In The Event Of Murder

I was watching from a distance as my wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace worked out... I loved watching her run and work out...She has such an athletic body...Dancers shapely legs, and nice curves to match.....

I am Assistant District Attorney, Keith Wallace, I prosecute major crimes..I have followed detective Carlotta Rodriguez's career almost since she became a detective..When my good friend, Lt. Sissy Van Buren...and her right hand man, Detective Edwin "Duke " Baylor had shown an interest in starting an elite group of detectives who handled major cases and high profile criminals...I jumped at the chance to lend a helping hand..

Sissy Van Buren ,Who now heads an elite group of detectives known as the Criminal Investigative Division of the Philadelphia Police Department told me she needed some top notch detectives...Detective Carlotta Rodriguez was the first detective I assigned to her...

I admit, it wasn't just because she had a perfect record of clearences and great performance reviews...It was also because she was smoking hot and I was romantically interested in her...

I wasted no time bringing her former partner in Robbery-Homicide and also a great detective, Tyriq Pile into the unit also...He and Duke had been in the Academy together and were best friends..

And her former partner from Special Victims unit, Detective James Barlow..into the fold also..

Both were great detectives in their own right and I knew she would work well with them...

I married her in the meanwhile... and our unit has increased....

Dr. Hazel Hunter Baylor- A skilled Forensic Investigator...and Duke's future wife...

Detective Tony Hopkins...a sharp young patrolman and ex law student ,who I saw potential in and urged him to take the detectives exam....joined us next...followed by Detective Tyriq Pile's wife , a brilliant detective and profiler, Detective Sirena Pile  soon joined us...

It took me three years ,but I talked Duke's former partner and Sissy's best friend, Detective Angie Belton, now married to Detective Jimmy Barlow into coming back into the fold and leaving Internal affairs..

Our group now had seven very good detectives and a top notch forensics investigator....They have taken down major criminals....Heist crews, drug crews, Serial Killers and the like...

I love these guys....But mostly, I love her....Carlotta....

"Staring is rude papi..." she said smiling at me as I passed her a cold bottle of water...

"I can't help it...you're so damned hot." I said smiling and imagining her in the bedroom...

''Stop thinking about me in lingerie.." laughed Carlotta....

I smiled..

"So you're a mind reader now how?"I said..

''When you have that look on your face...it usually means you are thinking nasty thoughts about me." she said smiling..

I pulled her to me and kissed her...she was sweaty...

"Maybe I am..." I said..

"Papi...I'm all sweaty....I'm going to go and take a shower and get dressed.." she said.

"Can I uh join you?" I asked jokingly...

"Noooooo..Save all of that energy for tonight."she laughed...

I just shook my head and watched her as she ran in the distance to take a shower..

II-

It had been a peaceful couple of weeks...Nothin big on the horizon, just quiet...We all put in a full work day and went home..No major cases....Just routine police work .. a few court appearences and we all retired to our homes...

Then later on that very same day....The peace broke...I got a call from my wife Carlotta and I drove to a very tony set of condos where I saw a body lying in the courtyard....Lots of police as usual and Crime scene investigators....photographers and the like...

A young patrolman led me to the body of a young ,well dressed Black man who looked about my age...

My wife, now in full detective mode gave me a nice ,sweet kiss...

''Hi Honey Bunny...Looks like we caught a murder.." she said smiling..She had on latex gloves ,which told me she was examining the corpse...

''Yeah,I see...You sure he didn't jump or fall?" I asked..

"No chance of that..."said Forensic Investigator, Dr. Hazel Hunter-Baylor.. "Our victim was shot twice in the chest and fell from that top floor" she said examining the body...

"A patrolman recovered two slugs...They're from a .40 caliber...they made big holes..." said Detective Tyriq Pile who instructed the patrolman to bag and tag the slugs for evidence....


Detectives James Barlow and Tony Hopkins came running down from the building..

 "Heyy Keith...Apparently...Our vic fell from the top condo....That's a twenty story drop...but he was dead before he fell out of the window...We found the room...It was rented to our vic, but residents say he only came here a few times.."said Jimmy.

 "From the looks of that room, there was a terrific fight up there..." said Hop...

His partner and Tyriq's wife, Detective Sirena Pile joined us...

"Didn't find any fingerprints other than the vic's..but there is sweat and blood on his polo shirt...We might get lucky and get a DNA match..." said Sirena...

I saw Detective Angie Belton and Lt. Sissy Van Buren from a distance...

"Wow...I can't believe he's dead....He did my girlfriend's wedding last month." said Angie...."I got a couple of witness statements..."Nobody saw anybody exiting the building, but I have a team looking at the court cameras and security cameras..." said Angie..

"Hi Keith...This is a shame...such a talented man.." said Lt. Sissy Van Buren...

"So you girls know this guy?" I asked..

"He's an event planner man." said Duke..

"I looked at Duke...."YOU KNOW THIS GUY?" I asked..

"Yeah man...You don't? That's Evan Tolson...He's the top Black Event Planner in the region and friend of our Mayor ,among other connected people...He planned YOUR WEDDING!"said Duke.

"He did?" I asked incredulously...

"Yes papi...He did.."laughed Carlotta shaking her head...She whispered in my ear...."All you were interested in at the time was getting me out of that wedding gown and into bed...Some things haven't changed..."she laughed and punched my arm playfully.

It was true...I wanted to get her into bed as we spoke...

Sissy ,Hazel,Sirena and Angie shook their heads and laughed..

I looked at Duke...

"Okay,I get that the girls might know this...How do you know this?"I asked..

"I pay attention to detail...I'm a detective....He planned Hazel and my wedding too" laughed Duke..

"Oh cut it out Duke...Top told him...and then Haze reminded him, He was as in the dark about this guy as you were Keith.." laughed Tyriq...

We all busted out laughing....

"Okay...Okay...You can release the body now...We know his time of death was about an hour ago..we'll see what we get off of those cameras..."said Carlotta...

"Like Sirena said...maybe I'll get lucky with the blood and sweat on his polo shirt...get a DNA match"said Hazel...

I watched as they took the body away...A light rain began to fall...

III-

 Duke and Angie stayed behind getting witness statements...

While Sirena and Hop supervised a team of uniformed policemen who did a door to search of the condo and the surrounding neighborhood questioning anybody who might have seen or heard anything unusual..

Meanwhile, Carlotta, Jimmy and Tyriq interviewed the next of kin and any friends and associates the dead man might have had...

 I knew at any rate...It would be hours before I saw my wife again....Or any of them for that matter...

Hazel was back in the morgue with the body....

I didn't have any court appearences or work to do ,so I sat in Lt. Sissy Van Buren's Office..

"Always nice to have someone to keep me company while I do paperwork and work out budgets...We had so much overtime last month and the month before with those task forces...I hope nothing comes up where we have to do that again anytime soon." she said.

"The costs of being the boss lady." I laughed...Then the conversation turned serious...

"You heard from Sharon?" I asked..

Sharon, being our unofficial  and adopted team member, FBI Deputy Special Agent In Charge,Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins, Detective Hopkins wife..

Sharon had an office in our suite...She has been a great help to us ever since she returned to Philly to live and married Hop...always willing to lend a hand and the resources of the FBI to our investigations..

"She's coming home today...She and U.S.  Attorney Brendan Burnside

went to meet with Curly Nelson today...He's in a secure federal facility...I don't even know where it is..Only those two know."said Sissy..

"He willing to talk about Brooklyn Decker?" I asked..

"He wasn't at first...but now that he knows there is a contract out on him...I'm sure he will.."said Sissy.

"But there isn't a contract out on him is it?" I laughed..

"Oh it is...I got that on good word..That's why he wasn't safe in county or any of the city jails and he's not safe in State prison...That's why they have kept him in a safe facility and kept it classified." said Sissy...

"This Brooklyn Decker must really have reach..."I said.

"He does...but his whole stack of cards is about to fall "said Sissy..

"You sure of that?" I asked....

"Between us, The FBI and The DEA...I like our chances..." she laughed...

IV-

Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy rang the doorbell of Evan Tolson....It was the residence listed on his Drivers License...

''Carlotta, you sure this is the place?"asked Jimmy...

"Yes...He lives here with his wife..or rather lived here.."said Carlotta..

A beautiful Black woman answered the door..

"Hello.." she said..

"Hello...I'm Detective Tyriq Pile and these are my partners, Detectives Carlotta Wallace and James Barlow...May we come in?" he asked..

"Yes...I live here with my husband..Is something wrong detectives..?"she asked.

"I don't know how to break this to you mam and there is never an easy way to say it but....your husband, Evan was murdered...We found his body in the courtyard of his other condo a few hours ago.."said Jimmy...

"OH MY GODDDDD...NOOOOOOOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed...

Just then, another man came running out of the bedroom...

''Ellie,Ellie, what's wrong baby?" he asked..

"These detectives said that Evan was murdered ...He's dead!" she cried...

"WHAT?? EVAN DEAD??? "OH MY GODDDDD...NOOOOOOOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"he screamed and they hugged each other..

"Excuse me...You said you live here with your husband?" asked Carlotta..

"Oh excuse me detective...This is Carl, he is my husband also...So was Evan....They are both married to me...It's called Polyandry...We got married in Kenya...It's not recognized in the U.S. legally, but we've all been living together for about two years now just the same..We have domestic partners status." she explained..

Jimmy looked at Tyriq...

"Thought you'd seen it all huh Junior?" he said..

Carlotta smiled uneasily....

"Ay yi yiiii.." was all she could mutter..


(TO BE CONTINUED......)