VENTURES: Matter Of Trust

ONE WEEK LATER-

"We can't thank you enough for letting us use your space Karen.." said Olivia to her old law school friend and still good friend, Assistant District Attorney ,Karen Page, who now headed the Wrongful Conviction Unit, which we had worked with several times...

"Oh no problem Livy, guys...but you really should thank my two buddies here..you cousin Kayla and

Jazzy here.."said Karen..."I'm using their office space and law library thanks to an agreement with the city.." she said.

"Hey Family..."said Kayla..

"We brought breakfast..." said Jazzy...

They brought a plate of pastries and

cups of coffee..

"AWWWWWW THANK YOUUUU!" said Beverly..

"I LOVE YOU GUYS!" said Olivia..

"Thanks Guys...This is just what the doctor ordered." I said.

"YESSSSSSS!" said Josie.

"THANK YOU!" said Nelson..

We were taking a break....We had been a few floors up in the massive law library at Jasmine and Kayla's law firm, doing research and discussing trial strategy and jury selection.

We had now taken the elevator down to the conference room.

For the past week we had been reworking our trial strategy, looking up predicates, going over witness statements, the autopsy report and Traffic, Street and Business Cam footage..

We had our meals delivered to the building by UBER EATS or DOOR DASH and we all worked from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm..

Because we felt our security had been breached..Our location was a well kept secret....

Even Hoagie and Keith Ross, didn't know our exact location...

We communicated with them through a Portal we gave each of them...Keeping them abreast of the recent developments of the trial...

Lieutenant Tragg was super frustrated... He didn't see us in Sam Mother's Diner all week and his frequent visits to our office.

turned into stare downs with Alfreda,

who informed him that we weren't in and that she didn't know where we were or when we planned to return..

"I don't believe that....You know I could come back with a warrant..." he snarled.

"Yeah, you could and that and two fiddy will get you a ride on the subway.."said Alfreda..

''You got a smart mouth, just like your daughter.." he snarled.

''Yeah, she do get that from her mama."said Alfreda..who then slammed the door in his face.

II-

In the courthouse cafeteria..

Attorney Lindsey Green looked worried..

"I think they're on to me..." she said.

"What makes you think that?" asked Attorney Jake Patais..

"I haven't seen them...I offered to work with them on the case...and they initially said yes...and yet ever since the night Judge Mathis leaped to his death...I haven't heard or seen them...They are gone by the time I get to the office...It's been a week ,I have no idea what their trial strategy is, what evidence they have or anything...I'm pretty sure they have improvised their initial strategy that I was privy to." she said.

"I need to know if they found any documents that Mathis may have had... He was told to shred all of that stuff, Bank Accounts, Receipts, Cancelled checks, records of payments..everything...We had operatives go inside his office..We can't find any of that or any evidence that he shredded those records before he committed his suicide."said Jake Patais.

"I did hear something about some files they recovered ..

Olivia's husband, Donnie Ray Alexander told her that these papers were paramount to their case...

Olivia told him to put the papers in their Safe deposit box, that they were too important to be kept in the office.

"I rode with Beverly ,Josie and Nelson and watched them put the files in their safe deposit box.."said

Lindsey..

That was last week and I haven't seen any of them since then.." said Lindsey.

"BABYYYY THAT'S GREAT....GIVE ME THE ADDRESS....They're sitting on that information...If the Feds had it..We'd all be out of a job...Thank god..It hasn't been made public..I gotta make a call..Thanks baby." he said..

He gave her a slow ,sweet kiss....She lingered devouring his lips...

"OHHHHHHHHH JAKKKEEEEE! I MISSS YOUUUUU!" she moaned..

"I MISS YOU TOO BABYYY!" he moaned...

Unknown to both of them, ADA Diane Baronski had walked into the cafeteria and spotted them kissing.. She was horrified...She ran out of the cafeteria in tears...

A little while later..

"Great work....Give me the address...I'll send my man over to get those notes...If the Feds had gotten ahold to them, we'd all of been out of a job..."said Jeff Walker..."Carmaichel...you're going down.." he laughed..

He couldn't know how wrong he was..

III-

I walked into the conference room where everybody was finishing up their work..

"Guys...You know what just hit the fan.." I said..

"Uh Oh.." said Olivia, smiling..

"Don't just stand there Donnie Ray, spill..spill."said Beverly..

"The Feds waited a week like they promised.. Today they issued warrants and arrested 48 top operatives of the Bridgerton Investment group and seized all of their assetts..

and they also arrested 75 known drug kingpins and associates who laundered money through them.

The Bridgerton group is through...and get this.. Franklin Trevor Carmaichel is not named at all in this indictment..but Judge Mathis and Steve Hough, both now deceased were named......." I said.

"That takes the teeth out of the corruption case that ADA Baronski was trying..."said Nelson..

"THAT ENDS IT!!! It's a federal matter now...and all we have to do is put to rest this murder charge once and for all.."said Olivia.

"There is no longer a motive.."said Beverly..

"What about those attorneys, Lindsey Green and Jake Patais??" asked Josie..

"They're just lawyers...They weren't named in anything..Neither one of them...but they're both out of a job!"I said..

We all laughed!

Jake Patais's phone rang..

''Speak to me." he said cooly..

"WE WERE DUPED!...TRICKED!!!! My guy went to the safe deposit box...He found what he thought were files... It was a folder of pages from a children's coloring book! The Feds had those damn materials all along..Bank account information, receipts, Cancelled checks, records of who was paid what and when...The FBI arrested 143 people..and seized the company's assets..We are all out of a job!!" screamed a very nervous and distraught Jeff Walker .

"WHATTT??" exclaimed a very distarught Jake Patais...

''Look get rid of that phone..erase my number...Don't contact me again...Good Luck for your future."said Jeff Walker.

(CLICK!)

We were done and ready for the preliminary trial, which began the day after tomorrow..

Olivia and I, Beverly and Nelson, Josie and Paris chose to celebrate in Curley's bar.....

"Woww talk about the stars aligning..."said Olivia.

"For once, everything broke our way.." I said.

"No motive and no proof...thus no case." said Beverly..

"I swear if anyone other than her was prosecuting this case ,I'd make them a proffer to save themselves some embarrassment and just drop this case."said Nelson..

''She won't take it...Not from us.."said Josie.

Paris just listened in amazement..

We had a lot to be happy about..We were finished and 100 percent ready for trial..No more hiding out..

"I'm just happy we were able to help you..."said Kayla..

"I have a few days off...I might come and watch you guys work."laughed Ray..

"I can't come tomorrow,I have an important litigation.."said Jazzy..

"Me too...but I'll catch some of the trial, provided you guys don't end it too early like in the prelims.."said Dabnis.

"I looked at what you guys have lined up and I've got to tell you...I wouldn't pursue this..I'd dropp the charges..She has nothing..The meat of her case has been taken over by the feds and what she has to work with is full of more holes than swiss cheese.."said Karen..

"I'm going to have a field day covering this story."said our friend and Karen's boyfriend, B.L. Benz..

Host of the TV Crime talk show, HARD BOTTOM!

"Here come the drinks!"said Yvette..

"That's what we are here for.."said Gary Lockwood, her boyfriend..

The air was festive.. and then...Lt. Tragg walked in..

He was astounded to see us first of all and then everyone else.......He stormed right over to us..

"Wellllll look a here..Lawyers central.." he snarled.

"Lt. Tragg...why don't you save yourself some humiliation and just drop the charges against my client...You don't have a motive..The corruption case ADA Baronski was trying to tie to this was taken over by the Feds and my client was not named at all..Not at all! So where is your motive..Where is your case?" asked Olivia, beating him to the punch...

"Not a chance.He thought he was going to be named, that's motivation enough...Plus his heart medication was found at the death scene..."said Lt. Tragg..