Acting on an anonymous tip about a bad smell coming from a rowhouse in Northeast Philadelphia...My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez and her partner, Detective James "Jimmy" Barlow and five Philadelphia Policemen busted open the door of a residence after repeated phone calls failed to get an answer.... The caller was right...The smell was horendous...!!!
"Ayeee Caramba." said my wife ,Carlotta, who covered her nose and followed him....
There lying in the living room was the decomposing remains of 22 year old Annette Flores.... A pillow was right beside her....on the coffee table was an unfinished bottled of Pepsi Cola....and a smartphone...
"We'd better call Dr. Hunter" said Carlotta..
''Yeah... Hey Burt...Call for more guys and call for an M.E.'s wagon." said Jimmy to one of the uniformed policemen...
''I'm on it Detective" he said.
"I wonder if we'll be able to crack this case by Labor Day." said Jimmy.
''Yeah and with our luck something else will happen...Murder doesn't take a holiday...You know that Jimmy." said Carlotta.
"Yeah I know...We just cracked one and here we got this one..." he said.
The murder victim was dressed in a mini skirt...Her blouse was off and she was clad in a matching bra...
Carlotta looked at her shoes which were strewn in the corner...
"Looks like she had just come home from partying and had grabbed a soda and was about to chill...."she said.
''Yeah...and maybe she had company...somethin went wrong..." said Jimmy...
"These are some very expensive shoes...Wonder where her purse is?" mused Carlotta.
Dr. Hazel Hunter, Sissy and I arrived at just that moment...
Carlotta looked up with surprise....
''Honey Bunny, what are you doing here?"she asked.
Before I could answer Sissy laughed and said-
''Now Chica, why would you ask that? You're here...Why else would he be here?"
I smiled...Dr. Hazel Hunter smiled too...
''That's alright Carlotta...your man loves you...And he's supposed to." she said..
She put on latex gloves and kneeled down and observed the body...
"It's decomposing....and from the rigor and body temperature...I'm guessing that this girl has been here since last Friday Night or Saturday Night at least." she said.
"It's Wednesday!!" said Sissy.
"Did this girl work anywhere?? Somebody has got to be missing her." I mused...
"First ,we have to find out who she is.." said Carlotta..
''Detective...I found her purse in the bedroom...and her wallet...Her name is Annette Flores." said a female patrolmen...
Carlotta looked at the drivers license....
''She's 22...Wow...She's dressed like she came home from the club.."
"I just checked her drawer....I found a roll of condoms." said Jimmy.
"They're probably hers."said Carlotta.
"Hers?" asked Jimmy.
"Yes...women keep a supply sometimes just in case....Since you guys don't like to be responsible for birth control." said Dr. Hazel Hunter...
I laughed...So Did Sissy.
"Boss Lady...we have uniforms canvassing the neighborhood , asking if anybody saw anything and Jimmy and I are going to be watching the crime stopper video to see who was in and around here...going back five days or more." said Carlotta.
''Who's the primary?" asked Sissy.
''Jimmy" said Carlotta.
"Carlotta" said Jimmy...
I howled with laughter....So did Sissy...
"Oh Alright...I'll take this one." said Jimmy.
Carlotta smiled.
Sissy looked at me....
"And these two are my babies... Gotta love em." she said.
II-
SAME DAY, A FEW HOURS LATER-
In another part of town...Police were removing a body from yet another row house...
Sissy, Dr. Hunter and I drove up on the scene...Several uniformed officers were interviewing people and going from door to door... Detective Tyriq Pile was giving instructions to several other uniformed Policemen at the scene..
I walked up to him....
"What you got Rico?" I asked...
"Me and Duke got an anonymous call about a bad smell coming from one of these homes...and we found this girl in her bedroom dead...Looks like she's been here for a day or two." he said.
"This is strangely like Chica and Jimmy's case this morning...They got a call too and they found a young girl in her living room...decomposing...." said Sissy.
"Yeah? Hmmmm." said Tyriq...
Dr. Hazel Hunter observed the body.....
"Wow....She looks like she's only been dead a few days....Her body is in early rigor...." she said.
Duke walked over to us....
''Hey ADA , Lou, Honey Bunny." he said and kissed Hazel... This caused Sissy and I to raise an eyebrow...This wasn't like Duke....Not to kiss Hazel, he often did that now when he saw her....but to call her a cutesy, cutesy name....I was mildly amused...So was Sissy.
''He's been around Chica too long." she mused.
"She was smothered with a pillow in the bedroom." he said.
"Wow...just like Carlotta and Jimmy's victim." I mused.
The dead girl was African-American...21 year old and named Juanita Townsend...
She was clad only in panties and a bra and was found on the bed... An open condom
near the bed... The condom hadn't been used. Her clothes were on the floor and like Carlotta and Jimmy's victim...had expensive clothes and shoes..
''Lou..We have uniforms canvassing the neighborhood , asking if anybody saw anything and Duke and I are going to be watching the crime stopper video to see who was in and around here...going back five days or more." said Tyriq.
''Who's the Primary?" asked Sissy.
''Duke" said Tyriq.
''Rico"said Duke.
Sissy just shook her head..
''Okay...Okay...I'll take this one." said Duke.
I laughed...so did Hazel.....Sissy just shook her head....
"These are my babies too, what can I say?" she said.
III-
EARLY THE NEXT DAY:
Acting on an anonymous tip about a bad smell coming from yet another rowhouse right off of South Street...Our two newest detectives, Detective Sirena Pile, the wife of Detective Tyriq Pile who was on loan to us from the fugitive squad and who had now put in for a transfer to Homicide and Rookie Detective Antonio Hopkins had arrived with five uniformed policemen to find...22 year old Veronica Hall, a caucasion female lying near her bathroom with her dress on , her shoes and pocketbook strewn to the side and a pillow near her....
Unlike the other two women, her panties were off and there were signs of sexual activity...although she had a lot more clothing on...
There was an unfinished glass of champaigne on her coffee table and a full condom in the trash can....
"Wow...these are some expensive shoes....and this pocketbook, wow! baby girl got some dough." said Detective Hopkins...
''What do you know about women's shoes and pocketbooks?"asked Sirena Pile who was as surprised as she was impressed.
"You apparently don't know my fiance, FBI Special Agent Sharon Ferrell do you? She has always had expensive tastes and as long as I've known her, I have always tried to supply those tastes of hers...Along the way I learned a few things." said Hop.
"Awww, you really love her don't you?" said Sirena.
''Most of my life.." he said.
''That is so sweet...I sure hope she loves you just as much."said Detective Pile.
''She does now.." he said.
Once again...Sissy, Dr. Hazel Hunter and I drove up...This was getting to be a habit now!
"What you guys got?" asked Sissy.
"Young woman...Looks like she was just coming home from a club ,found near the bathroom..." said Hop.
"She was smothered with a pillow..." said Sirena...
Sissy looked at me....
"We had two simular homicides like this yesterday..." said Sissy.
"You did?" said Hop.
"Yes... Chica and Jimmy had one and Rico and Duke had another...Same M.O. I'm betting you had an anonymous call too didn't you?" said Sissy.
"Sure did..." said Sirena..
Dr. Hunter observed the body....
"She's been dead for a few days....Oh my god...somebody open a window...The smell is terrible." she said.
CSI guys and Crime photographers were snapping photos of the scene and uniformed officers were doing a house to house search and questioning people in the neighborhood..
"I'm going to be looking at a lot of crime stopper video tonight...To see who was in this neighborhood." said Hop.
"I'm afraid to ask....but who is the primary?" asked Sissy.
" Hop" said Sirena.
"I am." said Detective Hopkins.
Sissy smiled...
''I got the call...but you know..He's a rookie...He needs to be on a big case...I'll be there to help him...We are kind of like partners." said Sirena..
Sissy beamed with pride...
"My babies...I am so proud of them." she said.
They both looked surprised...
I whispered to them...
"You two just earned some major cool points with the boss lady." I said smiling.
Dr. Hazel Hunter looked at me and Sissy and said...
''Something is different about this one...We couldn't find any fingerprints at all at the other two scenes ,which was weird...Should have been some fingerprints and DNA...and yet at this scene...We've got a condom with a fingerprint smudge and it's loaded with semen ,which will give us DNA...That's not consistant and this is the only one of the three girls who had sexual activity..." she said.
"So you do think at least two of these murders are linked?" I asked.
"I think they all are...All three girls were smothered with a pillow....But there is something else...."said Hazel...
"What's that?" asked Sissy.
''We found smartphones and ipads at the other two sites...I know this girl had to have at least one phone...Can't find one around here...not one...That's all...All young women have a phone these days." said Hazel.
"Lou can I release the body?" asked Detective Hopkins...
Sissy smiled...
"You're the primary Hop...It's your call." she said.
"Dr. Hazel...do you have all you need?" he asked.
"Dr. Hazel??..That sounds so funny Antonio...Who would have known when we were growing up that we all would be working together? Me, you, Carlotta,Sharon..Wow...Life is funny.....I remember when all of us used to be out there waiting on the C Bus and the Broad street subway.Yes Detective Hopkins...I have everything I need." she laughed.
"Release the body. Yeah Hazel...Those were the days...Me mooning over Sharon...Carlotta and Mickey Lolo holding hands and sitting at the bus stop...You and Sharon's brother" he said.
''Yeah..those were some times." said Hazel.
I looked at Sissy...
"It's going to be a long night..." I said.
''Yeah...I'm calling Eddie C. now." she said.
I smiled....
IV-
THAT NIGHT-
I arrived at CID a few hours later with several platters for the uniform patrolmen and the detectives that would be working tonight on this case...
Duke and Dr. Hunter were over at the M.E.'s office...I had their food driven over there by two uniforms...Tyriq, Jimmy, Hop,Sirena and Carlotta were looking at video and checking phone numbers in the communications room..
Carlotta met me in the hallway...She gave me a nice long, slow sensual kiss..
"Heyy honey bunny...I've missed you much of the day." she said.
"I know...I've been busy....Looks like we got a serial killer on the loose..." I said.
''Don't you hate those ?..I like a good old gangster case...Like Cat Daddy." she said and smiled...
"Ha! How about that?" I said.
She kissed me again....
''Mmmmm damn girl...You think that maybe we could take a break and uh go into one of these offices?" I said.
"Uh Uhhhh...With all of these people in here right now....No way!! You're just going to have to be strong and cool off until we get home...Whenever that is." she said.
"Yeah you're right." I said.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm as turned on as you are right now...." she laughed.
''Yeah...at least we have each other...Poor Jimmy,Poor Hop...Angie isn't here and Agent Ferrell isn't here." I said as we held hands and walked down the hall...
As we turned the corner...We saw Agent Ferrell coming out of one of the empty offices..She was fixing her blouse...and wiping her lipstick off of Detective Hopkins face... He was busy fixing his pants...
I looked at Carlotta and smiled...
''Scratch that..Poor Jimmy." I said.
Carlotta smiled and laughed....So did I.
(TO BE CONTINUED!)
1 comment:
Seems Like these guys are best at putting serial killers down...But it was about time...They just nabbed a mob boss..Good Story!
Post a Comment