Rat Trap

 

Carlotta and Angie went to their homes that night....After kissing me like that and getting me all charged up, Carlotta whispered to me...

"It's been a long day and a long night....I think I'm going to my place tonight and get some real sleep." she said.

"Okay .  Will I see you tomorrow?"  I asked.

"Of course you will." she said and smiled and got in her car and pulled off!

I pouted a little bit...I could have asked her if I could come with...but I didn't...She knew and I knew that try our best ,neither of us would have gotten any sleep.  I always gave her her space and I think she appreciated that...Which is why I was always compensated handsomely when we did meet.

Sissy was surveying the entire thing....She looked at me as though she felt sorry for me.

"Come on counselor, let's get some coffee." she said.

Sissy and I drove to a coffee shop in the area that still happened to be open...

We sat and talked and had two steaming tumblers of coffee...

"You're very quiet tonight counselor." she said.

"Tired" I said.

"Now you know how a cop feels." she smiled.

"Yeah, I do." I laughed.

"The FBI let us hold their "Trigger Fish " machine......Armed with that and the co-operation of Sentterro's wireless provider...We are going to hear some pretty interesting conversations tomorrow....We got enough to put ADA Foster away for a long time." she said.

"What about Sentterro?" I asked.  Sissy laughed....

"Of course we got him.....We could arrest him right now from we have tonight...but I know you Keith, you want to play a bigger hand...You gave him the short con.....You want to play the long con.." she said.

"You know me so well counselor....I do have one more move to make...A move that will snag both rats." I said.

Sissy laughed...

"Okay...so we got that out of the way...Tell me what's really on your mind?" she asked.

Sissy was not only a great detective, but a great reader of human beings...which made her a great detective!

"I was thinkin....What do you think Carlotta would say if I asked her to move in with me?" I asked.

"Whoa partner...you're movin kind of fast...you two haven't been dating that long.....Wowwww ,she is really putting it on you....Got your nose so wide open you could drive a truck through it..." laughed Sissy.

"Yeah, it was a dumb idea..." I said and laughed.  "It's way too soon."

"Ahhh, you got hers open just as wide...She's just not as obvious  as you...but lately with all this PDA...I don't know." she mused and then laughed..."I think she felt a little insecure about Angie and the way Angie was checking you out...That kiss was kind of like her marking her territory." laughed Sissy...

"She doesn't have to do  that and Yeah...we should cool the PDA out." I said.  Sissy smiled and waved my last statement off...

"I'll let you in on a secret...Eddie C. asked to move in with me...I told him not unless he was ready to put a ring on my finger....That quieted that down...I told him I wasn't going anywhere...but that I don't personally like to live with a man I'm not married to." she said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right...and I mean,it's not like Carlotta is going anywhere, right?" I asked.

"You're worried that she is aren't you? Or that she could? Mickey Lolo was a very long time ago Keith...She told me about him and her...She told me that he still had a thing for her and that he'd volunteer information on certain individuals of interest from time to time to win her favor, but that she wasn't even entertaining the idea of being with him again....And Natividad Diaz?? She considers him a joke..... I'll tell you who she does like...a whole lot..Talks about him everyday and smiles everytime his name is mentioned..........YOU!  She really ,really likes you...She blushes when your name is mentioned...All the cops tease her,Tyriq,Jimmy,Duke, me too sometimes!....Because we all know how tough and no nonsense Carlotta is on the street, on the job,otherwise....but when your name is mentioned, she wilts....." said Sissy...."You're the only kink in her armour...You're good for her...she's different when you're around...Even Eddie C. noticed that." she continued.

I sipped my coffee...It was hard for me to hide a smile..

"Yall two are sooo cute...So don't worry...You hear me?" said Sissy and gently stroked my hand....She tossed a couple of dollars on the table and got up...

"Go Home counselor, get some sleep." she said.

"Where you goin? Home?"I asked....looking at her slyly and smiling..

"No...I'm goin over Eddie C.'s house... It's been a week..A girl needs to get hers...Aint no need in everybody goin home frustrated." she laughed and winked.

I smiled..." You're a bad girl Lieutenant" I said.

"I thought you knew that." she said and waved to me...

I got in my car and drove to my  spot.... I closed the door and stumbled into my bedroom and there to my surprise was Carlotta!!!   Sound Asleep!!!  I kissed her on the cheek...She woke up..smiled at me and then rolled back over....I took my clothes off and got in the bed and went to sleep next to her...Tried to anyway! I was too aroused and excited to sleep, but I knew she was exhausted...I wasn't about to wake her up...

II-

The next day at work, who would I run into but ADA Soloman Foster....

''Heyyy Keith, my man...what's goin on?" he said.

"I hear you got it goin on....Went out with Detective Belton last night eh?" I said egging him on...

"Yeah man...Took her to Bottom of The C. Dollar Bills joint." he said.

"Ohhhhh, fancy eh?" I laughed.

"Say man, what do you know about her?" he asked..

"I don't know her...She used to be one of Sissy's detectives before she went to Internal Affairs.." I said.

"Guess you glad you and Sissy and the gang got cleared huh, glad that's over right?" he said.

"Yeah man...because now we can turn our attention back on Minolo Sennterro." I said.

"Why yall got such a hard on for him all of a sudden?  I'm just askin." he said as we walked down the hall.

"I've been tryin to put him away for years...and that letter that Mickey Lolo sent just got me energized."I said.

"Mickey Lolo couldn't have sent that letter...He was already dead man!" said Soloman.

"Oh? How do you know that?  He might still be alive and hiding somewhere" I said.

"I uh seriously doubt that! Ohh...Oh...Ohhh...I-I-I mean look...From the way the letter read...You all weren't supposed to even get that letter unless he didn't arrive somewhere at a certain time...So I mean, Somebody else had to deliver that letter." he said.

''No grass grows under your feet Sol...So listen. Keep this under your hat...I mean, don't tell a soul you hear?" I said.

"Hey man, this is me, your boy?? Me ,you and Robert Foxworth were the three Muskateers remember?" he said.

"We got a mole...a mole in the Sentterro organization....Buried so deep that the feds don't even know about this person...I'm supposed to meet with him at Penns Landing today...He's going to tell me who the person is inside the police department who is selling information to Sentterro....He's the guy that delivered the letter." I said.

"WHATTTT???" he said, looking a little nervous.

"I got to know, because we got the Book keeper, The Accountant and The Hacker holed up at Baileys on the 5th floor, room 508...If that information gets to Sentterro and they get to these guys...our whole case against him is blown...I mean kaput...We got nothin...I'd have to start from the drawing board." I said.

"Damn man, this is big."said Soloman.

"Yeah...I shouldn't even be talking about this to anybody, but I figure I can tell you...I mean if I can't trust you, who can I trust right?" I laughed..

"Yeah man, right." he laughed.

"Oh yeah Holmes....Dont think I'm gone let you get out of here without askin you about your date...How did it go...Did you hit that man?" I asked.

"Mannnn you know me...I dropped about two, three hunnard dollars on the broad...She ate Lobster man, first date, she eatin Lobster...I went back to her place and wore her out...Did the damn thanggg..Man, I had the babe screamin...Neighbors know my name now....She been texting me all mornin...You know how I roll baby!!..heh heh heh.." he laughed.

I laughed and gave him dap....

"I do now anyway." I said as I walked away...

Detective Tyriq Pile met me after ADA Soloman walked away...

"Long Con right ?" he said.

"Yeah baby...Last night he got the short con...Today...The long con.." I said.

III-

Detective Pile and I joined Detective Jimmy Barlow and Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor in the squad room, we were listening to a conversation pulled off of Minolo Sentterro's phone...

"Hello , Minolo..This is me man." said ADA Soloman Foster.

"You got something good to tell me?  The cops hit my warehouse last night....This has set me back big time...Several drug organizations buy from me...I'm out of business...You better be able to tell me something." said Manolo Sentterro.

"You got problems...We got problems...Somebody ,somebody close to you is a rat man...I got it from the horses mouth that somebody in your organization was not only down with the late Mickey Lolo, but also playin both ends of the field...and they about to tell Keith Wallace about me and you...." said Soloman.

"WHAT??? Impossible...Nobody close to me would dare talk to the cops...They know what that could mean." said Sentterro.

''Wallace has a meet with him at noon at Penns Landing..Also...they're holding your boys at Baileys, room 508." said Soloman.

"Good...I'll send a couple of mechanics over there to handle that situation...As for this rat...I want to see him myself..." said Manolo..

"Minolo, don't be crazy..Let me take care of it." said Soloman...

"No...I take care of this myself....I want to see the rat who betrayed me...I'll kill the rat ,I'll cut his heart out." screamed Manolo..

I smiled.....I looked at the Detectives....

"We got him now!" I said.

Detective Pile and Detective Barlow high fived each other...

Duke Baylor smiled weakly...

"Never would have imagined Soloman to be a  rat...And he set me up on top of that!!! Damn, that's cold man." he said.

IV-

I walked along Penns Landing....I was wearing a white trenchcoat and dark sunglasses....I had a tumbler of coffee with me...Under my trenchcoat was a kevlar vest and trauma plate...I didn't want to wear it, but Carlotta and Sissy insisted...I was also wearing a very powerful wire...I had a small ear peice on ,so that I could hear the observations of those who were watching me...

"It's showtime baby...Soloman Foster has just driven up." said Duke..

"Keith...Minolo Sentterro and two of his goons have just driven up....They're in the parking lot" said Sissy..

''Everybody in place?" I asked.

"We are...just be easy." said Sissy.

"Always ...Let's do this by the numbers...Take this whole Crew down." I said.

I walked down the Boardwalk area....Past the people and past the restaraunts....It wasn't long before Sentterro and his two goons and ADA Soloman Foster followed...I ducked behind an old rust boat...I had hoped that I'd lost them....

"ADA Foster" said Minolo..

"Yeah man?" he said.

"Did you know that my two guys went to Baileys,like you told me and that cops were waiting there...There was a short shootout and two of my best guys are dead?" he asked.

"Huh?? What?" he said.

"It has occurred to me that YOU may be the mole that Wallace was talking about." he said.

"ME? Huh?? Aww come on man, what you talkin about?  I been feedin you good information for years..For two years now...and it's always been on the money...I would never betray you." said ADA Foster.

"Oh I know you wouldn't...Long as we've been friends and associates..I know you wouldn't..Not on purpose...I think they have figured out that you were my source and so they've been playin you." he said.

"Naw...Naw..I got my information from a good source....The girl that's investigating them and Wallace himself." he said.

"You got played and last night I lost my warehouse...Cost me millions in lost revenue..They have three people in custody who could put me in jail...I don't know where they got em stashed now, I got two good men dead.....They're either keeping you out of the loop or feeding you false information  and watching you. You sir have outlived your usefulness...It's not personal Soloman, just business, you know I love you baby...but I can no longer afford you." he said and pulled out a gun with a silencer on it!!

"Heyyyy man, Minolo, Minolo noooooooo!" he screamed ..Minolo Sentterro pulled out his gun and was about to shoot ADA Soloman!!!!!

I should have let him, but I couldn't....

"DROP EM YOU RAT...IT's ALL OVER BABY BLUE!" I yelled as I leaped out from behind the boat with my .38 smokeless...It was aimed at Minolo's head...

"I won't miss from this range...give it up rat." I said, more to irk him than to dissuade him.

"Don't just stand there..shoot that wing tipped cockroach!" shouted Minolo to his two goons...

"Don't even think about it....drop your weapons." came the voice of Detective Carlotta Rodriguez...

Carlotta leaped out from behind a building with a riot pump shotgun, She aimed it at the first man, who rethought the idea of challenging her at such close range and dropped his weapon and put his hands up in the air. 

''Carlotta, you're one tough broad baby....you with that shotgun is really turning me on." said Minolo, who suddenly found the whole thing very funny...

"I guess I should be flattered." said Carlotta sarcastically.

Detective Tyriq Pile and Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor aimed their glocks at the second armed man who dropped his weapon immediately and tossed his hands up in the air..

Minolo tossed his gun away also...and turned to both sides...Tyriq Pile, Edwin "Duke "Baylor ,Myself and Carlotta had him covered.

"Crusading ADA captures Minolo "The King" Sentterro..Is that what the newspapers will say tomorrow ???.I just made your career punk!" he sighed and spat and angrily stomped his foot..

Lt. Sissy Van Buren, FBI Special Agent Frank Cotton and Detective Jimmy Barlow got out of a parked car with guns drawn!  Minolo Sentterro sighed and raised his hands up in the air...He was no fool!

Sissy smiled...She tossed the cuffs to Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor....

"The honor goes to you Detective." she said.

"Thank you Sissy, Thanks for believing in me." he said as he cuffed Minolo...

"Never had a doubt and that's Lieutenant when we are in public." she said with a playful wink and a smile..

"Sorry Lou." said Detective Baylor.

"I'm just messin with you Duke!" said Sissy.

"Minolo...Minolo baby...Been waitin a longg time for you." said FBI Special Agent Frank Cotton, who was joined by about 6 FBI agents...

Detective Barlow and Detective Pile handcuffed the other two men, read them their rights and marched them off to the squad car...

I walked over to Minolo and smiled..

"Go on..Go and gloat." he snarled.

"I told you I was gonna take you down and I did.... The Feds have your accountant and your book keeper and the hacker and forger you hired...the FBI arrested 38 of your closest "business associates " this morning and We've flushed out Judges,Cops and Politicians on your payroll...So for you...it's a wrap...You're not King of the world, You're not the king of anything anymore." I said.

"You're still a punk though, A Punk in a cheap suit with a law degree...That will never change...Once again, you got lucky, that's all." he snapped.

"Is that how you'll rationalize it ? I'm a  punk that out thought you  and a punk that has a fine ass girlfriend who he loves.... and a punk that put you on the spot you rat." I said.

"HAH!  Love!  You don't know what love is...you're still wet behind the ears.. Carlotta got you whipped... You think you love her...You can't handle her." he spat.

"But I am, you rat...and besides...What do you care? Love, women, sex...aint gonna be somethin that concerns you for a long time....If you ever get out of prison...You won't be able to remember how to do it....And just think...This punk did that to you!" I sneered at him.

That was all he could take...he went berserk after that...I guess the reality of his situation hit him!!!

"WHYYYYY YOUUUUUUUUU...I'LL CUT YOUR THROAT...GIVE ME A MINUTE...I'LL CUT YOUR DAMNN HEART OUT!!!!  YOU'RE NOTHIN....NOBODY!!!!!....I'LL CUT YOUR THROATTT!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I CAN NOT GO TO JAIL... YOU ARE NOBODY!!!  YOU'RE A PUNK IN A CHEAP SUIT....YOU GOT LUCKY!!!!ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!  I DON'T BELIEVE IT...I'M GOING TO JAIL!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ???AAAARGHHHHHHH!!" he screamed as a couple of uniforms took him, yelling and cursing and screaming to the paddy wagon!

Carlotta came over to me....she put her arm around me...

"Gee, he took that worse than I thought he would....He might need an antacid,Maybe a laxative too!" she said.

Sissy,Agent Cotton, Tyriq, Jimmy, Duke and I and a few uniforms all broke into laughter....

ADA Soloman Foster stood there looking sheepishly at us....

"Phew...You guys got here in the nick of time.." he said.

Sissy didn't crack a smile....She glared angrily at him.....

"Huh?? What?? Sissy, Duke, It's not what it looks like...I was playin him...makin him think I was on his side until the right moment...I was undercover...deep undercover. Keith, you know me mannnnn, I-I-I ....ohhhhhh crap, you got me...Damn... I owed him money...So much money, it was the only way I could  work off my debt...I -I never meant for anybody to get hurt.... I swear...Sissy please... Baby..is there anyway yall can give me a break? Huh???" he said.

Sissy wouldn't  look at him!  Carlotta smiled and put handcuffs on him....

"I always thought I'd be doing this to some woman  in my bedroom." he sneered....

Carlotta laughed...

"I know...I know you did papi...but not today....Not today!!!." she said as two uniforms came, read him his rights and marched him off to a squad car!

EPILOUGE:

Minolo Sentterro was convicted of several counts of RICO conspiracy, Wire Fraud,Bribery, Money Laundering, Interstate travel in aid of racketeering, Possession of and conspiracy to deliver controlled substances and conspiracy to commit murder.
He was sentenced to a total of 75 years in the federal prison system and shipped to Texas...He's buried. Unfortunately , we didn't have enough evidence to try him on the numerous murders he was known to have committed...

ADA Soloman Foster was disbarred and convicted of conspiracy and aiding and abetting a felon and sentenced to five to ten years in state prison...With good behavior, he could be out in three years...He calls Detective Angie Belton from prison occassionally...She told Sissy that some times she takes his calls and talks to him...Imagine that!!!!

The body of Mickey Lolo has never been found!!...While his disapearence is still an open case..It is widely believed that he is dead.

*************************************************************

Carlotta and I lie in bed in my loft....

"Keith?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said today?" she asked.

"I guess Sissy told you huh?" I said.

"Told me what?" she asked.

"I was thinking about asking you to move in with me...but we talked and we agreed that that would be moving too fast, since we just started dating." I said.

"That would be moving too fast...and no Sissy didn't tell me that you talked about that." she said.

"Oh then uh what are you talking about?" I asked.

''What you told Minolo!" she said.

"Damn right...I do have a fine ass girlfriend...and he is a rat." I laughed.

"Noooooo silly, the part about you loving me?" she asked.

"I do love you Carlotta!!!!...I know it's too soon to say that but..." I said as she put her finger over my lip.

"I love you too!" she said.