Brand New Boots

I arrived about 45 minutes after I got the call from Detective Tyriq Pile...  I had to admit...This was indeed an odd call....But in my line of work...I'm used to odd calls...I am Assistant District Attorney ,Keith Porterhouse Wallace...I prosecute cases from Homicide, Major Crimes and Special Victims Unit...The occassional odd call is par the course. It was close to 8:30 pm...A time when most of us are on our way home....It was a beautiful and brisk mid winter night in Philadelphia.

I have to say...I like it when the case is on the ground floor....On the streets...This one was on the roof of one of the tallest condos in Philadelphia...Two uniformed Policemen met me upon my arrival and escorted me up to the top floor...The Sergeant on duty had a squad of uniformed policemen in the lobby ,keeping people from leaving or coming in....

To my surprise...My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace greeted me with a smile when the elevator door opened...A smile and a nice warm wet ,nearly arousing kiss....

''Hey baby...what are you doing here?" I asked upon seeing her.

"Why wouldn't I be here Honey Bunny??...I'm a cop...a Homicide cop...and we have a Homicide." she said..

"Oh, because Rico called me." I said.

"He's on the roof with the body and some Marine Unit Cops....It's his case." she said smiling as she walked me to the roof of this building...

''Marine Unit cops?" I asked.

Carlotta took my hand...

"Come with me papi...You have to see this...then you'll understand." she said smiling so sweetly.

My wife's partner, Detective Tyriq Pile was on the roof.....He was directing me and several Marine Unit Cops dressed in scuba gear to the top of a massive water tank....

"Hey ADA ....Come over here and take a look at this..." he said...  Carlotta and I walked over to the steps and bounded them....I felt a cold winter breeze blow through me...Making my bones shiver...It was a massive water tank on the top of the condo....My guess was that this massive tank supplied most of the water for the tenets in this building..

Floating in the center of the tank was a blonde....shapely....clad only in panties...face up...eyes blankly staring at the sky....

I was stunned...

"Oh My God" I said.

"The tenets complained about the water tasting funny....The building people came up here to check and they found her floating in 23 feet of water...." said Tyriq...

"And you called in the Marine Unit?" I said ,laughing and giving Tyriq the side eye...

''That is 23 feet of cold water papi...Rico and I aren't dressed to go swimming in that water..."explained my wife, Carlotta....

I looked at her and smiled...

"Stop thinking about me in a wet T-shirt smarty!" she said slapping my arm.....

I laughed....Tyriq and a police officer laughed also...

"I was thinking about you Keith...If Top got sick and caught a cold...She'd be no good to you...You'd have to nurse her back to health." said Tyriq with a devilish grin...

We both laughed.

Just then, Dr. Hazel Hunter-Baylor and Detective James "Jimmy" Barlow walked up with more uniformed policemen and CSI people as well as crime scene photographers...

''What have we got here?" asked Hazel...

"A floater" said Tyriq as Marine Unit divers went in the tank and retrieved the body of the young woman...

''What a waste...she was a looker." said Jimmy...

He and Hazel put on latex gloves and observed the Body....Carlotta stood over in the corner talking to some uniformed cops...

I looked at the woman and did a double take...

"I know her." I said.

Tyriq turned towards me...

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes...That's Emily Harris....She's a model.....but also the wife of Justin Harris...You might not know the name, but you've drank at one of the stylish establishments he owns...The Aqua Bar." I said.

"Ohhh snap....That Justin Harris...I've heard of him...He's loaded...He owns several restaurants, bars and bistros..." said Jimmy...

''Somehow...I had a feeling you would know her." laughed Carlotta looking at me. Jimmy cracked up!

"I've called for more uniforms....They are going to do a room by room investigation and interview with everyone who lives and or works in this building... Duke ,Hop and Sirena are coming down to help and collect statements" said Carlotta... As the three other Detectives arrived and began organizing the uniformed policemen into search teams...

"She was strangled.... But because she's been in the water so long....I can't tell how long she's been in here or how she got here...Can't tell how long she's been dead either....At any rate , we've got to get her out of here so I can examine her further." said Hazel.

"Okay guys...release the body."said Tyriq.... He looked at Carlotta...''Well partner as weird as this one looks...maybe we can crack it in 48 hours." he said.

"We can only hope." said my wife as we all began to leave the cold roof.........

I took Carlotta by the arm and pulled her back as the last person got on the elevator....She smiled....I pulled her to me and kissed her for a long while....

"Mmmm, what was that for?" she said smiling...

"You just look so hot today....I meant to tell you that while you were getting dressed this morning."I said attempting to kiss her again...

"No papi...I have to go back and start working on this case." she said smiling...

"I'd like to work on your case.." I whispered under my breath...and kissed her again...

Carlotta smiled...

"Awwwwww you are so sexy when you're all horny and turned on....But I gotta go...See you back at the office she said and kissed me again one last time.

II-

We all got back to the C.I.D. office just in time to see Lt. Sissy Van Buren putting a pair of very stylish expensive leather boots back into a box and handing them to Lt. Eddie Cantrell...

''Lt. Cantrell , these boots are gorgeous, but I'm afraid I can't take them...I have to return them to you." she said.

"What's the matter? You don't like them?" he said.

''No...No...I love them...but this is kind of inappropriate to give to someone who is just a ...a co-worker." she said.

"Co-worker? Sissy, you're more than that to me...You know how I feel about you." he said.

"Lt.Cantrell please...Now we've been through this and over this before....I have a man...I'm in a committed relationship." she said...

"Bet'cha he didn't give you $678.00 boots." said Lt. Cantrell..

''$678.00??? Is that what you paid for these boots?? Oh Ed.. That's way too much money." said Sissy.

"Not for you....and not to me..." he said..

Sissy looked at him pleadingly...

"Lt. Cantrell....You missed the boat sweetie...Maybe if you had of approached me a few months sooner, then maybe we might have had a chance...but Eddie C. is my man...He got to me first...I'm sorry.. That's just how things worked out...You should find someone else..." she said.

"Sissy...Siselia Lorraine Van Buren...You forgot that I know your real name didn't you?   Hasn't been anyone for me since the day you walked into my precinct with your new gold shield.....Remember that???You had just made Detective and was assigned to me...''Detective Siselia Van Buren reporting for duty sir'' you said..." he said.

"Really? I didn't know it went back that far." said Sissy , blushing...

"Yes....Then you got engaged and married...and I had to hold back...Then you got divorced...but by then, you had made  Detective Sergeant , I was training you and I just couldn't do that....Before long...you were a Lieutenant and you were leaving me to take over the vacant slot in Homicide....  I waited as long as I could stand....I want you now!!....I'm in Love with you." he said.

"Oh Lieutenant Cantrell. Don't say that." she said...

III-

It was at this point that Tyriq, Carlotta ,Jimmy , Hazel and I walked in......Sissy looked relieved...

"Lieutenant! we got a floater.....Emily Harris, the wife of Justin Harris, who owns Aqua Bar among other places was found floating in the water tank on top of  The Cavalcades Condos...Looks like she was strangled." said Tyriq..

"No suspects?" asked Sissy.

"No..No fingerprints, no DNA, no nothing....If it was easy...we wouldn't have the case Boss Lady..."said Carlotta.

"Don't I know it Chica." laughed Sissy...

Lt. Cantrell usually would bow out when we talked police business...but he didn't budge....

He showed the boots he bought Sissy to Carlotta and Hazel...

''What do you think ladies?" he asked.

"They're gorgeous!" said both Hazel and my wife, Carlotta...

I looked at the boots myself...

''Nice." I said.

"Ed....Haven't you ever heard that you never buy anyone shoes or boots?....."They'll walk out of your life."said Sissy giving Lt. Cantrell the side eye...

"You can't walk out of a life you haven't been in Siselia....I want you in my life...I'm declarin myself...My cards are on the table Sissy...It's your move...." he said and then he walked out of the office....Sissy looked like she was ready to cry...

"What am I going to do with him?  I've tried to tell him....Without hurting his feelings..." said Sissy...

"Well.....you did get some great boots out of this." I said....

Sissy looked at me, then cracked up laughing......

''Chica, What am I going to do with your husband?" she said playfully slapping my arm...

IV-

Later that night, Carlotta and I were in the parking lot kissing......

"What a day you've had ....a murder.....and that scene in there.." I said in between kisses...

''Yeah...Could you take me somewhere nice and quiet after we leave here?" she asked...

''Sure...Our bedroom is real nice and quiet." I joked..

"No...I mean for a few drinks...just to take the edge off." she said.

"Sure.." I said and pulled her to me and kissed her some more...

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lt. Edward Cantrell staring at us from a distance.. He appeared to be on a phone...

"I've got to do this...I've got to get her out of my system...Thank you..Thank you Carol for being understanding...For allowing me to do this....If this works...you won't hear from me...but if it doesn't...I'll be in D.C. next week and it'll be for real." he said.

I didn't know if Carlotta had heard that....I wondered who was Carol and what was she allowing him to do?

The world was full of mysteries.

(TO BE CONTINUED....)