Plan A

We call this room 'The Tank" , It is like a fish tank when you think about it...One square rectangular table, three chairs...One dull flourescent light in the ceiling and a big two way window... We can look in at the suspect, but the suspect can't see us!

Haywood Coley Jr. sat in the little room....Lt. Sissy Van Buren of Homicide and I , Keith Wallace, Assistant District Attorney stood behind the glass watching..Detective Tyriq Pile sat in the chair next to him , saying nothing...Haywood sat in the chair as quiet as a church mouse...Cool as a cucumber...Detective ,Carlotta Rodriguez entered the tank...She was purposely thirty minutes late...She had two files under her arms...She didn't crack a smile...

Haywood smiled when he saw her...She didn't crack a smile...She didn't even acknowledge his presence..She just rifled through her files...Damn this girl was not only fine, but cool as a damn cucumber..I was getting an erection, just watching her work....even though she hadn't actually done anything.

Finally Haywood broke the eerie silence...

"Soooooo, what is this about?" he asked...Carlotta passed out some photos....Crime scene photos of Jessica Edgerly, Wilma Whetstone , Ruth Richardson and Allison Johnson as well as photos of them when they were still alive...

"You know Haywood...I had never heard of you until a few days ago when you came in here and put an innocent man in for a murder you know he didn't commit." said Carlotta.

"Oh that? Sorry, I must have been mistaken." he said....Not one iota of embarrassment at being caught in a lie.

"But you mistakenly collected the reward money didn't you?" she said.  Haywood laughed.

"So you're gonna put me in jail for that huh?" he sneered.

"I could....Making a false statement, filing a false report." she said.

"I led you to a body....Now I might have been mistaken about where I heard the story." he said.

"Where did you hear the story?" she asked.

"I don't remember." he laughed...Detective Pile and Carlotta laughed too....

"So Haywood, tell me about the girls." said Detective Pile.

''Don't know em." he said.

"You just lie through your teeth...You took classes with Wilma and Ruth....I got word from someone who would know that you visited both of them at their places of employment, "The Pleasure Palace" and "Pussy Galore" and you tried to hit on Jessica  Edgerly , the waitress at Sam Mother's joint." said Carlotta.

''Okay...So I knew them...That all you got?" he asked.

"You delver Pizza for Mr. Smuckey....You delivered pizza to all three of these girls on the night they were last seen alive." said Detective Pile.

"Yes sir...That's right..I did....Is that all you got?" he sneered...He was so sure of himself...

" I think you killed all four of these girls." said Carlotta.

Haywood smiled...

"You got a good circumstantial case....but that's all you got...You got no fingerprints and you got no DNA...and you got no witnesses...You got nothin....So if you have no further questions....I'm out of here." he said and got up...

Carlotta smiled her warmest, sweetest smile at him...

"Goodbye Haywood....for now...but I'll be seeing you soon...So don't take any long trips." she said and giggled like a school girl.

Haywood smirked-

"You cops...you're all alike...Always tryin to bluff when you know you got nothin..." he said.

"Since you're here...would you like a soda...a cigarette" asked Detective Pile...

"Nice try...Nah, I'll pass." he said....''See you guys around...Happy hunting." he said and he got up and walked out of the interview room.

I turned to Sissy who was beaming and I said to her...

''That's it?  You're going to let him walk.?...He just laughed in your face and what's more...He's right you know..All you have is a circumstantial case at best." I said.

"Relax Keith... I knew we didn't have much of a case against him when I brought him down here...I just wanted to see how he reacts and to shake him up a bit...We already have a plan to get him." she said.

Carlotta and Detective Pile  had walked over to me and Sissy by now....

"Plan A.He eats at Sam Mother's joint, Mabel Jenkins Soul Food joint and Jake's Hot Dogs...If he discards a knife or fork or spoon, we asked them to turn it in to us....We'll get his DNA.... I purposely didn't tell him about the DNA we have from two of the victims...If his DNA matches what we have from the crime scenes...He's done..." she said.

"Okay..And Plan B.I'm going to get a search warrant together to search his apartment...Serial Killers like to keep souveniers." I said.

"Good thinking." said Carlotta....It was like a compliment...I smiled.   Carlotta actually looked like she was blushing for a moment... Sissy and Detective Pile smiled at each other.

II-

I got the warrant to search Haywood's apartment, but we didn't pursue it yet....Within the next few days, Sam Mother, Mabel Jenkins Moore and Jake turned in knives, forks, spoons, soda cans and a bottle..all with Haywood's saliva on them and fingerprints...We got a wealth of DNA and fingerprint information...

While the DNA was being tested...Detective Tyriq  Pile, Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor and some CSI guys discovered a latent fingerprint smudge at Allison Johnson's house...It was in her bedroom and it didn't match any of her family members...They found another latent fingerprint smudge in Wilma Whetstone's bedroom...

I was sitting in my office going over other case related stuff when my cell phone went off....To my surprise and my delight..it was Detective Carlotta Rodriguez!!

"Keith....You're never going to believe this"she said sounding more excited than ever before....

"What's that?" I asked.

''We got the DNA reports back and they're a match!!!....It's Haywood's...and the fingerprint smudges!!!!His too!" she said...

"That's great...Pick his ass up and while you doing that...I'm going to have Detective Pile and Detective Baylor execute a search warrant!" I said.

"Way ahead of you ADA...Sissy and six uniforms went to get him already." she said.

''What?? You didn't go? You're the primary!!!...You made this case!!!." I said.

"I-I wanted to be the one to break the news to you." she said.   I was astounded..plus I noticed that she called me Keith and not ADA.

''Well I--Well  uh....I'm glad....Thank you!" I said.

"You're welcome." she said and then hung up...I sat there for a minute and just smiled.

III-

Haywood Coley Jr. was arrested and charged with  the first degree murders of Jessica Edgerly, Wilma Whetstone, Allison Johnson and Ruth Richardson...Our search warrant of his apartment found, panties and bras belonging to the victims as well as loads of used condoms with even more DNA evidence....and stained sheets and porn magazines... Faced with a mountain of evidence against him...He confessed to all of the murders...That self confident sneer was permanantly wiped off of his face... He said that he had been attracted to Jessica, Wilma  and Ruth and that his amorous advances had been rebuffed , which threw him into a rage...

George Bailey had told him about how Allison, a "sweet young thang" he was selling weed to often came to her door half dressed ,showing off the goods...He had delivered pizza to her a few nights before he killed Wilma and had come on to her...but she laughed in his face...He raped her and strangled her and put her body in the back of his car...It was he who dumped her body at the zoo...Of all the women he killed, he only felt guilty about her...because she was so young he said...He had almost wanted to be punished for that.

He told us where we could find the remains of his first victim!!! A young white woman he murdered two years ago in Wynnewood!!! We didn't even know about that!! I called the Wynnewood Police and informed them of his revelation... This guy was a piece of work!! I helped them close a two year old missing persons /homicide case.. 22 year old Mary Decker had vanished seemingly into thin air while waiting for the R-5 suburban train one rainy night...Now she was found and avenged!
He accepted a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty and he was sentenced to Life without the possibility of parole. He is still awaiting trial in the death of Mary Decker!

 

EPILOUGE:

A week later , I stopped in Josies and Lt. Sissy Van Buren was sitting in a booth having a drink... I saw her and smiled and walked over to her booth..

"Drinking alone Lieutenant?" I asked...(She looked gorgeous)

"No...I'm not." she said.

"Oh...I'm sorry...Just came by to say "hi" and thanks for helping me wrap up that case." I said.

"Just doing our job ADA....You talk to your girl?" she asked.

"Carlotta?" I asked, knowing that that was who she was talking about. Actually, I hadn't seen or heard from Detective Rodriguez since the case was broken.

"No..haven't seen her." I said.

''Well...Here's your chance...I'm going to the ladies room...If you're not here when I get back..I'll understand." she said and winked as she got up.  Lawd today, Robert Foxworth was crazy for losing a fine woman like Sissy, I thought as I watched her walk away...I turned around to see Carlotta!

"Hello Keith!" she said.  Oh My God, this woman was fine....I thought to myself.


"It's Keith now , huh?" I said trying to sound cool.

"The case is over and we aren't at work. I thought I would have heard from you before now." she said.

"Yeah, that's right. I uh, I meant to call you or stop by the office, but I didn't know if it was right or if you, you know, uh..er..." I said.

"Listen ,I don't like to play around and I don't like to play games." she said.

"Yes, I know that." I said.

"Let's walk outside .Talk...I feel like you have something you might want to say to me." she said.

"You do? , uh Yeah..I do..Shoulda told you this a long time ago." I said.

She smiled...I was disarmed completely...She knew it too!

"What about Sissy's drink?" I said.

"Who is going to bother the drink that belongs to the Lieutenant of Philadelphia Homicide?" she asked.

"You uh got a point." I said.

 We walked out to the parking lot...

"Keith ,do you have any other girlfriends?" she asked.

''Wow, you get right to the point ,don't you?" I said.

''That's my job."she said.  She was in tough detective mode now.

"No....I mean have dated a few women here and there, but nobody special...I've been pretty much married to my work as have you." I said.

''Sissy told me."  she said..."I just wanted to hear it from you." she said.

"Sissy told you? You've been talking to Sissy about me?" I asked ,laughing.

"And you've been talking to her about me." she said.

"You're good Detective..You're damn good." I said.

"So..what do you want Keith?...Do you want to be my boyfriend or do you just want to sleep with me?" she asked.

"I think you know what I want Carlotta. You know that I'm not shallow like that...You have to believe me Carlotta...I don't know anything about your past...I don't know how many guys tried to hit on you...I don't know if you've been hurt before,but I'm not like that...I'll prove  it to you if you let me....." I said.

"Everybody's been hurt before Keith and if they haven't...Then they should be. Cops try to hit on me all the time..Perps even try to hit on me...But there was one guy!!Not a cop ,but the one guy I was a little attracted to and it turns out he is married and I would never deal with a married man." she said.

"Who is this married guy?" I asked.

"Nobody you need to concern yourself with...He's a good guy, a decent guy and he really loves his wife..I only thought about him for a minute..We never so much as had a conversation about it...I wouldn't." she said.

I hung my head...

"Oh.So I guess I'm plan B huh?" I said.

"Play your cards right and you're Plan A." she said softly...

"I'm a good card player." I said.  "I want you...I'm tired of playing games too...Ever since I first laid eyes on you, your first day at Special Victims Unit...I've wanted you...And I know we can't be all out in the open with what we are doing but-" I said before she interrupted me...

"You had me at you're a good card player." she said...and she kissed me...slowly and softly......

"Damn, that's good." I said.

"You like that huh?" she said..

"Ummmm, you know I do." I said.

"I like it too." she said.

We kissed again...

We walked over to her car and got in and closed the doors and made out like two teenagers for a few minutes.

Carlotta fixed her hair and tried to straighten out my shirt and suit jacket...She smiled...

"I suppose we'd better go back inside before we are missed." she said.

"Yeah, uh...that's a good idea." I said.

"So you want to try something? You know...Start a little  slow?" she said.

"Yeah...Yes...That would be nice...Let's start a little slow and see where this leads." I say..

"Okayyyyy, soo you are like my boyfriend now..." she said and smiled..

"Yeah...I like the way that sounds." I said.

She smiled  sweetly ....

When we returned to Josies, holding hands...Sissy was back, sitting at her table and smiling when she saw us...

"So ,I see you two ran into each other?" she said.

"Uh yeah...We were out in the parking lot..uh talking...talking about the case and some new assignments." I lied.

Sissy cracked up laughing...She slapped her thigh....

"Oh really huh?  Carlotta...I meant to tell you...Your transfer came through...You're officially a Homicide detective now....So is Detective Tyriq  Pile and Detective  ''Duke" Baylor ,who worked with me before is back!!....I've finally got some horses now..Some top notch investigators who can actually close cases.." she said.

"That's great! I mean uh, good for your unit! ,I got another guy who is scheduled to come over soon too.Real smart cat." I said... Sissy cracked up laughing and shook her head.

Carlotta held her head down...She didn't want me to see that she was laughing too.

Sissy looked at me....

"You might want to wipe Carlotta's lip stick off of your collar...Not a good look for you." she said. "Must have been some conversation." she laughed.

"No grass grows under your feet does it Sissy?" I said dryly...

"I've been doing this too long." she said.  "Be good to my girl Keith...She's my best detective." she said.

Carlotta beamed. Then she whispered to me...

"It just occurred to me Keith that I've never seen your apartment." she said.

"Huh??" I said.

"If you think that kiss was something... I've got some other tricks playboy, that you aint never seen." she said.

My eyes got as big as saucers...

Sissy smiled at us both.....

"Don't hurt him chica!" she laughed.

"I won't boss lady." she said.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! I thought... Hurt me baby!