We had been back from Santa Monica for a few weeks..It was quiet for awhile...Then things began to pick up...
Beverly had three cases....Won them all!
Nelson had three himself...Won them all!
even Josie had a few cases...Won them all!
Olivia had one...a basically easy litigation...She was proud of her partner and her two associate attorneys.... Her little law firm was gaining prominence...This had been the dream she told me about all those years ago when we met in New Orleans..
Today was that rare day...When none of us was in court...We were all at home, filing away case files with our Office manager, Alfreda..
"Bet you guys wish you were back in Cali about now huh?" asked Alfreda...
"It was nice...but I don't mind being at home..."said Olivia..
"Me neither...On my own turf , where I know all of the players.."said Beverly...
''Yeah that's how I feel.."said Nelson...
"Me too!" said Josie..
"True...but it was great...Cheap drinks...Good food.."I said, smiling..
''Yes and liquid sunshine...Great weather.."said Olivia...
"Stop it, you're making me jealous.." said our guest today..Olivia and Beverly's cousin....Kayla Bennett-St. Jacques, also an Attorney.
"Liv, Bev, Donnie Ray...Thanks for letting us work at your office these past few days, This case Kayla and I ae working is kinda controversial and I've felt compromised even at my great place of work...Karen suggested we ask you if we could use your facilities.."said Attorney Jasmine Coley..Who was working a case with her good friend from law school, Kayla Bennett-St.Jacques for the first time. They were both excited to be working together on a case..
We have a fully equipped law library, computers, laptops, tablets...monitors...The works..
"Oh no problem...Kayla is family and you're like family too Jazzy!..."said Olivia..
"Yeah, Kayla always freeloads off of us.."joked her cousin, Beverly...
Kayla playfully stuck her tongue out at Beverly...
"Take five everybody..."said Alfreda as she placed
Hot coffee and doughnuts in the center of the conference room table..
"Ouuuu Aunt Alfreda...Yessss."said Kayla.
"Ouuuuu they smell sooo good Ms. Jay." said Jazzy...
"Ohhh yeah..."said Nelson..
"That's what I'm talking about..."I said..
Our circle had grown so wide... I could remember when it was just Olivia, Beverly and me and Josie..in the beginning..Olivia and Beverly lived on the second floor and I rented the top floor and Josie was the office manager...I was the new Investigator, former Homicide Detective from New Orleans , who had moved here to be with Olivia, an attorney with her new law firm...
Today, Olivia and I are happily married
Beverly and Nelson, an Attorney they worked with when they were both Public Defenders are now Happily married,
and Nelson is our Associate Attorney...
and Josie...who started out as an Administrative Assistant/Office Manager , then became a Para Legal and after law school is now our newest Associate Attorney...
Their cousin, Kayla , also an Attorney
is happily married and lives across the street and down the block from us...
And the newly married Jasmine Jenkins-Coley, An Attorney Olivia,Beverly and Nelson worked with at the Public Defenders office lives with her husband, Attorney Dabnis Coley
right around the corner from us...
The circle had indeed widened...
Alfreda Johnson, a former School Teacher and counselor and Beverly's mother now worked for us as an Office Manager..
Our one time adversary, ADA Rockland Cambridge, now a friend...and her very special friend
and her were in the kitchen, kissing passionately..
while we munched on piping hot doughnuts and aipped hot steamy coffee..
A typical day at our law firm...
II-
But downtown at the High Powered Law firm where Jasmine's Husband, Attorney Dabnis Coley worked...Another more contentious meeting was taking place..
in their ultra modern conference room..
"Joey ,I can't believe you would do this to us...To Me..I helped you study for the bar for godsakes...I brought you on as a favor to your late father...He'd be spinning in his grave right now...You worked here for ten years and then you jumped ship to work for a huge conglomerate and now you're helping them buy us out.."said Saul Reindorf, A Senior Founding partner of the firm...
"It's nothing personal Uncle Saul...This is business....Just Business...When the papers are drawn and we take over next month, the first thing that is going to happen in our re-organization plan is that you and Dabnis will be transferred to our Cherry Hill Office.."said Attorney Joseph Turner, the point man in the operation..
"Cherry Hill? Come on Man!!" protested Dabnis..
"Oh Come on Dabnis….It's not that far...Right over the bridge...You've got a brand new ride that I've had my eye on getting...You'll just be putting a few more miles on it...Maybe you'll have to get up a little earlier ...Get off of that Hot wife of yours...Heh heh heh...Oh by the way, Congratulations on the wedding.."laughed Joseph... "Oh and your new positions will require you both to work at least one Saturday a month for a half day, you can choose between the two of you..Heh Heh Heh.." he laughed..
"I'd like to slap the taste out of his mouth.."said Dabnis..
''You and me both!!...I'm still hot that he left my daughter at the alter last year and married someone else a month later..She's still in therapy..and then after all that...He left that woman...They're separated now...The Creep!"said Saul...
A loud horn was blowing....
The phone rang....
"I'll get it.." said Dabnis..
''What? The horn on my car is blowing?/ How is that possible? And what is it doing parked in front of the building?? I parked it in the lot?" said Dabnis..
''What is it?" asked Saul..
"I think somebody tried to steal my ride....Let me go downstairs and tend to this.."said Dabnis..
"Go ahead...Go Ahead." said Saul..
Dabnis took the express elevator to the street...
There he found his new car sitting in front of the building with the motor running and the horn blasting loudly..
Inside...He saw Joseph Turner slumped over the steering wheel..
"What are you doin in my car man? Damn this job I'll kick your ass." screamed an irate Dabnis Coley , who snatched the passenger side of the door open and shook Joseph Turner..his body went limp...The horn was still blaring loudly...He used his key fob to turn it off..
"Get Outta my car Turner!!" Dabnis said and shook him again...His body went limp and fell over..
"What the hell..?" he said..
There was a .38 smokeless on the floor...It was still hot...It had been recently fired.. He looked at it and put it back down...He saw blood smeared on the seat and saw a nice round hole in the side of Joseph Turner's head...
He felt his neck and then his pulse..
Joseph Turner was dead!! Very, Very Dead!!!!
III-
At our duplex....
Olivia and I were in the kitchen kissing passionately...
We had been kissing for a few minutes....
Beverly and Nelson had gone up to their floor and said they would be back down...
But they too were in their living room, with the door wide open,kissing like two horny teenagers..
Downstairs, Josie was helping Jazzy and Kayla with their case..
"Here, I believe this predicate could help you.."said Josie..
"Wow ,you were a great para-legal...Still got them skills girl...I want to work a case with you very soon."said Jasmine..who hugged Josie...
"I told you she was sharp and she was special.." said Kayla..
and in the front office.. Alfreda and Rockland were kissing..
"You're going to be late getting back to work from lunch, why don't you save some of that for tonight? I'm packing an overnight bag and staying with you...You can drop me off here.."cooed Alfreda..
"Oh My God...Okay...Let me calm myself down and uh get back to work.."said Rockland..
"You can start by letting me go..Come on...Calm down before somebody walks in here.."chided Alfreda..
While downtown...
Dabnis was explaining to the police officers on the scene , Crime Scene Investigators , Forensic Unit people and Medical Examiner, Dr. Hazel Baylor what had happened..
"We had just had a meeting upstairs.. He had just left...he hadn't been gone 15 minutes..He wound up in my car...We got a call from the guy at the front desk that my car was out in front of the building and the horn was blaring..I came running down and he was in my car, slumped over the steering wheel, dead!" said Dabnis..
"The gun is still hot...It was just recently fired...It looks like the murder weapon...You didn't touch it did you?" asked Hazel..
"Yeahhhhh I picked it up when I saw it...I know better, but I wasn't expecting this...I don't own a gun and it was weird seeing it on my front seat..."said Dabnis..
"Where is the guy at the front desk, who called you?" asked Hazel...
Dabnis looked..
"He's gone!!! but he couldn't be...I told him to wait right here...He couldn't have gone far.."said Dabnis..
Two police cars drove up...Facing each other.. Four Uniformed officers got out..
"OH HELL!" Hazel sighed...For a whole month she had worked with her "family",
Duke, Angie, Tyriq,Carlotta,Jimmy, Sirena ,Hop and Sissy on cases or Danny Ho...Now HE was back from his assignment on the Marine Boat patrol..
Lt. Tragg walked over to the Car and observed the dead body...
"Hmmm a neat hole right in the side of the head...Anybody find a murder weapin?" he asked..
Hazel passed him
the .38 smokeless...It had already been bagged and tagged...
"It was in the car on the floor.." said Hazel..
"Nice Ride...Who is he?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"His name is Joseph Turner...He's an Attorney, He used to work at my firm...Now he's with another firm that is in the process of buying out my firm..."said Dabnis...
"This his car?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"It's my car....I don't know how he wound up in my car...It was parked in the garage...I got a call from the Desk clerk saying my car was outside and the horn was blowing..I came running out and found him dead on the front seat.."said Dabnis..
"You found him dead, on the front seat..of your car?" said Lt. Tragg...smiling with glee..
"That's the truth..." said Dabnis..now contrite...
"How did he get in your car?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"I have no idea...Whoever killed him must have shot him minutes after he left our meeting and drove him out front and ran...The Guy at the front desk must have seen the whole thing."said Dabnis..
"Where is he?What guy at the front desk??How did he get in your car, start it and drive it to the front??..Doesn't look like it was hot wired?" asked Lt. Tragg, who was smiling from ear to ear...
"How the hell would I know? He called me from the desk, I ran down here as fast as I could and I found my car out front and found him inside, with a neat hole in his head,blood running down the side of his head and that gun on the floor of my ride.."said Dabnis..
"That's a pretty fantastic story smart guy....I don't believe it!!!...BOYS....Hook him up, read him his rights."said Lt. Tragg...
"Hey don't be a complete asshole...I'm an attorney, YOU KNOW I DIDN'T DO THIS...YOU..YOU CORNBALL KEYSTONE COP!!"snarled Dabnis, who hated Lt. Tragg with a passion..He was handcuffed and read his rights..
"You know, ever since you sued me, you little prick..I've waited for this moment...and now I've got you...I got you now! HAHAHAHAHA!"laughed Lt. Tragg..
"YOU CORNBALL, KEYSTONE COP...YOU'RE A COMPLETE JACKASS IF EVER THERE WAS ONE..."snarled an angry Dabnis Coley...
Lt. Tragg slugged him hard in his stomach..
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" moaned Dabnis, who folded over like a tent and fell to the ground...
"Got anything more to say? What was that? I can't HEARRRRRRR YOUUUU!" snarled Lt. Tragg..
"I didn't think so... pick him up boys...Take him downtown...Book him, MURDER ONE!" said Lt. Tragg.
Two uniformed policemen picked Dabnis up off of the pavement...He was still trying to catch his breath..
They read him his rights and then handcuffed him...
Hazel viewed the entire thing and shook her head...She didn't like what she had just witnessed at all
"It's quite obvious what this guy died from...but have that Autopsy report on my desk ASAP Hazel."said an almost jubilant Lt. Tragg..
as the body of Joseph Turner and
Dabnis's car was towed away...
At our home...Kayla and Jasmine had left for the day, So had Alfreda and Rockland..
Josie was gathering her things and preparing to go...
"Wanna stop by Mabel Jenkins Soul Food Joint for dinner with us Jo? We'll run you home.."said Olivia..
"Yeah that sounds good.."I said.
"Bev and I will drive you home.."said Nelson..
"Call Paris, tell him to meet us there." said Beverly...
Jasmine came running up, she was in tears....
"Liv, Bev..It's Dabnis!!!!...He's been arrested and charged with First Degree Murder...I got a call from his Supervisor and from Hazel...She suggested I talk to you guys.."said a crying Jasmine..
"Murder??Noooooo!" said Olivia, holding Jasmine in her arms and hugging her.
"Lt. Tragg has flipped his lid."said Beverly..
"He's had it in for that kid ever since he sued him and the department.."I said..
"We gotta get down there.."said Nelson...
"Yes...The Sooner the better."said Josie..
IV-
Dabnis sat in the "Fishbowl" the detectives named the Interrogation Room and stared icily at Lt. Tragg...
He stared with a white hot hatred of the man...
"Turns out this Joey Turner used to work for your firm and left to go work for a much larger ,more well heeled firm out of Jersey...He was the point man on the group that paid off your firms huge debts and was about to leverage a complete buy out of your firm....and you and your boss were about to be transferred to the Cherry Hill Office..Heh Heh heh!" laughed Lt. Tragg..
"Did you get that information from an Anonymous tip also? Or did you actually do some detective work you crummy cornball keystone copper?" snarled Dabnis...
"Well laughing boy...That gun you say you FOUND on the floor of your car was the murder weapon...It had just been fired recently and only YOUR prints were on it...So I got you...I got you cold.."said Lt. Tragg..
"I'm done talking to you...You are an imbecile...I need to talk to an intelligent person."said Dabnis..
Lt. Tragg looked up..
Saul Reindorf, who he did not know walked in..
"I'm Saul Reindorf, I'm a Senior Associate Attorney with Mr. Coley's firm.." he said..
Dabnis's wife, Jasmine
Olivia Bennett-Alexander
her niece, Beverly West
Me
Nelson East
and Josie Boyd all walked up...
Lt. Tragg smiled..
"Well look at this....All you lawyers...." he said ,laughing with glee....
Saul Reindorf ignored him..He turned to Olivia..
"My firm is prepared to pay his legal fees completely and any bail that is set.."he said..
"Well thank you Mr. Reindorf." said Olivia..
"Heyy Dabnis...You alright?" asked Beverly...
"Heyy Dabnis.."said Josie...
"Honey Bunny, what did you get yourself into now?" asked Jasmine,
kissing him passionately..
"I'm Innocent...Completely innocent...This jackass arrested me....I'm gonna sue his ass and the Philadelphia Police Department for harassment and false arrest, He's had it in for me ever since the Reynolds case.."said Dabnis loud enough for him to hear it.. "And he hit me too...That's police brutality...I have witnesses..."said Dabnis..
Lt. Tragg smiled.
"Forget about all that Dabnis...We've got to get you out of here...and get you free of these charges..You're charged with First Degree Murder.." said Nelson..
"I'm innocent man, I didn't kill nobody..." said Dabnis...
"Unfortunately Night Court is booked...So we can't get you a hearing until tomorrow morning at 10:00....So sit tight Dabnis...you know not to say anything else to anybody...You're a lawyer, you know that...We'll be back in the morning...try to be cool Dabnis.."said Olivia..
"Yeah man, be cool.." I said..
Jazzy pulled Dabnis to her
She kissed him so passionately that he immediately got an erection...He wanted her so bad it hurt and having to sit in jail for a night ,without her made him even angrier...He wanted to commit murder..He wanted to murder Lt. Tragg.
We watched as he was walked to the elevator that was taking him upstairs to the cooler...
Lt. Tragg tried to make small talk..
"Saw you guys were out in California a few weeks ago...Great weather out there huh?" he said.
"It was quite enjoyable.." said Olivia..
"I take it you saw us on the news.."said Beverly..
"I did...You guys looked good...Savor that victory..because uh you aint gonna win this one..I got this guy cold.."laughed Lt. Tragg.
"Think so huh? You know , you always say that and we always prove you wrong.."I said.
"Care to make a wager? A steak dinner for five?" asked Nelson..
"Nah Buddy...No wager...But I got this one...This guy will be disbarred and carted off to prison and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it..Good night Liv, Beverly, Donnie Ray, Nelson,Josie.." he said and walked away..
Jasmine was crying profusely....Ironically ,
Josie, who she had faced off in court against when Josie had a mock trial a year ago...was holding her, rocking her back and forth...They had become friends....That was the only thing nice about tonight..
Dabnis took his suit jacket off and peered outside the bars..
This was the first time in his life he had ever been locked up...He shook with rage...Tears poured down his face...
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