State Of Shock

Two days later...Monica and I watched as officers brought Benjamin Peters into the precinct...He was a hulk of a man...A bruising six foot four inches...and about 240 pounds...He was sloppily dressed and looked nothing like what either Monica or I pictured an L& I inspector to look like...

We hearded him into the "fishbowl"...or interrogation room...Where he sat down.....

Monica was already sitting in there...She smiled at him and he smiled back....

"You want some coffee? It is early in the morning." she said..

"Yeah sure." he said , still smiling...

I walked in...I didn't smile...I sat down...I stared at him and drummed my fingers on the table...

After a few minutes...I spoke..

"Benjamin...Benjamin Peters....Do you know why you're here?" I asked.

He shook his head..

"I sure don't detective..." he said.

Monica played a recording for him...

"Hey Bobby, you snitchin ass bastard...You got me wrote up and you shut that factory and warehouse down...You prick...You better watch your back...You have no idea what you're getting yourself into..You need to back the hell off...You could wind up dead ,ya snitchin ass bastard!"

(Click)

"Sound familliar Benjamin?  That's you...That's from a few nights ago...You called Robert Carter's phone...Your co-worker and left him that message."said Monica.

Benjamin frowned..

"Yeah,I called him..that's me..so what? I was pissed."he said.

"He horned in on your action...You had given Lockhaven Industries , a clean bill of health....And he came in and undercut you and found that you let them slide on several violations and you took payoffs too..He didn't report that...I found that out when I did a little digging...People over there...Some people are very talkative.."I said.

"He got me written up...That was my second write up...What is this about??" asked Benjamin...

"Somebody tried to kill him the other night..." said Monica..

"Yeah? Well it wasn't me...but if they had succeeded, I wouldn't be broken up about it..I hate that prick..And so does a lot of people...Laways so persnickity,always checking up on other people's work and tellin the boss...He's such a brown nosin jerk.."snarled Benjamin.

"So it wasn't you?" asked Monica..

"I don't even own a gun." he said.

"Who said anything about a gun??...Somebody poisoned him or tried to...but it didn't work." I said.

"Oh I know, that prick was at work yesterday..."he said.

"Where were you three nights ago from 5:pm until around midnight?" I asked.

"Hah...Well from 5:30 pm until about ten,I was in the bar...Smokey Joes...you can ask...I got about 100 witnesseses...and their cameras work pretty good...From ten to around 3:30 pm..Me and my boy Pete Rollins was at this nudey bar....Uh The Pink Pussycat..."

"I know where it is...Any witnesses?" I asked.

"I can name you all of the gals I danced with.." he said.

"Okay...We are going to check it out ..Everything you told us...I sure hope you're not lying Ben....And don't plan any long trips outside of Philly just yet....

He laughed...

"Me...I aint going nowhere...I didn't try to kill him...but when you guys catch whoever did...I may pay his bail money and buy him a cold one..." he snarled..

"You really don't like him do you?" I said smiling...

"It shows huh?" he said and we both smiled...."Only reason he's over Lockhaven so much is he's kind of sweet on a chick who works over there...The bosses secretary.....That babe aint feelin him like that...And that place is uh connected." he said.

''What do you mean connected?" asked Monica..

"I mean the guy who owns it is the silent partner of a gangster....How do you think they got reopened that fast after Mr. Big shot..Robert Carter got em shot down? The real Bossman greased somebody's palms in City Hall and they were back in business before Carter got back in his office..Jive time sucker..Maybe they tried to take him out.Good day Detectives." he said as he walked out...

"I'll check out the Pink Pussycat and Smokey Joes...You check out that factory."I said..

"You must be out of your mind.....I'm gonna grab Kylie and we are going to check out Smokey Joes and the Pink Pussy Cat...You go find Mr. Carter and take a trip to that factory....Besides..He's telling the truth..I scanned his mind the entire time he was talking...He had nothing to do with the poisoning.."said Monica.

''I didn't think so...That's not his style.."I said. I looked around...And I pulled Monica to me...I ran my hands up her sundress and ran them all over her soft legs and hips and buttocks..There's nobody in the Pink Pussycat bar that could make me stop daydreaming about you and all this good loving you got up in here.."I said and pulled her to me..squeezing her buttocks a little...

"Nateeee..Ouuuuuu.....Stopppp! Somebody could walk in here at any minute and you've got your hands up my dress.....Anddd..I know you're telling the truth...Ouuuuu...."she said and gently moved my hands....She kissed me slowly..."I just don't want you to be  tempted bae." she said and kissed me again...

II-

I walked around in Robert Carter's suite...I was impressed...Not at all what I expected the Office of Licenses and Inspections to look like..

He greeted me with a smile..

"Detective Nellis...What's goin on? Any leads on who tried to whack me a few days ago?" he asked..

"No ,but you should stay away from Protein Shakes...and eat only home cooked meals."I said.

He laughed...

"You got jokes right? I been stayin with my cousin the past few days...Been eatin nothin but her cookin...I'm goin home tonight...Why are you here anyway?"he said.

"Talk to me about Lock Haven Labs." I asked..

He looked astonished...

"You've talked to Benjamin..."he said.

"Oh yes..."I said.

"They had a couple of bad chemical spills...over there...Benjamin let em slide...I didn't..I ordered the place shut down and I told em to bring in a Hasmat crew and clean that place up..." said Robert.

"And Did They?" I asked..

"For About Two days...Then somebody in the city over rid my order and opened them back up..Next day...I almost died."he said and shrugged his shoulder..

"And you don't find that the least bit strange? You also don't know that the owner is just  a puppet..That a gangster pulls his strings?" I said.

"I've heard rumors that Leon Speights is in league with him..but I've never seen him around..."said Robert.

"No You won't see him around...but have you seen this man?" I asked and showed him a glossy of a man in the parking lot of his building on the night he got poisoned..

"That's Otto...Otto Price...The owner...What was he doing in my parking lot.?" asked Robert Carter..

''Why don't we go and ask him and uh while you're there....That girl you're sweet on will be there...Use that time to uh ask her out on a date...I'll deal with Price.."I said.

"She won't go out with me..." he said.

"She definitely won't if you don't ask her...Hell you tried to make time with my sister in law the other night..Why are you afraid of this chick?" I asked.

"Look how that turned out?" he shrugged...

"She's got a man..that's the only reason why...She thought you were cute..."I said.

"SHE DID!!!!" he said..

"Uh yeah, but not cute enough to break up with her man for...Let's try for this babe over there at Lock Haven...What's her name?" I asked.

"It's Cherie...Cherie Moore..."

"Come on...Let's go to Lock Haven Labs." I said.

III-

Monica and Detective Kylie White were using my flying car today and I was driving Monica's car...It felt funny driving in the streets...I was so used to flying above the fray...

"I can't believe Nate chose to talk to your would be victim and go to the lab , rather than Smokey Joes and The Pussy Cat Club...and he's lettin you fly his Flying Car." said Kylie as Monica flew towards the Pussy Cat Club..

"Do you think I was going to let my man come in the Pussycat Club with all those strippers and prostitutes around?? No way??" said Monica..

"Wow! He let you get away with that and he's the primary on this case...gurrrrlll that man really loves you..."laughed Kylie..

''The power of the pantays!" joked Monica...

"HA HA...I KNOW DATS RIGHT GIRLFRIEND!" laughed Kylie as they high fived each other...

Benjamin's Alibi held...He had been at Smokey Joe's Bar and Grill a good part of the night..Witnesses attested to that...and he was on the film footage...

Same thing at the Pussycat Club...

All the girls remembered "Big Ben"..He tipped well and like Smokey Joes..He was on the film footage...Of course Monica already knew he was telling the truth, but like any good detective, she personally checked out his alibi...

''About five guys asked me for my number in Smokey Joe's...Only one was cute.."said Kylie...

''Two of the bartenders asked me for mine..I told them I was married and they said that they wouldn't tell if I wouldn't."said Monica..

 ''When is Lt. Cotton coming back?" asked Kylie...

"Monday"said Monica..

"I just closed a case yesterday...I hope I don't catch another one." said Kylie...

"Hopefully we can wrap this one up..This isn't even a murder...It's an attempt."said Monica.

"I never get those...Mine is definitely dead.." laughed Kylie

Both women laughed...as they headed back to the squadroom.

IV-

We went to Lock Haven Labs....A Haz-Mat team was still there cleaning up a chemical spill... I was told that the boss, Otto Price was not there...He was at lunch at a Bistro near the Airport and so was Cherie...His Executive Secretary....

Robert and I headed to this Bistro...

Upon arriving there he saw the woman of his dreams...She was sitting alone at a table having drinks...Her name was Cherie and she was honey brown skinned, very sexy and attractive...I could see why he was so crazy about her...

He walked over to her...

''Cherie...How are you doing?" he said.

She smiled warmly...

"Robert...What are you doing here?" she said...

"I'm here with Detective Nate Nellis..of Homicide..We were told Mr. Price would be here.." he said.

"He was here...He uh left..." she said.

"He left? Where did he go? Back to work?" I asked.

"He was talking to a guy...I didn't know the guy,but after he talked to him...He got the strangest look on his face...He was as pale as a ghost...He got up and left." she said.

"Don't you work for him? What are you still doing here?" I asked..

''Ouuu you ask a lot of questions..You're a homicide detective?? Who got killed??" she asked.

"It's my job to ask questions...Somebody tried to kill Mr. Carter a few nights ago...He was at your place of employment and he took three Protein Shakes out of the fridge in your employee area...They were laced with Cyanide..He's lucky to be alive." I said.

''Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh babyyyyy...You know ,you were always drinking those Protein shakes...Everytime you stopped by...Somebody might have set you up.."she said.

"Yeah...I'm thinkin it was Price." said Robert..

''Noooooo.Mr. Price wouldn't do a thing like that..Granted ...He hates your guts..but he wouldn't try to kill you."she said.

''How bout you...Cherie...Do you hate my guts?" he asked softly...Staring into her eyes...

"No....I think I'm the only one at the office that likes you..."she said.

"You-You like me?" asked Robert...

"I do.." she said softly..

''Well maybe..I can uh buy you a drink and maybe I could uh take you out...I know a real nice steakhouse and they have great wine."said Robert..

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked..

''Yeah..Yeah I am.." he said.

"Ouuu this is great....How about tomorrow night?" she said..

His eyes lit up...

"Yeah, that's great...8:00 pm...Is that okay??" he asked.

"That's perfect.."she said..

I smiled..

"See you around Robert...Take care of yourself ."I said..."Nice meeting you Ms. Moore."I said as I left and headed home..

Maybe ,I thought...Whoever tried to kill Robert got spooked and backed off....I couldn't have been more wrong..

V-

Imagine my surprise when I got an urgent call from my sister in law just hours later...I was ironically enough in a bar with Mo-Mo...Kissing her passionately in the back in a dark part of the bar..When I got the call..

Monica and I raced to Robert Carter's apartment...We could smell burned human flesh and what smelled like electrical fire as we entered his room...this time he was lying on the floor, smoke coming from his body...Clad only in his boxers...

Monique and some CSI officials were standing over him...

"Nate, Monica..He's really dead this time....Apparently he took a shower and went to get in the bed...Only somebody rigged the bed to these electrical wires...His body was damp and he ...he got electrocuted...I couldn't get a pulse or a heartbeat...his pupils were dililated and he's not moving or breathing....he's gone.."said Monique..

How could one man be so lucky, to cheat death once...only to be killed two days later????


Just what was going on here?

(DEFINITELY TO BE CONTINUED)