VENTURES: Calling Their Bluff

ONE WEEK LATER-

We were one week into the First Degree Murder trial of Polly Swearington...

ADA Cal McCafferty was licking his lips. He of course paraded Crime Scene Investigators, Forensic specialists and police officers on the scene in front of the jury along with bizzare crime scene photos and he floated the narrative that Polly had left her husband, Mr. Swearington's business partner,Larry Rodgers , a love sick cuckold of a man he said to our vigourous objections, who he maintained was paying for her legal fees for Mr. Swearington, a known womanizer and he was with her a few months before he began yet another affair..This drove her off the deep end, plus she had no pre nup...

Lt. Tragg looked over at us and was smiling broadly...He knew we were back on our heels..

Ms. Yvette found that she couldn't counter a single witness....What they said was mostly factual, except for the fact that our client hadn't killed Mr. Swearington and physically couldn't...She said to us..

"I hate to be in a position like this...but I don't want to ruin our defense or tip my hand...but I've usually been in a position to do some damage to the prosecution's case before he closes." she said.

"Like you said Ms. Yvette, this case isn't giving us much.." I said.

"Not yet.....but it can't get any worse than this." said Kahlil..

He and I had worked hard and had gotten seven of the jurors we said we wanted during Voir Dire, but right now, the jury was 10 to convict, one not sure and one to acquit....Not a good position to be in..

ADA Cal MccCafferty presented a Forensic Specialist from New Jersey , who refuted the claim that Mr. Swearington died at 8:00 or a little before.. He said that the fact that he was found in cold water and that his body could have been preserved...That he could have died as far back as 6:00 or anytime
before..

Bee Bee went on the attack, she presented a witness...A Cab Driver who brought Mrs. Swearington there at 3:00 pm...She presented the telephone record that he sent an hour before and she presented the cabbie , who said at 6:05 pm ,when she left, He saw Mr. Swearington at the door, very much alive in his bathrobe and his boxers..

"He had a boner the size of a tent poll, oh he was alive." he said.

This brought the courtroom to raucous laughter.... and flipped the jury an even six to acquit and four to convict and two unsure in our favor.. Even our client, Polly Swearington laughed...She remembered the last thing she said to him as the cab drove up..

"Look at you...I could keep you like that, if you'd act right.." and Russell Swearington arrogantly said.

"Any number of women can keep me like this." and he cruelly laughed as she got in her UBER...

What a jerk, she thought.

Thanks to Jade...we had some information on our ''Forensic Expert"

Sofia went after him with a vengence...She got him to admit that he had flunked out of medical school, not once, but twice...and that though he worked for a Forensic's lab in New Jersey...He was no expert on anything...He was basically a hack , who appeared on TV Crime shows like HARD BOTTOM a few times to give his opinion on the crimes of the day...An old friend of

Lt. Tragg's from his days on the show.. which made Lt. Tragg as livid as he could be...He glared angrilly at both Sofia and Jade Lee..

My father was largely amused at how we had come back from the brink and had caused the jury from what he could see to question the evidence they heard, which he felt was very little that pointed towards this woman or anybody so far's guilt in this case...He smiled at all of us..

ADA Cal McCafferty closed his argument...Pretty darn sure that he had done enough to win his case..

The jury was now 7 to acquit, four to convict and one unsure...We hadn't done much, but we had set ourselves up in a nice position for our defense..

''Good Job guys...Way to come back..We are going to take two days before we begin our defense.."said Ms. Yvette..

''Sure would have been nice if we could have had a statement by that cabbie. The one who saw someone else there."said Bee Bee..

"There has to be a way to work around that."said Sofia.

"Yeah, it has to be." I said.

"Maybe we won't need it." said Kahlil..

"I'm still on the street...You may be right Kahlil." said Jade.

The Press was outside.....

Lt. Tragg , with a big smile on his face was addressing the press..

"Yes...I'm 100 percent certain that we have the right person...Shame though...I feel sorry for her, thrown over by this guy , after she left her husband for him..." he said...

While a few feet away in the Judges Chambers..

Our client and

her ex-husband

were kissing passionately...

"Oooou Larry, if you don't stop, I'm tempted to take my clothes off right here in these chambers..." she moaned..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..take em off "he moaned..unbottoning her blouse..

"Larrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry! Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she laughed...

He had her skirt hiked up and his hands in her panties, rubbing her butt softly as they continued to kiss..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu you are giving me the business...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she cooed...

They weren't letting the trial slow down their new found hot attraction for one another not one bit.

II-

We went to Sam Mothers for brunch..

We had the waffle special...with scrambled eggs and sausage....

"I haven't seen Polly since the Prosecution rested this morning.." I said as I ate...

''She and Larry stepped into the Judges Chambers" said Bee Bee..

"Oh God...You know what that means..."said Sofia..

" They are doing the Hibbity Bibbity" said both girls..

who laughed gingerly as they enjoyed their breakfast...

Which was true...Larry and Polly wound up on the couch making hot steamy love for the next TWO HOURS...after court cleared out...

''We've got to hit back and hit back hard....when we begin our defense...We've got to put real doubt in the jury's mind about our client actually being there..Thing is..We got no murder weapon and no proof that anyone other than Polly did this."said Kahlil..

"Some cases give you something...Others like this gives you close to nothing.." said Yvette as she said with Brenda Jordan and Jade Lee.

"Then you have to really get creative and persuasive...Like when you're playing poker...I know you play Yvette, I can tell..."said Brenda..

"Actually I do...Olivia Bennett-Alexander

and her daddy taught me

when we were in law school...I actually became quite good." said Ms. Yvette.

"I'm not surprised...You and Olivia are very close aren't you?" asked Brenda Jordan..

"She's my best friend...The closest thing to a sister I've ever had..." said Yvette......

"We must all play one day...Like I said...You've got to bluff...Look that jury in the eye and bluff, even though you don't have anything...You've got to sell them on your story."said Brenda..

''Which is what we've been doing...Here comes our orders.."said Jade.

The three of them had Omelettes made to order...

Hash Browns

Sausages

Hot Coffee

and Mimosas...

"Uh Oh...Here comes your boyfriend." said Yvette..

"Please...." said Brenda..

Jade Lee laughed...

Lt. Tragg was in a good mood today... He walked in and invited himself into their booth..

"Good Morning Ladies..." he said as he put his arm around Brenda's waist..

She removed his hands and remarked ..

"It was a good morning."

"Oh is that sour grapes? You can't win em all." laughed Lt. Tragg as he put his order in..

"Two eggs fried hard, some spuds, sausages and uh some coffee.." he said..

"It's not sour grapes for me...My client is dead..I have nothing to do with this case.." said Brenda..

"The trial isn't over yet I should remind you." said Yvette..

"Come on Vettie...you've played your entire hand...You guys got nothin..."laughed Lt. Tragg..

"Look at that, Ole Lt. Tragg is eating with Ms. Yvette and Jade..."said Kahlil as we finished our meals and prepared to pay our bills..

"He's eating with Ms. Brenda.." laughed Bee Bee..

"Probably trying to run his hands up her dress, feel her panties." laughed Sofia..

"He really thinks they are about to convict...That makes me more determined to call their bluff." I said.

Ms. Jade got up...

"Yvette, guys...I'll talk to you later.." she said..

''See you Jade." said Yvette.

"I get the distinct impression that she doesn't like me.."said Lt. Tragg..

"I can't imagine why." said Brenda.

Yvette laughed..

III-

THREE DAYS LATER-

We began our defense of Polly Rodgers Swearington on the charge that she killed her husband..
Ms. Yvette stared at the jury and boldly announced that our client was innocent and before this was over, she was going to prove it to them...

Polly was once again dressed in a tight mini skirt and a low cut blouse that just teased a view of her red lacy bra..

This wasn't lost on my pops, Judge Keith Morrison, who didn't know whether to look at Yvette or our client..

"I sure hope Yvette and my boy and his friends can get her off...I'd sure hate to sentence her to prison...lawd have mercy, the body on her.." he thought to himself..

Yvette began by talking about the victim and how he was a womanizer, who had lured his business partner's wife, Mrs. Polly Rodgers away from Larry Rodgers..Marrying her , only to throw her over for yet another woman..

This was risky, because it was turning the jury against our client...

Bee Bee called three women, three women who all too happy to testify that they were or thought they were in relationships with Mr. Swearington at the same time and found out to their shock that he was about to marry his partner's wife...

Sofia called two women up...One women who slept with Mr. Swearington the entire week before he married Mrs. Rodgers and another woman ,who had been currently sleeping with him..None knew about the other..

ADA McCafferty vigorously objected...

"Smearing the victim does not earn your client any sympathy , it further gives her a motive.." he said..

'So then why are YOU upset counselor? If it helps your argument?" said my pops...but he was confused as to just what we were doing..

I was up next....I told the jury that I wanted to take them to current events... I explained how..Mr. Swearington, as if he didn't have enough going on, entered into a serious relationship with one Robin Tolliver..and he told his wife of six months, who he had lured away from his business partner..that he wanted a divorce....

"Mind you...He was carrying on sexual relationships with not one other but five different women as you've heard here.. My client moved out and begged him to reconsider...but he wouldn't...Naturally, she was devestated..."I said, playing to every woman on the jury...There was six and every woman watching the trial...

Then dramatically I added..but she didn't kill him...She was justified if she had of , but she didn't.."I said..

"Bee Bee...your boyfriend is very dramatic and over the top at times...but he is a charmer...He's charming the panties off the women in here...I see a shift in the jury...11 to acquit and 1 not sure.."said Yvette.

"He is a charmer..."said Bee Bee. "He has certainly charmed the panties off of me at times." she thought to herself..

Kahlil began the most important part of our defense..

Kahlil showed the phone record of a call made to Polly from Russell Swearington at 2:10 pm.

He brought in the cabbie who brought Polly to Swearington's house... At 3;00 pm or maybe a little afterwords..The Cabbie testified that Polly left at a little after 6:00 and that he saw Mr. Swearington , still alive..

"Our client was seen halfway across town at her girlfriend's apartment complex at 7:00 pm..She doesn't have a car...No way she could have gotten back there, killed Mr. Swearington at 7:55 pm, the time the coroner estimates he was killed." he said.

Yvette called

Alfreda Johnson

and ADA Rockland Cambridge, who remembered seeing Polly at a little after 7:00 pm , that she was very distraught and angry that her ex-husband had lured her to his house ,thinking they could reconcile and all he really wanted was a romp in the bed..

ADA Cal McCafferty went hard on cross with both of them, but they were unflappable.. Both saying they last saw her in her apartment at 7:15, cutting more time off of the murder sequence..

"Ms. Tolliver how long were you and Mr. Swearington seeing each other.?" asked Yvette.

"A year" she said,...She was in tears...She was hearing about these five other women for the first time.....and she must have realized she was the biggest fool..

"You were in love with him weren't you? So when he suddenly got married to his partners wife..You were shocked weren't you? she was quiet....

I have three of your close girlfriends here , who will testify that you were distraught when he got married and you told them it wasn't serious...That it was a business thing..right?" said Yvette..

Robin sat quietly.....

"Answer the question."said My Pops..

"It's Okay.....We found another cabbie..Another UBER driver who says he brought you to the house at 3:45 pm...You must have heard Mr. Swearington and his soon to be ex-wife in the throes of passion, you must of known that he had betrayed you, that he was stringing you along...and that's why you hung around in this restaurant, three blocks away and had dinner...According to your credit card bill and you came back at 7:50 or before, when you knew my client had left...Mr. Swearington told you that he didn't want to marry you ...and that after his divorce...He was going to be single and free..That was too much wasn't it?" asked Yvette..

Robin Tolliver was at the point of breaking...She was shaking and tears were flowing down her face..

"I did it!! I shot that lying son of a bitch....I've been sleeping with him for a year....He marries someone else over me...Then says he's getting a divorce so he can be with me and then they're up there making love....making love....making lovvvvve....and he has the nerve to tell me, he's seeing someone else...that last trollip you guys interviewed...I didn't even know about the other fouuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!....I shot him!! and I'd shoot him agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!! He was running bath water and I shot him and watched him fall backward into that tub.." she wailed...

ADA Cal McCafferty was livid..."My God they're like magicians,,,,,Damn it! Your honor in lieu of this new information...The people move to drop all charges against Mrs. Swearington...." he said.

''So moved...I would like to thank the jury for a job well done...You are free to go...Mrs. Swearington, you are also free to go.."said My pops..

"Vettie Girl, you guys did it!" said a jubilant Polly Swearington.

Yvette sighed ..."I took a gamble....and it payed off." said Yvette..

"That was some gamble..."laughed Larry, who high fived me and Kahlil and hugged Yvette, Sofia, Bee Bee and Jade.

"Ms Yvette said that someone that would shoot him so brazenly had to be a little close to the edge." I said..

"And she figured that she might have been around that house sooner and had come back..."said Bee Bee..

"So she had Jade search and see if the UBER had brought anybody else to that house and when and who and to check Robin's credit and debit card accounts for all of her activity that day..She did and we found what we were looking for.."said Khalil..

|"But the real gamble was that she didn't know anything at all about the other five women and how Russell was sleeping with all of them at the same time he was sleeping with her and Polly...Ms. Yvette figured that might drive her right over the edge and it did.."said Sofia.

"It paid off in spades....." said Jade..
\

"Jade, you earned your keep as an investigator on this one..."said Yvette...

'"At least somebody did!" growled ADA Cal McCafferty looking balefully at Lt. Tragg...

The snarky smile was suddenly off Lt. Tragg's face....

and the press let him have it!

"Wrong one again huh Artie?" asked one reporter..

"No wonder you aren't on Hard Bottom anymore....You'd turn it into a comedy show!" laughed another..

"What was that you were saying about you were sure to get a conviction?"asked another one..

He simply turned and walked away......

"What did I tell you?...Look em straight in the eye and call their bluff.. You played a nice hand Vettie."said Brenda Jordan...

Indeed we had..

IV-

Later that night at Gary's house..

"Danny and I got a warrant and we went inside that Robin Tolliver's house...We found both the .22, which is a ballistic's match for the cabbie's murder and the .38, which was a ballistic's match for the Swearington Murder...Based with the evidence we had..She confessed to both murders...Lt. Danny Ho is happy...He closed both cases...You know who is furious though.." said Gary..

"Lt. Tragg... He arrested the wrong person..and Danny closed his case and the cabbie murder.." laughed Yvette.

who then kissed Gary passionately.....

They were kissing like it was nobody's business...

"Jade was the real hero of the day, she really took care of business." she moaned in between wet sloppy kisses.

Gary was busy slipping her panties down and off.. Ms Yvette was smiling at his sheer "dedication"..

"Not the way I'm about to take care of business.." he moaned...

Yvette eased herself down on him and began to ride him slowly like a surfer rides the waves..

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS OUUUUUUUUUUUUU YESSSSS.....UMMMMMM YESSSSSS!TAKE CARE OF THIS BUSINESS...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU YESSSSSSS....YESSSSSSS!" she said seductively.......

"YESSSSSSSS!" he said in his deep baritone that turned her on....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, you are the truth...Ouuuuuu yess...yessssssssssssss." she moaned.

"Ohhhhh you are driving me crazyyy!" he moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ....you're driving me crazy...." she moaned..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he moaned.

He lifted her up!!!She moved up and down, slower and slower.....Her head was spinning...she felt so good.....She was trying to hide it from him...but he could look at her face and tell she was as aroused as he was...

"Ohhhhhh my goodness...Why do you have to be soooo damn good in bed?" she asked herself out loud..her head was turning from side to side...her legs were shaking furiously... and she was sweating profusely...

Gary laughed....

''You always say that!"he said..

"It's very true...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she moaned..

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! why are you so soft and wet? You are driving me out of my mind...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, ....ummmmmmmmph! " he moaned..