Unindentified

4. Can You Come Over ?

It takes me about half an hour to get to my condo in Long Beach by the time I pull up to my drive way the white and blue collar crew are already making their way to work. My neighbour Miss Rita late 60s, caramel skin, salt and pepper mane is out front tending to her roses, as I lock my car door she looks up and waves I wave back.

"Mornin Marcus".

"Mornin Miss Rita".

"Late night at the office?"

"Yeah another boy's body was found".

"I know I saw it on the news earlier poor baby, it just ain't safe anymore with all the breaks in, and gangs, police officers killing our men and women, babies turning up dead in the street, the city ain't like what it used to be but at least we got good men like you Marcus keeping us safe". Miss Rita smiles.

"I'm just doing my job Miss Rita". I smiled.

"And a mighty good job indeed you keep safe now ya hear?"

"Yes ma'am I will".

"Oh before you go I fixed you plate let me go inside a get it for you".

Miss Rita disappears for a few moments before returning with a plate covered in foil.

"It's just some fried chicken, biscuits, Mac n Cheese, collared greens and gravy".

"Thank you Miss Rita you really don't have to keep doing this".

"It's no trouble really you work so hard and it ain't like you got a woman at home cooking you a hot meal every night".

I thank Miss Rita again with a kiss on the cheek.

"Miss Rita if only I was thirty years older". I laughed.

"Marcus Harris you're a mess".  Replied Miss Rita as she waved me off laughing going back to tend to her roses. Stepping up to my mail box I take out my mail and head inside my condo. Once inside I turn off my security system and turn down the temperature. My condo is a large two bed with an outside balcony that overlooks the Atlantic and downstairs office. Walking over to the TV I turn on CNN leaving my keys, phone and wallet on my glass coffee table. News reports are pretty much the same the economy, the war in the Middle East, sports, weather and celeb news. In local news the bulletin of the body of the boy that was found runs across the screen, leaving the TV on I head over to the refrigerator I leave the plate Miss Rita fixed me inside and take out bottle of water, downing the bottle in a few gulps  I throw the empty bottle in recycling. Flicking through my mail I find junk, bills and more junk exhausted from my late night I leave the mail on the kitchen counter turn off the TV and head upstairs once I'm upstairs I change into some grey sweat pants and collapse into bed.

By the time I wake up again its 6'oclock in the evening I head downstairs and warm up the left overs then kick back in front of the TV with a cold beer and NBA highlights. Once I'm done eating I turn off the TV put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher and head to my office. I power up my Mac and log onto the LAPD's database to review the reports from the latest victim. Reports still don't show any indication of who the dead victim might be cross referencing his description with kids that have been reported missing in the last six months there are no hits. I logout of the database and scan through my emails and, start typing up a case file for the latest victims while finishing off my beer my home phone starts ringing I answer it from my office.

"Hello?"

"It's me".

At thirty five Chief Tanya Watts is probably one of the youngest Chief's the Precinct has ever had, graduating top of her class Tanya excelled in everything she did, Tanya growing up in Compton, she married her childhood sweetheart at nineteen had a daughter at twenty five widowed at thirty. Her husband worked narcotics and was killed in a major drug raid a few years back, Tanya was promoted to Chief at thirty three. Despite everything she's been through Tanya worked her ass off to get where she is, being female and black at that didn't make things easy for her with all the racism, sexism and all the other bureaucratic bullshit Tanya stood her ground and wouldn't take shit from nobody, after she got promoted she moved out to Thousand Oaks with her nine year old daughter Kimberley.