by Shane Crosby
“Awww man, I’m never going to be that big of a pessimist.”
“Are you going to retire a homicide detective?”
“Planning on it.”
“Um hmm, half empty ass glass. I’ll call you in another five to ten years.”
“Do you think the nursing home will allow you to make calls?”
“I’ll make you think nursing home. I’m going to tell them to drop me off at your house.”
“You’re welcome any time. I’ll let Jan know you’ll be staying awhile.”
“Okay, be ready, don’t pretend like you didn’t say that.”
“You’re welcome any time.”
“Enough with this mushy shit, whose rights are we going to violate today?”
“No one’s.”
“I should’ve stayed at the station.”
“You need some help, man.”
Participating in our usual cruiser conversation made the time go quickly. Before I knew it, we were driving up in front of White Hen. I parked, got out and we went inside. Once inside we flashed our badges and asked to speak with the manager. The cashier went into the back of the store and after a few moments, he appeared from the back of the store. As he approached us, I could see the questions all over his face.
“Hello I’m Paul Croft. How can I help you?”
“Hello Mr. Croft. I’m Detective Alvarez and this is Detective Wykowski of the Gochian Police Department. How are you?”
“I’m well, how are you? What can I help you with?”
“Could you tell us who works overnights and who worked Tuesday night?”
“Yes, Marlene Crews.”
“Sure, about that?”
“Absolutely.”
“Do you know how to get in contact with her?”
“Yes, I do. One second while I get it for you.” He disappears in the back and returns with a piece of paper.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
Leaving the store, I was feeling pretty good. I’m about to come face to face with the person who can identify one of my victims. Maybe they can tell me more about them and this will help lead to arrests. Inside, I was skipping and singing Frankie Lymon’s Why Do Fool’s Fall In Love. My good mood must have rubbed off on Jack because I could see him over there bobbing his head to the beat.
“What you singing there kid?”
“Frankie Lymon, Why Do Fools Fall In Love?”
“That’s a nice one. One thing I like about you, you’re not into this crap music that’s out today. I’d have to get me another partner if you were, can’t stand that stuff.”
“Nah, I like real music, not noise.”
“Yeah, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, now those were real singers and they made real music. These kids today are a shame. They should be arrested for that horrible noise they create.”
“I’m with you there. I think they should outlaw hip-hop. If they put it on the ballot, I’d vote for out lawing it.”
“I would hold a parade the day that’s outlawed.”
“I hear you. I’d be like a fat naked baby on New Year’s Eve dancing down Michigan Avenue.”
“Please keep your clothes on. The citizens of Gochian deserve better than to be mooned on New Year’s Eve.”
“Hey, I guess you’re right kid.”
I see the exit is coming up and start to pull off the expressway going towards the West side of Gochian. The directions take me deeper into the west side until I get to the spots that no one wants to be in at night. I take a turn down each street the little lady navigates me through and it looks like the Gaza strip. The portion of the strip occupied by the Palestinians. Abandoned buildings, windows missing the windowpanes, grass, where there is grass, was grown up so high it looks like it hasn’t been cut in five years. Cars on blocks parked on the side. In this version of the Gaza strip every second person you see has a cigarette hanging from their lips. People are out in the middle of the day turning up a forty ounce. Babies running around outside barefoot with nothing on but a sagging pamper. Women with clothes on too small rolls of fat hanging out, with rollers in their head and a boyfriend in the background standing in the door with a comb sticking out of the back of his head, no shirt, pants hanging down to his knees, underwear showing yelling at her about her check. Tables out front of every home with men or people that look like men sitting there playing spades or dominoes. I guess Jack and I had the same thoughts of revulsion because I could hear him taking a deep breath in, then out at the same time I did. Right now, my excitement is gone. All I want to do is get over here get this done and go back to civilization.
I see that we’re getting close to the address. I pull up and park. Jack and I get out, walk up to the door and knock. We knocked for about five minutes and had decided to give up when the floor creaked and we heard what was a faint voice from behind the door ask who it was. For the next few minutes we listened to someone wiggle and jiggle the knob, then finally the door cracked.
“Who is it?”
“Hello Ms. Crews, I’m detective Alvarez and Wykowski. We would like to speak with you for few moments.”
“About what?”
“If we could come in or you step outside we could explain that to you.”
My partner Jack chimed in.
“You’re not in any trouble ma’am.”
“Right, you’re not in any trouble. We’d just like to ask you a few questions, please.”
She hesitated and finally opened the door wider revealing a petite woman with purple and green hair. When she ran her fingers through her hair, you could see it was shaved on both sides. She wasn’t old, but she’d had a hard life. If the eyes are the windows to the soul hers would tell you she was tired. Her eyes looked hollow, blood shot with mascara caked on her eyelashes, smeared makeup where she’d drawn her eyebrows in. And, her lips were stained from last night’s lipstick. She excused herself to wash her face and brush her teeth. We waited outside on the porch and wondered if she was going to return or run out the back door.
“You think she’s coming back?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. You think one of us should go around back?”
“I was thinking the same. It couldn’t hurt.”
About that time, the door opened again. “Why did you say you’re here again?”
“Just to ask some questions, you’re not in any trouble.”
“About what? What do you do again?”
“We’re homicide detectives.”
“Homicide? Like the death police?”
We both smiled coyly. “Yes, something like that.”
“What do the death police want with me?”
“You are Marlene Crews, correct?”
“Yeah, and.....?”
“As we said earlier, we would like to ask you some questions.”
“Yeah, you said that. But, you ain’t say nuthin bout why.”
“Miss, it is Miss?”
“Yeah.”
“You called me several nights ago regarding a missing person.”
“Don’t remember no call like that.”
“Miss Crews, how do you think we knew where you were and it was you who called?”
She rolled her eyes up and twisted her mouth. “Let me guess, Paul?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She sighs loudly and lets us in.
“Come on in. I know’d I should’ve used another phone.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We won’t keep you long, promise.”
As the door widens the creaking gets louder like the door on the Munsters. Once inside, we had to find a place to sit down. I looked around what I assume to be the living room and it was the typical urban inner city (ghetto) Gochian two flat. The rug looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned since it was installed. It was thin like it was the original carpet from the nineteen hundreds. It had food, drink and the classic bubble gum wad stuck on it. There was a couch and love seat combination made of cloth. It was worn with cigarette bu
rns on it. There was a tear in the love seat cushion revealing the inside. The house smelled like stale cigarette smoke, empty beer bottles and wine coolers were strewn around the living room. Beer bottles with beer still left inside and cigarette butts floating on top were in every corner. Paint chipped walls stained with the smoke from every visitor since Truman was President. No ghetto home would be complete without a big screen TV from Rent A Center. When they stop paying, they’re too afraid to come into this neighborhood to pick it up. Everyone knows this trick so every house in the hood has a TV like this, still the same scam.
We sat down on the couch and Marlene sat in the love seat. Marlene grabs a fresh pack of Winston Salem’s, smacks it in the center of her hand, cuts the side top, hit the pack on her hand again, takes out a cigarette and lights up.
“I hope you don’t mind the smoke.”
I wanted to say, hell yes, I mind! But, I couldn’t. It wasn’t my house. Did I mention I hate the ghetto? Just get me out of here so I can smell fresh air again and be amongst civilized people.
“No, we don’t mind.” She takes a long pull of the cigarette, blows it out and asks.
“Now, what’s your questions?”
“How do you know our victim?”
“I saw her at Club Hedonist.”
“You saw some female and decided to call me? We never showed her face.”
“It wasn’t quite that away. I see you never been to da tha club.”
“Why do you automatically assume I haven’t?”
“At this point, I’m not assuming. I know neither of you have because, if you had, you wouldn’t be axing me dat. You should go there tanight. It’ll give you old timers a thrill.”
She said that last part with a smile that would give the Cheshire cat a run for his money.
“Thank you for the invitation, but I’ll pass.”
“Me, too.”
“Okay, suit yourselves, but you’re missing a real treat.”
“How were you able to identify her from the tattoo?”
“Me and my old man like to visit Club Hedonist to pick up women.”
“Pick up women?”
“For what?”
“For pleasure.”
“Pleasure?”
“Yeah, Matlock, pleasure. Have you eva felt pleasure bafoe? I swear, both of you are sitting there looking at me like I said I pick up lil’ kids and sacrifice ‘em fo’ Satan or something.”
“Sorry, we just need more specifics on what you mean.”
“I used to say I wuz bi-sexual, but I’d rather be in a relationship wit a man. They can stick and move you know what I mean? Women can’t do dat; I get tired of that licky licky all da time.”
She rolls her eyes up as if it’s an unpleasant thought and then says, “Boorrriinngg. You know what I mean? I don’t understand it, jus being wit women, seriously? Too one dimensional for me. Anyway, I jus like ta add a little spice to the relationship from time to time and fo’ that, we go to Club Hedonist. You can really get some excitement there. Those girls are paid to please. My old man loves it. It keeps our relationship going strong.”
I cleared my throat.
“Could you get to the part where you could identify my victim?”
“I am. Hold yo’ drawers, Andy.”
“Andy?”
“Yeah, from Andy Griffith.”
Jack kind of snickered. “Ma’am could you please get to how you know our victim?”
“You too impatient. I’m getting ta dat. We met her there. The women are half naked, dat’s why I said you’ve obviously neva been there.”
“And, that’s how you could identify her?”
“No. Pay attention, Columbo. I’m not finished. One night my old man and me went there to get some play time.”
“Play time?”
“Did you ride the short bus when you wuz a kid? Imma bout ta make you show me your badges again cuz I can’t believe you two no detectives. Yeah! Play time!”
“There’s a club in Gochian where you go to just have sex?”
“Nah, it’s a strip club. The playtime is offered to exclusive members or those who have enough money to pay for a certain amount of time.”
“How exactly do you do that there? Tell us the process, please.”
“Oh, yeah, ok, well ya shoulda said dat at first. There’s a certain section people who can pay by the hour sit. There’s a special section for the exclusive members. In dese sections, they have menus just like you git at some fancy restaurant or sumthin. I’m tellin’ you this place is outta this world. The menus are trimmed in gold, too. When you select which ones you want they send them ‘round ta yo’ table. Out of your picks, if you pick more dan one, you get to pick the main one you want to have play time with. When you select ‘em, ya go to the back. We selected her, but someone beat us to it. You have ta pay a gud amount ta git wit ‘em. So, anyway, we had ta go back tha next week. Did I mention we saved our money ta go there ta buy some time and she’s selected by someone else, pissed me off.”
“Get back to the how you could identify her.”
“Oh yeah, so the night we came back we got her. Dere are rooms you can go into. Make a long story short; we were ‘bout ta do our thang, which means she was naked. My face wuz down by her hip and I saw the butterfly tattoo clearly. It looked beautiful on a beautiful body, too. All I was able to do was smell that sweet scent of hers; I couldn’t wait to go up in dere with my tongue. Then, scratch da record, fingernails on a chalkboard, they burst into da room and said everyone had ta clear out the police wuz dere axing questions. They ushered us all out and promised us a half priced night, not even a rain check but half price. Shit, it took three paychecks ta git time wit her and dat’s from both my old man and me six checks total and nothing! When we got home she must have slipped a note in my old man’s pocket because it said my name is Sloane Navarro. Call 911.”
“Wait, when did this happen?”
“A while ago, ok. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw dat press conference, dat’s why I got da note. I remembered da tattoo of that sweet smelling........” I interrupted her.
“Ma’am, just stick to the note, please. Do you still have it?”
“Huh, what?”
“Do you still have the note?”
“Y-Yes, I still got it.” She got up and went into a room right off of the living room. There was rummaging through only she knows and it wasn’t too long before she returned.
“Here ya go. I figured you’d be axing ‘bout it so I had it ready.”
“Thanks. Did you go back after that night?”
“Of course! I wanted ta taste that! But, she was fucking gone, ok! GONE! I wuz so damn disappointed. I talk to da manager and he offered us another girl, but she wasn’t anything like Sloane. Damn! I hate that I couldn’t get me some of dat! I think I was more disappointed than my man was. Shit, he don’t care just as long as he can get his thing wet in another woman other than me, you know what I mean? You understand, you’re men, right?”
In unison. “Nah.”
“Have you been back there since?”
“It cost too much money so we can’t make it a regular habit. I have gone back but not ta git with any of the women, but when we save up some more, trust and believe we’ll be right on back. I know I’ll neva be able ta git wit dat Sloane girl. What happened ta her?”
“Don’t know, that’s why we’re here. We hoped you could give us some insight.”
“I hope I helped.”
“Why didn’t you call before now?”
“Hell, I didn’t know she wuz missing or dead or whatever. I got caught up in life and just forgot about it, until I saw da tattoo. I’ll never forget dat tattoo. And, she had a C-section scar, like this one see.” She stood up lifted her shirt and pull down the waistband of her shorts to show us her scar. I was afraid to look at first, but I could see she wasn’t stripping naked so I kept my eyes opened.
“Yes, I see. You’re saying she had a scar like this?”
>
“Yep. I have four kidz dey all wuz born by C-section. Dey hurt like a bitch, too, but I’d rather have a C-section scar then have my cooch laying on da floor and someone puttin’ it back tagetha. Keeps the old man happy if the old girl is tight.”
She starts to laugh loudly.
“I hope I helped you fellas. I really do because dat gurl was pretty as hell and it’s a shame jus’ a pretty ass woman like that jus’ wasted.”
“Yes, a real shame.”
“One more question, on the phone you said, she mentioned getting the tattoo in Amsterdam?”
“Yeah, dat’s right.”
“Did she say why she was in Amsterdam?”
“Nah, she didn’t.”
“Okay, Ms. Crews, thanks for all of your help. We hope we didn’t keep you too long.”
“Awww, nah. Come back any time. I hope you can find ‘em.”
“Thank you, we just might do that. We’ll have a few more questions for you.”
“Jus’ come on by, then. Y’all officers have a gud day.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
In the car...
When we got back into the car, Jack couldn’t keep quiet.
“Did you hear that?”
“Sure did.”
“First, she would make a horrible witness, but what she said, I believe her.”
“I was thinking I believed every word she said.”
“How do you want to play it, kid?”
“I know it’s not a lot, but it’s something. I want a search warrant for that place.” When we visited before, I told them we’d be back.”
“Doesn’t it kill you to know they were making dates in the back the last time we were there and we didn’t know it?”
“Man, my heart was on the floor when she said that. Our victim was there; right there and we didn’t know it. If we could’ve just known then, she was there, we could’ve saved her. Damn it! We’re always a day late and a dollar short.”
“Looks that way, but we save some. We’re not always late. It does naw at me to know we could’ve prevented this.”
“Nothing we can do about it now, just move forward.”
“Gonna try to get a warrant? Her working there will be the key the witness is the issue. All depends on how well we dance.”