Hard Candy

They say that rust never sleeps....I don't know about that.....but my detectives don't sleep....Not when there is a major crime to solve....

 The sun was just rising in the city of Philadelphia....Lt. Sissy Van Buren and I sat in a car outside of a warehouse...The Warehouse was owned by the late June Carson...It was near Penn's Landing...How cautious is Manny Spain??..Nothing is ever in his name...And it was very doubtful if Mr. Spain was going to show up today to manage the drug purchase....Sissy had a very powerful pair of binoculars.. had a powerful pair of binoculars...

"See anything Siss?" I asked...

"No ,not yet....But Duke is one hundred percent certain that your information is correct...25 area reps of drug dealers will be picking up a nice shipment today from this warehouse...He said your tip is in line with all of the information that he, Sirena and Sharon have been compiling on local independent crews and their activities."said Sissy...

Detectives, Tony Hopkins and Sirena Pile were a little ahead of us..on higher ground with 6 plain clothes officers from Vice and an additional 6 plain clothes officers from Narcotics, watching with binoculars...They both had a walkie talkies with Them...Prepared to call us when the car swe were waiting for arrived...

Duke and Jimmy and 14 plain clothes officers of our own , who had been called at short notice all wearing kevlar and armed with shotguns were hidden along the side streets...With them were 12 FBI agents...They too were armed with shotguns...

My beautiful wife ,Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace , who for some strange reason chose to wear a hot pink trenchcoat with a pair of black tights and flats and a kevlar vest was stationed a little down the road with Tyriq....

Sharon was with them....There were 3 FBI agents and 3 DEA Agents with them...She looked hella hot...Those tights accentuated every curve...I was turned on just watching her get dressed this morning before we came to this stakeout.....

 The first call Sissy got on her walkie talkie came from Tyriq...

 "Yes Tyriq..What's up?" said Sissy.

"Lou...I gotta question for you...How come you got me up here with Top and she has a damn hot pink trench coat on? This is your girl...You should be up here...This is dangerous." he said...He was joking of course...both he and Duke would protect Carlotta with their lives if need be...They thought of her as their little sister...

 Sissy cracked up laughing....

"I'm going to have to talk to Chica about her choice of dress for these stakeouts....But Rico...She's your partner..."said Sissy....

"I know but..."Tyriq said jokingly...

''And that's why I'm a Lieutenant.."said Sissy..

We heard both Sharon and Carlotta laughing in the background..

 "Leave my girl alone Rico."laughed Sharon...

 "Stop playing....our guests should be coming soon.:"said Carlotta..

"That's cold Lou." said Tyriq laughing...

"Get off this line Rico...before you make us miss an important call."laughed Sissy
who looked at me and gave me the side eye...

"Why did your wife wear a hot pink trench coat?" she asked smiling...

"That one conceals her shotgun better...and the other one is in the cleaners." I said.

Sissy just shook her head.  She got the next call...

"It's showtime Siss...Here comes the cars now...Check your monitors...It'll show us exactly what you told us.." said Duke...

My source was right....Like clockwork....It was a little before six in the morning...several cars drove up to the warehouse...Several guys, all with armed bodyguards got out and began loading packages of Heroin, Cocaine, Meth and other drugs , all bound in gym bags into their cars and SUV's...

You can imagine their surprise and Awe when they heard!

"FREEEZE!!! POLICE!!!!!DROP YOUR WEAPONS!!!! BACK AWAY FROM YOUR CARS!!"

Sirena, Hop and 6 plain clothes officers from Vice and an additional 6 plain clothes officers from Narcotics descended upon them.....all armed with shotguns and sniper rifles.

Duke and Jimmy and 14 plain clothes officers of our own , who had been called at short notice all wearing kevlar and armed with shotguns came up the rear...With them were 12 FBI agents...They too were armed with shotguns...

They quickly took about 39 men into custody...

Carlotta pulled a riot pump shotgun from under her trench coat...and with Tyriq , Sharon and 16 federal agents...(8 FBI, 8 DEA) entered the warehouse and took 24 additional men into custody....

Carlotta and Tyriq opened the boxes with crowbars and found not only drugs ,but weapons...

"Jackpot...We hit the jackpot Rico!!!..."screamed Carlotta with glee as Sharon opened up more boxes of drugs and seized ledgers with the names of people who were paid off and who made payments...

She called Sissy....

"Siss, this is the biggest haul of all time..." she said.

Sissy smiled ruefully....

I looked at my friend...

''What's the matter baby? We hurt him...We hurt Manny Spain bad..."I said.

''We did and we didn't...I'm bettin his name is on nothing...and none of these mopes we popped today will or can give him up...They might not even be able to give up Valentine...Guys like them don't get that close...They just rake in the cash....We hurt him....but not bad enough...He's still somewhere..Untouchable...."said Sissy...."I can't help but think that somebody, somewhere...dropped this information in our laps...almost on purpose." she said.

I had gotten an anonymous tip that led to this raid....Someone calling from a burner phone had given me the address, and the names of the players making the pick up as well as the time of the pick ups....It seemed too good to be true...

II-

 At the time...I didn't know how right I was....In a rental house, miles away...Candace "Hard Candy"Nelson was in the bed....with January Carson, brother of the slain gangster June Carson,formerly Manny Spain's second in command..

She had January's rock hard penis in her mouth and was licking and sucking and going to town,while he lay in bed in near ecstacy....losing his mind...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god, I'm losin my mind..."he roared in pleasure...

He turned her over and eased himself into her luscious and warm body....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph" he moaned...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." he moaned as he began to kiss her deeper, more passionately...still rubbing her legs and squeezing her hips and buttocks..

He then took one of her breasts in his mouth and began to suck it lightly...She moaned....and looked away....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....you feel so gooooood!" she moaned....

"ohhhhh, so do youuuuuuuuuuuuu..."January groaned.
He entered Candace...slowly, very slowly....He wanted to savor every minute...every second..

He took his time and entered her and went in and eased out ,slowly, savoring her wetness and her warmness like a diner savors a fine steak...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."moaned Candace as January began to make sweet love to her...on the bed...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh baby!" he moaned..

She wrapped her legs around his waist ,so he could take all of her...and he didn't disappoint her...

"Take your time...Take your timeeeeeeeeeeee....Take your time...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu." she moaned.

"Oh my god...I'm losin my damn mind" he moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..weeeeeeeeeeee....ohh my goodness...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuu"she cooed.

 The bed was soon rocking back and forth furiously...the headboard softly slamming against the wall...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY goddddddddddddddddddddddd!" he moaned...

  Candace's kisses  were soft ...Her lips were like butter...January was losing his mind with each kiss...

"Candy...I'm losin my damn mind!" he said  again softly....

Three hours turned to five and January was still going at it..He was making up for seemingly lost time..He hadn't seen her in a few days   and soon he came like a gusher....

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..JANUARY CARSON...I love you....ohhhhhh,so much baby! JANUARY...JANUARY...JANUARY!!!!!!!!!!!"moaned Candace as he came furiously and his body shook....She had climaxed at least four times during the past five hours....January Carson was the best lover she had ever had...He made her toes curl....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LAWDDDDD!" he yelled out...

He was shaking.....sweating and moaning....Candace laughed....She usually made men moan like this...He was no different...

After he got himself together...He lit them both a joint and they both took puffs...Soon they were calm and collect...She slid back into her panties and put her bra back on..

"Baby...are you ashamed of your body or something?" he asked..

"Uh...No..why do you ask?" she said.

''Everytime we make love, you immediately put your panties and bra back on...I mean,it's just us..here..You see I don't put my clothes back on."said January...

"I-I-I just got this thing about being naked that's all." she said.

''Well you shouldn't...you got a hellified body. Your body is beautiful" he said.

She smiled...

"Thank you." she said. January made her feel pretty, desirable, sexy...Something no other man had ever done...She was hopelessly in love with him....A feeling she didn't think she could have....She had killed 13 men in her lifetime and hadn't given any one of those men a second thought...Her nickname-"Hard Candy" was one that struck fear in the hearts of men on the streets...

She was diagnosed as a sociopath, the one time she was ever under observation...That was probably close to the truth....She had been molested by her Step-father and her uncle when she was a little girl...Turned out by a Pimp at 14....She was on the streets of Baltimore hustling and making money soon afterwords...She killed her first man when she was 17.....as a favor to a local drug lord....Which was when she began her proffession...Hit woman.. Black Widow style!

Her good looks often caught the intended victim off guard and he was dead before he knew it...Her weapons of choice...Her sexuality and .22 caliber pistol...

"Did Stink deliver that info?" asked January Carson..

''Sure did ,to ADA Keith Wallace..and whoever these cops are...they're good....They took the warehouse and arrested 63 people this morning...They got the drugs,the ledgers...everything....Manny is probably steaming right about now....He may kill Gino Valentine himself..."she said.

''What about Stink?"he asked.

"I killed him...He's a heroin addict baby...If the cops caught him...for a fix he'd give us up...I know he was your boy and all and he helped you a lot..but we couldn't risk it.."she said.

"Yeah you right...you right...I'm gone miss Stink..he was a funny cat.."laughed January Carson...

He thought of how dispassionately she had admitted killing Stink....He'd known men, stone cold gangsters ,who had more compassion than Hard Candy...It sent a chill down his spine..

"So what's next?" she asked..

''We wait...We wait and see what moves Manny makes...Sooner or later he's gonna expose himself and when he does..I'll be waiting for him..." said January...

She looked over at him...

"My god January, you're as hard as a tree trunk....After all of that good lovemaking we did??" she asked ,smiling sheepishly...

He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately...

"Ummmmmm, take care of that..."he laughed,kissing her passionately as her soft little fingers began to softly stroke his rock hard penis..

Soon he found himself helplessly entering her and their bed squeaking under the weight of their lovemaking....

She wrapped her legs around his waist ,so he could take all of her...and he didn't disappoint her...

"Take your time...Take your timeeeeeeeeeeee daddy....Take your time daddy...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu." she moaned.

"Oh my god...I'm losin my damn mind" he moaned...He understood how she could drive any man to distraction and get the drop on him...He perfectly understood!


III-

 Back at our base of operations , Everybody congratulated themselves......110 arrests , a warehouse filled with Heroin,Coke,Meth and weapons found....All in all The Task Force had done a great job.

Duke and my wife Carlotta whipped up some world famous Chilli....

"Damn Top, you really know your seasonings..." he said.

"I'm Puerto Rican...I'm a very spicy girl." joked Carlotta....That she was indeed..And an excellent cook.

Tyriq and Jimmy had Burgers, Dogs ,Ribs and chicken on the grill...

"Damnnn Junior..you barbecue like a brotha.."joked Tyriq..

"Been around you guys so long I guess it wore off."laughed Jimmy...

Sirena and Hazel made potato and macaroni salad

"We had a good day today Hazel."said Sirena..

"Yes, so I heard." said Hazel.

And plates were made and served to all of the plain clothes guys from vice and narcotics and the FBI and DEA agents who had helped out on the raids this morning...Like the raids before...Not a shot was fired and not a casualty on either side was reported...The Task Force had done well..

Inside, Detective Tony Hopkins was busy showing something to Sissy, His wife Sharon and Me...

"Listen guys...We did well today and the other day...but none of these arrests have anything to do with our murders...which is what got this started...We triangulated the street cams and I got this pull off of the cameras...The guy in this photo at Carlotta,Rico and Jimmy's crime scene...The guy busting the windows of the car.....Got a grainy photo of his face...Put it through facial recognition and look what I found?  That's Anton "Stink"Davis...Three convicitions...Auto Theft....Assault with Intent to Kill,Burglary.... He's also a known Heroin addict...in and out of recovery....We find him....and he leads us to our shooter in all three murders....If you look at the tape....He's the common denominator..We got him for accessory and conspiracy to commit murder...A guy in as bad a shape as him, will make a deal immediately."said Hop.

Sissy smiled for the first time today...

"That's the best news I've heard today....Clearing three murders,plus these major busts?? This is great." she said.

"Oh and Siss...Carlotta told me to tell you this yesterday but I forgot...."said Sharon...

''Here she is...She can tell you herself...Lotta, tell Siss what you found." said Sharon.

At that point,my wife appeared in the doorway...

"Come on outside and get this food you guys....It's going fast....I made plates for you..."said Carlotta...

"Oh Yes...I ran the particulars through vicap of Manny Spain's attempted murder to see if any other murders fit the description and I got something.....12 guys in D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington and here have all been lured into a hotel room by a woman, have had sex and then been shot to death, while they were either naked, asleep or about to take a shower.....The suspect is this woman...Candace Nelson....They call her "Hard Candy"...She has a few arrests for prostitution...and one for possession with intent to distribute...And I have a few photos of a woman at all three bars asking questions...I showed em to my C.I.'s and they all identified her. She  is a suspect in 12 murders, never arrested or convicted for murders...Manny Spain was no help...He told us her name was Kyra....but that was all.."said Carlotta..

"So you think these two are our killers?" I asked..

"No...but I think maybe they know who the killer is...Maybe they are working with the main killer to take Manny Spain out..for some reason."said Carlotta..

"Good Job you two...Now if you don't mind...There is some barbecue and potato salad that is calling my name."said Sharon...

"Yes. tomorrow is another day...Let's Eat...All in All it was a good day." said Sissy...

"Heyy Siss."said Detective Angie Belton-Barlow ,who had just arrived...with Sissy's husband, Eddie C.

"Yeah, Stop crime fighting for one minute and let's eat." he laughed...

We all retreated outside and began eating the good food and drinking...It had been a good day...At least for us!

IV-

 But at Mink's Bar...It was not a good day or night....Police Lieutenant Joseph Halliwell and Gino Valentine sat shaking in an upstairs private lounge as Manny Spain ,flanked by six tough looking goons entered the room and sat down...

"You guys order a drink yet?" he asked..

"Nah..I don't need a drink." said Halliwell..

"GET A GOTDAMN DRINK!" said Manny Spain..

"You don't give me orders Spain...I'm a cop damn it." said Joe Halliwell..

"You were a good cop once...but now I own you baby....What would the Deputy of Operations do to you if he found out you were sleeping with his wife?  What would the Mayor do to you if he found out you once SLEPT WITH HIS WIFE??? I've got photos to prove it...So who doesn't take orders from me huh Joe?? Now you heard me GET A GOTDAMN DRINK!" said Manny Spain..

He reluctantly ordered a drink...

Lieutenant Joseph Halliwell was so angry , tears almost came from his eyes...He ordered a drink, but he was furious...He was basically a good and honest cop...Manny Spain and everyone in this room were the type of people ,he and his men would have put in prison....But Manny Spain's number two man, June Carson had found out his dirty little secret....That he liked the women...He had slept with the wife of the Deputy of Operations ,his boss and the wife of the Mayor...If the photographic evidence ever got out...He'd be ruined...So he danced to whatever tune Manny Spain played...For a year now,he had given June Carson and his people information on when busts were being planned...When an arrest was imminent...and Manny Spain sold this information, along with his package to the streets..

Manny Spain looked at his Lieutenant, Gino Valentine...

"I'm so disappointed in you G.   June Carson would have not been this lax....He kept his ear to the streets..."said Manny Spain.

Gino Valentine looked over at Lieutenant Halliwell

"This is your fault...You were supposed to keep me apprised of when a bust was imminent....You've told me nothing all week...." said Gino Valentine...

"That's because I don't know nothing...Nothing came over the wire like it usually does...I read my twenties...Nothing...."he said.

"Feds?" asked Manny Spain.

"Yeah, FBI and DEA were involved...but most of the guys were detectives from CID, with Vice and Narcotics...It's a number of guys missing...this Task force...it must be operating from some secret location..."said Halliwell.

"I want that location and I want the names...Who is runnin it?....Where they live and every member of this task force ...you hear?"said Manny Spain..

"I can't get that...I'm not privy to that....I start askin those kind of questions and my cover for you is blown..." he said.

''Well what do you suggest I do?...I'm out of millions and my reputation on the street is in tatters."said Manny Spain.

"It'll all blow over...They got nothin on you...You didn't get arrested and none of those guys arrested have any direct ties to you or Valentine." he said..

"DIRECT TIES?  They buy from me....They were my customers....That's enough...They kept the others in line...That a direct tie enough for you?" asked Manny..

"Yeah...I see what you mean." said Halliwell.

Manny smiled...

"I want that location and I want the names...Who is runnin it....Where they live and every member of this task force ..You got til the end of the week or some pretty nasty photos are going to start seeping
through the mail,Facebook ,Twitter and Instagram accounts ,emails...all kinds of things, Your world is going to look completely different sir.."said Manny quietly...."Now finish your drink...pay for it and get the hell out of here..."he said...

Halliwell stomped his foot, he stood up...

"I hate your guts...I hope and pray I'm standing over your body one day with a chalk outline over it you cheap punk.."he said and stormed out...He defiantly told the waitress to put his drink on "Mr. Spain's tab"..He wasn't paying for a damn thing he scoffed.

Gino got ready to get up, but Manny said..

"Not you!!...Sit DOWN!!!!" he said.

He sat down..He was visibly shaken...He had lost the warehouse and 110 people had been arrested this week,plus two key people killed by persons unknown...He was really on the hot seat....None of this was his fault he reasoned...

"Manny look..It wasn't my fault...I had no idea..." said Gino Valentine...

"SHUT UP!   It appears somebody chose not to stay in the Netherlands where they would be safe....June Carson's stupid,older brother January is in town..."said Manny Spain..

"What? Him?" said Gino Valentine..

"Yeah and he's with the bitch that shot me...Hard Candy.. ...Candace Nelson.....Your job?...Find her, kill her....That will bring January Carson out....He's the one who killed Boom , Willie and your girlfriend and tried to kill your punk ass....Funny,if it were me...I'd of been on this...All over this...I'd of known this....Now I did your legwork for you....Take em both out....You got until the end of the week..Or else, you're gonna be replaced.....Friday morning...I want to read in the paper that they are both dead."said Manny Spain ,who got up...His six goons followed him...

"Pay for your drink and get the hell out of here.." he said as they left..

Gino Valentine's suit was drenched with sweat...His hands were shaking...

(TO BE CONTINUED)