VENTURES: Maya's Last Deal

Maya Restin was charged with an additional 19 counts of First Degree Murder

Murders in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Las Vegas,New Orleans , Denver, Los Angelas and Miami....but not the two we were most interested in...James Logan and Hortense Jefferson...

Surprisingly both Lieutenant Tragg and ADA Ron Harper

were fighting bitterly to keep her testimony from being used in the Raylene Quivers case..

Lt. Tragg didn't want it to look as though the FBI had done a better investigation than he did..even though they did...They closed the Vasputin Case in under 24 hours and that pipe they found in her room had James Logan's Blood and brain matter on it as well as her palm print..

Naturally, ADA Harper wanted that suppressed...

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson , Josie and even I argued intensely for three days of preliminary hearings that her testimony and our findings were indeed pertinent to this case.

Judge Reynolds listened to both sides for three days and finally he ruled that her testimony could indeed be used in the hearings, but only pertaining to the James Logan murder and not the 19 others in the yet untried Federal case.....There was only one day of testimony left before he and a grand jury would decide if indeed this case should go to trial or not..

Attorneys Jasmine Coley and Kayla Bennett-St. Jacques, like Beverly and Raylene , Maya's close girlfriends since college were at every day of the hearings...Sitting in disbelief....

This girl they had sat in the dorm room with,studied long hours with, pledged a sorority with them, laughed and talked with them, partied with them for four years of college and two years of Law school was in fact a monster who they didn't even know..Had killed 29 people in the war as a sniper and murdered 19, possibly 21 people as a Contract Killer....

She had killed at least 3 people this month alone they thought...They thought they knew Maya, just as they knew each other...but perhaps they never really did know her..

II-

Maya avoided looking at Olivia, Beverly, Raylene, Nelson and Josie..She was embarrassed that the very team she had secretly hired to defend Raylene , would be using testimony from her to free Raylene and hang an additional murder on her...

How could she have been so careless? Leaving that bottle of Anxiety pills on the window ledge with her prints on it...It led the Feds right to her..She had never been that careless... Oh well, it only takes one mistake, she wagered..

Olivia and Beverly argued that their client, although she did quarrel with James Logan, made up with him...They presented the receipt for the champaigne..The person that sold him the Champaigne and the empty bottle taken from Raylene's room...

They said that their client, and the deceased James Logan made love for hours...This was also in the testimony of the now deceased Hortense Jefferson...She said she heard" the bed squeaking and the headboard rattling and the cries of ecstacy of both Ms. Quivers and Mr. Logan..."

Nelson produced a notebook left behind by James Logan that detailed Ms. Restin's movements, her finances and the deaths that occurred wherever she was....

ADA Ron Harper objected

Judge Reynolds sustained his objection...Warned Nelson to watch it!

Josie produced Raylene's phone and the last number dialed on it by the deceased to a burner phone number..

She dialed the number..

and one of Maya's confiscated burner phones rung..

"While my client slept...He dialed Ms. Restin...for the meet up... I don't know whether he was blackmailing her or asking her to cease and desist whatever she was planning to do...but she seduced him and she more than likely killed him, not my client."said Beverly..

"Preposterous, this is all supposition." said ADA Ron Harper.. but he kind of knew he was fighting a losing battle..This was not the slam dunk he imagined it would be...He didn't even have his main witness, Hortense Jefferson to bolster his argument..He glared angrilly at Lt. Tragg

who had brought him another half baked ,half assed case based on little to no facts..

III-

In the courthouse cafeteria, Kayla and Jazzy sat with Raylene..

''Ray from what I can see...You don't have anything to worry about...Liv and Beverly look like they are winning this case for you in the pre lims and they haven't even called Maya yet.."said Kayla.

"But they will, I know them, they didn't fight this hard for her testimony to be included to not use her..She got you in this mess...She should be called."said Jazzy..

"How ironic...She's paying for my defense...She gave Olivia and Beverly and Nelson, Donnie Ray and Josie

Far more money than it appears they needed to defend me... My case is sooo weak that even if they had lost in trial, they surely could have won on appeal..and kept me free on appeal too...If Maya hadn't made that one mistake...She'd be gone right now..."said Raylene matter of factly..

"But she's not...She's under indictment for 19 murders around the country I heard, including this one from the other night..She's a monster...I wonder how many people she's killed?...If these are just the ones we know about." asked Jazzy...

"Well one thing she didn't lie about...She is loaded...She's got a Swiss Bank Account that the feds can't touch and one in the Caymen Islands..."said Kayla..

"Blood Money....Money made taking people's lives.."said Raylene somberly as their lunches arrived..

Three Ice Teas,

Two Chicken Salad sandwiches..

One Ham Salad Sandwich.

While the girls were eating..a Young man walked over and sat with them..

"Hi Raylene....I uh heard about your recent legal troubles....I stopped by your house, but you weren't there...I uh figured your lawyers had you in seclusion...I watched your hearings this week..Your lawyers are great...If they don't win this in the pre lims ,I'll be surprised...The prosecution has nothing.." he said..

''Heyyy Travis...Let me give you my phone number...Travis...These are my dear friends from college and law school.. Mrs. Kayla Bennett- St Jacques, Attorney at Law and Mrs. Jasmine Coley, Attorney at law...Ladies ,this is my friend, one of the Attorneys from my firm, Travis Carter." said Raylene..

''Hmmmmm he looks like a good friend to have...Pleased to meet you Travis.."said Kayla.

"I believe we've met before Kayla...You're Ray's wife...he and I have worked a few cases together."said Travis..

''That's right...We did meet...I'll have to tell him I saw you.."said Kayla.

"Raylene better not sleep on him...I think he likes her." whispered Jazzy to Kayla..

"Raylene, could I holler at you in private for a minute?" said Travis..

"Oh sure..Kayla, Jazzy...I'll be right back "said Raylene..

They walked over to a corner...

Raylene smiled..

''So what is this about...The Claridge Deposition...I've got it under control..." said Raylene.

"I don't care about that.....I care about you...I been tryin to holler at you for a year and a half now and you've been getting away from me...I really like you Raylene and I know, what a time to be saying this..When you're uh kind of on trial for your life but...I'm like one hundred percent certain you're going to beat this weak ass case and when you do..I want to know if we can go out on a lightweight date or something?" he said.

"YES! I wish you had asked me sooner...We could have been going out all that time before..YES...It's a date...I'm looking for it...I gave you my number right? Call me." she said, giggling like a school girl..

Travis smiled too..

"Our girl is slaying Kayla..."laughed Jazzy...

"Aint she though?" laughed Kayla.

IV-

The last day of Preliminary hearings....

ADA Ronnie Harper argued again vehemently to keep Maya's testimony out..."She has a whole federal case awaiting her that has nothing to do with this case..We Shouldn't be mixing the two.." he pleaded.

"I'm allowing her testimony..Mrs. Bennett-Alexander...I will however ask that your questions are tantamount to this case and the night in question..."said the Judge..

"Certainly your honor.."said Olivia who asked Maya if she knew James Logan.

Maya answered that she was introduced to him with her three girlfriends and that prior to that she did not know him.

Beverly picked up Raylene's phone and showed it to the jury....

"My client was asleep after making love to the deceased for hours...So according to this phone..a call was made to this number.." she said and dialed the number..

One of the confiscated burner phones ,belonging to Maya Restin rang...

"That's your phone isn't it Maya? ...James Logan called you at 3:50 am didn't he? He called you to meet him at that pool....Am I correct?" she asked..

"I am going to exercise my fifth amendment right against self incrimination..."said Maya.

Nelson smiled..He presented the murder weapon..

a water pipe...

"This was taken from your hotel room by the FBI....This pipe matches the piping that was missing from the rooftop on the night James Logan was murdered..I present here the M.E.'s lab report...This dried blood and brain matter is James Logan's....it tested positive and this palm print and these fingerprints are yours...This was in your room...Not my client's room...This has no business being in your room...You killed Mr. Logan didn't you? Because he knew who you really were and he was blackmailing you am I correct?" asked Nelson..

"Nice Story..."laughed Maya..

Josie pulled out a Black Note Book..

"It would be just a story except we found this notebook, with his notes and his findings about you in it...That you're not an Attorney, That you never attended Dartmouth, That you have two offshore accounts, and that in every city you've lived in , certain people just happen to turn up dead and then you're gone."said Josie..

"OBJECTION!" screamed ADA Ron Harper...realizing now that it was useless...He sat down, frustrated..

"Watch it counselors.." Judge Reynolds said,..

Beverly showed a crime scene photo of a Black and white striped bra at the James Logan death scene near the pool..

"That's your bra Maya...You were wearing it that day....I remember telling you how much I liked it when we were changing.. You apparently left it behind after you killed James Logan... The police forgot to pick it up...and when they came back for it..It was gone.."said Beverly..

Who then produced the real Bra... Same Bra, with your sweat and DNA on it.. The FBI confiscated from your room with the search warrrant...It's the missing bra....The bra that was at the crime scene..

Lt. Tragg smacked his forehead...A major goof up on his part..

ADA Ron Harper shook his head...

"I don't believe it!" he mumbled to himself...

Olivia continued..

"You don't have to incriminate yourself further Maya, I understand... Your Honor..All we are asking is reasonable doubt...Reasonable doubt that our client is indeed guilty of murder and should still go on trial, that's all.We don't believe our client is guilty of this crime."said Olivia.

''We rest our case." said Beverly..Realizing that they had shown all their cards, all the cards they had...If this went to trial, they'd be hard pressed to produce anything more. But, They really didn't need anymore..

Maya ,who did not admit to anything or incriminate herself understood...She looked at me and smiled seductively...She knew I was Olivia's investigator..She saw how Olivia and Beverly played it close to the vest...She thought they both were master players..She would get out of this without being indicted for another murder.. At least not today!

I looked at her and got a chill down my spine...How could a woman so sexy, so beautiful be a mass murderer???....She had killed over 30 people, that WE KNEW OF!

''I've seen and heard enough...I'm dropping all charges against this girl, Raylene Quivers.. Ms. Quivers , you are free to go.."said Judge Reynolds..

"The People agree with your verdict and conclusion your honor, we also move that all charges be dropped against Ms. Quivers."said ADA Ron Harper, who bowed to Olivia and Beverly...

''Well played ladies." he said. He mistakenly thought they had no cards to play...They indeed had a better argument than he ha d thought...They lulled him to sleep and they meanwhile came to these hearings loaded...Imagine if this had gone to a full length trial...He'd of looked like a bigger fool.

''Can you believe this? He dropped all charges.."said Lt. Tragg..

"Yeah I can believe it...Because She's not guilty!!!.. It's obvious who the real killer is...Boy Tragg what they say about you is true. You couldn't catch a suspect if the suspect confessed."said an obviously frustrated Ron Harper ,who picked up his briefcase and stormed out of the courtroom.. He should have taken Olivia and Beverly's offer..

Lt. Tragg had to admit that once again he had arrested the wrong suspect, when the real suspect was right under his nose all the time.....

"Thank you so much guys, Thank you soooo much."said Raylene, hugging Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie and Me..

"It always nice to win in the preliminaries."said Olivia, hugging Nelson..

"Yes indeed, No Jury, No uncertainty...I could get used to this.."laughed Nelson..

"Let's all go someplace nice and celebrate tonight.."said Beverly..

"Yeah, how bout the Mermaid Crab Tavern.." said Josie..

"That's a nice idea.."I said..

'' Hey Ray , Invite your friend.."said Jazzy..

"Yeah "said Kayla..

None of us even turned around to watch Maya being escorted out by federal marshalls...

EPILOUGE:

Maya Restin represented herself in court. She was charged with 19 Murders..She plead guilty .She turned States evidence against every last one of her employers to save herself from the Death Penalty and was sentenced to 20 years to Life in the Federal Women's Penitentary in Southern California..Not a bad job for someone who dropped out of law school after two years.

She was found guilty in absentia of the Murder of James Logan in the State of Pennsylvania and sentenced to Life.

She was never charged with Hortense Jefferson's death and her murder or suicide remains open.

We all decided to celebrate Raylene's exoneration at the Mermaid Crabhouse.

Olivia and I..

Sharing a passionate kiss...

"Myyyy hero.." she cooed..

Beverly and Nelson,Josie and Paris ,Jazzy and Dabnis, sharing a table and drinks.

And Kayla and Ray sharing a table and drinks..

enjoying the nice crowd, which included our other friends.. Gary Lockwood, Yvette Jones,Keith Jones,Bee Bee Evans , Sofia Garcia,Kahlil Ahmed, Jade Lee, Danny Ho, Jessica and Chip Burrows, who also joined us tonight...