Emerald Slippers

 

I had gone home and busied myself.. Swept and vaccumed my entire apartment...did my laundry,picked up my dry cleaning, washed all the dishes in my sink and mopped and cleaned my kitchen and my bathroom...Scrubbed my shower...All trying not to think about Monica.. I then ordered some chinese take out so that I didn't have to cook and mess up any dishes..

 Monica later told me that she did the same thing herself and then sat down and binged watched television... I didn't do that..I checked Facebook,Twitter and Instagram...I saw on my ex-wife, Nyla's Facebook and Twitter pages that she listed herself as being in a "new relationship" with some guy named "Frank"..Wow and so soon...

At any rate..Nyla was no longer calling me and sending naked selfies of herself..When she did call we talked about our son...Things involving him...She told me she had gotten a new job and was looking at buying a house...She sounded different now of days when I talked to her...More mature...More settled. She no longer asked me if I was seeing anybody and she didn't talk about who she was seeing...Our conversations were actually quite cordial and we were in fact becoming something we hadn't been when we were married....Friends!

I got up early and went for a run...Showered, shaved and then ate breakfast and headed to work...I was looking at case files when my partner walked in...

"Hi partner.." she said.

"Hey girl..."I said smiling...

She whispered in my ear...

"I didn't sleep as well as I thought I would...I kept thinking about you.." she said.

I had thought about her too...Had had a naughty dream about her ....I thought to myself, knowing that she read my mind...She blushed...

"Ohh My..."she said smiling..."Anything new on the case?" she asked...

"They got DNA and fingerprints they can't identify...the person is not in the system..."I said.

"Somebody else had to have visited him...The cameras must have found somebody else..."said Monica..

"They did...A person we are going to visit today..Her name is Jessica Hayden...She's the manager of a Hedge Fund...She visited him twice on the last day of his life and I've tracked two dozen calls back and forth between the two of them..." I said.

"You had breakfast?" she asked..

"I did...but I'll go with you.." I said..

We caught the elevator downstairs and to her car....It was parked in the same corner ,away from the camera's glare...

No one was around...

We hungrilly embraced and kissed each other passionately....

"Wow...We are something...We are getting totally out of control."I said in between kisses...

"I know right...We've got to cool it.."she said running her fingertip across my lip...

We began kissing again...

"Yeah, as if we can control this.." I said in between more kisses...

"Ummmmph...I know right?"she said in between a few more kisses..

We finally stopped and headed out to breakfast...both of us breathing heavily...

II-

Jessica Hayden, was young, shapely, attractive, Blonde and on the fast track.....

She had been born in a Chicago suburb...had attended private schools and eventually wound up in New York City after graduating from Southern Illinois University...at Columbia University where she got her MBA and her J.D...

A successful lawyer and lobbyist..She was trying to get one of her candidates....She was a Hedge Fund Manager on the ballot...

Miles Standish was already supporting another candidate...The two had been seen openly quarreling just two days before his death...

When we brought her in for questioning...She seemed completely oblivious as to the reason why..

''Why am I here?" she asked..

"Miles Standish" said Monica..

"What about him?" she asked..

"You don't know do you?" asked Monica ,who was reading her mind...

"Know what?" she asked..

"He's dead!!!...He's been murdered!!!....."she said.

"WHAT???" Jessica exclaimed..

"You had a huge row with him two days before his death.." said Monica..

"Yeah,but that was business..It was nothing personal...I certainly didn't kill him.." she said.

"You visited him at his apartment two hours before he was found murdered.." I said.

"He texted me...Said he wanted to bury the hatchet..."I stopped by..We talked , we had drinks..He still refused to back my candidate..Henry Jenkins...We talked about it for a good two hours...I finally left and when I left..He was fine...Still alive...He was in his boxers and in a white terry cloth robe.."she said.

"Where have you been that you didn't know he was dead?" I asked.

"I was in Los Angelas...a few days ago and then Chicago...I just got in last night and I haven't been by the office..I haven't talked to anybody..." she said.

An hour later, Monica tapped on the window of the Fishbowl...I walked out into the hall..

"Her story checks out..She caught a plane to Los Angelas that afternoon...Hours before Standish would have been killed..She has been in Chicago for the past two days..and she really didn't know he was dead...She's telling the truth...We seperated her prints...and we still have a set of prints that don't match Standish,Coopers or hers..." said Monica..

"Okay...then let's talk to Jenkins.....the candidate that Standish wouldn't support.." I said.

"I have unis picking him up.." said Monica..

She walked over to me and whispered..

"I know...I saw the advertisement for apartments in your complex....That would be cool...I've thought about it."she said.

She had read my mind...

"If you rented a spot on, uh say the floor below me..We could be together every night and nobody would be the wiser..."I said.

"And what if we break up or this thing doesn't work out..Then what? I'm stuck in the building with you.."she joked..

"You have a point!....Let's just table this..We got a case to close." I said.

She walked over to me and kissed me softly...

"As if we can ever be apart.Why don't you move out near me?" she joked in between another kiss.

I admit...I had thought about it..

"Hey you better watch it...Somebody could have walked by and saw us..Are you trying to get us caught?" I said quickly changing the subject.

She laughed...

"You're right...but you liked that didn't you?" she said.

"Damn sure did.." I said and we both laughed...I smiled as I watched her walk away...

III-

Henry Jenkins, like Carl Cooper was also African-American..and surprisingly a Republican...He was the candidate that Jessica Hayden wanted Miles Standish to support...In an effort to bring more African-American votes over to the G.O.P..He was short, portly and bald...but well dressed and very articulate...At first glance..He seemed like a nice man...

However Standish had refused and was backing a white candidate...This was the cause of their argument...

Henry Jenkins was not the typical, fire-breathing demagogue black Republican who’s looking for the next media hit. His publicist said- "Henry Jenkins enters 2040 as the face of pragmatic black Republicanism, something this very small segment of the GOP community will need as ideological pony shows like Carl Cooper come out to sell books and spark controversy in time for the 2042 presidential cycle. You probably expected we’d put up newly elected Rep. Myra Fountain—but do you want entertainment or do you want true political marketplace? Jenkins hails from South Philly where there are actually way more than a handful of black residents, so what he does this year will be consequential, especially as he heads over to a plum Senate Banking Committee assignment. While an unapologetic, pro-business conservative, Henry Jenkins is still finding time to talk about black folks and poverty—even if his solutions are different from what many are used to hearing. He may not be a 2042 game changer, but he most certainly will be a savvy Senate player provided he gets the nomination."

My partner, Detective Monica Talbert just smiled...

"Never knew there were so many Black Republicans.." she laughed...

"Yeah...Who knew?" I joked as we both headed into the Fishbowl...

"Mr. Jenkins...Do you know why you were brought down here?" asked Monica..

"Yes of course....Miles Standish was found dead under what I heard were some pretty mysterious circumstances...Electrocuted in the bath tub...and you guys think I did it..Even though I assure you I had nothing to do with it." he said.

''With him gone..and your boy Carl Cooper in his seat...You had a fast track to being on the ballet." I said.

He smiled..

"Yes..That would seem right...but I still didn't kill him...I barely knew the man...That's why I got Jessica Hayden to talk to him...You've seen her..Blonde..Attractive..Knows her way around a mini skirt as I must say....Your partner...Ms. Talbert is it or Mrs..?"he asked..

"Ms Talbert." said Monica..

"You certainly know your way around a mini skirt yourself...My lord..." he said checking her out...and smiling salaciously...."Lawd.How do you work with someone that fine and control yourself bruh?" he whispered to me....

I smiled...If he only knew!

He must have been thinking something naughty ,along what I was thinking because Monica blushed something crazy...

"Look...I have never been to his place...I barely knew the man...Now on the day he was killed...I was at RNC headquarters until about three o'clock..You can check...I had a Hot Roast Beef sandwich at O'Reilly's with some committee men...I had drinks with my lawyer at Knuckles Bar and Grill and then I was at home...alone...Check it out...I'll wait." he said.

He sat comfortably and drank coffee and ate a hot roast beef sandwich for two hours....Monica returned and tapped on the window...

I walked out..

I checked his credit and debit cards...It looks like he was where he said he was...and I double checked the places...Several witnesses place him at these places..."she said.

"I called the alarm company...He put his alarm on when he said he did and didn't take it off until he left this morning..."I said.

"He's telling the truth....Cut him loose Nate....Oh My God...I thought you had some pretty naughty thoughts about me...He is worse...much worse...Nasty dog...and he's married and got kids.."she said with disgust...

"Just thoughts my dear...He didn't do anything...He doesn't know you can hear his thoughts.."I reminded her..She nodded.

We cut him loose and walked down the corridor towards the elevator...Once on the elevator...Monica said....

"You know what I'm about to do?" she asked...

"I can't read minds.." I laughed..

She leaned over and kissed me passionately for a little while..Then the elevator stopped..

"Ummmmm, you should learn.." she cooed in between another sweet and soft kiss.

We got off as if nothing happened...I pulled her over into a corner and continued where we left off, Kissing her passionately for close to five minutes..

"Come on....We got a case to solve..." she said easing out of my embrace as we got in my flying car and took off..

IV-

"Where are we going?" I asked..

"Back to Standish's place...We are missing something here...We know that he refused to back a Black candidate and his main rival was a Black constituent....We've cleared them both...A white woman who was in league with them has been cleared..Maybe this was something else...Something that had nothing to do with politics...I keep thinking the clue is in his apartment.." she said.

"We've interviewed everybody he knew..Family,Friends, opponents, contemporaries...nobody has mentioned a girlfriend.."I said.

"Nate honey...If you died..Who that we know knows anything about you and me? This guy had a girlfriend...a secret girlfriend...She might be the key to this.."said Monica.

"And she might not be..Just because she was sleeping with him doesn't make her his killer."I said.

"I know..but it's all we got right now."said Monica.

"We looked through her underwear drawer...her clothes...We just don't know who she is..."I said.

Monica smiled slyly at me...

"Lucky for you I'm a woman..." she said seductively...

"Yesssssssssssssssssssss." I said.

"Oh hush up smarty...And thank you...Yes this is a new skirt...I'm glad you like it.."she said....

"Those shoes.....The ones you called The uh Emerald Slippers...The ones I thought were so sharp...There is only a few of them....and they looked new." said Monica..

"Yeah..So What?" I said.

"We find out who bought em and we find the secret girlfriend..." she said...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."I said..

We looked at the designer shoes....

"No chance our girl wore these in this kind of weather.." I mused...

"No, but when she wore them...All eyes were on her...." said Monica..

I used my Cyber eye and was able to zero in on a number...a serial number...

"Wow...Write that number down partner...I'm going to try something..." said Monica...

I wrote it down and she pulled out her tablet...

''What are you doing?" I asked.

"Something that you just saved me the time in doing....I'm a woman..I buy shoes...I'm looking up these shoes by that number..." she said.

"You have an app that can do that?" I asked incredulous...

"I'm a woman.." she said..

"Yesss...No doubt about that.."I said smiling and just looking at her..She looked at me and smiled...

"Well..I found the shoes...They are only made at one place and it's not in Philly...It's in New York.." she said..

"Do I smell a road trip?" I asked...

"Uhh No...I can solve this with a phone call.." she said.

V-

Two hours later.....29 year old, busty and shapely...Red head...Barbara Schwartz was sitting in the fishbowl...She had purchased the shoes..and it took us a very short time to locate her..

Barbara Scharwtz was the wealthy daughter of another Hedge Fund Manager and business man who was instrumental in Republican party politics in the city..

She had been educated in the finest schools and had a degree from Sarah Lawrence....But it wasn't her education that was getting her over...It was her daddy's trust fund and her super-model looks..

She was considered prime real estate amongst that set......But surprisingly..She appeared to be the girlfriend of Miles Standish...a man twenty two years her senior..

She coolly agreed to come down and talk to us...With no warrant and obviously no reason to arrest...

She  was dressed to the nines with another pair of expensive footwear on...Boots.

"First off...Girlfriend...I love your tastes in shoes....Those shoes are fierce!" said Monica and both women laughed an high fived each other...

"Thank you ,But..and there is always a but...You didn't call me down here to congratulate me on my taste in shoes.." she said.

"No I didn't...You of course know that Miles Standish was found murdered a few days ago...and your shoes were found in his apartment ,leading us to believe that you're his live in girlfriend..." said Monica..

"I don't live there...I have my own condo...but yes..I have occassionally spent the night with him...

I pulled out the panty drawer and placed it on the evidence table..She didn't flinch....

"Recognize these?" I asked..

She smiled..

"Ummmm....Some nice pieces here...Very racy...but uh these aren't mine...None of these...I stay there with him occassionally, but uh we didn't have it like that ,not yet...I may have left my shoes...and a sweater maybe..But I didn't like have toiletries and an underwear drawer...We were probably going to get to that....Looks like somebody beat me to it..Huh?" she said with a laugh..

I was stunned...

"These aren't yours?" I said.

"Nope...Not one...I'm not in the habit of leaving my panties behind in any man's apartment.." she said.

 

"I take it your relationship with Mr. Standish had just started?" asked Monica..

"Yeah...just a few months...We were taking it slow...I wasn't sure if he was serious or just wanted to have a good time...You're a woman ,you know how it is with men?" she said.

Monica smiled..

"So when were you last over his apartment?"she asked..

"The night before he died...We had gone out dancing..I spent the night and left that morning...After that..I was at a juice bar...then I was home....My dad saw me ,so did my brother.." she said.

 

An hour later, I returned... The Fishbowl was empty...Monica and I walked toward the elevator..We rode down with a few people...We waited until everyone was gone and we stood alone in the parking garage...

"Her alibi checked out...They were out dancing..She did leave in the morning and did not return..Her credit cards place her in a half a dozen places afterwords and her dad and brother both said she was home the rest of the night...It's not her." I said.

"I know...I cut her loose..She was telling the truth.."said Monica.. "He had another girlfriend...Don't you see Nate???..He had someone who he was established with..Someone he was comfortable with ,who stayed with him a few nights or from time to time..." she said.

"Yeah but Mo..He was establishing a new relationship with Babs there...So you think he was breaking it off with established secret girlfriend?" I asked..

"And secret girlfriend has to be someone who he just could not be seen with in public...but who?" asked Monica..

"Maybe he was tired of sneaking around and wanted a relationship with someone like Babs..Who he could be out in the open with.." I said..

Monica looked at me...

"You know this could be us..In a few months or whenever one of us gets tired of the other and wants a more upfront relationship..." she said..

''Don't think like that Mo-Mo...It could be us...but the way I feel..The way I feel right now..I don't think I could ever be that callous with you.." I said.

"I wouldn't do that to you either...So if either one of us starts gettin tired ,let's agree to tell the other..Okay??" she said.

"Deal...Can we uh seal it with a kiss?"

"Sure baby." she said..

And we stood there in the dark and kissed slowly,softly and passionately in our desperation.

(TO BE CONTINUED)