Remains of The Day

Detective Tyriq Pile, one of the coolest human beings on the planet Earth and a personal friend of mine as well hadn't been seen in two days....The reason was because he was digging as my fiance, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez would say.

Carlotta often told me that Detective Tyriq Pile was the most intense and thorough Detective she had ever met, with Duke being a close second...very close...

"When those two lock into a case...They become immersed in it and don't let go until they come up with something....They taught me everything I know about being a detective...things that aren't in the books.." she often said...Which explained why she herself was soo good...

Tyriq walked into Sissy's office where Lt.Sissy Van Buren, Myself, ADA Keith Wallace ,My  pretty fiance,Detective Carlotta Rodriguez and the primary of the case, Detective Angie Belton, on loan to Homicide from Internal Affairs sat.

"Tyriq...Haven't seen you around...What's up?" laughed Sissy.

Detective Pile tossed three Doziers on the table and began talking...

"Here is the actual reports from October 30, 2011......At 10:45 am... Officer Clinton Warwick stopped Angel Ortega in Kensington near Tioga Elevated Station for going through a red light....He called in for another car.....

He said that the driver was driving without a license and proper registration....but here is the kicker...We found his drivers license and his registration in the car!!! In the glove compartment!!!!  We also have transcripts of another call saying that another car would not be needed that he was just going to write him a traffic ticket!!  Only, there is no record of any traffic ticket ever being written..

I checked every tow truck company we do business with and then a few that Detective Carlotta Rodriguez gave me and even some independents and they don't have any record of towing that car... The fact that the car was found miles away on Roosevelt Blvd, still running is another eye opener...

Ortega worked at a Used Car dealership....They said he had excellent attendance...Never missed a day ,never late.....He had a fiance...and a six month old daughter....He had a sheet...a couple arrests for drunk and disorderly and possession of marijuana...but no big stuff...no jail time... If all this guy did was run a red light ,there was no need to do anything but issue him a ticket and be on his way...

Oh and he made a call to an Attorney...from his cell phone...Said he was being "jacked up on some bogus terms and to meet him with bail money..." his words...The attorney recorded the last call...The Attorney went to the jail house and guess what?? They said that there was no arrest and that nobody by the name of Angel Ortega ever arrived there or was booked!!." said Tyriq.

"I interviewed his soon to be ex-wife yesterday...It appears she was having an affair with another officer in his precinct....He hired a private investigator named Lee Spann to look into it...I talked to Lee Spann and the officer...They were caught in a sleazy neighborhood hotel just three blocks from where Warwick lives....in 2009.....He couldn't believe it ,he was devestated and get this...The other officer was Black...said he didn't know she was a cop's wife and didn't really know Warwick that well.." said Angie Belton..

"Probably explains why he has no love for us soul brothers." laughed Tyriq Pile...Carlotta,Sissy,Angie and I all busted out laughing...

"He beat her up pretty bad on both occassions and police had to be called to his house....They didn't want to write it up because he was a brother officer....Both officers are now on suspension because of that...Mrs. Warwick and their teenage daughter are now in a shelter where he can't get to them.." said Angie Belton.

"Good work Tyriq....Go find Jimmy...Tell him to go pick up Officer Warwick." said Sissy.

"Jimmy??" said Tyriq and Angie..

"Yes...He knows him....and yes,it's also because he's white...If Tyriq or Duke or even you Angie tries to pick him up it might inflame the situation.."said Sissy.

"Oh I'd inflame him alright." said Tyriq...

Carlotta hugged Tyriq and rubbed his back....Being around a natural nurturer like Sissy had worn off on her...

"Relax Rico...I know how you feel...but Boss lady is right." she said.

"I know she is Top...I'm straight." he said smiling at his one time protoge'...  She could rub my back right now!! I thought as I looked at Carlotta..

"Uh Sissy...I mean, you're the boss and all..but I'd really like to hold up on grabbing Officer Warwick just yet." said Angie..

"Okay Detective Belton...You're the Primary..It's your call...But keep him in your sights...I don't want this guy skipping." said Sissy.

"Thanks Sissy."said Angie..

"I trust your instincts and your judgement."said Sissy...

A Lieutenant like Tragg or even Cantrell might not have allowed someone lesser in rank, Primary or not to over-rule their call, but Sissy was not egotistical like those two...She wanted a good collar and she didn't worry about who got credit for what or who made what call...That's why Duke,Tyriq ,Jimmy and Carlotta loved working for her and would probably never transfer out again...I liked that I had brought them all together!

II-

Calvin Pettus didn't look like much...He was 27 years old, rail thin...Worked as an actuary at an insurance firm...He was coming forth after being questioned about a run in he'd had with Officer Clint Warwick and another officer named Benjamin Weis...

He sat down, Carlotta offered him a soda and some food...she said he looked hungry..She had a uniform officer run out and get him a Hot Roast Beef sandwich and some cole slaw from Sam Mother's joint...Detective Angie Belton came in and sat down also...

She smiled at him...That sweet smile that disarmed so many suspects and me as well...Angie sat in as her second, while Sissy and I watched.

"You know Calvin...I can count the times on this hand that we ask somebody to come down here and talk to us without any charges and absolutely no risk to themselves and they willingly come and talk to us....So ,why are you here?" she asked..

"Look, Detective Belton questioned me last week about Officer Warwick because someone in the neighborhood blabbed to her that I'd had a run in with him ,right before that Puerto Rican boy vanished..."he said as he munched on his sandwich..

''Yes and you initially refused to co-operate..What changed your mind?"asked Carlotta.

"I remember when that boy vanished...How his folks went to the cops and nothing happened...and how he never came back...and yall said he was never in jail and how that didn't set right with me....Cause,it coulda been me..See..Just  weeks before that happened in September of 2011...Officer Warwick and his partner stopped me in Kensington...Up near Juniata Park...I was drivin a 2012 Nissann Maxima , Grey with the fancy lights in the back...Brand new...Wasn't my car..Was my cousin's car..He was lettin me take it for a spin..I hadn't done nothin..Hadn't broke no law...Tags was clean ,everything.....Officer Warwick stopped me, made me get out of the car...

His partner ,Officer Weis kept askin him why he was hasslin me and tellin him that he had to go, he had to be somewhere and to knock it off...But Warwick wouldn't listen...Kept on goin on about how could I afford this kind of car? , where did I work?, was I sellin drugs?...and what not..He searched the car ,had me pop the trunk, searched the back...then he asked for my registration...

I tole him it was my cousin's car and gave him the phone number...He wouldn't call the number, said I was under arrest for car theft...

Officer Weis took the phone called the number and waited until my cousin got there and verified it...Then he told me I could go and slapped Warwick in the head and told him to come on and drive him to work." said
Calvin..

"Well Calvin...You and you cousin filed a complaint against Officer Warwick in 2012...But we never found any write up of a traffic stop or any record like all patrolmen are supposed to keep...We did find a record of your tags being run, but that  was it." said Carlotta.

"Yeah, well I'm telling you the truth." he said.

''I know you are,because you don't have to be here." said Carlotta.

''So what are you gonna do about it? What are you gonna do about him?"he asked.

"Little by little,inch by inch, we are building a case..When we get enough of a thing called evidence..We'll put whoever is responsible for the disapearence of Mr. Ortega and Mr.Washington behind bars." said Detective Angie Belton.

''Even if it's one of your own?" he asked.

"Especially if it's one of our own." she said.

"Yeah?...We'll see." he said as he finished his sandwich... "This sandwich was hella good, where'd you get it?" he asked.

"Sam Mothers diner...two blocks down." said Carlotta.

"Gotta check that place out." he said.

III-

I had seen enough...I headed back to my office... The newspapers and media were already starting to leak the story that a police officer already under investigation for domestic abuse and having marital problems was being linked to the disapearences of two men.. The D.A.'s office was being swamped with calls...

I told them of course that I had already set up a task force and that with Internal Affairs, my unit had already been looking into these allegations days before the news broke...My bosses were happy to know this...

I had planned to finish up some other legal matters when I got a visit from Lt. Cantrell...

"Hello sir.." I said as he walked in...Still limping from his recent gunshot wounds....

"Hey Son how are you doing?  I never thanked you for putting that damn woman and her partner away....Broad nearly shot me in my johnson...lawd have mercy." he said.

"Uhh..you were saying sir?" I said.

"Yeah, well..this bad actor, This Clint Warwick...He's under my command...I plan to dismiss his ass...I just want you to know...I had no idea these shenanigans were going on...It's hard enough keepin the detectives in line...but the uniforms...holy cow!!Nobody seems to like this guy...Nobody will partner with him.. Not even the white officers and the Detectives don't even want him along when they call for back up..He's a loose cannon. Last week one of my detectives was going to make an arrest and I asked him if he needed back up....Warwick was the only officer in the squad room at the time and he said _"Nah, I'll go alone"...I wound up going with him as back up." he said.

''Yeah, we are hearing the same thing. But...I'd rather you not dismiss him yet...We are still investigating and we don't want to rattle him or tip him off as to what we are doing..Right now, he just thinks IA is investigating him for domestic abuse..He knows nothing about the impending murder investigation...It's not even a murder investigation yet...We don't have any bodies....We're still looking into things.."I said.

" Hmmm, I see your point...Well,alright...But you tell Sissy...To just say the word...Just say the word...and he's gone...I don't need that kind of headache.And speaking of Sissy...Is she uh...Is she really serious about this jailbird she's dating??  I've been thinking about her a lot...and uh I can still lay some pipe ,you know what I'm sayin...ahahahaha..I can wreck it like ralph baby, that gunshot didn't stop big daddy..ahahahahahahahahahahahah.."he said.

"Uh, er...uhhhhh.." I mumbled ,just as I received a most welcome visit..It was Carlotta!!!

"Heyy baby...Oh, hello Lieutenant Cantrell..How are you?  If I'm interrupting something ,I can come back." she said.

Lt. Cantrell looked at me slyly.......

"Hello Carlotta..Congratulations on you two's engagement.....You didn't break up nothin,  darlin...I'll be leaving now." he said and looked at me with a sly side eye.....

"Lucky Negro." he whispered in my ear and chuckled as he walked out...

Carlotta closed the door...

''What did he want?" she asked.

''He wanted to dismiss our prime suspect from the force before we've even charged him with anything." I said.

"You did ask him to reconsider?" she said..

''Of course I did." I said.  "He also wanted information on whether he still has a shot at Boss lady." I laughed..

"Ohh my God. You talk about me having the good good..Sissy hooks em, even without giving em any..Now that's talent!" laughed Carlotta..

" Indeed it is...Sooo, what do I owe this honor?..Lunch date?" I asked.

" Yes,I brought you lunch." she said Slyly...

"Where is it?" I asked...She only had her purse with her...

"Make sure that door is locked and you'll see." she giggled...

''Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh..I seeee..." I said. Lt. Cantrell was right, I am lucky....I was about to get lucky too!

I locked the door and then I dimmed the lights...I pulled Carlotta towards me and began deep throat kissing her.....I ran my hands up her dress and began rubbing her legs....She moaned and cooed softly...

"You are always trying to pull me in some office and make love to me, so I decided to try it in your office..I figured this must be some fantasy of yours.." she said. Carlotta had been a little different now that she lived with me too...I was getting it several times at night, which was normal...but I was also getting it at least once in the morning when we woke up too...To say that I was a very happy camper now of days was putting it mildly..This made twice today!! Not that I was complaining.

"Oh it has been...It has been.." I said.

I eased her panties down and hiked her skirt up...She hastily unzipped my trousers and allowed them to drop down around my ankles and I cleared my desk off and laid her on it ever so softly and slowly gently entered
her...

''Ouuuu ayee mios dios...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"she moaned softly....She was so warm, so moist....

I thrusted into her ,first slowly, then faster and harder....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." she moaned as my desk rocked from side to side...

"You do have the good good." I moaned as we began making sweet love...

She smiled and then laughed....."You are wonders for my ego." she said.

We continued to kiss deeply,passionately as I rubbed those breasts of hers and continued to thrust mightily..hoping I was wrecking it like ralph as Lt. Cantrell had said...He no doubt knew what was going on in here right now, which was why he looked at me funny and said what he said as he was leaving!
We could hear each other's breathing more clearly than ever!!

I couldn't believe we were actually making love in my office....Luckily for me, my office was at the end of a very large hall and it wasn't peopled by a lot of folks and I was technically on my lunch hour...

Carlotta and I made love well after my lunch hour was over...both of us climaxing mightily and holding each other tightly...I had heard mention of other people doing this...Never thought that I actually would..The thought that we might get caught made it all the more exciting...I'm sure it did for Carlotta too!

''Woooo, that was something.." she said as she collected herself and got dressed..

"Indeed...First time I ever did it in here..."I said.

"You happy now?" she said.

"You know I am." I said and hugged her..

She sat on my lap and we kissed for a long time....

"I'm going home....but I'm coming back later on... Jimmy,Tyriq and I are going to be looking at tape tonight." she said.

"Is it alright if I sit up with you guys?" I asked.

"Of course....You don't want to be home alone do you?" she asked.

"No I guess not." I said.

"And I don't want to drive home alone either." she said in between more kisses...

"Those days are over for both of us.." I moaned as we kissed some more...

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, yesss." she said..

Surprisingly..My phone did not ring the entire time that Carlotta and I were making love and now it was ringing...It was Sissy...

"Hey ADA...You might want to meet me at this address....Is Carlotta with you?" she asked.

"No, she's not..but I'll call her phone." I lied..

''We tried, but it went to voicemail... Duke got an anonymous tip on the phone and we've found some human remains." she said.

''What? Okay,I'll be right there." I said.

Carlotta laughed...

''Boss Lady looking for me?"she asked.

"Yeah..Duke found human remains...and guess where it is?...Two miles from that gas station we stopped at when we were coming home from Baltimore." I said.

''WHAT?? Oh My God!" she said.

Carlotta had a change of clothes in her car....She washed up in the wash room in my building and changed her clothes...Then she took her car and headed for the area Sissy was talking about...I followed in my car.

IV-

Lt.Sissy Van Buren, Detective Angie Belton, Detective Tyriq Pile, Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor,Detective Carlotta Rodriguez and I stood in the field ,just two miles outside of the city limits and uncovered a shallow grave...two shallow graves...

Police had uncovered two shallow graves based on a tip Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor had gotten...

Dr. Hunter walked over to us...

"The first body is fresh....It's a 26 year old African American male....From the looks of the body...He's been here for two weeks at best...Rigor has set in and the decaying process has already started... The other body is a skelaton...my educated guess is that he's been here two years tops...but the really funny thing is...These two body bags...Their ours!!!! They were taken from our M.E.'s office." she said.

"Whattt?" said Sissy and I almost simultaneously....

"Man, this looks bad...."said Duke...

"I got a call from what sounded like an elderly woman....She said she saw a man digging out here a few weeks ago and unloaded what looked like a huge bag into this site...As you can see, it was freshly dug and deep too.." he continued..

"She didn't stay on line long enough to get a trace?" asked Carlotta.

"Nah Top and we weren't even tracing..We didn't know what the call was pertaining to..It's got to be someone who lives near here." said Duke.

"Look around...Where do you see a house?" asked Carlotta...

"You got a point Top...But somebody obviously saw something..." he said.

"Or was told to say they saw something...This is an off road...Who would be driving out here ,unless they were lost? The highway is over there." mused Carlotta.

"You've got a point Chica...but whoever saw what isn't important right now...We've got to examine these bodies...find out if they're even our guys." said Sissy.

"Where's Junior?" asked Tyriq...

"He's listening to dispatch tapes and looking at video tape back at the divison." said Sissy.

"Okay..well let's wrap this up and get these bodies moved....It really is going to be a long night..." I said.

Carlotta walked over to me and whispered in my ear...

"Now aren't you glad we uh...you know?at lunchtime..  Because I'm going to be exhausted by the time we get home."

"Me too...but that won't mean that I won't want some more." I whispered...

''Ouuuu, you are just impossible.. You never get enough" she laughed..

"Yeah,I need to see a doctor about you." I joked. Carlotta just shook her head and laughed.

(DEFINITELY TO BE CONTINUED!!..)

Dread

The next day I stopped by the police garage...I saw a team of CSI guys going over the cadillac that Carlotta and I found with a fine tooth comb... Dr. Hazel Hunter was supervising the entire operation...I walked over to her and gave her a tumbler of coffee...

"Thank you ADA Wallace." she said.

"Don't mention it..Don't mention it...You're part of our team even if you aren't a detective..What you do for us is very important." I said. She blushed and smiled weakly...Duke had himself a real sweetheart of a girlfriend.

"We found fingerprints....They belong to the missing Lawrence Robinson...He has a sheet...Nothing major...One conviction for possession of marijuana....A three month stay in county for failure to pay child support..." said Dr. Hunter...

"Any other prints?" I asked..

"Yeah...His mother, his girlfriend ,his baby's mother and Officer Clinton Warwick!!!" she said.

''Hmmm, interesting."I said.

Just then, Duke and Jimmy walked in..

"Heyy ADA...Thought you'd be here...Me and Jimmy interviewed the girlfriend...We found several calls to her on his cell phone just days leading up to his dissapearence..But they were nothing...just boyfriend and girlfriend talk...We interviewed the mother...She said that he was supposed to come pick her up and take her shopping on the day he was last seen and that it wasn't like him not to show up and not to call." said Duke..

"I ran down his baby momma...They weren't on good terms...He was three months behind in child support payments..He was due to appear in court on the day he went missing..Never made it...I went to the courts..They said that that wasn't the first time he'd missed a date, but that eventually he did show up...but not this time." said Jimmy...

"So this guy could have just skipped to keep from paying his child support?" I said.

''Well, he had just got a new job.. Me and Duke checked it out...He was always on time and was a good worker...They were all shocked when he didn't show up for work and didn't call..." said Jimmy.

"Hmmm..."I said.

"ADA...His phone records show that everybody he was close to, His Mom, His girl, his baby mom, last talked to him on the day he went missing...We checked out the gas station you said you found the car in...
Nobody there remembers how or when that car wound up there..." said Duke.

''How bout video?" I asked.

"We are on that...We'll be looking." said Jimmy...

''Good work Guys" I said.

"Hey man..No coffee?" asked Duke..

''I didn't know you guys were going to be here...I gave Dr. Hunter some coffee." I laughed.. She smiled too.

Both Duke and Jimmy gave me the serious side eye...I just shrugged my shoulders..

II-

Later that day, I drove over to Sissy's office.... her boyfriend, Eddie C. , Pastor John Struthers and Deacon Basil Robinson  were sitting in her office when I got there...

"ADA Wallace...Glad you are here.." said Pastor John Struthers..

"That boy, Lawrence Robinson was a member, a recent member of my church.." he continued..

"Yeah man, Basil and I were working with him in the outreach program and we were getting through to him..We had helped him get a job." said Eddie C.

''Did you know that he was behind on his child support?" I asked.

"Yeah..but he was working and he was going to court to work out a payment plan...I was there waiting for him." said Eddie C.

"Yeah man...He had his rough edges...but he was a good dude....He give me his word he was going to make that hearing and he was going to do it." said Basil Robinson.

"When is the last time you saw him?"I asked.

''The day he went missin..He stopped by the out reach center..he had a coffee with us and he got in his car and pulled off...and we never saw him or his car again." said Pastor Struthers.

''We found the car!" I said.

"You did??" the three of them said.

"Yes and we are investigating his disappearece...I've got a task force already in motion..."I said.

"Oh wow...That's great...Because his mother is worried sick..She called the police...and it didn't seem like much was being done about it." said Eddie C.

"Done about what?" I asked.

''Well he was arrested!" said Basil Robinson..

"Arrested??This is the first time I'm hearing this...I heard he had car trouble...and an officer had him towed.There is no record of him being arrested."I said.

"He told his mom was  being arrested..He called his mom and told her he was being arrested...The  arresting officer was Clint Warwick...She went to the roundhouse with a lawyer to bail him out and they told her that he was never there." said Pastor Struthers..

"This is interesting...Look..We are looking into this...What I need for you guys to do is to keep a lid on this..No press conferences...Tell the mother not to talk to anybody...We don't want to alert anybody who may be behind this."I said.

"You guys have a suspect?" asked Basil.

"Come on...you guys know that I can't say... It's an ongoing investigation.."I said. "Keep a lid on it...I promise you..We'll get to the bottom of this. You have my word."I said.

"Okay...but you can only keep a lid on something like this for so long." said Pastor Struthers..

"You guys know me.. I've always been on the level...Trust me." I said.

"You're a pretty on the level guy Keith...I remember you from back in the day....I'll ride with you, for the time being."said  Deacon Basil Robinson, a reformed drug dealer who had turned his life around and was now a deacon...We were about the same age...and had both grown up in West Philly.

"Alright Keith...Your word is good enough for me...Sissy,I'll see you tonight ."said Eddie C. He  planted a wet juicy kiss on her lips...Sissy blushed like crazy.

"You handled that well counselor." she said.

''You know we gotta move fast on this Sissy...If Angie hadn't of brought this to us..It would have fallen in our laps anyway." I said.

"You don't think I know that? I'm sick to death that a cop...One of us, may be involved somehow.." she said.

"If he's involved in this...He's not one of us...." I said.

"Yeah, you're right." said Sissy.

"By the way uh.." I said looking out over the cubicles...Most of the detectives were gone ,out on cases...  Sissy gave me the side eye and smirked....

"Wow!!..Engaged to her ,Living with her and she still has you sprung...She's out with Detective Belton.."said Sissy.

"I wasn't asking about Carlotta...I was actually inquiring about Detective Belton." I said, blushing...

"Really? ,Love got you lying so bad counselor! It's okay...really...." said Sissy laughing...

I just smiled. Just as I was getting ready to leave....Both of them walked in... Detective Angie Belton and Detective Carlotta Rodriguez...Two fine women!  One of em mine!

III-

"Duke and Jimmy did most of the leg work on the Lawrence Robinson case...So we piggy backed them..Carlotta and I went over to Warwick's district..He's not too well liked by the African-American and Latino officers there..They say he's a racist and has made off the cuff remarks before...Several of the people in the district he patrols say that they don't care too much for him either..." said Detective Angie Belton.

"I went over to his precinct and checked the records...There is no record of an arrest that day for anyone named Lawrence Robinson..." said Carlotta..

"So why would he call his mother and insist that he was being arrested and ask her to get him a lawyer?" asked Sissy...

"We are going to have to ask Officer Warwick himself." said Carlotta.

"I don't want to tip our hand too soon..."said Angie..


"I have tapes from the precinct for the three days up to and around the time Robinson went missing..I'm going to be listening to them." said Carlotta...

"What about the Tow Truck?....It was said that his car broke down and a towing service was called."asked Sissy.

"I called every towing company that we do business with and then some and nobody recalls getting a call from Officer Warwick or Robinson to tow the car...Plus I talked to Dr. Hunter earlier today...The car didn't break down...It was in tip top shape...I called the DMV...His license was up to date, his stickers and his registration....Even his insurance was up to par...I can't see why he was stopped. His sister told me that he owed her money, because he borrowed money from her to pay his insurance just weeks before. His reports don't match any of the information Angie and I were able to fact check." said Carlotta.

Angie beamed with something that looked like pride...

"Oh my God Sissy, you said she was sharp.. She is...!!!!!She is the bomb...I love this girl." said Angie hugging Carlotta and kissing her on the cheek...

Carlotta smiled..

Sissy smiled and said-"I told you my chica is the truth."

"Stop it...you're going to make her head so big she won't be able to get through the door." I joked...

Carlotta playfully punched my shoulder..

"I checked out the police brutality claims...I have a witness who will be coming in to talk about that tomorrow.and I visited Warwick's soon to be ex wife...She said that he caught her with another cop from their precinct and he blacked her eye...Said it wasn't the first time..." said Angie...

"And he's still on the force? Incredible.." said Sissy in disgust.

"Well, we put in a good days work people,let's all go home and get back on this thing tomorrow." said Sissy.

"You goin over Eddie C's tonight Boss Lady.?" asked Carlotta coyly.

Sissy looked at me and smiled sheepishly..

"Don't you even talk Keith Wallace..." she said.

"What? What did I do?" I said.

"He's been staying with me since this case began.." Sissy said.

''Companionship right?" I laughed.

"Y-Yes...I'm working late hours...It's ..It's nice to come home to someone to rub your feet." laughed Sissy slyly.

"Oh just your feet Sissy?" laughed Angie...

I smiled..Sissy ,Carlotta and I gave Angie the serious side eye..She blushed..

''Yes...Yes,I've been staying at Jimmy's house!!!...I couldn't bare to go to my empty house alone."said Angie.

''Of course not!" I mused.

"Carlotta, can I hit your future hubby?" joked Angie...

"Duke is probably at Dr. Hunter's house." said Sissy.

''Well, I don't have that problem anymore." I laughed.

''Ohhh Stop bragging." sneered Angie jokingly.

"Oh hush up Ozzie and Harriet." said Sissy laughing...

Carlotta and I laughed ,So Did Angie....

This was a great unit, a fun unit...I was proud and glad I'd put it together...Angie looked at us and I could see why she was always hanging around...She missed being here...If I could.. I was going to try and get her transferred back here if that's what she wants.. She's a good investigator and the way I saw it...The more the merrier.

IV-

Carlotta and I drove home that night, she looked at me and smiled... A light rain began to fall, which turned into damn near a torrential rainstorm within minutes...

"What are you smiling about?" I asked.

"I know this is a serious case and all, but I always have so much fun at work..I mean I've always liked being a cop, but you've got me in a unit with all of my favorite cops...Jimmy, my first partner as a patrolman in a car and on the beat and later on my partner in Special Victims Unit.. Duke and Tyriq, my partners from Major Crimes and Narcotics as well as my mentors.....and finally Sissy, who is like my best friend in the whole wide world, next to you...I mean , this is great...Everyday is fun...I'm actually excited about working with them." she said.

"They feel the same way about you...And so do I." I said.

"And we are going to get married." she said and sighed..

"Yeah,I can't wait...If I had my way, we'd do it tomorrow." I said.

"We got time." she said and leaned her head on my shoulder as I drove.....

I wondered about this missing boy...Where was he? What happened to him? Was a cop really responsible??

I hoped upon hope to find him alive...but deep down inside of me...I knew he was more than likely dead!

Despite the happiness I felt about the unit I put together and the elation I felt at my upcoming marriage to Carlotta..I suddenly had this huge feeling of dread come over me! A dread like I'd never felt before...

(TO BE CONTINUED..)