Just My Bad Luck

The sky was still overcast two days later when I got a call from Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor to meet him on the rooftop terrace of a tony condo in town... I arrived with coffee for everyone...Two uniformed officers accompanied me to the rooftop where the first person I saw was Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor..

"Morning ADA...Look what I have here." he said as I passed him a hot steaming tumbler of coffee...

 

Lying on the surface was a young white male, dressed in black slacks, black turtleneck and black shoes with black leather gloves on and a black ski mask lying next to him...there was blood running like a river from his head....

His wife, Hazel, My  wife,Carlotta and Detectives, Tyriq Pile ,Jimmy Barlow and Sirena Pile were examining the body...

 

"This is Archie Palmer....and there is a typewritten note lying next to him that says -"I'm Sorry"....I'm betting if we check that gun...it'll be a match for the weapon that killed Detective Tegron..."said Duke...

It appeared the young man had taken his own life...

''We got a positive identification of him through facial recognition from the crime stopper cam as the person who called boss lady from that payphone and dropped off the money....He had a DUI arrest from a year ago and he was in the system. We also caught him on video from the precinct when he dropped the money off.."said my wife Carlotta...

"He's a student at a prestigious Prep school...No major record of any kind..Duke, Top,Jimmy and I stopped by his school and by his home looking for him yesterday...He works at a catering company...Sirena and Hop stopped by there but we had just missed him." said Tyriq..

"There is no powder burns or residue on his gloves and this gun doesn't look like it's been fired....I don't think this was a suicide...I got uniforms looking at crime stopper video from the street and camera footage from inside and outside of this building to see if it picked up anything. "said Jimmy...

''You're right " said Hazel..."This was staged...It has all the trappings of being staged and this computer typed letter is a phony too..." she added...

"We got an anonymous call that led us here..We probably tipped off the rest of the gang that we were on to one of them when we were asking about him yesterday and plus...They probably weren't too happy about him departing with some of the loot from the heist of a few days ago..."said Sirena..

"Jimmy ,Tyriq and I  and Sharon's FBI agents have put the squeeze on all of the money launderers and pawn shops in the area..We put the word out that we have the serial numbers on all of that cash and that we will be looking for it...They can't spend it and they can't launder it.." said Carlotta...

"So they may have to move again?" I asked..

''Hopefully they will and they'll make a big mistake!" said Carlotta..

She looked at Duke...

"Can we release the body now?" she asked..

"You're the primary Top...It's your call." he said.

"Okay Hazel, release the body..." she said...

The people from the M.E.'s office removed the body.....The CSI photographers and personell gradually dispersed along with the uniformed officers....

"Well, I'm going and get some lunch. I got a team of unis canvassing this area ,five blocks down and five blocks over...when they report to me..I'll give you a call." said Duke, putting his arms around Hazel....Tyriq put his arms around Sirena...."Yeah, that sounds like a plan...I have unis doing a room to room search in this building." he said..

"Hey where is Hop?" I asked...

"He's with Sharon and Boss Lady, they are looking at video footage from all six robberies trying to see if they can find something in common.."said Carlotta..

I smiled...

Jimmy left with the others....As Carlotta was about to go...I pulled her to me...

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...

"You always say that!  You make me feel so sensual, so sexy...but seriously papi...I have to go back and start working on this case." she said smiling...

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

Carlotta smiled and giggled..

"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.


"For real?" I asked...


''Awwww..." she said and I held her and kissed her a little longer...

 

 

II-

Back at C.I.D. Headquarters, I found Detective Antonio Hopkins and his lovely wife, FBI agent, Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins in the monitor room that we shared with them...examining all six hold ups....No sign of Sissy.

Upon seeing Carlotta and I they both smiled and motioned for me to come in the room....

"Look at this...We identified one Rueben Goldberg...He went to the same prep school as your victim this morning." said Sharon..

''News certainly travels fast" I said smiling..

"Hazel asked me to go to lunch and I asked her about the case." said Sharon...

Carlotta smiled..  Sharon hugged her...

"I'm not neglecting you baby...You know I love you." she said teasing Carlotta....

 

"Yesterday you and Sirena went without me and today you're going with Hazel...I don't know.."joked Carlotta..The two busted out laughing...

Hop continued...

 

"Goldberg is a college kid...Well to do got a number of catering jobs and was present at all of the places that got stuck up...He laundered some money from at least three of the robberies through one of Jimmy's contacts...not only that...but his catering company catered all six of the events that got stuck up and we have him on video working the events...There he is...He is the one constant..."said Hop..

''But he doesn't have a gun and isn't committing a crime..He's working.."said my wife...

"But Carlotta it all fits...He's the one common denominator and he was the one who Jimmy's C.I. said was laundering huge amounts of cash...starting seven weeks ago, just when this rash of stick ups began. He's the shot caller."said Sharon..

"You're right...I need to talk to him." said Carlotta...

"Something else...Sirena and I and Duke rousted a gun dealer yesterday who said that two guys bought uzis and shotguns and a glock off of him about seven weeks ago...just before the robberies began...Young Preppy White Guys!  Not his usual customers...That's why he remembered them! We got copies of the bill of sales...Guess who they are?  Rueben Goldberg, the late,Archie Palmer and a third guy, Joshua O'Dowd....All three of these guys attended the same prep school and are enrolled in the same college.We have no ID's on the other three members of this crew,but I'm certain they're prep school boys..Friends of his..We just don't know who."said Hop...

"Hmmm,I think I need to go after him.." said Carlotta getting up...

''Need some back up?" said Hop..

Carlotta smiled...

"Yes...I would like that.. "she said.

"I know you prefer Rico and Jimmy but..." said Hop...

"No Nooo... You're really sharp...And you're the only Detective in our group I've never worked with....Come along."she said and smiled...

Sharon and I smiled...

Carlotta then looked at me....

"Coming with?" she said..

"Oh...Uh yeah" I said.

Sharon shook her head and smiled..

"Hey where's Boss Lady?" I asked.

''Don't know...She was here this morning, but left..Said she'd be back..."said Sharon...

III-

The weather had started to clear up a bit....Carlotta and Hop had inquired about Reuben Goldberg on his school's campus and at his job...It was said that he might be having lunch at a corner deli...We found one...
It must have been our luck...because there he was, sitting in a corner ,enjoying an Italian Hoagie and some chips...

Carlotta sat across from him and Hop sat beside him....

"Hope you don't mind us sitting here."said Carlotta with a sweet smile...

He looked her up and down and smiled himself...

''Noooo..I don't mind you sitting here at all."he said...''What is this about?" he said.

"Murder!"said Carlotta.

''Murder? You guys cops?" he asked continuing to eat his hoagie as though nothing had happened..

''Sure are?" said Hop.

"Who got murdered?" he asked smiling a smug smile...

"A cop for starters.." she said.

"Ohh yeah at that policeman's ball...I saw that on the news." he said.

"You saw it first hand..You were there...You were working that night."said Carlotta..

He at first looked stunned....Then he smiled wryly....

"Yeah, I was...We catered the affair...Damn shame.."he said.

"You seem to work a lot of affairs that just happen to get robbed lately...Six to be exact." said Hop..

''Yeah, just my bad luck." he said.

"A friend of yours got murdered last night..."said Carlotta..

"Oh yeah, Archie...Are you sure that was murder?? I heard it was suicide."he said.

''What makes you think that??..We wrote it up as a murder...Who said it was a suicide?"said Carlotta.

"Oh uh,uh ruh..one of the newspapers said that uh it might be...That at first it uh looked like it might be.." he said..

"Really? Which one?" asked Hop...

"I don't know..Take your pick...What do you want with me?" he asked..

"We know you're a shot caller...You don't rob these joints physically, but you case em...You know about em ahead of time and you've recruited a band of stick up boys that are mostly your prep school chums...the late Archie Palmer ,Josh O'Dowd among others..."said Carlotta.

"Oh Yeah?" he said.

"Yup...We know who your whole crew is"Carlotta lied..

''You do huh? Guess it's just not our day." he laughed smugly...

He smiled....he looked Carlotta up and down lustfully...

"You know...You should be a novelist instead of a cop...because what you got makes great fiction."he said,laughing smugly...

"I know you and your guys are in this up to your necks...A cop got killed...He was my friend...and I am not going to let this go....We take cop killing very seriously...I'm going to put cuffs on you one day and bring you in.."said Carlotta...

"Really?" he said.

"Really!" she said.

"Well until you got more than me on video doing my job and the fact that I may have purchased a gun for protection...You might want to get something you coppers call evidence....Now both of you, get away from me before I call my lawyer." he spat.

Carlotta smiled sweetly....

"Enjoy your lunch...I hear they make pretty good hoagie's here."she said as she and Hop got up...

''Yeah they do...Maybe after this is all over...I can buy you one...Just me and you" he laughed as they left...

"The food is not so good in the joint." said Hop...

"I wouldn't know." he said dryly.

"In time papi...In time."said Carlotta as they left.

"In time you'll let me buy you a hoagie here?" he laughed smugly..

 

"I don't think my husband would like that." said Carlotta...

"Oh, you got one of those eh?  I hear they're highly over-rated ." he laughed smugly...

Carlotta laughed and shook her head....She whispered to Hop...

"I'm going to enjoying putting bracelets on his smug ass." she said.

Hop laughed as they walked out ...

Carlotta had been wearing a wire...So I had heard the entire exchange....When she and Hop got back in the car,I smiled...

''He exposed himself when he mentioned suicide...Nobody told that to the press...It's not in any newspaper..He's your guy..We just gotta find another way to go at him..''I said.

"And how do we do that?" asked Carlotta...

"We have to find a way to put the pressure on these guys, make them turn on themselves...We've already started the ball rolling...which unfortunately is why one of them is dead...I'll think of something."I said as we headed back to C.I.D. to get our cars and to go home..

AND AT C.I.D. HEADQUARTERS-

Mostly all of the detectives were gone...There were only a few uniforms left....Hazel and Sharon had left for the day...

Lt.Sissy Van Buren and Lt.Edward Cantrell were just returning from a very long lunch engagement..

''Wow...We've been gone practically five hours....I didn't get any work done and we are working on a major case."said Sissy.

''How's it going?" said Ed.

''We have two suspects...We are starting to build a case against them.."she said.

''If anybody can, you and your guys and gals can." he said smiling.,.

"We had a good teacher." said Sissy ,smiling.

"Thanks for going to lunch with me Sissy...I didn't think you would." he said.

''Why not Ed? I said we are friends."she said.

"Yeah...You know...This time last year I would have wanted a kiss and I would've groped you and you would have tried to turn your head to the side and been fighting me off....Funny how things change."he said.

"Yes and you would have had a massive erection that would have embarrassed me.."she said.

They both laughed .......

"Well....that much hasn't changed... You're a good looking woman Sissy."he said and hung his head.

Sissy looked around...Her blinds were drawn...The office was dark...There was only a few policemen walking around...She silently locked the door...

Ed Cantrell pulled her to him and kissed her passionately...She surprisingly returned his passion...They kissed each other hungrilly for 15 minutes....

"Ohhhh goddd...I so wanted to do that..I'm sorry Siss, I can't help it.." he said.

"Me too...I wanted you to do it...ohhhhh Ed.."she said...

"Ohhhhhhhhh...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." he moaned...

"Shhhhhhh...Stop moaning so loud."she said as they continued to kiss...

"It's sooooo damn good girl.."he said...running his hands up her skirt and feeling her legs...She quietly and gently removed his hands...and slowly eased out of his embrace...

"Damn...What are we doing Sis?" he asked..

"Just kissing that's all..."she said and leaned over and kissed him long and hard...

"You know ,We really shouldn't..We both have someone.."he said surprisingly.

"Yeah..you're right...We shouldn't...I don't know what that was."she said.

"You don't know how bad I want to lay you on that table and do you right now.."he said.

"Maybe one day..."she said and kissed him again for a few minutes...

"Ummmmmm, Ohhhh my god Eddie....Ouuuuu ....But not today."she said  easing out of his embrace....

"Just my bad luck huh?" he laughed.

She smiled.

"I'm sorry,I guess we both got a little carried away." she said smiling...

He took a tissue and wiped her lipstick off of his shirt collar...

"Well uh...I'd better be going..."he said.

''You alright?" she asked.

"No...You've ruined me.."he said and laughed...

Sissy laughed too...

They stared at each other...They wound up embracing again...Kissing passionately...

"It's sooooo damn good girl..I can't help myself...I can't keep my hands off of you.."he said...running his hands up her skirt and feeling her legs...She quietly and gently removed his hands...and slowly eased out of his embrace again.....A few more minutes of this...and she would have given in and they'd be on her desk making sweet love...

"I know...I know...and I ...I can't stop myself from letting you...."she said.

He smiled at her...For once ,she returned his smile...

"Goodbye Eddie ,Thank you for a wonderful lunch, but we can't make this a habit..." she said smiling sweetly..

''No..We can't...My heart can't take it ." he joked as he left.

 Sissy suddenly woke up!!! She looked beside her...Eddie C. was sleeping like a baby...Snoring a little...

She smiled..She had had an erotic dream about Lt. Ed Cantrell....She had been to lunch with him earlier today, but there had been no kissing and groping in her dark office...She wondered if she secretly wanted it to be?

She couldn't even tell Carlotta or Angie about this dream...She smiled and went back to sleep!

(TO BE CONTINUED)