Triple Lives

Two days later...Monica and I interviewed Myron Moore...He was downtown in his other loft...

''So you guys are Homicide Detectives eh?" he said.

''Yes..We are investigating the murder of Valarie Checkov...an associate of yours." said Monica.

Before he started lying ,I produced photos we had of him and Valarie at the hotel  and credit card receipts proving that he had indeed spent the night...a few nights with her..

He sat down, his face got pale...

"Look..We are murder police...We don't care about you sleeping with her...That's your business..We are trying to find out what happened to her." I said.

"I didn't kill her ,if that's what you mean.....The night before she died, she spent it with me at my townhouse.....She left in the morning around 9:00 am and that's the truth...We had a nice night together....She made me breakfast...We showered and dressed and I called a cab for her....I never saw her again and that's the truth....." he said.

Monica scanned his mind...She nodded to me...Meaning he was telling the truth...

''Give us the name of the cab company you called and the time you called it for her." she asked.

"Of course..." he said..

She looked at me..

''Let's go partner...We'll be talking to you Mr. Moore." she said.

"That went well." I said.

"Just the way I expected..." said Monica, smiling.

II-

Detective Kylie White was back in the office...She had been to Georgetown for a day.. She handed Monica a file..

"You were on the money girl...Georgetown PD was very helpful, especially a handsome brother who took more than a little interest in me." she laughed..

"Had your blouse open again didn't you? .said Monica ,giving Kylie the side eye!!!

Had them girls showin."laughed Monica..

"I sure did...Had on a new bra too! It got results...I got the credit card receipt....The bill of sales and I took photos of a certain wedding gift set and a missing utensil...My girls got the job done.I've got uniforms bringing our suspect in as we speak...Oh Oh..Speaking of suspects.." laughed Kylie..

Marsha Tightbottom walked in...She did not look happy...

"You two lied to me.." she said.

"No...We may have left some things out...but we didn't actually lie to you." I said.

She ignored me and looked at Monica..

"Myron Moore was your suspect wasn't he? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because....Because of the nature of your personal relationship with him, we didn't want to compromise our investigation..." said Monica.

''What personal relationship? I have no personal relationship with Council President Moore." said Marsha Tightbottom.

"Now you're the one who is lying...And you've been lying to us this entire time....You've been sleeping with Councilman Moore now for close to a year...and the townhouse you live in is sub-leased to him by one of his business partners...The Mayor wasn't interested in this case...He could give a damn..We got that from him ,himself...He just told us to co-operate with you out of a courtesy to his good friend, Myron...You hired a private investigator....because you've been suspicious about Myron's trips out of town and things you've found in your townhouse when you were out of town..."said Monica.

"Like panties and bras that weren't yours....You knew all about Myron and Valarie Checkov....When you found out she had been murdered-"I said.

"I didn't kill her...I swear I didn't....I just wanted to make sure that Myron didn't have anything to do with this...I was glad she was out of his life, out of his system...She was just a hooker.." spat Marsha...

"We know you didn't kill her and just so you know....Myron is in the clear, he didn't kill her either...Neither did Courtland or any of her other boyfriends and clients.." said Monica.

"So this case is cold right?" asked Marsha, relieved...

"If you'll wait a few minutes, you'll meet the killer. Things should warm up considerably!" I said.

III-

Uniform policemen brought Ms. Victoria Fabersham  in and sat her down in the interrogation room...

Monica walked in smiling and passed her a cold bottle of water...

''What's this about detective ?" asked Ms. Fabersham...Who didn't want the water.

I walked in and got right down to business...

"How long have you had an apartment here in Philadelphia.?" I asked.

She looked surprised and laughed...

"That's really none of your business, but if you must know...About three months..." she said.

"And I take it your fiancé doesn't know about it...?" I asked..

"What is this about?  Why are you asking me that?" she asked.

"City Council President Moore doesn't know about your apartment does he? "asked Monica.

"No...No he didn't..." she said.

"You got it so you had some place to stay when you came up here to spy on him." said Monica.

''You're assuming a lot missy." she said.

"But I'm right aren't I?" said Monica staring her in the eye....

Victoria Fabersham began to cry uncontrollably....

Outside the Interrogation room, nicknamed "The Fishbowl" Marsha Tightbottom looked surprised..

"FIANCE? HE HAS A FIANCE?? WHAT? She looks like another of his bang poodles!" she bellowed..

"They've been engaged for close to a year now." said Lt. Cotton..shaking his head at the term, Bang Poodle!

"WHY WAS I NOT TOLD ABOUT THIS??I ASKED TO BE KEPT IN THE LOOP!" she bellowed..

"And you are.. We just found out a day ago." said Detective Kylie White.

Back in the room...Monica emptied the contents of a Cutlery set on the table..

"Recognize this? You should....It's a wedding gift...For you two...It's from your house in Georgetown.. And before you ask.. Yes we had a search warrant..." she said and produced it...This is the set and the receipt of purchase as well as your brother and sister in law's credit card receipt....If you notice...A Knife is missing.....The longest one.....This one!" Monica said and dropped it on the table..."

"You hired a Private Investigator to follow Myron...Don't lie...We've already talked to him and he confirmed that he took these photos of Myron's sub leased townhouse and this grainy photo of Marsha Tightbottom..." I said and tossed it on the table...

"You removed the license plate off of the Limo, that you rented...but the Vin number lead us to the limo service and the phony report you made saying the limo was stolen....You ought to know better than that... We didn't catch you on the local traffic cams....You disabled them....but we caught you on the street cams on the adjoining streets.....Nice Limo driver's outfit..." I said and produced a credit card and sales receipt from a costume shop....  "You should have paid for it in cash...."I said.

"This is the tip of the iceberg of evidence we have against you....but by the time the jury sees this..They'll have seen enough." said Monica.

She sighed and laughed...

"Yes...I found out about his affair with Marsha Tightbottom...I suspected he was seeing someone else...When I found his love nest and I saw her the next night...I picked her up in that limo....The stupid little tramp thought that it was from Myron, That he was summoning her for another romp in the bed....She was drinking the champaigne I bought and still laughing when I gutted her and watched her slowly die...Bitch, she wasn't going to ruin my wedding, not with all the money my daddy had invested in it.." she spat..

"Did you say MARSHA TIGHTBOTTOM?" asked Monica..

"Yes..the little trollip he's been bopping around with.."she said.

"Marsha Tightbottom is outside looking in the window....You killed a Russian call girl named  Valarie Checkov....Who had spent the night with him...You killed the wrong woman!!"said Monica..

Victoria Fabersham looked shocked..

"WHAT? He not only was cheating on me with Marsha Tightbottom, he was seeing a hooker too! OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!! WHAT A NASTY MAN" she screamed...

"Officer!" I said..

A uniformed police officer handcuffed Victoria Fabersham ,read her her rights and walked her out...

She looked at Monica and me and said-

"He was no good...If I had married him, he'd of been lying and cheating like this all the time...I did myself and any future woman stupid enough to get involved with him a favor...I don't feel guilty at all..." she said.

"Look at the photo the Private Investigator took.....the week before...Marsha has on a Black Mini Skirt...A Red low cut Blouse and a Blue lace bra....Now look at the photo of Valarie Checkov ,the night she was murdered...A Black Micro-Mini skirt...A Red Low cut blouse...She got the two women confused.." said Monica..

"Yeah, but Valarie Checkov has on a Black Lace Bra. Her bra matched the skirt." I said.

Monica looked at me and gave me a side eye....Then she busted out laughing......

"She killed that whore, thinking she was killing me....Unbelievable....I suspected he might have fooled around with her...I had no idea he had a fiancé though!...My god...What a lousy lying dog! The man was on me every second of the day....He never got enough! Everytime I turned around he was breathing heavy and trying to take my clothes off... I can't believe it...He had a Fiance down in D.C. and was seeing this hooker too!...Unbelievable.He just didn't get enough!!" spat Marsha Tightbottom...

"My detectives closed this case..."said Lieutenant Cotton.

"Yes they did!  They did an excellent job...So did your fiancé.." said Marsha Tightbottom...

"So what happens now?" asked Lieutenant Cotton..

"I'm out of your hair...I'll give the Mayor a good report and my resignation...and.......I'll....I'll have to find a new place to live...Goodbye Lieutenant Cotton and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials." she said and she walked out of the precinct...

Kylie looked at the Lieutenant...

"I kind of feel sorry for her...I can't believe I'm saying this...but yeah, I kind of feel sorry for her.. Loving a man like him and then finding out he's not only living a double life, but a triple life..Got A fiancé and sleeping with a high priced call girl.. Wow!" she said.

"They're overgrown kids...All of em...." said Lt. Cotton..

Meanwhile in a corner of the interrogation room...Monica and I were celebrating the way we always did after a big case...Kissing passionately...

EPILOUGE-

Lieutenant Franklin Cotton Jr. and Monique Raynona Talbert got married two days later...

We were all there....

Kylie and Wally.....

Of course Me and Mo-Mo....

Their beautiful and foxy mother   and their father, the legend himself...Ray Talbert...

It was a beautiful wedding...and the reception afterwords was just as beautiful...

Monique never looked Happier....Neither did Lt. Cotton...

News of the arrest of his fiancé and the scandal that followed all but ended the political hopes of City Council President, Myron Moore.. He had to give up his Townhouse...and he was asked to step down as City Council President...which he did...  Marsha Tightbottom left Philadelphia shortly afterwords...No one knows where she is now...

Victoria Fabersham was convicted of Second Degree Murder and sentenced to 15 years -Life....She actually deserved more...but what are you going to do?

Later on that night....Monica and I stood outside staring at the moon...

"So where is your sister and Lou going for their Honeymoon? The Moon??Lemuria??"I asked.

"No on both.. They left for Paris right after the reception..."said Monica..

"Wow....Romantic....."I said.

"Yeah......I always thought she'd get married first....I'm surprised I was the first one to get married...Everybody that knew us, Including our parents were surprised." said Monica..

"I'm not surprised..." I said and put my arms around her waist." I said.

"I know you're not...You wanted to marry me the day you met me." said Monica.

"I Did.." I laughed.....Then I said.. "Wonder what Marsha Tightbottom is doing? I bet she cussed Myron Moore out...She might have cut him..."I said.

"Don't bring her up Nate...The full moon is out...I'm feeling very romantic...Don't kill the mood with her..."said Monica, smiling at me..

"You're uh feeling romantic huh?" I said..

"Yeah, like, I might take my clothes off at any minute romantic.. plus I'm not wearing a bra." she said and winked at me..

"Marsha Who?" I said, smiling sheepishly...

"I figured you'd like that." she said and smiled...shaking her head!