In Your Pants

In the minutes while J.J. and I waited for the police to arrive...I looked around the room....Whoever the naked man had been, he had left his shirt , his trousers, his boxers, his wife beater undershirt ,his socks and shoes on the floor...The shower was still running and an unused condom was on the night stand...

"Wow...This guy at least practices safe sex...." laughed J.J.

I went through his pockets....

"Look!  A safe deposit key!" I said....

"Oh wow...thing is...we don't know where the box is located." he said.

"Look through Margaret's purse over there and be careful." I said.

J.J. looked through her purse...

"Jackpot...It's a receipt for that key and it's got an address on it." he laughed.

"Pass that to me." I said.

I put it in my pocket, then motioned for J.J. to stand back....

"Fancy meeting YOU here " came a familiar voice...It was Detective Carlotta Rodruiguez.

"Detective Rodruigez...How long has it been?" I laughed...

J.J. was all smiles...He nudged me-

''Damn Kev...you know her?"

I ignored him...

''Gee Kevin..I thought we were on a first name basis by now." she teased.

"Hi Carlotta...Looks like this girl was strangled and her boyfriend or whoever skipped,
without his clothes." I said.

"Yeah...everybody told me a naked man ran out of here...I get all of the weird cases." she said.

"Look at the floor...two sets of men's footprints." I said.

"There was some kind of party here huh?" she joked.

"Looks like it!" I said.

''What are you doing here?" she asked.

"My client asked me to find her...She was uh missing...When we got here, we found this and saw naked man running out of the building...That's all I can tell you." I said.

"Wow!" she said.

"What are you doing here? I thought you worked Sex Crimes?" I asked.

"And this isn't a sex crime? Condom on the bed, Naked man runs out of apartment?
Just kidding...I've been transferred to homicide for a few weeks." she laughed.

''Well we've got to go now....Give Sissy my regards." I said.

"I sure will and I'm sure I'll hear from you before this case is over." said Carlotta..

''Bet on that." I said  and J.J. and I left.

"She could hear from me tonight!!! Damn Kev you know some fine women...Your wife for starters and this hot detective...Lawd...How do you keep from losing your mind?" laughed J.J.

"I take a lot of deep breaths." I said.

"Thanks for not telling her the entire deal...you know, the money and all." said J.J.

"Let's go." I said.

"Let's go where?" he asked.

"To buy a suitcase and then to find your money." I said.

II-

We bought a huge suitcase and then we went to the safe deposit box....and there, as I suspected was 500G's....At least this babe had been smart enough not to stash the entire amount on her...There was also a one way airline ticket to the Caymen Islands...Wow!

J.J. filled the suitcase with glee...

"Damn Kev...they told me you were good....You found her and my money in less than 24 hours..." he laughed.

"Your money J.J.?   Your money??  You stole this money didn't you?  You told her about it and she double crossed you didn't she?" I said.

J.J. frowned...

''Can't put much past you huh Kev?" he said and hung his head.

''I checked out your firm....You're not a partner." I said.

J.J. smiled.

''Damn man, you're too good." he said.

"No...I wasn't a partner...I was angry because I helped the two guys start that firm...I made a bundle of dough for em and they didn't make me a partner....I deserved this money...Margaret helped me take it....Then she vanished with it...." he said.

"So now you've got the money back and Margaret's dead...what are you gonna do?" I asked.

"I'm gonna take it back Kev...I swear...it aint worth it....I didn't know somebody was gonna kill her...It shouldn't of ended like this." he said..." I'll have your check for you tomorrow afternoon. he said.

III-

J.J. was as good as his word...He did return the money to his firm and he paid me for my services the next day.... Still, a young woman was dead and there had to be a reason why...

The name on the drivers license in the trousers at the apartment was Burt Powell, a local guy...I knew him vaguely from seeing him in Josies a few times!....I'm sure the police knew this by now... Sure enough...When I stopped by Homicide....He was in custody....Sissy Van Buren and Carlotta Rodriguez were questioning him as I entered the room.

I smiled at Sissy- ''Nice to see him with his pants on for a change." I said.

Sissy cracked up and just shook her head.

"I'm tellin you....I was there...Yes...I was gettin ready to have sex with Margaret..but I didn't kill her..." he said. "I loved her." he continued.

"Why did you run out naked then?" asked an exasperated Carlotta.  Sissy couldn't hold back a smile...

"I was talkin to her while I was in the shower, tellin her to come in and join me...I didn't hear a response...I came out and she was dead and the door was wide open and some lady walked by and was screaming...I panicked and got the hell out of there." he said.

"Get a lawyer pal." said Carlotta.

"I'm telling you the truth...I didn't kill Margaret...I swear!" said Burt Powell.

She walked out of the interogation room and into the office with Sissy and I....

''What do you think?" she asked.

"I believe him." I said.

They both looked at me with stunned amazement.

"WHAT???"said Sissy.

"I know...It's a man thing." laughed Carlotta.

"You mean to tell me , you would've come out of the shower, realized your lover was murdered and you would've taken the time to throw some clothes on?" I asked.

They both looked  at each other.

"It's a man thing" they both said.

"Look...He had no reason to harm her....He was getting ready to have sex with her...you saw that there were two sets of wet male footprints on the hallway floor..and in the room...going in two directions....Obviously someone else had been there and left quietly while he was in the shower...They might not have known that he was even in the shower..since the door was closed..." I said.

"Or maybe they did....the water was running, he was talking...they just took the opportunity." said Sissy.

Carlotta smiled...So Did Sissy....

"You know ,the fact that Kevin actually makes sense on this one is scaring me." said Carlotta with a smile.

"You gonna help us solve this?" they both said in unison.

"You hiring me?" I asked laughing and knowing that they could not..

IV-

I was going to have to visit that crime scene again and talk to some of Margaret's friends and associates ...but not today....It had been a very productive day...I had closed a case quickly and gotten a nice sweet payday.....If not for this murder ,it would have been perfect....

I was missing my wife....It was time to call it a day and head home..Tomorrow was another day!

(To Be Continued...)