To Dye For

The funeral for 29 year old police officer ,Carrie Lewis was a sad one...The entire Philadelphia Police department showed up...as well as FBI agents...Sissy, Duke, Rico, Jimmy ,Sirena ,Hop and my wife, Carlotta all had on their police blues....

It had been a long time since I'd seen Duke and Rico in their Blue service uniforms...I met them both when they were rookie cops..I hadn't known Carlotta ,Sirena or Jimmy when they were patrol cops and it seemed like Hop had just taken his uniform off recently, despite the fact that he'd been a detective going on two years now..

I had met Sissy ,shortly after she made Detective...So I had missed her too...She,Sirena and Carlotta certainly fit those uniforms well I mused watching them all...

Lt.Tragg walked over to me...

''ADA Wallace "he said and nodded...

 "Lieutenant" I said nodding my head..

"Terrible thing ,terrible thing...A young woman in the prime of her career...cut down by these animals..." he said...

"Yes ...I know...sad thing.." I said.   He saw Sissy and he walked toward her...I could tell by the look on her face she was not in a mood to talk to him...She never was..

"Hello Lt. Tragg." she said dryly...

"Lieutenant Van Buren...A word.." he said.

"Yes?" she said exasperated..

"Where are we on the case?" he asked..

"Where are WE???It's the FBI's case now...We IDed the entire crew...Albert Campbell, Joseph Cleveland, Junior Barnes, Billy Joe Ramsey and Elizabeth Neely..They have photos of them everywhere and the city is pretty much bottled up." said Sissy.

"Your guys did good work...Damn good work...We've been trying to identify who that Bonnie and Clyde bank robbing duo was for about a year...I understand they are our suspected shooters right?" he asked.

"Yes.."said Sissy...

"Then damn the federallis...Those two killed a police....Let the feds get Campbell and his guys...This is directly from the Deputy of Operations...He wants action on this...by our guys...They killed one of us."said Lt. Tragg.

"I'm afraid he's right....For once."said Captain Eddie Cantrell who walked over to us..."Siss,I was going to tell you myself but someone here couldn't wait." said Ed Cantrell glaring at Lt. Tragg..

"I saw her first and I wanted to make sure she got the message...What is the problem Ed?" said Lt. Tragg..

"There is no problem....Sissy and her detectives have done a fine job..Even the FBI said so...They practically broke this case open...They got makes on that entire crew within 48 hours...recovered the murder weapons and the getaway car...She doesn't need to be brow beaten.."said Ed Cantrell..

"No one is brow beating her...The Deputy of Operations is quite pleased with her work...I was merely delivering his edict...I wasn't stepping on your toes...and say..Aren't You getting married soon?" he remarked  snidely..

I could see Ed Cantrell getting beet red....I didn't know if I'd enjoy the fireworks or try to avoid them...

"She's been given the message Lieutenant....Do you have any other business with her?" asked Ed Cantrell..

"No My distinguished Captain..I do not!!...Have a good day Captain...sirrrrrrrrrrr..And Sissy, Get on that crew.." said Lt.Tragg ,getting one last dig in and walking away laughing...

"If it wasn't so many cops and the ADA standing around..I'd pull out my service revolver and blow him away." said Ed Cantrell...

I wasn't sure if he was joking or not...The two men had never really liked each other...They had come up through the ranks together...Tragg had made Sergeant first, a cycle before Ed Cantrell did and then Lieutenant..again just a cycle before Ed Cantrell..but now Ed Cantrell had jumped ahead of him to Captain....Lt.Tragg resented that...but now Ed Cantrell was his superior...They didn't call him "Steady Eddie" for nothing...

Sissy had a long way to go...She had just made Lieutenant about six years ago ,so technically, Lieutenant Tragg had seniority over her...A fact he never let her forget.

I cracked up laughing....

For the first time, Sissy smiled..

"Thank you Captain...for always having my back." said Sissy...

"You aint got to call me Captain Darlin....I'll always be Steady Eddie to you...and I'll always have your back." he said and rubbed Sissy's hands and smiled at her...She smiled back at him...

"Lt.Tragg won't be bothering you....I'll see to that...and if you need more manpower..Anything..Just let me know." he said..and kissed Sissy on the Cheek and walked away..

Sissy and I watched him walk away...I looked at my good friend of many years.....

"Siss, are you blushing?" I asked ,smiling...

"Yes ,I am." she said surprisingly truthful..."And he's the only man outside of my husband that can make me blush like this..." she said...

II-

Detective Sirena Pile had never stopped looking for clues ,despite the fact that we had officially turned the case over to the FBI..She confided this to perhaps her closest friend on the police force..My wife,Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace sometime later in the lady's locker room as they were changing back into their regular clothes after the funeral...

"Carlotta, I know we passed the case on to the FBI...but I owe it to Carrie's family to try and find her killers..So I never stopped talking to my snitches and C.I.'s on the street....and hunting down leads.."said Sirena..

"You are going to turn whatever you find over to the FBI right?" asked Carlotta...

"Yeah of course...Sharon is my girl too..I'd never try to blind side her...but not until I get something solid...You're the only one I've told...Tyriq doesn't even know I'm still investigating this..You're my best friend Lotta...I know you and Sharon are tight..but this is personal to me...I knew Carrie...I was helping her study for the Detective's test."said Sirena..

"She was promoted posthumously to detective..."said Carlotta..

Sirena began to cry profusely....

"Won't do her any good now." she sobbed.

Carlotta put her arms around her....and held her...Just then , Sissy walked into the dressing room...

"Ohhhhh, Don't cry Sirena...Don't cry...I know she was your friend..."said Sissy....Then Sissy looked at both of her female detectives....and shrugged..

"I might as well tell you both this now...We are back on the case...The Deputy of Operations wants us to concentrate on getting Bonnie and Clyde...They killed a police...He wants them brought in...He said to co-operate with the FBI as much as possible...but he wants us to get those two..." said Sissy..

Carlotta looked at Sirena and hugged her...

"Sirena...You still up to running point on this?" asked Sissy...

"Yes mam, Lieutenant!" she said...smiling...

Sissy smiled...

"I have a sneaky suspicion you never stopped looking into it...Just because I know the type of detective you are...You're just like me....both of you are...and if it were my friend...That's what I would have done." said Sissy.

The three women shared a moment of silence.....an understanding like they'd never had before.

A week had passed since we had turned the case over to the FBI....A serial killer was on the loose now ,The newspapers dubbed him..The Sewer Killer..He had left three girls dead in the city's sewers...Carlotta,Tyriq and Jimmy had been working on that case pretty hard...It wasn't fun, having to go into the bowels of the city..NO pun intended and pull up three dead bodies..just ask Hazel..She had hated being called..

Like before...the girls were all working girls...We had plain clothes officers from Vice and Special Victims unit out patrolling the areas where the girls had been known to vanish from...Carlotta,Tyriq,Duke and Jimmy were busy interviewing family and friends of the dead girls...checking their financials, checking camera footage from street cams, ATM cams and looking at recently released sex offenders.

Sirena was doing double duty...Co-ordinating with her partner Hop on the street looking for the Sewer Killer and investigating this bank robbery crew on her own.....While having Duke cover for her..

Duke kind of had an idea what she was doing...but still he covered for her..

Both cases were still open and perplexing Sissy and her detectives..

III-

 Just one day later...Sissy and I and the rest of the detectives found ourselves in the bushes ,outside of a house in a county right outside Philadelphia...

"That was a good tip you got wifey....but I wish we could have brought some unis and back up..."said her husband, Detective Tyriq Pile..

"There was no time baby...my informant said that they were making plans to leave this spot as he spoke.." said Sirena..

"I'm assuming this C.I. is a good source..." said Duke..

"Never failed me before..always on the money.."said Sirena..

"Did anybody call Sharon?" asked Sissy..

"I did Lieutenant and I gave her the entire scoop...She knows the deal..She's on her way with just five agents..." said Hop...

"I haven't seen anything that looks like movement in that house." said Duke..

"I was up close guys and it smells to high hell..." said Jimmy...

"What's the call Boss Lady?"asked Carlotta..

"We go!!...Everybody got their Kevlar vests on...Trauma plates? "said Sissy...

They nodded...She looked at me..

"I know...stay back..." I said...

Carlotta walked over to me and gave me a wet sloppy kiss...

"That's for good luck honey bunny...I love you." she said.

Duke led the way..He had his glock drawn...Tyriq followed him with his glock.. Carlotta had her shotgun cocked... and Sissy followed them with her glock....

Sirena and Hop and Jimmy headed toward the back....all armed with glocks...

They knocked on the door...

"POLICE OPEN UP!!! screamed Duke....

There was no sound.....

All of them activated their flashlights....

"WE HAVE A WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST!" said Duke...

Sissy gave him the high sign...

Duke and Tyriq kicked the door in....Carlotta and Sissy followed them inside..

Jimmy,Sirena and Hop entered from the rear...

The house was quiet for an eerily long time...I was starting to worry and then Carlotta came to the door..

 

"You can come in Honey Bunny...You might want to call Hazel while you're at it." she said.

 Inside the home...was the eerie smell of death and sitting in the living room with black and blue dye all over his clothes and his throat slit was Kelly "Junior" Barnes...the shot caller...and close to eight million dollars in useless cash..Some of it was stuffed in his mouth...

"Oh My god..." I exclaimed...

"The dye packs exploded.....I guess it got on them....Must have pissed them off."said Jimmy...

"Not just that...They can't spend the cash because we have the serial numbers and we leaned on their fences...and they're hot because of the murders of a cop and a security guard..."said Hop..

"Looks like they cut their losses...This whole thing, planned so well turned out to be a fiasco.."said my wife Carlotta..

Sharon and her five FBI Agents arrived just then...

"Thanks for the heads up guys....They killed Junior Barnes eh?...Hmm..."She said.

"They blamed him...He brought Bonnie and Clyde into this...Two cowboys, who killed two people,one a cop...and he didn't check for dye pads...The money was useless to them and now they are tied to a murder they didn't actually commit...I wouldn't be surprised if our two cowboys are in hot water too right  now...if they are even alive."said Sissy.

"Well Sharon, you've recovered the bank's money and one suspect is dead...."said Carlotta..

"You guys ...You Guys are the absolute best...You make it so easy for me.." she said and hugged Sissy ,then Carlotta and then Sirena...

Hazel and her staff walked in...She winced at the smell..

"Ouuuuuuuu.." she said...and then took a look at the body....She put on latex gloves and felt him..

"They broke all of his fingers before they cut his throat..."she said...

C.S. I. personell began snapping photos of the crime scene and dusting for prints and DNA...

Sissy looked at me...

"We recovered the bank's money and we have one of the stick up crew's body....but Lt.Tragg will try to spin it that we still didn't catch the murderers...I don't even wish to hear it.."said Sissy...

"Don't worry about him Siss...I got a feeling he won't be a problem..."laughed Tyriq.

"You know something we don't Rico?" asked Duke smiling...

"Who me?...Nah....I'm just a working Detective.."laughed Tyriq..

While they were talking...I put my arms around Carlotta and hugged her....running my hands down her hips and squeezing her butt a little bit..

"I'm just glad you're okay." I said slyly...

"You are so obvious...You just want a free feel." she said laughing...

I smiled..

"Can't fool you can I?" I said..

"No, you can't..but I like the way your hands feel..." she whispered in my ear...

She was silent...She kissed me softly....As the body was removed and everyone began leaving...

And meanwhile at Lieutenant Tragg's office....

"There is a call for you sir..It's the Deputy of Operations." said a Detective..

"Yes..Put him on.."said Lt. Tragg....He picked up the phone..

"Hello my distinguished Deputy of Operations....?" he said smiling brightly...

"They did?  Well that's great...they recovered all of the money?...Outstanding...I was just talking to her at the funeral..I passed on that you wanted action..Ha ha ha..One suspect dead, the money returned..That's great...What?  You have a special assignment for me?? " he asked..

"You want me to uh run point on the rest of the investigation right?  No??..WHAT? You want me to investigate the Sewer Murders...Personally..Really??Who is on that? YOU WANT ME ON THAT??
WHAT???"

"No..I'm not raising my voice sir..I realize that Lt.Van Buren is devoted to this case right now..Yes sir..I am fully aware of that...But sir it's smelly in that sewer ,Can't I just send some detectives there and-Yes..I realize that Lt. Van Buren is often with her detectives on the street quite a lot...but I-Yes sir...Yes sir sirrrrrr..Yes...I'll be there...." he said...


"DAMN IT! DAMN IT TO HELL...THE SEWER MURDERS" he said slamming his fist down on his desk and crying like a baby...

(TO BE CONTINUED)