The Late Great Sonny Stein

PHILADELPHIA, 2041

I don't know...I'd been a Homicide Detective for about three years now and for some reason it was always the calls we got at night that bothered me the most...


One reason is because at night I generally liked to be off...and the other reason was because...I'd rather be spending my nights with my sexy wife and partner...Detective Monica Nellis..

Me, I'm Detective Nate Nellis, her partner and her husband....

We work Homicide!

The body was covered and CSI were looking for additional shell casings....It was right outside a sleazy motor lodge....

My wife's identical twin sister and my sister in law, Dr. Monique Cotton was already at the scene when we arrived...

"Hey you guys.....Nice of you to join the party..." she said and smiled..

''When you called...Your sister and I were uh getting ready for another type of party if you know what I mean and I know you do.." I said..

"Oh Hush up Nate.." said Monica, blushing....It was amazing that after two years of marriage and three years of being lovers...I could still make her do that!...Blush that is...

She uncovered the sheet frm the body and took a close look...

"Joey Tee" she said..

''You know this guy?" I asked...He was a young African -American male, slim build...dressed casually....

''Oh yeah..He's an enforcer ...or at least he used to be....When we get back to the station...I'll show you photos of some of his handy work..."said Monica..

"Oh , a gun for hire eh?"  I said...

"One of the very best....If you need somebody found or somebody dead...Joey T...was the man to call...Was being the operative word here...He was buried you say?"said Monica..

"He took one gun shot wound to the abdomen....Through and through....He died shortly afterwords...He's been dead about a day, maybe two...Somebody buried him, but they didn't do a very good job..They didn't dig deep enough...But they cleaned up well...Bleached down everything...No prints, No DNA anywhere...but we are still looking."said Monique...

I observed the area keenly.....

"I guess that's the shell from the bullet that killed him..."I said , bagging and tagging it...

"He got two shots off....He must have missed.... There is his gun....and there are the two shell casings he fired..Like I said, Whoever wasn't completely thorough!"said Monique...

"You know what I think?" asked Monica to no one in particular...

''What?" I asked..

"I think Harry Ace finally made a mistake...A Mistake that's going to cost him..."said Monica..

Just then , our boss ,Lt. Frankie Cotton Jr. and Monique's husband drove up...

''What'cha got here guys?" he asked.

"Look Lou...It's Joey Tee..."said Monica..

He stared at the body....and smiled..

''Well I'll be damned...The Grim Reaper finally met his match...I would have loved to have busted his lethal ass..." said Lt. Cotton...

"He came here looking for somebody....And somebody found him......I think maybe he was set up...because nobody catches Joey Tee slipping.."said Monica..

"Looks like old Harry Ace might have finally gone too far....Slipped up.."said Lt. Cotton...

It was the second time tonight I heard the name , Harry Ace...So I had to ask...''Who is this Harry Ace?"

"Tell Him Mo-Mo..."said Lt. Cotton...

"Harry Ace controls a very lucrative and very illegal gambling ring...He runs quite a few illegal crap games around Philadelphia and Camden that pulls in millions...Only high rollers can play...He also has women on the street, juice on the street and a nice small package (Heroin) that everybody is buying...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh he's the man.." I said..

"He was the driver and bodyguard for an old school gangster named Sonny Stein...Sonny Stein controlled the Gambling and the Whores and the Loan Sharking...He didn't want to be mixed up in drugs...but Harry Ace had some partners who wanted to float their package to the local crews and promised a huge return..." said Monica..

"I get it and Harry Ace stabbed his mentor in the back.."I said..

"Literally...We found a 12 inch steak knife in Sonny Stein's back in the back room of the bar he owned...Where the money was counted...That was five years ago."said Lt. Cotton..

"There were two witnesses to the murder...A small time book maker named Seth Decker and a Stripper who was dancing that night named Sarah Connor...

"Both refused to testify right?"I said..

"Both turned up dead....They couldn't testify.....Seth Decker's body was found floating in the river..Two gunshot wounds to the chest .....and Sarah Decker's car exploded...The body was nearly incinerated...Not much was left..."said Monica...

''So this Harry Ace took over and has been running things all this time..right?" I said.

''Very Good Nate..." said Lt. Cotton who grabbed Monique and pulled her to him...Kissing her passionately..

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph, damn girl you're sexy!" he said.

"Frankie stoppp, I've told you about groping me in public.." said Monique...who was smiling partially...

"No Carnation tonight?" she asked.. He always brought her a fresh carnation and pinned it on her lapel...To keep the smell of death from going up her nose..

"It was late...No Florist was open...I couldn't get a fresh one.." he said and slyly ran his hand up her skirt and rubbed her legs...

She removed his hands...

"Speaking of fresh...You certainly are fresh..."said Monique with a smile...

II-

I put a team on the street cams....but we found out they had all been deactivated...disabled....and there was no camera in the motel...

The owner explained to me...

"Detective , this is the type of place where people come and expect full discretion...if you know what I mean..." he said, smiling sheepishly...

"I should call L & I and have them look into your establishment.....A murder has occurred here and my partner and I have nothing to go on..."I said..

"Well ,I can tell you one thing....Either Mr. or Mrs. Holland shot him...."he said..

"Who is Mr. And Mrs. Holland?" I asked..

"They rented that room out a month ago and were practically living here...Mr. Holland paid me in cash...in advance...He was never late...Most people come here for a night and leave...He and his wife were here for two months.....I didn't complain...it was good Money.." he said..

Monica was talking to a man who was in the room next to them....

''Damn baby...you're a cop?" he asked..

''Yes..I'm Detective Monica Nellis..and THAT'S MY HUSBAND OVER THERE...DETECTIVE NATE NELLIS.."she emphasized...

He looked at me..

''Damn he's one lucky dude...You sayin a taste.." he said..

"Did you know Mr. and Mrs. Holland.."asked Monica..

"They wasn't married..That's just a name they used...but they sure got it on in that room...I mean all night long...The bed was squeaking, the headboard was slamming against the wall so hard the plaster was fallin off...My lights were blinking on and off in my room... I don't live here...I come by here with broads...and for the past two months they were in the same room...I seen her a couple of times..Usually in her panties and bra in a nightgown...The dude...Mister Holland was the only one who left...usually to buy groceries..."said the man...

"What kind of car did he drive?" asked Monica.

"He had a different ride everytime I saw him...I suspect he rented..."said the man...

"Thank you for your time.."said Monica..

III-

Monica and I and a team of CSI guys entered the room Mr. and Mrs. Holland had been in...

''This room smells like bleach....You find anything Sis?" I asked Monique...

"Not a thing...No clothes, no dishes...no nothing...They washed and wiped everything down with Bleach, Not a print, no DNA...but we are still looking, we might find something.." said Monique..

"I found a gun!" said Monica...

"This could be your murder weapon....It smells like bleach...."said Lt. Cotton...

''Doesn't look like it has any prints on it...bag it and tag it.." I instructed a uniformed officer...

"Go find Harry Ace"said Lt. Cotton...

''We've got nothing..." said Monica..

"I know...Just rattle his cage...See if it nets you a clue.."said Lt. Cotton...

"I take it you know where he can be found?" I asked my wife..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeah....He's nowhere near the women or the loan sharks who work for him...And rarely visits the wire rooms where his floating crap games go on...He just picks up the money that's all..Come on..."she said..

''Sugar Bae...It's late!" I said.

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuu Sugar Bae...I like that name....Let's do this one last thing and then, we can uh go home and have our party..."said Monica, winking at me..

''Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." I said.Smiling and looking at her salaciously....

Monica laughed...

"You are such a horn dog..." she said..."You always want it..." she said and sighed...

We watched as the body of Joey Tee was bagged up and carted off...  I was so used to seeing this...I wondered if something was wrong with me for being so non-chalant about it..

IV-

We took to the air in the night time sky......Using Monica's directions....I landed our car not far from the street corner where Harry Ace  was known to hang out...

Harry Ace, A brown skinned African-American man with a goatee  and a black hoodie looked every bit as menacing as his reputation suggested...but he smiled when he saw Monica and me coming..

The man standing with him,

His chief Lieutenant and street boss, Nicky Hill quietly walked away....

''Gotdamn Detective Talbert...You is wearing those damn pants baby girl...Woooooooooooooo."said Harry Ace...smiling salaciously at her..

''Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Harry, it's not Talbert anymore....It's Nellis." she said.

"Nellis....You got married baby ? You got married and didn't wait for me?? Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnn girl, you broke my heart.....Who is the lucky knucka that got you?" asked Harry Ace..

Monica pointed to me..

"Him...This is my partner, Detective Nate Nellis..Homicide.." she said..

I said nothing...I just glared at him...

"Dammmmnnnnnnnnn, they let you marry your partner?  Nice!  I aint mad at you son...I'd of locked all that body down my damn self.." he said..

''How's Business Harry?" asked Monica..

"My Bar is doing good...So is My Restaurant....You ought to stop by sometimes... You and your husband can have an entree on the house!" he said...

"How's your other businesses Harry? You know...the NOT SO LEGITIMATE ONES?/ The whores, the loan sharking,, the package....The floating Crap games!" said Monica..

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww now there you go....Come on Detective...I told you ,I aint in the rackets no more...I'm just a Bar Owner and a Restaurant owner.." he said and laughed...

He had no idea that Monica was a telepathic mutant and could read his mind...She knew he was lying..

"My Lieutenant and I still haven't forgotten the late great Sonny Stein....and how you put a shiv in his back, killing him five years ago."said Monica, smiling sweetly...

He smiled..

"I told you I aint have nothin to do with that...I loved Sonny...I would have never have harmed him.You listenin to rumors that's all...rumors..." he said..

Again,he was lying...

''Two witnesses said different, but they didn't live to testify..."said Monica.

"You come down here to hassle me about non existent activities and a five year old unsolved murder?Damn Detective...I thought you was just stopping by to say hello..."said Harry Ace..

''We are actually here about a fresh murder....One we caught tonight.."I said.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the husband talks...."laughed Harry Ace..

"Joey Tee caught a bullet tonight out on "Lovers Lane" at the Straight Up Motel..."I said..

He jumped..

"What? Joey Tee?" he said..

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" I asked..

He actually looked shocked..A little shook up..

"Nah...I -I been around here all night...You can ask anybody....Why was Joey Tee in a crappy joint like the Straight up motel??" asked Harry Ace...

"We thought you might could tell us Harry..."said Monica..

"Nah....No I can't...Like I said...I been around here all night.." he said..

''When is the last time you heard from Joey Tee?" I asked.

''We had breakfast this morning..He said he was on to something...but he aint tell me what?" said Harry Ace...

''Come on partner...Let's go..."said Monica..

"Nice Seeing you again Harry..."said Monica..

 Momentarily he got himself together...

''Always nice seeing you Detective...Congratulations on the wedding!" he said.

V-

As we headed back to our duplex... Monica looked over at me...

"Nate, he didn't do this...He didn't have anything to do with this....I scanned his mind...He didn't know Joey Tee was dead until we told him...."said Monica.

''What about that other stuff?" I asked.

"Oh he's guilty as hell of the other stuff....He killed Sonny Stein himself..and everybody knows he's the man on the streets...He gets a cut of gambling, prostitution, loan sharking and his package that several drug organizations buy from him...but we have no proof...That guy that walked away from him..That was Nicky...Nicky Hill...He's Harry's face on the street....When Nicky's mouth moves ,it's Harry talking...."said Monica..

"My guess is...Somebody is trying to move in on Harry's little empire.." I said.

We were home now....

"Tomorrow partner...We'll find out.." said Monica..


(TO BE CONTINUED)