Backshot

My wife, Carlotta and I were out enjoying ourselves in the new Mermaid Crabhouse, formerly the Mermaid Club...

We were really impressed with what the new owners had done with the place..

 It had been remodeled and was a far cry from the murderers den the old Mermaid Club had been..

We were chowing down and enjoying the nice spread that was out on the buffet table...

 "Ouu Papi, this oysters are delish."said Carlotta..

"You know what they say about Oysters?  "I said smiling at her leeringly.

"No, what do they say?" she asked..

"They make you horny..."I laughed sheepishly...

"I never heard that...but if so...You need to stay away from them...You're horny enough for the both of us...My goodness...You're getting worse with every year...You always want it..."she fake complained...

"I can't help that you're so hot.." I said in my defense...

"This is true!" Carlotta joked and we both laughed..




II-

 We looked around.....Everyone seemed to be enjoying their dining experience...

 The new owners had completely remodeled the place and the crowds were far different than

the criminals and dregs of society who used to people the old Mermaid Club...

 ''We've got to bring the rest of the guys here."said Carlotta

''We do...I know they'd love this place..." I said..

We stared in each other's eyes and enjoyed a sweet kiss that was interrupted by a somewhat familiar voice...

"KEITH!!!  KEITH WALLACE!! IS THAT YOU? YOU OLD HOUND DOG!!" came the voice of Jason Purifoy...an old college football team-mate of mine....

"Jason??  Jason Purifoy?? Oh My God....Look at you!!!!" I said..

We both hugged and laughed....

"That's Doctor Purifoy son....  I do Sports Medicine , My clients are athletes...Oh My God....I haven't seen you since college!"He said..

"College? You went to Howard University?" asked Carlotta...

"Yes I did....Just because it's a Historically Black College doesn't mean I couldn't go there little lady and uh who is this Keith?" he asked ,leering at Carlotta's breasts and rubbing her legs at the same time..He was always a multi-tasker...

"This is my wife of five years, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace.." I said..

Carlotta discreetly removed his wandering hands which unknown to me were snaking up her dress...She smiled sweetly, but she didn't like that he was leering at her breasts and running his hands up her dress..

"Wife? You got married?/ Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...So you're the girl that finally cooled ole Smooth Keith down huh?  He had quite a way with the ladies...Heh heh Heh!" laughed Jason...

"He has quite a way with me."said Carlotta, who discreetly removed his hands from up under her skirt again...

"I like her Keith...and that accent...Oh my god...I know it drives you crazy..."Jason laughs....

I pulled Carlotta towards me and hugged her...


"Everything about her drives me crazy.."I said..

Carlotta giggled..

''You're a big time lawyer now I hear...Assistant District Attorney.... and your wife here is a detective huh...wow!!" he said..

"Yes...She's with an elite unit, The Criminal Investigation Division...Who investigate major crimes..The type I prosecute...I work very closely with them.."I said..

"And even closer with them eh?" he laughed..

"Did you always have a problem with your hands?" said Carlotta coyly, removing his hands again...He had snaked them up her dress and was palming her behind...This was her attempt to get him to stop...

''He had great hands "I said , not realizing at the time what was going on..."One of the best tight ends we had on that team.." I said.

''And speaking of tight ends.." Jason said, leeringly looking at Carlotta, who unknown to me was both uncomfortable and a little annoyed at his antics and blatant disrespect..

She sat closer to me ,out of range of his wandering hands...

''So what are you doing in town?" I asked.

"Like I said...I'm into sports medicine...I"m seeing two basketball players and a baseball player..Torn ACL on the Basketball players and torn rotator cuff on the pitchers...I'm a specialist..I've got a place in town...You and your wife should uh come see me.." he said with a smile and ordered another round of drinks for the table , while we chowed down on the bucket of crabs and corn on the cob in front of us..

III-

We laughed and talked for about an hour....

''Well, it was nice talkin to you again Keith and nice meeting your sexy wife...but uh..I've got an appointment in the morning....I'll uh be going.." he said..

Carlotta appeared to be relieved....

As he got up...A man dressed like one of the waiters, slipped behind him and shot him twice in the back...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...I don't believe it...I've been shot!" he moaned as he fell to the floor...

The crowd screamed...

Carlotta pushed me down and pulled her pistol out of her pocketbook and her badge..

"Police....get down, get down!" she shouted.. She got behind a table ,aimed and fired at the gunman ,who was running for the door..

He fired back at her...She fired again and hit him in the shoulder..

"Argggggggggggggggggggggghhhh..I don't believe it...I've been shot!" he moaned..

Another man opened fire at Carlotta, who returned his fire.. He thought better of a gun battle with Carlotta and dragged his partner to a motorcycle.. They both pulled off..

Carlotta got in her car and was in hot pursuit...but she was blocked by another car going in the opposite direction....She said she got a good look at the three guys in the car...and she took down the license plate number on her phone..

My wife is a multi tasker...

Inside the Mermaid Crabhouse I knelt over my friend Jason...He was still alive..

"Jason, hang on buddy..I called an ambulance and I called the police...They'll be here...Who did this to you? Why? why would someone shoot you like this?" I asked.

He was in obvious pain, but he managed a smile...

"You're the law man...you tell me.." he said and groaned...He was losing a lot of blood...

Carlotta returned..

"They got away...They had a trap car block me....I think I recognized two of the guys in that car.."she said.

She looked at Jason, who was now unconscious...

"Just what was your friend into?" she asked..

''Whatever it was...He didn't tell me..."I sighed.

IV-

An ambulance arrived....Jason was put on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital...He was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood...

Our CSI guys and photographers dusted for prints and collected the shell casings....

Dr. Hazel Baylor was on the scene ,this time as a Forensic Investigator, not a coroner since there wasn't a dead body this time...

 Carlotta's parteners, Detectives Jimmy Barlow

and Tyriq Pile were taking witness statements.....

and talking to the two owners who were devastated at what had happened ……..

While Lt. Sissy Van Buren was on site talking to Carlotta and I...

"Did you see the shooting?" she asked..

"Yes...The shooter was dressed as a waiter... He apparently knocked the real waiter out and took his clothes...We found him tied up in the basement.."said Carlotta..

''So this was somebody who knew this place....Not hard, since it used to be a den of thieves..He had probably at least been in here enough to know the principal layout.."said Sissy.

"There were two of them...Both traded gunfire with Carlotta.." I said..

"They escaped on a motorcycle, but I got the license number...it's in my phone...I got a good look at both of them..." said Carlotta... "And there were three others in a trap car....The car blocked my way and then pulled off in the opposite direction....I'm certain two of the Gallo Brothers were in that car..."said Carlotta..

"The Gallo Brothers? You sure? They sell Heroin in the North Philadelphia area..They are one of several organizations looking to buy high grade Heroin and Cocaine from our latest target.."said Sissy..

''What would they want with my friend? He's a doctor...He deals with athletes injuries..He's not in that world..I'd state my reputation on it.."I said.,

"Don't do that pal...You know how that type of thing can go..You haven't seen him in three years...He might owe somebody some money...Gambling debts, he might have a habit...You just don't know.."said Tyriq..

"This wasn't random and he wasn't robbed....This was a hit...It was organized ...They had an escape route and a Trap car for a decoy in case something went wrong...All of our eyewitness statements leads to that.." said Jimmy..

"How are you holding up Jimmy...I know you miss Angie." said Carlotta..

"I see her like every two or three days when she slips of...I hate that she takes these undercover assignments.." he said..

His wife, Detective Angela Belton-Barlow was deep undercover inside Ernesto Borrasco's organization...

The Handsome Ernesto Borrasco is an Attorney and Real Estate Developer , who is suspected of supplying Heroin and Cocaine to several drug organizations in West Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, The Mainline, South Philadelphia and now North Philadelphia...

He and his beautiful wife live downtown in a very tony development..

Where Angie also has a condo....

and is posing as his accountant....

an almost fool proof cover created for her by the feds...

Our good friends , FBI Deputy Special Agent in charge, Sharon Farrell-Hopkins and

 DEA Regional Special Agent in Charge, Carol Redding have been staying at our secret off site Hotel, which is owned by the Federal Government..

Here with agents from the FBI, ATF and DEA they have been doing an investigation of Ernesto Borrasco and his entire operation for close to a month...

Duke was already over there along with a street team he had put together of Plain Clothes Vice and Narcotics men, investigating the drug organizations believed to be doing business with Borrasco and making sure Angie's cover was safe at all times and that she was well wired.

Sissy hadn't brought the rest of the team in on it yet...

We were still working at our new headquarters and going home every night...with the exception of Hop ,Hazel

and Jimmy..

Who were already staying off site

To be near their spouses....

Angie slipped off every now and then to be with Jimmy...but other than that...He was there by himself....but surrounded by all the law enforcement that was working around the clock on this case...

''At any rate Chica...I need you to look at some mug shots ..Rico...You ,Jimmy and Hop study club photos....Business cam photos from outside  and go over the eyewitness statements...

''We are on it boss lady.." said Tyriq and Jimmy...

"Chica, go through his finances....thoroughly...Find out if he was into anybody for anything...Find out if he had a drug habit....Get Sirena and Hop

 to help you...They're still around.."said Sissy.

''I'm on it.."said Carlotta...

I couldn't believe it...Out for a nice peaceful night on the town and this happens...Murder doesn't take a night off! I thought...

(TO BE CONTINUED)