VENTURES: Personal Problems

24 HOURS LATER-

We were back in District Court....In front of Judge Percy Reynolds...Our friend and our new client, Sherry Lancaster, charged with murdering her estranged husband..

Zoey Easter , Liv's former divorce lawyer and good friend was representing her in her divorce and had found good Judge Reynolds for her arraignment.. She made a frantic call to us that morning,pleading with us to rep her client.. How could we say no..After all ,Zoey was partially responsible for why we all were together in a roundabout kind of way..

Judge Reynolds saw us all and he smiled.

"Well, I didn't expect to be in a courtroom this soon..." said Olivia.

"Me neither, but this is the life we chose eh Auntay?" said Beverly, her niece, so loyal, so devoted to her aunt.

I chose to be with this woman, this brilliant attorney..To Marry her..and I still got to be a detective..With a lot more freedom than I had when I was in the New Orleans Police department..

"At least we have a friendly Judge." I said, remembering the somewhat hostile Judge we had in a recent Federal trial we had..

"Yeah, hopefully things will break our way this time.."said Nelson..

"He likes us..I'm sure they will." said Josie..

Our new client, Sherry whispered to Josie..

"I've heard of them, they're good.." she said and smiled.

"They're the best and what's more they're my friends...You're in good Hands.." she said..

"I wonder who the ADA is gonna be?" asked Beverly..

"Yeah, we've been having some dillys.." said her husband, Nelson..

And then HE walked in..A young Black man, about Olivia and my age...I didn't know who he was..but I could tell THEY DID!!!

"Oh My God No!" said Olivia..

"Oh My God!!" said Beverly...

"Nathan...Nathan Jones?" said Zoey...

"You know the Prosecutor?" asked Sherry...

"You could say that....We were once engaged to be married.." said Zoey..

"Nathan Jones" said Olivia..

"Nathan Jones." said Beverly...

"So that's him? He's cute!" said Josie..

"So that's the Nathan Jones they were talking about...Glad Rockland gave us a heads up yesterday."said Nelson.

"Yeah how about that? Hang on boy, things are about to get real interesting..."I said. Nelson and I, being the men in these two phenominal women's lives, Olivia and Beverly had developed a real comradeship over the years... Nelson had fit in quite well with us...He had become Josie's mentor in law somewhat and the two of them had developed a Big Brother, little sister type of relationship..

There was shock on both sides of the Aisle..

"Oh My God...Olivia...Olivia and Beverly....And ..And Zoey???" he said..

''You KNOW Auntie and Niecey? That's what the uh ADA's call them...Heh heh heh...and you know that other broad, the divorce lawyer too?" asked Lt. Tragg...

"I used to work with Olivia for years at Bach and Roach , a corporate law firm..After she left the Public Defenders Office she came to work there...We were good friends...And I met her niece , Beverly...Beverly took over a case for Olivia, while she was in the hospital, having a miscarriage..The other woman...THAT BROAD as you say is Zoey Easter, my ex-fiance...I introduced her to Olivia..She helped her get her divorce from her first husband. I see Olivia and Beverly did start their own practice and she's added a slew of attorneys to her staff..." said ADA Nathan Jones.

"That guy in the expensive suit is Liv's current husband,

His name is Donnie Ray Alexander, ex Homicide Detective, now, her Investigator...

"That other guy is Nelson East..An Attorney that used to work with Olivia and Beverly at the Public Defenders Office.. He's Beverly's Husband..

That pretty little thing there is Josie Boyd, Olivia and Beverly's newest attorney..She used to be their Para-legal....She just finished law school and passed the bar last year..." said Lt. Tragg.

''Wowwww talk about a come up..Liv and Bev both married, Got their own practice...Nice!You don't know anything about Zoey huh?" he asked.

"Before last night, I never saw her before in my life."said Lt. Tragg. "Now because you uh have history with all of these players...It's not going to affect your ability to prosecute this case is it?" asked Lt. Tragg..

"Not at all...That's personal...This is business...I never mix the two.."said Nathan Jones..

And he was telling the truth...In his argument to keep Sherry Lancaster behind bars ,he proved to be as ruthless as Todd Dellums , Alice Bourdain or some of our other adversaries..

But Olivia and Beverly came prepared , as did Nelson and Josie with not only compelling arguments, but more than 20 charactor witnesses they had rounded up at the last minute with help from Zoey..

Who kept glancing at Nathan Jones with a bit of anxiety....

It didn't matter...Judge Reynolds took one look at the arresting officer, Lt. Arthur Tragg

A man he despised...A man who had falsely arrested him for murder twice and who had arrested his niece for murder recently....

He set Bail at an astoundingly low $800.00....

Zoey wrote a check for $80.00....

"Oh My God!!!! I can't believe this.." said our client , Sherry...

"Believe it, don't question it." said Nelson..

"I take it you are staying somewhere else?"asked Olivia..

"I'm staying with my cousins." said Sherry, who gave us and address and a phone number.

Beverly gave her a portal..

"We'll use this to communicate with you..." she said..

Josie passed her a phone..

"Call us from this number only... It's untraceable...Just in case..Keep a low profile." she cautioned..

"Oh Thank You..Thank you guys so much."said Sherry..

"Can we drop you off somewhere?" I asked.

"My cousin's house.." said Sherry...."Thank you guys so much and thank you Zoey.." she added..

"Liv, guys...My car is outside.. I'll check in with you later."said Zoey...

Lt. Tragg was as usual livid..Not at us..at Judge Reynolds...He knew the low bail was because of his involvement with the case..The man hated him..He didn't want the new ADA to know that...But he was furious.. He stormed out of the courthouse.

II-

Nathan Jones say Zoey's hands... They had wedding bands on them...She had gotten married..

She had moved on...

He had spent the last few years, immersed in his career...He dated, but never allowed himself to get serious..He never forgot about Zoey ,the woman he left behind.. He had wanted her to move to Atlanta with him, She had a promising offer in New York...Neither of them willing to give an inch...It ruined their engagement...They were so young, So into their careers...So uncompromising.. He was crazy...he should have followed Zoey around the world if she wanted..

She still looked good...even better than she had then....He would always regret breaking up with her..

He started to say something to her...but he didn't..He just watched her as she walked to the Parking Lot and got in her car...

After dropping Sherry off..We all headed to Sam Mother's for brunch...

We all sat down and took a booth...

"You know, You know who is probably going to come in here steamed today..."said Olivia.

"I don't care....I'm too hungry to pay him any mind today.."said Beverly...

"That makes two of us Shortcake." I said.

"Make that three." said Josie..

"Ahhhh here comes our food now.." said Nelson..

Our order arrived.. It wouldn't be Lt. Tragg who would come in , it was Assistant District Attorney,

Nathan Jones.

"OLIVIA!!!! BEVERLY!!! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?" said ADA Nathan Jones...It had been almost seven years...

"Oh My God!! Nate...Soooo much has changed since you last saw me....How are youuu?" said Olivia, hugging him..

''How are you Nate? We heard you were in town and working for the D.A.'s office yesterday...we had no idea we'd have a case and be trying it against you today though."said Beverly, also hugging him..

"Uhh Yeah, I hate that...but it is, what it is...I see a lot has changed with you girls, since I last saw you...

Liv, I see you did buy that building , The duplex and you started your law practice, you and Beverly, and uh both of you even got married..." said Nate Jones.

"We did and I got married again, Almost six years now...This is my husband, Donnie Ray Alexander,

Former Homicide Detective, Now my practice's Investigator..." said Olivia.

"Pleased to meet you." I said.. I liked him, He was very personable..

"Pleased to meet you too..."he said.. "Ms. Beverly...You took my advice and stuck by your auntie..I see you've gotten married too huh?" he said..

"Yes I did..We moved into that Duplex about a month after you left town... This is my husband, Nelson East...He Auntay and I worked together at the Public Defenders office most of our professional lives..We got married about three years ago...He worked at another firm after he left the Public Defenders office, then he came to work for Auntay and me."said Beverly, hugging Nelson..

"Pleased to meet you man.."said Nelson, shaking his hand...

"Wow...Pleased to meet you both..." he said..

"This is our newest Attorney, Ms. Josie Boyd..but she's been with us since we opened the doors..She was our Office Manager/Administrative Assistant first, then she became our Para-Legal and finally she decided she wanted to be an Attorney and went to an accellerated program at Drexel, graduated last year and passed the bar last year..." gushed Olivia with pride..

"Pleased to meet you." said Josie..

"Same here...Liv I meant to tell you...While I was working in Atlanta.. I met your cousin, Kayla Bennett

"We worked at the same firm for awhile..She was from Philly and I was from Philly and we became good friends..She talked about you two and I was pleasently surprised...I told her I had met Beverly and that I used to work with you Liv....I heard she moved back to Philly." he said.

"Small world...Well Look..She and her husband live right across the street from us... Why don't you join us for dinner, tomorrow...You know where we live...She'd love to see you..."said Olivia.

"I'd love to.....Mannnnn, I leave town and every woman I knew gets married." said Nate Jones, laughing..

"Seven years is a long time.."said Olivia softly..

''Even Zoey got married.." he said softly...

Which is what he really meant.. Olivia and Beverly and even Kayla getting married was nice...

but they had been friends and associates...

Zoey had been his love...The girl he foolishly let get away.....

III-

A DAY LATER-

ADA Nathan Jones showed up at our home for dinner...

"I brought a bottle of wine. It's a great port..I hope you all enjoy it."he said,

passing me the bottle..

"I like you already " I said.

with the exception of Rockland Cambridge, Alfreda's boyfriend, no other ADA ever had this much access to our place..

"Let me give you the tour.." said Olivia..

We showed him our conference room

Our law library

and our monitors and high tech equipment..

Beverly and Nelson walked him upstairs to their place...

Olivia and I walked him upstairs to where we lived and where the dinner was going to be served..

"Liv....I am so proud of you...You started a law firm..You've got a great staff and you bought this duplex and turned it not only into a great law office, but a home for you and Bev and your spouses...This is far beyond anything I imagined when you told me you were leaving B&R....WOWWWWW! Yall did good." said Nathan Jones, who was genuinely happy for his old friends..

"Sit down,make yourself comfortable...There is the door..I'll get it.." I said.

''Heyyy everybody...Nathan, this is my boyfriend, Paris." said Josie..

"Pleased to meet you."said Paris.

Josie and her boyfriend, Paris arrived , Along with Kayla and her husband, Ray St. Jacques..

"NATHAN JONES!!!! OH MY GODDDDDD! YOU'RE BACK IN TOWN!!!! " said Kayla, hugging him... "This is my husband, Attorney Ray St. Jacques..

"What's up man?" said Ray ,shaking his hand...

"Man, all these women married or hooked up....7 years is a long time indeed." he thought..

The Catered Italian Meal arrived..Spaghetti, Fettucine Alfredo, Chicken Parm, Italian Rolls, Salad and desserts...with Ice Tea care of Alfreda's caterer friend.

They laughed and talked about old times...THEY DID NOT DISCUSS the upcoming murder trial in which we would be pitted against him.. THEY DIDN'T MENTION ZOEY EITHER!

This moment was kind of like a truce ...The calm before the storm literally...All and All it was a very nice night...

IV-

THE NEXT MORNING-

The next morning, Nathan Jones sat by himself in Sam Mothers...

enjoying a cup of coffee...

Lt. Tragg walked in and sat beside him at the counter...He ordered his regular..

"Hey Sam ...Fried eggs, over hard, some spuds, some sausage and a cup of coffee." he said.

"Comin up Artie."said Sam Mother.

His breakfast arrived..

Lt. Tragg looked at the new ADA...

"Not Hungry this morning counselor?" he asked..

"Nooooo I'm full... I had dinner over Olivia and Beverly's house last night..They had everything, Spaghetti, Fettucine Alfredo, Chicken Parm...Salad...oh my god, I'm stuffed.." he said, smiling..

"You're really tight with them huh? Don't you worry about being able to try a case against them?" asked Lt. Tragg.

"No I don't... I'm an Attorney...An Assistant District Attorney...My job is to prosecute this case..

They are Defense Attorneys, their job is to defend their client.. This is a job for us...We don't take these cases personal..It's win or lose, appeal and move on.." said Nathan Jones..

"That's what all you attorneys say, but I know human nature, the law of the jungle..and I know more than anything, you guys like to win just like everybody else..I hope you're right counselor."said Lt. Tragg..

Nate knew he had to work with this guy, but the more time he spent around him, the more he realized, he didn't particularly like him...

Out the window , he saw Zoey!! and she was with somebody!!!

They were laughing, talking..and then they kissed....

They kissed passionately for a long time and then the man walked off towards the courthouse....He suspected this was her husband..

Zoey walked in....

"Coffee Sam" and then she peered at Nate..

"Hi Nate..I uh started to say something to you the other day in court..but uh you know how that was...Arraignment and all..Making arrangements.." she said nervously..

"I know...It's Okay....Are..Are you uh co-counsel with Liv and her team?" he asked.

"Oh Nooooo Noooooo...I was handling her divorce and now since her husband is deceased...I'll be handling their estate..." said Zoey...

"Oh No you won't!! She's on her way to jail...She's not gonna rake in any of her husband's money!" snarled Lt. Tragg, who overheard the conversation..

"I'm not going to argue the merits of my case in here." she said sharply to Lt. Tragg.. "Sam, make that coffee to go." she said.

"I got it Sam.." said Nate.. He tossed a couple of dollars on the counter..

"Thanks Nate." said Zoey..

He followed her out...

"Uh Zo..We should have lunch...Do a little catching up....Soon." he said.

"That would be nice...I'd like that." she said as she walked in the opposite direction..

Lt. Tragg looked at Sam Mother...

"That Kid has a lot of personal problems surrounding this case..." he said..

And back at our duplex, we had just begun working on our latest case..

Beverly and I had been out most of the morning...We were just returning...

"I went over the crime scene..Fingerprints and DNA galore...but no murder weapon...I checked with my guy at the police station." I said.

"I have witness statements...and I interviewed on tape about 25 people who spoke to the police and an additional 12 people who were not previously interviewed,..I have the affadavits here." I said.