ADA Keith Wallace and I sat in his car...It was 6:30 am...It was a lonely side road , right off of the interstate.
"You're certain one of the trucks headed for the warehouse is coming this way?" he asked. Unlike Sissy, he hadn't learned to completely trust my instincts without question, despite the many good cases I had given his detectives..It was okay..He would learn in time.
"Yeah man...My associates and I have been watching the warehouse for a couple of days...We couldn't get inside, but we definitely saw a pattern ....same trucks going out, same trucks coming in...With mannequins that are delivered to Lady Chatterlies and another Lingerie store...We put GPS tracking devices on several of the trucks..." I said.
"I'm getting a beaping sound...a signal." said ADA Keith Wallace...
"That's the truck...One of em.." I said.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Have your guys stop the truck, make the bust....and let my guys take over the drivers spot...It's the only way we can get inside that warehouse..."I said.
"So we are going to replace the dope with baking soda filled baggies right?" he said.
"Right....Can you keep the bust out of the papers?" I asked.
"For about 48 hours..." he said.
"That's all I need...Thanks..." I said.
ADA Wallace got on his cell phone..
"Okay, Detective Pile, Detective Barlow...Take the truck." he said.
Detective Pile and Detective Barlow drove their cars in front of the truck forcing it to screech to a halt...Several Philadelphia Police cars drove along the side of the truck. Several Uniformed policemen weilding shotguns and glocks rushed the truck... Detective Jimmy Barlow used a bullhorn...
"Come out of the truck with your hands up!" he said...
Detective Tyriq Pile, several investigators and about twelve uniformed policemen grabbed three men ,who surrendered without a fight...
"Okay boys...get those hands up." he said as they were read their rights and handcuffed...
The policemen opened up all of the mannequins....
"Jackpot...look at this?" said one...
"Whoaaa Nelly...what is this?" said another policemen...
All of the mannequins will loaded to the gip with Heroin...Pure uncut Cocaine, Meth and other illegal drugs...
"We got a warehouse here Detective!" exclaimed another cop...
ADA Keith Wallace, Detective Jimmy Barlow and Detective Tyriq Pile walked over to me, they were all smiles..
"Man ,this is the bust of the century..." said Detective Pile...
"Now I know why Sissy trusts you...Why she has mad love for you..You're always on the money." said a smiling Keith Wallace.. "Carlotta loves you too." he added.
"I'd say he's a lucky man." said Detective Tyriq Pile...
" I know these three...They're local punks..." said Detective Jimmy Barlow.
"Okay, replace the real dope with the fake baggies of baking soda, pancake mix and candy tablets..." I said.
Several policemen did just that...
"What's your next move Kevin?" asked Detective Pile...
"Three of my guys are going to drive that truck back to that warehouse...It's the only way we can get inside and bug it." I said.
"I'm not hearing this." said ADA Keith Wallace with a wry smile...
"Okay, you didn't hear it.." I said laughing...
They shook my hand...
"Thanks for this bust Kevin...Good luck man..Remember , after 48 hours...I've got to release this information to the public.." he said.
"Don't worry.." I said.
"I always worry." said ADA Wallace.
"You're sounding more like Sissy everyday." I laughed.
He smiled.
II-
Kool Kat ,Owen Todd and Lockpick Johnson took over the truck....Clerow and I followed in a rental car...
They drove back to the warehouse... Peeping Tom and Sean Jackson were waiting for me on a side street around the corner from the warehouse...
"How did everything go?" asked Sean Jackson..
"Like a charm...The cops popped three guys and got enough dope and coke to supply the entire Deleware Valley." I said.
"We have good news for you Kev." said Peeping Tom..
"What's that?" I asked.
"We got inside...We posed as UPS drivers..Me and Sean...We noticed that they get deliveries from UPS all the time... We took over a UPS truck..." said Sean.
"You what?" I asked.
"Relax Kevin...We duked the guy a few bucks, changed our clothes..He had an extra uniform..We dressed up as UPS drivers and got inside and delivered their packages.. I was able to place some micro cameras and some bugs in key areas..." said Peeping Tom.
I shook my head..
"You guys are incredible.." I said.
III-
Sean Jackson ,Peeping Tom and I listened to and watched a live feed from inside the Warehouse....
David Cord was about six feet tall, thin and immaculately dressed....He had a pencil thin mustache...He looked like a church deacon...
He got a look at Kool Kat, Owen Todd and Lockpick Johnson and was immediately suspicious..
"Who the hell are you..Where is Johnny Boy, Billy and Tony?" he asked.
"Hey look, I don't know nothin bout no Johnny or whoever...All I knows is we got your dolls and they are full of junk...Now you tell me where you want this crap delivered and it's a done deal...Pay me and my guys and we straight." he said.
"You New York boys huh?" he asked.
"Yeah, we whatever you want us to be..." said Kool Kat.
"Carlo...Check the truck." he said.
Carlo was Carlo Tucker...a low level thug I had dealt with before...He knew me...but he didn't know Owen Todd, Lockpick Johnson or Kool Kat. He checked the dolls and found the fake drugs we had planted on them.
"Alright...No mix ups....Here are the routes." said Cord and he handed Kool Kat a list of two stores to deliver the mannequins..
While Kool Kat was talking...Lockpick Johnson had slipped into David Cord's office and placed a bug in his phone and a micro-camera in a discreet place it wouldn't be noticed...Then he went to the restroom ,which was two doors down.
Lockpick nodded..Kool Kat and Owen got in the truck with him and pulled off...
David Cord called another man in...
"Yo Tuck..Follow those three in that truck...I don't know em and I don't trust em...Somethin aint right here..Once they make their deliveries..See where they go..Keep me up on em." he said.
"I'm on it boss." he said.
I had figured on this...Kool Kat , Owen Todd and Lockpick Johnson delivered the mannequins to Lady Chatterlies and another lingerie store called Simply Underwear...They played it straight...They drove back, got their pay and were told by Cord that he would keep in touch with them if he needed them again...They left the truck and went to one car...A rental.. Tuck was still following them...
"Clerow...I just made a call....It's time to retire Tuck..What you think?" I said.
"Yeah Boss, he's outlived his usefullness." he said, smiling that toothy grin...
We cut his car off, giving Kool Kat, Owen Todd and Lockpick Johnson time to make their escape.
Clerow got out of the car and aimed his .45 at Tuck...I got out and aimed my .38 smokeless at him...
"Who the hell are you?" he asked.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Don't matter, you both gone be dead in a minute." he sneered.
He reached in his glove compartment and pulled out a .38.....but just as he was getting ready to fire...I heard a very familiar voice..
"I'll bet that gun isn't registered is it papi?" came the unmistakably beautiful voice of Detective Carlotta Rodriguez...
She had two uniformed policemen with her....She took the gun...the registration number had been filed off...
"Ohhhh look..a throwdown gun...What other toys do you have?" she said and she went under the front seat and pulled out another pistol with a filed off registration.
"My My Myyyyyy....another toy?" she said.... "Take him...book him." she said to a uniformed officer who had a shotgun leveled at Tuck!
The two uniformed officers pulled Tuck out of his car and handcufed him, read him his rights and took him to the paddy wagon....
Carlotta smiled at me..
"I hope one of these guns is my murder weapon.." she said.
"Could be...I hope so...I just needed him out the way." I said.
Clerow walked over to the car..Carlotta whispered to me....
"What's goin on Kevin?" she asked... "Talk to me papi."
"These guys bring the drugs in...They're smart enough not to keep em in a warehouse...They hide em in lingerie stores...They take their orders from the warehouse and when the time is right...Their drivers remove the mannequins and deliver them to the buyers....I know this..I been following these guys..." I said.
"Well those guys that got popped this morning and this guy here are going to be calling for lawyers soon...And I'm aware of the little scam you pulled...I gotta admit..it's sweet...but Cord will find out he's been hoodwinked Kevin and he'll just change it up...that's all...and you don't know him..He's a blood thirsty killer...He'll take this personally.If he even gets an inkling you set him up..He'll kill you and everyone close to you...That's how he is." she said.
"You know him?" I asked.
"I busted him two years ago when I was detailed to narcotics...Had an eye witness too...My witness was found beheaded...No clues as to who did it...My case against him fell apart...." she said.
I hugged Carlotta..She returned my embrace...
"You and Sissy worry about me...I've danced with his type..I've danced with people a whole lot worse..Don't get soft on me Carlotta...We do what we do...It's the life we chose." I said.
She was tearing up a bit..."It's just...you're my friend now..not just some gumshoe.....I don't want anything to happen to you." she said.
"Never imagined you'd ever do that..in front of me." I said and smiled.
"Promise not to tell anybody." she said and smiled...She regained her composure...
"Glad to know I'm more than just some gumshoe to you. Your secret is safe with me...Little sister." I said.
"Yeah...I've dealt with private investigators before....You're the only one I've ever liked...and the only one I trust...Most of the ones I know are bitter ex-cops." she said.
"Well see, there you have it...I've never been a Philadelphia Policeman." I said laughing...
"You used to be an NCIS investigator in the military," she said with a smile.
"Still not a cop." I said.
"You're right..." she said and hugged me again....
" All this hugging and people might think we are in love or something ." I said.
"You are so crazy Kevin." she said punching my arm and laughing...."Be Easy." she finally said.
"Always Carlotta,Always." I said.
I saw Carlotta smiling as Clerow and I pulled off.
IV-
"Kevin...I think you ought to hear this." he said and he played me a feed recorded earlier in the day.
It was David Cord.
"I just got a call from New York...They said Johnny Boy, Tony and Billy made that pick up." he said.
"Oh yeah, well who was those three clowns that you paid today?" came the voice of Carlo Tucker.
"I don't know.." said David Cord.
"Hey man...We've been compromised...Our stash went missin, we had to get more stash...and now three of our guys is missin too and how come we aint heard from Tuck?" asked Carlo...
"Hmmmm something aint right...It just isn't right...Who was them three guys??" he said.
"Mannn, I got a feelin..." said Carlo....
"Cops?" asked David Cord..
"Nah...if it was cops , they woulda shut this whole thing down...This smells like a neighborhood guy..A private investigator I know who likes to dip his nose where it don't belong....I've dealt with him before...His name is Kevin...Kevin Morris...I didn't see him...but he has guys that work with him...
"Man, I'm already gettin calls about late shipments." said David Cord.
"We gotta nip it in the bud..." said Carlo...
"Private eye eh..?" said David Cord...
They had no idea we could see them as well as hear them... He motioned for Carlo to be quiet...
They had figured they were being bugged in the warehouse....He said...
"We move the mannequins out of both places tomorrow at midnight...Two trucks...." he said.
"Bet" said Carlo...
Then he motioned for Carlo to meet him outside... They left the warehouse and they got inside David Cord's car....What they didn't know is that we had bugged his car also.
"Get some mechanics...Place em at both places...When this Kevin and his partners show up, kill em all." said David Cord...
"I'm on it." he said.
"You know him...He got any family..close friends??" he asked.
"He's got a pretty wife...I don't know where she works, but I can find out." he said.
"You do that..I've got some amusing things I want to do to her...heh,heh,heh..." laughed David Cord..
"How bout that broad...that Bridget broad at the lingerie store??" he asked.
"She was asking too many questions...She might have been the one that brought Kevin in on us in the first place...This sounds like his kind of action...See, he is working for her..he won't talk to the cops until he has just enough, just enough to bust the whole thing.I had a cousin, Raif Collins...He killed him and got my other cousin locked up...I hate him." said Carlo Tucker..
"Okay...Then she goes too..Her and his wife...If we don't nab him at midnight...that will definitely smoke him out." said David Cord.
(Click)
I looked at Peeping Tom....
"We got a smart one here huh?" I laughed.
"Yeah...I've heard of this Cord...He's ruthless...." said Peeping Tom.
"Apparently." I mused.
"What are you gonna do?" asked Tom.
"I'm going to get Bridget and Sepia and get them to safety....Then me and Carlo Tucker are going to have a long talk..." I said.
"I can imagine that conversation." laughed Peeping Tom.
(TO BE CONTINUED...)
2 comments:
This is gettin good!
Intriguing as usual!
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