The Gentlemen's Name is Sudden Death

From what Sissy was going to tell me later....Triple A had towed her car....The starter was on the fritz....She bought herself a coffee and a hot dog and sat on a bench near the El Station at Erie and Torresdale Avenues..

After awhile, Duke drove up in his car..

"Siss..Was it your starter again?" asked Duke...

"Yeah ..Eddie C. told me I should have gotten that looked at...I lunched...." she said.

"Ahhh don't worry about it...I heard those things are expensive...but you make the big bucks." laughed Duke..

"Yeahh right!" laughed Sissy...

She had met Duke years before when she had first made detective and he and his little clique of Tyriq Pile and Angie Belton were still rookie patrolmen..

They were all very young...These were the patrolmen she took with her when she made a very important bust...The three of them were very sharp,very observant..And she and Angie really hit it off...Finally she told them that they should take the detectives exam...Angie jumped on it..Duke and Tyriq had to be cajoled...She got the three of them to buckle down and study and she even quizzed them...All three of them took the exam and were tied for the highest scores in the class...They all got promoted together..!

She had watched them all make detective and move through the ranks..Narcotics, Robbery-Homicide ,Vice,Special Investigations...She kept up with their progress over the years. Today They were all fine detectives and she was proud that they all worked closely with her..

"That hot dog any good?" Duke asked Sissy...

"It's not Jake's..But it'll do..I was hungry...I didn't get any lunch...What are you looking at?" she asked..

''Siss, call for back up...I can't believe this...That guy across the street..The Blond guy with the gray sweatshirt,the jeans and the sneakers and the baseball cap!" said Duke..

''What about him?" said Sissy..

"That's the suspect in Top,Rico and Jimmy's murder yesterday of Karl Mcintosh and Sirena and Hop's murder of Helen Troy....We got him on film entering and leaving both crime scenes in a timeline that matches and that backpack he's got..Look at it!" said Duke..

"It's torn..It's got powder burns on it.." said Sissy...

"I'm bettin...I'm bettin that he's carrying his gun...a 38..with a homemade silencer in that bag....We got a Bolo out on him...I'm goin after him..."said Duke...

"Wait ..I'll back your play...No time for back up." said Sissy as she unholstered her weapon and joined Duke...

The man saw the both of them watching him...He saw both Duke and Sissy unholstering their weapons and pulled out his gun and aimed at Sissy..

"GUN!" shouted Duke ,who leaped and knocked Sissy to the ground just as three bullets whizzed through the air...

Duke returned his fire....

"POLICE...GIVE IT UP MAN!" screamed Duke...

By now Sissy had crawled behind a car and fired one time...Hitting the gunman in the arm...

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...I DON'T BELIEVE IT...I'VE BEEN SHOT....BITCHHHHHH!" he screamed and sent a hail of bullets at Sissy, who cooly ducked behind a car ,aimed and fired again hitting the killer in the left buttocks...

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH..OHHHHHHHHHHHH LAWDDDD...I DON'T BELIEVE THIS...I'VE BEEN SHOT!" he yelled again..

Duke fired two more rounds that just missed his head...He began running up the stairs...Duke followed him in hot pursuit....Sissy was right behind him...The gunman jumped on the El..So did Duke and the elevated train pulled off and that was the last that Sissy saw of them!!!....She called Carlotta.

II-

At that moment...Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy and five police officers armed with shotguns were raiding a ratty apartment said to belong to Cedric "Sudden Death"Mayfield..He's ex-special forces...now a mercenary or killer for hire...A suspect in 12 unsolved murders in Seattle..Heavy duty and high priced..and the guy Duke had chased on to the Elevated train...

Tyriq discovered a cache full of weapons...Sniper Rifles...Pistols and an assortment of home-made silencers...

''Whoever this guy is...He's serious...Look at all these guns and silencers..."said Tyriq..

"And look..This is his Army stuff...He's won Marksman awards several years running..."said Carlotta leafing through his things...
"He's got Airline tickets to several destinations..All paid for..."she said.

''Junior find out who paid for these tickets if you can."said Tyriq...

"I'm on it...Look at this...His suitcase was packed...He apparently was planning to leave...Guess his job here was done..Oh yeah....that phone number he called from both of those payphones came from the Cyclops Insurance company...but it came from an empty office....An employee had recently left the company...Anybody could have used that phone.."said Jimmy...

"I'm calling Hazel....There should be enough DNA and Fingerprints here to get some kind of match."said Carlotta..

I drove up with Hazel just then...

Hazel had three of her staff members with her...

"If this is the killer's apartment...I'm sure there is enough DNA and fingerprints here to make a match..."she said...

It was then that Carlotta walked over to talk to her..

"Mami...they can take care of this..Come over here a minute.." she said.

"What's going on?" said Hazel..

"Duke and Boss Lady located the suspect awhile ago when he went to pick her up...There was a shootout...Duke chased him and right now...He's on the El train with him...We don't know anymore...But Boss lady is keeping up with the developments...Sirena and Hop went to help her..They took back up..."said Carlotta.

Hazel sat down...She looked like she was going to cry...

"Oh My God..Duke..." she said.

Tyriq put his arm around Hazel...

''Haze...I've known Duke probably my whole life...Since we were kids..we did everything together...We are brothers...I feel your pain....Duke has been through worse scrapes than this...If anyone can get through this...He can...Don't you worry...We are going to do all we can to get this guy and get Duke alive.."he said..

"After you guys are done here, what next?" I asked..

"Jimmy is going to find out who paid for those airline tickets and Rico and I are going back to the Cyclops Insurance Company and try to piece together just what was going on there...Somebody had to know what Mcintosh was working on...It's the key to this whole mystery..."said Carlotta.

''We know who are killer is...We need to know who hired him...and why." said Tyriq.

"You finished here Hazel?" said Jimmy...

"Not quite..But me and my guys can take it from here...we got this.." she said calmly..

''Duke is going to be just fine." said Carlotta..

I hoped she was right.

III-

Sirena, Hop and about 16 police officers with Kevlar vests, trauma plates and sniper rifles showed up at the Erie Torresdale El Station where Lt.Sissy Van Buren was awaiting them...

''We got here as soon as we could Boss Lady..Carlotta ,Rico and Jimmy found this guys apartment...It's full of guns and rifles and a packed suitcase...with airline tickets to everywhere." said Sirena..

"Oh My God...Just who is this guy?" asked Sissy...

"He's a professional killer out of Seattle...I called Seattle P.D.  They said he's a contract killer...A suspect in about 12 Unsolved Homicides...and very dangerous...The Military said that he was released from duty because he has severe psychological problems..." said Hop...

Just then another car drove up....Captain Ed Cantrell got out of the car and walked over to Sissy..

Sirena, Hop and the 16 policemen all saluted him...he waved them off...

"As you were..." he said...

''Hello Ed."she said...It was the first time she'd seen him since her wedding..He hugged her...

"Sissy I heard that there were shots fired..Are you alright?" he said..

''Yes...Duke and I identified ourselves as police officers ,We called for him to surrender...He opened fire on us...Duke and I returned fire ..I hit him twice...In the shoulder and in the butt." she said..

"So he's wounded...Who is he?" asked Ed Cantrell..

"He's a professional killer out of Seattle...I called Seattle P.D.  They said he's a contract killer...A suspect in about 12 Unsolved Homicides...and very dangerous...The Military said that he was released from duty because he has severe psychological problems..."

"He's our chief suspect in three murders here sir..Two of which occurred yesterday..We think somebody brought him here to do a big job...Detectives Rodriguez, Barlow and my husband are at the Insurance company now trying to find out what was going on..." said Sirena..

"Sis ,did you guys co-ordinate with Septa?" he asked..

"Yes...In fact I'm pulling my detectives...We are going back to C.I.D.  we can co-ordinate better there." she said.

"Good...I've got Tactical Squad guys coming in....They are going to be covering the entire Market-Frankford Line....We'll get this guy....I promise you....Anything you need Siss...You just let me know." he said.

Sissy smiled.. "Thank You Captain.."she said.

He whispered in her ear...She could smell his sweet cologne....

''Enough with this Captain crap...I'll always be Steady Eddie to you darlin." he said...Still flirting Sissy thought..She didn't care..She kind of liked it..

"Okay.."she said and smiled at him..

IV-

Carlotta,Tyriq and Jimmy sat with me at C.I.D. Headquarters and compared notes...

"What have you found out?" I asked..

"Well for one thing...Old Karl's life was more complicated than you would think...For one thing..he was married..His wife was aware of his relationship with Helen Troy, but she knew nothing of any major investigation he was working...They were going through a nasty divorce..Carlotta and I went back to the Cyclops Insurance Company...we must have re-interviewed 75 people...Nobody and I mean nobody could tell us about any investigations....We searched through files ,the works..Whatever these two were investigating....It was known only to them..." said Tyriq.

"I found out who those tickets were paid by....Somebody named..Ira Gold...And get this..Ira Gold is a phony name and has a dummy account...An account that has been closed and is empty!" said Jimmy...

"Something Doesn't Add up...Something doesn't feel right." said Carlotta..

I put my arms around her and whispered in her ears...

''I know something that does feel right.."I said.

''You are getting me sooo horny..."she said.

"Really?" I said...

"Really, but I've got a case to solve and I'm worried about Duke..." she said rubbing my arm softly.

 

''Yeah I'm worried about Duke Too!"I said.. I really was.

IV-

As for Duke, he was in hot pursuit of the man known as Sudden Death...a remorseless contract hitman from Seattle..What was he doing here? Who called him?..Who hired him and why?

Duke had his Glock loaded and was following him in between cars...People were frightened to death...

"Give Up..You can't win...Plus you've been shot...You're bleeding.." said Duke..

"Go to Hell Cop...I'm not surrendering to you..." he said...he aimed his gun at Duke...Duke aimed at him...The people in the car flinched in horror...

"We got people at every station...They know who you are....They know you're on here...We  know all about you....You're a suspect in three homicides...Who hired you?" asked Duke..

"That's not the way the game is played buddy..I'll take that to the grave with me.." he said as he backed away with his gun drawn...

"Don't be a fool....You're losing blood..You've been shot."said Duke..

"Keep talking cop and you're going to be shot next..." he said..

Duke grimaced...

Why did they always make it hard on themselves ? He thought...

(TO BE CONTINUED)