VENTURES: A Problem

Early Morning...Ms. Jade's Apartment...

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.." moaned Lt. Danny Ho...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu me love you longgggg time..." cooed Jade..

"Yessssssssssssssssssssss...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he cried out..

They had been making sweet love for the past SIX TO SEVEN HOURS... She had called him shortly after her encounter with the hulking figure of the night before..

He had brought Crime Scene Investigators with him,

They got blood samples and even some fingerprint samples from her apartment he had left behind..

After they left, Danny spent the rest of the night with her..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.." he moaned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu YES...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned as they made love well in to the early morning..

"Thank you for coming Danny." said Jade..

"I love you, how was I not going to come? Don't worry...I'm going to keep two plain clothes guys on this building and assign two rollers (police cars) to this block...Until we get him...He won't be back."said Danny Ho..

Jade kissed him softly and slowly as he got dressed and left.

That morning at Sam Mother's diner, the four of us met for breakfast...

"I'm Famished." said Kahlil.

"I know you are...All the energy you expended last night...Aye Mios dios.."whispered Sofia in his ear..

"There was some kind of ruckus last night...I saw broken glass all over the street and cops everywhere." I said.

"There was a ruckus in your bedroom...I know that for a fact Hot stuff." said Bee Bee, slyly running her fingers across the crotch area of my trousers...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.." she moaned..

Our Breakfast platters were served...

Ms Jade walked in just then and joined us at our table..

"Hey Guys....I had quite a wing ding as you call it last night...A big hulking stranger broke into my apartment and tried to kill me.." she said..

"What??? Ohhh No???" said Sofia...

"Oh My God!" said Bee Bee...

"Judging by the fact that you're here and you don't have a scratch on you...I'm guessing he got the worst of it." I said..

'Yeah...we saw all the broken glass in the street and the trail of blood this morning when we came out."said Kahlil..

"That was my asailant...I don't think he'll be paying me a visit anytime soon..The thing is...I recognized him..He's tall about six foot four, athletic build...or he once was, he's kind of let himself go...He had a huge beard with a pony tail in it....When I went to Ramos's Brokerage firm that week he went missing...This same guy was hanging around...in the shadows...Everyone seemed afraid or wary of him...He never spoke, He just hung around in the shadows...I don't know if he works there or what, but he has some affiliation with that brokerage firm.."said Jade.

We hadn't thought about Ramos's mysterious disapearence in awhile...We had been busy in courtrooms and in conference rooms doing what we do, being attorneys and all...but now we were thinking about him again...

He had been cremated and Mercedes had given his ashes to his family who took them back to Puerto Rico in an urn...

Ms. Yvette walked in, caught the tail end of our conversation...

"Is this the man who attacked you Jade?" she asked and put a glossy on our table.

Of the hulking man with the ponytail in his beard...

"That's him!!...That's the guy who attacked me...He broke into my apartment and was waiting for me...when I came home last night.."said Jade.

"Gary and I were at that new Bistro in town, The Russian Tea Room and we just happened to be sitting a few tables over from him and guess who? Ramos's best friend and business partner..Mark Tolliver... Gary ran a make on him... His name is Vladmar Belkoff....He's got a sheet as long as you are tall, Burglary, Larceny, Assault...He did five years as a guest of the state of Pennsylvania..He has ties to the Russian Mafia...He does not work for that brokerage firm.." said Yvette.

"Hmmm but he always seemed to be hanging around... I need to know more about this guy.."said Jade..

''What are you guys doing for dinner tonight?" asked Jade, smiling..

II-

We all went to Chinatown that night... and to the restaurant where we could eat a great meal for free.

The Restaurant owned by Eddie Lee, who ran a quasi legal floating crap game on the floors above, peopled by Asian Mobsters and Russian Mobsters mostly...

The Food was as usual incredible...

"Damn, this food is great..."I said..

"Ummmmmm yes...It is delish." said Bee Bee..

''And this Saki is taking me places too." said Sofia.

"Me too!" said Kahlil...

Ms. Yvette just looked at the four of us dining, like a proud mother...

Jade showed Eddie Lee the photo of our friend, Vladdy

''You know him?" she asked.

and he laughed upon seeing it...

"I know him...He used to hang around here a lot..he had friends who played in my card game, but he never played...I always figured he was muscle....

There were two guys...Two guys who used to come in here...One was a White boy and the other guy was Puerto Rican...They were brokers...They said they owned their own brokerage firm...They were flashing a lot of cash around... I hate guys like this who want into my game..They usually aren't experienced players and they don't have as much cash as they pretend to have...

The Puerto Rican guy was into me for $2000.00...He quit and began paying me back, little by little until he paid me off and he was done, but the white boy won big....He won 500 large, his buddy told him...Quit, quit while you're ahead...but he wouldn't...and kept playing and he kept losing until he was deep in debt...I mean 700 large...He was sick...

Then this guy...Mr. Ponytail beard..paid his marker off in full just like that....None of them ever came back, but I suspect this guy had them in his pocket or has them in his pocket..."said Eddie Lee..

looking at his photo and shaking his head..

"This guy never gambled...He just stood around and listened...Listened to everything and everyone..and these two were always bragging about their company, their Yacht and their fancy cars and the trips they went on with their wives...Not good to talk too much around this joint and around these people...The true players know this...That's how we knew that these two were wanna be's..

The Puerto Rican guy, the smarter of the two used to tell him to shut up and to quit while he was ahead..I guess he didn't listen." said Eddie Lee.

"They did own a Brokerage Company...and they were doing pretty good... They both had small Yachts down by Penns Landing and they both had nice cars....And they often went on trips to Vegas, California, CANCUN, Punta Canta and the like with their wives..They weren't lying about that..but you're right..from what I could see...They weren't players...Wanna be's at best." said Yvette.

"I take it one or both of these two guys are your clients....They in trouble if I may ask?" said Eddie Lee.

"One is Dead! Murdered ! The Puerto Rican guy was married to Sofia ,over there's cousin...He went missing a few weeks ago after getting a disturbing phone call...We found his body six days later...Someone had helped him off the roof of the Ben Franklin hotel...after they broke his neck first...We found his body in an old storage room a few floors down, 28 floors down to be exact..His body went through the ceiling...He had been in that storage room for a week.." said Jade..

"Oh My God...He must have stumbled on to something he shouldn't have...That guy is uh not Russian Mob, but he has ties to some pretty shady people...He's probably trying to earn his bones..If I were you I'd check that company's books...I'll bet he's bleeding them dry...See if they've made any risky investments...He 's not a loan shark...He plays the long game...He lends money for influence...I'm betting he has 700 large worth of influence..."said Eddie Lee..

He passed a Margarita to Jade..

"Thank You Eddie.." said Jade..

and one to Ms. Yvette..

"Eddie, you're alright with me.."laughed Ms. Yvette.

"I always love compliments ladies..Enjoy !" said Eddie Lee, smiling and leaving to go about his business.

III-

48 HOURS LATER-

We were back in the office working...A Monday Morning...

Sofia's Phone was vibrating on the table..

''Oh Hi Mercedes, how are you?" said Sofia..

''Sofia, there has been an arrest made in Ramos's death...They've arrested Mark... He swears he didn't do it...He needs you to get down there and to represent him..He told me he fears he'll be killed otherwise...Sofia..I believe him..He sounds scared and he swears he didn't do this."said Mercedes..

"Oh My God...I can't believe this.."said Sofia..

"What's the matter baby?" said Bee Bee to her lifelong friend..

"That was Mercedes...She said there has been an arrest in the murder of Ramos..They arrested Mark Tolliver, but she doesn't believe he did this..She says that he told her he'll be killed if we don't intervene.."said Sofia.

"Let's get down there." I said.

"Yeah..we must." said Kahlil..

"I'll call Jade..Have her meet us down there.." said Yvette..

And at the office of Ramos and Mark's Brokerage firm..

"The Police have arrested Mark, charged him with Ramos's murder... I am worried.. He is weak..He may crack...."said Vladmar..

"I can arrange his bail and then arrange for him to be taken care of....We have looted more than 2 million dollars from this company's coffers...Young Mark has outlived his usefullness." said Attorney Robert Ruffin..

"Okay, hook him up boys read him his rights." said Lt. Tragg as he led

Mark Tolliver out of the building..

"You got the wrong guy...I didn't kill him, I swear....You got the wrong guy.." he protested..

As the police walked him out of his building and into a paddy wagon..

"That Lt. Tragg is an idiot..." said Robert Ruffin..

"He is indeed." agreed Vladmir..who still had cotton in his nose and his ribs wrapped up from the beating that Jade gave him a few nights before..

IV-

Mark Tolliver sat in the interrogation room known as the Fishbowl with Lt. Tragg..

"Now look kid..we know that YOU were the one who called Ramos on the night he went missing...It took awhile, but we traced the call to the sitchboard and to the phone in your office..We got you cold..You either killed him yourself or you set him up for a kill.."said Lt. Tragg..

"I did neither and since you've formally charged me...I'm exercising my right to remain silent.."said Mark.

Just then Mercedes Felicidad walked in with us...

"Mark...Mark...I got here as soon as I could..I brought my Attorneys.."said Mercedes//

''Don't say another word...We have already made arrangements to get you arraigned as soon as possible." said Yvette..

"Just sit tight..."said Sofia..

I didn't believe he had killed Ramos...He didn't look like he had the strength to overpower Ramos, who was a lean Six Foot ,Four, 200 pounds and throw him off a rooftop..

"We got a good Judge.."said Kahlil..

"Yes..His name is Judge Reynolds.." said Bee Bee.

"I know a place we can keep you."said Sofia.

"I don't believe this..I'm actually doing you guys a favor and..."said Lt. Tragg..

"You've got the wrong guy Lieutenant."said Yvette.

"I tried to tell him that."said Mark.,.

Within the next hour, we appeared in the courtroom with our client..

He looked very nervous, he was shaking a little bit..

''Relax...We got you covered.."said Yvette..

"Yeah...Just relax.." I said..

"Trust us...we know what we are doing."said Sofia.,

"Yeah." said Kahlil..

"Oh boy, here we go "said Bee Bee..

ADA Ron Harper was on yet another case with Lt. Tragg...It looked as if he at done some investigating this time..This case had been open for two weeks before he made an arrest.

Lt. Tragg looked at Judge Percy Reynolds and knew what was going to happen..

He heard both sides of the argument and posted bail at $500.00 dollars...

We wrote a check for Fifty Dollars and we all walked out of court with our client, a free man...

Within the next hour, we appeared in the courtroom with our client..

"I don't believe this..$500.00 bail??That's rather low...I've been indicted for murder." said Mark.

''So was that Judge once..No Twice...The arresting officer was Lt. Tragg...He hates him...Any case he's involved in..He gives the defendent low bail.."said Yvette.

"All the Attorneys love him...especially when they have a case Lt. Tragg is involved in." I said..

"Not one client has ever jumped bail or been convicted."said Sofia.,

"Yeah.This is true..That's part of the reason why he sets the bails so low." said Kahlil..

"Come on...Let's get out of here, get back to our place and pack some overnight bags. "said Bee Bee..

Lt. Tragg was furious..as could be expected..

"THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!" he snarled, staring at Judge Reynolds.

Who stared at him balefully and smiled.

"Ronnie look, trust me...You have the wrong guy...I give you my word...He'll be at alll of his court appearences....But we have to seclude him away with us...His whereabouts can't be known right now... I'll call you when we get to where we are going...I promise...Ronnie babyyyyyy, just give me a little lee way, please?" cooed Yvette seductively..

''Well I don't know.."said ADA Harper..

"Pleaseeeee...Thank you." she said and gave him a soft kiss on the lips..

"You're a doll Ronnie." said Yvette softly...

He was so erect that his trousers stood out like a circus tent..

"Ohhhhh alright Yvettte....Ouuuuuuuu." He moaned..

"Thank Youuuu." she said.

We went to Bayside and stayed in an Air BNB.....It was a place owned by one of Gary's old Cop friends..

"Remember the time you and I stayed here alone.." said Gary, hugging Yvette..

''I sure do and we broke the bed.."laughed Ms. Yvette..

"Me and Keith got the front room.."said Bee Bee , calling it early...

I laughed..

"Me and Sofia got the room right next to it.." he said..

"That gives us both a room with a view of the street.."laughed Sofia.

"I'm in the room next to them and Yvette and Gary are at the end of the hall this time.."said Jade.

"We don't care do we babes?" laughed Gary..

"We don't..." laughed Ms. Yvette..

"Looks like uh you and I will uh be bunking together.." said Mark to Mercedes..

''You're out of your mind...I'm bunking with Ms. Jade... You can have the last room to yourself."said Mercedes..

"But of course ." he laughed slyly...

Yvette, Bee Bee, Sofia and Mercedes

went grocery shopping and came back with dinner for the night..

They made

Fried Chicken...

Tacos

and Kahlil and I

added a nice bottle of wine we found at the local state store to the mix...

A good time was had by all...

''I want to thank you guys again for representing me and getting me out of jail...I didn't kill Ramos, I swear...I tried to warn him.." said Mark Tolliver..

"Relax, tonight we eat and we sleep.."said Gary..

"Tomorrow, you start talking about who killed Ramos and why?" said Jade..

We all relaxed and ate and didn't think about the case ahead of us..

Meanwhile in Philadelphia.

Attorney Robert Ruffin arrived at Police headquarters...He figured he'd let Mark sweat it out and then come and get him arrainged and bailed out..

"How many attorneys does this guy have? Somebody beat you to it pal..He had attorneys come down here this morning, They got him arraigned and released."said Lt. Tragg..