The First 24

We were in the first 24 hours of a major murder investigation...The newspapers were buzzing with the story of the young attorney who fell several stories to her death the night before...

We had a team of uniformed policemen questioning everybody in the building..

and we were looking at the ATM Cam's, Business cams, Traffic Cams and street cams for any cars coming to and from that Condo....

Monica and I had found a number of fingerprints in that suite...We eliminated everybody, including the victim but three sets...one was unknown, but the others belonged to Taylor Coleridge...the Deputy Mayor of the city of Philadelphia...His number was also the number on the second phone we found ,seperate from our victim's main phone, found in her purse...It was the only number called on that phone. We also found Cal Winston...Her bosses fingerprints in the apartment..We would have to talk to him later..

It made sense that we had to pay him a visit.....

He was not a happy camper...

He was a small man, a slight man about my age, but balding already.... He dressed well as would be expected...

"So detectives...Why did you say you were here?" he asked...

"As you've probably heard....a young attorney, Miss..Yvette Smallwood..fell to her death yesterday..."said Monica.

"Yes..I saw it on the news this morning..and what does that have to do with me?" he asked.

"We found this phone in her condo...It's registered to you...We checked..and your number is the only number she called on this phone and we have a slew of several calls you made to her , most after midnight...Which does sound and look kind of well let's say suspicious for a married man like yourself.." I said.

He smiled..

"Before you became a detective...What were you doing?" he asked..

"I used to ride around in a squad car....In this very neighborhood in fact.." I said..

"Well ,I happen to be the Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia..are you aware of that Detective?  I happen to know your boss....Lieutenant Cotton...but most of all..I KNOW THE MAYOR....I could make a few calls and you and your partner might wind up as uh,crossing guards..."he said.

"Did we mention, we found your fingerprints in this woman's condo? That and the huge amount of blood we found out by the terrace and your fingerprints at the scene of the crime and those pesky late night phone calls on a private cell phone you bought for her makes you a suspect..a prime suspect in a murder...Now are you going to co-operate or do we have to take you down town ?" asked Monica..

"I do believe I said I AM THE DEPUTY MAYOR OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA...I THINK I"M GOING TO CALL YOUR LIEUTENANT RIGHT NOW!" he said.

Lt. Cotton answered his phone..

"Hello." he said..

"Lieutenant Cotton, This is Deputy Mayor of the city of Philadelphia, Taylor Coleridge....Two of your Homicide Detectives are questioning me right now...Apparently they are too green or too dumb to understand who I am or the complexity of this matter....So I expect you to deal with them appropriately...Explain to them how this line of questioning could seriously effect their employment.."he said.

"You know...I'm glad you called me sir...I have someone here ,who would like to talk to you..."said Lt. Cotton..

"Who is that?" he asked..

"The Mayor!!!"said Lt. Cotton...

"WHAT? " he said...

The Mayor got on the phone...Taylor Coleridge's smugness changed immensely...

"Yes sir...Yes...I will co-operate with the detectives completely...Yes sir....No sir...Yes sir...I-I-I-I did know the young lady..OHHH NOOO ,NOOOO Sir, our relationship was strictly professional..I had nothing to do with any tawdry affair..No sir...Whatever they want to know...I will co-operate...Yes sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sir..Oh Nooooo..I was not throwing my weight around...No sirrrr, sirrrrrrrrrrrrrr...Yes, I mean no...I don't have my head up my ass sir..No I do not...I-I-I-I-I will apologize profusely to the detectives... No sir..I don't want my wife to find out about this...Whatever they want to know...I will co-operate...Yes sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sir..Oh no...I won't waste the good Lieutenant's time ever again...Yes sir..I realize they are very busy people as are you sir...YES SIRRRRRRRRRRRR,Sirrrr!  " he said..

Taylor Coleridge looked like he'd swallowed a can of bright yellow paint...

Monica smiled...

"Now Mr. Coleridge...What was your relationship with Ms. Smallwood? We have your car coming to this condo and leaving about two days before her death...." she asked..

"We were lovers."he said quietly...

"Excuse me...could you say that a little bit louder." I said.

"I said we were lovers.....We had been for more than a year...Please...My wife is having a baby....Please don't  release this to the public....I didn't kill her..I swear....She and I had broken up...
I was at her condo the other night to beg her to see me again...and that was the last time I saw her...I swear.." he said...

''So where were you in between 12:00 Midnight and 10:00 pm the next day?" asked Monica..

"I was home with my wife...I went to work..I was in committee meetings all day with the Mayor...and I was at a couple of local bars...Then I went home...I swear..I never saw her alive again, but yes..I had been here and I did give her that phone...So that my calls were never on her phone and hers to me were never on her personal phone..."he said.

"There were a slew of calls between you two just three days before..."I said.

"Most of that was business...She's represents Cal Winston.....He's in negotiation with the city for a major labor contract...I was getting a little inside information that's all..." he said.

"As well as trying to set up a booty call.."I said smiling..

"Y-Yes...Please..I beg of you to keep this in the strictest confidence.." he said,now visibly shaken..A far cry from the smug persona he had exhibited before.

"That all depends on if you're telling the truth." said Monica..."Come on Partner..Let's go." said Monica..

II-

"He was telling the truth...I scanned his mind while he was talking..but we have to check his alibi just the same.." she said.

Some hours later...I walked into the squad room...

"His alibi checked out bae... I checked his credit cards and debit cards...He was at a couple of bars and restaurants prior to our kill zone....He was at committee meetings all day with the Mayor and prior to that, according to his key card record...He was home with the wife and they made a trip to the doctor's office.. It's not him...

"I so wanted it to be....Come on...My sister has something for us.." said Monica...

We headed to the Medical Examiner's office, where Monique was waiting for us....

"My original suspicion was correct...Her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head...Her head hit that table hard in her bedroom and she fell to the floor....dead....Apparently she was struck hard before that..So whoever tossed her out of the window ...Did so after she was already dead , to make it look like a suicide, I suppose..." said Monique...

"That rules out Taylor Coleridge...He couldn't lift a beach ball and toss it out the window, let alone a woman that size..I wonder what she even saw in him??" I said.

"Money!! Prestige...Besides brother in law...Yvette Smallwood was not a big woman...She was petite.."said Monique..

"So is he...Too petite to lift her.."I said.

Monica laughed...

"Nate is right Sis, besides ,we just ruled him out as a suspect...Despite the fact that he had been having a torrid extra-marital affair with her.."she said.

"Hmm, time is running out Nate..Sis...Still think you can crack this case in under 48 hours?" asked Monique...

''This case has it's layers I admit...We've got another suspect...and we've got plenty of time..." said Monica..

"Okay...Excuse me a minute...Another body is coming in...I have to go outside a minute...."she said and excused herself..

"We gotta talk to Cal Winston...Her boss." I said.

"Yeah...I found some real interesting photos of him and her on her phone.."laughed Monica slyly...

She showed me photos of him completely nude and fully erect.....Then there was a photo of him and our victim...She was on her knees and had his penis in her mouth and he was grinning like a cheshire cat...

"Whoa....This guy was banging his lawyer?" I asked..

''Why are you so surprised? That type of thing happens everyday."said Monica.

"Yeah, but they work together...She works with him." I said.

Monica looked me deep in my eyes...

"You sleep with me and we work together..." she said seductively...

"Yeahhhh,how about that?" I said and pulled her to me and kissed her passionately....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.." she moaned as she returned my passion and we continued kissing...

We didn't hear Monique when she re-entered the room...

''Ahem-...Shouldn't you guys be out looking for whoever murdered this girl? You have time to suck face after you crack this case..." she said..

Monica eased out of our embrace...

"She's right partner...." she sighed..

"Yeah.." I said and took a heavy breath....

"Do I have to throw a bucket of cold water on you two?" she joked...

III-

 Cal Winston wasn't the prick that Taylor Coleridge had been...He was actually quite nice...

He surprisingly admitted that he was sleeping with Yvette and had been the entire time she had been working for him...

"Yes..I was sleeping with her..I liked her!  A LOT !!!!"he said.

"You're..You're uh...."said Monica..

"Married..?? Yes Detective...My wife and I have an open marriage..She has a gentleman caller..We have an arrangement...No feelings  and full disclosure..

"So She knew about Yvette..?" asked Monica..

"Oh yes...She took those photos that you no doubt found in her phone."he said shockingly..

"So you knew about them?" asked Monica.

"Of course..We had threesomes often.." he said, smiling...

"What about you ,her and her male companion?" asked Monica..

"Never..I never uh er..Cross Swords." he said ,laughing...

"Where is your wife now?" I asked.

"She's in Europe with her lover...She's been there for about a week..I haven't told her about Yvette's death yet...She'll be devastated ...She liked her." he said.

"So where were you?" I asked..

He smiled..

"I didn't kill her...I liked her...Good sex, intelligent conversation, got along well with my wife...Why would I kill her? I had just been up to her place a few hours before." he said.

"Did you know Yvette was uh sleeping with another man?" asked Monica.

"The Deputy Mayor? Yes..I asked her to...To get inside information for me...I'm in the middle of getting a major -multi million dollar contract with the city..." he said.  "I wasn't in love with her...I just liked to sleep with her...Taylor..was a cuckold...She turned him out as you young people say..He was thinking about leaving his wife for her until she turned up pregnant...What a silly fellow...Walks around like he's so important..." he said without a trace of shame or guilt...

I smiled...

"Okay Mr. Winston....If we have any more questions...We'll call you."I said as Monica and I got up and left...

A few hours later, Monica walked into the squadroom and sat down...I took her heels off, She put her feet in my lap and I rubbed them...

"He was telling the truth....I tracked his movements by his credit and debit cards and his key card...He was halfway across town when Yvette Smallwood got killed...And his wife and her boyfriend are in Paris, where they have been for over a week...He's not our killer..." she said.

"Well...we just blew 24 hours...We got another day to crack this or we lose the bet." I said..

''We'll crack this case...I don't even care about the bet...Do you?" asked Monica..

"Nah..I don't care...Just as long as I'm working it with you."I said..

''Awwww that's so sweet..You're so sweet...You're the best partner...I've ever had.." she said and gave me a nice long sensual kiss..

"You're the best partner I ever had too!" I said.

I remembered a hot summer night several years ago when my then partner...Detective Wally Becker and I were working a case late...This was before I had even met and married Nyla...I was walking towards the coffee machine the first time  I laid eyes on Monica..

She was fumbling for change to put in the vending machine and I passed her four quarters...The dollar she had kept coming back to her..

"Here...I have four quarters.."I said.

"Thank you...."she said. She had a pleasent smile....She was wearing a tight orange mini skirt and a white Blouse....She had a white floral bra on which I could see through the blouse...She was gorgeous,I thought...

"Here we are in the middle of the 21st century and they still haven't improved on vending machines."I said shyly.

"I know right? Well Thank you Detective Nellis." she said.

"How did you know my name?" I asked.

"Oh..uh..I've seen you around.." said Monica..

"I uh didn't get your name.." I said.

"Detective Talbert...Monica Talbert....Homicide.." she said..

"I'm Special Victims Unit.." I said.

''Sex crimes...I should have known."she said and smiled.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked..

"Nothing...Nothing...Maybe I'll see you around Detective Nellis..." she said and grabbed her coffee and walked away..

"I certainly hope so.." I said.

She walked away...

Detective Wally Becker walked up to me..

"Real smooth Nate..." he laughed..

"You know her?" I asked.

"Yeah..Monica...Monica Talbert...Youngest woman to ever make Homicide...She's the Lieutenant's favorite...She fine aint she?" he said..

"Damn sure is.." I said..

"She's dating some jive ass FBI guy..." he said.

"I should've figured she was taken...A good looking girl like that...Somebody was bound to get her first."I said.

"Yeah..Cats like me and you ,have to work harder Nate.."said Wally...

I smiled at the memory...I looked up and my wife was looking at me and smiling..

"I couldn't help but read your thoughts....That was YOU?..I barely remember that...Wow...a chance meeting in the hallway...And look at us now...Married!" she said.

"Proof that sometimes dreams do come true." I said.

''Awww stop it Nate, you're gonna make me cry.." she said, sitting in my lap and putting her arms around me..

Down 24 hours and still with a murder case to crack!


(TO BE CONTINUED)