Shot To The Heart

My SUV pulled up on the corner.....It was a scene that was not at all too unusual to me...Keith Porterhouse Wallace, Assistant District Attorney...The scene of death...Unaccidental death.....
A young black male , 19 years old was lying on his back...with one single bullet hole, center mast in his chest....dead.....

I shook my head...so young...He hadn't even begun to live yet and now he was dead...The latest casualty in a drug war between two crews vying for control of this West Philly neighborhood..

My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez -Wallace and her Lieutenant, Sissy Van Buren were at the scene with Forensic Investigator, Hazel Hunter checking out the body....

It was strange seeing all females at a scene and no male detectives...   As usual, CSI people were going over the imediate area with a fine tooth comb...Photographers were taking photos and uniformed policemen were questioning people and cordoning off the area...

Carlotta, Sissy and Hazel looked sad and weary...So much death!...Young death at that....Carlotta walked over and gave me a kiss ,like she usually did when she saw me, but there was something sad about her today...a sadness I hadn't seen before...

"This is my third one honey bunny." she said.

"Your third one?" I said.

"Yes...I have three open murders and all three were like this guy, a  top lieutenant in Big Cheese's drug organization." she said..

"Tyriq has three unsolved murders too...Big Cheese's men....and Jimmy also has three unsolved...Add to that the three that Duke caught a week ago and that brings the total to 12 of Big Cheese's men shot down.." said Sissy...

"All hit with a single shot, right in the heart from a sniper rifle fired from a distance of at least 200 feet...They never saw it coming and were dead before they hit the ground." said Hazel.

''Whoa...That means that China White is winning this war." I said.

"Oh he took some losses too..."said Carlotta..."Sirena and Hop have 7 open murders of his men." she went on to say..."Over the past few weeks...And their cases are fresher than ours..."

"Naturally, no one will talk to us...Family, friends...peers.. Everybody is closed mouthed , but even more so than before...It's like the entire neighborhood is gripped with fear...more so than normal." said Sissy.

"One thing is common in all of the cases...Single shot to the heart...Sniper rifle, from a distance.." said Hazel.

''Wait a minute, This doesn't sound right...Am I the only one who sees this?" I said.

"What are you talking about papi?" said my wife, Carlotta...

"These are drug dealers...young punks...When they kill each other, it's usually a drive by, a spray of bullets or what have you....Not this...This looks like an efficient hit...Like a professional did this..Not the type of guy these young yos would bring in..."I said.

Sissy, Carlotta and Hazel looked at me....

"You're right....this is different...One week...China White's guys are dropping like flys...and then all of a sudden, Big Cheese is losing soldiers and in the same manner." said Sissy.

"You think they hired the same hitman?" asked Carlotta.

"That's crazy as hell...but what if they did...What if there is a free agent out there selling his services to the highest bidder?" I asked.

"I don't want to think about that possibility." said Sissy.

"A possibility that is very much a certainty" came a voice....

II-

"Sgt. Sanchez!" said Sissy...

"Miguel!!" said my wife Carlotta...

Something about the way Carlotta said his name and looked at him told me that there was something more to them than just a casual acquaintance...

So called Sgt. Miguel Sanchez was once Detective Sgt. Miguel Sanchez...The Detective who had told a pretty young Latina patrol officer that she should take the detectives test after she helped the detectives solve a murder...That pretty young Latina patrol officer was my wife..Now ,Homicide Detective ,Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace...  And Detective Sgt. Sanchez had been promoted to Lieutenant Miguel Sanchez and then had left the Philadelphia Police Department...He was now with the FBI.

"Hey Sissy...How you doin baby?" he said...Then he looked at Carlotta....

"Carlotta Rodriguez...Detective Carlotta Rodriguez...You're a Homicide Detective now huh?  I knew you'd make it big..You always were sharp...among other things ." he said.

My wife blushed like a school girl.....

"It's Detective Carlotta Wallace now." she said.

''Wallace?? You...You're married?" he said,looking very disappointed...

"Yes...I've been married for about six months to this wonderful man." she said grabbing me and hugging me...

"You're married to smooth Keith? Aww man...You're married to the ADA...Well I'll be damned...Well......I guess congratulations are in order." he said shaking my hand and eyeing her wedding band...

"Whoa....I-I didn't know...I guess I've been out of the loop....Wowwwww." he said.
"So what brings you here Miguel?" asked Sissy sensing the tension....

"As you know,I'm a Federali now...I'm with the FBI...You're right Keith...These aren't just your run of the mill gang killings....You're looking for one shooter in all of your homicides....He's one of ours...a rogue who walked out of a psychiatric hospital...His name is Barry Snider....His nickname is "Bullseye"...He's a former Navy Seal...A sniper...28 kills....He's real good at what he does...Killing..I think he's up here and I think he's selling his services to the highest bidder....These yo's don't know what they've got themselves into...He likes killing and it doesn't surprise me that he may have been working for one crew and is now working for another crew...He's crazy....I'm here to get him." he said.

"You by yourself?" I asked..

"Yeah...I know my job very well...I'm good at what I do..." he said eyeing Carlotta up and down..

"So am I." I said.

"You're just a lawyer man...Me...I'm a cowboy." he said and smiled...

I smirked....

Sissy sensed the tension and attempted to change the conversation...

"Why don't you meet us at C.I.D. tomorrow and let's put our heads together." she said

"That'll work...I've been on the road...I need a bath and some food...Carlotta...I was going to ask you out to dinner, but seein your situation...I suppose that would be a bad idea...Maybe we'll get to talk before I catch this guy." he said.

"You're not seriously asking my wife out while I'm standing here are you playa?" I asked him....

"Relax shyster....I meant no disrespect...You got the hot hand....Congratulations on the wedding..You got a great girl there...I'm serious. I said I was going to ask her out until I found out she was married." he said and put his hand out to shake...

I smiled and lightly shook his hand....I didn't like this guy....I only vagely knew him from his days on the force, but he was definitely not one of my favorites...

III-

Sissy walked over to me and rubbed my back...

"Relax Keith...Don't let him get to you...He's a little cocky now that he works for the feds.....He's nobody." she said.

I looked at her and smiled...

I walked over to my SUV...Carlotta looked at Sissy and Hazel...They both nodded their heads..She followed me to my SUV....

"Aren't you going back with Sissy and Hazel?" I asked.

"No...we are done here...The body has been released." she said.

"Well don't you have some reports to file?" I said.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

I wasn't actually, I didn't know what it was I was feeling at the moment...

"No...I'm not mad at you." I said and held my head....

"You know I love you and only you...So why did you let Miguel get to you like that?" she said.

"I guess he made me a little jealous..."I said.

She took my hand into her hands....

"Let me tell you a story..." she said.

I always liked her stories...I wondered if I'd like this one.

TO BE CONTINUED..