It Retails Cheap

The waitress put two plates on the table in front of Monica and I as we sat in a new diner a few blocks from the precinct...

We both had ordered Cheeseburgers and French Fries...

"Nice to have a real cheeseburger  and not those soy burgers we had in Lemuria.." I said.

''So Tell me about this Rusty person." said Monica as she munched on her burger...

"Kylie and I interviewed him the day you and Monique went to see Bobby Sykes..He appears to be harmless...He had a little crush on our victim....The way he described it...They were in and out of each others apartments...They watched Television or movies together,...They went to movies sometimes or just hung out.." I said.

"Friends with benefits?" asked Monica.

"Uh no...Just friends...No Benefits.....He seemed okay with that until first Ed Lawlor came along and then Bobby Sykes....but like I said... He appears to have just had a harmless crush...Anyway....I checked him out...His real name is Russell John Weldon..No sheet on him whatsoever...Born here in the city, educated in public schools and did a year in community college...dropped out...Was employed as a Janitor in the building first and then became the resident assistant...Which is why he was living rent free..."I said.

"Hmmm, interesting.." said Monica.

We continued eating our food and paid our bill and left...

  Once back at the precinct... Monica went to evidence and retrieved the Micro cameras that were taken from the apartment..

She eyed it suspiciously...

 "This is not department issue..So that excludes Bobby Sykes...and plus ..he's more of an in your face type...being a voyuer wouldn't appeal to him" said Monica.

"I have the serial number...I'll run it down, see who might have sold it..." I said.

An hour later I came back....

 ''What did you find partner?" asked Monica.

"It comes from a Spyware shop not far from your old apartment.....It retails cheap." I said.

"Hmmmmm, let's take a ride partner." said Monica..

II-

We fly across town to a small Spyware shop...Actually it was an electronics store...They sold Smartphones, Tablets, Burner phones.....Micro cameras and listening devices....as well as headphones...

Monica and I walked in....The Store manager, who was the only employee perked up as soon as her saw her...He couldn't take his eyes off of her...

"Gotdamn girl, you fine.. Oh uh, is that your boyfriend?I'm sorry...bruh" he said.

"That's my husband and my partner....I'm Detective Monica Nellis, Homicide and this my partner..Detective Nate Nellis, Homicide.." She said.

I stared daggers at him...

He gulped...

"Like I said..Sorry bruh, but your wife is fine...and I'm sure you know that..." he said.

"Yeah,Yeah, yeah...You remember selling this ?" I said, showing him the micro -camera.....

"Hmmmm, I sell a lot of these..." he said and smiled.

"No you don't." said Monica... He had no idea she had scanned his mind...

He laughed...

"I sold it to a guy, oh a month ago...A kind of nerdy guy....His name was Russell...." he said.

"You have a record of sale...?" asked Monica.

"Yeah sure.." he said.

He passed us a small tablet and ran it up to the sale of the Micro-Camera...

"His credit card number....I see he bought a listening device too...Wow...CSI didn't find that...Just the two cameras..." I said.

"He told me he was a private investigator...I didn't believe him...He was too square...Didn't seem the type."he said.

"Nah, he isn't..."I said.


"You guys are from Homicide...Is he uh, dead?" asked the man...

"I sure hope not...Thank you for your help."said Monica smiling..

"Any time....Any time......" he said , smiling and looking at her salaciously...

On the way back to the squad room...Monica said to me..

"He bugged her bathroom and her bedroom...What a freak..." she said.

"That's all this proves....Is that he had an obsession for her...It doesn't prove he killed her...We need more.." I said.

III-

"Hey you two." said Detective Kylie White...

"Hey lady." said Monica.

"I caught something on the street cam...I was just looking at the outside of our victim's apartment...see..It shows her leaving , catching an Uber to go to the Pier club....and look..Hours later...Look who is getting into another uber....and check out the plates..That creepy guy from across the hall...Rusty Weldon..."said Kylie.

"Same Uber that was stolen ,that we caught on the traffic and street cams by Zig's place...The uber our victim was last seen in..." said Monica..

"I checked his credit card out....He purchased some plastic tarp like what her body was wrapped in from the paint store the day before..." I said.

"Too many co-incidences....Partner...I think we need to pay him a visit." said Monica.

"I agree." I said.

IV-

Rusty Weldon opened his door......Standing in the doorway was FBI Special Agent Ed Lawlor...

''What do you want?" asked Rusty....Ed Lawlor pushed him aside and entered his apartment..

"Heyyy what are you doing? I didn't invite you in.." said Rusty....

Ed Lawlor said nothing, but punched him in the face , hard, drawing blood...

"Heyyyyyyyyyy man.." he said and attempted to swing, but Ed Lawlor blocked his punch and hit him in his stomach about three times and punched him in the face again, sending him into the wall..

"You bastard..You killed Regina..." he snarled at Rusty...

''What?" he said.

"Don't lie....The cops know...They know you bought Tarp from the Paint store and you bugged her bedroom and the bathroom you sweaty freak.." said Ed Lawlor who punched him in the face again...

"Heyyyyyyyyyy man.." he said and attempted to swing, but Ed Lawlor blocked his punch and hit him in his stomach about three times and punched him in the face again, sending him to the floor....

He tried to get up ,but Ed Lawlor kicked him in the face...

"You bastard....She didn't want you..." he screamed..

By now Rusty's nose and mouth was bleeding...

"She didn't want you either....Only you couldn't take no for an answer...You pathetic stalker.." he said, coughing blood..

Ed Lawlor pulled out his service revolver, cocked it and aimed it at Rusty's head...

"Bastard..why'd you kill her? WHYYYY?" he screamed..

"She put me down!!!! Everyday...Everyday I tried to show her how much I loved her, how much I cared for her...I told her how I feel ,how I felt about her and she told me she wasn't interested....That she didn't want a relationship with anybody....And yet I saw her making love to that Detective...Sykes in the bathroom and in the bedroom..I couldn't take it.... I stole a cab and I followed her and I choked her out..I didn't mean it..I was just so upset.." he said, crying and bleeding all over his living room floor..

Ed Lawlor aimed the pistol at his head...

''Shame the cops are gonna find you dead....A suicide.."he said.

"EDDIE, DROP THAT GUN!!! DO IT NOW!!!" came the voice of Monica Nellis..

Ed Lawlor turned and saw Monica's glock aimed at his head...He dropped his gun...

I walked over and handcuffed him....

"You don't know how much pleasure I am deriving out of this..." I said ..
"I can imagine.." he snarled.

Monica helped Rusty Weldon up , read him his rights and handcuffed him...

"You need some medical attention first...." she said.

We walked them both out of the building , where three uniformed officers were waiting for us and took them both down to central booking..

V-

A little while later, Lt. Cotton un handcuffed FBI Special Agent Lawlor...

"You're releasing me?" he asked.

"Yeah....It seems my two detectives ...In their haste to nab a murder suspect...A suspect that confessed by the way... failed to read you your rights...Sooooo, we can't charge you with assault and breaking and entering and obstruction of justice as you so deserve...So you're free to go...However, our murder suspect might not feel so charitable.. You should hope he forgets about this..."said Lt. Cotton.

"Thank you Lieutenant...."said Ed Lawlor...

"Oh and Agent Lawlor? "said Lt. Cotton..

"Yes?" he said.

"I found this in my squad room....You were listening to my detectives.. That's how you knew where they were going and details about their case....Next time I find one of these in my squad room...I'll be having a long conversation with your ASAC...Do I make myself clear?" said Lt. Cotton.

"Yeah man.." he said.

"Bye now...Oh and by the way....These are pretty good...I may buy us some." said Lt. Cotton. ... looking at the listening device.

"Yeah.. they are good....They retail cheap." he said.

Monica and I were in the back hall kissing passionately.....We stopped kissing when we heard him walking down the hallway...

He saw Monica straightening her clothes....He knew what we were back there doing..

"Goodbye Eddie." she said.
He didn't answer her...

"Goodbye man."I said.

He said nothing to me....He just kept walking down the corridor and out....

My sister in law, Monique was coming in just then...

"What were you two doing back here?" she asked..."Never mind.." she laughed..."Was that Ed Lawlor I saw leaving..?" she asked.

"Yeah...He was just leaving." laughed Monica.



EPILOUGE-

Russell John "Rusty" Weldon was convicted of the first degree murder of Regina Baker and sentenced to 25 years to Life.....

He reported his beating to the FBI, who suspended Ed Lawlor without pay and wrote him up...
He sits in his apartment in his boxers...drinking gin and looking out the window now of days...

 Monica  stood in the living room of our domicile.. She had on a sensational new dress.

"You like this dress?" she asked.

"I love it." I said.

"I bought it when we were in Lemuria...." she said smiling...

I couldn't take my eyes off of her..
.

"Lemuria huh?" I said..."Wasn't that pretty expensive?" I asked.

"Uh-Uh...It retailed cheap." she said.