Magnetism

Carlotta and I walked back to the laundromat...Our clothes were finished washing...We loaded them in the dryers...I looked out the window and there was Tyriq and his wife,Serena again...standing outside kissing passionately...I smiled and shook my head...

"They need a room...We aren't like that..Are we?" I said to my wife, Carlotta.

"I can't believe you are asking that....You're always pulling me into an empty office or courtroom trying to take my clothes off or pulling me behind some building during a case and kissing me...And it's getting so that I can't even come in the house from grocery shopping without you pawing all over me." she said and laughed...

"Yeah, but we are inside baby, hidden....Most of the time!" I said in my defense...

"They have three kids Keith...It must be hard for them to have any time alone..." she said.

"They're babies..one is a newborn and the twins are what? Two?" I said.

"Yeah...I used to babysit sometimes, before you and I got involved....Now Tyriq's mother has them on the weekends..." she said.

''I guess I am pretty bad huh?" I said.

"Bad is sexy....." said Carlotta laughing...

"Can I kiss you now?" I asked slyly...

"No....because you'll make me forget where I was in the story...Afterwords you can as much as you want okay?" she said laughing and shaking her head..

"Okay..so tell me the rest of this story." I said.

"Once Upon a Time in Philadelphia..." said Carlotta ,laughing...

"I know...I know there was these two detectives." I laughed....

II-

Two days later ..I was in the coffee shop getting two tumblers of coffee when who would I run into but Detective Serena Harris...

"Oh Hi....You're Carlotta right? ,Detective Carlotta Rodriguez??" she said and extended her hand to me..

"Yes..and you are Detective Serena Harris." I said and shook her hand..

"You getting coffee for your partner?" she said.

"Yes..." I said.

''Could you do me a favor Carlotta...I'll pay you...Could you let me uh give him this coffee...As a..As a peace offering?" she said.

"Sure!" I said.

"We all got off on the wrong foot the other night...I'm sorry for that...I'm used to working by myself.." she said.

''So is my partner..I'm the only partner he's had that lasted this long...His other partner was killed in the line of duty....I helped him catch the killer...So he kind of trusts me." I said and smiled...

''Wow! I see why he trusts you....He's just like me...My former partner wasn't killed, but he was shot badly and he retired...I haven't wanted a partner since then...Amazing we are so alike..Him and I." she said and smiled..

''Yes ,Amazing ."I said and gave her the side eye..

"You know...Your partner is kind of cute...and he kind of saved my life the other night...Felton had a gun to my head...Your partner was fearless...You should have seen him Carlotta, diving behind cars, shooting it out with him...I-I-I shouldn't even tell you this...but I was impressed...Even...Aroused a little bit!" she said...Then she stopped talking.

I smiled at her...

"Why are you here? Why you want to take coffee to my partner?" I asked..

"Lt. Eddie Cantrell is watching this case carefully....He told me that like me...He trained Tyriq and that Tyriq is one of his best detectives...He said that I could learn a lot from him...And he ordered me to work with the both of you...ADA Foster wants the three of us to work together too...Your partner hates me doesn't he?" she said.

"Actually...He likes you...He just doesn't know it...He talks about you a lot...Non-stop...I feel like I know you." I said and laughed.

"None of it good huh? Who does she think she is,huh?" she said.

"Yeah...but a man doesn't keep talking about a woman like that, while also admitting how good she looks unless he likes her...He's just trying to fight his attraction to you." I said.

"Really? He said I look good?" she asked.

''Yeah...He always throws that in during his rants...I told him that I think he likes you and can't bring himself to admit it...You know how men and their egos are?" I said.

"Wow...You are a great detective yourself and a great reader of people." she said.

I smiled....

"I like you Carlotta....I hope you and I can be friends...Even if your partner and I don't ever hit it off." she said.

We hugged each other...

"Of course we can..Come on...I'll talk to him...but I got things to tell you both..." I said.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"At the precinct...You were on your way to see us?" I said.

"Yeah." she said.

"Know what? I think you like my partner too." I said.

"Ahhhhh,He's a little rough around the edges...but he does have a certain charm." she said...and we both laughed.
III- 

Tyriq was waiting at the desk  going over case files when I arrived, upon seeing Serena with me..He had a look of pure surprise on his face..

She looked like she was scared slightly...I nudged her to go ahead...

.

''Hey Rico..Look who I ran into at the coffee shop?" I said.

Like I said...Rico never got mad at me...Not once...He smiled and said- "I'm going to get you Top."

Serena  passed him a tumbler of coffee...

"I was on my way here...I ran into your partner at the coffee shop...." she said.

Tyriq looked at his coffee, then he sipped it..

"Hmmm, light cream, sugar ...Hazelnut creamer...No way you could have known that...Carlotta told you,didn't she?" he said.

"Yes, she did." said Serena...

''Cantrell sent you didn't he?"

"Yes..But I wanted to come...This is a ...a peace offering...Sorry about the other night...You had no way of knowing who I was..." she said..

I shushed both of them and motioned for them to come into an empty office...I closed the door...

"What's going on Top?" asked Tyriq...

"We got a leak in our shop....My C.I. told me that Odessa over there...Don't look at her...She's Felton's girl...She's been pipelining information to him for years now...That's why he was always a step ahead of us." I said.

''Whattt?" said Tyriq..

"She's seen all of the warrants and paperwork we have sent to the D.A.'s office...She writes them up..."I said.

"Wow..You think she knows about me?" asked Serena...

"No...We never got anything on you....S.I. has you so deep that the only ones over here that know besides
Rico and Me is our Sgt..Danny Ho.." I said.

"Good ,because Felton made contact with me again. He wants to meet tomorrow night at Bottom of The C."said Serena...

"I already told Sarge about it...There is another Detective coming over here I want you to meet Tyriq..His name is James Barlow..We were in the academy together..rode around in the patrol car together..I hadn't seen him in two years...He's a Detective over in Narcotics...He cloned her phone and Sarge and I fed Odessa some false information...We got her on tape calling Felton..We traced Felton to one of his apartments, but he was gone and he had discarded the phone by the time we got there....It's her!" I said.

Tyriq smiled...He shook his head...

"Top, you are the best....You're the best partner I ever had...I was crazy....I'll never keep you out of the loop again..."He said.

"There's my friend now." I said and I signaled for Jimmy to join us in the office...We saw Odessa looking around wondering what was going on...

''Hey Carlotta."said Jimmy...

"Hey...Jimmy....This is my partner, Tyriq Pile and this is Detective Serena Harris." I said.

"Pleased to meet you Detective Harris.  Tyriq...I've met you before...Duke's friend right?" he said to Tyriq...

"Yeah,I remember you....You helped us bring down that stick up crew last year.." said Tyriq...

"Yeah...I was on that stake out with you and Duke..." he said.

''So we both have Carlotta in common huh? Small world!" said Tyriq...

"Best Partner I ever had. She kept me straight." said Jimmy...

"She is a gem.." said Tyriq...

"Your girl over there, Odessa!! Is definitely a mole....We tracked several calls to Felton..He uses burners..Tosses em after awhile...Hard to get a bead on him." said Jimmy.

"Carlotta, how did you find out Odessa was a spy?" asked Serena..

"I have a C.I....He's somewhat of a gangster....He's sweet on me...He gives me information from time to time..Kind of like my best kept secret." I said.

"Nothing like a good C.I." said Serena...

"Excuse me guys." said Jimmy....

Jimmy signaled for three patrolmen to come in...Sergeant Ho came out of his office..

Jimmy and his three officers surrounded Odessa..She protested...but they handcuffed her and walked her out of the office...

"Nice seeing you again Carlotta..Maybe we can work together again one day." he said as they walked out..


"Who knows...Me ,you, Tyriq...We might all wind up in the same squad one day." I said and smiled..

Jimmy laughed... "Yeah with crazy assed Duke...Imagine that?" he said.

"All of us in one unit? The city couldn't take it." I laughed...

"I know right?..See ya around Carlotta." said Jimmy as he and his officers walked out...

Sgt. Ho looked at me...

"Good Work Carlotta." and walked back into his office...

I peered into the office... Tyriq and Serena were in a deep conversation...

"Oh yeah? No kidding...I used to work in the 19th and the 23rd when I was a roller myself." said Tyriq..

"It's a small world isn't it?" said Serena...

"I swear..isn't it?" said Tyriq...

"Hey...would it be too forward if uh say we uh went someplace and had a drink?  I uh know a place..A nice place...None of the playas would run into us..None of the cops either...It's called Minks...ever heard of it?"
she asked.

"Yeahhh..Yeah...High end spot." said Tyriq..

"Wanna go have a drink and uh talk about the case?" she asked.

"I'll have a drink with you...and uh no...I don't want to talk about the case..." said Tyriq..

"Me neither....You know...I live right around the corner from you." she said.

"You don't say? I did not know that." said Tyriq, lying through his teeth....I couldn't help but laugh...Sgt Ho observed it too, he too was laughing..

"Wow...What is that cologne you have on?" she asked...

"Did I uh put on too much?" said Tyriq..

"No..Not at all....I like it...It's very intoxicating.." she said.

"Really? , Word..Well uh..I'll uh meet you this afternoon after work..okay Detective Harris?" he said.

"You can call me Serena..Can I call you Tyriq?" she said.

"You can call me Rico...My friends do." he said.

"So uh ,are we friends now?" she said.

"Uhh, yeah...I suppose we are.."he said.

"You don't even know me..." she said.

"Well, I'd like to get to know you." he said.

"I'll just bet you would." she laughed...

''Always so sure of yourself?" asked Tyriq.

"No...not always...a lot of me is an act...a facade I wear to get me through the day." she said.

"It's okay...All of us wear some kind of facade....I must admit...I wear one myself...I only let a few people really know me..." said Tyriq...

This was getting good I thought...So did Sgt. Ho, who couldn't hide the bemused smirk on his face.

''My partner ...Carlotta probably sees through my facade the best...She told me that I really liked you and I kept denying it...But I do...The minute I saw you I was attracted to you. " said Tyriq.

"I knew you really liked me....It's okay...I like you too...Ever since I saw you in action two nights ago.I couldn't get you off my mind.." she said.

"You usually this open?" said Tyriq..

"No...Never....This is the first time I've ever felt like this..It's like I'm drawn to you." she said.

"Yeah...Me too...It's like magnetism..."said Tyriq..

"Yeah Magnetism!" said Serena...

Sgt Ho tapped me on the shoulder....He was trying hard to contain his laughter...

"This is too much...Magnetism....Oh brother!  You want lunch Detective Carlotta?" he said.

 "Sure Sarge" I said.

''Let's go to Sam Mothers...I hear they got a special today." he said.

"Okay." I said...I just shook my head....

We left...Tyriq and Serena were standing so close it looked like they were going to kiss.

IV-

"Aww Carlotta, you can't leave me hanging like that babes...What happened next?" I said.

"Our clothes are finished...Honey Bunny...Help me fold them and I'll tell you the rest as we fold." said Carlotta...

"You're a great story teller." I said.

Carlotta laughed and softly stroked my arm...

(TO BE CONTINUED)