VENTURES: A Pigeon

FRIDAY NIGHT- The Rooftop Bar at CAPPY;s..

There was a nice crowd..

It was Ruby's first time in here in two weeks.. She was sitting in the corner

With Alfreda.

She was enjoying her new found sobriety...She and Alfreda were drinking cold bottled waters and nothing else..

Josie and Beverly sat at the bar...

They both ordered two Citris Martini's..

Olivia sat over in a corner by herself..

She ordered a Blue Daquori..

Nelson and I sat at another table across the bar, knocking back beer after beer..

Except for me, everybody here was an Attorney..and even I wasn't a cop anymore..I was a Private Investigator..and yet we were on a stakeout..waiting for a pigeon.

Our pigeon walked in...He wasn't hard to spot..He had on a loud shirt....He sat down with Olivia surprising enough...

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy sweetheart...You alone?" he laughed..

"Yes and up until now I was enjoying it." said Olivia.

''Aww come on baby...loosen up.." he said.

"Heyyy baby...I just got here.." I said

I kissed Olivia softly in the lips..

"Ohhhhhh thank god Husband.." said Olivia..

"Husband? You got a husband?" said the man in the loud shirt.. "You didn't say you had a husband?" he said.

"I'm sure that was going to be your next question."said Olivia..

Showing him her wedding band and mine..

"Beat it!" I said gruffly..

"Damn man...okay!" he said and wandered toward the bar...He sat in between Beverly and Josie.

"Baby, baby, Baby....I've hit the jackpot tonight...Ouuuuuuweeeee, two hotties....What are you girls doin?" he asked.

"That's a loud shirt....wowwww! "said Beverly..

"We are uh just chillin here and planning to go to Stoleys, Aqua Bar..."said Josie..

"Oh yeah....you guys like to party huh? I like to party...What you drinkin?" he asked.

"We drank our fill already...We gettin ready to bounce.." said Beverly.

"I sure miss Bill, he used to see that we were taken care of."said Josie..

"Didn't he though? I could use a little bounce right now.." said Beverly..

"Me too!" said Josie.

"Yall talkin bout Bill Bailey? used to hang out in here? Got himself shot by some broad a few weeks ago...That was my main man...My supplier baby and check it out...I happen to have some get high on me right now... I gotta find another connect soon, but I still got enough to get me through the month..What you fly ass honeys need.? Dope, Coke...You name it..I got it.. And what are you girls willin to do for me, in order for me to supply that need heh heh heh..?" He said , showing them a bag of heroin...

"It's street ready." he said.

"Well will you look at that Josie? Heroin.. Hey listen...when was the last time you talked to Bill?" asked Beverly.

"The night he died..ironically enough...I called him here...I told him this cat was sweatin me, told me he needed something, but he aint have no money right now..A white guy...in a damn suit, imagine that? I wanted to know if I could give him a bump on credit...Bill got mad, cussed me out, told me no..to tell him to get lost." said the man..

" That's an interesting story Artis...tell me more.."said Gary Lockwood, Investigator for the D.A.'s office, who arrived with some Narcotics officers..

they handcuffed the man, Artis Ross, a small time drug dealer...

Beverly slapped a court summons in his hands..

"That's a court summons for you to appear in court next week as a defense witness in the trial of ruby Cottrell."she said.

"This was a set up.. You gals are cops..Nahhhh you're too young and pretty and cool to be cops." he said.

"Thanks for the compliment..We aren't cops, we are lawyers...We are defending Ruby, the girl accused of killing Bill Bailey.

"I aint kill him, I was nowhere near here."said Artis Ross.

"Maybe you didn't, but I got you for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance..This will make sure you don't decide to take a powder before your day in court."said Gary, who handcuffed him and hauled him off..

"Thanks ladies...I'll make sure he is in court next week." said Gary...

"Hook him up and read him his rights boys." he said and marched him out..

"You girls were great..Just as cool as a cucumber."said Nelson, smiling.

"He was the person who called Bill Bailey last...He was too stupid to use a burner phone and Ruby was right..He was a Friday night regular here. If my guess is right...The guy who needed a bump and had no money is the same guy who shot and killed Bill and took $2500.00 off of him. This pigeon will give him up in a heartbeat." I said.

"Perfect and we'll win this in the preliminary...How fitting." said Olivia.

"We'll give the old Ice Queen a second defeat."said Beverly..

"Yes...We are done here."said Josie..

"Let's get Alfreda and Ruby and go to Jake's" said Olivia.

II-

We all went to Jake's Hot Dog Spot

and had his delicious gourmet hot dogs and fries...

"Ummmm nothing like one of Jake's fabulous gourmet Hot dogs.."said Ruby..

"Girl, you aint never lied."said Alfreda.

"Alfreda, I remember when I was 8 and you were pregnant with Beverly and you brought me here the first time..That was magical."said Olivia..

''Ouuu you've been in each other's lives a long time..You used to go with her brother right Ms. Alfreda?"asked Ruby..

"Yeah, we were together for awhile..We just didn't work out..but he's a good guy...He's married now..Lives in California..

But he gave me my baby girl, who I am so proud of..

and he left me his baby sister, who is like my little sister... and these two grew up ,became lawyers and gave me a job...Imagine that."said Alfreda...

"Josie is my adopted baby girl...

and Nelson is the best son in law I could have for my baby..

and tall dark and southern there is like my brother in law.." said Alfreda proudly..

"You guys are so cool." laughed Ruby.

III-

A Day later Olivia is having lunch in Curley's again with her friend, Yvette Jones..

"It's so nice, you and me having lunch together.." said Olivia.

"I know...I still can't get over those two weeks we all spent down at the shore...That was sooo needed.. I'm for doing it again, whenever...We are just finishing up a trial and you guys are heading into one...

Ummmm this corn beef special is delish." she said.

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS" said Olivia..."Nobody makes a Corn Beef special like Curleys" she added..

"Not even Sam Mothers...I miss seeing everybody there..We've been eating all of our meals at home. Kayla and her husband Ray and Jazzy and Dabnis and Jessica and Chip have taken turns joining us for dinner. Some nights , all six are at our place..We eat, talk, play cards, listen to music...It's a nice time." said Olivia.

"It's been nice, cozy." said Olivia.

"I hear...Even my crew has begun eating in..

Even my crew has taken to eating breakfast at home and packing a lunch that they eat in the office and then going home to eat... Sam Mother misses all of you,

So Does Lt. Tragg and his new girlfriend..Mandy Coles...

Remember her from law school? I didn't at first..but now I do.. She beat us in that debate."said Yvette.

"She called a meeting with me in here a few days ago, proffered me a deal...It was really intimidation...She doesn't know that we are about to hand her her second defeat..I can't wait until we go to court."said Olivia.

"Gary and I saw her and Tragg at Breakfast in Sam Mother's and at Lunch yesterday...and he's behaving himself...No hands under the skirt...Those two have become pretty chummy."laughed Yvette as they both finished eating...

"No, No...put your money away...I got our lunches....I'm just glad to be able to hang out with you again." said Yvette.

"Awwww thank you girllll." said Olivia, hugging her friend.

IV-

At home ,Olivia found all of us , sitting around the conference table.

Talking and comparing notes..

"Heyyy How is everybody?" asked Olivia.

"Fine...Josie, Nelson

and I have the trial strategy written up...and we did the research...We have the predicates and legal statutes all ready...We know what kind of juror we want..if it goes that far.." said Beverly.

"Great...we are ready to go." said Olivia.

"I was out a little while while they were doing that..and I think I know who Bill Bailey's late night visitor was... A guy named Johnny Lonnigan...He's an Investment Banker...Works at the Stock Exchange and said to have a huge Heroin and Opiate Addiction.. I didn't get this from people at his office..They apparently don't know about it..I got it from close friends and relatives who are worried about him...He was a customer of our pigeon, Artis Ross....I checked his financials... He was deep in debt, Two Credit Cards, both maxed out and bank account nearly depleted until the day after the murder...He made a deposit of $2500.00 into his bank account..And he's been paid from his job since then, so there is even more money...I checked out his Loft and his parents house...He was at neither., but he'll turn up!" I said.