Must Be The Water

Lt. Sissy Van Buren stood at the front of the courthouse building with me...She spoke to Detectives, Edwin "Duke" Baylor , Tyriq Pile and about ten uniformed officers from the tactical squad....

"Duke, Rico...you guys take the West Wing and it's floors...Try not to disrupt any trials, but search every empty office...." she said.

"We are on it Lou." they said and they took off...Then she addressed Detectives, James "Jimmy " Barlow, New Detective Tony Hopkins and Tyriq's wife, Detective Sirena Pile, who we borrowed from the Fugitive squad....and about seven uniformed officers from the tactical squad...

"Jimmy...You, Sirena and Tony and your officers take the east wing and it's floors...Search every open room and try not to interrupt any trials...That signal led us here, but it's very weak and this is a very big building...If you see something..Don't be afraid to call for back up.." she said.

"I know you hated to ask Lt. Cantrell for a favor...but I'm glad you did Sissy." I said.

"This is business Keith...Tact squad officers are trained for hostage situations....I only asked for ten, Cantrell gave me 17..." she said.

"The power of female persuasion." I joked.

"Whatever! Okay....Chica, Angie and I will take the rest of the rooms with you Keith..." she said..

"Let do this."I said.

We had borrowed Detective Angie Belton from Internal Affairs.....I  got the best team to work with, three sexy women...I loved being the Assistant District Attorney...

II-

"Okay ladies...I know somebody that knows this building like the back of his hand...Judge Freeman Turner." I said.

''Wonder what he'll be wearing today?" snickered Carlotta...

I laughed ,So Did Sissy.....

''Hopefully pants and a shirt and a suit jacket." I said as we headed for the Judges chambers...Detective Belton had no idea what we were snickering about...

''What? Was he naked when you guys came over the other day?" she asked.

"I wished...That might have been better." I said.  Sissy put her head down and laughed...Carlotta chuckled...Angie remained baffled..

We got off the elevator and headed towards his chambers... His Administrative Assistant looked horrified upon seeing us....

"Please...He left instructions that he was not to be disturbed by anyone....NOT EVEN THE MAYOR!..Please ,I could lose my job." she said.

"If he fires you,I give you my word...I'll hire you to work for me in my office...There is a murderer loose in this building and he has a hostage." I said and we passed by her and headed for his chambers...

As we got to his chambers...we heard a whip or what sounded like a whip being cracked....

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! "came the voice of someone crying out!!

"You've been a bad girl....Mama is going to have to spank you!"

Then the sound of another crack...

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..WHip me..Whip meeeeee, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" came the howl....

Detective Angie Belton looked confused...Sissy and Carlotta put their hands to their mouths and began to laugh....Angie looked confused...

I felt sorry for her....I wanted to say something to prepare her...but I didn't...That was cruel.

I knocked on the door...It was already opened...We walked in.... To my horror, a beautiful Asian Lady had a cat of nine tails and was stroking the judge with it...He had on white flowery lace panties..., a white lace bra...red lipstick....flesh eye shadow ,white stillettos...and the same blond wig he was wearing the last time I was here....Just when I thought I couldn't be more disgusted or shocked... Here I was, shocked again...

Detective Angie Belton's jaw dropped....."Ohhhhhh My Goddddd!" she said.

Sissy and Carlotta ran out of the office laughing hysterically.....Detective Belton just stood there...

The Judge looked up at Angie and I ,then at me with exasperation!!

"DAMN...MAN, Don't you know how to knock?  What the hell do you want now??? " he said..

"I need to know how to get to the sub basements and how many there are...There's a killer on the loose and he's a got a hostage somewhere in this building..."I said, disgusted at this man for the second time in a week...

''A Killer would have to be loose in here...and today!What, Is there something in the water that attracts everybody to this damn building?? TODAY??" he snarled...

''Could be sir." I said.

To make matters worse...Lt.Cantrell ,who had lent us some of his officers arrived at the same moment...

"Turner.!!..Turner!!!...OH GOOD LAWD MAN...Now what? You got on panties again and you're getting a whippin? What is wrong with you man?? What happened to you?
When did you get so freaky??Must be the water in this damn building" he said,exasperated...The judge ignored him...

"The sub basement!! Go to the first floor, West side...There is only one elevator that will take you to them...Use that one...It's noisy though..It could tip whoever is down there off." said the Judge...

"Is there any other way to get down there?" I asked...

"There are some steps in the back of the building...but it's a lot of them...Most folk would take the elevator." he said.

"Thank you..." I said.

"Now get the hell out and close the door." he shouted...

"May I suggest you lock it after we leave?" I said.

"Alright." he said.

I entered the hallway..."There's two ways in...Let's take both..." I said...

Sissy ,Carlotta and Angie were laughing hysterically...Tears running down their faces....From a distance, I heard the sound of the lash striking the judge and him wailing..

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!, ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,
WHIP ME!! WHIP ME!  PUNISH THIS BAD GIRL...YESSSSSSSSSSSS!"

I shook my head....Lt. Cantrell looked totally disgusted..Then said..

''What's the plan counselor?"

III-

Sissy and Carlotta took the elevator...Lt. Cantrell, Angie and I took the steps...The judge was right, it was a long way down....

Sissy and Carlotta were waiting for us when we got to the bottom...We could hear talking...I signaled for them to follow the sound...

It was dark....We quietly looked in every room...Rooms long since abandoned...I wondered how Granger knew about these rooms...

"Lawrence, please...Don't do this..." pleaded Hazel...

"Can't you see...I need this..I need to have your body...I've longed for it so long." he said.

"So you're going to rape me?" she asked.

"No....No...I'm not a rapist....I just want to make sweet love to you baby!..." he said.

"But I don't want to make love to you...Please, Lawrence let me go.. Don't do this." she pleaded...

"Girl,it would be so good...I'd be gentle...tender...I know I'd last long...I aint no sixty second man...It would be sweet love girl....I know you'd like it..." he said.

"Lawrence...I don't want you....I never did....Please don't do this...Please!" she said.

"Drop that gun and let the girl go loverboy."said Lt. Cantrell..."I'm not gonna ask you again fella" he said...He had his glock aimed at Lawrence Granger's head...

Sissy ,Carlotta and Angie had their glocks drawn also....

Lawrence Granger was shocked... he dropped his gun and untied Hazel..

"How did you find me?" he asked...

"We are murder police!!...It's our job." said Carlotta, who handcuffed him...

Hazel ran to my arms....crying...

"Good Job lady, you remembered what I told you...It led us right to you." I said.

Sissy got on her walky talkie...

"Duke, Tyriq, Jimmy....All units...Suspect is in custody... Hazel Hunter is safe and unharmed.." she said.

"Thank you Lou.." said a relieved Duke... "Thank all of you." he said.

Lawrence Granger looked at Hazel one last time as Carlotta, Angie, Sissy and Lt. Cantrell led him to the elevator...

"The lovin would've been good baby...I swear it would've been." he said.

Sissy, Angie and Carlotta gave him the serious side eye and then gave each other that look that said-"Yeah Right?" I smiled and turned my head away from them..

"Move it...Ya crazy ass." said Lt. Cantrell...."I swear, It must be the damn water in this building...Judges wearin panties, getting whippins...Guys holdin people hostage...Good lawd...It's a real freak show over here today" said Lt. Edward Cantrell...

Hazel and I followed them into the Elevator. I couldn't help but laugh as I got on...Carlotta, Sissy and Angie were already laughing...Even Lt. Cantrell lightened up and began to laugh!

EPILOUGE:

Lawrence Granger was convicted of two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of
Benjamin Queen and Tamika Collins and one count of second degree murder in the death of Joseph Shunk.. He was also convicted of Kidnapping Dr. Hazel Hunter...He was sentenced to Life in prison without the possibility of parole!

Surprisingly enough, Judge Turner Freeman's secret freaky life was never made public...but his collegues and police all know and whisper and laugh about his love of wearing ladies underwear and of getting whipped...Neither, Sissy, Lt. Cantrell, Duke, Angie, Hazel, Sirena , Tyriq, Jimmy, Tony , Carlotta or myself for that matter can look him in the face or be in his presence without laughing...I'll have to find a new Judge to sign warrants for me!

He continues to sit on the bench!

Carlotta and I both wanted to go to a quiet place, away from everybody we knew....just to relax and mellow out...She took me to a bar called Roxys...

 The bar had a nice little crowd...No live music...no DJ...You went here to drink, talk and watch sports or videos on their barrage of flat screen television screens..... The crowd was much younger...If you wanted to hear music...You had to play the digital jukebox!

''Tyriq and I busted someone in this bar...That's how I first heard of it." said Carlotta...

"Why am I not surprised?" I laughed...

"I like it..It's nice...we should come here more often...Just the two of us...When we want to be alone." she said.

"That's fine by me...I like being alone with you." I said.

"I'm sorry for leaving before you woke up all those mornings...I guess I thought I was still in my apartment..."she said.

"That's okay...you're a detective...you have a job to do...I understand." I said.

Sissy gave all of us a few days off...She's going to be working with the new detective, Tony Hopkins....I'm going to make you breakfast everyday." she said.

''Carlotta, baby...you don't have to do that...besides..I might just take you to breakfast.......In Atlantic City!!"I said.

"REALLY??" she said..."Ouuu, you're going to be such a good husband.." she said.

"I'm going to have such a sexy wife...Why should I not be?" I said.

"Awww, you're just saying that to get some later on." she said.

"Of course I am!!...Did it work?" I laughed...Carlotta just shook her head .....

"Yes..papi. It worked." she said and we both busted out laughing...

Good Medicine

Dr. Hazel Hunter's 2012 Volvo sat eerily in front of Duke's House...The keys were still in the ignition....Not a good sign....There was no sign of  Dr.Hazel Hunter at all.... A distraught Detective Edwin ''Duke" Baylor sat on his front steps....Lt. Sissy Van Buren
and Detective Carlotta Rodriguez sat with him trying to comfort him...

"She was on her way here to meet me...We were supposed to spend the night together...Her overnight bag is still in the backseat." he said.

"Duke....We'll find her...We'll find her...She's top priority right now." said Detective Carlotta Rodriguez....My pretty fiancé...We had just barely heard one of our phones vibrating and gotten Duke's frantic call....

"Duke , when is the last time you heard from her?" asked Lt. Sissy Van Buren...who was rubbing his back...

"Just a little before 6:00 pm...It was still light out...She called me and told me she was at my house ...I told her that Tyriq and me were finishing up something...We got a hit in our murder case...She had a key, so I told her to let herself in...and that was the last I heard of her." he said.  "I got here a little after seven...The car was here, but there was no sign of her...I thought maybe she went to the market, but nobody saw her!" said Duke.

''Somebody did Partner" said Detective Tyriq Pile who was coming down the street with a young man who looked like he might be a street dealer...

"Guys...Meet "Steady B."  He said he saw the entire thing go down.." said Tyriq...

The young man looked around....then said-

"Look man...You guys is Homicide right?" he said.

"Yeah man.." I said.

"Look, I got bench warrants out on me...For drugs man...I aint  tryin  to set myself up." he said.

"We aren't Narcos papi, We don't care about that...Now what did you see?" asked Carlotta. Steady B. looked at Carlotta and smiled...

"Damn mamasita ,You is fine...But check it out...I was down the street and I saw mommy drive up....I've seen her before...I recognize the car and mommy got a bangin body to boot...So I know her when I see her...I know she date your boy over there, Duke....So I see this other car pull up behind her...It's a ...a...look like a Lexus and it's Black...Tall, Brown skinned brother gets out...It seemed like she knew him...They got to conversatin...and it look like mommy aint  wanna hear what he was putting down...and the next thing I know..Dude tasered her!!!...He tasered her man and forced her into his ride and pulled off...That was around quarter to seven man..." he said.

"So you seen my woman get kidnapped and you aint call the cops?" said a visibly angry Duke..

"I'm talkin to you now playa....I knew you guys would be around sooner or later...I just don't wanna get knocked for what I'm doin...Feel me?" he said.

"Okay...Okay....Thank you man...I'm grateful to you."  said Duke.

Sissy gave him a card....

"Steady B.  This is my card....This is your get out of jail free card if you get arrested for anything non-violent in the next month or two...but don't test it out... You get cute and I'll bury you myself." said Sissy...She was so sexy when she was assertive...Then again, she was sexy when she did anything!

He looked at her and smiled...

"Damn..All the cops look as good as you and mamasita over there Lieutenant ?? Sheeet..I'll get arrested on purpose just so you two can handcuff me." he laughed...

"Byeeee Steady B." said Carlotta, laughing and looking at Sissy, who shook her head and laughed herself. Carlotta was sexy too.. especially when she was talking slow like that...Her and Sissy often made me feel like a kid in a candy store!

II-

We all wound up at C.I.D.   Detective James "Jimmy " Barlow was there to meet us with what seemed like unrelated news...

"Hey guys....I was looking at tape footage from that block that Dr. Queen's townhouse is on and I got two hits... Look at the guy in the footage...Look carefully!" he said.

"That's you and Tyriq's murder victim, Mr. Joseph Shunk....And there he is again!!...the next night just walking around..." said Jimmy...

"He's a heist man....He was casing that neighborhood...He was setting up a place to rob. Must have found out about a safe...Look,he's got a bag...Probably got his safe cracking equipment in there." said Tyriq...

"Yeah...and there is another man... right across the street...This guy shows up in five or six  different sets...Anybody ever see him?? I was able to enlarge this ...He was there the same night.. the night that Queen and Collins got killed..." said Jimmy...

I was stunned....

"Oh My God, that's the guy!!!" I said.

"What guy?" asked Carlotta.

"That's Lawrence Granger....The guy that was talking to me and Hazel when I dropped her off to pick up her car...He was creepy....He asked her if he could date her again...and she told him no because he used to be both her patient and Dr. Queen's patient..He kept asking if we'd made any headway in the Queen murder case...When Dr. Hunter told him that she was seeing someone...He didn't seem to take it too well...I had an odd feeling about him." I said.

"He was one of two people on that patient list that we didn't interview yesterday ,Carlotta.." said Jimmy..

"I'm looking at his case file...It says "he has delusions of grandeur...Bad coping skills, can't deal with rejection...and is growing violent and fixated on Dr. Hazel Hunter,I must warn her."said Sissy...."This was written two weeks before the double murder...

"She said that Dr. Queen was trying to warn her about a patient....He was probably the one." said Carlotta....

"Yeah, But what is he and both our victim, Joseph Shunk doing in that complex at the same time?" asked Tyriq...

"Co-incidence?" said Jimmy...

''I doubt it.I think Joe Shunk was robbing the place and may have seen him leave , right after he killed Dr. Queen and Tamika Collins...I think he followed him and shot him to death." said Carlotta.

Just then Officer Hopkins walked in to the squad room....

"Hey Jimmy...I checked out possible  gun permits for the patients on the list like you asked  and guess what I found... a copy of a 2012 permit and sales slip for a Walhter PPK....Purchased at a gun show in Chambersburg ,PA.  by a Lawrence Granger...He's the only patient on the list that legally owns a gun." he said.

All of the detectives...Sissy, Tyriq, Duke, Carlotta and Jimmy as well as myself cheered....

"You just might have provided the missing piece that could clear three murders and a kidnapping." said Lt. Sissy Van Buren..."Good Pull Officer Hopkins. Good work!!"she said.

Carlotta looked at him and smiled....

"You remind me of another patrol officer I know who helped some detectives solve a murder case." she said and winked...As Tyriq and Duke looked on and smiled.. She herself had solved a murder when she had been a lowly patrol officer...That is what led to her becoming a detective.

"Well, I'm no longer a patrol officer...I'm DETECTIVE Tony Hopkins...I passed the detectives exam a few days ago... It's effective today!!....In about a month ,I'll be assigned to Lt. Cantrell...." he said.

"Congratulations young man...I told you you'd make a great detective...and you couldn't have a better mentor than Ed Cantrell....As far as police work and being a detective goes " I said.

Sissy cleared her throat and looked at me and smiled...Carlotta looked at her best friend and knew what she was smiling about.. She smiled too!

"I want to stay with Lt. Sissy.." said Detective Hopkins.

"Awww...That's so sweet...Maybe you'll wind up back over here...In time..." said Sissy.

Our celebration was short lived though....We still didn't have our suspect in custody and we still didn't know where Dr. Hazel Hunter was or if she was still alive!!

III-

Duke and I sat in the office alone...Sissy, Jimmy Barlow , and  new Detective  Tony Hopkins had taken some uniform officers and had raided Lawrence Granger's townhouse...He wasn't there!!!...and from what they told us...It looked like he had already moved out...

Carlotta  and Tyriq had found another residence he owned and had headed there with six uniformed officers...They found nothing there either...If he had Hazel, he was somewhere else...

"I sure hope he didn't hurt Hazel.." said Duke.

''I don't think he did.. He loves her in his warped way....He -He said that he had been waiting for her..." I said.

''Waiting for her? What do you mean??" asked Duke.

"Hazel and Dr. Queen used to be an ,an item...It was a long time ago...They broke up and then Granger thought he was next in line...He's delusional...He was her patient and he eventually became Queen's patient.. Queen was trying to warn her about Granger and Granger killed him for it...Tamika Collins was just in the wrong place at the wrong time I'm sure." I said.

''She told me about her and Queen." said Duke.

''She did?" I said.

''Yeah...I know she swore you and Top and Lou to secrecy...But then she had a change of heart.. She said she didn't want to start off keeping secrets from me.." he said.

''Wow..you two sound serious!" I said.

"We are ADA...You and Top aren't the only ones who are in love!!!" he said.

"Wow that sounds  major??" I said.

"Well ,it kind of is...We were planning to get a place together...We are both renting our homes...Kevin's wife, Sepia and her business partner ,Bonita were showing us homes too. Now, I may not get the chance to do all of that.. Cruel Fate. " said Duke.

"HEY, Get ahold of yourself Detective...We are going to find her!!!...and we are going to find her ALIVE!!! You guys are the best of the best....When I put this unit together I hand picked You, Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy and picked Sissy to run it...because if I was a criminal you  five guys would be the last guys I'd want chasing me...That's how good you are....I have faith in this unit. We'll get him and you'll yet ask Hazel that magic question..."I said.

"Thanks ADA....I think...I think...I think I love her man..." he said.

"Wow....Look at me and you Duke....We were once two of  the smoothest players in the game...Now we all in love.." I said.

Duke laughed...

"Yeah who woulda thought it??..You and Top and Me and Dr. Hunter...Wow?" he said...For the first time he allowed himself to laugh..

"I told her how to help herself....There is a GPS system in her phone...When Jimmy and Carlotta come back...Let's see if we can raise a signal....I told her to speed dial you...If so...we can get a strong signal and follow her..."I said.

"You told her that?" he said.

"Yeah.. Yesterday...That Granger guy just gave me a bad feeling...I told her about how serial killer,Emma Strand kidnapped me and how by doing that...Sissy ,Carlotta and Tyriq found me and saved me..." I said.

He smiled....

IV-

Carlotta was the first one to return.... I told her what I had told Hazel about her phone and she immediately went to the surveilience room...

Duke and I followed her...She dialed Hazel's number...

"I hope she's got her phone on vibrate." said Carlotta...

"She always does." said Duke...

"I'm getting a signal...a strong one...." said Carlotta, her pretty brown eyes sparkling..

"Yeah?" said Duke...

"I can hear talking...listen." said Carlotta...

"Good Girl...She has her phone on." I said.  "She's alive Duke...I told you!!!" I said.

"Hazel...please...All I want to do is love you baby...I've waited so long." came a male's voice...

"Lawrence....Lawrence please...Please don't hurt me." came Hazel's voice...

"I won't hurt you, I would never hurt you...I love you too much. just let me....let me have a kiss.."

"Lawrence....please...You're in a lot of trouble..."

"No I'm not...I'm in love....I've been protecting you....Protecting you from Ben Queen.."

''Did you hurt Ben?"

"I shot him!!.....He was bad for you...He would've never given you any peace....Always BEGGING FOR A SECOND CHANCE...a chance he had and blew...a chance I never got...I would have treated you right..I didn't mean to shoot his girl...I didn't know she was even there...She came out of the restroom and I had no choice...Then when I was leaving.. some fool was robbing the place. CAN you believe that...He had beat the safe in one of the other of the other rooms..They didn't even know they was being robbed....He seen me leaving...I had to hunt him down and pop him...See what I was willing to do? See the lengths I went to ,just to have you??and since there is doctor ,patient confidentiality, you can't ever repeat what I've told you......Now give me a kiss..."

"Lawrence, you're crazy...I haven't been your doctor for years."

"You're my doctor baby.....If I say so...Now are you going to give me that kiss or what?"

"Okay...Okay...Just a little one.."

"Ohhhhhh...ummmmmmmm...ohhh baby...ohhhh Hazel....ouuuu Hazel....Ohhhhhh Hazel....you don't know how long I've wanted to kiss those sweet lips... They're so juicy, so soft...lawd jesus...."

"Okay, I gave you a kiss ..let me go. Please don't do this.."

"No...I need more...I need moreeee."

"Please don't...Please don't do this...Lawrence...this isn't the way...It's not.."

"Ohhh godddd, you look sooo damn good girl...."

''Lawrence look...If you promise not to hurt me ...If you let me go...I'll get you some help...I'll do everything I can to see that you are helped..."

"All I need is for you to be my woman...That's the only medicine I need.."

"That's not good medicine for you."

"Oh it is...it is...it's good medicine."

"We gotta do something!!!...Top, Where is that signal coming from?" asked Duke..

"You won't believe this...but it's coming from downtown...Somewhere near or in City Hall....Center City." said Carlotta...

(CONCLUSION NEXT)