Lt. Tragg had managed to get himself put on Marine Boat Duty and was "Out at Sea"...Meaning he was off the streets....
My Wife, Detective Carlotta Rodiguez-Wallace and Her partners, Detective Tyriq Pile and Detective James "Jimmy" Barlow..
Cracked four of his open murder cases...Unsolved murders that had sat around for at least two weeks.. Funny how he was always getting on us when we had an unsolved or open murder case...
Tyriq's wife, Detective Sirena Harris-Pile and her partner and newly minted Attorney, Detective Tony Hopkins had also
cracked four of his additional homicides....Bringing in the cases rather quickly...in under 72 hours..
''Can you believe this guy? Always getting on us about having one open murder...Making a big deal about it at COMSTAT...Meanwhile..He's busy lousing up cases he does bring in and he's got 12...12 open cases.." said Lt. Sissy Van Buren of the Criminal Investigation Division....My Good friend for years and the person I helped recruit all of the good detectives she was currently working with..
"Well Siss, relax...Tragg is out on a boat...and we've got no one breathing down our backs....We don't even have those nutty COMSTAT meetings to go to.."I said.. I am Assistant District Attorney, Keith Wallace..I prosecute major crimes.
Detective Edwin "Duke " Baylor
and his partner , Detective Angela Belton- Barlow
also cracked
an additional four murder cases....ironically enough giving him 100 percent clearance...His first in over two years...
Deputy Coroner and Forensic Investigator, Dr. Hazel Baylor was overjoyed...She hated working a case with Lt. Tragg.. She much more preferred working with us...and for a month, She was as happy as a lark...
''Well the takeaway from all of this is we have 100 percent clearance too.." said Sissy..
"As well as conviction rate...Unlike him...All 12 of our suspects we arrested , were convicted and are on their way to the State Prison.." I said..
''Yeah Sis...It's been a great month...No Lieutenant Tragg….You guys cracked 12 murder cases, Keith here got 12 convictions...and the best part...We haven't had to work over time here.." she said..
"Everybody gets to go home ,every night at the end of shift.." she said..
II-
This was true...As much as we loved each other's company....
We loved going to our comfortable new homes ,which was in a cul de sac not far from the three shopping centers , movie theatres and clubs in our neighborhood..
For me and Carlotta...
"Mmmmmmm, ouuuuu baby..."
"Aye Mios Dios...you are sooo damn BIG." she moaned..
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my goddddd!" I moaned..
Duke and Hazel..
Tyriq and Sirena..
Angie and Jimmy
Hop and Sharon....
and
Sissy and Eddie..
"Ummmmm baby, baby..."
"Ohhh my godddd...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."
That meant a lot more time at night to make sweet, sweet love......
And time to hang out in our favorite places..
Sam Mother's Diner
Mabel Jenkins Soul Food Restaurant
Josie's
Aqua Bar
and the Mermaid Crabhouse...
and hang out with our favorite people..
Attorney's Olivia Bennett-Alexander, her niece ,Attorney Beverly West East, Donnie Ray Alexander, their Investigator and Attorneys, Nelson East and Josie Boyd..
as well as Attorneys Yvette Jones, Keith Jones, Beatrice "Bee Bee" Evans, Sofia Garcia, Kahlil Ahmed and their Investigator, Jade Lee..
D.A. Investigator, Gary Lockwood and our good friend, Danny Ho at Robbery-Homicide..
Lt. Tragg had really been harassing them lately...They had defended and acquitted several people he arrested and helped arrest the correct person, causing him national embarrassment...
His harassment of these attorneys is what earned him a month on the water...
We were all grateful for a month's reprieve from him...
But.....all good things come to an end...
III-
TWO DAYS LATER-
I arrived at a tony townhouse in the Olde City area of the city....
Inside, crime scene investigators and forensic specialists were snapping photos and dusting for prints and DNA...
Dr. Hazel Baylor , Detectives Carlotta Rodriguez- Wallace, Tyriq Pile and James "Jimmy" Barlow had on latex gloves and were looking at two bodies..A Man and a woman, both African-American
lying on the living room floor..
"She took one bullet to the head...she died instantly..."said Carlotta...
"He took one to the head also...same gun..." said Tyriq...
"This could be a murder-suicide.." said Jimmy...
"I'd be inclined to agree with you if this was any body else...but that's Dallas Brown...Real Estate developer and rumored to traffic in Narcotics..."said Sirena..
"He and his wife did very well in Real Estate...but a nasty rumor has been circulating for years that these two, when they lived in West Philadelphia and had one small office , sold High grade Heroin and Cocaine and had several dealers on several corners.." said Hop..
"They moved wayyyy past those days...Their Mom and Pop Real Estate Business began to take off..They made contributions to several politicians..They moved uptown into this tony little townhouse..and mingled with the Hoi palloi of society..." said Duke..
''And instead of controlling corners...They sold a package to everybody...Rumor has it...Their package which includes Heroin, Coke, Opiates, Meth...you name it was sold to all of the independent dealers in West Philly, Southeast Philly, Manyunk and parts of South Philly...They laundered the money of course through their real estate offices and lived respectfully here..."said Angie.
"Giving huge donations to Churches, The Board of Education, Civic Causes what have you...Taking Photos with the Mayor, City council, The Governor..and all the while, selling a package that was juicing the streets and lining their pockets..." said Sissy...
"And their air of respectability successfully kept us from putting a tag on them.." I said.
"Oh we tried Keith, we put undercovers close to them...They always got discovered...Covers blown...We attempted to tap their phones, clone their computers and laptops..what have you.."said Tyriq..
"Discovered and their lawyers put a stop to it.."said Sirena..
"Best we could do was intercept their packages and lock up their dealers.." said Angie,.,
"We locked up 78 guys in two years and confiscated a lot of dope over a period of a year...But they just changed up and kept right on going.."said Jimmy..
"We never even found a stash house and none of the guys we locked up knew enough to put these two in for any crime.."said Carlotta.
"And after awhile we put these two on the backburner and moved on to other investigations.."said Sissy..
''Which is what they wanted." I said angrily..
Hop and 7 uniformed officers came from the basemet..
"Sis, you gotta see this.They aren't RUMORED to be in the drug business anymore.." he said..
Sissy, Angie, Duke and I stepped into the basement.. There we saw Bags of Heroin and Cocaine.. Along with Opiates and Meth, all street ready and ledgers..with the names of customers and distribution sites..payments and addresses and phone numbers..
"Holy Mackrell...This is everything we've ever wanted.."said Sissy..
"This is enough to close the book on Dallas and Reba Brown.." said Angie..
"Somebody already did that.." said Duke..
''So you don't think this was a Murder -Suicide?" I said..
"Officially...that's what we are going to call this...But I want us to look deeper and I don't want any leaks this time.."said Sissy..
"Boss Lady, we got company.." said Carlotta..
"Take A Guess." said Tyriq..
"The GREAT DETECTIVE" said Jimmy...
Two police cruisers faced opposite directions..
Lt. Tragg, flanked by four uniformed police officers walked into the Townhouse..
Upon seeing him, Hazel sighed...
"Oh Hell." she said..
"Easy Hazel.."said Sirena..
Hop said nothing..He was talking to three of the uniforms..
"That's Dallas and Reba Brown...the Real Estate Moguls..." said Lt. Tragg…. 'What was this a double or Murder -Suicide??" asked Lt. Tragg..
''We are trying to determine that Lieutenant.."said Carlotta.
"They were both killed with the same gun...Serial number was filed off.."said Tyriq..
Jimmy didn't say anything..He just smirked..
''Something funny detective? Something to say?" asked Lt. Tragg..
''Something you want Lieutenant?"asked Sissy...
"Is this a murder-suicide or a double? These two were very prominent people and the Deputy Of Operations is going to want action on this fast.." he said..
"Well in addition to their deaths, we have found a lot of dope in the basement and ledgers with names, dates of payments, addresses and phone numbers...These two dealt in Narcotics....I know you've heard the rumors over the years....Now we have proof.."said Sissy...
"I have heard the rumors.."said Lt. Tragg...
Sissy called her detectives..
''Keith is going to get warrants....I want arrests made tonight of all of these people...You say nothing to nobody...By the time the charging dockets are ready...I want you knocking on doors, putting these people in bracelets.."said Sissy..
''We are on it." they said and hurried out..
"Kevlar Vests and Trauma Plates...Everybody!!! That's an order.." said Sissy..
''Where are they going?" asked Lt. Tragg...
"To take some doors and make some arrests..."said Sissy...
IV-
"You've got suspects?" asked Lt. Tragg..
Sissy looked at the two corpses..
"In this? No...we still have to determine if this was Murder-Suicide or a double..but I want every person in those ledgers off the street..." said Sissy...
I left to prepare warrants for 79 people, Associates of the Browns , who bought their drugs and distributed them amongst independent dealers..
"WHAT ABOUT THIS?" Lt. Tragg asked rather loudly..
"It's my case...Why are you worried about it? My detectives cleared all 12 of your open cases while you were away....So relax... I've got this.." said Sissy...
"Oh Really? The Deputy Of Operations will want to know about the callous way you are handling this.."said Lt. Tragg..
"Do you really want to be making that call right now?" Sissy asked him..daring him to, after all the trouble he had recently found himself in...
She then turned to Hazel..
"Hazel, you can release the bodies now.." she said softly..
Hazel smiled..
as the bodies of Narcotics Traffickers, Dallas
and his wife, Reba Brown were put in body bags and transferred out of the Townhouse..
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