You Don't Have To Be A Detective

Sissy and I stood in the city monitoring room and watched Detective's Carlotta Rodriguez, Jimmy Barlow and Tyriq Pile go over video taken from the fountain where Carlotta's victim was found two weeks before and Duke's victim was found a week ago..

"There it is Carlotta, freeze it there....Look....See that white van sitting directly across the street....Look, there is our guy." said Detective Jimmy Barlow...

We saw a  huge man in what looked like a black jumpsuit with a ski mask on pulling a body across the street and dumping it in the fountain....Then looking around, walking back to the white van and pulling off..

"I'll call the lab guys and see if we can enlarge the photo of that white van and get a licensce plate number...Other than that, we got nothin....We can't see the face, we can't determine the identity...All we know is that this occurred around three in the morning...and not a soul was on the street." said Carlotta.

"Find out if anybody was on the street, driving by...if they saw anything." said Sissy.

"These crime stopper videocams are worth every penny the city paid for them...unfortunately, our boy is all covered up and the visual does us no good...You got another one Top?" asked Detective Tyriq Pile.

"Yes...Look...this is Duke's guy...the guy you two found in the fountain last week....Again...it's like 3:45 am..Nobody on the street and there is our boy again...Black Jump suit, ski mask...dragging the body to the fountain." she said.

"I hate to be a rain cloud on a sunny day guys , but I couldn't even prosecute this case unless I actually found that jump suit and that ski mask..." I said.

Detective Tyriq Pile and Lt. Sissy Van Buren both looked at me.....

" A rain cloud on a sunny day ?" asked Sissy giving me the side eye and laughing.

"A Rain cloud on a sunny day?? Damn Top, look what you've done to my boy, got him reciting poetry...bad poetry at that." said Tyriq...

Sissy and Tyriq laughed ....Carlotta blushed...

''Leave him alone.." she said jokingly..."That's okay boo...I know what you meant." she joked.

"That's okay boo...I know what you meant,Oh lawd,these two are mushy enough....Poor Duke is going to be worse.." laughed Jimmy Barlow.

''Well maybe you can get him with DNA!" came the unmistakable voice of Detective Duke Baylor..who had just entered the room.

"What do you have Duke?" asked Sissy...

"Hazel...I uh mean Dr. Hunter and I recanvassed all three scenes last night... We pulled some blond hairs off of two of the bodies...Jimmy's guy and Top's guy...Hairs that don't belong to the victims...It's small...but every little bit helps." he said.

"Good pull Duke." said Sissy.

"Hazel...I mean ,Dr. Hunter is examining the hairs now for DNA...She's brilliant." he said.

"Wow that must have been some date" said Detective Jimmy Barlow.

Tyriq ,Sissy and Carlotta and I all burst out into laughter.....

I loved these guys.

II-

After work, Carlotta and I went out to dinner at the same restaraunt Duke had taken Dr. Hunter a few nights before...We had a bottle of wine and an excellent New York Strip Steak...

''Wow, this was nice Keith...This wine has got me woozy...you weren't trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me were you?" she asked slyly,curling her lip in that sexy way that I liked..

"You got me detective...nothing gets by you." I laughed...

"I might take advantage of you." she laughed.

I saw a big hulking blond haired white guy staring at us...as soon as our eyes met...He smiled......I smiled too...He got up and walked over to our table...

"Oh my god...Keith Wallace....ADA Keith Wallace...What do ya know, what do you say?" he said and gave me a bear hug....

He was a big hulking man, six foot, four inches, heavily muscled and athletically built.I ought to know...he put me in traction years ago on the football field...He was Gil Wilkerson...a linebacker from a rival college football team....

"Gil, you old hound...Man, how you been baby?" I said.

He looked me up and down and then eyed Carlotta...

"Welllllll not as good as you apparently......who is your lady friend?" he asked.

"She's more than just a friend...This is my lady...Her name is Carlotta..Carlotta Rodriguez." I said.

Gil smiled broadly....

"I've known this old hound for close to 25 years and he has never introduced any woman like that...You my dear must be very special....You must be the one...!" he said.

Carlotta smiled sweetly...

''He's special to me too!" she said.

''Whoa...looks like love, You guys live together?" he asked.

"No Gil, nothing like that...Come on man, you're embarrassing me." I said

"Embarrassing you...I wanted to BE you.....Carlotta, Women used   to faint  over this man. We played  a little football in college...Ladies hurled panties and bras at him during games like he was Elvis or something." said Gil.

"Not Elvis....Maybe Teddy Pendergrass!" I laughed...Gil laughed too!

"You played Football Keith?" asked Carlotta...

"Yeah...I was a wide receiver...This guy here played for a rival college....He's the reason I'm a lawyer...I came across the middle and this cat put a hit on me that ended my college football career...Hated his guts for years until after graduation." I said.

Gil laughed....

"Yeah...I played in the NFL for awhile...Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Kansas City Cheifs and then I tore my acl....pretty much ended it for me....I went into the insurance business..." he said.

"Is that why you have that peculiar limp?" asked Carlotta.

Gil smiled..

''Yeah Darlin...Your boy there walks normal....You would never know he was injured but I've had five knee operations... Good thing I was in the NFL.. My poor mom wouldn't have been able to afford it..." he said.

"How is your mom?" I asked.

"She passed away about a year ago." he said.

''Sorry to hear that...How about your dad?" I asked.

"Who knows and who cares? Probably chasing some broad young enough to be my daughter." he said ruefully.

That was a sore spot with Gil...I decided to change the subject.

"Gil was my agent at one time...Insured my condo and my car....What agency did you work for?" I asked.

"I was at United Insurance when I insured you....Then I was with the Cyclops Insurance Company and now I'm in business for myself." he said.

"Good for you Gil..." I said.

Gil looked at Carlotta....he shook his head

"You always got the best looking girls...Black,white, whatever....This one here is one of the best." he said.

I didn't like him talking about Carlotta like she was a piece of meat, proof positive that she was far more to me than most of the women I dated previously.

"Well,I'm not going to take up anymore of your time...Here's my business card..give me a call sometimes Keith...Nice meeting you Carlotta." he said and walked away.

I looked at Carlotta...

"Don't mind him...He's still a frat boy at heart." I said.

"Oh I know his type...Something about his walk seems kind of familliar...Like I seen him before...but I know I haven't..." she said.

"Forget about him." I said.

"Am I really something special?" she teased...

"You know it...You could be Mrs. Wallace one day.....I'm serious." I said.

She looked at me side eyed...

"Awww then I gotta change all my I.D. and my peeps will be all confused....But on the other hand...Carlotta Wallace has a ring to it.." she laughed.

"Then would you move in with me?" I joked...

"Nahhh,I think I like havin my own place." she laughed...

"Silly" I said...as we both cracked up laughing.

III-

"I examined the hairs and they are definitely from the same person...Caucasion male...about 35-45 years old...We ran them through our local and state DNA base, but we didn't get a hit...I sent the DNA to the FBI VICAP lab....Maybe we'll get a hit there.''said Dr. Hazel Hunter....

"Thanks Dr. Hunter....You can call my office or Detective, uh Baylor whenever you get a response from the lab." said Lt. Sissy Van Buren...

I stood in the back of the room with Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor...He was smiling broadly...

''Damn...She's fine ...aint she fine?" said Duke.

"You askin her out again?" I asked.

"I don't think I know how....I mean we went to dinner and what not..and then the other night we recanvassed the crime scenes and then had dinner...but I don't have any reason to ask her out now.." said Duke.

"I gotta school you??...YOU of all people??? Damn Duke...You used to be a legend amongst Detectives...How bout asking her out because you're interested...and for no other reason than that?? She knows you dig her." I said.

"She does??...How you know?" he asked.

"Everybody knows...Come on...You don't have to be a detective to know how wide your nose is open. When Sissy finishes with her...just go ask her out." I said.

Just then...Detectives Jimmy Barlow and Tyriq Pile walked up to me...

"Hey guys..." I said.

"We are finished with our breakdowns of all the employees at the Cyclops Insurance agency...It can't be anybody there now... Mostly all of their employees are women and recently hired women....The men are mostly African -American and Asian, so that aces them out...and none of them had any dealings with or access to any of our three guys...They're old clients." said Jimmy.

"I interviewed most of the former employees... Two of these three guys were clients of a guy named Gil Wilkerson...We haven't located him yet." said Detective Tyriq Pile.

I passed Tyriq a business card....

"Go Talk to him....I saw him last night." I said.

"What??? wow....no grass grows under your feet ADA." laughed Jimmy.

"I know him....He worked at Cyclops Insurance for awhile...He insured my car and my condo once....He's good people...Go talk to him...He'll be able to give you some insight on those two guys...What about the third guy?? Your guy Jimmy??" I asked.

"Nothing......He was practically underwater and there were no cameras..."he said.

"Jimmy, I got somebody you need to talk to..." said Carlotta ,who walked in with what looked like a homeless man...

"This is Roland Nester...He was near that water reserve the night your guy was dropped in the water." she said.

"How did you find him Top?" asked Tyriq Pile.

"It's called Detective work!!....I went back to the neighborhood, talked  to a number of people, offered some cash....and eventually I found Mr. Nester." she said.

Tyriq laughed.. " I taught her well...Top makes me proud everyday!" he said.

"I was asleep in the alley .....I wouldn't have woke up except that this white van kept making all of this noise...It sounded like it needed a tune up...I peered out the alley and I saw this big guy...Looked like he might have played football...He was blond and had on a jumpsuit....Didn't get a good look at his face...but he had blond hair...He put on a black ski mask...and he pulled something that looked like it was wrapped up in paper bags out of the van and dumped it into the fountain.. I didn't know it was a body until you guys showed up." said Roland Nester.

"Why didn't you call the police?" asked Jimmy.

''Seriously man???...I live on the street...Call yall with what?" he said.

Carlotta laughed...So did Tyriq and  Duke...

''He parked the van near the alley...We had one of those spy cams or whatever yall call it, but the kids threw rocks at it and busted it...So it wasn't working. That van sure made a lot of noise. he said."

"Thank You Mr. Nestor." said Carlotta.

Sissy walked over to us...

"What's goin on?" she asked.

"We have a witness to the dumping of one of the victims...Thanks to Chica here and Tyriq and Jimmy have a guy to interview who used to work at Cyclops Insurance with two of the victims." I said.

Sissy smiled broadly....

"Love these guys..." she said.

IV-

Dr. Hunter was at her desk gathering folders...Carlotta and Mr. Nestor were on their way to the interview room...Tyriq and Jimmy were off to talk to Gil Wilkerson......

Duke walked over to her...Sissy walked away...

"Uh Dr. Hunter?" he said.

"Yes?" she said and looked up.

"Could I uh...Take you out to dinner tomorrow? I know a nice little place at Penns Landing...Great seafood." he said.

She looked at me and Sissy, then back at him...

"I suppose so...That sounds nice.." she said.

"Since I have your number...would it be okay if I called you sometimes?" he asked.

"Why do you want to call me?  I don't have any new insight on this case." she said.

"Oh not about this case....or any case for that matter...This is purely social...I'd like to get to know you...Perhaps maybe take you to AC or some places here in town." he said.

"Ohh you mean like dates right?" she asked.

"Yeah..like dates." he said.

She was quiet for a minute...

"I haven't been on a decent date in about two years...I wouldn't mind....but don't expect too much...I've been married to my work...Outside of death investigation...I don't have too much to say....I need a nice vacation" she said.

"You know what they say...all work and no play makes Hazel an overworked girl." he said...

I gave him a thumbs up! Sissy whispered to me...

"Smooth Move Duke."then she giggled

We both laughed...It was true! It was a smooth move.

Dr. Hunter laughed....

"Okay...You can call me...and tomorrow night sounds fine..." she said.

"Thank You..I-I-I mean that's , that's great..That will work." he said...

"You always this nervous when you like somebody?" she asked.

Duke was at a loss for words....

"I think it's cute...but I do hope you loosen up eventually...I won't bite." she said...then added..."Unless you want me to!" and winked...

Sissy slapped her thigh and silently laughed....I laughed myself...

"Good night everyone." she said and headed out...

Duke pumped his fist in the air and did the cabbage patch...

Sissy smiled...

"The old master has found his groove." she said.

"Don't have to be a Detective to see that." I said.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)