Anonymous Tips

A Press Conference...Not usually something Sissy enjoyed..That was more Lt. Tragg's thing, but today...Today was her day to shine...She had co-ordinated the arrests of 77 suspects in a one week sweep...

Sissy stood with myself,

Assistant District Attorney, Keith Wallace,

Captain Edward Cantrell,

Lt. Danny Ho of Robbery-Homicide , who had been working with us...

Deputy FBI Special Agent in charge, Sharon Hopkins, who along with Sissy co-ordinated the sweep and

Regional DEA Special Agent in charge , Carol Redding-Cantrell, who added additional DEA agents to help out..

and last but not least, Lt.Arthur Tragg , who had nothing whatsoever to do with the investigation...He was there steaming...furious that Sissy was once again getting acclaim for closing a major investigation...

It started with my wife,

 Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace

 and her partners, Detective Tyriq Pile

and Detective James Barlow...

They began getting a series of anonymous calls...From a man with a raspy voice...with information and evidence so good, so on the money that the caller had to be an insider..

working with the detectives and plain clothes officers of Narcotics and Vice...

and detectives from Lt. Ho's Robbery-Homicide unit...

They arrested 25 known dealers of Opiates and Heroin in the area.....and two murder suspects responsible for 12 murders between them.....

It didn't stop there..

 Detective Sirena Pile

and her partner began getting the same type of calls...Their calls was from a woman...The phones were all untraceable burner phones...but the information and evidence was solid..

Working with Detectives and plain clothes men from Narcotics and Vice...and the FBI and ATF...

they hit several apartment complexes ...

arresting 25 known dealers of Opiates, Heroin, Cocaine and Guns...

Within the next week....

 Detectives Edwin "Duke" Baylor

and his partner, Detective Angie Belton got a call from a mysterious woman....also using a burner phone..

This woman had information and location of evidence and drop sites....

They put a call in to the DEA...as well as Narcotics and Vice....

They led a task force that

turned up a whole lot of Cocaine, Heroin and Opiates and 25 drug suspects....

In all 77 very dangerous people were taken off the street and on their way to Prison, State and Federal...

Sissy humbly said..

"It was a team effort , I don't deserve any of the credit...It was my great detectives , the guys from Robbery-Homicide, Vice, Narcotics and the federal agencies...FBI, DEA and ATF who assisted us in getting the dope off the street and the dopes who would sell this stuff.." she said..

The Reporters laughed...They loved her...They snapped endless photos  of her.. One with her and Captain Cantrell..

"Raised her from a pup...A young patrol officer into the Lieutenant she is now!" he said Proudly...

Of course one with me.....Assistant district Attorney ,Keith Wallace
and several with

 Sharon of the FBI

 Carol of the DEA

and Lt. Danny Ho...

Lt. Tragg attempted to horn in..

"Yes..We are sending a message to the criminal element in this city..a Very strong message that...."

but he was talking to himself...Almost all of the reporters began walking out when he began talking...

All of us had already left....

Furious , he stomped his foot in anger..

II-

We all celebrated back at our new headquarters....

"There she is...The star of the day...Our Boss Lady." said a jubilant Tyriq as we returned..

"We saw you on television boss lady, you were great!" said Carlotta..

Jimmy kissed her on the cheek...

Sirena hugged her...

 So did Duke

and Angie..

Hop took her heels off and helped her to her chair..

"Stop it you guys...You guys are the heroes, You did the heavy lifting..."said a jubilant Sissy..

"I want to thank you guys for including me in this...I'm working with a skelaton crew because of this shutdown...Most of my agents aren't getting paid...I'm not either.."said Sharon...

"Same here." said Carol...

"We are all family here guys" I said.."Where is that champaigne?" I asked..

Just then, Lieutenant Tragg walked in...

"Well..Well, Congratulations are in order my crime busting friends... You guys made all of these cases on a sudden rash of anonymous tips eh" he said..

"We did!  We checked em out throughly before we made any moves.."said Sissy, unlike Lt. Tragg ,who had been embarrassed by anonymous tips lately..

"I take it these tips all came from the same person..." he asked.

"No...the first person was a man....Four or my detectives talked to a woman.."said Sissy..

"So did I." said Carol..

"We traced them back to burner phones...."said Sharon...

"Just a thought...You guys pinched 75, no 77 guys....That's a lot of good will...Just makes you wonder.." he said.."Good day detectives..." he said with a sardonic smile..and walked out..

"What a party pooper.He just can't be happy for us."said Carlotta..

"Who cares about him?  Today is our day!"said Angie..

but Tyriq looked a bit worried..

"Rico, what's the matter?" I asked..

"You know...Tragg is a party pooper, but he's not wrong? We made all of these cases on these individuals based on anonymous tips...Top,Jimmy and I spoke to a man...the rest of you spoke to a woman...all used burner phones...This was orchestrated...Somebody just wiped out all of their immediate competition...They did it without a shot being fired..."said Tyriq.

"Rico is right....We need to watch and see who rises amongst the cream now!"said Duke..

It was a somber thought ,but one that wasn't lost on us...

III-

At a neighborhood bar a very different conversation is going on...

"Man Tapioca look, I don't know who told you I was screwin your girl, but they was lyin..."said the man...

"Nah Buster...I got it on good word it was you and I saw you leavin her apartment, fixin yo clothes..."said Tapioca.

"Man you crazy...I aint been messin with yo girl Tapioca.."said Buster..

Tapioca produced a pistol...

"LYIN BASTARD!" he said and fired three shots into Buster's chest...

Buster fell to the ground...DEAD!!

Tapioca looked at the crowd, then ran out the door...

IV-

 ONE HOUR LATER-

Dr.Hazel Baylor looked at the body lying on the bar room floor in a pool of blood..

"Well it's obvious what he died from...Three gunshot wounds to the chest..." she said..

Tyriq had on latex gloves...He turned the body over..

"This is Bernard "Buster " Norris.. He has several drug corners around here.. We've had our eyes on him for awhile..He's one of two guys who wasn't part of our sweep.....word was , he was moving in on Darin "Tapioca" Brown's turf... he said..

"Guess he's gone now..."I said..

"The whole thing was caught on the camera here in the bar...I recognize the shooter...Darin "Tapioca"Brown.."said Carlotta..

"I spoke to several eyewitnesses..They all fingered "Tapioca" Brown...I know him...He has several corners around here too, but not as many as Buster Norris there.."said Jimmy..

"Pick him up..."said Sissy..

Lt. Tragg walked in with two uniformed officers just then and looked down at the victim, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling..

He shook his head..

"Bernard "Buster " Norris...I knew he'd end up in a chalk outline one day..looks like you got a murder Siss and after you guys did all of that hard work.."he laughed sarcastically..

"We have a suspect....Eyewitnesses and camera footage say it's Tapioca..Know him?" asked Sissy..

"Darin Brown....Tapioca...He's been a fixture in this neighborhood for years...a lot longer than all of those mopes you busted..Guess they were infringing on his business..Makes you miss the days when Fathead Newton had all of this area all sowed up....He kept the peace...When he left it turned into the badlands...Arguing over corners."said Lt. Tragg..

"Eyewitnesses said they were arguing over a woman.."said Jimmy....

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

Tyriq ,who was the primary nodded..

"Yeah...nothing else here to be had..We got the slugs, eyewitnesses and the camera footage." he said.

The body was put in a body bag and rolled away...

"This seems too easy.."said Carlotta..

"Doesn't it now?" laughed Lt. Tragg, who walked away...

"Wonder if he's behind all of this."laughed Jimmy...

 I cracked up..

 So did Carlotta

 and Tyriq

 And Hazel...

"Wouldn't put it past him.."laughed Sissy...

Nothing like a Fresh Murder to dampen a celebration..

(TO BE CONTINUED)