It's Just Murder..My Dear

We were all once again working out of our safehouse...The apartment complex purchased by the government and used by us when we were involved in major investigations...Nicknamed "Copland."I must say it had been awhile..A good long while since we were called on to do this..Actually, we didn't mind...We kind of liked being forced to hang out together...

I'm Assistant District Attorney, Keith Wallace...I prosecute major crimes...which is why much of my work is done with the elite detectives of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Philadelphia Police department..
The Reason why we were all here this time was a major investigation my office, The District Attorney's Office was doing on a criminal syndicate from the U.K. known as "The Westinghouse Syndicate..." The U.S. Attorney's Office was looking into also...

Our Building had full occupancy this time...FBI, ATF and DEA agents , all under the control of FBI Deputy Special Agent in Charge, Sharon Ferrell-Hopkins...

The wife of our own, DetectiveTony Hopkins..

Who while investigating a murder with his partner, Detective Sirena Pile..

had uncovered the murky world of the Westinghouse Syndicate and brought it to our attention..They caught the actual killer , who in custody made a plea agreement to get his sentence reduced...Laid out the entire operation...He was in Federal Custody as we spoke , Where the Westinghouse Boys couldn't get to them...
We waited a while and built decent covers for Angie and Jimmy and fished them into the operation...

Duke had people, undercover and plain clothes guys making sure that they were covered.

In addition to FBI, ATF and DEA agents investigating..We had our most trusted Detectives and Plain Clothes officers from Vice and Narcotics staying here and working here too...

We were all staying on the first floor...

Lt. Sissy Van Buren was running point , along with Detective Edwin "Duke " Baylor...

Who was the point man on the street...

Detective James "Jimmy" Barlow and his wife ,Detective Angela Belton,  were deep undercover, wearing a wire in a place most of them might not want to or think of looking..They had been in deep for close to three weeks...

 Jimmy was posing as a gun runner...Someone interested in buying a huge shipment of guns from the organization...

While Angie was once again posing as a professional, This time an Attorney ,who had caught the eye of Westinghouse Represenative...Moncrief Westinghouse....The son and second in command of the Syndicate...

They had warehouses in New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore...They shipped guns, Heroin, Cocaine,even women... and they recently had bought a small Hotel company from which to launder the money...

Apparently  Moncrief  Westinghouse had fallen deeply in love with Angie and was buying her things and taking her places and showering her with money and information on the syndicate's
dealings and operations that would have been impossible to otherwise know...Like Manny Spain, he was salivating at the thought of getting Angie under the sheets.....And he was talking up a storm...We had him on tape and video telling Angie his entire criminal life story.


Within a month we had gathered enough information for me to get indictments on close to 152 people, plus the location of their warehouses in New York, here in Philly and Baltimore and their suppliers....

Sharon smiled ....


"Siss, Keith...My husband and Sirena may have brought us our biggest case yet....These guys are serious and they are deep...We would have never had a chance to get at them before and without their help." she said.

"Wow...It seems like it was just yesterday, after complaining about needing some good detectives...Detectives that could actually close some case...You sent me Carlotta and then a few months later ,Tyriq and then Jimmy....We got Hazel assigned to us...and then we got your husband, Hop and we brought in Sirena , who was doing great work profiling major criminals, going undercover and busting up heist gangs...And finally we got Angie back....I owe this all to you Keith.." she said and hugged me...

"And these are the types of criminals and crimes I always wanted to arrest and prosecute...Not some two bit drug dealer on the corner..but the big guys , the guys who make the dirt happen..By the way Siss, Sharon..You guys ever think about making this your permanent headquarters??I mean, for the type of investigations we do...You'd have privacy, security..."I said.

"For how long Keith??....Once it becomes known this is our headquarters it would be like anywhere else....No..I like it just like this..Secret..known only to those who need to know.." she said.

"This is going to be major...We have enough now to call all of our undercovers and plain clothes guys in off the street...and pull all of our wiretaps too..Judge Stevens did however give us an extension.."said Sharon..

"He gave ME an extension...I took him with me last time I went to Bridgets and showed him some new pantyhose for his collection...

"He still cross dresses?" asked Sharon...shaking her head and laughing...The Judge used to disgust and bemuse me...but I had learned to appreciate him...Despite his habit of cross dressing...He was a damn good attorney and an incredible by the book judge...In court he was all business...He was good at getting me warrants whenever I needed them.

"Oh My god , yes...buys more panties and bras than any woman I know." laughed Sissy..

''He's disgusting...but he always comes through with a warrant or an extension when I need it."I laughed as my phone vibrated...

"I have to take this..Uh it's Carlotta." I said ,blushing a bit..

''But of course....Sharon, I don't know what it is your girlfriend did to him, but she's had him wrapped around her finger since the day he laid eyes on her...She more than anything else is the reason for this unit existing..He saw it as a way to be closer to her...but he'll never admit it."laughed Sissy...

''Awwwwwwwwwww.." laughed Sharon.


II-

 A dark alley in the city....Not so different from any other...except that a young woman, blond, clad only in her panties and bra and high heels was lying face up in this alley...

I didn't want to be here, but these murders looked like they might be the work of a serial killer and so by all means, I wanted to supervise this investigation...I'd be lying if I said that that was the only reason I was at this particular scene....The pretty lead detective had given me a call..She's my wife....

Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace was the lead detective, the primary in all three of these recent cases...I've had the hots for her ever since , well ever since I first laid eyes on her..It was a for gone conclusion after that first case ,so many years ago that I was going to marry her..

I walked up and stared at the body...the lifeless body of the young girl...

"Wow...same as the other two?" I asked..

 She kissed me softly...

"Ummmmmm...yes honey bunny...Same as the other two..Strangled.." said Carlotta....

Tyriq...Her partner...walked up...

"Judging by the fact that she's...she's in her panties and bra..I'm guessing she was running from somewhere, her boyfriend's house...or her john's house..." he said.

Carlotta looked at her...

''She just doesn't look like a working girl..unlike the other two we had in the past few weeks.." said Carlotta.

Dr. Hazel Baylor observed the body.....

"Strangulation....just like the other two..."she said.

''Those other two girls , they know each other?" I asked.

"No, both of them were working girls...or former working girls... both had drug habits..Both apparently had cleaned their lives up in the last few weeks...and had gotten a job..A real good job that nobody knew about..that they kept a secret, according to people who knew them.."said Carlotta.

"Yeah and jobs I couldn't find any W-9 or social security record of..."said Tyriq...

I looked at the girl and I got a cold sweat....and a look of dread...

"Guys...Doesn't this sound like something we've heard before..?" I said.

''What Honey Bunny?" asked Carlotta.

"Girl gets fantastic job that nobody knows about...Usually a bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks..and then winds up strangled...Who does that sound like?" I asked.

"Him? Haywood Coley Jr.  He's on death row ,awaiting a needle.." said Hazel...

"His victims were all found inside a house or inside a freezer truck..."said Carlotta..

"Maybe She got away from him.."I said.

"One of our other girls was found inside of a house and the other one was found in her apartment.."said Tyriq..

"Hmmm,look at the pattern of neck burns....It does look kind of familiar.." said Carlotta.

"I'll know for sure once I get her to the Morgue..Can we release the body?" asked Hazel...

"Yes..Release the body." said Carlotta.

We watched as Hazel and her people released the body and carted it away.....

"I'm going to the Morgue with Hazel, I'll drive her and Eddie C. to the spot tonight...I take it you have Top." he said.

"Of course I have Top." I laughed..."Top" being the nickname Tyriq and Duke had for my wife..

"It's funny when you call me Top."laughed Carlotta..

''Come on...we'll meet you guys back at the safehouse."I said.

"Okay..See you there.."said Tyriq as he got in his car and pulled off..

III-

Carlotta and I went to an old diner and ordered  two cheeseburgers and two Cokes....

 and we shared one order of fries..

" Wow this kind of reminds me of our very first case together....You took me to Sam Mother's Diner and bought me breakfast."laughed Carlotta...

"Yeah,I remember...I was so nervous...Just being around you and worried I'd say the wrong thing.."I said.

"I thought you were cute.....Hey ,how is our case going? You know our real case?" she asked..

''Angie has done a heck of a job..

She hasn't gone to bed with that guy yet, but he's like putty in her hands...He gave her the location of their Warehouses and Hotels in New York ,Philly and Baltimore...She was able to fax and email us ledgers...names of customers...and addresses..all without anyone knowing...And your other partner, Jimmy...

He and his "organization" ,a collection of undercover FBI, ATF , DEA agents, Vice and narcotics detectives have just convinced them to sell two million dollars worth of weapons to him soon...

Sharon,Sirena and Hop did good work too..They've identified and located 152 associates...I got warrants on all of em and enough evidence to put em away for good..and seize all of their Hotels ,trucks and warehouses...

 Sissy says it's just a matter of days now before she pulls Angie and Jimmy and brings their entire North American Operation to a halt..We even have Sonny Boy on tape confessing to Angie about ordering the murder that Sirena and Hop were investigating in the first place and asking her to find out where the Feds are keeping the hitman..We are almost done.."I said.

"What about Duke? He is so worried about Angie and Jimmy?" asked Carlotta..

"Duke has em covered.." I said.

"He's got a team of undercovers close to both of them, watching their every move and he's got their covers down solid...There won't be any mix ups.."I said.

''If not for those murders..I'd be right there with you guys working that case.."said Carlotta..

''Hey..we are making a case..Don't worry....You've played your part in all of our investigations...Nobody is begrudging you...Plus...You and Rico have these three murders...to work on." I said.

"You really think it's Haywood Coley Jr.? He's on death row.." said Carlotta..

"Yeah, you're right...Maybe it's a copycat or that girlfriend of his who we never caught..Dr. Natalie Tucker." I said as I rubbed her soft hands and we continued to eat our burgers..

IV-

Tyriq, Sissy's Husband, Eddie C. and Hazel all arrived back at our safe house..With food and beer for everybody...

 "Keith is with Top...They'll be coming shortly.."said Tyriq..

 "There's enough Food and Beer for everybody..." said Eddie C.

"Carlotta and Rico caught another murder , it looks like we may have another Serial Killer on the loose."said Hazel...

Sissy was holding a letter in her hands....and shaking her head..

"This letter..it came about a month ago..from the Bureau of prisons...It's addressed to me..I never read it because I was headed off for my vacation...I just read it today.." she said and showed it to Tyriq-

LT. SISSY VAN BUREN
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION-
PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

"THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT  PENNSYLVANIA PRISONER 10222012-Haywood Coley Jr. has escaped custody....Please alert your detectives and Officers and the Local FBI."

"It's always that unopened letter...that you should have read!" said Sissy..

"He's been free for a month.....In that time we've taken down a Spree Killer and a couple of other lesser criminals and got mixed up in this Westinghouse thing...Apparently he may have started up again three weeks ago...It's not your fault Siss...It's however he escaped from off of Death Row.." said Tyriq....

"I know ,but if I had read this sooner...perhaps we could have gotten on his trail sooner.."said Sissy.

"Well...hindsight is 20/20 Siss.....If he's back in the city...If he's killing again...We'll get him, just like we have two times before.."said Tyriq.

Just then, Angie, Jimmy, Duke, Sirena and Hop all walked in with Sharon..

Sissy was surprised to see Angie and Jimmy, who were the only two not staying here....

"Hey what's going on?...Angie, Jimmy, what are you doing here?" asked Sissy...

''I pulled them Siss...It was over my head... The U.S. Attorney told me to pull em all..Take the indictments and the evidence we had and start making arrests tomorrow.."said Sharon..

''What? we'll only get the U.S. Operation...We were close to getting them all..Including London.."said Sissy...

"It's Politics Siss, you know that....I'm as disappointed as you are." said Sharon.

V-

Carlotta finished her Burger and her Coke...So Did I....We shared fries and looked into each others eyes..

I had just got off the phone..

"That was Siss...The U.S. Attorney is closing down the investigation...He said take the indictments and evidence we have and start making arrests in the morning.." I said.

"Wow..Boss Lady wanted to wait and take the entire organization down, She told me we were very close.." said Carlotta...

"Politics baby......Aren't you glad you're not mixed up in this ?" I said.

"I like being a plain old Murder Police..Nice and simple..NO complications..."she said.

"Yup..It's Just Murder My Dear..." I said.

I leaned across the table and kissed Carlotta passionately....

"Ummmmmmm, you are so damn hot.." I said..

She giggled in between more kisses

I loved this woman.


(TO BE CONTINUED)