Like A Proper Lady

I usually communed with my detectives over at C.I.D....Today, I asked Sissy and her guys to meet with me over at my office building..We had a better conference room...

My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace and Detective Tyriq Pile and his wife, Detective Sirena Pile on loan to us from the fugitive squad were already here...We lived near each other and we had come straight here from home...

Lt. Sissy Van Buren, Detectives Edwin "Duke" Baylor, James Barlow and Tony Hopkins rounded out the crew with  Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge, Sharon Ferrell sitting in with us...

I had tumblers of hot steaming coffee and pastries for everybody......They knew something big was up...

"Good Morning Everybody.....I'm not going to waste time as to why I have brought you all here....The target is this man.." I said and I pulled out a large glossy of Cleveland Arthur Summers...better known as ''Cat Daddy", the Camden Kingpin ...

"That's Cat Daddy." said Jimmy Barlow..

''That's right...Cat Daddy.....A few months ago ,some of his people murdered a store keeper and then murdered the killer of the store keeper ,all in an attempt to frame one of our own...This was the first part of his attempts to expand his business into Philadelphia...Business that includes Protection, Extortion,Gambling, Wire fraud, Identity theft ,Prostitution ,drugs and good old fashioned murder... We've done a good job of rounding up his people in Philly and Camden...but he, the bossman remains free!!! And while he's free ,he's putting together a leaner and meaner organization...With the money he's putting out to keep all of those people quiet and their families protected as well as his legal fees...I know he's going to need money...Which means he's going to be right back in business...And I want him taken down." I said.

"Well Keith, for starters, Duke, Jimmy, Rico....Check all of your informants, all of your C.I.'s in Philly and in Camden....Find out what the streets are saying that Cat Daddy is doing..." said Sissy..

"We are on it Lou, ADA.." they said in unison...

"And Hop..You and Sirena identify the guys he's working with now and try to make some inroads into them." she said...

"The FBI is still up on his phone at his townhouse in Cherry Hill and at his girlfriend's house here in Philly..We'll keep you informed.." said Sharon Ferrell...

''And what am I, chopped liver?" asked Carlotta.

It was then that Sissy smiled that devilish smile of hers..

"No Chica...You are the key...That's what I wanted to tell you..What I waited for today for." said Sissy.

''What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Yesterday, Jimmy,Tyriq,Hop and I went up to the detention center to see Stella Brown, remember her?" asked Sissy..

"Yes...Carlotta and Tyriq busted her for murder a month ago..."I said.

"Yeah, well she pleaded down to manslaughter...She got ten years." said Tyriq.

''What about her ?" I asked.

''She's pregnant and she claims she can link Cat Daddy to a murder...but she wants to talk to you and Chica." said Sissy.

''Why me? Carlotta arrested her...I didn't even prosecute her case.."I said.

"You need to come to the women's detention center with me today and you'll find out a whole lot more." said Sissy.

"Yeah ADA...It's a trip worth taking." Added Jimmy Barlow as he and Duke and Tyriq headed out the door.. Tyriq's wife Sirena and young Detective Hopkins left behind them and finally FBI agent Sharon Ferrell walked over to Sissy ,Carlotta and I...

"Wow..you guys are putting a full court press on Cat Daddy..."she said while looking at me slyly...

"I'm hoping you'll help us." I said.

"Oh I will...I will..."she said, then she whispered in my ear...''But putting the cat in a cage still won't take the sting away."she said.

I looked at her and smiled..I knew what she was talking about....

II-

Sissy drove...Carlotta sat in the front seat with her...I sat in the back...

"You're unusually quiet Keith...What's on your mind?" asked Sissy.

"Ahhh nothin...I just want to wipe that smile off of Cat Daddy's face..He laughed at us yesterday." I said.

''Sounds personal papi" laughed my wife, Carlotta.

 "Not really...I've never met the man actually....Yesterday in court was the only time I've actually laid eyes on him." I said.

Stella Brown was a beautiful ,shapely brown skinned girl....Even in Prison orange, she had a figure that could not be denied...She had killed another girl during a fight and was in prison or on her way upstate...

She was already in the visiting room when Sissy,Carlotta and I walked in...Upon seeing us...She broke into a big smile...I kept looking at her and wondering why was such a pretty girl here in this detention center...

"As promised Stella...I brought them here....Ozzie and Harriet" laughed Sissy as she offered Stella a cigarette. Sissy had quit years ago...but she kept a pack in her purse for just such occasions..

"Wow...ADA Keith Wallace and Detective Carlotta Wallace" she said.

"I'm surprised you'd want to see me Stella, considering I'm the one who locked you up." said Carlotta.

''Oh I don't take that personal Ms. Carlotta..youse a cop, you were just doin your job!"she said.

She looked at me and said a name- "Frank Pot."

I immediately looked at her....

"What about him?" I said.

"He was some kind of friend of yours wasn't he?"she asked..

"Yes..he was a friend of mine...He was in the insurance business...He was into somebody for a lot of money...Money he embezzled...He came to me for help...This was in spring 2009...Next week, he was dead..His murder was never solved."I said.  Carlotta rubbed my back and put her arms around me...

"Awww..That's so sweet..You two are so cute together..." she said.

"What about Frank Pot? " I asked again..

"CAT DADDY BABY! CAT DADDY ALL DAY!" she said.

''Cat Daddy ordered the hit?" I asked.

"Nah...Cat Daddy did the hit!! he threw Frank Pot out that window...Frank Pot was into a cat named Eric Slaughter for 105G's....He embezzled half of it from his insurance company...to pay his debt, but then he said..his company was on to him and that he couldn't pay the rest...Cat Daddy was just muscle back then....He tossed Frank out the window...." she said.

"And you know this how?" I asked...

"I saw it!!!...Only Cat Daddy didn't know I saw it..Look...Don't judge me, but I used to make my livin staring at the ceiling...You feel me?...I was a workin girl at one time...Frank Had me up in his high rise when Cat Daddy came a callin...He had a guy named Barry Barrington with him...They told me to put on my clothes and get out...Only,I hid in the apartment ..I heard em arguing...Then I saw Cat Daddy grip Frank up in his collar and toss him through the plate glass window...27 floors to the street...!!! I stayed hidden until they wiped the place down and left...All these years I aint said jack." she said.

"So why are you telling us this now?"asked Carlotta.

"I'll testify if you two allow me and my baby daddy to be to get married and have a proper honeymoon at the Marriot downtown."she said.

"Huh? What?  You're facing ten years." I said.

"I know...but I might not do the whole ten...I might get some time shaved off...and if I'm married, my baby daddy's family would take care of my baby.All I want is to be married before my baby gets here." she said.

"You're pregnant aren't you?" said Sissy.

"Yeah, two months...All I want, All I've ever wanted is a wedding and a honeymoon like a proper lady...That's all I want...You give me that,I'll give you Cat Daddy on a platter...You can't get him otherwise...None of his people will roll on him.." she said..

I looked at my wife, Carlotta who shrugged her shoulders...Sissy smiled...

"We could take him down hard and for real this time." she said.

"Who's the father?" I asked.

"See that's why I asked for you two specifically....Because me and my baby daddy...We are an inter-racial couple just like yall....You Black, Ms. Carlotta is Latina...I'm Black and my baby daddy is Latino...Yall know him...He helped you guys solve a murder recently...His name is Carlos Lasado." she said.

"Aye Caramba...Kill me now." said Carlotta...

Sissy laughed.....

"So...We take this deal or what?" she asked.

"Yeah...Make the deal...But you're not going to the Marriot!!...We are going to have this wedding at another location...Once Cat Daddy finds out you've been talking to us...Your life won't be worth a plum nickel...We are going to have you moved to Federal Lock up....Where he can't get to you." I said.

"Great!' she said.

Sissy and Carlotta looked at each other and smiled that conspiratorial smile they always smiled...

"Well Chica..We'd better pick up Carlos off the street and lock him up in Federal lock up too." she said.

"Yeah and while you're at it...Throw Cat Daddy in the tank for good measure." I said.

I just smiled and shook my head!

(TO BE CONTINUED....)