When I woke up...I noticed that I was alone in bed...Something I wasn't used to now that my fiancé, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez was living with me..but something I knew would happen from time to time because of her job as a Homicide Detective.
There was a cute little note on the dresser drawer...
''Good Morning Keith....Went in early this morning...Got an urgent text from Boss Lady....If you read this in time, meet me at this address below...
Love you baby...XXXXO...
Carlottta!"
That meant that she and "Boss Lady"...Lt. Sissy Van Buren had caught a case...Not just any old run of the mill murder case...but a major one...The reason I had put this unit together in the first place... I'm Assistant District Attorney, Keith Porterhouse Wallace.
I got up, showered, shaved and drove myself to Sam Mother's diner...where I had some coffee...to go...and grabbed four tumblers of coffee and a few pastries...Then I headed for the address that Carlotta had given me....
A tony townhouse in the Olde City section of Philadelphia, where I found a throng of policemen....and a small crowd of people...
"They're upstairs ADA Wallace." said Patrolmen Tony Hopkins....
"Thanks Hop....Hey ,did you take the Detective exam yet?" I asked.
''I'm studying for it sir."he said.
"Good...Get on it... You're going to make a good detective." I said.
"Thanks ADA Wallace." he said.
Sissy had persuaded him to take the detectives exam, based on her observations of him and how much attention to detail he exhibited....Duke and Tyriq had told me that "Hop" as we called him, reminded them a lot of Carlotta and Jimmy....Those two were good at finding and developing talent..I trusted their observations.
I walked up to the room where the bodies were...
In the room I saw the body of popular Black Talk show host, Tamika Collins....I was not a fan...She gossiped about public figures all the time and often said things without fact checking that turned out not to be true...but still ,I didn't have anything against her...
She was laying face down in the living room....in a pool of blood... Lt. Sissy Van Buren was examining the body...
"Staying in practice Lieutenant?" I said as I kneeled down and looked at the body.
"Yeah, you might say that." said Sissy.... "She was shot in the chest....It went straight through and came out her back and lodged in the wall..." she said.
"Wow...Close range..." I said.
I peered across the room and saw another body!!! A male....
"That's her boyfriend....Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Benjamin Queen...This is his place." said Sissy.....
Carlotta and Dr. Hazel Hunter were examining his body....Like Sissy, they had on latex gloves....
"He was shot twice in the head...and once in the chest." said Carlotta....
"That means that this was personal and aimed at him....The girl was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." said Dr. Hunter...
"Carlotta, Dr. Hunter...I found some casings over here and another one in the wall." said Detective James "Jimmy" Barlow...who was also there...
I passed them all tumblers of coffee and pastries....
"Gee Thanks Keith" said Sissy...
"Thank you baby." said Carlotta...
"Thank you ADA Wallace." said Dr. Hunter.
"You're on it man.Thanks." said Jimmy...
"I got this call just as I was getting in this morning." said Sissy...
"From who?" I asked...
"From Dr. Hunter." said Sissy..."Look...There's some things you don't know...After we release the bodies...I'll tell you everything...She requested me and Carlotta take this call...Jimmy came along because I wanted an extra set of eyes on this." said Sissy..
"Okay...We'll talk..." I said.
"Okay we've got everything we need right?" said Sissy as police photographers snapped photos of the crime scene...."Release the bodies..." she said.
Several uniformed officers and M.E. office workers came in and began removing the bodies out of the townhouse...
II-
After the bodies were released.... Sissy, Carlotta, Dr. Hunter, Jimmy and I drove to Sam Mother's Diner and took a booth in the back...
Dr. Hazel Hunter, a quiet, easy going and somewhat mysterious person began to talk...as we sat an listened...
''Listen...I don't trust many people and I don't discuss my personal life with anyone either...but we all have been working together for awhile and You guys are the closest people I have to friends in my life...In fact, you guys are like my only family..."
"Awwww...You are part of our family Hazel." said Sissy.
"So I'm going to tell you four this and I would appreciate if you not tell Duke or anybody this okay? Dr. Benjamin Queen and I were once an uh...item!!! We were in medical school together....We dated for three years, then we went our separate ways...I got married and divorced....After my divorce...We kind of got re-involved with each other again...but it didn't work out....."
"As soon as Duke and I started dating...Ben Queen started calling me again...Asking me out, calling late at night, wanting to know what I was wearing...wanting to come over...I told him I was involved with someone...and he wanted to know who...and he still was bugging me about sex....I stopped taking his calls....But then within the last few weeks he started texting me...and his texts sounded kind of foreboding...He told me that a former patient of ours...was home again and that he seemed very threatening and for me to watch my back...I thought this was another of his ploys to get back with me..so I ignored them..."
"Then he started leaving messages saying it would be better if I spent the night at my boyfriend's house...to get away from my house...I'll let you hear them and read all of his text messages to me...Then, he called several times last night and texted me and said that he was in trouble...that he saw this guy shadowing him...and that he thought the guy might be breaking into his townhouse..." she said.
"So what happened next?" I asked.
"I couldn't find any of you guys....and I didn't trust anyone else...So I grabbed Officer Hopkins and his partner and we went to the townhouse...The door was opened, which means either he let whoever in or they had a duplicate key...and we found the bodies..
I called Detective Barlow and swore him to secrecy and asked him to call Lt. Sissy and Detective Carlotta...I'm sorry...I know it was early in the morning." she said.
"He never told you who the patient was?" asked Sissy.
"No...never gave me a name." said Hazel Hunter.
"Okay, then we have to look at that patient list in his office and tape." said Carlotta.
"Okay...Let's head to Dr. Queen's office." I said.
III-
Carlotta, Jimmy and Hazel headed out to the cars...I grabbed Sissy's arm as she was getting ready to leave..
''Okay Lieutenant, you're always examining me...What is your deal? Why are you taking on this case? You could have given it to Carlotta and Jimmy?" I said.
Sissy looked at me and sighed..
"How do you know I didn't?" she said.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"Like I don't work cases? I'm not like some of the other Lieutenants." she said, which was the truth...Still I gave her the serious side eye!
''We know each other too well Keith. I needed to get out of that office...Lt. Cantrell is becoming a pest...He drops by everyday....and sometimes twice a day....Wants to sit up in my office and talk....Always looks like he's undressing me with his eyes and always wanting to go out with me...Always trying to get free feels....It gets tiring...Can't believe there was ever a time when I dreamed of getting that kind of attention from him...but not now...He's a pest..." she said.
"You the primary?" I asked...
"No...Carlotta is...Jimmy is the secondary....I'm just along for the ride...I just worked a case with Duke recently....The Eddie Coker case." she said.
''Sissy..Sissy...You're the boss here...You don't have to explain yourself to me...I'm your friend...As much as you tease me about Carlotta....You're still my girl..You know that." I said.
"Thanks for being a friend Keith..."she said and smiled...
"And besides..you're right...I do follow Carlotta around like a puppy dog...Sometimes!" I said and smiled...
''Sometimes??...All the time." laughed Sissy.
"That's my friend that I know and love." I said giving Sissy a slight hug.
IV-
Sissy, Dr. Hunter, Carlotta, Jimmy and I went to Dr. Queen's office... Inside...several women, Black and white were in tears...devastated by the news that the good doctor had been slain early this morning...
The receptionist greeted us....
"May I...May I help you?" she said, trying to hold back the tears...
"I'm District Attorney Keith Wallace and this is Lt.Sissy Van Buren ,Detectives Carlotta Rodriguez and James Barlow of Homicide and Dr. Hazel Hunter of the M.E.'s office...We need to see Dr. Queen's patient records..." I said.
''And I need to see a subpoena and or a warrant!" came the voice of a very attractive Black woman ,who was just entering the lobby.
"I'm Dr. Brenda Hunt, Dr. Queen's assistant." she said and smiled at me and shook my hand.
"We are from the police...We are investigating Dr. Queen's murder." said Carlotta.
"I gather that.. but these files are full of confidential information on a number of very important and noted people...We could get sued...I don't mean to be a problem and I want to help the police as much as possible..but I need a warrant and or a subpoena to give up these records...Just to protect myself and this office." she said.
I smiled..
''Okay...We'll be back tomorrow with both." I said.
"Hello Dr. Hunter...You're looking well." said Dr. Brenda Hunt.
"Hello yourself Brenda...Still hanging in there huh?" said Dr. Hazel Hunter...
Detective Jimmy Barlow nudged me....I looked at him and smiled...
"Ouuuu, that was frosty." he said.
I laughed....
"Yeahh..what's going on here?" I said.
V-
Sissy, Carlotta, Jimmy and I waited in the hallway...Dr. Hunter soon joined us...
"Dr. Hunt carried a torch for Dr. Queen for years...but he was never interested in her in a romantic sense...She hated me..She hated that I was involved with him...She thought when we broke up that she was next in line...but then we got back together...and she hit the ceiling...When we broke up the second time...She got the job in his practice...but then he started seeing Tamika Collins..." said Dr. Hunter.
"Wow...I'll bet she was really pissed....Hmmmmmm.." said Carlotta.
"Carlotta, you took the words out of my mouth..." said Jimmy...
"She's no killer...I mean ,you can look into her...but she loved Dr. Queen too much to hurt him...She's not violent....but suit yourself...You guys know your business." said Dr. Hunter.
"I'll get you that warrant tomorrow Sissy..I know a judge.." I said.
''Good...I'm going home...Chica...You and Jimmy watch the shop....If the good Lieutenant stops by..Tell him I'm on a case." she said.
"Sure boss lady...Jimmy and I have some video and some tape to look at." said Carlotta.
"Okay...I'm going back to my office." I said.
"You are coming back this afternoon aren't you?" asked Carlotta.
''Yes.." I said...
"Excuse me guys." she said and pulled me to her and gave me the kiss of life...I was speechless afterwords...
"That's to make sure you don't forget papi." she said...
Jimmy smiled and turned his head...Dr. Hunter smiled...Sissy smiled and shook her head...
They all got in their cars and pulled off......Just before she left ,Sissy looked at me-
"You okay counselor...?" she asked, smiling...
''Yeah...I'm good." I said.
"I just know you are after that kiss." laughed Sissy as she got in her car and pulled off.
I stood there speechless....
No I certainly wouldn't forget that.....
(TO BE CONTINUED)
No comments:
Post a Comment