VENTURES: Blue Daquori

Ruby Cottrell sat in the "Fishnowl"...The nickname the detectives gave to the interrogation room..
She had been here for eight hours since her arrest..She had slept for four hours...before being awakened by Lt. Tragg's prodding..

"Come on mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, I gotta get some sleeep...I'm drunk!" she said. Unlike some of our more recent clients who were attorneys themselves or so savvy that they knew better than to talk to Lt. Tragg, Ruby was not in their class..Add to that the fact that she was drunk and at last Lt. Tragg had a willing victim.

"Look Ms. Cottrell, you're in big trouble.....You're accused of First degree Murder...Now people saw you leave with this man and go up to his room...Tell me what happened." said Lt. Tragg.

" Look I'm gone tell you what I told Ms. Olivia the other day...
Ah didn't even know the man....He was a white man...Bill or somethin was his name..He flirted with me from time to time and tried to pick me up....Asking me if I'd go to his hotel room with him..I never did..Anyway...He was talking to another man...They had a loud argument...The man left...That's all I remember...I was drunk then... I passed out...and when I woke up...I was on the floor in this man's bedroom, he was lying beside me on the floor, with a nice sized hole in his head...and I had this gun in my hand that I'd never seen before and I was drunk and scared..I got the hell out of there. I just knew him as Bill, I didn't even know his last name." said Ruby

as she sipped some coffee..

"Okay, you were drunk...He got you in his room...did he try to take advantage of you? Is that when you shot him?" asked Lt. Tragg.

"I didn't say I shot him...I don't own a gun...I was drunk...I blacked out...I don't even remember how I got there in that room...All I know is, I woke up on the floor and-" said Ruby..

''And you should exercise your right to remain silent...Not Another word Ruby."said Olivia.

"MS OLIVIA!! MS. BEVERLY!!! OH THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!!" said Ruby....

''She's obviously drunk, you can't use anything she said."said Beverly, knowing better...Once she's been properly mirandized..Anything she says can be used against her in court...

"Don't say anymore Ruby." I said softly..

''We are her attorneys of record, can we have the room please?" said Nelson

Josie smiled...

"How are you Ruby?" she asked..

"I'm alright girl, I just need some sleep..." she said..

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! YOU GUYS ARE ON EVERY DAMN CASE!!"said Lt. Tragg in frustration, storming out of the room..He had had eight hours and had not got a confession.

"We are going to get you out of here, get you arraigned."said Olivia..

"I just got a text....Judge Reynolds can see us in two hours." said Beverly..

"GREAT!" I said.

"This will work out well for us." said Nelson.

"We are getting so spoiled "said Josie.

II-

TWO HOURS LATER-

Judge Reynolds smiled at us as we came in with our client...

Lt. Tragg was furious because he knew what was about to happen..He sighed heavily...This prick of a Judge was still angry at him for arresting him twice for First Degree Murder..Charges that he was acquitted of twice and defended by us...

The ADA was someone I had never seen before...Her name was Amanda Coles....She was arguing that our client and the dead man did know each other and that the motive was robbery...This was something new to me... I had to get on this case immediately..

Olivia and Beverly argued that this was preposterous and that Ms. Ruby Cottrell did not really know the victim except for him trying to hit on her in the bar on several occassions.

I watched the proceedings steadily..

Nelson argued that since our client had no priors on her record, that she was not a flight risk and should be granted reasonable bail.

Josie argued that no money was found on our client or in her hotel room or her home, All places that had been searched thoroughly by police.

Judge Reynolds set bail at $2000.00 dollars.

Arthur Trout wrote a check for $200.00

and Ruby Cottrell walked out of court a free woman , for the time being...

"You're going to stay with us...We have room in our sub-basement for you...There is a bed and a bathroom down there...Josie take her back to her place and pick up some clothes..You'll be safe with us and you 'll be away from the bars....Lt. Tragg won't be hassling you at our place."said Olivia.

"Ohhhh thank you soo much."said Ruby.

"Nelson, we'll take your car.." said Josie.

"Okay."said Nelson..

"We'll drop Livy off, then Shortcake , you and I need to go to Cappy's and find out just what happened tomorrow." I said.

"Oh Boy, Batman and Robin hit the road again.."said Beverly..

After we got Ruby settled

She joined us all for dinner later on that night..

"I can't thank you enough for your hospitality Ms. Olivia. Your family and your friends are beautiful." said Ruby..

"Oh you are more than welcome Ruby..."said Olivia.

"A Hot Meal, a hot shower and some rest will ease your mind..." I said.

"And you won't have to worry about Lt. Tragg tonight..He likes to harrass the hell out of a suspect he arrests...He won't have that satisfaction tonight."said Beverly.

"He likes to harrass the hell out of defense attorneys and investigators too."said Nelson..

"Which is why we buy groceries and cook our meals and eat in more."said Josie..

"Yeah."said Paris..

"Plus we like the camraderie, the closeness."said Olivia and Beverly's cousin, Kayla.

"You hang out at Cappy's huh? I used to go there..."said Ray, her husband..

"Me too, I'm surprised we never ran into each other."said Jessica, who was also joining us for dinner tonight.

"I guess I'm the square in the bunch...I've never been to the place."said her husband Chip...

"It's nice.." said Ruby.

III-

The Next day, Beverly and I were at Cappy's, where the murder occurred.

"This is still a relatively nice place...Not really a dive." said Beverly...

"I'll take your word for it Shortcake...It's clean and it looks nice....I've played in worse places.." I said, laughing..

"Ohhhhh stop....It's okay....Nelson and I spent a weekend here...We wouldn't have stayed in anyplace too ratchet." she said.

"You two were madly in lust...I'm sure ambience is not what you were concentrating on." I said..

Beverly laughed, remembering that weekend...and the two of them spent it all in bed..

Making sweet sweet love...

hardly ever leaving the room....

The Bar had a beautiful view of the city...

and even at this time of day a nice crime....

We viewed the room where the murder took place and Beverly snapped photos.. I looked over everything with a fine tooth comb, just as I did when I was a Homicide cop...

We lucked up...We found someone in the bar, willing to talk to us... Her name was Danisha...Danisha Williams...

"Ms. Williams, I'm Donnie Ray Alexander, I'm an Investigator and this is Beverly West-East, An Attorney, one of the Attorneys representing Ruby Cottrell, charged with the murder of Bill Bailey.."I said.

"Naturally being her attorneys , we don't think she killed Mr. Bailey...I understand you knew them both..Can you tell us a little about the Dynamic of their relationship?" asked Beverly..

"Dynamic, there was no Dynamic...He wanted to get in her panties and she wasn't interested..That's all there was to it...Thing was....Ruby used to drink too much...I tried to tell her to be careful...She'd get drunk and pass out...Me and my boyfriend, would take her home....Or call her a cab....She'd be so drunk ,she couldn't remember what she had said or done the next day...One time she had a bar tab of over $150.00....She had bought drinks for the whole bar and didn't remember..She paid it...but not before she cussed everyone out.. She really needed help with her drinking.." said Danisha.

"With all her drinking and passing out, No one ever took advantage of her sexually?" I asked.

"Hard to believe isn't it? No..She somehow would stop at that...But not that a couple of guys didn't try and try hard...She mostly laughed at them..." said Danisha..

"You and your boyfriend weren't around all the time were you?" asked Beverly..

"You have a point...We weren't.."said Danisha. But the night Bill Bailey died...I was in the bar...

Ruby was really knocking em back..

Five Martini's

Ten Beers...

She was pretty loaded....

Bill Bailey came in and sent a Blue Daquori over to her..

She hadn't had that drink...

She smiled at him and he came over and sat down next to her..

"You look good tonight baby...That dress is really fittin you." he said.

'All my dresses fit me...I've got to lose a few pounds..Oh and thanks for the drink." said Ruby..

"Aint nothin wrong with you baby? Now come on....I got a room on the floor right below us...Why don't you come on downstairs with me baby...You can take that drink with you...Let's get to know each other better.." said Bill Bailey..

"You mean let's get in the bed right? And would you take your hands from under my skirt...Come on stop , Stop before you rip this skirt....It's tight enough..."said Ruby...

"Come down to my place and uh let me unzipper it...Free you from all that....Come on, I been tryin to get next to you for some time now Ruby..."said Bill.

She drank her second Blue Martini.....Bill tossed a few dollars on the table..

''Well Bill, tonight is your lucky night...I'm too drunk to even make it to the ground floor..I'll crash with you....I don't know how good a lay I'll be...I told you I'm drunk....." she giggled..

His Phone rang....He answered it... I couldn't hear what he was saying, but he was very upset.....He got off the phone and then looked at her..

''Damn, finally...Come on darlin....." he said...but just then, another man I'd never seen before came in...

A white man....They really got into it...Yelling and screaming....The White man stormed out.....

"Come on Baby, let's go to my room.."said Bill.

Ruby got up....She smiled at me.... She said "It's alright...It's all good.." and the two of them left together.

I just shook my head

"Ruby....Everything alright?" I asked.

"It's all good baby....I'll be alright.." she said and the two of them left.." said Danisha.

I paid for Danisha's drinks...

"Thank you, you've been very helpful.."I said.

Beverly recorded her testimony and got her to sign an affadavit...

"Thank you Darisha.." and we headed back home.

IV-

Beverly and I arrived home within an hour..

"Heyyyyy Honey Bun." said Nelson, pulling Beverly to him and squeezing her tight..

Beverly giggled.. "Honeyyyy you're going to squeeze the air out of meeee." she said..

They kissed passionately...

''Where's Liv?" I asked.

"She's at Curly's Bar...She got invited to lunch by ADA Coles, the one we will be going up against."said Josie.

"A liquid lunch." laughed Alfreda.

At Curleys Bar... ADA Cole was indeed having a drink with Olivia..

"I don't usually meet with Opposing counsel...but I've followed you and your niece for years...I have to tell you...I'm a fan...That's why it pains me to have to go up against you in this trial.."said Amanda Coles.

"Is this intimidation or are you fishing for something Ms. Cole. or is it Mrs.?" asked Olivia.

"Oh No...Nooooo, Believe me..I am a big fan of you and your niece...And it's Ms..I'm not married. Oh here comes our drinks...I want you to try this... It's a Blue Daquori, it's good." she said..

She had ordered two.

Olivia sipped it.

"Ummmmm it is good." said Olivia.

"I told you....We are both alike...Both Neighborhood girls from working class families..I'm from Rochester, New York. I'm the youngest of two...I have an Older Brother..but he's five years older, not twelve..My mother was a school teacher, My Dad was a longshoreman..and like your dad, he boxed....I studied Pre Law, Trial Advocacy and Administration of Justice at St. Johns University in New York City, just like your niece's husband..Nelson...I moved to Philadelphia and like you, I attended and graduated from Penn Law school...I was two years ahead of you and Yvette Jones, who I lost my only trial to date to recently.... I remember you two...You were on the debate team...I was on the team that beat you your freshman year...I was two years ahead of you...After passing the bar, I clerked for Judge Reynolds also..I know Martika...and like you...I was a Public Defender....Never lost a case... I left before you, Beverly and Nelson started working there.. I was a Defense Attorney for a good many years, never lost a case and now I'm an Assistant District Attorney....having lost only one case..I don't plan to lose this one." she said.

"So this is intimidation?" said Olivia.

"Actually no...I'd like to avoid even going to trial, So I'd like to proffer a deal, a plea if you will..Manslaughter , 5-10 years...If she agrees to Alcohol and Drug rehabilitation and does well, She'll be out in under five..Possibly three years.."said ADA Coles

''She says she's being framed, that she doesn't own a gun and that she doesn't remember going to that man's room." said Olivia.

"She went to his room willingly and she had consensual sex with him...We have a condom with her DNA on it...We got her DNA off of the coffee cup ,she drank off of when she was in the "Fishbowl" with Lt. Tragg and oh it was good of you to anonymously mail that gun to the M.E.'s office and her clothing she was wearing that night...I would have hated to have charged you ladies with obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence.. Her fingerprints and DNA were on the murder weapon too! I'm thinking he may have taken advantage of her sexually ...She was drunk, several bar patrons and the bar tender say that he was constantly hitting on her, trying to get her to go to his room and she kept refusing..I'm thinking he took her to his room, forced himself on her and she shot him in anger when she woke up..She had the where with all to get dressed and get out of there with the gun...We found Mr. Bailey on the floor nude, with a condom still on...loaded with semen..." said ADA Cole.

"I think she's innocent...No deal....But I will run this by my client and see how she wishes to proceed."said Olivia.

''Suit yourself..but if she's convicted of First Degree Murder...It's Life...I won't go for the Death Penalty."said ADA Cole.

''Well Thank you.." said Olivia.

Later on at home..

"Ohhhh no she didn't...She was definitely using intimidation Auntay...We definitely have to win this one."said Beverly..

"Niecy Poo, remember what I told you about taking these cases personal...She's trying to make this personal..Or at least make me take this personal and I don't want to...I just want to keep Ruby out of prison...I'm going to tell her the offer and let her make the decision...However, I don't believe she killed this man..."said Olivia.

"I don't either...I know he got a call from someone , a call that upset him and a white man and he were seen arguing just before he left with Ruby...

"This Bill Bailey...I did some digging too while you guys were out...He's a high stakes Gambler..He plays in only the big games in Atlantic City and here in Philly...He also has a small package on the street that he had a few kids selling for him."said Nelson.