Chapter 19

"The Case of Philly Ross"

It had been a long day from flying 14 hours to meeting with Pan Am's CEO to nearly being arrested by Pan Am Human Resources and finally to meeting an employee forced into a leadership role to cover tracks. But now we were in our hotel in Times Square which to be honest, reminded us of Ryme City in a sense. Pokemon and humans walking hand in hand under the protection of one of the United States' best police forces: the New York City Police Department or NYPD.

On a night where we would normally be celebrating Christmas was spent in a hotel room reflecting on the first part of the investigation. Naturally, my work wasn't done as I needed to reach out to a friend of mine who was flying in from Los Angeles. At around 8:00pm, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Mr. Goodman, your guest has arrived."

"Thank you."

Hanging up the phone, I proceeded down to the lobby and there was my friend and colleague sitting in the lobby.

"Harry," said the man rising to his feet.

"Richard," I acknowledged, hugging the man like he was a brother to me. "Thanks for coming on short notice. Sorry about your loss."

"Yeah, it's tough. I want to solve this case and get justice for Stacey."

Of course, Richard Younger and I went back a long ways from our time in the LAPD. But, while I went to Ryme City to solve Pokemon related cases, he stayed behind with the woman who was supposed to be his wife.

"Look, uh, Richard. Want to uh, grab a coffee or something? It'll be good for you."

"Sure, I could use one."

Going into the hotel's coffee shop, I knew that I needed to get more information about Philly Ross and his entire involvement in this case.

"So, Richard," I said. "The reason I asked to see you is because there's a guy that I seem to recall you dealt with who is now with Team Rocket. His name is Philly Ross."

Richard took a cup and then sighed deeply. It appeared that the mere mention of Philly's name left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Philip Ross," Richard sighed. "He's a gangster and a blackmailer, Harry. You see, did I ever tell you the time that Stacey got raped?"

My eyes widened at this revelation.

"Yes, about three years ago. She was attacked in her home while you were on duty."

…

"Prior to focusing on Pokemon related cases," Richard explained. "Stacey specialized in sexual assault cases in Los Angeles. One time, she helped a defendant win an acquittal, but the assistant district attorney at the time was infatuated with her. They grabbed a meal, went to her home and the next minute…I get a call saying that she had been assaulted and that the man was dead."

"Killed in self-defense, I presume?"

"Yes, she stabbed him with a fork…a kitchen fork. Philly watched the whole thing from the outside window and threatened to tell the story of what happened to the press. He stalked Stacey, he harassed Stacey and he would only stop if she paid him $50,000."

"Damn. What happened next?"

"First thing I did was be there for Stacey," continued Richard. "She testified and pleaded guilty for her actions. Her sentence was suspended and thankfully, was instead sentenced to community service."

"What about Philly?"

"Before I could get him for blackmail, he escaped from Los Angeles and was never heard from again. Nevertheless, Stacey got back into practice and instead turned to Pokemon related cases, particularly against Team Rocket."

It was now becoming clear to me that Philly wanted $50,000 for a good reason. He wanted to put that money towards the goal of Team Rocket's growth.

"Well," I said. "It appears that Philly was spotted here in New York a couple of months ago, paying a visit to the Pan Am building."

"Did anyone stop him?" Richard asked in a hushed and shocked voice. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Apparently, from the witness we talked to, who was thrown into a leadership role against her will, by the way, it seemed that Philly may have joined Team Rocket after escaping from California."

Now it was becoming clear to my friend that Philly Ross did in fact play a role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and the $50,000 he wanted…was to be put towards a plot.

"Where is he now, Harry?" Richard asked.

"That's what we are trying to figure out right now, Richard," I answered. "Wherever he and these animals are, we will find them."

…

Feeling slightly emotional, Richard rose to his feet just as Tim and Pikachu were coming in.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Tim, you and Pikachu remember Detective Richard Younger, don't you?"

"Yeah, good to see you again," Tim said, shaking Richard's hand. "Sorry about Stacey."

"Thanks, Tim. I was explaining to your dad how Stacey managed to recover from what happened a few years ago. I still can't believe this."

"Well, you're welcome to stay with us," Tim said, trying to offer Richard a lifeline. "If you want to."

"Thanks, guys," Richard replied, grabbing his coat. "But, I gotta get to Kennedy Airport because they are bringing Stacey's body back in the morning. They found her and Jessica in the cockpit section of the plane. See you, Harry. Thanks for the coffee."

After giving him a hug, I watched as Richard left the shop, knowing just how important it was to further solve this case.

…

"Hey, uh, how was Times Square?" I asked Tim, trying to give myself a distraction.

"Fine, fine. Definitely in the holiday spirit, that's for sure. Too bad we can't take in the feeling of celebrating the holidays this year. In fact, Lucy just did her first report from Lockerbie, standing in front of the cockpit lying in the fields."

"Did she mention anything about the Pokemon League Academy?"

"They are in mourning with the rest of the world over this tragedy, I guess. The entire school is just dumbstruck. It must be hard for Lucy and Psyduck right now."

"Well, they got a job to do and we got a job to do, son," I said. "Let's get some sleep and then resume the investigation in the morning."

Nodding, Tim and Pikachu followed me out of the coffee shop with the intention of getting some much needed sleep after a long day.

…

…