The Last Betrayal

Penns Landing, early morning...So many of our showdowns with major criminals had taken place here..Why? I didn't know..

We had taken Sissy's advice and not gone after the phone..Even though we had trapped and traced it to an exact location a few blocks from here...

We suspected that our guy,Tyrone Ransom, who had killed six people was somewhere watching to see if hundreds of police cars and detectives would show up....

We didn't!...As Hop had said...He probably ditched the phone anyway....And it was more than likely a burner phone and otherwise untraceable to a single unit..It would have been a wasted effort..

Instead, Sissy, Sharon, Hazel and I sat in a parked White SUV nearby and watched the street traffic.. Wasn't much this time of morning...

 "I usually like to travel heavy..with uniforms or at least plain clothes guys....but if our guy sees too many people..He'll flee."said Sissy as she sipped a tumbler of coffee..

 " The Guys are already situated inside...My hubby is at the bar...He looks so cute in his bartender outfit....and Duke, Rico and Jimmy are dressed as Porters...." said Sharon...

 "It sure was nice of the hotel staff to co-operate with us and to deliver those uniforms to the guys on such notice....It was nice of Eddie C. and Travis to pick them up..They even got the sizes right."said Hazel...

None of them looked like cops...They were dressed in civilian clothes...I just breathed deeply...

"I hope this works and we don't lose anyone else.."I said.." We are taking a risk here."I said.

"It's the only play we've got..Latoya is driving up in a rented car...She's wired and we are monitoring her." said Sissy...

"What about the girls?" I asked..

"They will be slipping in within the early hours...Dressed like hotel guests...With luggage...Hopefully we get a scope..." said Sharon...

"He made a cash withdrawal from one of his credit cards last night in South Philly....Then we called every Hotel around here and we wired a photo of him....He's in the Hyatt on the very floor he told Latoya he'd be at...He has a good view of the street from where he is, so anybody, any sudden rush of people would say cops right away...Most people pay with credit card in this place, so it was easy to locate him and his room because he was one of only two people who paid with cash yesterday, and the only one who fits our description."said Sissy.

"I think this is a trap...He's going to kill Latoya and then maybe himself...In the back of his mind, he's got to figure that she's told  us and we will be coming for him..."I said.

"He's cautious.....but something deep inside hopes she's being true....He hasn't seen any police activity whatsoever...So as far as he knows...He's home free and his girl is true to him....That's what we are counting on..."said Sharon..

"Look there he is.."said Hazel...

"Well what do you know,look at that..."marveled Sissy...

A tall slender ,light skinned African American man with a ponytail and wearing a white polo baseball cap walked across the street and entered the hotel..He was wearing nice well pressed jeans and a crisp white starched shirt...He had a gym bag with him...He no doubt was heavily armed..

"That's our guy.."said Sissy...


We thought about taking him there...but we didn't want to risk him shooting up the front of the hotel...There were too many people..We'd fare better isolating him in his room, where he couldn't run...

"Boss Lady...We just got a scope on our boy...He just got on the elevator and went up to his room..."said Hop...

"We saw him....Okay, alert Rico ,Duke and Jimmy....Everybody sit tight....The girls will be here soon.. Make sure you've got your Kevlar vests and trauma plates on"said Sissy.. She cared deeply about her detectives...

II-

Morning came....Our suspect actually came down and had breakfast in the main dining room...by then Detective Angela Belton Barlow was also dining..

Tyrone Ransom ogled her breasts...She caught him and smiled curtly...He smiled sheepishly...She finished her meal and got up and promptly left....

He followed her into the lobby...

"Damn baby...you an actress or something?" he asked...

"No but thank you for the compliment.."said Angie..

"I'm uh in this room..."he laughed...

"Isn't that a co-incidence...I'm a few doors down from you..."laughed Angie..

"Yeah? well uh depending on how long I'm here..Maybe we might uh visit each other, conversate a bit..have some wine.."said Tyrone..

"Aren't you the charmer....We just might.."said Angie as she walked toward the lobby...

He watched her as she walked away...

"Lawdddddddd!" he said, smiling and heading towards the elevator...

Angie got on her phone...

''Rico suave, Duke...Our boy is on his way up..I'm going to get Hop...Look alive." She said.

As Tyrone Ransom arrived on his floor he saw Carlotta and Sirena struggling with their luggage...He actually helped them into their room ,which was  two doors down from his...

 "Oh Thank you so much, you are such a gentleman."said Carlotta...

"You girls from here?" he asked..leering at Carlotta's cleavage and Sirena's as well....

"I'm from Brooklyn..I'm down here to do a shoot for a local magazine..."said Carlotta...
"Me too" said Sirena..

He looked her up and down and smiled salaciously....

"Damn...I wish I could go to that shoot." he remarked..

"You might...I can get you in...We are going to be here ,Just say you know Syreeta.."said Sirena..

He eyed her cleavage and smiled and just shook his head..

"Damn. Syreeta eh? My,My Myyyyyyyyyyy" he said.

"You're fresh.."laughed Sirena.."Here is my number...call me if you're interested in coming to our shoot."she said.

He smiled..

"I damn sure will....Lawd...both of yall is fine.." he said.

Carlotta and Sirena laughed..


After they closed the door...They pulled out their glocks and loaded them and took the safety off..
"What a dog...so in love with Latoya and flirting with us."said Carlotta..
"I know right? and would have a fit if she just laughed at another guy's joke." said Sirena.

He walked back to his room, he was as aroused as he'd ever been.....He had binoculars...He peered out of the window of his room...So far no cops had showed up last night or this morning...He couldn't believe it Latoya hadn't betrayed him...He was going to treat her soo good from now on...They were going to leave here and go somewhere else...Start over,just the two of them ,he thought...Oh he was filled with so much love,so much hope for them...

III-

He stared out of the window and he saw her....She drove up in a little white car....It must be a rental..She parked it and got out ,just like he'd told her...

He stared to make sure he saw nothing and no one who looked like cops...No SUV sitting around for too long..No tinted windows...

We had driven away an hour ago...Out of his eye sight...He scanned the street..Nothing.....He called Latoya's phone...

"Hey Baby.."he said.

"Tyrone?" she said.

"Come on up." he said...

She got on the elevator and rode to the top floor..She walked down the hallway to his room..

She saw Jimmy,Rico and Duke dressed as porters and pushing a lunch tray...She giggled at the sight of them dressed like that...

 Jimmy smiled and nodded...

 Tyriq smiled and softly tapped on the door where Carlotta and Sirena was..

Duke was the only one who wasn't smiling...He was stoic...He knew how dangerous this potentially was..

"Knock on the door...Get him to come out.." he whispered to Latoya..

By now, Hop had joined them..He had a riot pump shotgun...

Latoya was nervous...She knocked on the door....

He opened the door and looked around....He smiled and pulled her inside....THAT was not supposed to happen..She was supposed to coax him out of the room so that they could take him without incident...

Jimmy rolled the cart in front of the door...He knocked on the door..

"ROOM SERVICE SIRRRR." he said...

"I didn't order no room service, you got the wrong room.."said Tyrone..

"ROOM SERVICE SIRRRR."said Jimmy..

"Beat it...I'm trying to get with my girl."said Tyrone..who had opened Latoya's blouse and was ogling her bra...

"My god girl them thangs got larger.." he said, smiling...Latoya was nervous...Tyrone pulled her to him and attempted to kiss her..She moved her head away...
"What's the matter baby?" he asked..

Jimmy knocked on the door again...!

"WE INSIST SIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.ROOM SERVICE SIRRRR"said Jimmy...

"DAMN IT GET AWAY FROM MY DOOR...I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T ORDER NO ROOM SERVICE!" yelled Tyrone...

Tyriq used the access card and opened the door...

Tyrone was shocked...

"WHAT THE HELL!!" he exclaimed...

Duke kicked the door open and used the lunch tray to both keep the door open and to block it from being closed..

"Latoya, get down...NOW!"he yelled....." TYRONE RANSOM, PUT YOUR HANDS UP...POLICE!  YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!!" he yelled..

She dove for the floor and crawled under the bed...She was scared to death....

Tyrone was shocked...

"COPSSSSS!!! YOU BETRAYED ME..LATOYAAAAA...I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!YOU BETRAYED ME....I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME!! OH MY GOD!" he yelled in disbelief..

Latoya crawled from under the bed and out  the other side and ran into the hall...

 "Come on Mami...We got you."yelled Carlotta..Who grabbed her...

Carlotta and Sirena grabbed her ,pulled her out of harms away and both eased her down the hallway...


"Everybody, get back in your rooms.. Close your doors, lock them.. Police Emergency! Get on the floor in your rooms." they yelled to onlookers..



"You two babes are cops? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!! OHHH MY GODDD!!!" said Tyrone incredulous!!! He was looking up at the ceiling and laughing...."OH MY GOD!!"he cried out!!!!

"Let's go...Let's go...."said Sirena..

Tyrone opened up his gym bag and produced two uzi's..

"I GOT SOMETHIN FOR YOU COPS...EAT IT COPS!!!" he yelled and cut loose...

Tyriq and Duke dove for the ground as he cut loose with a volley of shots...that splintered the door across from them.... Duke pounded his fist to the ground.. This was exactly what they didn't want..a fire fight...

 Jimmy tossed Hop a spare glock....Hop had dropped his Riot Pump Shotgun....


"One last chance...Drop those guns..It's over...We don't want any trouble."said Jimmy..


"If you didn't want trouble, you wouldn't have come here!!!...EAT IT COPS!!!!" he yelled and fired another fussilage of bullets into the hallway....

Jimmy and Hop  got down low and returned his fire with their glocks...hitting him in the side and his left shoulder...

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I DON'T BELIEVE IT...I'VE BEEN SHOT!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ..YOU DAMN COPS..I'M GOING TO KILL ALL SEVEN OF YA!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed...and fired another burst.....Blood was running out of him like a sive...but he was oblivious...Jimmy and Hop hit the floor and rolled away...

Angie ran past and fired two shots from her glock...To cover Jimmy and Hop..One just grazed Tyrone's head ...the other destroyed  the glass window...Tyriq pulled her down....before Tyrone fired another volley of shots....


"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  YOU TOO? YOU'RE A DAMN COP!!! OH MY GOD....I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" he yelled and prepared to fire another barrage...  "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!!" he yelled again, laughing and crying...as he dropped the two uzi's and picked up an automatic rifle...He cut loose with more shots....



"Stay down Ange..." said Tyriq..pulling her down and holding her with one arm...She momentarily remembered how protective Tyriq had always been of her when they were in the academy....He was like that with Carlotta when she was his partner in Robbery-Homicide...


It was a good thing no one was in the room across from them.. Tyrone had shot the door off the hinges...


"EAT IT COPS!!" he yelled again...


"Oh My god...I don't believe this.." he yelled, tears streaming from his eyes and maniacal laughing following..

Tyriq fired three times hitting Tyrone in the chest ..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.."You dirty mother.....yelled Tyrone....in excrutiating pain....Tyriq wasn't giving him a chance to advance from where he was and walk into the hallway firing...
"Put That rifle down...DO IT NOW!" Yelled Tyriq...who fired again...
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE HOLLERING AT?" yelled Tyrone ,who had now been wounded six times and was getting weak...but still brandishing a rifle...

Duke fired Hop's Riot Pump shotgun . The force of the blast  knocked Tyrone out of the window....and down into the street!!

"WO-WO-WOAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled as he flew out of the window!!!

 "Come on Mami..Close your eyes....Don't look...Stay with me.."said Carlotta, who put her arms around Latoya...

 "You were such a trooper Latoya...You're the real hero here...Good girl...Come on with us.....It's all over."said Sirena..

 "Come on Latoya..We are going downstairs...."said Angie...

Carlotta, Sirena and Angie put their arms around a sobbing and shaking Latoya and sheilded her as people began to wander into the hall...


The whole gun battle had lasted less than 15 minutes...On the floor by the closet was a Kevlar vest and a trauma plate...He hadn't had time to put them on.....This battle would have lasted a lot longer if he had've...

IV-

Down on the street....Hazel covered the bullet riddled and battered body of Tyrone Ransom....The Medical Examiner's office van drove up and CSI people were upstairs and on the scene, snapping photos and collecting shells...

"Oh My god...What a mess.."said Hazel...

"I'm just glad it's over."said Sharon...

"You know that this ended the only way it could have...He wasn't going to give up without a fight.."said Sissy..

"I think this is what he wanted...Suicide by cop..."I said.

"Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic....Something inside of me believes that he really believed that she loved him and that she chose him..That's why he stayed....he could've been long gone..We wouldn't have known...He stuck around because of her." said Sharon...

''Well...We'll never know..but one thing we do know...This case is closed...He won't kill anybody else..He's killed too many people as it is.."I said ,shaking my head...and walking away...

Hazel looked at Sissy...

"Is he going to be alright?"

Sissy didn't smile...

"I suppose he will.. Eventually....So will all of us." she said.

EPILOUGE-

 Within the next week ,I went to the funerals of all six people murdered by Tyrone Ransom....with Latoya and her family.

Nobody claimed his body which lay in the morgue for a month before his remains were cremated and placed in a wooden box and filed away...

Latoya was given a special award and citation by the city of Philadelphia for helping the Police get Tyrone Ransom and ending his murderous spree...

She and her family sat with us and had one last barbecue the next Saturday....

"I can't thank you guys enough for protecting us and putting us up and stopping that crazy Tyrone.."said Latoya..

"Thank You...You're the real Hero Latoya.."said Tyriq..

"Yes..You're the real hero..."said Sirena..

"You excited about going home tomorrow and getting back to normal?" asked Angie..

"I sure am...We all are...though...it's not going to be normal with my girls gone...and Stevie.." she sighed..

"I can't imagine how I'd feel if something were to happen to one of these guys."said Sharon...

''Well when you see us in the Mall or the Hair Salon..you know us now..We are your new friends."said Hazel, hugging her..

 "Yeah....we have plenty of outside friends..."laughed Hop...

Latoya laughed at Jimmy ,imitating him....

"Room Service Sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

We all laughed..

"Yeah Junior what the hell was that? What were you trying to do, make him laugh himself out the door." said Duke laughing...

Travis, Latoya's brother looked at Carlotta...

"Your Potato Salad was slammin, you sure you fixed that?" he said ribbing Carlotta..

"Yes I made it...and you ate it too."said Carlotta..

Again we all laughed...

"Hey man...my wife can cook..."I said laughing..

"Yeah ,but you didn't marry her because she can cook...Lawd...Man I gotta give you a pound..She fine as hell."said Travis...

"Latoya come get your fresh brother." laughed Carlotta.

''Well we are going to miss you..but seriously..we all want to get back to our homes and our beds.." laughed Sissy..

"Hey guys..food is ready!" said Eddie C..

We all made ourselves plates of hot steaming food and enjoyed one last supper together!