A Crime Scene....a gruesome crime scene... Two young people are dead...A young man, 17 years old, is dead in his car, one gunshot wound to the head....A young lady, a few feet away is also dead, shot five times in the back, multiple gunshot holes in their car...
Crime Scene Investigators and Forensic people are snapping photos ,collecting shell casings and taking blood samples for DNA....as well as looking for prints...
Deputy Coronor and Forensic Investigator ,Dr. Hazel Baylor sighs relief...For once...Some decent detectives are on the case and not Lt. Tragg..
My wife, Detective Carlotta Rodriguez -Wallace is looking at the body of the male in the front seat...
"He was hit first....In the side of the head and killed instantly..." she said..
Her partner, Detective Tyriq Pile looked at his driver's license...
"His name is Pete...Pete Holland...He's 17...He would have been 18 in two days....looks like he was out here with his girlfriend..."said Tyriq, shaking his head and angrilly stomping his foot..
"Damn, just a kid...He hadn't even started living yet...I was just getting my drivers license when I was 17.." he said..
Their other partner, Detective James "Jimmy" Barlow was looking at the second body...a female..
"She tried to run after the boyfriend got shot...She must have seen the killer...Maybe she knew her or him...She got hit five times in the back...Woww!" said Jimmy...turning the body over... He looked in her purse that was a few feet from her body...
"Helen Petrie....She was 17 too! Maybe a jealous girlfriend or boyfriend of one of them did this?" he seemed to question in thin air...
"They were shot with a Sig Sauer." said a uniformed officer at the scene...
"No High school kids have that kind of artillary....At least I hope not.." said Lt. Sissy Van Buren..
"Oh My god...Things were quiet for a few weeks and then we get a double..."I said.. I'm Assistant District Attorney, Keith Wallace...I prosecute Major Crimes... I work closely with the detectives of the Criminal Investigation Division...
''We've got company..." I said..
Two police cars drove up facing each other in the opposite direction.....That could only mean one thing...
Lt. Tragg was here...
Four Uniformed policemen got out...Then He got out and walked behind them....
''What have we got here?" he asked..
''WHAT MY DETECTIVES HAVE IS A DOUBLE HOMICIDE....TWO KIDS SHOT TO DEATH!" said Sissy, letting him know that this was her crime scene..
''What is he doing here?" asked Hazel to herself...
"I see." he said and looked at the two bodies....The young man slumped in the car....and then the young lady a few feet away...lying face down...
"Looks like a double." he said...
"I see he was at the head of his class." Hazel said to a patrolman and a Medical Assistant.. Both , who snickered...
Lt. Tragg heard what she said and took note of who laughed, but for now..He chose not to say anything..
"Any witnesses?" he asked..
"Around Here? None that we could find when we got here...This is a place people go to, to be alone."said Carlotta, Taking her latex gloves off..
"Something He wouldn't know about.." said Jimmy...
Lt. Tragg heard that remark and was incensed...
"Somebody must have witnessed it...We got an anonymous call, telling us where we could find them and the description of the scene...Only nobody was here when we got here.."said Tyriq..seeking to defuse the situation..
"They must have used a cell phone...No payphones anywhere in sight.."said Jimmy...
Ignoring Lt. Tragg completely...Hazel asked -
"Can I release the bodies Sissy?"
"Hold On...Hold On...I haven't finished my initial investigation.." said Lt. Tragg.
'What Initial Investigation? This is my crime scene..Detectives Wallace, Pile and Barlow are the detectives on this case....You have nothing to do with this....Why must we always have this song and dance? My detectives don't go anywhere near your crime scenes.." said Sissy.
"Lt. Tragg, we have this under control." I said, trying to be diplomatic..
Just then, a very attractive woman walked over to us...
''Who is in charge here...I need to speak to you.." she said..
"I am...Lieutenant Arthur Tragg...Homicide.." he said..
"Pay him no mind...I'm in charge...I'm Lt. Sissy Van Buren, Criminal Investigation Division...This is my crime scene.." said Sissy..
"BUT I AM THE SUPERIOR OFFICER...I HAVE SENORITY!" bellowed Lt. Tragg.
''As I said...I am in charge...This is my crime scene...and this is the primary..
Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace
and her partners, Detective James" Jimmy" Barlow..
and Detective Tyriq Pile...and who might you be?" asked Sissy..
"I'm Detective Barbara Hutton, Bayside Homicide...I might be able to assist you with this.." she said. She showed us her ID and her Gold Shield...
"Bayside Homicide??....Little Lady, you are out of your jurisdiction...Thank you, but the Philadelphia Police can more than handle this..." said Lt. Tragg..
She ignored Lt. Tragg. She had already figured out that he was a butthead..
"Listen...I have an identical double homicide just like this, that occurred in Bayside...Three weeks ago and I think we should compare notes.." she said..
"I think you should go back to Bayside and try to solve your double...and Let Philadelphia solve this one."said Lt. Tragg..
"Is He always so...HELPFUL?" asked Detective Barbara Hutton..
"Helpful is not the word I'd use.." said Detective Jimmy Barlow..
"I'm Assistant District Attorney , Keith Wallace... ''What makes you so sure?" I asked..
"BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO KILLED MY TWO GAVE US AN ANONYMOUS TIP AND ANNOUNCED IN A PHONE CALL THAT HE WAS COMING TO PHILADELPHIA TO DO THIS!" she said..
''We do need to talk, come with us..Is that your car?" asked Sissy...
"Yes.." she said..
"Follow Us...We have our own seperate headquarters and there is lodging where you can sleep.." said Sissy..
"Are you upsurping my Authority?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"You have no authority here..."Hazel Release the bodies, Carlotta, Rico, Jimmy, let's go....This is Detective Hutton from Bayside...She may be able to help us...She's coming with us..GOOD NIGHT LIEUTENANT! "said Sissy..
Both bodies were on their way to the morgue.....
We all got in our cars and pulled off....Leaving Lt. Tragg
By himself...
II-
We drove out to our headquarters...
We took Detective Hutton up to our cafeteria...
''Oh my god...You guys have a whole building? Nice..." said Detective Hutton, looking around..
''We are an elite unit...We investigate major crimes, Kidnappings, Serial Killers, Drug dealers and kingpins...Criminal Enterprises..I have four other detectives who you will meet tomorrow... The FBI and ATF have the three floors above this and then there are nice rooms that you can stay in...We stay here when we have a big case that needs around the clock work...Like this one looks like it may need..."said Sissy.
"Tomorrow Night..We all may be staying here with you.." said Carlotta.
"Yeah and don't worry about Lt. Tragg...He can't come up to this floor."said Tyriq..
''As you can see , he's a butt head..He has nothing to do with this case.."said Jimmy..
We all got coffees
Cheeseburgers
and Onion Rings...
Detective Hutton had a folder..She showed us glossies of her crime scene...It was almost identical..A lovers lane where couples went to make out... A Man shot in the head at the steering wheel... and a woman shot multiple times in the passenger seat... "This woman was married...this man was not her husband... They both worked at a local IHOP... I'm guessing he was giving her a ride home...Though I don't know why they would have driven up here to this lovers lane...I can only imagine... We interviewed the husband..he had an airtight alibi...We interviewed their co-workers at IHOP...Both the husband's family and the wife's family and the family of the dead male motorist..We got nothing... The case was going cold and then one day, I got a phone call...The caller described the murders, the weapon used...a Sig Sauer...the caliber bullets, everything ,including the fact that the door was partially opened on the passenger side..The woman must have been trying to get out and run...We never put that in the paper..He was angry that he didn't make front page news... We traced the call to a payphone in a gas station...but the camera had been disabled.. Then for the next two weeks...Nothing...Then I got a call this morning...Same voice, saying Bayside was just small potatoes...Philadelphia was where the action was and he was coming here to do a double.... I have a police radio in my car..When I got here..I heard the report of a double in Lovers Lane and I knew this was my guy.." she said..
"Sig Sauer...Same gun used in our killings....same caliber bullets...No camera in sight...No footprints, No DNA, No prints...Man and woman, both killed...Only difference is your two were 35 and 37 respectively...These were teenagers tonight.." said Tyriq..
"Wow, this guy obviously wants attention...and he's got mine."said Jimmy...
"Naturally..We have to do a thorough investigation just in case...interviewing family and friends of both the guy and the girl...interviewing the people they worked with and checking their financials and alibis.."said Carlotta..
"Yes ,of course...I would expect nothing less..I did the same thing.."said Detective Hutton...
"Wow, we've got a humdinger..."said Sissy...
''Yeah and I fear the body count could get higher.." I said.
III-
TWO NIGHTS LATER-
Another Lovers lane, another two people found shot to death....The woman was at the steering wheel, two gunshots to the head... and the man lying right outside the car..a gunshot to the chest.....
The Crime Scene Investigators and Forensic People were again snapping photos, dusting for prints, DNA, anything and collecting shell casings...
Hazel was shaking her head...
"This woman, 40 year old , Blanch Deveraux......Two gunshot wounds to the head...Death was instant.."said Sirena..looking at the body with latex gloves
"The guy, also 40...Sam Miller...One gunshot wound to the chest..."said Hop...
Once again Lt. Tragg was on the scene...
"Looks like the same type of killing Sissy and her guys had a few nights ago...It's been 48 hours and as I suspected they still have no suspects.."snarled Lt. Tragg..
"They've been working that case hard...They've interviewed the family, friends and fellow employees aand school mates of both victims..checked their financials and eliminated all of their initial suspects..They've been on the streets hard..I've hardly seen my husband. (Tyriq)"said Sirena.
''They like us have no forensic evidence...and they like us got an anonymous tip...which we traced to here..Considering there is no pay phone around...I'm guessing the anonymous tipster was also our killer and he or she called from a cell phone.."said Hop...
"At least you are thinking...More than I can say for your fellow detectives..."snarled Lt. Tragg.
"They're working harder and smarter than YOU ever worked on a case.."said Hazel ,who was angry that he was here...and angry that he was slandering good detectives ,who happened to be her friends..
She was relieved when Sissy,and I and Detective Hutton drove up...
"That's Okay Hazel...We know what we are doing..." said Sissy, who immediately looked at the crime scene..
''Oh My God...Another double..This makes four..."I said.
''Six if you count my two..."said Detective Barbara Hutton... She attempted to look at the bodies..
''We are not counting your two....Wait just a minute...This is a Philadelphia Police Crime Scene...Now I'm going to tell you one last time Detective, then I'm calling your Captain or Lieutenant in Bayside...Butt out.." said Lt. Tragg..
Detective Hutton ignored him and put on Latex Gloves and joined Detectives Sirena Pile and Detectives Tony Hopkins..
''You were right on the Money Detective Hutton...You said this guy was furious he didn't make front page news and he would act out again...and he did."said Sirena..
"This will make front page news...It's four people now.."said Hop.
"We've got to put our heads together and smoke this guy out...We may need Sharon's Help!"said Sissy...
"You know..The Disrespect you are showing me...and your lack of confidence..shown by your willingness to allow an outsider on your crime scene and involve outside agencies in this is really getting under my skin.."said Lt. Tragg..
''Artie? Phone call for you.." I said.
I passed him my phone..It was The Deputy Of Operations..
"Yes sir..I'm here at the scene of the second of these double homicides...Lt. Van Buren is as usual bordering on insubordination...What was that sir? Yes..I know she's in charge and it's her crime scene..but as the superior officer..What sir? Yes I've met Detective Hutton, What's that? You've talked to Lt Snow of Bayside Homicide and she is on loan to us???...Ohhhhh I see and she is to be afforded complete co-operation...Yes sir sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....What am I doing here??...I was attempting to lead the task force... There is no task force sir? No sir..My head is not up my ass...I am not to worry Lt. Van Buren...Yes sir..I-I understand...Yes sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" said Lt. Tragg..
He was as red as a beet...He stomped his foot and got in his car and pulled off...
"The Deputy of Operations must have torn him a new one..."said Sirena..
"Yeahhh....You won't have to worry about him anymore.."said Hop..
"Good because he was getting on my nerves..."said Detective Hutton..
"He gets on our nerves everyday.."said Sissy..
"Come on...Let's get out of here..." I said..
"Alright boys, wrap them up.."said Hazel..
Both bodies were wrapped up and put in the wagon that would take them to the Medical Examiner's office..
IV-
Nightfall Came... TWO NIGHTS LATER-
We were all staying at our headquarters and working around the clock on these four murders...Our killer had given none of us anything to work with...
Sissy's Husband, Eddie C.
Had prepared a delicious catered meal of Barbecued ribs, Chicken and Burgers
and beers...
Detective Hutton who had met all of us by now smiled..
"Wowwwwww...I really like this set up , this building and all and all of you guys..You're so nice..I'm used to people like that butthead Lt. Tragg..." she said..
"We think he's a butthead too!"laughed Jimmy...
"He likes to hear himself talk and he likes to be on Television.."said Angie..
''He has embarrassed himself and the department more times than I care to count..Arresting the wrong suspect, fighting with reporters, raiding the wrong rooms..."said Duke..
"Let's not forget putting his hands up ladies skirts and getting slapped.."said Hazel..
"He's been slapped by two female ADA's.." said Sirena..
"I'm soooo glad I didn't see it.."said Tyriq..
"Me too!"said Hop...
"I wish I had seen it.." said Sharon...
"I think it's so cool you guys are all married to each other and work so well together...From what Sissy told me..You guys have all known each other your entire police careers, which is why you work so well together... I saw all your comondations in that other room...Wowwww!" said Detective Hutton.
"We are a tight knit family..."said Carlotta..
''And this is our reward for cracking so many major cases...The City gave us our own building ,with our own administration staff which we vetted and our own uniform officers, which we also vetted.."I said.
''And we share the building with the Federallis and all their cool playthings.."joked Sissy..
"Not a bad set up.."laughed Eddie C.
What worried me is ...there is a mad man out on the streets...A Man man who wants attention...A mad man who is willing to kill to get it!
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