o matter what happens in the city, we always have our prime suspects to fit the crime, they don't always be the ones that we keep choosing, but occasionally we get lucky and nab the right culprit. Every department has their own pet unsolved cases and they keep trying to pin it on every new suspect that they arrest, that is if the crime they are accused of fits the agenda of the unsolved case.

I'm Detective Sergeant Louis Salvage (Louis, to all my friends), working out of the 73rd street statuon in the big apple, it will be fifteen years come this December 11th. It seems like only last year when I first walk through those big brown hardwood swinging doors of the percent. Sergeant Samuel Willis may he rest in peace was in charge of the booking desk then, a real hard core policeman, he came up from the ranks, his first beat was down in the Bowery at 3rd. avenue and Canal St. I heard it way really ruff back then, heck, back then right now, tomorrow, it's always ruff in this city.

There was one case that I was assigned to ten years ago and have never been able to solve, and every two years the same type of crime was committed and I was never able to solve it. The same method of operation (MO), was used so I was convinced that it was the same person or persons committing the crimes.

It seems that the victims were all elderly ladies who were ripped off and murdered, always the same way, strangled and wrapped in green garbage bags and dumped into a dumpster.

"Louis, we have another granny murder, you wanna' take it?" Captain Jones said as I sat down to enjoy my morning coffee and prune danish, and he handed me the folder with the latest photographs. I've seen them before, but with different faces.

"What other way to start the week off with Capt.?" I answered as I reached for the file.

"You can have Kent or Bates, which is your poison?" Captain Jones said as he looked at the two other detectives he had mentioned, who were the two worst on the force.

"I guess Kent will do Captain, you want' break it to her or would you rather I take the pleasure?" What ever, Captain answered.

"I'll tell her captain." I said as I got up and took a sip from my coffee which was luke warm by now. I walked over to her desk and looked down at her, she must of noticed me from the corner of her eye and she spun around fast and looked up at me.

"Yes Detective, what can I do for you?" She said as she smiled showing her lovely white teeth and long blond hair and blue eyes, kind of like the eyes you see on those little lonely children on TV.

"I was informed by Captain Jones that you are to assist me on a new case." I said as I smiled at her.

"Fine, can I see the case folder?" She asked.

"I left it on my desk, if you want you can join me and we can go over it before we hit the streets." I said to her.

Detective Kent stood up and I noticed for the first time what kind of shape she had, nicely put together, slim but firm, I'd guess she works out a lot.

"Is there something about me that you don't approve of Detective Salvage?" She asked as she noticed me looking her over.

"What? Oh, I guest I was just lost in the moment." I said as I led her to my desk and handed her the case folder.

"Good, there was a witness." Detective. Kent said and I grabbed the folder from her and read about the witness.

"Excuse me Detective Salvage, all you had to do is ask for the folder, you didn't have to jerk it from me." Detective Kent snapped back at me.

"I'm sorry, this case is related to other cases with the same MO, and when you said that there was a witness, I couldn't resist reading that part." I told her.

I read the witnesses testimony a dozen times, it seems that the elderly lady across the street from the victim was walking her dog when she heard the victim cry out for help. She ran inside and dialed 911 and was looking out of her front window when she saw a man leave the building of the victim.

"Do you want to interview the witness Detective Salvage?" Detective Kent asked.

"Yes I do." I replied.

"Good then, shall we be on our way?" Detective Kent asked.

For a moment I hesitated, I have never worked with a female partner before and I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea.

"Is there a problem Detective Salvage?" She asked.

"No, I guess not." I answered, but she could see that I did have a problem.

We drove down to West 78th. street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues to the address that was in the report. Detective Kent suggested that she questioned the witness since she felt the witness would feel more comfortable talking to a member of her own sex.

"Yeah, that will be okay, I'll just hang back, and if you should need me, just give me a holler." I said to Detective Kent with a smile as I followed her up to the stoop and into the brownstone.

When the woman answered the door Detective Kent showed her badge and introduce each of us, then we were invited in and the old lady kept looking back towards the door every time she answered a question.

"My name is Shara Windfield, and I came to this city in 1928 as a young girl, I have lived in this building since then, my father bought it for us, I had three sisters and two brothers. They are all passed away long ago, I have a grandson that looks after me and collects the rent each month from the tenants, I keep to myself, but when Maggy was killed I knew I had to speak up. The Old lady said and looked at the door again.

"Why do you always look towards the door before you answer any questions?" I asked her.

"He saw me, and looked me straight in the eye as he got into his car and drove away, I have to be on my guard." She said and she offered us a cup of hot tea.

Her apartment was full of antique furniture that perhaps dated back to the eighteenth century. Many painting for waterfalls and forest scenes, any miniature statues of toy solders. The wall paper was of violet and rose bouquets with thin silver lines running from ceiling to floor. It was like stepping back into time, but we were right in the heart of New York City in the twenty first century.

She went into the kitchen for a moment and returned with a tray loaded with a kettle of hot water, three empty cups turned upside down, three tea bags, of the generic type and a small plate of sugar cookies.

"I made the cookies myself, I do so enjoy them whit my afternoon tea which usually isn't until three thirty six, I am very precise about doing things.

That is how I happened to be outside at the time I was and saw that man leave the building across the street." She said as she poured hot water in each of the cups that she placed in front of each of us.

"Would you be willing to make an identification from some photographs that we have on file at the station?" I asked her as I dunked my tea bag up and down.

"I guess so, but what if I can't?" She asked.

"Then we will have to find other means of identifying the murder." Detective Kent replied.

The trio went to the police station and showed Mrs. Shara Windfield the collection of mug shots, it seemed like forever for Mrs. Windfield and finally she stopped and looked at a photograph of the man she saw.

"This is him, you can tell he's a criminal, look at those beady eyes." Mrs. Windfield said as she pointed at the photograph.

The Two detectives looked at each other and Detective Salvages stood up and smiled at Mrs. Windfield.

"Thank you Mrs. Windfield, you have been very helpful, I will have someone drive you back home." Detective Salvage said.

As Mrs. Windfield left the office, detective Kent looked at detective Salvage.

"What do you think, should we bring him in?" She asked and started laughing.

"I would suggest that detective Bates try out for the movies, with those beady eyes, he would be a natural for the role of a criminal." Detective Salvage said as he returned to his desk.

The two detectives looked over at Bates and laughed together. Detective Bates looked at them and shook his head, he didn't speak to Detective Salvage for the past two years on a friendly regular bases because Detective Bates was passed over for a promotion and Detective Salvage always bugged him about it.

"You know Bates, it's not who you know in this business that gets you a step up on the corporate ladder its who you." Salvage would say and Bates would jump up and want to fight, but it never came about.

Detective Kent was having a snack of coffee and a hostess twinkies when her phone rang.

"Hello Detective Kent, may I help you?" She said into the phone receiver.

"Are all of your affairs in order Detective Kent? One never knows what will happen from one moment to the next, like those twinkies you're eating, who knows, they could of been spiked with some kind of poison." The voice said and then the line went dead.

"What was that about Kent?" Salvage asked.

Detective Kent looked at the twinkies and placed it on her desk and then began to feel hot and heavy chested. As he turned to face Salvage, she fell to the floor and her body jerked a few times and then it was still. Salvage ran over to her and put his finger on the right side of Detective Kent's neck, he felt a faint pulse.

"Get an ambulance quickly I think she's dying." Salvage shouted out. A few hours later Salvage received a phone call from the hospital.

"Detective Salvage, your co-worker Detective Kent expired fifteen minuets ago, we suspect that she was poisoned." The female voice on the phone reported and then hung up.

"Poisoned, how could that have happened?" Salvage stood up and shouted as he looked around the room.

"Alright Salvage, I understand how you feel, look, why don't you just go home and take a few day off with pay and when you feel better, we'll see you then."

The Capt. said as he put his arm around Salvages shoulder. For three days Salvage sat at home doing nothing but thinking about his friend and partner Detective Kent who was going to be buried this morning.

"I was with him when he bought the twinkies just before we went to visit Mrs. Windfield, and we went back to the station and he placed them on his desk and we went in to show her the mug shots. Kent had mentioned something about the packaging something to the fact that they were kind of loose.

Salvage went back to the station and stood in front of Bate's desk. "Well ol' buddy, it looks like you and me now, I guess you get that well earned promotion you've always have been talking about." Salvage said as he picked up a small framed photograph of a woman in a bathing suite.

"Your wife?" Salvage asked.

"Girlfriend, Ginger." Bates answered.

"Not bad, you gonna' marry her?" Salvage asked.

"I don't know , it's more like an off-on thing, she likes to mess around too much." Bates said as he took the photograph from Detective Salvage and placed it back on his desk.

"Well pal, talk at you later, I have to report to the Capt. and let him know I'm back in action." Salvage said as he walked towards the captains office.

Detective Bates looked as Salvage was pointing towards and the Captain shook his head in an affirmative action.

Salvage came back to Bate's desk.

"Well, you ready?" He asked Bates.

"Ready for what?" Bates said.

"To hit the streets, we have a murder suspect to track down, and some witness's to check out." Salvage said as he garbed a twinkies from Bates desk and started to open the package.

"No, don't! That's my lunch." Bates said as he tried to retrieve it from Salvage.

"I'll bet it's also laced with the same kind poison that killed Detective Kent." Salvage said.

Bates stood up and drew his firearm and pointed it at Slavage and the captain who had just joined them.

"I've waited too long for this promotion and no one is going to take it away from me." Bates said as he backed away from them and headed towards the door.

"It looks like the promotion is down the drain again Bates, you have been selected as a prime suspect.

As Kent reached the door he pointed his weapon towards Salvage but Salvage had already had a bead on him and squeezed the trigger of his 357 magnum Smith & Wesson revolver and Kent fell to the floor dead.

"Well, this case is solved." Salvage said as he walked towards the door and left the station.

Salvage stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the sky.