Main Line Girls

I arrived at the scene of the crime about twenty minutes after I got the call...Me? I am Assistant District Attorney Keith Porterhouse Wallace...I prosecute Homicides...I am over Homicide/Major Crimes and Special Victims/

When I arrived ,I was greeted by several uniformed patrolmen who had the area, which was in a tony downtown Philly condo cordened off..

"Your Detectives are upstairs ADA Wallace...I 'll have one of my guys take you to the crime scene" said the Sgt. in charge...

"Thank you sir." I said.

The first Detective I saw was my wife, Homicide Detective, Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace....She was the one who had given me the call and she was the primary on this case... Before we were married...I always loved it when she was the primary on a big case...It always meant that we would more than likely be spending the night together...Now  we are married and spend every night together... Regardless, I enjoy anytime I get to see her and to work with her...

She gave me a nice sloppy kiss on the lips as soon as I walked in the door and began explaining to me what happened...

"Hey Baby." she said.

''Hey Babes...what'cha got?"I said.

"In the bedroom...." she said and pointed....

We walked to the bedroom where we saw the body of a young, maybe 25 or 26 year old white female lying face down on the floor.....Another white female, about the same age, lying face down on the floor near the window and in the bathroom, the third white female...also about 25 or 26 lying on her back on the floor ,near the shower ,eyes still open, staring blankly at the ceiling....

Detective, Tyriq Pile turned her over and looked at her...

"Top...She's got the same bluish fluid coming out of her mouth that yours had.." he said... Both he and Carlotta had on white latex gloves...

In the bedroom, Detective James" Jimmy" Barlow was turning over the other body and observing it...

"Same here Carlotta, a bluish fluid coming out the mouth...I have never seen anything like this in my life." he said.

Dr. Hazel Hunter took samples of the bluish liquid and along with Carlotta , turned over body number one, then body number two and finally the body in the rest room...Crime scene reporters snapped photos ,while C.S.I. guys searched for fingerprints, DNA and other evidence....

"We got an ID on these three girls?" I asked...

"Yes...Two of them lived here...This is Amy Ryan....The one over by the bed is Michelle Lord and the one on the bathroom floor is Kim Dewey...." said Carlotta...

"They college students?" I asked.

"Far past that ADA...Carlotta's girl is a lawyer....a very successful corporate lawyer....The one on the floor over there with Rico is a Loan Officer at a very prestigious bank and the girl in the bathroom...My girl is a Fertility doctor at a very ritzy titzy clinic..." said Jimmy.

"They all come from money too...Main Line Girls....They all went to Columbia in New York, moved back here, got jobs and like I said, two lived here in this condo and the other was just visiting..." said Tyriq...

"There is no sign of trauma or violence on the bodies at all...but from the bloating and near advanced rigor...I'd say they've been dead for about six hours and they've been poisoned." said Dr. Hazel Hunter.

''Yes...but the question is why and by who?" asked Carlotta, who searched the apartment....She looked and saw  two plates with cold Chinese food on it, only half eaten...

"Hmmm, what is this?" she said.

"It looks like it was half  eaten." said Tyriq..

Jimmy looked around and saw three wine glasses, half full with white wine in them..."

"This wine looks kind of off color...like it was bluish...." he said.

"That's going to take some looking at...Carlotta ,can we release the bodies?" asked Hazel.

''Yeah, release em." she said.

We watched as the three bodies were removed.... Several witnesses and people who knew the girls gave statements to Tyriq, Jimmy and uniformed officers....I looked at Carlotta....who looked kind of melencholly.

''What's the matter babes?" I asked.

"I don't know...I know that because these girls are white and they come from so called good homes, meaning money homes on the Main Line, pressure is going to be put on us to crack this case...but a girl overdoses in the barrio in Fishtown or Kensington or in the ghetto in West Philly, North Philly, South Philly,Mt. Airy and not so much pressure is put on us." she said.

"I know...I know....That's the nature of the beast babes." I said.

''Every Life is valuable." said Carlotta.

"You're right...Absolutely right." I said.

She leaned her head on my shoulder...I stroked her hair...and kissed her forehead...

II-

Back at C.I.D.  Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy walked in with me and were greeted by Lt. Sissy Van Buren who was staring at a suspect in the "fishbowl"..A Latino male and looking at Carlotta with a worried look...

"What'cha got Chica?" she said.

"A triple and a weird one at that ...Three Main Line girls...poisoned...No motive as of yet." said Carlotta...

''You always get the weird ones." said Sissy...

"I know." she said.

"But you crack them...That's what makes you a great detective." said Sissy.

Carlotta looked inside the fishbowl....Duke and Hop were sitting in there with a suspect......A suspect that Carlotta seemed to know...

"That's Carlos Losada." she said.

"Yes....Chica .Look...Duke and Hop busted him for conspiracy to commit murder.....He is trying to cut a deal...Says he knows what happened to Mickey Lolo...He's full of it." said Sissy.

"Still, Boss Lady, can I at least listen in?" she asked.

"What's going on?" I asked..

''I know him...He used to have ties to Minolo Sennterro...Says he knows what happened to Mickey Lolo. He's from the neighborhood.. I'd be interested in what he had to say." said Carlotta.

"You sure you want to go down that road with him??...He could be just blowing smoke." said Sissy looking very concerned.

"I know..but I'm a little curious...Maybe he's on to something...We never did find Mickey Lolo's remains." said Carlotta. She was trying to feign indifference, but she couldn't fool me...I knew that she earnestly wanted to know....needed to know what happened to Mickey Lolo.

I looked at Sissy ,who nodded her head...She got on the phone...Duke picked it up..

"Yeah Lou" he said.

"Duke, send Hop out...Chica is coming in as your second." said Sissy.

"Huh?...Okay...Yo Hop...Take five....Top is coming in." he said.

''What's up Duke?" asked Detective Tony Hopkins...

"She knows this guy...Just watch and learn." said Duke.

"Okay man." he said and walked out into the hallway.

Carlotta looked at Detective Hopkins....

"Nothing personal Hop....I just want to hear this...I owe you,okay?" she said and smiled.

"Detective Carlotta!! We good...You know that." he said.

''Thanks Hop." she said.

III-

Sissy ,Detective Hopkins and I stood outside and watched as Duke and Carlotta sat with Carlos Losada..

Upon seeing Carlotta, his face lit up...

"Carlotta, Carlotta, Carlotta....Damn,You still look good mami!!!....Oh and I see you got a wedding band on...Some guy got real lucky huh...Wow and snagged you....I gotta take my hat off to whoever it is...How long you been married?" he asked.

"Oh about a month....and you can take your hat off to him now, He's right outside..." she said.

"Another cop?" he asked..."Not that cat that was just in here?" he asked.

"Try the Assistant District Attorney." she said.

"Ohhhh I see...Nothin but the best for you huh?" he said.

"Okay playa, now that the preliminaries are out of the way...We got you cold for attempted murder of  Angel Ortega.....You said you wanted to deal.." said Duke.

"I do...Here is my deal....If I give you some good information....That ties a bigger fish to a murder...a long unsolved murder...You let me walk on that attempted murder charge...It was after all attempted murder..." he said.

''Only because Hop and I got the drop on you before it went down."said Duke.

"Look...and this might interest you Carlotta...Ever wonder what happened to Mickey Lolo?? I could tell you." he said with a laugh..

"He's dead...We got the whole Sentterro mob in the joint and Sentterro himself is on ice...So you got nothin." said Duke..

''Ohhh but I do...I read the papers...Carlotta's hubby there, the dynamic ADA and you and Tyriq Pile and the white boy,Jimmy dragged the ocean didn't you? Found thirty bodies didn't you?  But you never found Mickey Lolo!!! Know why? Cause he aint at the bottom of the ocean...He's a few miles outside of Philadelphia, near the Northeast Airport that's why...He's buried there....We meant to move the body at a later date, but Minolo and everybody got knocked  and well you know....." he said.

"What are you offering us?" asked Carlotta.

"I'll give you his killer, the murder weapon and the guy who was contracted out to take care of it plus the whereabouts of his body...if you let me walk on the attempted murder charges....It's the same guy who hired me to hit Angel Ortega..." he said.

''Okay, where is the body for starters?" asked Duke.

"Make the deal first ,then I'll tell you.... I know that neither of you are high up enough to make that decision...But Carlotta...Your new hubby could...Your foxy Lieutenant could..." he laughed...

Duke looked at Carlotta...She stood up!

"Get some sleep Carlos...You look tired..." she said.

"I want you to set up a meet with your husband and your Lieutenant!...." he said.

"That's up to them...Nice seeing you again Carlos." said Carlotta ,who got up and walked out...

Duke called for an officer to handcuff  Carlos and to take him to the city jail...

"I got what you want...I'm the only one that knows, that's willing to talk..think on it." he said as the officers led him out.

IV-

Sissy looked at Carlotta as she walked out....

"Chica...If you want us to...I can make that deal....He's a small fish...We toss him back in the sea...Chances are he'll be back in here flopping around again within months....If you need closure on this..." said Sissy.

"I don't" said Carlotta..."I've got a triple murder to solve....but thank you Boss Lady for always being my friend and always having my back...." she said and she hugged Sissy.

''Where are you going?" asked Sissy.

"I'm going to talk to Jimmy and Rico before they leave for the day...about our triple murder case....Then Keith...Let's get some drinks at Josies and then go home." she said and then walked away....She didn't seem like herself at all.

"Chica....Are you alright?" asked a worried looking Sissy...Carlotta smiled..

"I'm fine Boss Lady...For real!" she said.

I looked at Duke and Sissy..

"Make the deal...." I said.

"Figured you would.." said Duke...

"There is a chance that we could be getting played...but he might just have something to trade." I said.

Sissy and Duke agreed!

V-

Carlotta was unusually quiet when she got in the car next to me....I studied her and then I finally asked her..

"You know, you told me a few months ago that you didn't need closure, that you didn't care about what happened to Mickey Lolo...You weren't being truthful were you?" I said.

She hung her head down...

"At the time , I thought I was." she said.

''You still love him don't you?" I asked.

"No...Nooo. ..I love you, I married you!!!....You're the only other person I have ever loved and  I love you more than I loved him Keith, that's the truth....but....but...Mickey Lolo and I have history....I lost my virginity to him...He taught me how to drive a car...We went on the prom.. We were engaged  once.....I just ,I just never thought that it would end like this...That maybe I'd never see him again...Never know what happened to him." she said...tears running down her face...

"Carlotta, sweetie...It's okay...I perfectly understand...." I said.

"He broke my heart Keith...When he found out I was going to become a cop, it killed him...He talked to me like he'd never known me...We broke up! It was a bad break up.. He started dating this girl named Eva Dominguez. I cried for months and for months, I didn't want to eat or sleep...My Dad and Ernesto wanted to kill him!I lost weight...Carm and Mercedes nursed me back to health...I  never wanted to feel like that again. When I went to the academy and even afterwords, I threw myself into police work, I created this persona that was so hard, so untouchable,few guys wanted to even come near me...Tyriq, Jimmy and Duke were the only guys I trusted....The only guys I let get close to me and I even held back a bit with them. Oh I dated a guy here and there...but never let anything get serious, until I met you....You made me feel ...I don't know...Like he did...He was just like you when I first met him...Then he started hanging with the Diaz Brothers and Minolo Sentterro and he became somebody I didn't know anymore..." she said.

"But you forgave him in time." I said softly...

"A little...We would talk....He'd give me...information on cases....Small time stuff, nothing major...He apologized for how he treated me and for a minute I saw the guy I fell in love with....But he was still running drugs and killing people for Minolo Sentterro and I was a cop...I knew that I could never be his girl again...Never...I didn't think I could love anybody like I loved him...and then I met you..."she said.

I held her in my arms and gently stroked her hair...

"I made the deal babes...If Losada is telling the truth, you'll have your closure...If not...We didn't lose much...He's a small fish." I said...

"I love you baby...I do...Like nobody's business." said Carlotta.

 "I love you too babes." I said and we sat in that car and kissed like two teenagers long after it got dark..We never made it to Josies for drinks...We wound up just going home.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)