Homecoming

It was three in the morning...Carlotta and I were returning to Philadelphia after a road trip....Our first as a couple to Baltimore ,Maryland...We had driven down to Baltimore for the weekend...had rented a hotel on the inner harbor and enjoyed the weekend, listening to some cool jazz and taking in the museums, the sites and whatnot...

There was good food too....Crabcakes... Steak and shrimp and all the beer you could drink....We decided to leave a little after midnight so that we'd still have Sunday to relax....before we returned to our jobs as protectors of the city of Philadelphia...My fiance, (boy, I liked how that sounded), Homicide Detective, Carlotta Rodriguez...

and me, The Assistant District Attorney who oversees, Homicide, Special Victims Unit and Major Crimes, Keith Porterhouse Wallace..

So... Like I said , It was a little after three when Carlotta and I pulled into a gas station right inside the Philadelphia City Limits....It was one of those 24 hour stops where you could get a cold sandwich, or a pack of cigarettes, Hot Coffee and paper towels...Whatever you needed as well as gas....

Carlotta had been sleeping soundly....When she woke up, she looked around , she smiled at me so sweetly I didn't know what to do.....

''We stoppin baby?" she said.

''Yeah...I need some gas..." I said...

I pulled out my credit card and injected it in the machine...Watched as the screen said Authorized and then I picked Premium Unleaded and proceded to gas up my ride....And that is when I saw it...a 2003 Caddilac Seville, just sitting alone!!!

Any other time...I wouldn't have noticed it...But it was the only other car at the gas station, besides mine...and there was no one in it!! Maybe it belonged to whoever was working inside..
I'm no cop , but something was eerie about the way it was parked and the way it was just sitting there, all alone...I don't know what it was, but this car was bugging me....I decided to check it out...

"Keith, where are you going?" asked Carlotta, who was still yawning...

"I'll be right back...I just want to check out this car." I said... I walked over to the car...I peeped inside...

On the front seat was an ipod....It was just laying there....There was a folder there that I recognized..It was from the city...The kind of folder they send to people when they are under a summons!! Usually people who owe back taxes or child support!!

In the back seat was a Phillies baseball cap!!! But what took me most by surprise was that the keys were still in the ignition!!!

''Hey Carlotta...Come here a minute!" I called.

She got out of the car and walked over to me....

"You thinkin about buying a new car?" she asked with a smile...

"No look...This is a 2003 Cadillac Seville." I said.

"Baby, it's a 2003 Cadillac CTS to be exact." she said and smiled...

I looked at her side eyed.. She busted out laughing...

"Whatever!...See anything that looks strange or odd?" I asked.

"Yes...The keys are in the ignition and an ipod is lying in full view...Whoever owns this car is lucky that it is still here." she said....Such a good detective, even on her day off...

"Probably belongs to whoever is working in there tonight..." she said, which is what I thought...

"Well let me go in and give them a heads up." I said.

Our first shock was that the person working tonight looked to be about in their late 50's or even early 60's...and the next thing was what she said.

"That aint my car...My car is parked around back...Like all of the employees here...That car has been here for two days...We don't know who owns it or brought it here!" she said.

"Nobody thought to call the cops?" I asked.

''You from Philly? We mind our business in this town..Besides...I figured whoever owned it would be coming back for it." she said.

I walked back out to the car....Carlotta had opened the door...

"It was unlocked." she said.

"Really?" I said.

"Yup" she said.

"I checked the contents of the folder while you were in the store...It belongs to a Lawrence Robinson...25, North Philadelphia...It's a summons to appear in court at a child support hearing." she said.

"Wow...You think he skipped?" I said.

"And left this beautiful car behind???...A brand new IPOD and the keys in the ignition?? I don't think so.." she said.

"Get the plate number...Call this in..." I said.

Carlotta smiled....

"What?" I said.

"You and me....When I first met you back in 2009...I told Tyriq that I thought you were cute, but that we probably didn't have anything in common...You being a lawyer and me being a cop....But I was wrong..You think just like a cop...You might have been a good detective yourself...You understand..."she said and just looked at me and smiled...

"I understand that you look hella hot in that red dress too." I said. I pulled her toward me and kissed her passionately...She returned my passion and took my hand and let me back to the car.. We continued kissing like that for a few minutes...

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked me...

"Future Mrs. Wallace...I don't even know...but we'll figure something out." I said.

Carlotta kissed me again for a long while...

"Ummmmmmm..well in the meantime..." she cooed..

"YESSSSSSSSSS!" I said.

II-

Carlotta and I called in the mysterious Cadillac and went home...Our home, my loft! Where we both lived now!!!...No more driving to her place halfway across town or driving to my place and she having to leave...We now lived together and had been living together for about a month...It was great!!!

We went home and relaxed the next day....I'm sure we both forgot all about that car until Monday Morning when I dropped Carlotta off at the Criminal Investigations Division where she worked..  I decided to drop in and say hello to Sissy and the guys when I saw, Detective Angie Belton of Internal Affairs..

"Hey Angie..How are you doing?" I said.

"Hey Angie." said Carlotta...

"Hey guys...Uh look....I got something..I think all of you need to see." she said.

"Oh really?" I said.

''Yeah." she said. I was expecting the usual Ozzie and Harriet crack about me and Carlotta coming to work together or our new living arrangement,  But Angie looked kind of spooked today...

She motioned to Jimmy, Duke and Tyriq to join her in Sissy's office...and they did!

Once inside...Sissy ,who was on the phone said to whoever she was talking to...

"Hey,Look,I'll call you back okay..." she said.

"Wow, it's been awhile since all of us have been in my office like this...What's up?" said Sissy.

Angie put a glossy on Sissy's desk.....It was a photo of a white police officer, a uniformed officer...

"That's Officer Clinton Warwick!" she said.

''I know Clint...I served with him when I was over in Cantrell's precinct." said Jimmy.

"Yeah, well Internal Affairs is investigating him....Domestic violence reports....and a police brutality charge."she said.

"I'm surprised he's still married....He and his wife used to have horrible rows even back when I was riding around in a patrol car." said Jimmy.

"I vaguely remember him." said Carlotta.

"Okay Angie...But we are murder police...What's this got to do with us?" asked Sissy.

"That's just it...I did a thorough investigation of this guy...and I discovered something disturbing...So disturbing that I had to bring it to your attention Sissy...There is a woman, her name is Wanda Robinson...She's the mother of Lawrence Robinson...She says that her son hasn't been seen in three days....
She said that her son called her and told her that he was being arrested and that he needed bail money.Guess who the arresting officer was?? Clinton Warwick!" she said. "And get this, No record of him ever being booked or even brought in." she continued.

"Yeah and?" asked Tyriq...

"Neither Lawrence or the car has been seen since....I checked...Warwick called it in , but no tow truck company was called...and Warwick denies arresting him..."said Angie. She showed us a photo of his car!!

"That's the Caddy Carlotta and I saw two nights ago at this gas station...We called it in...The Police have the car..."I said.

"Yeah, we found it with the keys still in the ignition and his child support summons on the front seat...The people that work at the gas station don't remember how the car got there or who brought it." said Carlotta..

"Oh my God!"said Angie...

"Ang....You still don't have a murder....This kid could have just skipped...He was being summoned to pay child support." said Duke..

"He had just started working a new job and he was on his way to court to work out a payment arrangement on the very day he went missing..his mother said. He just doesn't sound like someone who was about to leave town...Plus, his pay day was the next day and his sister said he was pretty broke..He had borrowed money from her." said Angie.

"Hmmmm." said Duke.

"There's more....Another kid, A guy named Angel Ortega....vanished a year ago...He was supposedly arrested for driving with a suspended licensce..but when his friends and their lawyer went to bail him out...He wasn't there!!! There is no record of the suspect ever being brought in.....We found his car on Roosevelt Blvd with the keys in the ignition and still running. Found his registration and valid drivers license in the car too!....!!! Guess who the arresting officer was?" she said.

"Clint Warwick?" asked Jimmy.

"Yes.." said Angie....

"Oh wow! Two disapearences, a police brutality charge and domestic abuse...This guy has serious problems."said Sissy.

"Yeah ,real serious." I added..

"You want us to open up an investigation right Angie?" I asked.

''Yes...This is scary. I've got a bunch of conflicting statements from dispatch, from both of the lock ups and city jail and Warwick.." she said.

"I see your concern...Perhaps this does need some looking into." I said.

''Wow...and we were enjoying 100 percent clearence rates this week too" joked Jimmy..

We all laughed a little bit..

III-

"Okay Angie..we are going to look into this...ADA Wallace...Could you talk to Lieutenant Jordan at Internal Affairs for me... I want Detective Belton temporarily assigned to Homicide for the duration of this case." said Sissy.

''It's as good as done Sissy" I said.

''Okay...Angie...You're the primary on this one....."said Sissy...

 Detective Jimmy Barlow beamed...Sissy looked at him and smiled...

"Well Jimmy, I know you are  just tickled pink aren't you?....I know how much you're looking forward to partnering with Angie.., but...I need you to partner with Duke and Dr. Hunter right now....Go find that car..The One ADA Wallace and Detective Rodriguez called in...Go over it with a fine tooth comb.." said Sissy....

Tyriq, Duke and Carlotta looked at Jimmy and laughed....

"Well youngin...Come on, let's get to crackin." laughed Duke...

"Aww Lou.... It's cool though. I'm a professional, unlike some others around here, I don't have to mix business with pleasure" he said jokingly, giving me and Carlotta and Duke the side eye..... I busted out laughing..so did Tyriq Pile who said-

''OHHHHHHHHHHH...Shots fired!"

''Ouuuu Jimmy, I thought we were friends..." laughed Carlotta..

"I thank you for your professionalism Detective" laughed Sissy, also giving me and Carlotta and Duke the serious side eye and laughing...

"Yeah, I know Lou...Besides...Angie...uh Detective Belton, would be too much of a distraction.." said Jimmy...

Angie smiled, then blushed like crazy...It had been awhile since a man had made a big deal over her...It had to feel good. Jimmy practically worshipped her and she loved it.

A fact that was not lost on both Sissy and Carlotta.. who looked at each other and smiled that little conspiratorial smile those two always smiled...

''Okay Lou..We on it..  Come on Junior, let's go." said Duke as he and Jimmy left the office...

Angie looked at Jimmy...

''Detective,uh  aren't you forgetting something?" she asked..."I'm still your girlfriend." she said softly.

Jimmy smiled.... Angie planted a sensual and wet kiss on him so sexy that I got excited a little myself just watching them...

"No way I'm forgetting that." he said.

"Make sure you don't" said Angie softly.... Jimmy stood there for a moment, stunned momentarily...I couldn't blame him....Angie was a sexy woman...It seemed like this office was full of them!

"Ewwww, disgusting...Yall need a room." said Duke....Sissy looked surprised and smiled a little bit...

"Save it Duke..Come on, let's go." said Jimmy.

"Chica, You and Detective Belton are going to look into the disappearence of  Mr. Lawrence Washington...and Tyriq...You look into the disappearence of Angel Ortega...We'll keep all of these investigations on the low until we get solid evidence..." said Sissy.

"I'll go to Missing Persons and look up Ortega's case file." said Detective Tyriq Pile.. He grabbed three uniformed officers and he too left the office.

"Wow..Seems like we just got finished putting two dirty cops away and now this.." said Carlotta.

"I know Chica...I know...I don't like this either." said Sissy...

"We do it all the time in IA." said Angie...

Everyone was silent...None of us liked jacking other cops up, but we realized that when they broke the law, they crossed a line and had to be dealt with just like everyone else..None of us had anything against Angie because of what she did...but none of us envied her either!

Sissy walked out into the office where the cubicles were...She found an empty cubicle....She, Carlotta and I looked at Angie...

''Well Angie...you said you wanted to come back to Homicide...Here you are for the time being..This will be your desk.." said Sissy.

Detective Angie Belton looked up and smiled weakly....

''Wow..It feels like home..You know, Duke is the only one who was here when I last worked Homicide...Wow, this feels so comfortable..." she said.

"Like old times..You and me, working a case together..." said Sissy...

"Yeah ,I'm looking forward to working with Ms. Carlotta here..Miss Ace.."" said Angie...

Carlotta smiled.. Sissy and Angie put their arms around her..

"This is kind of going to be fun...My two favorite detectives and me.."laughed Sissy. ...Then she looked at me and said...

"Keith don't you tell Duke and Tyriq I said that..." she laughed..

I just smiled and shook my head...

"Yall is trippin." I said.

IV-

Later that night...I pulled my car into the garage of my loft...Carlotta's car was parked next to it...We got out of the car and went up to my floor...

Carlotta smiled when she came in the door...

"Wow Keith, this feels so strange and so good all at the same time." she said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I'm used to coming here with an overnight bag ,sometimes two....And then staying a few days and going back to my apartment...But now...This is my place...This is my home. But most important OUR home!" she exclaimed..

I put my arms around her waste..

"That's right...No more asking you to come and stay the night with me or the week...Or me asking if I can stay with you...No more leaving my car at C.I.D. and having to take the bus to work..." I said..

Carlotta put her fingertip on my lip...She kissed me softly....

''We're home baby!" she said.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)