God Only Knows

The day began with an anonymous call....Always anonymous...This was after all Philadelphia....

We were led to a church in Northeast Philadelphia...where to our horror, we found the
body of Nikolai Notchios...better known as "Nick", lying on the sidewalk in front of the church with a huge hole in his head and a pool of dried blood beside him and running into the street....

He had been shot in the face with a .38 smokeless....It left a huge hole...His eyes were wide open...He looked stunned...He apparently never saw it coming...

"Wow...Our boy isn't playing is he?" I said to no one in particular......

Detective Barlow, Detective Pile and several uniform and plain clothes policemen surrounded the scene and examined the area...

"We canvassed the neighborhood...Nobody saw or heard anything." said Detective
Barlow...

"Of course not." I said...

Sissy's car drove up....She and Carlotta got out of the car and walked over to us...

"Is that Nick?" she asked.

"Yup" I said.

"Guess that destroys our whole case huh?" asked Detective Pile...

"One aspect of it...Call Vice and Licensce and Inspections....I want that bar shut down and that hotel raided." said Sissy...She wasn't playing...

I pulled her to the side...

"What about Leonid?" I asked.

"We are still hunting him....Marina is with Serena...where-ever Kevin has them holed up...Bruno is in a Federal Facility in New Jersey.....I don't want any chance for any slip ups..." said Sissy...

I walked over to Carlotta....She was sipping a tumbler of coffee....

"No coffee for me?" I asked playfully...

"No, but I can give you some sugar!" she laughed playfully...

"Ummmm, I think I like that better." I laughed...

"I hate to break up such a tender moment kids...but there's a killer loose on my streets and he's already killed twice...I need to get him before he kills again." she said, and then smiled.

"We are on it Boss lady." said Carlotta.

II-

Led by Detectives Barlow and Pile, The Philadelphia Police Vice division and Licensce and Inspections raided the Hotel....Close to 50 young Russian or East European girls were arrested..as well as the Madamn and 12 employees.....

The Little Norway Bar was also raided and all seven of it's employees were arrested.
Several perspective "johns " were also taken into custody....One of them was Black Millionaire socialite ,Rollie Rollerson...

I just happened to be there with Sissy ,when he was brought out of the "Little Norway" Bar...

"Sissy...this is all a mistake..I-I-I-I was just in here having a friendly glass of wine with a business associate of mines...I wasn't..I wasn't in here looking for a woman...I HAD NO IDEA that this was a hooker bar." he said.

Sissy looked at him with more disdain and white hot hatred than I'd ever seen....

"What Rollie? Josie's is no longer any good for you??..You got to move further uptown and drink with the Russians?" she remarked...

"Sissy, I hang out all over the city, you know that!  I'm telling you, I was just having a drink." he said.

She ignored him, she looked at an officer...

"Cut him loose." she said.

"Thank you Sissy, thank you." he said.

"That's the last favor you'll be getting from me." she said.

''Sissy...you sure look good...I been thinkin about you...I can't think about nothin else..
Lawd Jesus you look good.I been dreamin about you..God Only knows I have..Can I call you?" he asked.

Sissy walked away...

"Sissy please...PLEASE!!!!WE CAN MAKE IT BABY..PLEASE,Just let me explain!" he begged as she walked off.

I laughed and shook my head...

III-

At Sissy's office, I met with her and Detective Carlotta Rodriguez....

"We got the Hotel and the Bar and both of it's owners are dead...That's most of our case right there....Our believed to be shooter is Leonid Putinsky....We got anything on his whereabouts?" I asked.

"Marina gave us an address of a hotel where he might be staying...We went there yesterday...We showed the manager a photo of him....Naturally, he didn't register under his real name...He apparently checked out a day before.." said Carlotta.

"So if he thinks his fiance is dead..He probably is on his way out of here....Thinking his work is done." I said.

"But if we put it out there that she's alive....He won't leave...I'm going to call Detective Barlow...Tell him to put it out amongst his street informants that Sirena is not only alive, but that she's staying with a Black man in West Philly." said Carlotta.

"What? But that's not true... We don't know where Kevin has her holed up and Bruno is not even in the city." I said.

Sissy smiled broadly....

Carlotta continued..."You know that and I know that, but Leonid doesn't...and dimes to doughnuts ....he'll show up loaded for bear." she said.

"That's why I love my chica....She's always right on the money." said Sissy..who hugged Carlotta..."Love this girl." she said...Carlotta beamed with pride and stuck her tongue out at me playfully!

"I learned a few tricks from hanging out with our favorite private detective, Kevin Morris." said Carlotta.

"That sounds like him too." said Sissy.

We all burst out into laughter.....I just hoped her gamble worked.

IV-

Sirena stood on the corner of the street....I stood with her...

"Don't worry Sirena....We've got you wired really good...We've got two sharp shooters and a plain clothes detective  stationed across the street. Lt. Van Buren and Detective Rodriguez are already already in the store,posing as customers....I'm going inside the store...When he shows up...Talk to him...Stall him...We are right here...We won't let anything happen to you,I give you my word." I said.

"I hope you are right." she said...

"It's going to be alright." I said.

I then went into the store and pretended I was buying something...

There was a parking lot across the street....It didn't take long for a tall dark figure to show up...He was lanky, about six feet even...and had a neatly shaved face...with no trace of hair...He wore a tan jacket and a black tam cap...

"Sirena...Sirena?? Is that you??? Oh My God...I have found you!!" he exclaimed...

"Leonid?? Leonid??" she exclaimed...

"Yes , it is me...I thought that Arkady had had you killed...I can't tell you how happy I was when I found out that you were in fact still alive..." he said...Tears were runing down his cheeks...

"Nick told me everything....You gave me to them..How could you?? For two years, two years I was forced to sleep with strange men for pay, I was taken to this strange land and held like a slave.." she spat...

"They made me do it...They made me...but I quit the police...I searched for you..I never stopped searching...When I met with Arkady and he told me that he had had you killed,I lost it...I poisoned him.....I was even angrier at his brother Nick...I shot him dead...I couldn't even talk to him." he said.

"You are too late...I can never forget what you did....I no go back." she said.

"What do you mean, you're not going back?" he exclaimed...

"I am in love with another...I am having his baby..." she said.

"What? You can't be serious " said Arkady....

"I am two months pregnant." she said. She was just starting to show....Leonid was astounded.

"Sirena, how could you? We were to be married!!" he said, in tears...

"You sold me into prostitution Arkady....WHO DOES THAT TO SOMEONE THEY SAY THEY LOVE?" she screamed...

"I had to do it...They had information on me that if made public would have gotten me thrown into prison...I had to do it..."he exclaimed...

"Arkady rape me on first night...Then his brother rape me, then they bring me here on ship and make me sleep with other men, strange men....and keep me a prisoner for two years...For two years ,I hear nothing from you..Man I meet here show me kindness, I have his baby!" she said..

"I'm so sorry...So Sorry Sirena....That's why I killed them both, that's why I quit police force and come to America....PLEASE!!!!WE CAN MAKE IT BABY..PLEASE,Just let me explain!" he said.

Sissy looked at Carlotta....

''Damn, all of these no good men say the same thing...I think they read from the same playbook." she said.

"Okayyyyy?" said Carlotta who high fived her... I just laughed....

"I can't live without you...I WON'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU." he screamed and he went for a pistol...

I yelled -"GUN"!!!  ,The two sharpshooters took aim and the plain clothes detective drew his weapon and prepared to move in....

To our horror, Leonid produced a pistol...stuck it in his mouth and pulled the trigger!!!

Carlotta ,Sissy and I and the two sharpshooters, we had ran out into the street...I grabbed  Sirena and covered her eyes...

"Oh My God....Oh My God..." exclaimed Carlotta...

The plain clothes detective went to his car and called an ambulance...A crowd of people descended on to the street corner...

Sissy looked shaken...she stared down at Leonid's fallen body...

"Cover This up." she said...

I just looked at her and shook my head...This indeed closed the case. Not how we expected!

I grabbed Sissy...

"Sissy, you alright?" I asked... She looked at me and smiled...

"I'm going to be alright I suppose.....Go see about your girl...I'll tend to Sirena." she said.

Carlotta was weeping a bit...I had never seen her weep...A tough as nails Homicide Detective who had seen it all!! I was a bit surprised...

I hesitated at first...then I put my arm around her...

"It's okay Carlotta..." I said.

"No it's not...It'll never be okay...The day I get used to seeing this  crap is the day I'm gonna turn in my badge and do something else." she said in her thick spanish accent....and she held me tight...tighter than she ever had..

I looked over my shoulder....Sissy was walking Sirena over to a squad car..

"Keith?" said Carlotta..

"Yeah?" I said..

"Take me somewhere tonight...somewhere quiet...Let's get some coffee...and not talk about this case."she said.

"Sure...I know a place...I go there when I want to be alone...I'm sure it's open now.." I said.

"Then take me there." she said. "You're my man now...You have to take care of me." she said.

''Sure....That's what I'm here for." I said. I sure felt good hearing her say that!

She rubbed my hands softly again... Sissy came over to where we were standing...

"You two, take off....I'll write this up and clean it up.." she said.

We hesitated....

"Well, what are you waiting for? Merry Christmas." she said and kind of smiled... I smiled back...

Carlotta and I walked toward her car...I hadn't come in mine...

"Can I drive?" I asked...

She smiled, said nothing and softly placed her keys in my hands...New territory for her.



EPILOUGE:

Marina testified against the 19 operatives of Arkady and Nick's gang and most of them received up to 10 years in prison with the option to deport after their sentences are served...

36 of the young ladies taken into custody made arrangements to return to Russia and Eastern Europe...Many had not been to their homeland in close to a decade...Now their nightmare was over...

Marina and 14 of the women surprisingly chose to stay in the United States and work on getting their citizenship...They felt that they had little or nothing to return to...

Richard "Bruno" Jefferson and Sirena got married... They had a traditional church wedding.....aS TRADITIONAL AS THEY COULD HAVE IT!

Eddie C. ,Kevin Morris, Clerow, Detective Pile and Detective Barlow served as groomsmen... While yours truly was his best man....

Sissy, Kevin's wife,Sepia, Clerow's wife, Corabeth and Detective Pile's wife, whose name was also Sirena...Detective Sirena Harris-Pile of Special Investigations were bridesmaids and Carlotta was the maid of honor...

Deacons Larry Weatherford and Basil Robinson and Marina were the witnesses.. Pastor Struthers married them in his church...

They chose to stay in Philadelphia....while Marina works on getting her citizenship....

Funny thing about love,Love was something...Here was a stone cold gangster, Bruno Jefferson,responsible for God only knows how much mayhem and here he was reduced to mush by the woman he had fallen in love with.... There was something to say for that... Here he was reformed and somewhat redeemed... There was something to say for that too.

Carlotta saw me as I stood outside the church and watched the happy couple drive off... She had a tumbler of coffee..

"Hey where did you get that from?" I asked...

"Rollie Rollerson!" she said.

"Rollie Rollerson? He was at the wedding?" I asked.

"Yeah...Bruno invited him...He said the two got very close...and that Rollie was one of his most frequent customers.." she laughed...

"He bought you coffee to uh butter you up I suppose?" I said with a smile..

"Yeah..He got me to promise him not to reveal any of that to Sissy..Told Bruno to keep his mouth shut about it too." she said and laughed...

"He should have brought me some coffee."I joked...

"Why,  he knows the effect I kind of have on you..and uh he just figured if I was persuasive, that maybe you wouldn't say anything. " she laughed...

''Depends on what you call being persuasive" I said slyly...

"Oh, I think I can think of lots of fun things tonight.." she said and winked... Lawd jesus this woman was sexy...

"Well.....then mums the word..." I laughed... and Carlotta and I stood on the curb just laughing and talking for a long while...