"Hello Olivia, guys...I heard that you're defending the woman accused of killing Lenny Mitchell...So I thought I'd bring this woman to meet you..."said Bonnie.
A Petite young Black Woman addressed us..
"Hello, I'm Ann Mitchell, Mrs. Ann Mitchell....Lenny Mitchell is my husband...We got married 10 years ago in New York City...He worked for my company.....I'm employed by Cyclops Insurance...The New York Office...He vanished about six years ago....I've been searching for him for a lonnnnng time." she said.
"MY LORD!! I knew this guy was a skunk....but I never imagined this...He has three wives?"said
Frank Attaway
"Lenny and I married 10 years ago in New York City....I have our marriage license and wedding photos to prove it." said Ann Mitchell.. " He had an MBA and no job when I met him...My Father paid for the whole wedding, but he warned me about him...Told me he was no good..but I loved Lenny...I got him a job at Cyclops Insurance in New York City...
"He was part of our Advertising department...He did well, extremely well and moved up the ladder...He was a real go getter...We bought a nice little house in Queens...I thought we were happy...For four years ,I thought we were happy...Then one day...He just up and vanished into think air.. He didn't come home for a week...I called the Police, Missing persons...they didn't find him, nothing...I knew he was from Philly...I came here..His Brother hadn't seen him either, but didn't seem too concerned.." she said.
"A Month passed and I hired a private investigator. Nothing...He just vanished into thin air...Also
600K vanished from Cyclops Insurance coffers...He was the main suspect... I never stopped searching for him...Then I remembered Bonnie Shay...She used to be an Assistant District Attorney in New York City...I heard she was with Cyclops Insurance in Philly...I asked her to look into it for me...She did and discovered that he was living in Philly, working for his brother's company and MARRIED to someone else...and to make it worse...He HAD ANOTHER WIFE IN NEW JERSEY!!!" said Ann..
"When did you come to Philadelphia?" asked Olivia.
"Last Night...I took the train in... Bonnie told me that my husband is dead...He was shot and killed and apparently wife number two is charged with his murder...She told me you guys are defending her, so naturally...I wanted to meet with you.."said Anne Mitchell..
''He'd have to pay big taxes on that kind of money.." said Josie.
"An Off Shore Account...A Dummy Account...That's what he must have had..."said Olivia..
"It's the only thing that makes any sense.."said Beverly..
"That's what I'm hunting for....Buying two homes and two expensive cars was a nice way to hide some of it...and paying all of his debts too...but that wouldn't have soaked up all of it..but a large bit of it, yes."said Bonnie.
II-
''Ladies..I feel for you....I really do...I can't begin to comprehend the sense of betrayal and hurt you all must feel with this revelation...But understand....My niece and I and our associates are here for one reason and one reason only...To defend , what it looks like is wife number two of a murder charge.."said Olivia..
"Understand Ladies...That Mrs. Ann Mitchell and I do not intend to take anything from you...Your homes and your cars are paid for in full..They are yours...But we do intend to try and recoup some of the money Lenny Mitchell absconded with...If you have any information on another account..an account in the Caymen Islands, or anywhere where he might have the rest of that money ,it would be helpful.."said Bonnie..
The Next few days were interesting as you could guess...
We had all three Mrs. Mitchell's in our office...
with marriage licenses, and deeds to their homes and bills of sale of their cars...
"Ummmmmm Ummmmph, it's a good thing he's dead....All three of those women would kill him if they were alive ." mused Alfreda as she served everybody coffee and doughuts..
You could feel the thick tension in the room...Alfreda was right... The women were hurt , angry and very very unhinged..
Beverly, Nelson and Josie sat across from them...
I whispered to Attorney Frank Attaway,
"Wife number three or Wife number one depending on how you want to look at it's alibi checked out..According to her credit cards and train tickets...She arrived in Philly last night like she said and she checked into a downtown hotel and rented a car...She was not in Philly the night of the murder...Her phone records also bare her out..And after hearing her voice...Angela said she is NOT the woman who called her.."I said.
"So none of his three wives killed him.. Though I couldn't blame them if they did.. Looks like it would have to be someone else...but who? It had to be someone who knew the key was under the placemat...or who had a key...There was no sign of breaking and entering..."said Frank..
"And someone who knew about that gun..." I said..
Frank's head was somewhere else altogether...
"Just think..All these years I've wanted her...I've been crazy about her man and the only thing stopping me was she was married and come to find out...She's not really married..If that Ann Mitchell married him first , then that invalidates bot Angela and Diane's marriages to him.. Wow...All three are beautiful women...But Angela..wowwwww!" he said dreamily...
Thinking of their night last night in the hotel...
making insanely crazy love.....
Well into the early hours of the morning..
Of Angela satisfying him completely and him falling asleep between her legs...
and this morning , making love again after they woke up......He was amazed they made it here on time to this meeting..
"Frank!!! Back to Earth....You were daydreaming....It was that good huh?" I asked, smiling...I knew the feeling of when a woman blows your mind like that...
"Good aint the word brother...It aint the WORD!" he said and we gave each other dap!
And across the street from us in an unmarked car...
"Lieutenant that guy was something else...Apparently he had THREE WIVES!!! Can you imagine that?
Most guys can't deal with one."said a Detective in a car with ttinted windows..
"I know...Wife number one married him 10 years ago and he did a powder...left with 600 large...Married my suspect..bought her a house and a new car, then married this lady over in Jersey, did the same thing, bought her a home and a car,paid for the who magilla,lock stock and barrel."said Lt. Tragg.. "They are all in there?" he asked the detective.
"Yeah, been in there all morning.." said the detective..
"I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that session...whooooo..."laughed Lt. Tragg..
"If he had all that dough..Why did he keep gettin married? He could of spent it all on himself.."said the Detective..
"I don't know...I don't know about some guys...I halfway feel sorry for my suspect...I mean...part of me don't blame her for offing him..He deserved it...He was a crumb...but murder is murder...Come on,let's get out of here.." laughed Lt. Tragg as they pulled off.
III-
"I can help you...We have to go to my home and go through his papers... He has an account..An offshore account that he put in both of our names...He didn't know that I knew about it...It has 250K in it..I was planning to ask him about all of that money...If that will help you, I'd be glad to give you access to it."said Angela..
"That would be great...That's what left of the money he embezzled..He didn't know it..but he was on his way to a federal prison...Olivia, Beverly, as her attorneys you should come with us."said Bonnie.
"This has certainly been an eye opening case." said Beverly...
"I'll say." said Nelson.
"Yes indeeed."agreed Josie..
My phone rang..
It was a female voice I had never heard before..
"You don't know me, but I know you....Maybe I can help your client...There is a safe deposit box at the bus station.. Box 241 , When you are near ,I will leave it open..There will be a key in it.. and a letter..That letter will give you instructions to another safe deposit box where you will find information that will give you a clue to who really killed Lenny Mitchell....Come now and come alone.." said the voice.
"Who is this? Wait?" I said.
(CLICK!)
"Liv...you guys go over there...I'm on to something..I'll meet you there." I said..
"What? Oh Okay?" said Olivia..
"No, gotta take this one solo." I said. "I'll call you." I said and rushed out...
"This gets better by the second." I said.
"It's like a movie."said Josie..
Frank looked at Beverly, Josie and Nelson and cracked up..
"Young lawyers..." he said and shook his head.
IV-
Everybody went to Angela's home except me..
"Yessss." said Beverly, ignoring as did everyone the chalk outline of where Lenny's body fell after he was hit.. There was still dried blood splatter on the wall...
\
Nelson looked around and saw a strong box that was open.....
"Hey look at that!" he said..
"That's the box the gun was kept in.....It was always locked....and I didn't unlock it..Like I said...I haven't touched that gun.."said Angela, who fumbled around in her husband's desk and produced some papers..
"This is all the information you need on his bank account in the Caymen islands..Both of our names are on it...But I have never touched that money or accessed that acount."said Angela..
"This may very well solve our case.." said Bonnie Shay..
"Thank you soo much Angela..And if you need any money for your legal fees ,just let me know."said Ann..
"Angela, who has a key to that strong box....You say you didn't...because you never used the gun right?" said Olivia..
Olivia, Beverly and Nelson all looked at each other...
"Here comes your husband." said Diane..
"I think I know who may have killed Lenny Mitchell..." I said.
As Beverly, Nelson and Josie stared at me..
(CONCLUSION NEXT)
No comments:
Post a Comment