Hello It's Me

The next day, Carlotta, Sissy, Hop ,Jimmy and I visited the home of  the late Reese Younger ,who had been tasered in his jacuzzi the day before....

"I called the alarm company....It seems that on Sunday night...Reese put the alarm on "Stay" around 9:00 pm..That means he was at home , but was not going out...He took the alarm off around 10:15 pm...Which meant that he had a visitor......but here is the kicker...He or someone  put the alarm back on at 10:45pm..which means that either his visitor left or his killer knew the alarm code..." said Carlotta..

"Anybody locate his wife?" asked Sissy.

"Duke and Tyriq are on that....She apparently was in Atlantic City the entire weekend with her girlfriends...a kinda girls night out in AC." said Carlotta..

Sissy looked at me and smiled...

"You know...That would be nice...Me, Chica, Angie, Hazel, Sharon and Bridget all take a weekend in AC...but you'd lose your mind wouldn't you?" she laughed...

"Come on Sissy ,give me a little more credit than that...I'm not that whipped." I said...

Sissy, Jimmy and Carlotta all gave me the side eye and then busted out laughing..

"You guys are sooo wrong." I said.

"I had some uniforms canvass the neighborhood Lou and we found two people who said that a woman stopped by here at a little after 10:00 pm last night...She was described as five foot five, with sunglasses on and a scarf, dark tights, dark turtleneck, dark flats and carrying a dark pocketbook." said Jimmy.

"Anybody get a visual?" asked Carlotta.

"Yeah, we got a visual on the camera outside of this woman coming in at around 10:00 and exiting at around quarter to 11:00, but it's not a very good picture of the face.." said Detective Tony Hopkins..

"We'll take it to the lab and see if they can enlarge it....It seems that this woman's comings and goings all match what the alarm company says." said Carlotta.

"What about fingerprints?" I asked.

"We eliminated all of the usual suspects...him, his wife et al and came up with one set that doesn't match either of them....It was on the alarm system and it was on the heating control of the jacuzzi...It's slim, but this could be his killer...Also the fact that a taser was used and that mostly females carry them for security is another reason why I think his killer might be a female." said Carlotta.

"Well, there is nothing more to be seen here...Let's go back to the office." said Sissy...

"You sure you want to go back to the office?" I asked Sissy ,giving her the side eye....

"Yes....I have an excuse...I'm with you guys, working on a high profile case." said Sissy with a smile..

"Okay, if you say so Lieutenant." I laughed...

She smacked my arm playfully......"Smarty" she said and we both laughed.

II-

When we returned to C.I.D....We saw a tall handsome Black man standing in the hallway outside of Sissy's door...

"Hmmm, I wonder who that is?" asked Sissy..smiling seductively...

"At any rate, it's not Ed Cantrell ." said Carlotta.

"Okayyyyyyyyy?" said Sissy as the two of them high fived each other...I just shook my head and smiled and laughed to myself...

"May I help you sir...I'm Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren, Homicide." said Sissy....

"Hello...I'm looking for Forensic Investigator, Hazel Hunter....I was told that she was assigned to you guys." said the man...

"She is...She's probably over at the M.E.'s office today...She's doing an autopsy for us in an important case. I don't know when or if she'll be by this office." said Sissy.

"Oh...well...I've already been over at the M.E.'s office and I was told that I'd just missed her...Perhaps I'll catch her tomorrow....I'm staying at the Marriot in Center City and I'll be in town the rest of the week...If you see her, could you give her my business card and ask her to call me?" he said.

"I certainly will..Uh who may I say is inquiring?" asked Sissy...

"Oh..I'm Dr. Harold Gray...She knows me. She knows me quite well." he said.

"Okay...I'll be sure to tell her." said Sissy..

"Thank you for your time." he said and smiled and left the building...

Sissy and Carlotta smiled at each other...

"Whoa..Hazel has more to her than meets the eye." laughed Carlotta..

"Chica...you aint never lied...Wait til I see Dr. Hunter,always acting so bashful and shy...And got hotness like that looking for her." laughed Sissy.

"Don't laugh...but here comes your hotness right now...." I said as Lt. Eddie Cantrell came strolling down the hall with a bouquet of roses....

"Ohhh hell." said Sissy...

Carlotta, Jimmy, Hop and I couldn't conceal our laughter as we began to file out...Poor Sissy...but just as he was about to pounce...Help came in the names of Detectives Edwin "Duke" Baylor and Tyriq Pile...They had two women with them...Reese Younger's wife..or widow, Corrine Younger and another woman, her friend, Kim Scott...both very attractive black women....

"Hey Lou, Top...We located Younger's wife in AC...and upon coming back, we stopped by and picked up his wife's friend....She was collecting the mail in front of the house...You might want to talk to them..." they said as they brought the two women into the fishbowl...

Sissy hugged and kissed both Duke and Tyriq on the cheek....

"You guys, don't realize how glad I am to see the both of you...You're my favorite detectives." she said...

"Hey..I thought I was your favorite detective?" laughed Carlotta with a fake pout...

"You were yesterday Chica." she laughed....

''Man Hop, that means that me and you are still on the bottom of the totem pole." joked Jimmy..We all laughed...

III-

With so many detectives scuffling around...Ed Cantrell had to stand outside the Fishbowl with me  as Sissy,Carlotta and Jimmy sat down with the two women....

Duke and Tyriq joined me outside of the fishbowl watching the intterogation and Hop went to watch the videotape....

Both women were distraught at hearing that Reese Younger had been murdered in his hot tub....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my goddddddddddd...He loved that hot tub....after a whole day of  work...He and I would take our clothes off and just relax in that jacuzzi and sip champaigne...Oh my goddd...That jacuzzi was a gift to us from Rollie Rollerson....Reese  had spoke at one of his charitable fund raisers and he had it installed for us just last Christmas... Reese couldn't get enough of it...He found it relaxing.." she said fighting back the tears and crying profusely....Sissy comforted her...

Carlotta looked at the other woman ,Kim Scott and asked...

''What was your relationship to Reese Younger?"

"Oh I was really Corrine's friend..We took a class together at community...We found out that I was renting a house down the street from her and so we hung out from time to time..." she said.

"So you have been in their house from time to time?" she asked.

"Oh yes...many times...Corrine and I go shopping together almost every Saturday...Except the past weekend..She and some of her friends went to AC." she said.

"Do you have a key to their house?" asked Carlotta.

"Oh no..nooo.." she said.

''Well why were you collecting the mail?"asked Carlotta...

"I didn't know if Corrine was back and I figured Reese must have forgotten to pick it up and it had been two days ,so I was collecting it and going to give it to whichever one I saw first..." she explained..

"You didn't see the police out there all yesterday?? You didn't hear on the news that Reese had been murdered?" asked Sissy.

"No...I'm afraid I'm not a TV news person...I was away this weekend myself with a male friend.."she said.

"He have a name and address?" asked Carlotta.

"Uh, he's from out of town...I'm afraid he's gone." she said.

"Oh my God...Can I see the body?" asked his widow, Corrine Younger....

"Yes...We don't have any more questions for now.." said Carlotta...


Sissy asked Duke and Tyriq to take her over to the M.E.'s office.

"Your favorite detectives are on it. Lou" they said in unison and laughed at Carlotta who laughed and stuck her tongue out at both of them...

IV-

Dr. Hazel Hunter arrived at our office soon after Duke and Tyriq left....Surprisingly enough, Ed Cantrell was still hanging around...Sissy clung to Carlotta like glue...looking over case files and what not...

''Hi ADA Wallace...Hello Lieutenant Cantrell." she said as she walked in with her briefcase...

"Hey girl...You just missed Duke...he and Tyriq are taking Reese Younger's widow over to the M.E.'s office to view the body." I said.

"Doc Gibbons can release the body...We've finished our examination....He died from a taser induced heart attack." she said.

"That's the laymen's terms right?" I laughed..

She smiled.."Would you really want me to lay it out in medical terms ADA?" she asked smiling devilishly...

"No more than I'd lay out the legalese to you good Doctor." I said and we both laughed...

Ed Cantrell finally got tired of waiting and appeared to have left the office.

Carlotta emerged from Sissy's office....With Sissy not too far behind her...They both smiled at Hazel and gave her the side eye...

"Hazel...they say it's the quiet ones you have to watch....You had a handsome visitor here today for you." laughed Carlotta...

"Yes Hazel....Anything you want to tell us?" joked Sissy ,winking...

"I don't know what you're talking about?" she said.

Sissy gave her the business card...

"Just joking girl....He came by here about an hour ago...Said he wants you to call him....He's at the Marriot, says he'll be in town all week..Looks like Duke has a little competition doesn't he?" joked Sissy...

Hazel however looked like she'd seen a ghost.....

"Hey..Dr. Hunter...Everything alright?" I asked.

"This guy...Dr. Harry Gray??" she said...

"That was he!" said Carlotta....

"He's my ex-husband!" she said...

(Definitely To Be Continued)