I was in the middle of a murder investigation....but I had some other business to take care of....I had promised Sepia
I would go see a lawyer named Yvette Jones at Mcclusky and Associates... This Yvette Jones had just bought a property from Sepia and Bonita....But not only that...She was interested in my services..
Business was Business...
It was a huge skyscraper...I was pleasently surprised when I got off the elevator and entered the offices..
"Hi Mr. Kevin!" came the voice of Beatrice Evans...
She was a young Attorney , who Clerow ,Owen Todd and I had helped move her stuff into her apartment building, which was right around the corner from where I lived...
''Well Hello Bee Bee...You work here huh? Not Baddd." I said..
"Hola Mr. Kevin.." said her friend, and room-mate... Sofia Garcia, another young attorney...
"Hey girllll." I said...and hugged them both...
"What's up....Kool Kevin?" said Keith Jones, who was also renting from my wife and Bonita...Clerow and Owen and I had moved him and his buddy, Khalil Ahmed into the same apartment complex the girls lived in just weeks before ...
"Heyyy Mr. Kevin."said Khalil...
"Hey Guys....So the four of you work here huh? Not baddd...I'm impressed....Uh do you know a Yvette Jones? I'm here to see her..."I said..
"That's our supervisor....That's her office over there...."said Bee Bee..
A very attractive and shapely Black woman, about my age walked out...She smiled..
"You are Sepia's husband right? Kevin.....Hi...I'm Yvette Jones...She and Bonita just sold me an apartment, not far from where you live...We are going to be neighbors soon.."said Yvette..
"So I hear....You are about a block from two very good friends of mine..
Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West...They're Attorneys too!"I said..
"I know Livy. I was Olivia's room-mate in Law school and I've known Beverly for I guess as long as I've known Olivia...
I know Nelson, Josie, Donnie Ray...
That whole crew..."said Yvette...
"Small World huh?" I said..
"Yes Indeed!!! My four young charges and I have a full time investigator, Jade Lee...but at times....Jade is spread a little thin...I'd like to keep you on speed dial...Use your services every now and then...I know you're a Private Investigator.." said Yvette..
"Sure..I do investigative work for several area attorneys...
Robert Foxworth
, Olivia's cousin, Kayla Bennett
and Gloria Brown to name a few...I've even worked for Olivia, before she hooked up with Donnie Ray..."I said..
I passed her my business card...
"Then consider yourself a friend and partner.."said Yvette...
Just then Jade Lee walked in...
"Mister Kevin...Long time, no see.."said Jade...
"Oh My God, Jade....You live here now?" I asked.. I hugged her...
"I live here and I recently became a citizen...I work here now..." said Jade..
"Oh wow, will wonders never cease!" I said....
They all looked stunned...
"You know Jade?" they asked..
"We worked a case together a few years back when she was with the Tokyo police.."I said..
"Kevin is really good.." said Jade..
"Yes, I've heard....He's going to be helping us out from time to time when your case load gets heavy.."said Yvette..
"I appreciate working with you guys....Love this office.."I said,looking around...
II-
After leaving them , I returned to my place of business....Just as I was about to go in...I was acosted by Lt. Tragg...
''So Morris, this is where you work eh? Your front huh, Morris Communications...Tell me, where is your office? Your real office?? I was inside...That's not where your investigatory work is done.."he said..
"Shouldn't you be out trying to catch the killer of Dr. Pratt?" I asked..
"For your information...I'm close to making an arrest.." he said proudly...
I laughed...
"Really?" I said..
"That's right...I did some good old fashioned police work...You ought to try it some times Morris...What? Did you always want to be a police and couldn't cut the mustard?" he snarled..
"I was an NCIS investigator ,when I was in the military...I was pretty good if I don't say so myself...So I know a lot about how to run an investigation..."I said..
"But the bottom line is you aint a cop!!!...You never will be...So stop playin cop and let a real cop investigate this crime.."he said..
I looked at him and strangely, I felt pity for him for the first time...Poor insecure, thin skinned ,petty little man, Always believed he was better than all the rest...Too proud and insecure to ever ask for help and share the limelight with someone else...
It must be hard for him, knowing deep down inside that others are smarter and better than he...I mused..
I smiled at him...
"Excuse me...I do have a job..."I said..
"Good thing you run the joint...As much as you miss time playing cop....any other business would fire you.."he said..
"Yeah Good Thing!" I said.
I ignored him and went inside and entered the special elevator which took me to the sub-basement of the building where my "real" office was...
Peeping Tom, Lockpick Johnson, my five investigators and Sean Jackson, Clerow and Owen Todd were there...
"Hey Guys" I said..
"We got good news for you Kev." said one of my investigators..
"Yeah, I could use some.."I said.
"We got a hit on that biker shirt with the GW embroidered on it..."said another investigator..
''We found the shop that did the work..It was paid for with a credit card by a George Washburn.." said yet another investigator..
"He's a cardiologist also, just like the murder victim..They were best buds..very close and...He slipped under the cracks...He was registered in that Bike race...We missed him when we were interviewing suspects.." said another..
"He got a sheet?" I asked.
"Nothing Kevin....Not even a parking ticket...He's a cardiologist, he works at the hospital..same Hospital our victim worked at...In fact, they live just two doors down from each other in Queen Village."said Peeping Tom...
"Hmmm interesting." I said..
"Oh yeah...you got a phone call..A Dr. Hazel Baylor...She said she has something for you...but not to come to the M.E.'s office...To come to C.I.D. headquarters..." said Sean Jackson..
"Okay...I'm on my way.." I said..
I wondered if Lt. Tragg had come to the same conclusion,I had...? I doubted it..
III-
I drove over to C.I.D. Headquarters...I wanted to tell Hazel I was sorry for getting her into a bit of trouble and to thank the guys for coming to my defense...
When I entered the building...I saw Jimmy First..
''There's our guy.." he said and stood up and clapped...
''My Man Kev...We wasn't gonna let Tragg take you down like that.."said Tyriq...
"No Way mann.."said a smiling Duke Baylor...
The women, Angie Belton-Barlow,Hazel, Carlotta, Sirena, Sharon and Sissy all hugged me and kissed me..
"Thanks guys...I heard how you all went to bat for me...Thanks and Hazel...I'm so sorry I got you caught up in this..Somebody must have seen me going in the M.E.'s office and told Tragg...
''Oh Kevin, it wasn't your fault...Don't even worry about it..."said Hazel..
''We already know who Tragg's man at the M.E.'s office was..."said Tyriq..
''WAS?" I asked...
"Yeah was."said Jimmy..
''As he's been identified and he's gone!" said Hop,laughing..
"He's walking a beat in Fishtown." laughed Duke..
''We take care of our own...You and Hazel are family, even if you aren't detectives.." said Carlotta.
''Exactly.."said Sirena..
"So you know we are rooting for you to crack this case before Lt. Tragg does.."said Sissy...
''And Hazel found something...Tell him Hazel.."said Angie..
"I probably should share this with Lt. Tragg, he is the case detective, but I could care less about him..He tried to have me fired and this is twice now..To hell with him.."said Hazel..
"I feel the same way...He locked me up and tried to pull my license...Thanks to you good people, he failed.."I said as they all applauded...
"There were no prints on the gun, but I found latent prints on the shell casings...They belong to a George Washburn, cardiologist.."said Hazel..
''But he has no sheet...How did you ID him?" I asked..
''So you knew about him?" asked Sissy, smiling and shaking her head...
I pulled out my tablet and showed them film footage of the actual murder..
in all it's gory glory..
''Damn...You got it..The actual murder!"said Duke..
''But you can't see his face...How do you know that's him?" asked Jimmy..
''Look Closer...That "GW" embroidered on his Biker Shirt...I traced it to the tailor that did the work...he paid for it with a credit card...I matched the shirt to the man in the video..."I said..
"You never cease to amaze me.."said Sissy..
''WOWWWW, Good Pull"said Carlotta.
"That's my buddy!" said Angie...
"Good Work.."said Sharon..
''How did you get that footage?" asked Tyriq..
''I was right across the street at the bar when it actually happened...I remembered an ATM machine right across the street with a camera...I hacked into the camera and caught the actual footage..but still ,how did you guys match the print on the cartridges to him..He has no sheet.." I said..
"But he is bonded...At the Hospital where he works...We have an expanded database now..We don't just look at criminals..We look at anybody who's fingerprints may be on file somewhere..Cops, Fireman, Doctors..Civil Service people...Correctional Officers...We checked the area hospitals and we got a match..."said Sirena..
''She means I got a match...The FBI has better playthings.."laughed Sharon..
"She's such a show off.."laughed Hop...
"I knowwwwwwwww.."laughed Carlotta.
"Hey Guys...Tragg is on Television...He's made an arrest.." said Jimmy...
"This I must hear.."I said..
"I am announcing that I have arrested the killer of Dr. Mike Pratt Jr. I know it's been almost a week, but this was a painstaking investigation...I have arrested Hector Lamas...He has an interesting history...He had walked over the border from Mexico, via
Guatalmala about 30 years ago.....He lived in San Antonio and worked for
three years....He managed to nearly get a Bachelor's Degree ,while
working and saving his money...
He married a Mexican woman who had gotten her citizenship....They moved
to Philadelphia PA. where she had relatives...He and she both completed
their degrees and had three children, A boy and two girls.
Now, he was close to retiring from his job, where they only had good
things to say about him...He was now a grandfather...His son and his two
daughters now had children all their own...
In all these years, he had never gotten in trouble with the law once...Not so much as a traffic ticket...
He had also not bothered to get his citizenship either...
When he went to get his driver's license renewed, a routine check revealed that he was not a U.S. Citizen...
He had faced being deported back to Guatemala...
He had just become a U.S. Citizen a few weeks ago...and here he's done this...Killed a man during the bike race...The good news for him is we can't deport him...He'll die in a U.S. Jail cell. " he joked.
A few reporters laughed...
"He's got the wrong guy.." I said..
''What else is new?" said Sissy..
I saw his attorneys on television arguing his innocence..
Sofia Garcia
Khalil Ahmed
Bee Bee Evans
Keith Jones
and Yvette Jones...They had fought so hard to save him from deportation and to get his citizenship and now the poor man was charged with a murder he didn't commit..I had to help him..
"Guys...I know This Hector Lamas who Tragg just arrested didn't kill that guy and I can prove it...I've got to go and help them.."I said..
"I'll go with you, Just in case Tragg tries to arrest you again.."said Carlotta..
"Good and Kevin, Don't let on about Washburn...Remember , We are rooting for you to crack this case.."said Sissy with that sexy smile of hers...
Angie, Sirena, Jimmy Duke,Tyriq,Hop and Sharon all agreed and gave me a Thumbs up...
IV-
Downtown in an interrogation room...Lt. Tragg was interrogating Hector Lamas..
"Look Lamas...I got it on good word that you were the shooter...You were seen, I have an eyewitness..Now if you confess...I know a lot of these ADA's...They like me...I can get em to go easy on you..."said Lt. Tragg..
"I did not kill him..I don't even own a gun...I was in the Bike Race, but I never saw him..Your eyewitness is a liar...I didn't even know about the murder until I got home and saw it on the news..."said Hector Lamas..
"Don't be a fool...We got you cold..My eyewitness says he saw you drop the gun and speed off.."said Lt. Tragg...
"He's a liar...I didn't even know the guy...Why would I shoot him?? What did you do, roll some drug addict you once busted and get him to tell you what you want to hear?? I'm not talking to you anymore...I want a lawyer...I want my lawyer..." he said..
"Now look!" said Lt. Tragg..
"He asked for a lawyer...That means the interview is over..."said Attorney Sofia Garcia..
"Especially since you got the wrong guy.."said Attorney Khalil Ahmed..
''Which is nothing new for you.." said Attorney Keith Jones..
"Come On Hector, you're going home"said his girlfriend, Attorney Bee Bee Evans..
Lt. Tragg looked frustrated...Exasperated...
"Yvette, you and your snot nosed little band of Attorneys are wrong this time...This man is a murderer.."said Lt. Tragg..
"No he's not and we have proof.."said Yvette Jones..
''What proof?" said Lt. Tragg.
I walked in...
''Morris....I should have known..."said Lt. Tragg... I ignored him...
"This proof.."I said..
I showed him my tablet which showed the race...and the exact shot that was fired and the shooter...Then I showed him Hector Lamas, who was down the street at the time..So far away, that he wasn't even aware of what happened..It was time stamped....
''So you see ,He couldn't have shot this guy and been 10 blocks away at the time...Which I understand is where your informant was at the same time...Neither of them knew what had happened.." I said.
Detective Carlotta Rodriguez-Wallace said..
"I have seen the footage...The Media has seen it too."she said..."This is not the man...That's the man right there...We just don't know who he is as of yet...but he's not the same height or build as this man..What you should do is set up a hot line and ask the public if they know the man in the photo..."said Carlotta..
''Detective you know you're not supposed to interfere in another detective's case.."said Lt. Tragg..who was now beyond the point of exasperation...He didn't like taking advice from anyone...Even good sense advice, which Carlotta had given him.
''Oh I'm not involved...Kevin came to me and showed me his evidence after your news conference.....I'm here to make sure you don't try to arrest him on trumped up charges again,I'm here as an observer...These Attorneys are here to pick up their client...I have nothing to do with that.."said Carlotta.
"Come on Hector...We are leaving.."said Yvette..
"Thank You Ms. Yvette,...I told this jackass, I had nothing to do with it..He's taking the word of some drug addicted informant..The guy was angry at me because I wouldn't give him any money...So he fingered me for the shooting as soon as Tragg walked up on him."snarled Hector, glaring at Lt. Tragg..
Sofia and Carlotta spoke to each other in Spanish...and looked at Lt. Tragg and laughed...
A Policeman unhooked Hector's handcuffs and Keith Jones patted him on the back..
"You're good Hector.." he said..
"Yeah, we had your back man, We knew you didn't kill nobody!" said Khalil..
"Your wife and daughters are outside....We told them this wouldn't take long." said Bee Bee..
They took Hector and they left with him....
Yvette looked at me and smiled as she was leaving.....
"Thank You Kevin, Thank you so much.." she said..
I smiled..
''Don't mention it doll." I said.
Lt. Tragg looked sick...He was furious...He said to me in a very icy tone....
"You win this time Morris..I can't pull your license and I can't bust you again...but I warn you...Jaywalk, spit on the sidewalk and I'm gonna nail your ass to the cross.." he snarled..
"I'll keep that in mind" I said and smiled...
"Come on Kevin...Let's get out of here..." said Carlotta, as we left....
I left with Carlotta, I didn't want to spend anymore time than I had to around Tragg...who was fuming...Several uniformed police officers were grinning and holding their heads down so he wouldn't see them laughing...
I now had a solid lead...
For the first time since this case began...I had a reason to smile..
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