1.
" Am I Pregnant? How far along am I?" Megan asked Dr. Carlson. She was the only doctor at the free clinic on Main Street.
" Yes, but not far along. You should start showing soon." Carlson said.
" That's what I was afraid of. " Megan said. " Would you like a paternity test?" Carlson asked. " "No. I know who the father is." Getting prego had not been in the plans for Megan. Things could not get much worse than being penniless and pregnant.
" Well have a good day and I want to see you soon to see how you are doing". Carlson said. Megan did not say anything as she walked out the door.
" Hey, sugar. Would you like to come and play." The woman in the shelter said. Megan just ignored it. It was the third time the woman offered herself.
" Would you just leave her alone. No one is going to ever fuck your diseased body." Rico said. Rico always came to Megan's defense. Even when it wasn't warranted.
" You always defended her. Do you even know her name.? "The woman shouted.
" Does it matter? Rico shouted back. Megan put her hand on his shoulder that she would do for a husband once they see that their tempers flaring.
" So. How did your appointment go? Rico asked. They moved into another room where the screamer couldn't bother them.
" Not good, It looks like I am Prego was not what I had planned". Megan said. " Are any really planned. I mean there are some married couples trying for babies but that's different. Your single and living in a shelter. Not the environment to raise a child." Rico said. Rico was one of those people who were too smart for his own good but Megan enjoyed that about him.
2.
Cordelia spent the next couple of weeks cleaning her sister's apartment. She passed up the opportunity to go to an ivy league university.
" You are just going to turn out like your sister. Probably out partying or in some guys pants. You're probably with him right now. You just probably went to another room to take the call. So go back to wasting your poor miserable life you. " "Click". Cordelia hung up the phone before his rant would resort to name calling.
" Does you want to keep your sisters make up," David asked. She met David at the Roxy. She noticed that she was drinking a little too much. " No just throw it. She didn't really use half the shit anyway." She said. " Say, do you want to have dinner tonight? He asked. " That was a little random." She said. Although the idea wasn't out of her mind. The whole world thought she was crazy and David is the only person taking her seriously.
" Table for two". She agreed to have dinner at The Golden Dragon. " This is a nice place, David". Cordelia said. " My parents use to take me here when we were an actual family. Before life went to hell" he said. They were sat at a four-person table near the back of the restaurant. For a change, they ordered non-alcoholic drinks.
Listen I know you're probably not hungry with everything that is going on. I just thought we could go to a nice quiet place get and talk. Get to know one another." David said. Yes, she was right about her not being hungry and yes her mind was still going.
" So, what did your parents do? Why did you have to move so much? Cordelia asked. Cor had to ask the million dollar question right out of the gate.
" My parents started out working the books for carnivals. They would funnel money they made from the carnival to Castaluca. The underboss for the Rizzi family. The carnival manager got wind of them but Castaluca paid to have us shipped to Chicago to work for this man named Nitti. Not the one from the 20's a different one. My parents changed their names got fake Ids and pulled off one of the biggest jewelry heists in Chicago. The jewelry store belonged to Nitti and my parents disappeared. I didn't move to Chicago with them. Mom had me live with her sister up on Long Island.
" Holy shit." Cordelia was flabbergasted. " Now I know why you don't think I'm crazy." She said. " Let me get this straight. Your sister, Laverna."
" Lavinia". She interrupted.
" Sorry, was murdered by her roommate and her roommate took her identity and even posted Facebook pictures under your sister's account." David Said
" Yes, that is correct". She said.
" What a con, I heard of faking someone's death but faking that someone's alive that is a new con even for the stuff my parents did.
" Restaurants closing in a half hour". A voice in the distance said.
" Listen, Do you want to continue this back at my place?" He asked.
" What does that entail?" She asked. Knowing her experience with kissing before. It was not a road she wanted to go down again, but hey she has nothing else to lose at this point.
3.
" Wasn't that a little convenient". Cordelia said. David's apartment was three blocks from the restaurant.
" Maybe a little" David said. He wasn't going to lie. He was passed that point. She had known too much about his parents and if certain ears were listening. She would be sleeping with the fishes as they say.
" No family pictures, keepsakes or anything. This apartment is bare" Cordelia said. " No one needs to know who my parents were. One mention or photo people would start asking ." David said.
"Holy shit". She said.
" Con artists play everyone. Even their closest friends. Your sister's friend was a con artist but you saw right through it. Give yourself a lot of credit for that." He said. Cordelia found this comforting. Someone she could relate to. She was going through hell and he had been through hell.
Cordelia found herself crying most of the night. Louise Wilson, if that had been her real name, was still out there playing her game. " Has she done this type of thing before?" she thought. Her sister's bank statement showed multiple withdrawals within the last two weeks. David made it sound like money is always the factor. People have killed over money. New York had a history of it.
4.
The body of Michelle Berman was found at a quarter past eight a mile away from the shelter. " She looks familiar". Detective Hoskin's said.
" Did you fuck her in the last week". Detective Haynes said.
" Why do you assume that I Fuck every woman I say looks familiar. You know I can keep it in once in a while" Hoskins said.
"I know you and your reputation". Haynes said.
" Whats that suppose to mean?" Hoskin's asked. Haynes just shot him a glare. That were detectives at a crime scene glare. He was about ten years older than Hoskins and much more mature too.
" Looks about maybe in her thirties. She's bald. Hair could have been cut postmortem." Haynes said.
" Looks like she had a rough week". Hoskin's said
" That would be considered a major understatement. "What do you think happened? Haynes said.
" She's dead that's what happened". Hoskins said. Haynes rolled his eyes. It was the third time today he has rolled his eyes at Hoskins.
"Let's get him to Barney and see if anyone at the shelter knows anything. They walk these streets more than we do" Haynes said. Hoskins starts making some calls.
5.
Haynes questioned almost everyone at the shelter. He stopped when one of the tenants yelled from across the room. " You been looking for Shelly aren't you. Something wrong with that woman. Not good. Don't know what it is but not good."
" What do you think she is hiding." Hoskin's asked. He was immature but he knew everyone had a secret. Some secrets are meant to stay buried.
" Not good." The girl repeated
" Is this shelly?" Haynes held up a picture of the cadaver that was dropped about a block from the shelter. Everyone gasped. It was like no one has seen a picture of a dead body before. " Stop acting like you never seen a dead body. I am going to repeat my self. Does anyone know her? Haynes said.
" I did." A soft voice said. " I am Ally. I am a bartender at the Roxy and her and some blond chick came in. " Her name started with an L though. It wasn't Shelly. Haynes started jotting down notes in his little flipbook.
" It started with an L" He said
"Lois or Louise. It had to be something like that" Ally said
" Well, If you can think of anything. Please do not hesitate to give us a call or drop by." Haynes said. He left his card at home but he wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
" You okay," Hoskin's said.
" Yeah, long night at work. I guess it's getting the best of me." Ally said.
Haynes was skeptical. Ally knew more than she was letting on but she was the only one who spoke up in a case that could go cold sooner than later.
6.
" What did you say you wanted the names to be " Riley asked. He had specialized in making fake documents. He could forge anything if he put his mind to it.
" Paul and Rochelle Barlow". David said. Cordelia shot him a look. " What, its a name I haven't used before. Say, Riley. Can you make fake marriage certificates too." David asked.
" Make them so real that a judge wouldn't be able to tell the difference". Riley said.
" Well, Rochelle. Would you marry me? David asked.
" Yes, Paul. I would love too." Cordelia said.
Riley's work was so great that it even fooled the border guards when Paul and Rochelle Barlow crossed into Mexico in a stolen vehicle. Paul started working for some Cartel drug lord while Rochelle became a professional hitwoman. Cordelia and David were tragically killed on a river cruise for their first date.
7.
New York City Homicide found out Michelle Berman was born Crystal Pearl but had Fake Id's in Louise Wilson, Lois Gunter, and Megan Alexander. Ally the bartender real name was Cordelia. Barney found two sets of DNA on the victim. One belonged to Cordelia and the other was Jason Rizzi. The nephew of the mafia boss. Since Cordelia is dead and no one knows where Jason is the case closed without an arrest.
The case made it on the pilot episode of Strange Murder's a new documentary hosted by retired homicide detective James Haynes.