Curly's Bar watching his favorite program on television...
HARD BOTTOM! with B.L. Benz...once his friend...Now the man he hated and envied the most...
"The entire city of Philadelphia wants to know what happened to Buisiness man, reputed Narcotics importer and supplier Anthony "Tony" Montrose...
It's been a month and no one has seen hide nor hair of him...His car was found ,along with his cell phone parked outside of the Olga Diner, where he was last seen alive...
People who remembered seeing him that night said he ordered a New York Strip Steak...Baked Potato and a Garden salad and several Beers...After he finished his meal...He was on his phone...He walked outside and according to one eyewitness, he was seen getting in a 2014 White Audi with two men..Two men he appeared to know and has not been seen since..
Police recovered the car, which was stolen out of a used car lot...but it had been washed and bleached down...No prints or DNA...and no information on Tony Montrose..
What is known is that he was about to be indicted on Federal Drug and Rico charges....along with 39 of his associates...and 26 others....
U.S. ATTORNEY KARLA WILLIAMS
ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY KEITH WALLACE
ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY ROCKLAND CAMBRIDGE
AND ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY KAREN PAGE
successfully prosecuted all 39 of his associates and sent them away for long terms in the federal prison system...In addition, they prosecuted 26 local drug dealers who were buying Heroin, Cocaine,Opiates and weapons from Mr. Montrose's shadow organization and have sent them all away to State Prison...
This was all part of a FBI/ATF/DEA sting...headed by
Carol Redding and Sharon Ferrell Hopkins
using Philadelphia Police Units, Criminal Investigation Division, Narcotics and Vice units..." he said..
Lt. Tragg sat there downing beer after beer.
"Look at that Curly...Every swinging dick worth his salt has been on these big cases...and I'm left out in the cold...That used to be me..Making the big case..." he groused..
Curly didn't feel like debating with him today...so he let him talk...
II-
It had been a month and there had been no sign of Tony Montrose...No movement on his credit cards or debit cards...No one claimed his car...His Condo was still empty....His phone, which we had, didn't get a call or a text...
Carlotta, Tyriq and Jimmy went back on regular rotation, cracking other cases..as did.
Duke and Angie
and
and Hop and Sirena..
All of us were getting off at our regular time and going home...
And yet the mystery of Tony Montrose still gnawed at me..
It Gnawed at Hazel too...
We talked about it...
"I know the case is long over....but I keep thinking it isn't...That you guys missed something..."said Hazel.
"I know...Like there is a huge piece to this missing puzzle that hasn't been placed....Like Tony was about to be indicted and he and he alone had answers , answers somebody didn't want us to know..I always had the feeling that he was just the face we saw on the street...The Trojan Horse.....That somebody else...Somebody in the shadows eluded us somehow...Somehow that investigation fell short ." I said to her..
At our headquarters...DEA Special Agent in charge,
Carol Redding was saying the same thing..
She was in our cafeteria having a catered lunch with the rest of the gang...Her and U.S. Attorney Karla Williams..
"You and your guys have the best places to work...Far away from meddling and prying...I envy you Sissy."said Karla..
"This place is the result of cracking many big cases...It's far away enough from the brass that we can operate with a little autonomy and yet it's no secret...We get visitors from time to time.."laughed Sissy.
''Yeah like Lt. Tragg…."laughed Jimmy.
"I don't know if you know my boyfriend, ADA Miles Ellis..but he says Lt. Tragg is the biggest waste of a Gold Shield on the force.."laughed Karla Williams.
"I know Miles...I like him even more now.."laughed Tyriq..
"Jimmy ,Rico and I once worked in his unit...Boss Lady here rescued the three of us from him.."said Carlotta..
"They were good detectives and he was wasting them.....and I needed some good detectives.."said Sissy...
"Well you had one brilliant detective right under your nose...You and I helped to groom her...Angie Belton-Barlow...Best undercover I ever had.." said Carol..
"Stop..." blushed Angie..
''She makes those bad guys just melt...They all want to marry her...She weakens them..She's our secret weapon ."laughed Sirena..
"We had Tony Montrose right where we wanted him thanks to her..but we uh missed him.."said Hop.
"I wish we could have nabbed him....He wasn't street wise...He was weak...We could have cracked him and gained further inroads...We dropped the ball on him.."sighed Duke.
"That's largely why I'm here today...I feel like...and I know the case is over for the most part..but I feel like there is a huge piece to this missing puzzle that hasn't been placed....Like Tony was about to be indicted and he and he alone had answers , answers somebody didn't want us to know..I always had the feeling that he was just the face we saw on the street...The Trojan Horse.....That somebody else...Somebody in the shadows eluded us somehow...Somehow that investigation fell short ." said Carol Redding.
"The Caterer is here with the food.."said Sissy's husband..Eddie C.
Plate after plate of barbecued ribs , Hamburgers off the grill, Hot dogs , Cole slaw, German potato salad and Barbecued Chicken arrived...
Everybody chowed down...
"Ummm this food is delish."said Sirena..
"Yesssss."said Angie..
"Ummmm Aye Mios Dios.."said Carlotta..
"Nothin like some good ribs.."said Duke..
"You aint never lied buddy."said Tyriq..
"Ummmmmmmmmmm.."moaned Hop...
''Stop making bedroom noises while we eat."joked Sharon..
Sissy,Karla, Carole and Eddie C. cracked up laughing.. Hazel and I walked in just then...
"We got here in the nick of time..."said Hazel...
"Yes....Let me get a plate.." I said.
"I fixed you one papi.."said Carlotta..
and she kissed me softly...
Just then Lt. Tragg walked in....A Nervous uniformed officer said to Sissy...
"I couldn't stop him Lieutenant..." he said.
"That's okay..."said Sissy..
"And this is what we mean by, we get "Visitors" here that we don't get at the other site." he said to Carol and Karla..
who laughed...
"I see you guys are uh once again enjoying yourselves on company time...Look at all this food...Is the department paying for this?" he asked..
"No...I treated my guys to this...We have 100 percent clearence right now....How about yours?" asked Sissy...
"I wouldn't say you have 100 percent clearence...There is still the matter of Tony Montrose...You haven't found him have you?"asked Lt. Tragg...
"Not really my case...He's a federal target...Why HAVE YOU FOUND HIM?" asked Sissy..
"I doubt that." whispered Jimmy to Tyriq.
Tyriq grinned.."Don't start Junior." he said...
Carlotta smiled and continued eating..
"Jimmy be nice and maybe he'll go!" she said.
Hop just laughed and held his head down to his plate...
Sirena cautioned Jimmy..
"Don't start.." she said.
Duke smiled.
So did Angie..
Hazel didn't try to hide her smile..
"One of my officers picked up a guy named Shawn Jacobs...
On the Street they call him "Cappy"said Lt. Tragg...
Now he had everybody's attention....
"He's a low level dealer and was Montrose's driver...He was sick...He's an addict and he needed a fix bad...I let him sweat it out in the Fishbowl and he started talking about how he and somebody named Sonny drove Tony Montrose to some row house...Shot him and then took him to the Crematorium..and cremated him....It was a fantastic story...At first I thought he was blowing smoke up my ass..but then..He was so sick...I thought maybe he might be on the up.."said Lt. Tragg.
"Did you get him to sign an affadavit?" I asked.
"No, but it's on tape..He passed out before he could tell us anything else...He's downtown in the tank...You guys just might be interested.."said Lt. Tragg..
"Rico...You and Me need to talk to him right now.."said Duke..
"Hazel, Sirena....save our plates....We are going downtown.."said Tyriq..
"I'm going too."said Carlotta..
"Thank You Lt. Tragg...You just may have broken this case wide open."said Sissy..
"That's what comes when someone is doing real police work...."said Lt. Tragg..
"Real Police work..One of his uniforms actually made the collar and as usual, he's taking credit for it."whispered Sharon to Carol.
"Whatever...We just might crack this thing after all.."laughed Carol..
"Yeah we just might.."said Sissy.
Karla Williams smiled.
III-
At Sonny's restaurant....Another meeting takes place between him and the mysterious Russian.
''So glad you could come man....My buyer...He's got real sticky fingers and a lot of bread that's burning a hole in his pockets....He wants to meet and meet soon...He has his own operation and he can do major weight...Major weight man.."said Sonny..
"You check him out? You vouch for him?" said The Russian..
"Thoroughly....I know this guy...HE's an old school playa...He's tryin to get back in the game..With the vaccum in leadership we've suffered..He's scooped up a lot of hungry customers...Not just in Philly but on the mainline...He wants to deal...NOW!"said Sonny..
''Set it up...We'll meet here.. It's been a month..doesn't seem to be any heat on you.."said the Russian , who then mentioned.. 'Did you know your friend Cappy got pinched yesterday by the cops?" he said.
\
"I know and I should have been on that...but it's taken care of...Cappy is no longer a problem..."said Sonny..
'What do you mean?" asked the Russian..
"As in...He's gone...Just like Tony Montrose is gone....Without a trace..." said Sonny...
"Good...Set up the meet tomorrow night...." said The Russian..
"And deliver your product in Fish trucks...I can store it in the basement of this place...No one will be looking for it here...They'll all be at Penns Landing,looking for a boat...Who would think to look here..I got you man..."said Sonny..
''Way to step up Sonny....Maybe you really are the person I should have been dealing with all along."said The Russian.
IV-
We headed downtown to headquarters with Lt. Tragg.
"He's in here." said Lt. Tragg as we walked past the Fishbowl.
It was empty...
"'Did you guys book him? Charge him with anything?" I asked.
"Possession?" asked Tyriq..
"Possession? He was sick...He was trying to make a buy."said Carlotta..
"Let's check upstairs."said Duke.
We went to the holding cells upstairs...No sign of Cappy..
''Where is the prisoner...Shawn Jacobs...Cappy?" asked Lt. Tragg.
The Day Officer shrugged..
'''Some Chick paid his bail...He left two hours ago.." he said.
''Some Chick? You know her name? She a lawyer.?/" he asked.
"Nah ,she wasn't no lawyer...Just some chick..." he said..
I looked at Duke...
"This Trojan Horse wants to remain a Trojan Horse.."I said.
"Yup and I got a feeling we aren't ever gonna see Cappy again.."said Duke.
"Maybe if we hurry.."said Carlotta..
"Hurry and go where Top?"said Tyriq...He understood the gravity of the situation...
''The Trojan Horse remains the Trojan Horse."I sighed..
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