So Mellow

"Man Keith, she is soooo mellow it's not funny." said Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor. he was talking of course about Dr. Hazel Hunter...The new Forensic Investigator who was working with Doc Gibbons and with us on this case.

It had been a week....The Detectives had been working this case hard...Sissy had called a briefing...She wanted a report...She called my office and asked me to sit in.

"She is quite a cutie pie." I said,speaking of Dr. Hunter.

"Man...I finally got myself together once we got outta that morgue and out to dinner.....She's kind of shy...I like that..."said Duke....

We were sitting in Sissy's office waiting for a briefing...

''Now I understood how you felt about Top.when you first met her." he said.

"Top? You mean Carlotta?" I asked laughing...

"Yeah, it's a pet name Tyriq and I have been calling her since she was a rookie detective...It's nothing obscene....She'll tell you the story one day....We love her...She's like our little sister."he assured me...I knew that.

Carlotta walked in the office just then, She kissed me on the cheek and passed me and Duke two tumblers of coffee and placed another tumbler of coffee on Sissy's desk...She sat in between us..

"We talked you up!...ADA was telling us how much he loves you." laughed Duke...

Carlotta laughed... ''He didn't say that...You were probably talking about how much you love Dr. Hunter."she said and laughed.

I shrugged my shoulders... "I didn't say a word Duke." I said.

"Sissy, Jimmy and Tyriq told me...if you must know...and a couple of uniforms." laughed Carlotta.

"I was that obvious huh?" he asked laughing sheepishly.

I busted out laughing....

"Pretty much..." said Carlotta..


II-

Sissy , Jimmy Barlow and Tyriq Pile entered the room...

Sissy shot Duke a sly look and smiled at him....

"You okay this morning Duke?" she asked.

"Yes mam." he said.

"Liar...you're as sprung as a spring chicken." laughed  Detective Jimmy Barlow who high fived Carlotta.

Detective Tyriq Pile entered the room and looked at Duke and said slyly -"For your pain and trouble. Mannnnn, you need to stop." and started laughing....

"Okay...settle down...settle down folks...Dr. Hunter will be here in a few minutes...but let's look at what we have...We have three elderly caucasion males...all found strangled and all found in fountains in the city...What do we know so far?" asked Sissy.

"They all appeared to have had their necks broken by Garrote " said  Detective Carlotta Rodriguez..

"All of these guys were recently married , like in the past year and to much younger women." said Detective Jimmy Barlow..

"All of these men had life insurance through the Cyclops Insurance company...That's the only connecting factor." Said Detective Tyriq Pile.

"And all of them were divorced and had children from their previous marriages...." said Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor.

"None of these men knew each other?" asked Sissy..

" No they didn't....I did cross checks...Talked to family members ,friends...people from their schools...and there was no connection between the three men at all." said Carlotta.

"I checked out the wives... The new ones and the previous ones...no major animosity...no huge life insurance policies  on the men either." said Duke.

''Jimmy, you said you had a theory?" I asked...I remember him saying this a week before.

"Yeah...I suspect that whoever did this is somebody who's father left them.....Somebody who's father married a younger woman...Somebody who's  still very angry." said Jimmy.

"You may have a point...We may have to investigate everybody that works at that Cyclops Insurance company." said Sissy...

''But why just there?" asked  Duke...

"Because that's the only thing these three guys had in common....They were insured by that company." came the soft sweet honey voice of Dr. Hazel Hunter....

"Yes.." said Sissy, smiling...She offered a seat to Dr. Hunter.

Duke handed his tumbler of coffee, which he hadn't yet drank to Dr. Hunter....

"I took the liberty of having two creams and three splendas added." he laughed...

Carlotta ,who took his coffee order gave him a serious side eye...

Dr. Hunter blushed...."Oh Thank you Detective Baylor...

Sissy eyed the entire thing and turned her head...She didn't want anyone to see her laughing...but I saw her and I smiled.

III-

We all watched Duke, whose eyes lit up....Dr. Hunter noticed it too and she blushed a bit....

"Judging from the bodies....Your killer is a male, he's at least six foot two, with powerful hands...and he uses a garrote as a weapon of choice...He takes this personal, he wants to do it up close, but he doesn't want a mess...no blood, no guts...cool,smooth...He's that kind of guy..." she said.

"And you definitely think it's a male?" asked Duke... Tyriq, Jimmy and Carlotta all smiled and looked away..

Sissy just shook her head....

Dr. Hunter smiled...

''Yes...he came from behind and he used the type of strength that I don't think a woman might have in her hands....Not the average woman."she said.

"Which supports my theory." said Jimmy Barlow.

"Yes...it supports your theory." she said and smiled at him...

"Okay" said Sissy... "Duke, take Detective Pile....you two go over to Cyclops insurance and go through all of the personell files....Past employees and present employees...See if these three guys had the same agent..See who had access to their information."she said.

"We're on it Lou" said Tyriq...

Duke said to Tyriq...''I'll meet you at the car."

Tyriq looked at Duke and smiled- ''Pain and sufferin..sheeeeet!"

Duke walked over to Dr. Hunter...

''Uh Doctor Hunter?"he said.

''Yes Detective Baylor?" she said.

"You have some brilliant ideas about criminology....I know a great wine bar...It's quiet, cozy..after we get off tonight...Would you mind meeting me and perhaps discussing them?" he asked.

She looked at Sissy and Carlotta..They both shrugged their shoulders... Jimmy and I smiled..

"Well uh..ahhh...I'd really like to go to Josies tonight....The Reed Nelson Quintet is playing..." she said.

''Really? I know Reed Nelson...I can get you his autograph." said Duke.

"Oh really? well uh..ah..uh..okay I guess." she said.

"Then afterwords....I know a place where we can get a nice juicy rib eye steak..." said Duke..

"Oh ...Oh ...my...." she said and looked at Sissy...Sissy folded her arms and shook her head.

"I'll swing by here at six." said Duke...

"How bout I give you my address and my phone number? You have a phone Detective?" she asked.

"Of course"said Duke.

They exchanged numbers....Duke smiled from ear to ear.....Sissy and Carlotta laughed...Dr. Hunter looked very bewildered...She waved to us..

''It was nice meeting with you guys." she said as Duke escorted her out...I could imagine the look on Tyriq's face when he observed that.

"Lou, I got some reports to work on and some background work on this case and Carlotta's case to research said Detective Barlow...

Sissy looked at him...

"Well? Get to it Detective!" she said , then paused , then smiled...He smiled back and left...

"ADA Wallace...I can't thank you enough for putting together this unit...Tyriq and Chica are the only sane ones, but Duke and Jimmy are hillarious...They make my job soooo much easier."she said.

''Don't mention it." I said.

''If only yall would stop fallin in luv...First you and Chica...Now Duke and Dr. Hunter." she laughed..

"You think she knows?" I asked.

"What? That Duke likes her?? , Chica do you believe this guy?" asked Sissy...

"They all think we are as dense as they are...Aye caramba." said Carlotta with fake exasperation..

''Did you know that I had a thing for you?" I asked her.

"Yes...I knew...I knew when you bought  me breakfast at Sam Mother's place and then  lunch at Chinese Bobs and gave me the day off..Remember that Boss Lady?" laughed Carlotta.

Sissy said- "Yeah and he come in here askin me the same thing..''Do you think Carlotta knows'?" laughed Sissy. They both laughed.

"Dr. Hunter knows...She's a woman....I don't quite know how she feels about Duke though....." said Sissy.

"That's why you're a great detective Sissy...I'd hate to have you after me." I laughed.

"Come on...Let's go get some lunch or do you guys have plans?" she asked.

"No...No..." I said.

"I'll meet you downstairs....Don't keep me waiting too long making out..." she said as she left the office.

I looked at Carlotta...She looked at me.

''Sissy thinks she knows everything...Like we are just going to make out...Like we can't be alone without doing that.." I said.

"Yeah." said Carlotta..

We both looked around, closed the door silently and dimmed the lights...

We kissed each other passionately for about three minutes...

She wiped her lipstick off of my face and fixed her hair...

"You comin over tonight?" I asked.

''Yeah." she said.

"You are so mellow." I said ,laughing.

"Huh?" she said.

''You just are..." I said.

"Uh...Okay, if you say so..." said Carlotta as we left the office and headed downstairs.

IV-

Sissy picked a real tony bistro in downtown Philly...She, Carlotta and I sat and ate and discussed a few particulars of this baffling case...it wasn't long before we looked up and we saw Dr. Hazel Hunter coming through the door...She was by herself and had a briefcase and a few folders...

I signaled for her to join us at our table and she did...

"I thought this place was my little secret." she said as she sat down with us....

''You've certainly got a lot of files...All of that for this case?" I asked.

"Ohhh no..no..Some of these are other cases...closed cases that I just didn't file away....I'm kind of backed up." she said.

"Girl...I know what you mean.." laughed Sissy.

"Lieutenant....uh....maybe I'm out of line for asking you this...and you don't have to answer...but I'm curious...What kind of guy is Detective Baylor?   I'm just curious...I-I-I-mean no harm...But it does seem as if he has kind of taken an interest in me that uh, well, goes beyond this case." she said.

Carlotta and Sissy smiled and looked at me...

''Should I excuse myself from this conversation?" I asked...

"Oh nooo.no...ADA." said Dr. Hunter..."I'm just asking a general question." she said.

"Wellll, Detective Baylor has probably been with me the longest...He's intelligent...perceptive, an excellent investigator...He lives alone...Not much of a social animal." said Sissy.

"He's not a skirt chaser though?" she asked.

"Duke? Nahhh...He's kind of conservative....but a few ladies have been interested in him...I remember when he and I worked together in Narcotics and before that in Robbery...." said Carlotta...''He does have his kind of charm." she added and giggled.

"Why, you think you might be interested in Duke?  He did tell you that that's his nickname here didn't he?" asked Sissy.

''No....I just call him Edwin or Detective Baylor." she said.

Sissy and Carlotta gave each other a look and giggled...

"Well..Edwin is a pretty decent guy from what we see." said Sissy.

She and Carlotta giggled.

"I'm divorced....I was married for three years right out of college....I dated on and off, here and there....I told myself ,no cops, no firemen and no lawyers....but...I might relax those rules some... Duke as you call him has used every excuse to talk to me about this case.....None of your other detectives have been that diligent." she said.

"It's his case." I said in Duke's defense.Sissy and Carlotta gave me the side eye.

''Detective Rodriguez has a case too...She hasn't invited me out to dinner twice or asked for my home number." said Dr. Hunter.

''I'm going to have to talk to her about that . You should be more diligent,like Detective Baylor." I joked...

Carlotta hit me on my arm playfully...Sissy laughed.

"I can see that you two are quite fond of each other....How long have you been dating?" asked Dr. Hunter.

"Dating?? Girl they're practically married." laughed Sissy.

Carlotta just blushed...

''We are that obvious huh?" I laughed.

''Oh yes...I can see it in your body language...both of you... Plus the fact that you're holding hands under the table." she said.

Sissy laughed and shook her head.

''Yeah, this is Ozzie and Harriet here."she added.

"That's nice...I would like that eventually...It's just hard to meet somebody that's  not interested in just seeing the inside of my bedroom." she said.

"I know girl, I know." said Sissy.

"Give Duke a chance...He's a nice guy." I said.

"Welll...I-I-I might....Please don't tell him about this conversation." she said.

"Hey your secret is safe with us." said Sissy...

Dr. Hunter looked at me and Carlotta and smiled..."You two are just so mellow." she laughed...

"Awww..." said Sissy.

(TO BE CONTINUED!)