Secret's Safe

TWO DAYS LATER-

It was lunch time...I walked into the Bistro and found my fiance and partner, Detective Monica Talbert and her twin sister, Dr. Monique Talbert sitting and eating lunch...I got my food and joined them..

"Hey babes...."I said kissing Monica in the lips...I then leaned over and kissed Monique in the lips also..

"Heyyy future sister in law..."I said..

"Hiiiiii Nate!" said Monique smiling and looking at her sister..."Ummmmm,You were right..he does have soft lips." she said.

"I told you." laughed Monica...Her sister,Monique had soft lips too I mused...

''Well,I know who our guy is now....Hank Safe is an Attorney...and get this..a Relationship Specialist."I said.

Monica laughed- "A what? A Relationship specialist?" she said...

"Yeah and he advertises on the web....Don't laugh...He was making good money doing this...He was bringing in six figures alone with the relationship therapy business alone..forget about being a litigator."I said.

"Shame he's dead....I could use some relationship help."sighed Monique..

"Ohhh you seem to be doing alright...I uh couldn't help but notice that you've been home the past few nights and last night...Detective Wally Becker ended his stake out of our house and actually came inside."I said.

My fiance, Detective Monica Talbert cracked up laughing...

"Stop teasing my sister Nate." she said continuing to laugh...

"Yeah ,he came by...Univited with his Wine and more Tulips...I swear if he gives me anymore I can open up a flower shop...I really felt like being alone...That harpy, Marsha Tightbottom has been making my life a living hell lately...Critiquing my entire staff....Her geeky staff members, taking temperatures on long dead bodies..and looking all over for something ,anything to write me up on....If I don't get fired,I might end up quitting...And what's more...She's got personal information on my comings and goings that she shouldn't have....She lets go of little snide remarks about my sex life from time to time...She is just daring me to slap the hell out of her..I'm thinking that there might be a mole in my shop." she said.

"You're not going to quit or get fired...Me and Lou are going to take care of it." said Monica..

"Maybe you will Mo-Mo..but Frankie is powerless..The Mayor called him, so did the President of City Council,his ex. and he hasn't called me,texted me or been to see me since we saw him at the crime scene...I just wanted to be by myself."said Monique..

"So what did you and Wally talk about?" I asked...

She grimaced...

"Talk? He did all of the talking...I wasn't in the mood and he couldn't take the hint...I don't know what has gotten into him...He must have thought me and Frankie have broken up or something...and that now he's my man....He begged me for a kiss as he was leaving...Against my better judgement, I kissed him....That makes two times I've kissed him.......Then he tried to give me some tongue..Ewwww and was dry humping me before I broke his embrace...I told him to calm himself down ,that we did not have a relationship and that if he kept on groping me..He wouldn't be invited back...I only kissed him so he would go away..."she said.

"Amazing how he manages to show up just when things are a little bad for you and Lt. Cotton..Almost as if he knows... You said you have a mole in your shop... That mole might be in our shop.. He was shadowing your movemants...He is a detective...HE would be privy to that kind of information...I'm just saying.."I said.

"It is odd...I just can't see him mixed up in all of this.. He doesn't have that kind of juice...to be dealing with these people.. I mean ,Marsha Tightbottom and  Glenda Jones..I can't see them talking to or associating with someone like him...Oh My God...Am I defending him? What is wrong with me?"said Monica laughing..

"What if they didn't know they were associating with him? What if one or both of them were getting information anonymously...That way it would never come back on him if they were ever questioned.."I said..

"Just the thought of him giving them that type of information incenses me...Well he's going to have blue balls tonight...because I'm not coming home...I'm not going to be with Frankie either...I'm going and stay with one of my girlfriends..."said Monique..."I don't want to be bothered by any guys right now...Especially him! He still sitting in the car outside the house?" she asked.

"Every Night!!!...He must be getting cars from the motor pool...It's always a different car with a tinted window..He sits about two blocks over and uses an electronic super telescope..He forgets...I used to be with him in Surveilience back when we both worked in Special Investigations...I know all of his tricks." I laughed.

"God...Why doesn't he get a life? If he's that good a detective then he should see  that it's obvious I'm involved with another man....Or at least for the time being I am."said Monique.

"Awww sorry you are going through it Monique...But cheer up...Things are going to get better.."I said.

"I hope you're right Brother in law." she said.

"Meanwhile partner...We need to go and visit our dead guy's office.." I said..

"I'm paying for your breakfast Sis." said Monica....."Try not to let old witchipoo get to you."said Monica, who kissed her sister on the cheek and hugged her as we both left..

II-

We were at the office of the late Hank Safe....We were talking to his pretty and very attractive secretary,Bonnie Shore...

"Yes...Hank had a very lucrative practice and relationship counseling service...His clients are a virtual whos who of the movers and shakers of the city...He knew everybody's secrets..."she said.

"We have a sketch of someone that looks a lot like you drawn by his landlord describing a woman that was with him the last time he was seen alive." said Monica..

"Yes that was me...Hanky and I were lovers..I went out drinking with him and then I stopped by his apartment for a few hours...Two Fridays ago..We made love into the wee hours of the morning and I left the next morning...That was the last time I saw him...He didn't show up for work all of last week..When I came in yesterday...I found that someone had broken into the office and stolen his case files and blown the safe..."she said.

"They stole all of his case files?" I asked.

"Oh no..no...Just the ones that dealt with relationship therapy...Not his court cases or legal work...but I kept a copy of all of his relationship cases on a zip drive....Here is the address and the combonation...It's a safe deposit box in this building a few blocks from here..I hope they can help you catch whoever did this."she said.

"You think it was one of his clients?" asked Monica..

"Who else? Why would they steal just the relationship stuff?" she said.

"What did he keep in that safe?" asked Monica...

"I really don't know...I think he stored extra cash in there...but there was a brown box in there too..He never told me what was in it."she said...

"That may be the key to catching our killer."I said.."Come on Partner...Let's go to that P.O. Box."I said.

III-

At the M.E.'s office...Dr. Monica Talbert was writing a Tox Report on our victim when Marsha Tightbottom walked in..

"What are you doing?" she asked..

"I'm writing a Tox report on the man who died two days ago, Hank Safe."she said.

"He's been dead for two days and you're just now writing that report? UNEXCEPTABLE!"she said and began writing a report...

"You know if you and your people hadn't been here inspecting and been in the way..My lab guys might have run that test and we had it to the detectives sooner."said Monique..

"Of course nobody is going to complain because the primary on the case is your sister and you're banging your sister's supervisor.."she said snidely...

"You know I'm getting sick of your snide remarks regarding my personal life....I'm getting sick of you being around period..."said Monique....

"Really?" said Marsha Tightbottom.

"Really....Make one more snide remark about my personal life and I'm going to remove you from here personally..."said Monique..

"Is that a threat missy?" asked Marshe Tightbottom.

"That's a promise!"said Monique.

"THAT'S IT...YOU'RE FIRED! GET OUT! YOU DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" said Marsha Tightbottom.

Monica ignored her and made a phone call...

''Calling your boyfriend the Lieutenant? He can't help you. He's too tired from banging you last night...hahahahaha."she said.

"I'm not calling him...but you'll know soon enough who I'm calling...And maybe you need to get laid...How long has it been,Since the Clinton Administration?"said Monique..

"Ohhh, well I never!" said Marsha Tightbottom...

"I believe it...Here..someone wants to talk to you."said Monique.

"Did you bang this person too?" she asked.

"No...but you're going to stop making those kind of remarks right now...."said Monique...

Marsha took the phone...

"Helloooooooooo Marsha Tightbottom here? What? Who?  The Chief of Staff of the Governor of Pennsylvania...Really?  Oh...Yes..Yes..Of course sir...Yes..Well I...I was appointed by the President  of City Council to....What? You don't care?....I -I-I-I Well..I wasn't aware...NO I am not a Doctor...My degree is in Philosophy....What has that got to do with?  I don't have the power to hire or fire...I know that sir....I was merely joking with Ms. Talbert....No sir...Noooo sir...I-I-I was merely sent here to....Yes sir sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...Yes...I'm sorry sir...I will apologize to Ms. Talbert in writing pronto..Yes sir..I'll be on my way...Yes sir..Sooo sorry to bother you sir..Yes...Yes sirrrr sirrrrrr! You won't have a problem with me sirrrr..No sir...Yes...Yes sir...Sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...I'll be on my way..Yes...You have a great day sir.."she said...She was shaking with fear....

She hung up...She looked as if she'd just been told about a death in the family!

"You win this round little miss..but I promise you,You haven't seen the last of Marsha Tightbottom."she said as she gathered her things and her associates and marched out of the office.."Come on guys...we have to go..." she said..."I can't believe that little shit talked to me like that..I don't care if he works for the governor or not...ouuuuuuu."she muttered.

"I expect that written apology no later than tomorrow." said Monique.

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."she muttered...

Marsha Tightbottom stomped her foot in disgust and marched out...

All of the employees clapped ,whistled and cheered...

Monique smiled....but she knew Marsha Tightbottom would be back!

IV-

"So we have his smart phone...we can establish a timeline just from his last calls."I said to my partner, Detective Monica Talbert...who was looking at me and just smiling...

"I'm just looking at those soft lips of yours...that's all..Excuse me partner...Let's focus.." she said..

I caught myself blushing...

"Uh, er as I was er..uh..saying...Bonnie Shore says she left his loft at 5:45 am....And he was still alive...He texted her almost immediately..."I said.

Monica was smiling....She thought it was cute that she could still make me blush...

"Thirsty....You guys don't realize how creepy that is do you? She had just left his bed...just finished giving him some and she's not out the door good and here he is texting her.."laughed Monica.

"Well maybe it was good...like yours was...I certainly felt like texting you after our first time.."I said.

"You did?" she laughed..

"Yeah....but uh er anyway.."I said..."A few hours after he texted her He called a Richard Hankins...Hankins is a businessman...Has an office downtown..We should pay him a visit.. and he made another call to an untraceable number."I said.

"Burner phone...Hmmm...I ran his financials...He ate breakfast Saturday morning at this diner...Then he went to a jewelers and purchased a very expensive item....He called the untraceable number again and he had dinner at 5:30 pm...He then had drinks at 9:30..."said Monica.

''So he was alive on Saturday, two weeks ago." I said.

"He was alive last week...On Wednesday there is another charge at this same Jeweler for something..then there is a couple of charges for Breakfast and Lunch and dinner on Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday..." said Monica.

"His last phone call was on Thursday at nine...to this same untraceable number..that's it....We've got to find out where he was when he made the call. There were several calls made to him though...From Richard Hankins, the last one being today!  This morning. "I said.

"He wasn't seen by his landlord...but at sometime or other he had to be back in that apartment...Your guys got anything on the Traffic, ATM and Street Cams yet?" asked Monica.

"I'm going to check in with them..but let's go to the roof...We need to visit this Richard Hankins guy."I said.

We walked up to the roof where my flying car was located...Monica pulled me to her and began kissing me passionately...

"I couldn't wait...I was looking at you and just felt like kissing you."she said...

"I'm supposed to feel like that and say things like that to you."I said smiling...

"You were thinking it..."she said.

I smiled..I was....

"Yeah,I was..All morning."I said.

"Well,I just wanted you to know that I was thinking along the same lines."she said as we kissed some more..

I looked around...There was no one else up here...It was near lunch time...

We kissed passionately....I laid her across the back seat of my flying car and closed the back door.....I continued to look around...I slipped her dress up and I slipped her panties down...She went to grab my hand...

"Uh-Uhhh...No!...Not here!!!...We might get caught!!!..."she cautioned...

"That's the fun of it all." I said..I kissed her eyelids...her cheek..her neck and slowly opened her blouse...

"Ummmm yesss.."I moaned softly...

"Ohhh Nate.." she said ,kissing me passionately....

I unzippered my trousers....

"Natttttte....we are going to get caught baby!" she cooed...

We continued kissing and this time she didn't resist when I slipped her panties down..She looked at me very trustingly...

"Like I said...That's the fun of it..."I said....I entered her slowly and softly and kissed her neck...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh My goodness.."she moaned..

"Damnnnnn girl...oh my god..."I moaned....it was feeling too good...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..Nate.." she moaned...

I moved in and out of her for 45 minutes...She held on for dear life,kissing me slowly and passionately.... ..I tried hard not to moan, but it felt too good...My flying car rocked from side to side as the two of us made sweet love...in the backseat...

We were lucky...only two other people had flying cars and neither was here and there was no one else on the roof...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god Nate...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."she moaned...

"Damn girl...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."I moaned myself as I continued to move in her  a little faster...

She began blowing softly in my ear and giving me short little kisses that drove me over the edge...her too.....

and finally we both managed to come fast and furiously..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."she moaned.. She stared at me...almost like she was looking through me...tears and sweat rolled down the side of her face and I stiffened up like a board and exploded with wild abandon....

"I-I love you Nate."she said quietly...staring at me with those trusting eyes...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..I love you too Mo-Mo..." I moaned almost in unison....

She cracked up laughing then...

"I love it when you call me that!" she said, smiling and hugging me..."Come on...Let's....Let's get going.." she said and hugged me again..

I got up off of her...

''Wow!"I said.

"I've never done this with anybody....I mean ..Not In their car or on the roof.." she said.

"Me neither..Wasn't this fun?"I asked..

"It was risky...but yeah,it was exciting and fun...I can't believe I'm doing this and with my partner.."she said.

"Your fiance!"I reminded her...

She kissed me again...

"My Baby!" she said....and kissed me a little longer..She hugged me and rubbed my back....

"Come on..Let's get going...before we start up again..." she said as I got up off of her and we both straightened our clothes...

"Wouldn't be a bad idea.."I said....Now it was her turn to blush....

"Our first quickie." she said smiling...

"Yeah and it was great.."I said.

"Glad you liked it." she said giggling..

We both showered in the respective locker rooms and changed clothes...We always kept spare clothes in my flying car...just in case.....

And so we headed to Richard Hankins office in Downtown Philly.....

When we got there we saw some Detectives from Robbery and uniforms looking at his safe and dusting it for prints...

Monica and I flashed our badges....The Robbery Detective looked at us..

"You guys are from Homicide...Who got killed?" he asked...

"Hank Safe..an associate of Mr. Hankins here." I said.

Upon hearing that Mr. Hankins eyes got as large as saucers...

"Oh My God..Hankie is dead?  That's why he hasn't been answering my calls."he said.

"So you haven't heard from him...?" I asked.

"Not since last Wednesday...I saw him briefly...He looked nervous...Said somebody was after him..Gave me a zip drive.."he said.

"A Zip drive?" I asked..

"Yeah..it had all of his relationship counseling records on it.." he said.

"Where is this zip drive?" asked Monica..

"It was in my safe...Somebody broke in here and stole it and the $850.00 in cash I had in there."he said.

"That was to make it look like the Zip Drive wasn't the only thing they wanted."said the Robbery Detective.

"Aren't you one of Mr. Safe's relationship counselees ?"asked Monica.

"He handled my divorce...He was my lawyer..but yeah he counseled me when I got involved with another woman...Most of all, Hankie was my friend...I don't know what kind of trouble Hankie has gotten himself in..He wouldn't say, but he was awful nervous last time I saw him." said Hankins..

I whispered to Monica..

"Somebody wanted whatever was in those files...They broke in his office,stole the real files...broke in here, stole the zip drive...There is only one zip drive left...The one in the safe deposit box...We have to get to it.." I said.

Just then...my phone rang...

"Detective Nellis speaking."I said.

"Nate this is Monique...My guys pulled an interesting set of prints from your crime scene...After we seperated Safe, Hankins and Bonnie Shore's prints..We pulled the prints of a Joseph Chill....I ran it through the system...He's ex-special forces...He's got a conviction for first degree murder in a murder for hire case from a year ago...He escaped from prison a few months ago."she said.

"What would a guy like that have to do with this?" I asked..

"You're the police....Oh yeah..I finished the autopsy and the tox report..Cause of death was blunt force trauma and there was no drugs in his system...His last meal was a burger,fries and a strawberry milkshake.."she said.

"Thanks sis.." I said.

"Awww that's sweet..you called me sis.." she said.

''Where is your shadow?" I asked.

"Marsha Tightbottom? Gone for the time being...But she'll be back."sighed Monique..

"Well thanks for the info." I said...

"Just doin my job brother in law...." she laughed.

"I'm almost your brother in law.." I laughed..

"You're My Brother In Law...Like you're going anywhere!!!....My sister got you on lock.."she said and laughed...

''Seeee...I made you smile."I said.

"That you did...Thank You Nate!" she said and hung up.

"We need to check out that safe deposit box and with a quickness partner.." I said.

"Somebody is looking for something...or trying to get rid of something...and we need to intercept it.." said Monica..

VI-

That afternoon...Lt. Cotton drove up just as Dr. Monique Talbert was getting ready to go inside her house...

''Hey baby." he said.

''Hey Frankie.." she said.

"Look,I know you've been having a hard time lately with Tightbottom.....And I heard that the Governor's Chief of Staff read her the riot act today...but she went to the President of city council and my ex and they said that this is their shop,not the Governor's ...so more than likely..She'll be back...but I just want you to know...I'm working on it...I'm trying to get to the bottom of all this mess." said Lt. Cotton..

''Oh you are? And meanwhile...what happens to me ? She's been so disruptive lately....She threatened to fire me..I've been very stressed out.."said Monique..

"Babbbyyyyy..Baby....I got it covered.." he said..

"No you don't have it covered...You don't have anything covered....All of this...is because you started messing with me before you broke up with her...This is Glenda, getting back at you through me...She didn't know my name until you and I started our little affair.." said Monique..

Lt. Cotton thought for a minute...

"You know something...you're right...and why would she know your name or even care about the Medical Examiner's Office?  Nobody in City Council gives a damn about anything unless they are forced to..." he mused..

"You gotta do somethin Frankie if you really want to keep on seein me..If you really love me like you say you do.." said Monique..

He held her in his arms and kissed her softly....The man made her so hot, so turned on..She was ready to take her clothes off right there and let him have his way with her...but she pulled away...She had to be strong..

"Frankie..Do something babe...Love me or Leave me...So that that harpie will leave me alone." she said.

He hadn't had sex with Monique in three days and he was really jonesing for her body at this point,but he could tell she was upset and that nothing was going down tonight....

"I will..I promise sugar baby." he said.

"Love me or leave me boo." she said and turned and walked inside her house and closed the door without inviting him in...

He stood there as a light rain began to pour for the second time this week.

(TO BE CONTINUED)