Murder in the Alley

Chapter One-Early Evening

Marisol and Leisia were out doing their early evening walk with their daughters, Mayra and Reyna. It was a nightly occurrence in late spring and all throughout summer.

It stopped when the weather got cold in the fall. This would be their last evening walk into downtown. The two women were talking quietly to each other. Dressed identically in flare blue jeans and sweaters with tennis shoes, the two carried diaper bags and purses. Each had an infant asleep in a stroller. Marisol said, "Thank God Mayra finally dozed off."

Leisia laughed, "Reyna too. I think they are on the same timetable. I told Nikki that. You know what she said, 'In seven months-time that be me'. "

Marisol smirked," I told you she was preggers, but did you listen…No!"

"Well," I said, "it's ten times harder now school, work, and a baby. Nikki said I know but I can handle it. I told her I hope so."

"Leisia, you worry too much."

Then, they walked in silence as they passed two restaurants filled to capacity. So much so that the restaurants had people waiting outside in groups. Shaking her head, Marisol said, "They must be using reservations now. This way they may turn away fewer people and maximize their profit." Leisia laughed, "Restaurant school?" "No," Marisol answered, "business school management concentration but in the restaurant business." "Good luck with that."

They continued to walk in silence passing two busy pars and a bookstore. Leisia thought to herself, it was a strange place to have a bookstore. But the owner made good money year-round.

Both Mayra and Reyna started to fuss and cry. Marisol and Leisia said "Jinx!" They stopped their strollers close to the buildings and bent to check on the girls.

Both had spit out their pacifiers. Pacifier resettled with Reyna and then in Mayra's mouth, they began to walk. "Hey Leisia, I got to pump. You want to stop at our usual place?"

"Sure." As they walked closer to the curb nearing the corner a man stumbled out of the alleyway, all bloody, and fell to the ground. Marisol let out a scream and Leisia said to her," I'm going to call Steve." Steve was her boyfriend and Reyna's father. He was also a cop.

"He would know what to do."

As the police arrived, Marisol and Leisia were told to wait by the side until Steve got there. He would question them once he got there. Leisia said, "Hurry, we got a breastfeeding Mom here."

As the two women waited for the police to come, the babies started to fuss some more. Mayra was hungry and Marisol needed to nurse her.

She asked the restaurant behind her if she could nurse her daughter in their bathroom. The hostess agreed and escorted her to the back of the restaurant.

Leisia said Steve will be mad."

"Hey, Li he will have to be."

***

MARISOL

As she walked back to the bathroom, she noted a nice candlelit restaurant with intimate table settings. Most tables were set for two patrons, but some were set for more. There were a couple of sizes of tables both round and square. Some were pushed together and those that were pushed together were mostly the square kind. Every table was full. No one was waiting to be seated though. She passed by the kitchen and entered the lounge. Thanking the hostess, she quickly glanced around until she saw the chair. Wasting no time, she sat down and fed Mayra. After burping Mayra, she walked back out with her to talk to Leisia and Steve if he was there.

***

LEISIA

As Marisol and Mayra went into the restaurant Reyna settled down with her bottle. Leisia left her in the stroller and finagled a chair to sit down on as she fed her daughter from the restaurant behind her. The cops and Steve arrived. The ends of the street were blocked off in both directions with dividers and yellow tape blocked off the alley entrance. As she watched the activity Leisia heard her daughter let out a mighty burp after she pulled the bottle out of her mouth. And then she grinned at her Mommy. Distracted by her daughter she almost missed what happened next. A man peeked around the yellow taped alley entrance. She figured the cops talked to him and dismissed him, turning her attention back to Reyna, who was now babbling nonsense. When she glanced up again the man was gone.

Steve walked over to her. He was a homicide detective. "Hey baby," Steve says as he leans in and kisses her.

Leaning into the stroller he kissed his daughter's nose as she burbles and reached up for him. He grabbed her flailing arms and legs to quiet her. She stopped and looked at him. Then she starts again so he let her go and popped her pacifier back into her mouth. She started to suck like she was starving. So, he left her to it.

Looking around Steve sighed. "You mind telling me why it was you two who stumbled onto this murder or alleged murder scene?" She gave him a disgruntled look. "It is not my fault. We were out walking with…" interrupting her, Steve asked, "We?", "Yes, she says, "we- Marisol and I."

Steve sighed again. "So, what happened, and where is Marisol?" "She is breastfeeding Mayra in the restaurant behind us." Says Leisia. He finally noticed where she was in front of. She smiled and said, "Good food here." As soon as the words came out of his mouth Marisol with Mayra in her arms walked out of the restaurant. She was pushing the stroller. She smiled when she saw the two of them. "Hi, Steve. Look Mayra it's Steve. Wave hi to Uncle Steve." Mayra pushed her head into Marisol's shoulder. "Shy moment" So Steve said to both now, looking very stern, "Can you two tell me what you saw?"

The two women looked at each other. "Not much," said Marisol. "We were talking to each other and about to cross the street to walk to our favorite restaurant. You know I can breastfeed in public and get a free meal. Suddenly right before we were about to step off the curb, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. When I turned, Leisia turned and we saw that man, pointing towards the alley entrance, stumbling back towards the street. He was bloody from what we could see down here. Or I assumed it was blood because he staggered before he fell." Steve nodded as he listened quietly. Looking at Marisol, "Why not drunk?" She shrugged, "5 p.m., too early unless you started at 8 a.m., and go to college. No one over 30 does that in this neighborhood."

Steven nodded.

Leisia asked him, "Anything you can tell us?" He said, "Well,” pointing towards the alley, "you were right. It appears he was murdered. Gunshot wound. No alcohol was apparently involved. Nothing appears to be stolen. Wallet is intact with money, credit cards, and driver's license. We did find an expensive coat little ways down the alley. Funny, the cellular phone is in the coat pocket.”

“Robbery wasn't the apparent motive.”

Marisol suggested, "Interrupted?"

"No", said Steve, “we spoke to the only other occupant-a homeless man.” “Oh, was he the guy in the brown trench coat?” asked Leisia. "No," said Steve, "he didn't have a coat." "Oh well, honey you missed someone. I saw a man in a brown leather trench coat leave.” Steve cursed. "I will be back,” he said, as he jogged to the other officers. He asked the crime scene photographer if he had remembered seeing a guy in a brown trench coat. She didn't remember but she does remember someone fitting that description just not in the alley. She promised as soon as the film was developed, and she found it she would give it to him. He thanked her.

Jogging back to Leisia and Marisol, he'd asked them if anything else came to mind. They thought and both said "No". He said "Okay, we are going to need your statement, but I can't take you back to the station right now. I can have someone take you or you can wait for me. Both said they'd wait. Marisol had to call Abdul anyway. So, Steve said, “we’ll go to your favorite restaurant and wait there with Marisol. Leisia, I'll drive you to the precinct myself.”

Marisol makes sure Abdul gets you there today. Sure, thing Capitaine.

***

Half an hour later, Marisol and Leisia were seated at Martin's House of Soul Food, staring at the food in front of them. Marisol had called Abdul's cellular phone as they walked to the restaurant and asked him to pick her up and explained what happened. Not happy to be back at the station but he would get her there. As soon as the two began to eat after making sure their daughters were sleepy who would pop by but James. Staying to chat for a while the two filled him in. The cops stopped by again to talk and after a while, both James and the others left. Then Abdul walked in with Steve. All four left for the station to give the girls statement.