Lester's Waterloo

"I don't know where he is...Try his mother's house.....I saw him about two nights ago." said  Jolene Pratt, 47, the girlfriend of now ,wanted suspect...Lester K. Grundy...A 52 year old Heating and Air Conditioner repair man and installer for Artis HVAC Inc.

"Did you ever see anything in his van when you rode with him that seemed suspicious?" asked my wife, Detective..Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace.

Jolene, an attractive woman in her mid forties hesitated...

"Well his van always smelled like bleach...I know they wash them down...but he was carrying Heating systems and Air Conditioners..How bad could the van smell? You know?? And on two occassions, I found a pair of panties and a torn bra...that I know wasn't mine?" she said.

"You two uh never had sex in his van?" asked my wife's partner Detective Jimmy Barlow...

"NO!  We never had sex anywhere...He wanted to...but I didn't trust him..." she said..

"But you two were uh a couple for six years I'm hearing.." said Jimmy...

"That's what he told people... I just went out with him for free drinks and food...He couldn't take a hint that I was just using him and he wouldn't leave me alone...So I went out whenever he was buying...I didn't even kiss him,well, not in the mouth.. and I didn't have sex with him." she said.

"IN SIX YEARS??? That whole time...Nothing?" asked my wife's other partner, Detective Tyriq Pile...

"No....and I kept trying to tell him when he would complain and keep trying to have sex with me that I wasn't interested in that with him...in nothing with him...I told him..He should move on, that he was wasting his time with me...but he wouldn't give up.." she said.

"Jolette, are you aware that he recently made settlement on a small house?" asked Carlotta...

Jolette frowned..

"Yeah, I've even seen it...It's not finished yet...It's kind of cute....He asked me to marry him and for us to move in together...I told him no...Just a few nights ago when he asked me again..." she said.

"We've been to the house...It was empty...." said Tyriq...

"Well try his mother's house...That's where he lives...A fat 52 year old man still livin with his mama and he wants to marry me...Imagine that?" she snorted..

Carlotta smiled and shook her head...

Jimmy didn't crack a smile...

Jolene was shapely and attractive and like the murder victims, had huge breasts that seemed to be at war with the bra she was wearing....

It did make one wonder....

Carlotta motioned to the two uniformed officers that came with them.... "Let's get out of here...Nothing else to be found here." she said.

II-

Some blocks away....Detectives Sirena Pile and Tony Hopkins were talking to Lester Gundy's mother at his house..

"I haven't seen him since last night Detectives...He goes and comes as he pleases...He doesn't tell me anything.." she said..

''We have a search warrant to check his room and this entire house ."said Detective Tony Hopkins...showing her the warrant..

"He lives in the basement...He turned it into an apartment...I don't go down there." she said.

Sirena got a flashlight...She and the mother and one of the three uniformed policemen that came with them walked into the basement..What they saw was astonishing....

Panties...Bras of several sizes, hanging everywhere...Photos of some of the murdered girls...After death....A shredder that was full.......

"My lawd...what was my son into?" asked his astonished mother...

"Bag and tag these photos...Take both laptops...Bag and tag the underwear..." said Sirena to the uniforms...


She looked at his mother...


"When was the last time you were down here?" she asked..


"Oh it's been years...I-I-I respected his privacy!" she said.


Sirena just shook her head...


The uniformed officers tried to hide a smile.

Hop and the other two officers helped out...

"Mam, you know if he went to work today?" asked Hop..

"He might have...He took the van....." she said.

Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy drove up just then...They had two uniformed officers with them...


Mrs. Grundy sighed...


"You guys Detectives huh?" she asked..

"Yes mam" said Jimmy...


"There is two more of you in the basement." she said as the three uniformed officers who came with Sirena and Hop brought boxes of evidence out of the basement...

Carlotta and Tyriq walked down the steps to the basement where they saw ,Sirena and Hop...

"Guess the girlfriend didn't know anything huh?" asked Sirena..

"No, but you two seemed to have hit the motherlode here..." said Tyriq as the uniformed cops bagged and tagged panties and bras...and took box loads of porn DVDs and photos up the stairs...as well as two laptops...

Carlotta saw a huge lock box....

"Yeah ,I saw that too Carlotta...but it's locked...."said Hop...

"I'll be back...Wait here." said Carlotta...


She went out to her car and got a pair of bolt cutters out of the trunk...Jimmy, who was talking to a white female uniformed officer saw her and immediately followed..

"Oh wowwww, you found something.." said Jimmy...

"Maybe..."said Carlotta...


She returned to the basement and cut the lock off of the box...

"Lotta....We got him!!!...These are the missing pieces." said Sirena.

"You Hit the jackpot Top." said Tyriq..

"I'll say" said Hop...


In the lockbox was a .357 Magnum, a .45 , and two .38's... and ammo  for all three types of gun...

"Partner....Call Duke...Tell him, Gundy might be on his way to work...Pick him up." said Sirena...

"I'm on it.." said Hop.

"I'll get these to Hazel for a ballistics check." said Carlotta.

III-

 A white Van drove up to the front of Artis HVAC Inc.. A six foot White male, a little heavy set, Hair just starting to gray ,with a white beard got out of the van....He was preparing to get a hose to wash it down ...

"LESTER K. GUNDY...DON'T MOVE!!!! PUT THOSE HANDS UP....NICE AND SLOW!" came the voice of Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor...

Lester Gundy was stunned....He turned as if he was going to run, only to see Duke's partner...Detective, Angela Belton-Barlow and five uniformed police officers with glocks drawn, pointing at him..

''Don't do anything foolish...There is nowhere to go.." said Angie...

Lester got down on his knees....He smiled at her....Angie smiled back at him sweetly...

Duke handcuffed him...and stood him up...

An officer read him his rights...

Angie smiled...

"We're back in the saddle again eh partner...?" she said..

"Damn sure am.." Laughed Duke..

IV-

Lester K. Gundy sat in the Fishbowl....He didn't say a word....He just sat quietly.....Sissy and I walked in...

"Mister Gundy....You're in a lot of trouble.." said Sissy...

He looked at her just as emotionless and said..

"Am I now?"

"Yes, you are...We have your van on tape in all of the areas that 20 girls vanished....and in the same areas on the days we found the bodies..."I said.

He smiled. "Circumstantial...Co-incidence.." he said.


He eyed Sissy salaciously and said- "You know, that's a beautiful floral bra you're wearing...I can see it through your sheer blouse...What is your cup size if you don't mind me asking?"


Sissy frowned..


"I do mind and none of your business." she said.

"We've got your DNA from saliva and semen and even fingerprints on our twenty girls here and ten girls from Camden....That's more than enough..."said Sissy... "And my detectives found your guns in your mothers basement...A .45 , two.38's and a .357 magnum....They're a ballistics match to all of our victims..." said Sissy.


It was if she hadn't said anything...He smiled..


"What are your measurements? " he asked.


Sissy ignored him.


"Did you hear me Gundy? We've got your DNA from saliva and semen and even fingerprints on our twenty girls here and ten girls from Camden....That's more than enough..."said Sissy... "And my detectives found your guns in your mothers basement...A .45 , two.38's and a .357 magnum....They're a ballistics match to all of our victims..." she repeated.

Hazel had run the tests as fast as possible once the guns were found..

He smiled..

"Circumstantial....All circumstantial...You guys have made a mistake...Plus I heard you guys already captured the killer....Some Black Minister..." he said ,smiling....

"The DNA, from your semen, from your saliva and your fingerprints on all of the bodies is all I need to convict you...That's not circumstantial or co-incidental...and even better...WE HAVE AN EYE WITNESS!!!" I said...

Now his entire demeanor changed....

"One of those girls you shot recently.....Didn't die....The girl in the bar, the one who broke your nose..she Ided your mug shot from Camden and Cherry Hill....She identified your van....We found your blood on the wall of the van....with a luminol test...and fabric from her torn panties on the floor...You're done Mr. Grundy.." I said.

He smiled..

"You know...When I killed the first time...I was nervous as hell....scared to death...but after the next one and the one after that...I figured you cops would never make a connection...They were all so different...No pattern and spread in so many different jurisdictions...And I watched the news and Ms. Sexy Lieutenant here, kept saying you were investigating them seperately and you never used the word Serial Killer..Only that jackass, Lt. Tragg kept saying that....I figured nobody would take him seriously after his recent goofs and I figured you didn't get it....But you knew all along didn't you???...You just wouldn't say it, so I'd feel comfortable...That was smart....Very smart." he said just as emotionless and without remorse as he could be...

I stared at him...

"I'm going to put you away for the rest of your life and you're going to face hell where you're going...I'm going to make sure of it." I said.

He smiled....but said nothing...

He looked at Sissy one last time...


"You never did tell me your cup size or your measurements..."

Sissy smiled ,but said nothing..She just shook her head..He continued to stare at her...

"Can I write you after I get situated in prison??? Maybe you could send me a photo of yourself.." he asked.

"Officer, get him out of here, take him to Central Booking..." said Sissy as he was formally charged and taken away...

I looked at my old friend...

"You know Siss...this was just in the nick of time...Another day and we would have had to turn this case over to Lt. Tragg..."I said.

"Not a chance....I had faith in my guys...plus Tragg has got problems of his own...." laughed Sissy.

TWO DAYS BEFORE-

Reverend Lucious Barnes stood up ,dusted himself off and greeted his Attorney, Soloman Foster, a one time  Assistant District Attorney...Now a Defense Attorney.

"Come on Reverend Barnes...You're free to go.." said Soloman as they walked out...


Reverend Barnes looked at Lt. Tragg...


"Just wait until I get finished with my law suit...You'll be lucky if you're walking a beat by an elementary school." he sneered.

Lt. Tragg was stunned....When he saw Lucious Barnes's lawyer...He knew him!!!

"Soloman Foster...So you're in private practice now huh?" said Lt. Tragg..

"Yeah, I'm a Defense Attorney...You really screwed the pooch on this.. My client wasn't in any of the areas where the girls vanished...His Fingerprints and DNA weren't on any of the girls...and in fact ..He doesn't even know them....You know better than this...and you arrested him in church?? In Church Artie???...Mann ,I hate this, but we are suing the city for 6 million dollars...Wrongful arrest, defamation of charactor.....oh my god!" said Soloman...

"I can't believe you Sol, defending this guy....You used to be one of us...Now you're a pimp!" said Lt. Tragg..

"I'm an attorney representing my client Artie...If I was still an ADA,I would have never let you make a case this weak against any suspect...Bye Artie...."said Soloman as he and Reverend Barnes walked out of the police station...

"Hi Honey Bunny...We are all packed and ready to go home...We are the last ones leaving.." said Carlotta..

We had moved out of our safehouse and were back in our homes...

I kissed her...

"That's alright...At least we are done..."I said.

"Everybody has three days off...We just cleared twenty murders and one Kidnap and rape case...That's damn good work...Plus ten murders in Camden...Captain Cantrell is giving each and every one of us citations...He is ecstatic

"You guys are getting citations from the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force for your good work here too...We have charged him in New Jersey with 10 additional murders....Nice work guys..."said Sharon.

"Well, with that cleared up....Let's all go out and get some drinks." I said..

"I'll drink to that.." said Sissy...

"Me too."said Carlotta.

That night we all hung one on at Josie's...

A nice end to a big case!



EPILOUGE-

Lester K. Gundy was tried and convicted of 20 counts of first degree murder , 1 count each of kidnapping and rape and attempted murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection in the state of Pennsylvania..The state of New Jersey tried and convicted him on 10 counts of first degree murder and sentenced him to 10 life terms without the possibility of parole...He wisely chose to stay incarcerated in New Jersey at a Maximum security prison...

Reverend Lucious Barnes did sue the city of Philadelphia for wrongful arrest to the tune of 6 million dollars, but then dropped the lawsuit altogether when six young ladies came forth with allegations of inappropriate groping and fondling on his part....The church promptly removed him....The entire matter was quietly dropped and settled out of court..

Lt. Tragg had once again embarrassed the police department and himself.. and the press let him have it...They parodied him mercilessly ,nicknaming him..."Dudley Do Right... and "Columbo" Surprisingly enough ,the department did not punish him in any way....Well not yet!

At The office of The Deputy of Operations, a week later...Lt. Tragg walked in, surprised to see us..

"I came as soon as you called sir...What..What are all of you guys doing here?" he asked.. Stunned to see Me, Sissy and the gang in the office......

The Deputy of Operations smiled..

"There are going to be two promotions today...I wanted all of the people who worked together to be here to see it.." he said..

Lt. Tragg smiled..

"Promotion....Ohhhh.. Me and Danny...I can't believe it...I've waited so long for this....Thank you so much sir...You don't know how much this means to me..."said Lt. Tragg...

"What are you thanking me for Tragg?" asked The Deputy of Operations...

"You're uh making me Captain of Robbery-Homicide..Aren't you? And Danny a Lieutenant...Right?" he asked..

"Where did you get that crazy idea from Artie?   You were Acting Lieutenant.....You no longer have to be Acting Lieutenant...We have promoted Sgt. Danny Ho...To LIEUTENANT DANIEL HO!" he said..

We all clapped loudly...

Danny Ho smiled brightly....

Sissy, Carlotta, Sirena and Angie all kissed him and hugged him....


"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy!" they all said...

Tyriq, Jimmy and Duke all embraced him and shook his hand...As did I..


''Way to go Sarge.." they laughed and high fived him...

Then the Deputy of Operations spoke again..."And we have another promotion....This young man passed the detectives exam and with recomendation...Strong recommendation I might say from Lt. Sissy Van Buren and her team....

We have promoted Officer Charles Sharp to Detective Charles Sharp....Report to Lieutenant Danny Ho in Robbery-Homicide tomorrow...Slacks, jacket, shirt and tie..."said the Deputy of Operations...

Hop, who knew him gave him a high five...



"Way to go Charlie...Detective Sharp..." he laughed..


"Thanks Hop." he said.

"He broke this case open for me...He found our eyewitness ,which was the icing on the cake.." said Sissy..

"You said Two promotions....What happens to me?" asked Lt. Tragg...

"Effective tomorrow...You'll be assigned to Records... Lieutenant Sam Hayes is retiring...You'll be acting Lieutenant there...until we find a permanent replacement."said The Deputy of Operations..

"WHAT? IN THE BASEMENT!!!!RECORDS??" screamed Lt. Tragg..."Son of a bitch!" he yelled and stomped his foot and stormed out of the room...

"Another Happy customer eh?" laughed Carlotta...

We all cracked up laughing...