off? Good luck man. Sky’s the limit.”
I felt good about what Stevie had just told me, but at the same time, I had some others things on the back of my mind. Things that I needed to tend to. After all, I had some other business to tend to. I know now that I hadn’t gone all the way to the future for nothing. I had gone for a reason and now that I’m back in 1927 so
me hard decisions have got to be made. I was about to do the right thing by getting some things off my chest. Now was the time to do it. Time, it’s all about time.
I’ve learned that you have to make the most of what little time you have on this earth. Everyone isn’t as lucky to go back and get a second chance to do the right thing by standing up to someone. It’s hard, but it’s something that definitely has to be done when someone’s life could depend on it. I wanted a clear conscious and no blood on my hands. I would be as guilty as Silk for Ron and possibly Bobby J. Blues’ life if I didn’t report the murder I had seen.
Bobby J. Blues said, "How you doing West?”
I said, "I'm doing okay."
Bobby said, “What’s up man?”
I said, “Bobby, I need to talk to you about Silk man.”
Bobby said, “What about Silk?”
I said, “Bobby, have you ever got into it with Silk about anything?”
Bobby said, “No. Why are you asking this West? I mean you show up out of blue to this coffee shop and you’re asking me about Silk. I think we should be worried about tonight’s show and not to mention the tour we’ve got coming up in less than a couple weeks.”
I said, “Bobby, are you sure there’s no conflict between you and Silk over anything?”
Bobby said, “Well, Silk and I haven’t really gotten into any major conflict over anything, but I did borrow some money and make some business deals with Silk a little while back.”
I said, “Bobby, you know better than to do business with someone like Silk man. Silk doesn’t play fair, and he’s a loan shark. Listen, Bobby I don’t know what kind of business deals you’ve made with Silk, but I’ve got a feeling it’s not going to go well. Actually, I’m sure it’s not going to go well with this business deal you’ve got with Silk.”
Bobby said, “How do you know? Why do you believe it’s not going to go well with Silk?”
I said, “I can’t tell you how I know, but I know. Bobby, Silk is dangerous. He hurts people who cross him. You shouldn’t have done business deals with Silk. Everyone knows Silk and his crew don’t play. Silk did something bad. I can’t tell you what it is right now, but I need you to not tell anyone about this conversation and stay away from Silk, and most of all don’t do business with him. If you owe him money pay him and don’t make any more business deals with him. Okay?”
Bobby said, "Okay."
I said, “I’ll see you later at the nightclub.”
Bobby said, “Alright. Later man.”
After my talk with Bobby, I was sure that Silk would be the one behind Bobby’s murder. Bobby had gotten in some bad financial business deals with Silk. I knew now that I had to do something about Silk. If I didn’t my friend could end up dead like Ron. As hard as it was, I was going to have to tell the authorities about what I witnessed. Johnny said that according to the newspaper article, Bobby was murdered on January 8, 1927. Which means, I’ve got only a week to get everything cleared up. If I can report what I saw to the police and they take him in, then Silk won’t be able to murder Bobby J. Blues. I just hope time is on my side.
I decided to go the police station. I felt like it was time for me to stand up and do the right thing. Even if that meant going up against Silk, another life could depend on it. As I walked into the police station I felt this fear come over me. A part of me wanted to just turn around, but I knew it was now or never. I walked up to the front desk and spoke to a police officer.
I said, “Hello. I need to talk to someone about the murder of Ron Mallens."
The officer said, “Detective Mitchell is working on that case. He’s in his office right now. I can let you talk to him, follow me.”
The police officer brought me into Detective Mitchell's office and said, “I’ve got a young man here who wants to talk to you."
Detective Mitchell said, “Good morning. How can I help you?"
I said, “My name is West Barrington, and I need to talk to you about a murder. I have some information about the murder of Ron Mallens.”
Detective Mitchell said, “What kind of information?”
I said, “I witnessed the murder of Ron Mallens.”
Detective Mitchell said, “Who killed Ron T. Mallens?”
I said, “Silk Turner.”
Detective Mitchell and a couple of other police officers sat me down and questioned me about what I saw. They took my statement about the murder that I had witnessed.
Detective Mitchell said, “You’re a key witness in this case of the murder of Ron T. Mallens. We’ll be in touch with you. Thank you for coming forward Mr. Barrington.”
After my talk with the police I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure how I would face Silk and his crew. I mean if word got out that I snitched on him, he could seriously take me out or have someone else do it for him.
I made it back to the nightclub and I saw everyone getting ready for the big show tonight. There were practice and rehearsals going on in every room backstage and out on the nightclub floor. You could hear just about every instrument there was being played in the nightclub.
I was headed back to my room backstage when I happened to see Bobby J. Blues.
He came up to me and said, “Hey West, I need to talk to you.”
I said, “Alright.”
Bobby said, “West, the truth is I owe Silk money. I got into some bad business deals with Silk, and I still owe him for the money I borrowed for my band and I to take our show on the road.”
Bobby told me how he wasn’t going to be able to pay Silk back at this time. Then he told me that he was considering waiting until we get back from our tour to pay Silk back. He said that if we do really well on our tour that he would be able to pay Silk back with interest.
As Bobby was telling me all of this, I couldn’t help but think about what Johnny had told me. I remember Johnny saying how Bobby was murdered before the tour. Johnny said that the tour me and Bobby J. Blues were set to go on never took place because Bobby was murdered. I started thinking that I hope history doesn’t repeat itself. Time was ticking. Time was the lead in this situation. God, I hope time is on Bobby’s side.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I had to tell Bobby about Silk.
I said, “Bobby, we all know Silk is a bad guy, but he’s actually a lot worse than you think. Bobby, I seen Silk shoot Ron a couple of nights back. I was taking a walk and I happened to come upon them arguing. Silk killed Ron over money Bobby. I told you he’s a dangerous guy who no one should do business with.”
Bobby said, “Oh my God! Now I owe him money. I should’ve never taken that deal with Silk.”
I told Bobby to be careful.
Bobby said, “Did Silk see you?”
I said, “I don’t think so.”
Bobby said, “Are you sure?”
I said, “I’m kind of sure he didn’t. Why?”
Bobby said, “Silk was here earlier. After he gave me a hard time about the money that I still owe him, he happened to mention about how he may have something of yours.”
I said, “Why didn’t you tell me that at first?”
He said, "Well I wasn’t thinking about that at first because I didn’t know you saw Silk shoot Ron. Silk said something about how he happened to come across a pocket handkerchief with the letter W on it.”
When Bobby told me this my mouth just dropped.
I said, “Oh no, Silk may know that I was there that night he shot Ron.”
Bobby said, “What does some handkerchief have to do with all of this?”
I said, “That night I saw Silk kill Ron I dropped my pocket watch and Silk and his crew heard it fall. I know that they heard me because as I picked it up from the ground they all stopped talking and looked around. I must have dropped my handkerchief either when I bent down to pick up my pocket watch, or while I was running on my way back. Silk must have linked it all together.”
Bobby said, “Well it sounds like we both may
need to be careful. I’ll watch your back if you watch mines friend.”
I said, “That’s what I’m doing Bobby.”
Then I told Bobby how I had talked to the police today.
Bobby said, “You went to the police?”
I said, “Yes. Let’s just say I don’t want what happened to Ron to happen to anybody else. So yes, I went to the cops.”
Bobby said, “Silk is that serious over his money?”
I said, “Well if killing someone over paper isn’t serious, then I don’t know what is. Well, I’ve done my part. I don’t want any more blood on my hands. I couldn’t stop Silk from shooting Ron, but maybe I can stop him from killing anyone else.”
Bobby said, “Let’s just keep our eyes opened. Okay?”
I said, “That’s why I’m doing this Bobby.”
Bobby looked at me in a confused way. He might have meant keeping a look out when he said for us to keep our eyes opened, but I meant keeping our eyes opened by staying alive. I didn’t tell Bobby about the information I was given from Johnny when I went to the future, but I had to warn him by telling him about the murder I witnessed by Silk. Bobby and I decided that we would keep calm, keep a lookout, and get ready for the show tonight.
My band and I had been rehearsing for a couple of hours now when we decided to take a break. I began to think about all the things I had been through over the past few days. I started to think about how short life can be.
I decided to take a walk. I happened to pass by a jewelry store. I saw a lot of beautiful jewelry in the window. Jewelry that I knew would look beautiful on Lanna. I thought about how much I missed her went I was in the future and how being away from her would be something that I couldn’t live with. I began to think about asking Lanna to marry me. I didn’t want to wait another minute. I saw a beautiful diamond ring which I bought for Lanna.
I started my way back to the nightclub. When I got back to the nightclub, I saw Lanna practicing with her group Crystal Dream for their show tonight.
I went up to her and said, “Hey baby.”
Lanna replied back, “Hey baby.”
Harlem Renaissance Time Traveler's Diary Page 3