Tangled Up In Murder

PHILADELPHIA , 2042

We were in a very stylish and tony loft...An attractive and shapely young blonde lie on the floor...her lifeless eyes staring at the sky..

I stared at her strangely....I kneeled down and touched her...I am Detective Nate Nellis, Homicide..

"She's cold...."I said...

My wife, Detective Monica Nellis had on latex gloves....she rolled the body over...She observed the same thing...

"Very little blood...a gunshot to the chest, a through and through.." she observed...

''Let me look at her " said my sister in law, Dr. Monique Cotton, County Coroner and forensic investigator and the identical twin sister of my wife, Monica..

"Brother in law is right...She's very cold....She's stiff too..."she said..,

We had gotten a call just twenty minutes before from this area that shots had been fired...An Anonymous call from a burner phone  no doubt...Which meant we couldn't trace it...

"If she was killed right away....She'd be warm right?" asked Monica.

"That's correct....judging by body temperature and decomp...She's been dead at least 12 or 13 hours..."said Monique..

 CSI and People from the Medical Examiners office were going over the place for prints ,DNA, anything..

I had a team of uniforms on the street, questioning people in nearby lofts and apartments..So far, nobody had seen or heard anything...Especially not gunshots, which differed from what our caller said.

"Something else bothers me.." I said..

"What's that partner?" asked Monica..

"Look at her..."I said.."You're a woman...You too Monique.." I said.

"Well thank you for noticing."joked Monique...

Monica laughed...

"She's clad in her panties and bra...The panties are inside out...The tag is showing...No woman would dress herself like that...This was staged....She was killed somewhere else and brought here.."I said.

 Monique smiled and looked at her sister...

"I know...I'm married to him...Nothing I can do now...but he does have a point...No woman we know would dress like that with the panties inside out.."said Monica..

"Maybe she hadn't done her laundry and didn't have a clean pair.."said Monique..

I smiled..The three of us laughed...

"I'm glad you three find this humorous.."came the voice of the Deputy of Operations...Clyde Gould...

Lieutenant Cotton walked in behind him....He wasn't smiling..

"Just a little humor to lighten up the mood sir..Death is a very somber business.."said Monica.

''Was I supposed to find that funny detective? What have you got?" he asked..

"She's cold....She's been dead at least 12-15 hours...but we got an anonymous call saying shots were fired about twenty minutes ago...We come here and we find her...I think this whole thing was staged sir.." I said..

''Oh you do huh? You got a name? An address?/" he asked.

"Her name is Valarie Porter...She's 29 and she doesn't live here...That's according to her prints ,which I took and ran through decks..using my tablet..."said Monica.

"That means she has a record right?" asked Lieutenant Cotton..

''A few misdemeanors..Nothing major.."said Monica..

''My guys are finished here...Can I move the body?"asked Monique...

"Yeah we are done."said Monica..

"Are you the primary?" he asked..

''Actually my husband is.."said Monica.

"Then he releases the body...That's proper protocol detective."said the Deputy of Operations.

''Sir, these are my two best detectives..."said Lt. Cotton..

''Yeah, well why are you two standing here???...Get out there and get some clues, some evidence...I want action on this and fast.." he said.

 "Yes Sir.."I said..

But Monica stared at him strangely....then left....

"I don't like her attitude...Cotton, you'd better straighten her out...Or I will.." he snarled..

"I don't work for you, but that's my sister...and I don't like how you're talking to her and my brother in law.."said Monique , who didn't mince words..

''I don't give a Merry-"

''Hold it right there sir...That's my wife.."said Lt. Cotton...

"Perhaps that is the problem...Maybe you're too close to this case....Your two top detectives are your sister and brother in law and you're married to the Medical Examiner...If I was running things I wouldn't allow all of this family togetherness...Tell your detectives to get me some evidence and get me an arrest....and fast." he snarled.

''Why are you so interested in this case? We handle several homicides at any given time...Yet you zeroed in on this case...Do you know her?" asked Lt. Cotton..

"WHAT? WHY WOULD I KNOW HER?" asked the Deputy Of Operations...

Monique stared at him strangely as the body was

was wheeled out...

II-

Monica was stewing as we flew back to headquarters..

"I can't stand him....That pig!" she steamed..

"Yeah he is rough...I remember when he was a lieutenant of Auto Theft...Nobody liked him..."I said..

Back at the squadroom, our friend Detective Kylie White sat mooning at her desk....

''Hey Nate, Mo-Mo...You guys caught a case huh?" said Kylie..

"Looks like you caught the love bug.."said Monica.. "Still mooning over Carlos...No pun intended.."laughed Monica.

"Get out of my head Mo-Mo..but yes..I was thinking about him..We talked last night...He Hologramed me.Girl it was almost as if he was here.."said Kylie dreamily...

"Goin to the moon to see him soon?" I asked.

''Soon as I get some free time.." said Kylie..

''Want to tag along with us while we question some suspects?" I asked.

''Sure why not."said Kylie.

"Good we don't have to be here when the killer comes back!" said Monica..

"The Killer?" I asked..

"I'll break it down for you later partner.."said Monica.

III-

The three of us recanvassed the crime scene....

''Street Cams and this one traffic cam were temporarily disabled for an hour" said Kylie...

"Just enough time to transport the body here by whoever.."said Monica..

"I had a team of officers questioning the neighbors....Nobody saw anything." I said..

 "Who Lives here?" asked Kylie.

"Nobody officially"said Monica...

"Unofficially , this is owned by John Sebring...He's a local businessman...This is kind of like a relaxation spot for his business guests.." I said..

"Reminds me of our very first case partner..with Jay-Bird."said Monica..

"Yeah"I laughed and then I spotted it... "Look, over there, under the cabinet..." I said..

"I see it" said Monica..

It was a gun!!

She used a pencil to lift it up and she ran the serial number through her tablet..  It didn't take three minutes for a match to come back...

"John Sebring.." said Monica.

"Surprise ,Surprise.."I said dryly...

''Wow this case just fell right into your laps.." said Kylie.

"Yeah how about that.."said Monica...

Kylie put the gun in a plastic bag and tagged it...

"Let's get this to your sister for a ballistic check." I said.

IV-

Hours later at the squadroom...

Deputy Of Operations,Clyde Gould walked into the Squadroom...

"Soooooooooo, you guys are back...I assume you have a lead.." he said.

"We found a gun registered to John Sebring, a local businessman, who also owns the loft where Ms. Porter's body was found..We are waiting for my sister to determine if it's a ballistics match." said Monica.

He stared at Me...

''She always do your talking for you?" he asked..

"You asked a question...You didn't direct it to anyone in particular.."I said..

I could tell that Monica hated him with a passion, just by the way she kept looking at him...

He went to the phone...He called the Medical Examiner's Office...

"THIS IS DEPUTY OF OPERATIONS CLYDE GOULD...A .38 smokeless was turned in by two homicide detectives this afternoon...I want you to clear away all of your present cases and put a rush on that analysis...It's the PORTER CASE!!" he said.

''How'd he know the caliber of the weapon? You didn't mention that" said Kylie..

"That's a very good question Kylie."said Monica sarcastically.

Now I stood there wondering the same thing..

Monique walked in just then..

"I was actually on my way here...I'd already done an analysis of your weapon.." she said.

"And? What is it?" asked Deputy Of Operations Clyde Gould.

''Did your mother have any other children that lived?" asked Monique, who made it clear she did not like him...Unlike us..She didn't work for him or have to take his guff..

He looked like he 'd swallowed a canary...

Lt. Cotton laughed...

"You find something funny Lieutenant?" he snarled..

"This gun is a ballistics match for the gunshot wound in your female victim, Ms. Porter.."said Monique , deftly avoiding a showdown between her husband and the Deputy of Operations..

He then stared at me...

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE....PUT AN APB OUT FOR John Sebring...DO IT NOW!" he barked.

I stared at him hard....and then got on the phone...

Monica said nothing...She just stared at him...

"I expect him in bracelets within the next 12 hours...Is that understood?  Good day detectives.." he said and left..

"Why is he so interested in this case?" asked Lt. Cotton..

"Because he killed her and he's covering his ass."said Monica..

We all busted out laughing...

But I stared at my wife...She wasn't laughing...and she didn't look like she was joking either..

This was just the beginning of a very bizzare case.

(TO BE CONTINUED)