Cops and Pimps

We sat around the conference room table discussing what seemed like a serial killer case...

Sissy looked at her detectives...Detectives she herself had mentored and nurtured, Detectives she had supreme trust in and would go to the wall for on any day...She said calmly..

"It's been 9 days...10 now...Tell me something about this case I don't already know..."

"None of these three girls knew each other...We have cross referenced their credit and debit card purchases and charges...and we've interviewed family, friends and co-workers and these three girls paths never crossed."said Carlotta.

"Robbery can be ruled out as a motive in all three cases...All three girls had good credit cards, money in the bank and had at least a grand in their purses at the time of death."said Tyriq.

"They all worked for three separate Escort services that was nowhere near each other...We interviewed all of their known johns and cleared every last one of them."said Jimmy...

"We cross referenced and interviewed everybody that was at all locations that we could round up and checked every customer that made a credit card purchase and cleared all of them...."said Sirena..

"There was one thing...Sirena and my victim and Carlotta,Rico and Jimmy's victim were said to be with a young white male...blond hair, Black Leather Bomber jacket...Black turtle neck and Black Aviator shades...Who ordered drinks and paid in cash..."said Hop..

"Same thing with Angie and my victim...Young White Male with Aviator Shades....Blonde Hair, but nobody got a really good look and so far, we haven't caught him on any of the traffic ,street or business cameras...."said Duke,sighing..

''He's our only person of interest and the only thing the three girls have in common, but his name isn't on any of the girl's lists of Johns...At all three escort services they had to pay by credit card or debit card...No cash and we checked out everybody.."said Angie.

''Did you guys check their residences?" asked Sissy.

"Yes...we found used condoms....We turned them over to Hazel for DNA....."said Carlotta..

"All of them lived in some very nice condos , had been there at least six months, according to their neighbors, who had no idea what these women did for a living until we told em."said Tyriq..

"We went by some of the hotels and motels that they used...None of them used the same places...but it was the same thing...Nobody remembers any Young Blond White male in a leather bomber with a Black Turtle neck and Aviator shades."said Jimmy...

''Well Jimmy , he would change his clothes...I would hope.."said Angie, which brought on gales of laughter..

"So we have no motive, None of these girls were in any financial trouble, not on the hook for anything...We have nothing.."sighed Duke..

"Maybe not...I got two things...."said Sirena...  "All of these girls started out the traditional way , As street walkers before they "graduated to working for themselves at high price Escort services...It's funny their paths never crossed because they all belonged to a Pimp named Sugar Daddy...Sound familiar?" asked Sirena..

"Oh My God yes...Even I know who he is...I sent him up for 10 years...Larry "Sugar Daddy" Bonner.."I said..

"He was once my confidential informant, when I worked Narcotics."laughed Carlotta..

"Mine too, when I worked Robbery -Homicide." said Tyriq..

''I remember him...He'd sell out his own mother if the price was right.." laughed Jimmy...

''Sirena...You and I busted him when we worked Special Investigations."said Duke.

"I remember....Sugar Daddy....Wonder if he retired?" asked Sirena..

"A good pimp never retires....I'm sure he's still in the game...Want us to pick him up Siss?" asked Angie..

"Just for questioning....He's not Young, Certainly not White or Blond....but he's the only common denominator these girls have...Maybe ,just maybe he can shed some light on some things..."said Sissy.


II-

Out on The Avenue....The working girls plied their trade....

"God ,I haven't worn this dress and this top in about three years...I was working undercover then...My husband loves it..but I told him...I'm a mother now...I can't be seen in this.." said Sirena..

"I'm a little self conscious myself.."said Angie as they walked along the avenue..

Other girls gave them the side eye...

Carlotta joined them....

"Maybe Sugar Daddy has retired.." she said..

'I don't think so...Look across the street."said Sirena..

There he was, dressed immacculately in a tailored suit, with a fresh perm...Larry "Sugar Daddy"Bonner...He spied them and walked over to them..

"My My Myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..Who you girls with? I thought I'd ask because my girls are lookin at you kind of uh side eyed...I don't want em to cut you...Now look here...Whoever you workin for...I can give you a better deal..." he said..''Umph, Ummp, Ummph!" he moaned.

"Has it been that long Larry?" asked Angie..

"I mean really Larry?" asked Sirena..

"Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa yall know me by my government name.....I didn't father no kids with you did I?  We wasn't married was we?" he asked..

Carlotta laughed..

"Surely you remember me Larry?" said Carlotta...

He smiled at first , then he jumped in shock....

"Detective Rodriguez.....Used to be Officer Rodriguez....Oh My God...Detective Harris, Detective Belton???"he said..'What is yall the Mod Squad or somethin?" he asked...

"Hi ya Sugar Daddy...Long time no see."said Tyriq...

"Rico Suave...My man...."he said..

"Heyyyyyyyyyy S.D."said Jimmy...

"White Boy Jimmy..." he said..

"We'd like you to come with us...We just have a few questions to ask you.."said Duke..

''Awwwwwwwwww man come on...You guys got nothin better to do but hassle me.???..I heard all of you had moved on to bigger and better things.."he said..

"Murder is always a big thing baby...And Three is even bigger."said Duke..\

"Murder? Murder? Sugar Daddy aint killed nobody!" he said..

''We just want to ask you some questions." said Carlotta.

"You can ask me anything mamasita..." he laughed..

III-

The detectives brought him to our new digs...

''Where the hell is this?  I thought we were goin down town.." said Sugar Daddy...

They took him to the holding cell, where Sissy and Hop awaited him..

"Heyy Larry, how have you been?" said Sissy.

"Well I'll be damned...I'll be Damned...Detective Van Buren..You still Fine girl.." said Sugar Daddy...

"That's Lieutenant Van Buren.."said Sissy..

"WOWWWW..Okay, so you're the big cheese around here...You sure got some fine female detectives...lawddddddddddddd, they was makin my girls jealous.."he said ,

,thinking about Angie,Carlotta and Sirena.

 "I've got great male detectives as well." said Sissy...

He thought of Tyriq,Jimmy and Duke

He grimaced...

''Yes, I've had a long relationship with all of them..So you guys are all in the same unit now..The Criminal Investigation Division huh?  "he said..

"Yes, we take down Drug Crews, High Line Robbery Crews, Shot Callers, Murderers,Kidnappers...Major crimes."said Sissy..

''So I made the big time huh?" said Sugar Daddy.

"No, you didn't...Which brings me to the real reason you're down here..."said Sissy...

Hop walked in , he placed three glossies on the table..

Sugar Daddy jumped in shock when he saw them..."Oh My God..That's Gail Cummings and that, that is Patty...Patty Blessings and oh my god...I just talked to her last week..A.D.  April Dellums...my girl." he said..He looked shook up...The joking and bantering ended...

''Who??..Who did this to them?" he asked..Tears flowing down his face...

''We thought maybe you might help us with that." said Hop..

 "Look ,you guys know what I do..You know who I am , and what I am...They used to work for me at different times...Not at the same time and they all got tired of walking the streets and eventually left me for the escort service business...They can work out of their homes..No workin the street...The customer pays and comes to them...It's an easier life...but all girls can't do what they did...I didn't hold any hard feelins towards them...It was business, not personal..Now Gail and Patty, I haven't seen them in over a year...but A.D., that was my baby....Understand...She and I had a uh sexual friendship...You dig Friends with benefits..I had just seen her last week." he said.

"Was she anxious about anything? Was somebody hasslin her?" asked Sissy..

"Except for the cops, no..This one cop picked her up...Blonde guy, a kid..Lookin to make his bones I guess..She told him she wasn't a workin girl anymore...Not in the traditional sense...He cut her loose...But she said...She always saw his patrol car sittin outside her apartment.."said Sugar Daddy..

"This guy a Detective? From Vice maybe?/" asked Hop..

"Nah...He was a uniform cop..A roller...Rides around in the patrol car..runnin the drug boys off the street, making my girls move off the corner...They all do it...He was nobody special.."said Sugar Daddy...

"Okay....You can go...If you see or hear anything, here is my card, Call me...This is your get out of jail free card as long as you aren't busted above a felony...Call me.."said Sissy...

"For what it's worth...I hope you guys get whoever done this...They were good girls...They didn't deserve to be murdered." he said..

"Yeah...Come on...The duty officer will assign somebody to take you where ever you want to go.." said Hop.

I stood outside watching...Another dead end...

IV-

At his neighborhood bar, Lt. Tragg knocked back a few beers ,while talking to Bar Tender, Curly Howard, a retired Detective..

''So Curly they got three murders..Three murders....It's been 10 days...All have the same M.O. and no suspect, No arrests..."said Lt. Tragg.

''Artie, you know yourself..Sometimes these things take a long time to fully develop..They wanted the serial killer aspect of it kept quiet and you go on Television runnin your yap and you just made it harder for them."said Curly..

"Who's side are you on Curly?" asked Lt. Tragg..

"Artie..I'm just sayin...It aint right to mess with another detectives case..You just screwed up seven detectives cases..all because you got a hard on for Lt. Sissy Van Buren..Why don't you ease up?" asked Curly...

 Just then , a Blonde White guy with a nice suit walked into the bar...

"Hey Curls...Uncle Arthur.."said the young man...

"Ralphie Boy...Is that you? Why are you all duded up? Aren't you still on duty?" asked Lt. Tragg..

"I am on duty!!!...It's my first day as a DETECTIVE!....I made DETECTIVE!!" said the young man...

"OH MY GOD!  CONGRATULATIONS!!...Curly...this is Vince Carter's kid.. Sgt. Vince Carter...May he rest in peace...Your old man would be so proud of you kid.."said Lt. Tragg..

"I knew his dad...We were in Homicide back in the day.."said Curly Howard...

"Your dad was my training Sgt..he broke me in  when I first come on the force...He was there when I made Detective...Oh wow!  Curly...a round on me for the kid..."said Lt. Tragg..

"I'm still on duty...but I'll come back when my shift is over.."said Detective Ralph Carter..

 "Ha Ha..Listen at that...by the book, just like his old man..."laughed Lt. Tragg.

(TO BE CONTINUED)