Sufficiently Obligated

Detective Bobby Sykes sat quietly in the holding cell in a white jump suit...and white sneakers...He had been relieved of his badge and service revolver...He had a look of pure disbelief on his face when Detective Monica Talbert and I walked into his cell...Monica had a huge tumbler of hot coffee and a bear claw for him...

He managed a smile....

"Mo-Mo..You remembered." he said.

"Some things you never forget." she said softly.

"Bobby, you gotta talk to us...Are you leaving anything out? "I asked..

He looked at me...

"The fact that you're asking me like that tells me that you don't believe this either...You realize I'm being set up." he said.

"I know you're a pretty smart detective and I know you're too smart to leave a murder weapon out where we could find it...I know you'd of gotten rid of it by now if it was you...I know you're too smart to allow yourself to be seen entering Mimi's apartment from the front door ,knowing the street cam would pick you up if you were going to kill her...Please tell me I'm right."said Monica.

"Of course you're right....I was trying to find out who was blackmailing her..."he said.

"I know you were...So was a private investigator....Neither one of you had gotten close had you?" I asked.

"No..Everytime I got close..The account was closed and re-opened somewhere else on the island.."he said.

"Your fingerprints aren't on the murder weapon....Just Mimi's blood...Which means the killer was wearing gloves..We didn't find any gloves on you or in the apartment the night we got there.."said Monica.

"Or in the dumpsters.....But you've got to help us...You got any idea what Mimi might have done that got her in so much trouble?/What she was being blackmailed about?"I asked..

"No..That's what she was going to tell me the night I was coming over to see her..the night I found her dead...She had figured out who was doing it...but didn't want to talk on the phone."he said.

''Well for what it's worth...I don't think you did this..."said Monica.

"Because I didn't do this..."he said.

"I guess getting married to a woman during a thunderstorm was a bad omen huh?" I said.

"Thunderstorm?? What the hell are you talkin about?" he asked..

"Javi Baba, the guy at the Aqua -Massage parlor told us you two got married in a torrential downpour."laughed Monica.

"He's off his nut!!...We got married on June the 1st....It was the hottest day of the year..nearly 97 degrees in the shade..and we were outside...You can check the records and the weather for the day..."said Bobby...

"Oh My god Mo-Mo...We've been on the wrong track all along....That's what this was all about...She married someone else..and someone she couldn't talk about....and Javi Baba knew all along..." I said.

"He wasn't investigating who was blackmailing her.....He knew all along..He was stringing her along..Let's go get him partner..Hang on Bobby..We'll have you out of here.."said Monica.

"Now that's the detective I remember." he said smiling ,while sipping his coffee and munching on his bear claw.

II-

Monica's twin sister,Monique called us down to the morgue...

"I got a print off of this knife...Whoever planted it on that ship didn't do that good of a job...Got a thumb print...I'm running it to see if it's somebody in the system...I'll call you when I get a match."she said.

"Love you sis."said Monica ,who kissed her twin on the cheek...

"Love you too Mo-Mo." she said as we left..

Lieutenant Cotton walked in....

 "Hey girl!" he said.

"Hi Lieutenant..." said Monique...

"I see your sister and her partner just left here...I figured you'd be working in today,so I brought you some lunch...Your sister told me you like seafood...Best Crabcakes this side of Baltimore baby...and a Sprite..." he said smiling...

"Wow...I'm really going to like working here...Haven't paid for lunch for three days and got flowers everyday...."she mused...

He smiled sheepishly....Then like clockwork his smartphone rang...He looked at the caller ID and scowled..

"Uh..excuse me...I uh have to take this..."he said, a little annoyed..

Monique smiled..

He stepped outside.....

After about ten minutes, he returned...

"I'm real sorry Monique..Uh..I have to go.."he said.

"Lieutenant, what does your girlfriend do for a living?" she asked..

''She's on city council..." he said..

"Guess she's busy huh?" she said laughing..

"You would think huh?" he laughed...

"You uh seem sufficiently obligated...You know?" she said and raised an eyebrow...

"Yeah...you right..."he said, smiling sheepishly....

"If you're ever uh ..unobligated and I'm available...I'd be glad to walk whichever way you're walking.."she said.

"That's good to know...because I'll definitely be walkin back, you know what I'm sayin?" he said.

"Sure do.and I'll be looking forward to that!" she said and smiled as he turned and walked away...

"Thanks for lunch Lieutenant."she said.

"Anytime.."he said and left...

Sitting across the street in his car, tucking his burner phone in the glove department and laughing was Detective Wally Becker...

He strolled into the M.E.'s office...

"Well Hello Dr. Talbert..I uh just uh happened to be in the neighborhood and I was wondering if you were hungry?" he said all smiles..

"Why thank you, but I had lunch with Lieutenant Cotton...He brought me these crab cakes.." she said.

"Oh....I see you got my flowers huh?" he said.

"Yes they are nice...but please don't send anymore...I have nowhere to put them.....and I'm getting ready to move soon." she said.

"Oh? Perhaps I can help." he said.

"Got that covered...Lieutenant Cotton helped me hire some movers..and he and Nate are going to help me move into a house..." she said.

"You could always use an extra hand." he said.

"Thank you, but I think we got it covered.." she said.

He looked a bit frustrated...

That damn pretty boy Lieutenant had beat him to several punches...

"Well perhaps we might take in a movie this weekend?" he said.

"Oh I can't...I'm going to New York City to visit a friend...."she said.

"A friend?" he said.

"Yeah,some guy I used to kick it with in med school..He invited me up to the apple this weekend.."she said...

"He serious? I mean about you?" he asked.

"My,My..Aren't we inquisitive about my personal life...."she said smiling..

"Well I am curious...And I am kind of uh interested..."he said.

"Maybe you should uh ...I don't know...Get to know me a little better first...You're a detective...Observe."she said.

"Oh...Well uh..okay...Well maybe I'll catch you later when you uh aren't so sufficiently obligated." he said..

"Yeah maybe..See ya later Wally."she said smiling..

She laughed...


III-

Meanwhile...Monica and I went to Javi Baba's Aqua -Massage parlor and walked in on a gruesome sight... Javi Baba and his private investigator, Peter Jaquain were in the backroom...very,very dead...with a nice round bullet hole a piece in their temples...

"From the smell of this place..They've both been dead about a day or two maybe..."said Monica..

"Somebody tossed this place...They were looking for something...."I said.

"No way Bobby did this...I've had a team on him, without him knowing it, the past few days...No..this was someone else...And I think I know who it is..."said Monica...

"I think I do too...Get some CSI people here...I'll put a team on the Street Cams, Traffic Cams and ATM cams around the neighborhood and in a five mile parameter...Then I'm going to take a further look at some records."I said.

"You do that..I'm going to check the airlines and some dumpsters..It's mid week..most of the trash hasn't been collected yet....And I'm going to put a team on the sewers in the surrounding area. too."said Monica.

IV-

A few days later...Monica and I sat in the "Fishbowl" or interrogation room and talked quietly as two police officers escorted Portia Jenkins in to see us..She looked rather surprised...She was wearing a very expensive fragrance...and a white leather micro-mini skirt...A pink and white blouse, White Stilletto heels that all matched her stunning white hair.

"Hey guys...Glad you caught Mimi's killer...but this is really a bad time...I've got a flight back to Los Angelas.." she said.

"You should cancel it...You're going to be sufficiently obligated for some time Portia."said Monica.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

I put the pistol on the table...The serial number had been filed off...

"Look familliar?  It's the pistol used to kill Javi Baba and Peter Jacquain..his investigator..We found it in the dumpster outside the apartment where you were staying...I know you wiped it down for prints..but uh look at this photo....We pulled it from the street cam near your building....That's you...tossing it in the dumpster, two nights ago...."I said..

I then put the steak knife on the table.....

"That's the knife that killed Mimi Rivers....No reason why your thumb print should be on it..."I said.

"I went back and did some checking Portia...Checking on you!...Mimi was going to get rid of you....She found out you had been stealing from her...She learned this from some of your other clients ,who had recently dropped you..You would have been completely busted..no clients..."

"Then Mimi did something stupid....She got married....To a woman!!! She was drunk...It was Vegas...It was pouring down rain....And you took photos... Of course when she realized what she had done, she got it annulled the next day...but you had photographic evidence...The internet and the tabloids would have destroyed her...You began blackmailing her....having her send money to your account in the Caymen Islands..."

"You followed her here to Philly, where she had hoped to escape you...but she couldn't escape it...She hired Javi Baba and his guy to find out who was blackmailing her....Only when they found out,they didn't tell her...They came to you..They started shaking you down.....So they had to go...It took us awhile to discover that you owned the dummy accounts in the Caymens..but we found it..."said Monica..

''We figured you set the account up here in the United States..so we checked all of the libraries and cyber cafes and we caught you on the camera inside one on the day the last account was set up and we traced your ip address." I said.

"That and your connection to these two murder weapons and I'd say that you're on ice...Ice Queen."I said.

She looked like she'd drank a can of paint....

"I would like to speak to an attorney." she said...

"That sounds like a good idea." said Monica as three uniformed policemen handcuffed her,read her ,her rights and walked her out of the interrogation room...

Lt. Cotton was standing outside the fishbowl smiling...

"Once again...Nice work guys...You cleared three murders today....Great work.....Uh...a word guys."said Lieutenant Cotton who was standing outside listening to the entire thing.

I was certain this was it..Lieutenant Cotton had discovered that Monica and I were a couple..Oh well,it was good while it lasted...Monica squeezed my hand tightly...

"Nate,Your ex-partner Detective Wally Becker thinks he's smart...My girl has been getting a text from a mysterious burner phone, co-incidentally every time I was with your sister Mo.....And I've had to assure her that nothing was going on between me and your sister ,that it was just a jealous woman around here...But I'm no fool...This has Becker written all over it....But I can't prove it." he said.

"You want me to find out right?" I said.

"Nah...I like you and Mo-Mo doing real police work....But just so you know...If I ever prove that it was your boy Becker blocking me...He's going to wish he was never born..."he said...He patted me on the shoulder..."Great work guys..."he said and walked away...

Monica laughed....

"You feel better Nate....I told you he doesn't know the full story..." she said.

" Come on let's go get your sister...I could use a drink.." I said.

"Right here!!!...Hey has your flying car got room for an extra?" said Monique...

"Sure..."I said.

"Good..I slipped out of The M.E.'s office before Becker could come back...Let's go somewhere and get some drinks..Someplace he won't be..." she said..

"Let's take the back stairs to the roof ladies.."I said...

Monica put her arms around my neck and kissed me...Monique smiled..

"He's a keeper sis..." she said as we exited towards the rooftops.

EPILOUGE:

Portia Jenkins was convicted of the first degree murders of Mimi Rivers, Javi Babi and Peter Jacquain..and sentenced to Life without parole...

Detective Bobby Sykes was cleared of all wrong doing, released and re-instated....

My ex-Partner Wally Becker returned to the precinct, but both Monica and I were gone...He didn't know that Monique was with us...

Some hours later he made the mistake of showing up at Monique's address...Which was the home of their parents....

It was after midnight....Mr. Talbert was not pleased..

"Young man...do you realize what time it is?Do you always make it a habit of stopping by a young woman's home or apartment this late at night?"he said.

"N-No sir...I-I-I was under the impression she lived alone.." he said...

Wrong thing to say....

"Ruth,get my gun!" he said.

Wally Becker ran for all he was worth and jumped in his car and pulled off..

A week later, Monica ,Monique and I looked at the duplex that was going to be our new home..

"Well guys,what do you think? Both floors have three rooms and a shower and a bath and kitchen,plus there is two garages for our cars...and room for your, your flying car on the roof or in the back." said Monique...

"It's beautiful sis."said Monica...

''With the three of us paying the morgtage and the bills...It will actually be cheaper than what you guys are paying for rent..and we'll pay the morgtage off quicker.."said Monique.

Monica looked at me.....

"You ready for this Nate?   You don't have to do this and nothing will change between us if you choose to stay in your apartment...This right here..this is committment..."said Monica.

"After all this time, you have to question my commitment? I'm all in...And I'm not just going to shack with you....I intend to marry you...Haven't I called you the future Mrs. Nellis since the day we first met? Before I ever kissed you, before you even took me serious?"I said and passed her a small box..

"Wha-What is this? Is this what I think it is? Ohh Nate..Oh My God..You're going to make me cry."said Monica, who now was shaking and had tears streaming down her face...

"Stop being so emotional sis and open it."said Monique, smiling..

It was a ring...with a big diamond..It set me back a couple of weeks pay.

Monica and Monique's eyes grew as large as saucers...

"WHOA!" said Monique...Who knew I'd bought a ring, but hadn't seen it.

"Nate??" said Monica ,who was tearing up...

"Future Brother in law!!!! I'm impressed!"laughed Monique.

"Whatever else happens...Let's not say that I'm not all in...Monica Lauren Talbert...Will you marry me?" I asked her..

"Oh My God..Oh My God..Oh My God..Oh My God...YES!!...YES!!!....YES!!!...YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!" she said and hugged me..tears flowing down her face..."Is this for real?" she asked..

''As real as can be."I said and kissed her passionately..

Monique smiled...She had taught me how to block the whole thing about buying the engagement ring out of my subconscious...She had held the ring for me for two weeks..

"Awwwwww that is so sweet.I can't wait for you to be my brother in law!" she said and hugged me.

"How we gonna swing this? With the department?" she asked..

''We'll figure it out....We'll work it out...We'll keep our engagement under wraps for the future until we set a date..but for now...let's get those papers signed and unpack..." I said.

"Yes....Can I call mommy and daddy and tell them? Ahem!  Hey...Could you two come up for air?" asked Monique smiling.....

Monica and I were kissing passionately as though she wasn't there...

"I want what you guys got ...one day!" she said.

"Yes...Yess...Tell them.." said Monica who pulled me back to her and began kissing me again.....

Monique called her house...

"Daddy, you sittin down? Guess what? Huh? Who?   No I wasn't expecting any guy to come over..I was here in the new house..Alone...Some detective?? Who?  He came for me?? At what time?? Two thirty??

"Oh nooo..I was with Nate and Mo-Mo...Guess what?  They gettin married...Nate just popped the question and you should see the ring he gave her...Call mommy to the phone..."

"No dad,I don't know who it was that came by the house looking for me..Would you bring Mommy to the phone??..I want to tell her about Nate and Mo-Mo" she said.

Monica and I looked at each other and laughed...

We knew.Monique knew too!