When Joanie Dies

Most of our big cases usually begin on a Monday...Not a Friday Morning...and believe me...At the moment...I wasn't thinking about law enforcement... I am ADA Keith Wallace and I was in a small Latin Diner getting ready to eat something called a Friatta..Something my wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace had told me tastes "Amazing"...Especially the way they make them here at this diner...

It certainly looked and smelled good...Tomatoes, peppers,eggs, sausage and spices.....

Carlotta looked at me and smiled ,while I ate.....

I looked up at her....She wasn't lying...This was amazing...Amazingly good...I continued to eat....

"You like Papi?" she asked...

"Baby you weren't lying...This is incredible." I said.

She said something in spanish to the cook.....Who laughed and clapped his hands...

"Tego...you have outdone yourself..." she said

"Gracias Carlotta." he said- "Glad to see you again."he said.

We were on the other side of town..About a block from where Carlotta used to live, before we got married...Someone else was already in her old apartment...

Carlotta had woke up this morning a little homesick for the old neighborhood...So I said..

"Hey..Let's go to that diner you used to take me to when I'd spend the night with you."

"Good,I want you to try a Friatta." she said.

"A what?" I said...

"Just come...Put your clothes on and come with me." she said.

I paid Tego and left a hefty tip.....

Just then Carlotta's phone rang... it was Tyriq.

"Hola Rico" she said.


"Sorry to disturb your breakfast Top...But you need to come to this address and check this out....It's a real weird one.. If your hubby is with you, bring him along too." he said.

"Okay...I'm on my way...Did you call Jimmy?" she asked...

"He's here."said Tyriq..

"I'm there." she said.

"I've got to change out of this dress papi..I got a case..." she said.

"Damn,I like that dress.." I said.

"I knowwwww papi...but I gotta go to work...I'll model it for you tonight at home...in the bedroom." she said and smiled and winked....I laughed...So did Tego!

She got a change of clothes out of the trunk and quickly changed...

We took her new car...The Mustang...

I had to admit...It drove good and Carlotta could handle a car as well as any race car driver...

II-

Carlotta and I met Tyriq, Sissy and Jimmy at Barnie's Bargain Beds ,shortly after we had talked...

 Three uniformed officers led us to the grisly scene..... A shapely and buxom young white woman, mid twenties was lying on top of one of the beds....Clad in white polka dot bikini panties and a matching bra... a white sheer babydoll and a blonde wig... She looked like someone had used every bit of lipstick in the container on her lips....Next to her was a computer typed card that read- "Joanie"

Jimmy and Tyriq had on latex gloves...They were examining the body...Carlotta put on a pair and kneeled down to look at the body...

"Wow..We got a weird one here, look at all this lip stick..." said Carlotta...

"Look how she's posed..."said Jimmy...

"Seems like we've seen this before."said Sissy ,observing....

"That Kenny Dennard fella from last year..."I said.

''Where's Hazel?" I asked.

"She's on her way..I called her..."said Jimmy.

Just then, Hazel and Duke walked in followed by crime scene investigators and photographers...

''Hey Guys..Sorry I got here late." said Hazel as she leaned down and looked at the body...

"Damn Rico...way to ruin my perfect Friday..."joked Detective "Edwin "Duke"Baylor.. Who had just closed a big case with Carlotta as his partner the week before and was poised to relax a little..

"Heyyy Duke"said Carlotta..

"Hey Top...Tell your partner to stop picking up the phone on Fridays." he joked..
She laughed..."I know right? We just closed a case together."

''Well Why should you have all the fun...I need Top to help ME close a case."joked Tyriq.

Sissy smiled...then asked Hazel...

" Settle down children...What do we have Hazel?" she asked.

"Judging by Body temperature...She's been dead for at least 9 to 10 hours...I put her time of death at sometime after midnight last night.. Cause of death...manual strangulation..." she said.

"Looks like our killer took his time and dressed her and posed her...." said Tyriq..

"He also left a trace of himself here."said Carlotta pointing at a puddle of what looked like dried seminal fluid on the floor by the bed..

"Ohhh wow...Is that freak Kenny Dennard out of jail?" asked Jimmy laughing...Remembering an earlier case where the suspect left semen everywhere...on the kitchen floor, the bathroom floor,out in the hallway...et al..

"What's with this "Joanie" on this card...Is this her name?" asked Duke...

"No...her name is Barbara Montgomery....A uniform found her purse in the dumpster outside...We identified her by her drivers license photo." said Jimmy..

"Okay...You guys got uniforms canvasing the neighborhood and around?" asked Sissy.

"Yeah Lou...and Jimmy and I are already calling her husband ,family and friends and checking her last known movemants."said Tyriq.

"What about the surviellience cameras?" asked Carlotta..

''A bust...The perp disabled them and beat the security system." said Jimmy.

"I'm going to go by Special Victims Unit and Robbery Homicide and see if they have any perps with this kind of M.O. -Breaking and entering and sex crimes and cross check them in the database. Then ,Rico and Jimmy, I'll help you guys interview Family,friends and associates of the victim."said Carlotta..

"I guess I can help you guys out..."joked Duke..."I'll check out her financials...Credit cards, Debit cards, bank account and last movements..

"Who knows...Maybe we can close this one fast." said Sissy...

I gave her the side eye....

"Wishful thinking Sissy?"  I doubt that....This looks like one of those confusing and difficult ones."I said.

Sissy looked at me and smiled...

"You got a date?" she said smiling wryly...

I grabbed Carlotta and hugged her...

''As a matter of fact...I do." I laughed.

Carlotta giggled.....Sissy laughed..

"Most of you guys are together...Me...I actually HAD a date..."she said...

"I'm finished here...Who is the primary?" asked Hazel...

"That would be Top?" laughed Tyriq..

"What?" said Carlotta...

"Just kidding Hazel...I'm the Primary."said Tyriq...

We all laughed...but nothing was funny about a dead woman and a possible murderous freak on the loose in the streets.

We all watched as the slain woman's body was removed and put in the M.E.'s wagon...

III-

Hazel's phone went off just as she was going to her car....

"Wait guys....it's Sirena!!!" she said.

"Hello...said Hazel...

"Dr. Hunter...You could come to this address...Hop and I caught a weird one..."said Sirena...

"It can't be weirder than this one,Tyriq,Carlotta and Jimmy have...woman  found in a bed store..in lingerie with lipstick all over her and semen in a puddle near the bed.." laughed Hazel...

"You gotta be kiddin...that's what we have...We are at Sleepwell's Bed Emporium up on the avenue." she said.

"Oh My God...Guys...everybody...Before you go...maybe you want to see Sirena's case...it's identical to yours."said Hazel...

I looked at Sissy...

"I told you this was a weird one...You thought it might be simple?" I said.

"Well...there goes my date!" said Sissy...

IV-

While the body of our first victim was headed to the M.E.'s office...We all headed to Sleepwell's Bed Emporium..

Hop greeted us as we all arrived...He had uniforms canvassing the neighborhood...Other uniforms holding the crowd back and crime scene investigators and photographers already on the job...

He was taking the statements of the employees and other bystanders....

"Hey guys...The perp disabaled the alarm system and the cameras...We didn't find any fingerprints...but we got a shoe smudge and he left a puddle of semen near the crime scene....Sirena is inside...She'll show you." he said..

Sirena led us to the crime scene...a crime scene that was eerily familiar to the one we'd just seen...Another shapely and buxom young white woman, mid twenties was lying on top of one of the beds....Clad in white sheer bikini panties and a matching white sheer bra... a white sheer babydoll and a blonde wig... She looked like someone had used every bit of lipstick in the container on her lips too....Next to her was a computer typed card that read- "Joanie"

"This is exactly like our victim." said Carlotta...

"Looks like we got a nut on the loose.."said Tyriq...

"The press is going to run wild with this and two in one day...Holy mackrel."said Jimmy,looking at the body...

Sissy looked down at the side of the bed... "Look....semen...on the floor , on the side of the bed...on the wall, oh my goodness..." she said...

"You know...there is a joke here...but I'm going to leave it alone..."said Duke...

"Thank You!"said Carlotta,Sissy ,Sirena and Hazel in unison.....obviously disgusted by what they saw...

I couldn't help but laugh......Tyriq was outside assisting Hop and the uniform officers in their canvas of the neighborhood..

They both came in wearing latex gloves and holding a pocket book....

"We found it in the dumpster....Judging from the photo on the drivers license...Her name is Nancy Akers...She's 29, married and doesn't live that far from here...." said Tyriq...

''Just like ours...We are looking at the same killer." said Jimmy..

''Well,let's order some pizza...Looks like it's going to be a long night guys." said Carlotta..

"Wow...This would happen tonight..Eddie C. and I had planned a little quiet time." said Sissy.

"Boss Lady...Go on home then..We got this...Stop by in the morning." said Duke..

"Yeah, we can handle it.."I said.

"You guys sure?" said Sissy..

"Boss Lady...We got your back...You and Eddie C. Go have your "me" time." said Carlotta...

"Yeah...Go on Sissy...We'll hold down the fort." I said.

V-

Carlotta drove me to my SUV...She took her car an joined Jimmy and Tyriq... Sirena and Hop followed other leads..while Duke and Hazel went over to the M.E.'s office...


Two dead women...The name "Joanie" written on a card near them...Another one of the weird ones.... Seemed like ,I liked the weird ones.

(TO BE CONTINUED)