Little Murders

THREE DAYS AGO...

It was a little after 6:00 pm when they found her....on the ledge of a very tony rooftop bar.....A young woman, Caucasion, about 27 years old...well dressed, very attractive...She'd been poisoned...CSI and Crime scene photographers surveyed the area...

Forensic Investigator, Dr. Hazel Baylor examined the body....

I stood a safe distance and watched... Me? I'm Assistant District Attorney Keith Wallace..I prosecute Major crimes...Like Murder...Murder most foul...

My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace

and her partners, Detective Tyriq Pile

and James "Jimmy" Barlow

were called to the scene....

"There is no physical trauma...She looks like she was poisoned...from the smell...the almondly like smell...It appears to have been Cyanide..dropped in her drink...Death was instantaneous.."said Hazel..

Carlotta looked at the body...

"This watch cost easily a grand....and these shoes...Manolo Blahnik...Very, very expensive...Not to mention this dress....She comes from money..I found 5 credit cards and a debit card in her purse...three thousand dollars cash untouched."she observed..

Tyriq took her hand and pulled out one of his tablets...He was checking her fingerprints to see if she had a record...It was routine...He was surprised at how fast he got a hit..

''She's a working girl Top!" he said.

"Really? She's high class..That explains the cash and credit cards and expensive clothes." said Carlotta..

"She worked for an escort service...Maybe we can check it out ,find out who she was dating...Her last john...She was obviously here with someone.."said Tyriq.

"Or waiting for somebody.."said Carlotta...

Jimmy walked up...

"I've got uniforms checking everybody here...Nobody is leaving until we get some answers...I got a couple of guys checking the cameras..Maybe just maybe we'll get a look at who her date was.." he said..

''We need to look at all of the credit card receipts for today and talk to everybody who purchased anything tonight... I'll call Vice and Special Victims Unit...See if they have anything on the girl.."said Carlotta.

"Her name is Gail Cummings....27, three arrests for soliticting...all suspended...no jail time..."said Tyriq..

"I'll put a team on the street and traffic cams and the business cams across the street...This is gonna be an all nighter...I'd better call Angie."said Jimmy..

"Yeah,I'd better call Sirena.." said Tyriq.

"Isn't it nice we have our own building now , with rooms in it...When he have to work long cases like this..?"said Carlotta..

''We have a building...Copland"said Hazel ,

speaking of the Apartment complex the government owned that we went to when we had highly secretive cases....

"Haven't been there in awhile.."I said..

"I like our new digs better...Larger TV monitor in these rooms."laughed Carlotta.

"Can I release the body?" asked Hazel..

"Yes ,Release the body.." said Carlotta...who walked over to me and kissed me softly..

"Hi Papi..." she said...We hadn't seen each other since this morning..

"Hiiiiiii.." I said...

"Maybe we can get away and be alone later.." she whispered to me...

"I sure hope so.." I said to her...

She smiled at me sweetly....

 "Okay, pack it up guys.." said Hazel..

They packed the body up and carted it off as spectators looked on.

II-

THREE DAYS LATER-

Another Rooftop Bistro...and another girl found murdered...This time in broad daylight......

CSI and Crime scene photographers surveyed the area...

 "She's just like the woman, Carlotta, Rico and Jimmy caught the other night..."said Hazel..

"Wowww!  Young, Caucasion, looks to be in her mid to late 20's...."said Sirena...

"Poisoned....Cyanide..dropped in her drink...Death was quick...but painful...Her insides were eaten out!"said Hazel..

"My God..."said Sirena, who like her husband took her hand and used her tablet to take the woman's fingerprint...

"She's a working girl too!  Six arrests for prostitution...5 cases suspended...Did six months in the county lock up and released...I don't get it Hazel...This girl is dressed so nice...This pocket book...Very expensive..These shoes are to die for, this watch...look at it..Not cheap...She's got a wallet full of credit cards and a debit card and nearly five large in cash in her pocketbook untouched...So robbery wasn't the motive."said Sirena..

Her partner, Detective Tony Hopkins walked up just then with me..and Lt. Sissy Van Buren..

"Nobody saw a damn thing...I just talked to the woman who found her...She was just sitting alone , slumped over... I do have one half assed description of who she was with..A young white guy...Blonde hair, freckles..Black Turtle Neck, Black Leather Jacket...Kind of like a bomber...She's giving a description to the police artist over there now.."he said.

This place was a rooftop...it was out on the open...There were no cameras...

"This is exactly like Carlotta,Rico and Jimmy's case from three days ago Sissy." I said..

"They've been working it hard....

Jimmy and his team and Sharon and the FBI have been looking at hours of Street Cam, Traffic Cam and Business Cam footage.."

said Sissy....

"I know and Carlotta and Rico have interviewed close to 1000 people

that were at the restaurant...and who purchased things...They are cross referencing credit card purchases and clearing everybody one by one...They even called in guys from Special Victims and Vice to help out..Last I heard they were checking the Escort service she worked at and interviewing all of her johns."I said..

Sissy smiled...

"So You, Sirena and Angie packed some bags and have been staying at headquarters huh?" she said..

 "Yeah, they are our spouses..We have to support them and our new digs aren't so bad..Larger TV monitors in our rooms, Carlotta says" I laughed..

" Looks like Sirena is going to have an all nighter herself to work on now..." I said..

"Only Angie gets to relax." I added..

Echoing Jimmy, Sirena said to Sissy...

"I've got uniforms checking everybody here...Nobody is leaving until we get some answers...I got a couple of guys checking the two outside cameras..Maybe just maybe we'll get a look at who her date was.." she said..

"The victims name is Patty Blessings, Aged 29...Multiple prostitution arrests..little jail time...Works for a local escort service..I'll need a court order counselor to get records of who she dated..."said Hop..

"Hop I hear you're in an accelerated Law Program at Drexel University.." I said.

"Yes...I was close to finishing Law School when I dropped out...I passed my LSAT's easily and got in..I should have my degree in no time..Then I'll need your help studying for the bar.."said Hop.

"No problem Hop...I heard you were in Law School

 with Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Yvette Jones"I said.

"I was...Sharon too....We all were in Law school together.....

I should have finished...And don't worry...I have no plans to leave you guys...I just want my law license...It'll be nice having an attorney around to keep you guys straight.."Hop joked...''Speaking of Olivia..Guess who is in my class...

Josie Boyd...Olivia's Para-Legal.."he said..

"That's wonderful Hop...I'm Happy for you guys.."said Sissy...

"I'd better call Sharon ,Tell her to pack us some bags...I'm going to be there with Rico, Carlotta and Jimmy..Working this case.."said Hop..

"Anybody on those Street and Traffic cams and business cams?" asked Sissy..

"I'll round up some guys, put another team together.."said Hop..

"I already called some additional guys from Vice and Special Victims Unit for support..We are going to cross reference credit, debit and bank records of everybody we interview and eliminate suspects...and maybe Hazel's people will get lucky..

There is literally thousands of prints and DNA here..Just like Carlotta,Rico and Jimmy's case."said Sirena..

Sissy looked at me and said..

"I hate to say it this early...but these two cases mirror each other..Both are high class call girls or escorts..both were boldly and brazen murdered in a crowd of people at a tony rooftop bistro...and both were poisoned with Cyanide.."said Sissy..

''Serial Killer?" I asked..

"Yes, but for now we'll keep that quiet...I don't want to start a panic..For now we'll treat these as two distinct and separate cases.." she said..

"Got'cha...No big deal...Little Murders.."I said.

III-

THREE DAYS AFTER THAT-

Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor  and four uniformed officers stood in the street...A woman was found lying in the street..Apparently she had fallen from Mulberry Street, the popular rooftop Jazz Bar and Grille to her death....

His partner ,Angie Belton walked out....

"I was just up there Duke...I've got uniforms questioning everybody ...Nobody is leaving until we get some answers...Apparently nobody saw anything unusual...until she fell..." said Angie..

"So we got a jumper.."said Duke..

CSI guys were photographing the body...

Hazel was examining her...

She took a sniff...

"Guys, this wasn't a jumper...She was dead before she fell off that ledge...She was poisoned...It smells like Cyanide." she said..

Sissy and I drove up just then...

 "What have we got here..A suicide?" asked Sissy...

''No Sissy , this is murder..She was poisoned...Then she was either pushed or she fell..."said Hazel.

I peered up at yet another rooftop Bistro...But this victim was different..She was an African American female..mid twenties..

Duke put the girls dainty finger on his tablet , taking her fingerprint.  He got a hit right away....

''She's a working girl...Five arrests for prostitution..all five cases suspended...Her name is April...April Dellums, 23...She was employed at an escort service...Just Like Top,Jimmy and Rico and Just like Sirena and Hop." he said..

".This girl is dressed so nice...This pocket book...Very expensive..These shoes are to die for, this watch...look at it..Not cheap...She's got a wallet full of credit cards and a debit card and nearly five large in cash in her pocketbook untouched...So robbery wasn't the motive.Somebody just poisoned her...but why?"asked Angie. You better pack a bag...Looks like we are all having a sleepover at headquarters.."laughed Angie..

"I'm calling my husband....I'm staying too.."said Sissy..

Just then a familiar sports car drove up and two more police cruisers..

Lieutenant Tragg got out and walked over...

He peered at the body...

"Jumper?" he asked...

''We are trying to determine that."said Sissy..

Lieutenant Tragg laughed..

"You're not fooling me...This is another murder...Your third in what now about ten days...Three open murders Sissy...The Deputy of Operations is not going to be pleased..You've got a serial killer on the loose "he said.

''We don't know that..We are treating these three cases as separate cases..until we know different..Little Murders...I trust my detectives...

Carlotta, Tyriq,Jimmy , Sirena and Tony Hopkins have proven themselves time and time again..They're working their two cases hard...around the clock.."said Sissy..

"And they don't have a suspect in either case...Little Murders Huh?" Lt. Tragg snorted..

"And you could do better?Let my detectives do their job."said Sissy...

''This case needs a task force."said Lt. Tragg..

"It already has one..My detectives are working with Detectives and plain clothes cops from Vice, Special Victims Unit and The FBI....They'll do just fine.."said Sissy..

"Release the body.."said Duke..who whispered to his wife..

"I'll pack us some bags...and I'll have some Hot Cocoa ready for you when you get off.."

"Awww thank you baby."said Hazel...

"I'm tired...You guys ready to go?"asked Angie..

"Yeah, you need a ride back?" I asked..

"No,I'm riding with Duke.."said Angie..

''Let's Go.."said Sissy..

And so in nine days, we had three bodies...Two White, One African American...All wearing expensive designer clothing, all with purses full of credit cards and cash...All High priced Escorts. all poisoned...and all met their deaths at Rooftop Bars...

This one was slightly different, in that she actually was found in the street..and she was black..but she was still poisoned with cyanide, still a high priced escort and had been at a rooftop bistro..

"Three Open Murders Siss...Ten days...No Suspect...The Deputy Of Operations is going to want answers."said Lt. Tragg..

"I liked him better when he was on the Marine Boat.."said Sissy..

"I know what you mean." said Hazel..

Duke laughed...

So Did Angie.

I smiled..

IV-

THAT NIGHT-

Sissy's Husband, Eddie C. brought a case of beers by and ordered Pizzas for us...

"Eddie ,you're alright with me...I don't care what Boss Lady says about you." joked Tyriq..

 "Ouuuuu Rico, you aren't right/" laughed Sissy...

Who kissed her husband....

''Come here baby, you know I love youuuu." she cooed..

''Yeah babes...I know what's up.."laughed Eddie C.

"This Beer is what's up!"laughed Jimmy..

"Si" said Carlotta ,opening a bottle herself

"Mmmmmm this Pizza isn't bad either...Not as good as Chris Thompson's joint, but it'll do." said Sharon..

"Yessssssssssssssss..."said Hop as he chowed down on the pizza..

 "Mmmm best time of the day..."said Sirena..

Jimmy, Carlotta,Sharon,Hop and Sirena cracked up laughing....They needed a good laugh after the past nine days...Eliminating suspects and following up leads that led to nowhere...

"Alright you guys...Big Daddy Duke is on this case now..We are going to solve this thing.."laughed Duke..amid laughter and groans from everyone else......

''Don't get like Lt. Tragg now."cautioned his partner, Angie..

''Don't mention his name...He was at our crime scene tonight..."said Sissy..

''Well I hate to bring this up...but he's on the news..Look!" I said.

On the monitor...There he was..

"There is a Serial Killer loose in the city...Three girls , all hookers ,High priced Hookers were found dead at rooftop bars in the past ten days...These murders are being treated as little murders...separate cases..but I know better...and I may be taking over the investigation eventually..."said Lt. Tragg..

"Then it'll never get solved.."said one reporter...Which was met by a room full of laughter...We cracked up too!

"He'll arrest the wrong guy."said another reporter..

Which was met by more laughter..

"WHYYYYYYYYYYYY YOUUUU!" screamed an enraged  Lt. Tragg as he went after the reporter..Two uniformed policemen tackled him..The entire scene was pandemonium...The press table was knocked over... and cameras clicked...He grabbed the reporter by the collar and they all fell to the ground...knocking over the table...Mikes and cameras flying everywhere....

 Watching at Headquarters, Carlotta shook her head and said to Sissy..

"He just can't help himself." She cracked up laughing...

"I know."said Sissy, shaking her head and laughing too!..

(TO BE CONTINUED)