A Little Red Row House

The Roundhouse...Universally known as the headquarters of the Philadelphia Police department..

Lieutenant Arthur Tragg ran his monthly COMSTAT meeting in which all of the Lieutenants and Sergeants were evaluated...

Most of them thought this was a waste of time...Time they could spend running their units and actually solving crimes...but for two hours every month they had to sit in Lieutenant Tragg's kangaroo court and be humiliated and debased for everything from time management to having too many open cases..

He saved his two favorite targets for last...Lieutenants Sissy Van Buren

and newly minted Lieutenant Danny Ho..

They both knew what was coming..

"Lieutenant Van Buren, last month your division led the department in overtime hours...All 7 of your detectives went wayyy overtime...Care to explain?" he sneered..

"Well we were busy solving crimes." she said sarcastically..

Several of the other detectives laughed..

"Really?" he asked.

I believe a couple of them were cases you originally had and dropped the ball on...For instance..The New Years Day murder of Gilbert Carter...We captured his killer, John David Stutts within 48 hours...He was unfortunately murdered himself , and we killed his murderer in an attempt of his to kill U.S. Attorney Tony Richardson....That was one of your cases also...

Next..We helped the FBI/ATF take down a right wing terror cell that was targeting judicial candidates with both blackmail and murder..We arrested 40 people within 72 hours...

Next, you falsely arrested ADA Gray, who was acquitted and we were about to arrest Joseph Bologna, the real killer, who unfortunately committed suicide before we could make an arrest...

You Falsely arrested a man, Ronnie Dule...who was also acquitted..We arrested Samantha Jordaine, who confessed to the two murders and another one, we didn't even know about...I believe that was one of YOUR OPEN cases...." said Sissy.

The other Sgt's and Lieutenants were smiling, some openly giggling...

Lt. Danny Ho was outright laughing...

Lt. Tragg was as red as a beet...He was sorry he had asked Sissy anything..

"Oh and there is more...You arrested a City Councilman and charged him with murder...he was also acquitted...and my detectives arrested the real killer, The Judge ,who is now in jail...It seems we cleaned up quite a few of your messes Lieutenant.."said Sissy with a deadpan face.

By now..the entire room had erupted in laughter....

Lt. Tragg stared at newly minted Lieutenant Danny Ho...Trying to deflect from what Sissy had just said.

"And you...You've got two open murders and several home invasions...Several unsolved Home Invasions.."said Lt. Tragg..

''WRONG... We arrested five men yesterday for the Home Invasions...We got some of the money and practically all of the stolen jewelry back and we charged one of those men with two counts of 2nd degree murder...The case is down."said Danny Ho..

"But you had to run to Lt. Sissy Van Buren and the CID for help, you couldn't solve it on your own, could you?" sneered Lt. Tragg..

"Actually...We came to him for help, after the two homicides, when we connected them to the series of home invasions that Lt. Ho and Robbery-Homicide was already investigating....I was shorthanded..Four of my detectives

 Edwin "Duke "Baylor

 Angela Belton-Barlow

 James Barlow

and Tony Hopkins,
were part of a Federal Task Force that was targeting a major drug operation...Yesterday They arrested 56 people and raided two warehouses, snagging a lot of drugs and weapons...Meanwhile, Lt. Ho and my detectives, Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace, Tyriq Pile and Sirena Pile

Arrested Five men involved in the Home Invasions, recovered most of the stolen merchandise and charged one of the men with two murders....and that is why I led the department in overtime..

And why Lt. Danny Ho, successfully led the operation that made this happen." said Sissy.

All of the Lieutenants and Sgts stood up and applauded Sissy and Danny and began filing out..

"WAIT....THIS MEETING IS NOT ADJOURNED YET!!! WAIT!!" yelled Lt. Tragg...

but no one was listening, they all, including Sissy and Danny Hall walked out and headed to their precincts.

Lt. Tragg stomped his foot...He was furious as well as embarrassed...

 "Thank God, we wrapped up all of these cases in the nick of time huh Siss.?" asked Lt. Danny Ho.

"Yes...We sure stuck it to that pompous bastard...We spent most of our overtime cleaning up his messes.."said Sissy...

II-

It was morning and Several of us stood outside of the Olga Diner, Where the car of Reputed Narcotics Smuggler, Tony Montrose sat unattended..

A 2020 Bentley...

 "I gotta say one thing...This guy knew how to live...Look at this car...It's a Beauty.."said Jimmy..

 "He was pulling in millions a month...He had the whole city tied up...everybody was buying product from him...He had no competitors...He probably could afford a fleet of these cars."said Tyriq..

 "But where is he? His car is here...but no sign of him.."said Carlotta.

 "I was just inside...The Night Manager said he had a New York Strip Steak, Baked Potatoes, Shrimp and a salad and some beers....He looked like he was waiting for someone.."said Hop..

 "A waitress told me he was out here on his phone standing by the car..."said Sirena..

 "This is weird....He was here...and no sign of him..."said DEA SAC Carol Redding..

"His phone is on the front seat of the car....I checked it for his calls...They were all to one number.. A number I suspect is from a burner phone.." said Sharon..

"I won't know for sure until my guys check the car out...but there doesn't seem to be any signs of foul play...."said Hazel..

"No sign of the keys....and yet his phone is on the front seat....The car wasn't locked either..And this expensive phone

is on the front seat?? I'm getting a real bad feeling about this."said Duke.

"I am too....Did I tell you he proposed to me? Look at this diamond.."said Angie who showed it off..

 "Ouuuuuuuuuu you go mami..."said Carlotta.

"What did you tell him?" asked Sirena..

"I said -"Ohhh Tony this is so sudden...I have to think about this.."said Angie as everybody laughed..

"That was the day we were told to come in.."laughed Jimmy...

"Thank God...I didn't want his fat grubby hands on me anymore or to have to smell his strong cologne and his hot breath.."laughed Angie..

"Ang you bring it out in people.."laughed Tyriq..

"Remember that Rapist that strangled your friend that couldn't control his liquid expressions of love.?" said Duke..

"WHATTTT?" laughed Hop..

"I remember that case."laughed Carlotta..

"It was before you and Hop were in the unit "said Angie to

Sirena and Hop..

"And actually...YOU weren't in the unit...You were up in Internal Affairs."laughed Duke.

"Yeah that's right.."laughed Angie..

Sissy and I drove up...

 "What have we got here? he's not...He's not dead is he?" asked Sissy...

"Where is he?" I asked..

"That's the question...He's not here..We popped the trunk...It's clean....We found the car parked here this morning...with his phone on the seat...No sign of him..He had a meal inside and some drinks alone..He came out here and was on his phone...He made two calls...to the same number..We think it's a burner phone..and one call was made to him..."said Sharon..

"He called this same number...At 11:35 pm and talked to 11:50...he made another call at 12:15 am...That was his last call...At 12:30 am, a call from this same number was made to him and that was it.."said Carol Redding.

"This is a pretty expensive car..." I said.

A 2020 Bentley

''And a Pretty expensive phone."said Sissy..

looking at the phone on the front seat...

"Nobody would just walk away from this phone or this car.."said Carlotta.

Tyriq and

Jimmy walked over with a man, a man who said he'd seen Tony Montrose..

"Tell us what you saw." they said.

"I saw him....He was on his phone...He seemed nervous...about a quarter to one a car drove up..

It was a white Audi...A real nice lookin car...I uh didn't get the license plate number but there was a white guy driving it..

He had on a Gray Hoodie and a leather jacket...and a Black Guy in the passenger seat..

He was suit and tie down...Clean shaven...No facial hair...Nice haircut...Fresh cut...

They seemed to know each other...They laughed and talked...and he got in the car with them and pulled off.." said the man..

"What time was this?" I asked.

"About one o'clock." he said.

"So he was last seen at 1:00 am....Question is...Where is he now?" asked Agent Redding..

"We won't get any answers here..Let's head back to headquarters."said Sharon.

III-

We all headed back to headquarters..It was a nice reunion...The first time we'd all been together in about a month...

 "The Band is back together."laughed Carlotta.

 "AMEN TO THAT!"laughed Tyriq.

 'We can all go home tonight...and leave on time.."said Jimmy...

 "YES...No outstanding casework.."said Hop..

 "Except the disapearence of your number one target."said Sirena..

 "Yeah....but he's out of business..We froze his accounts, we raided his warehouse and his people and his clients are all locked up...He'll show up."said Angie.

"He's got nowhere to go...We put out a bolo on him...and I called the Stateys….The Feds have a warrant out on him..

"Guys, I think I got something....We hacked into the Street and Traffic cams...We got that car..

The car that he left in...We were able to track it...We even got a shot of the license plate...Get this..That car was stolen off a car lot, two weeks ago..."said Sharon..

"This is not looking good.."said Sissy..

''Auto Theft called...They've located that car."said Jimmy...

"WOW!" said Sirena..

'' Well....Let's Go."said Sharon..

IV-

The car was parked in front of a little red two story row house in Southwest Philadelphia...It was the only house on the block..

The car was eerily quiet...

 Jimmy popped the trunk...There was nothing in it...

Carlotta was wearing latex gloves...

"Nothing in here...Smell the bleach?" she said..

"Yeah...I'm betting no prints no DNA..."said Tyriq..

"I've got a real bad feeling about this.." said Hazel...

"Me too!"said Carol...

"Well" said Sissy...let's try the house.." she said..

Duke ,Angie, Hop and Sirena pulled their weapons... Two of the uniformed officers who came with them knocked the door down...

They didn't have to go any further than the living room...

There was fresh blood everywhere...on the walls and on the floor..but no body....

Sissy ,Carol, Sharon, Carlotta, Tyriq, Jimmy and Five uniformed officers raced upstairs and looked in every single room..

"CLEAR!!! CLEAR!!! CLEAR!! CLEAR!! CLEAR!!" they yelled..

Duke ,Angie,Sirena and Hop and  Two uniformed officers stormed the basement...

"CLEAR!" they yelled..

There was nothing in the house...

Just blood all over the living room wall and the floor..

'Oh My God...so much blood.."said Hazel.

"Look what I've found!!" said Carlotta..

She took a pencil and lifted a gun with a silencer on it... She placed it in a plastic bag...

"It smells like bleach...I'm betting no fingerprints or DNA."she said.

Sirena took a pair of tweezers and pulled two slugs out of the wall...She put them in an evidence bag...

''Well...Somebody was shot in this house...and recently and the killers didn't try to hide it."said Carol.

"Somebody was murdered in this house...We all know it..We all need to stop pretending...Your target, Anthony Montrose, for all intents and purposes is dead!"I said with certainty...

(TO BE CONTINUED)