One Bridge Too Far

Sissy, Lt. Sissy Van Buren and I , ADA Keith Wallace watched as the train ran past us on the bridge... A cool, early morning, early spring breeze blew past us...The sun was rising, but you could feel little droplets of rain and see a small rainbow in the distance..

.

On the ground, My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace , Detective Tyriq Pile, Detective James "Jimmy"Barlow and Detective Edwin "Duke "Baylor surveyed the area with several Bayside county sherrif's deputies...We were Philadelphia Homicide detectives...but today...we weren't in Philadelphia...Today we were a long way from Philly...Well about, an hours drive away in Bayside City,Pennsylvania...a small community...and a community where we were looking for a citizen...Not just any citizen...but ADA Warren "Red" Granger...who vanished ,seemingly into thin air...on the eve of an important trial...

They surveyed the entire area with the deputies....

"These footprints could be something...It's two sets and they head right for the water.." said Carlotta...

Tyriq and Jimmy squatted down and studied the footprints...

"This looks like a size 12 or 13...We'll need Hazel or someone to look at these." said Jimmy...

"Yeah...and they are fresh...as if someone was dragged down here...but the killer or kidnapper had second thoughts....Look..the footprints stop at the water ,then start back in the opposite direction." said Tyriq..

''And..It's only one set of footprints, going back up." said Carlotta..

"Top,Rico, Junior...These footprints prove nothing...They could belong to anybody...."said Duke ,who had bent down and was looking at them and following them himself..

"You're right Duke...but right now...it's all we got." said Tyriq...

Duke's wife...our forensic investigator...Dr. Hazel Hunter-Baylor, joined them...She had three of her staff members with her...

"Hey guys..make a plaster cast of these footprints...They're the only ones down here in this area...besides ours....I'm going to call the wife and find out what size his shoes are and compare.." said Hazel....


II-

Sissy and I watched from up on the bridge....Sissy had binoculars...She surveyed the entire area..

I sipped on my coffee...This was such a grim business on such a nice day.....

"This case has started out like a whole lot of our cases..With a whole lot of nothing...." she said.


''Yeah...I know....I'd be pleased if we got a phone call from Lydia Granger telling us that ''Red" is alright and that he was just in a fender bender and is safe and sound in the hospital or something." I said.

"You know it's never that easy for us." said Sissy with a slight smile..

"Yeah..I know..."I said.

FBI Special Agent ,Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins drove up with three FBI agents....

''Anything?"she asked.


"Nothing yet" said Sissy.....

"They've got scuba divers in the water." I said..

"We asked around the town and showed his picture to people....He was definitely known...Apparently..He had a cabin up here and he came up here with a friend to hunt...He drank in the local bar and he ate his meals in the local diner..." she said.

Sissy's phone rang.....

"I have to take this...It's Sirena!" she said.

Sirena was Tyriq's wife, Detective Sirena Pile ..

"Heyy Lieutenant...Hop and I found his car..." said Sirena...
"You did?" said Sissy...

"Yup..He was definitely here...at this Lodge...I need Hazel or somebody to come out here and dust for prints."she said..

Her partner, Detective Antonio Hopkins got on the phone next..

"Lieutenant..We have film footage of ADA Granger in the hobby shop buying something and I have a sales slip...He walks to his car, puts whatever he bought in the trunk...Then walks away, towards the road...and that's the last sighting of him...This film footage is about a day old.."said Hop...

"Outstanding work you two...I'll Have Sharon and Hazel over there in a few...just sit tight...don't let anybody near that crime scene..." said Sissy.

Sissy looked at me and Sharon...

"Your husband and Tyriq's wife found his car!!! and footage of him taken just yesterday in the store..They need Hazel and your guys to go over there and do a work up of his car." said Sissy to Sharon..

''I'll send my guys over.. They are forensic specialists...Which is why I brought them..." said Sharon as she got on her walkie talkie...

Just then...I heard my wife's thick spanish accent!

"Boss lady...We got something!!!  We got a laptop!!" said Carlotta...
One of the divers had recovered a laptop... Sissy, Sharon and I rushed off of the bridge and down to where
She, Duke,Hazel,Tyriq and Jimmy were  standing...

"It's one of ours...It's got the City of Philadelphia seal on it..." said Duke..
"They were down there for hours...no sign of a body Lou..."said Tyriq...

"It might have got caught in the undertow, washed out to sea or something."said Jimmy...

"Well..one thing is for sure...We know he was here...Sirena and Hop called...They found his car and footage of him at a hobby shop taken yesterday...So we know he wasn't kidnapped...he appeared to have come up here on his own.."said Sissy.

"I think I should get my people over there and dust that car for prints and DNA."said Hazel.

"That's a good idea....We are all heading over there." I said.

III-

Sissy, Myself, Carlotta, Tyriq, Sirena, Duke,Hazel , Jimmy, Hop and Sharon had all come up in a big Philadelphia Police Crime Lab Van....Followed by FBI agents and members of Hazel's forensic team in two other vans.. We had split up into three teams...The team at the bridge, Sirena and Hop at the Lodge and Sharon and her FBI agents in the town...We had at least found out that our missing ADA was here in this town...

Carlotta ,Tyriq and Jimmy had traced his Debit and Credit card purchases first to Sam Mother's Diner in Philly, two days ago...the last time he was seen alive, a gas station in Philly and finally here in Bayside City...
We had called ahead and the Sheriff and his deputies had been more than helpful in assisting us..

Within a few hours...Hazel ,Hop and Sirena had this to report...

"This is definitely his car....We found his fingerprints and a pair that we can't identify...We found his wallet in the front seat...Debit cards, credit cards intact and about a grand in the wallet." said Hop..

"We found a .45 glock in the glove compartment with a silencer!  Why would an ADA be carrying something like that?" asked Sirena...

"Any fingerprints on it?" asked Sissy.

"A smudge." said Hazel...."I'll have to take it back to Philly to examine it thoroughly."said Hazel..

"Lou...This laptop is a bust....The hard drive has been pulverized..." said Tyriq..

 Duke just shook his head and pounded his fist angrily! "They still may be able to do a forensic examination of it and pull something off of it." He said.

Tyriq looked at the water logged desktop....

"Nah Bro....This thing is shot...but I'll pass it to Hazel's guys...Who knows?...You might be right." he said.

"Look..his cell phone!" said Carlotta, who put it in a plastic evidence bag.

Jimmy looked around and found a pair of panties on the floor of the car under the front seat...

''Whoa...What is this?" he said..Placing them in a plastic evidence bag....."What was going on here??" he remarked.

"If I have to tell you, Angie isn't doing her job at all." said Duke...It was the first time that any of us had found a reason to laugh....

"He wasn't with a woman....I looked at the video footage...He was alone.."said Sharon..

"Maybe Not Today....but at some time or other , he was definitely with a woman." said Tyriq...

Carlotta looked at Sharon, who looked at her knowingly... They both said -"MEN!!" at the same time.

"We've got a lot of evidence to examine and look over...I just called a towing agency...To tow that car back to Philly." said Hazel...

A few drops of rain began to fall on the ground...I looked up at the sky...It seemed appropriate....

(TO BE CONTINUED)