Made For Each Other..

You would have thought this was the trial of the century...….

The Press was out in full force.....

Dabnis Coley, the Attorney who sued the Philadelphia Police Department and Lt. Tragg was now himself on trial for First Degree Murder!!

Lt. Tragg was in his glory... He called it his "Vindication Trial"  He posed for the cameras , he gave the great quotes ...He in effect became the number one news tory in the city...

ADA Yvonne Harris, prosecuting the case would not give any statement and wouldn't even let them take her photo...

She said simply.. "No Comment " and hurried along..

"No Comment Guys...You'll get the full story after the trial." said Olivia.

"You heard my Auntay...I have nothing to say.."said Beverly.

"No Comment." said Nelson..

"Come on guys, give us a break! No comment!!" I said..

"Hiiiii guys....Byyyye Guys!" said Josie seductively...


Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Myself and Josie would not pose for any photo ops and we gave a terse no comment and kept it moving when asked..

Dabnis however did allow himself to be photographed and against our counsel gave a long quote about how this was a vendetta, a sick vendetta by Lt. Tragg against him because he wanted revenge for him suing him and the Philadelphia Police on behalf of Judge Reynolds... He said that when the truth came out..he would be vindicated..

It made for great newspaper and tabloid copy...

ADA Harris respected us for not commenting and becoming part of the side show that this trial was taking on...but she looked at both Lt. Tragg, who she had told not to comment

and the defendant

Attorney Dabnis Coley, who she knew Olivia and Beverly had told not to comment and shook her head..

"They are both the flip side of the same coin....They were made for each other.." she mused..

II-

And so the trial began...

ADA Yvonne Harris argued brilliantly that Dabnis Coley, a brilliant but fiery and opinionated Attorney got so heated after Joseph Turner announced a leveraged buyout of the firm they both worked at at one time and planned to transfer him to Cherry Hill and have him work on Saturdays that he followed him out into the parking lot and shot him to death.

She argued that he had a long bitter hatred of Turner dating back to when he stole a romantic interest from him..

Olivia and Beverly argued that not only was this ludicrous but that they would prove that he couldn't have possibly of committed this crime and that it was someone else.

The first few days were enlarged photos of the corpse in Dabnis's car and testimony from the police at the scene, Crime Scene Investigators and Forensics people..

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson and Josie didn't question a one of them on cross..

Next Yvonne paraded witnesses who had heard them quarreling or seen them quarreling on several occasions..

On Cross, Olivia, Beverly and Nelson questioned them hard...They got half of them to admit that they hadn't seen or heard anything, they had HEARD about it second, third and fourth hand...

The ones who actually did witness the arguments were asked if any of these arguments ever got violent..

One person said one argument almost got violent , but cooler heads prevailed..and it didn't..

"Almost only counts in horse shoes.."said Olivia.

The Jury, which she was slowly winning over laughed loud and hard...

Yvonne argued that since the Front desk guy was not at his post, she doubts if there was a call at all..

Saul Reindorf, an Attorney at the firm testified that there was indeed a call and that Dabnis was there and believed that someone had moved his car,,,

Josie showed a blown up photo of the phone record and the number and the time of the call...She also showed that this same number called the police and the M.E.'s office before the official time of death, when Dabnis was shown in a time stamped photo in his office..

Nelson said..

"That puts Dabnis in the office at the time someone is calling the police to say a murder has been committed."

"Nobody can move THAT fast.." said Beverly...

The jury roared with laughter...

That stayed with the jury the rest of the prosecutions case...

Yvonne Harris had to admit that Olivia and Beverly and their team were formidable...She hadn't planned on them having such a formidable defense..

Judging by their performance in the Pre-lims , which was brilliant...It was obvious they had held back a lot...but not enough she wagered..

She argued as best she could and closed with a very good oratory, but the jury was stained by the admission of the time differences...Confused and even she could see it..

Nelson said to me..

"I see 11 to acquit, 1 undecided...but nobody willing to convict.." he reported..

"Good because we are going to nail this casket shut.." I said..






III-

The next morning...We all decided to have breakfast at Sam Mother's...

We had

 Pancakes

 Omelettes

 Hash Browns

 Sausage and

Coffee...

 Attorney Jessica Sanchez walked over to us..

"Good Luck to you guys...I saw some of the trial this week, you guys were great.."  she said..

"The Prosecution didn't have the slam dunk they thought they had.." said Chip Burrowss..

Lt. Tragg walked in...He was still deluded...

"You guys were as usual pretty good with your bag of tricks..but his prints were on the murder weapon and the body was in his car...You can't unexplain that.." he sneered..

I smiled..

"Watch us." I said silently..

 "We are going to give you both a lesson in criminal defense..." said Olivia.

 "Pay Attention..Schools in session.."said Beverly..

 "If I were you..I'd stop coming to court.. We don't plan to call you..You don't need to be there."said Nelson..

"Yeah, Do yourself a favor..Spare yourself some embarrassment."said Josie..

"OHHHHH REALLY?? HUH? YOU GOT NOTHIN..NOTHIN!!!.I WANT TO SEE THE SURPRISE LOOK ON YOUR FACES WHEN THAT JURY SAYS GUILTY AND SENDS DABNIS TO PRISON FOR LIFE!" Lt. Tragg snarled.. "YOUR CHARM AND GUILLE WON'T SAVE YOU THIS TIME..."he bellowed

''Suit yourself..but ADA Harris, may slap you again after we are done.."said Beverly..

Which was met by raucous laughter...

"HA!  We'll see " said Lt. Tragg.

He was doing a good job of hiding the fact that he was worried and that he was heading for his most embarrassing and humiliating defeat...





IV-

We began our defense...

Olivia and Beverly argued that our client..

Dabnis Coley did indeed have a tempestuous relationship with Joseph Turner, but so did many others..

Against the ADA's objections,

 Olivia and Beverly paraded a slew of employees and former employees of the Law firm ,who had nothing nice to say about the deceased...Pretty hard to cross examine someone's opinion...

''Counselor, while normally I would agree with you...You yourself opened this can of worms last week, so I'm going to let it stand." said Judge Anderson.

ADA Yvonne Rogers reminded the jury that just because the deceased may not have been a nice person was not an excuse to give a pass to his killer.

 Olivia then went to her central defense... That our client was innocent because..he couldn't have possibly of committed the murder...There was no time...She argued..

"The Phone number from the untraceable phone..The Burner phone...is the same number that called Dabnis and told him his car was outside...Now that call was made at 11: 15am... Dabnis caught the elevator and rushed to the street.....Judging by the estimated time of death...All of this occurred at the same time, meaning unless Dabnis was in two places at once...There is no way he could have physically left his floor, gotten to the street ,killed Joseph Turner and knocked out the Front Desk guy all at once." she stated...

Josie added- ".This same number called 911 and Homicide at 11:10 am... That's five minutes BEFORE the estimated time of death..That's the so called anonymous calls that both Hazel and Lt. Tragg got telling them a shooting death occurred." she said.

They used 60 inch Monitors to show the Autopsy report with time of death and the phone calls made to Dabnis, The Police and The M.E's office.

Nelson called the Switchboard Operator  from the Police Department and the M.E.'s office to verify the  time of calls...

Beverly showed blown up photos of where the murder took place in the parking garage, the blood splatter that was completely missed by Lt. Tragg and the police and the spent shell casing found feet from where Dabnis's car was parked..

Olivia  had the Auto Theft guys bring in his car door and explain how a Three Dimensional Duplicator works...You photograph a picture of the keys and it creates a wax duplicate...They showed the wax shavings around the car door and the ignition..

"My client, being a lawyer himself should have known better than to touch that gun that day, but imagine finding a corpse in your car and having no idea how it got there....Imagine the shock..It would make you forget basic tenents."said Olivia very convincingly...

Yvonne argued speculation...The Judge allowed it..

Olivia argued that it goes to explanation and motive...

The Next Day, asking the courts indulgence, we took the jury to Dabnis's building downtown...

Nelson and Beverly made calls upstairs to our office....

I pretended to be Dabnis and raced to the street....

Where Josie had time to pull my car out of the garage and to the front of the building and get out of the car and walk a block to the coffee shop,

By the time I got to the street, bolstering the argument that Dabnis just didn't have time to do all this, while the real killer could have shot Turner , dragged him to the car ,made the call and pulled out, long before Dabnis or I got to the street...With time to spare..

We had done a dry run of this a record six times last week...We were prepared.

Olivia and Sam Reindorf confirmed the time table...

 ADA Yvonne Harris was speechless...She stared angrily at Lt. Tragg...

He was reminded of his words..."His Prints were on the murder weapon and the body was found in his car...you can't UNEXPLAIN THAT! " he had said. Damn it...They had just done it... He had a real sinking feeling in his stomach right now...

Judge Martika Anderson thought of how  proud her late father would have been of both of these girls, Olivia and Beverly, who had clerked for him when they finished law school..She smiled..
A DAY LATER-

Nelson called Vonda Mitchell to the stand.. He presented as Defense exhibits, records of Vonda Mitchell seeking Paternity from the Late Joseph Mitchell and legal documents by his lawyer fighting this..

Yvonne Harris argued relevance...

Nelson argued that he would show it goes to motive..

Judge Anderson said that she would allow it...

She was surprised...

She was asked if Joseph Turner was the father of her son and hadn't she tried for years unsuccessfully to not only get child support , but get him to admit to Paternity...She reluctantly said Yes..

She was asked how her son reacted to this and if it affected him..

Yvonne Rogers argued relevance...

Before the Judge could answer...Nelson smiled..

"I withdraw the question.."

 Josie called John Mitchell to the stand..

He smiled at Josie...He liked the way she looked...She smiled at him....

She asked him if he knew that Joseph Turner was his father...He hesitated then quietly said that he did know..

He was asked if he had tried to call his Father in the year or so since he and his mother had been back in Philadelphia..

He said No..

Olivia showed the jury a blown up list from John Turner's phone of the same number calling him incessantly 124 times...

"Look at that number jurors...It's the same number that called Homicide , telling them there was a murder , the same number that called the M.E.'s number saying it was a murder..The same number
calling Dabnis, telling him his car was outside.."said Olivia..

Beverly dialed the number..

His phone was ringing...

He looked embarrassed.. The Jurors were shocked...

"That's your phone...Isn't it? Answer it!!"said Beverly with an innocent, but sexy smile...

"You killed Joseph Turner didn't you?" asked Olivia softly...

"BABYYYY WHAT DID YOU DO? OH MY LORD!!!" screamed his mother ,Vonda Mitchell..

"ORDER!!! ORDER IN THE COURT!!" said Martika Anderson..

 ADA Yvonne Harris glared at Lt. Tragg with an icy white rage...This was the very type of surprise she hadn't wanted.. Olivia's husband, she heard had been a Homicide Detective once too...He apparently was a much better investigator than Lt. Tragg...

It was simple things that blew this case...Lt. Tragg didn't check the parking garage..He didn't check the phone records of anybody...Something she thought a first year Homicide Detective would have done..

No, his sick need for revenge against this guy gave him a sort of tunnel vision and wasted her time and the court's time...

Lt. Tragg for the first time looked worried.. If the jury voted to acquit...He'd be the laughing stock of the city, especially after all of that talking he'd done in the papers and on Television..

THIRTY MINUTES LATER!

.
Judge Martika Anderson looked at the verdict...She couldn't help but smile..

"Read the Verdict." she said..

"COUNT ONE MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE- NOT GUILTY"

 Dabnis  hugged Olivia

 and kissed her on the cheek..This was the most serious charge.....


"COUNT TWO -USE OF AN INSTRUMENT OF CRIME -NOT GUILTY"

Dabnis hugged Beverly, kissed her on the cheek and spun her around..

He hugged Josie, kissed her on the cheek and spun her around too!!..

"COUNT THREE-CONSPIRACY TO COMMITT MURDER-NOT GUILTY"

Dabnis and Nelson leaped into the air and bumped shoulders ,they were so happy...

He gave me a bear hug...

"Would you like the jury polled ADA Harris?" asked Judge Anderson.

"No Your Honor...I accept the jury's verdict.." Yvonne Harris sighed..

Lt. Tragg's mouth dropped...He couldn't believe Olivia and Beverly had won this case...Dabnis would go free...He just stood there staring at the happy celebration...

 "COME HERE SEXY" said Dabnis to his wife, Jasmine, who was running toward him..He grabbed her and spun her around..

''Babbbbyyyyyyyy."  said  Jasmine, who leaped into his arms

 and  kissed him passionately amid her tears..

"Another close one Neicey Poo!" said Olivia, hugging Beverly...

"Piece of Cake Auntay.."said Beverly...

''A certain Lieutenant is eating a crow sandwich right about now.." I said ,Laughing..

"Yeah...We'd better get out of here...This is the part where fists start flying.."laughed Nelson..

"Oh Oh Look...The Press is headed this way." said Josie...

"Gooooood, so they are..."laughed a jubilant Dabnis..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boy, here we go." laughed a very happy Jasmine...


We posed victoriously with Dabnis..

The Press ate it up...

Dabnis spoke to the presss..

"I told you guys I was innocent.. My brilliant Attorneys here.. freed me and got to the truth...This was a sick vendetta brought on by an over zealous cop...It failed and the real killer was revealed...I truly hope he finds help..." he said..

"Do you plan to sue Lt. Tragg again and the police department..?" asked another reporter..

"Nahhhh...I can't blame the entire Police Department for having one imbecile amongst the many fine and stellar officers and detectives amongst  their ranks.." he said.

This was met by raucous laughter...They all knew who he was  talking about...

Lt. Tragg was pilloried by the Press..

"Listen.I have no comment.." he said..

"You sure had a lot to say before the verdict.."said a reporter..

It was met by much laughter..

''WATCH IT LOU" he snarled..

"You know, that name ,Lt. Wrong Arrest is starting to fit you more and more.." said the same reporter..

"DAMN IT LOU...YOU ASKED FOR IT!" said Lt. Tragg , who angrily charged into the crowd of reporters throwing his fists and being hit by a number of them...

Several of them fell to the ground and Lt. Tragg was knocked over a table...The whole Melee was photographed and televised....

Several Uniformed Police Officers had to get in between him and the reporters...

 Yvonne Harris sat on a bench, away from the melee..She looked at Olivia..who was sitting next to her and like her , had taken her heels off...

"Lt. Tragg, and Your client... They were made for each other.." she said.

Olivia smiled at her..

"I'm afraid you're right.." she said,

And both women shared a laugh...

EPILOUGE-

We all wound up at Curley's Bar that night...

"Come On In...CONGRATULATIONS!" said Curly, He loved us lawyers.. We spent big money...

"This is nice.."said Olivia..

"It might have been nicer or safer anyway at Josie's or the Mermaid Crab Tavern." said Beverly...

"Yeah ,I know what you mean Shortcake.." I said.

"Well we are here now!" said Nelson..

"This is the perfect place for my celebration.."said Dabnis..

"I can only imagine why...Behave yourself.."said his wife, Jazzy, who was sitting on his lap as if to protect him from the world..

"Ooooh look, they have the drinks out already and a cold cuts tray.."observed Josie..

Olivia, Beverly, Myself, Nelson, Dabnis, Jasmine and Josie walked into Curly's Bar...

Dabnis wanted to rub Lt. Tragg's nose in his victory..by having his party in Lt. Tragg's watering hole..

 There was plenty of Beers to go around..

"CONGRATULATIONS DABNIS!!" said Yvette Jones, hugging him..

"WELCOME HOME MAN!" said Gary Lockwood, shaking his hand...

"I never doubted he'd be cleared...Look who was defending him...Taught em everything I know.."joked Keith Jones..

"In your dreams..."laughed his girlfriend, Bee Bee Evans..

"CONGRATULATIONS DABNIS!." said Sofia...

"YEAH, CONGRATULATIONS MAN!" said Kahlil..

"CONGRATULATIONS DABNIS!" said Jade Lee.

''What a place to have this celebration ...Right in Tragg's backyard..."said Lt. Danny Ho.

Yvette Jones, Gary Lockwood, Keith Jones, Bee Bee Evans,Sofia Garcia, Kahlil Ahmed, Jade Lee and Lt.Danny Ho all had a few tables , near ours..

"HOLA...CONGRATULATIONS TO OLIVIA AND BEVERLY AND DABNIS!"said Jessica Sanchez-Burrows...

''Mannn that was incredible lawyering.."said Chip Burrows, her new husband..

"That's my cousins." said a very proud Kayla...

"Bennett Women, I tell ya."laughed her husband, Ray...

Jessica Sanchez, Chip Burrow, Kayla and Ray all had a table...

''Best One hundred dollars I ever spent in my life."joked Attorney Saul Reindorf, joking about the low bail..

ADA Karen Page and her boyfriend, TV Journalist, B.L. Benz cracked up laughing...

Saul Reindorff, ADA Karen Page and B.L. Benz rounded out the crew...

Citris and Mango Martinis flowed for the ladies...

And sandwiches were being made on Hard rolls, with Mayo and Mustard and Lettuce and Tomatoes and pickles...

 There was a boat of Cole Slaw

And more Beers...

It had been a rough day for Lt. Tragg...He had suffered one of his most humiliating and embarrassing defeats in court...

He needed a good stiff drink...

He walked in Curley's Bar only to see half of the place filled up with all of his" favorite people.."

"THAT GOTDAMN DABNIS COLEY...HE DID THIS ON PURPOSE...TO RUB MY NOSE IN IT...THEY COULD HAVE HAD THIS CELEBRATION IN JOSIE's or the MERMAID CRABHOUSE...NO THEY COME HERE...MY SPOT!!!" he growled..

"You win this time laughing boy...but the law of averages says your luck is gonna run out...and when it does...I'LL BE THERE!  JUST WAIT!" snarled an angry Lt. Tragg..

But we couldn't hear him..We hardly noticed him..All of us was having a good time..