A Kiss Is Just A Kiss

The next day, Detectives Tyriq Pile and my wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace sat in the interrogation room...Nicknamed "The Fishbowl" by the detectives...FBI Special Agent, Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins sat with them..

I brought them each a steaming hot tumbler of coffee and listened to what they had to say...Sissy was surprisingly missing...Her office didn't look as though she had been in today at all...

"ADA Mitchell Nelson is being investigated by the FBI ...He's part of a corruption investigation..." said FBI Agent Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins..

''Did you know that he was having an affair with Emily Harris?"asked Tyriq...

''Not until you told me.. " she said... "He agreed to turn in states evidence on some corrupt officials...In exchange for a free walk...we didn't really have anything untowards on him...I don't want it to get out that he is a co-operating witness.." she said.

"It won't...We just want to ask him about Emily....Here comes Duke and Jimmy with him now." said Carlotta.

Detectives Edwin "Duke" Baylor and James "Jimmy" Barlow and one uniformed officer walked in with ADA Mitchell Nelson.... He looked around....He saw me and he nodded...

''Keith...How are you doing?" he said.

''I'm doing good Mitch." I said. "How's your wife and kids?" I asked.

"Oh they're just fine." he said and sheepishly walked into the fishbowl.

He saw Agent Hopkins and looked surprised... She raised her hand...

''It's okay...This has nothing to do with our investigation...These detectives want to ask you about another matter." she said.

''What other matter?" he asked.

''A murder!" said Carlotta

"A murder? Heyyyyy wait a minute...I didn't kill anybody......I'm an Assistant District Attorney....JUST LIKE YOUR HUSBAND.....I put people who kill people behind bars..." he said looking at Carlotta, who didn't blink.

''How's your wife man?  You still married to Gretchen right?" asked Tyriq..

He held his head down...

"Yes..I am."

"She know that you own a floor in the Cavalcades Condo ,just six blocks from where you live? Does she know that you took other women there...specifically this one?" said Tyriq as he put a glossy photograph of the dead Emily Harris floating in the rooftop water tank in only her panties...her lifeless blue eyes staring at the fading winter sun in front of him...

He looked at the photo and he said...

"We were supposed to hook up the last day of her life... I had called her and told her that I wanted to stop seeing her , but that I'd like , you know...one more for the road...I called her around 4:15pm...She didn't answer....I sent her a text... around 5:30....she had a pass key...I told her to just let herself in...I hadn't gotten there yet....I drove up around 7:30, there was a whole bunch of police around....Considering that I'm a co-operating witness in a federal probe...The last thing I wanted was any controversy....I just turned and left...I called her two more times...once at 8:00 pm...she didn't answer...and again at 10:00 pm..No answer...I left a text...You can check." he said.

"We will...in the meanwhile...Would you submit to a lie detector test and also would you leave fingerprints and DNA samples?" asked Carlotta.


''Sure...I'm a lawyer...I know how this works...but I got nothin to hide...Nothin." He said.

Hazel took his Saliva, Blood and Urine samples as well as fingerprints....

"You can go now Mitch....Give Gretchen and the kids my love....and uh, don't plan on taking any long trips say outside of Philadelphia anytime soon." said Tyriq..

He looked at Tyriq like he wanted to strangle him and stormed out of our office...I smiled...So did Duke.

II-

A few hours later, Detective Tony Hopkins walked into the office...

"His Alibi checks out....I ran a check on his phone and her phone and all of the calls and texts he said he sent were sent when he says he sent them....A check of her debit card shows that she filled her car up with gas at a Wawa...and then paid by debit card to park in that lot ,down the street from the Condo....Traffic cam picks her up walking to the building at 5:45..." he said.

"Yeah ,I picked her up at exactly that time going in....but never coming out!  And there is our boy, ADA Mitchell Nelson driving up at 7:30..just like he said....By then , the body had been discovered and  there was a huge police presence.." said Jimmy.

Dr. Hazel Hunter-Baylor walked in just then...

"Carlotta, Rico....I checked Mitchell Nelson's DNA against what I have and it doesn't match....Not the semen and not the fingerprints....And whoever this DNA and Fingerprints belong to is not a match for anybody in our system.." said Hazel.

"I'll run it through the Federal System and see if we get a hit." said Sharon.

''We've eliminated the husband and her lover as suspects...But something is wrong...There has to be someone else..Someone we don't know about?" said Carlotta.

"The Pass key says that she let herself in at 5:45....Nelson called her around four something...She was having her hair done...She wouldn't have heard it...People started complaining around 6:45 that the water tasted funny....We get a call at 7:15 that a body was discovered in the tank.....She was murdered and discarded in between that hour...Jimmy,Hop...search Traffic cam and the street video cam...see if you spot anybody leaving the building with a package...heading west....Top...You and I need to revisit that Condo." said Tyriq..

"By the way Rico, where is your wife and where is Sissy?" I asked....


It was at that moment that both of them materialized...

''Hey guys...We went back to the hairdresser and talked to some more people that knew Emily....Apparently, ADA Mitchell Nelson owned a floor in that very building and this was where those two would meet up..." said Sirena...

"We already know that and we had Nelson down here this morning and we cleared him.." said Carlotta.

"Yes...But did you know that she and Nelson had a big argument and that she would often keep time with yet another man in that condo? said Sissy...

"You're kidding?" said Tyriq...

"A west side playa named Carlton "IFISEEYOUFIRST" Johnson..." said Sirena...

''Emily knew him from her days in the life..We got an APB out on him now." said Sissy..

"You guys did great work....At least we got another suspect..." I said...I then looked at Sissy...

"And with that said...Carlotta and Tyriq are going to re canvas that condo...Why don't you go with them Lieutenant ,make sure they are handling the investigation properly." I joked..

"You're a doll baby Keith...No...I'm not running from my problems...I'm going to face him. Besides ,I have paperwork to do." she said.

''You sure?" I asked.

Sissy smiled...

''Yeah...go ahead."she said.

III-

Carlotta and Tyriq headed out towards Tyriq's car...Carlotta looked at me....

"You're not coming with Honey Bunny?" she asked.

"No...I'm going to hang around here.....You guys go on...." I said.

She kissed me slowly and softly....

I stood still....

"You sure you not coming ?" she asked.

"UH....I've changed my mind...I guess I will ride with you." I said.

Carlotta smiled that smile of hers that could melt glaciers... How could I resist?...I got in the backseat and we pulled off...Carlotta is a great kisser...What can I say?

Sirena would tell Carlotta (who would tell me) later that Lt. Ed Cantrell did indeed stop by and walked into Sissy's office...

Sissy stared at him...



''Well " he said.



''Well what?"she answered...



"Have you given my proposal some thought?" he asked.



''What proposal?It's only been 24 hours.... I have a man...Plain and simple...We are very happy...We are not in a race to get married...When we decide to get married , we will....I can't say it any clearer than that...Ed, you're just wasting your time...Please stop with the flowers, the gifts, the unwanted advances,  everything...Please." she said.



"You know you want Big Daddy in you as bad as  Big Daddy wants to be in you..." he said.



"You are impossible.." she said laughing...



He began to laugh too...



They both stared at each other....He stood up...Sissy almost gasped...He stared into her eyes....Sissy backed up a bit...



He pulled Sissy to him and kissed her passionately....She returned his passion...She didn't fight him off like she usually did..She melted into his arms and gave him the kiss he had been waiting for...They kissed for at least five minutes... Then suddenly she broke his embrace...



"I think you should uh leave now Lieutenant Cantrell." she said straightening her clothes and her hair...Lucky for her ,the door was closed and the shades drawn....

''What's wrong Sissy?" he said.


"Everything.  That wasn't supposed to happen" said Sissy hanging her head...She was confused and disgusted.



''But it did and it was good...You know it and I know it..." he said.



"Good Night Lt. Cantrell." said Sissy, refusing to look up.



He stared at her....Then he smiled a sardonic smile and walked out of her office.

(DEFINITELY TO BE CONTINUED..)