VENTURES: Petty As Hell

The waitress at Sam Mother's Diner brought Ms. Yvette a hot steaming cup of coffee...

''I didn't order another cup." said Yvette.

The Waitress pointed to the counter...

Lt. Tragg smiled...

"It's on me Vettie." he said..

He didn't like Chris Garcetti, The D.A.'s son and the feeling was mutual.. He had lost a case to a young Black man recently who wasn't even an Attorney...

The man ,Wendell Cobb had a high school diploma and an Associates Degree from Community College.He had won 100 cases with no losses, but the case that had got him caught and that had made him a newspaper sensation was beating the D.A.'s son..An Assistant District Attorney..Chris Garcetti.. The Case made the man, Wendell Cobb, a newspaper sensation... His trial made National News and made Chris Garcetti the laughingstock of the legal world..

Chris demanded he be prosecuted to the fullest...

Jake "LAWYER BAE" Patais was the ADA prosecuting the young man...Defended by a retired Attorney named

Stewart James, long thought to be dead.. Turns out he was very much alive...

And Yvette served on the Jury...She was Jury Forewoman...The Jury handed down a NOT GUILTY verdict... A defeat for "Lawyer Bae",

who thought he had an easy win and further frustration for Chris Garcetti,

who had to see the man

who beat him , Wendell Cobb acquitted and lionized in the news...The Young man had actually entered law school at Drexel University...He was going to become a licensed Attorney now..

Lt. Tragg laughed at both men , Jake Patais and Chris Garcetti everytime he saw them..

Which was why he brought Yvette a coffee...Yvette smiled and drank her coffee..She knew why Lt. Tragg had sent it and she knew he was Petty as Hell...She just smiled, Said "Thank You and drank up...

She heard the horn beep on the vehicle I rented..

"You ready Ms. Yvette?" I said....

"Here I come. Ouuuuu Look at this." she said.

I had rented a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder..

"Get in Ms. Yvette." said Bee Bee, smiling..

" There is plenty of room." said Sofia..

"Heyyy Ms. Yvette."

"Heyyyyy" said Jade...

"Wowwww this is nice..We goin to jail in style huh?" said Yvette.

"Heyyy Go Big or Go Home." I said.

Ms. Yvette Got in front with Me and Bee Bee...

I was driving..

Sofia, Kahlil and Ms. Jade were in the back seat...We pulled off..

Lt. Tragg watched the six of us pull off with oncern...He wondered where we were headed...

II-

We drove to the Women's Detention Center , nicknamed "Valhalla"..

We saw the women prisoners on the yard marching to the dining hall...

We met Della in the visiting room, She was always so glad to get a visit from us...

"I don't have a man... Bee Bee, Sofia, I'm sorry but your fine ass husbands are the only men I get to see other than these C.O.'s and can you guys smuggle me a Margarita.? She Joked..

''Awwwww I wish we could..but we are working on it.."said Bee Bee.

''We are gonna try as hard as we can to get you out of here Mami."said Sofia.

"You guys are crazy as hell, you really think you can get me off...I shot him!! I killed him and at least 20 people saw me do it..They got my gun with my prints on it..Are you serious?" she asked.

"We certainly do and we need you to not talk to anybody in here about your case, no aspect of it...We are Lawyers, this is what we do."said Ms. Yvette.

"Half of these girls in here are awaiting trial and those that aren't are looking to make a deal of some kind..So they'll trade information for a release or a lessening of their sentence.. They'll take something you said and give it to an Assistant District Attorney , who will use it against you in trial." I said.

"Don't talk to anybody, Don't believe anybody, Don't trust anybody except us....We are your Attorneys, We are working for you!" said Kahlil..

"You Guys work for McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt right? I know who brought my case to you...My Aunt Patty...didn't she?" said Della.

"Is that a problem?" asked Ms. Yvette , not answering..

"Not for me...I love my Aunt Patty, She was that fun Aunt...who taught you a lot of cool things you weren't supposed to know, you know...My Mother, her sister is a different story...

My Aunt Patty ,

I don't know if you know or not, but she likes the guys...She uh has a healthy sexuality...You might say and uh one night...At a News Year Eve party ,She and my dad uh got caught in the bed ,doing the Hibbity Bibbity...

I was two years old... And it was before she married Uncle Percy...She and My Mother have not spoken since then...She put my dad out and it was three years before they got back together..I was still very young then and My Mother didn't tell me about that until my dad's funeral, two years ago..I never knew.

The two women still don't speak.. but Aunt Patty has always loved me and she and her husband, Uncle Percy have never missed a birthday , never missed a graduation, High School and College..(I have a B.A. in Nursing...) or Christmas.

My Mother was up here...She didn't have Money for a High Priced law firm like you guys...When she found out who you worked for, she knew that Aunt Patty was behind it." said Della.

''Well uh you think that softened your mother up a bit towards uh Aunt Patty?" asked Kahlil..

''A little, but not a lot...The two women haven't spoken in 29 years...You never forget when someone sleeps with your husband, especially your sister. It's Petty as Hell, but it is what it is." said Della.

"It's not petty, I totally understand." said Bee Bee..

"So Do I" said Sofia..

"And I as well.."

''The man that raped you...Raped another woman in Aqua Bar, six years before...She was a waitress like you...He not only raped her, he terrorized her, telling her she'd better not tell the police, he followed her, he showed up outside of her house, outside her other job...she testified and he was convicted and sent to Prison....

She quit her job and moved outside of Philadelphia and changed her number..he served five years and then he attacked another woman...did the same thing....She refused to press charges and he went free..

Then he attacked you....We know he kept calling you on your way to the hospital and at the police station..You were traumatized and you shot him and killed him..."said Jade.

"Both of his victims applaud you and they support you...We are going to run this story down their throats..We are not going to allow this to be suppressed." said Yvette..

''All of a sudden my situation doesn't seem so Hopeless."said Della.

"That's the spirit." I said.

III-

24 HOURS LATER-

The Preliminary Hearing Began..

It was the first time we were facing our old law school adversary and now friend, ADA Brooke Hughes...

She was trying to get all of the negative information about deceased rapist, Daniel Ballinger supressed..

She had hoped she would only be facing the four of us..But Yvette's jury trial had ended and she was back and by our side..

and we argued the same argument , ADA Amanda Cole had used against us before this very same Judge against us a little while before. We came with a very pertinent counter argument...We basically claimed that all of this stuff was the meat of our case..It provided motive..

Judge King knew exactly what we had done...He knew where it came from and he knew the position it put him in...He had no choice but to allow it..He smiled... "Damn it...those guys always come prepared..." he mused.

Score one for us..

Brittany appeared frustrated... She had hoped to win that argument...

Lt. Tragg was frustrated , but not with us..With Judge King..

"I don't believe him!" he said...

"They're for real..."said Della.

"Yes they are..You just trust us and hang on...We are going to give it our best shot..We aren't half stepping..

Brittany began her arguments... She paraded 20 witnesses who saw the shooting that night , as well as the Police and Forensic people on the scene that night...

We presented witnesses who saw our client right after the rape..

We presented the semen soiled panties and saliva soiled bra and testimony from the personell at the hospital and from the medical examiner's office who proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Daniel

Ballinger was indeed her rapist...

Ms. Yvette held back on anything we were going to present..

Bee Bee and Kahlil had been ready for a big fight..

Judge King ordered Della held over for trial....

"Trial will begin Tuesday at 10:00 am ,Please be on time and Attorneys , be ready for trial." he said.

Just as Della was being handcuffed, to be returned to the Detention Center, a voice was heard in the crowd...

"Della, Della Baby...I was here.." came the voice..

"Mommy....I'm so glad you came.. I want you to meet my lawyers...Guys, this is my Mama,

Nona Avenue....

"This is my chief counsel, Mrs. Yvette Jones- Lockwood and her associates, who are friends of mine..

Attorney Beatrice Jones..

Attorney Sofia Garcia-Ahmed...

And their husband's

Attorney Keith Jones, Beatrice's Husband..

Attorney Kahlil Ahmed, Sofia's Husband.."

And Ms. Jade Lee, their investigator." said Della.

"Such of beautiful and diverse group of lawyers... I want to thank you, just thank you so much for what you're doing for my baby girl... You work at McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt right?" said Mrs. Avenue.

"Your sister works with us.." said Yvette.

She frowned...Then she said...

"Oh well....I just wanted to say Thank you! Thank you for helping my baby and it was a pleasure meeting you all...I'll be praying for all of you ." she said.. She hugged Della and kissed her on the cheek and walked away...

"Your mother is a sweetheart Della."said Bee Bee..

"Yeah she is fine too....Just don't mention Aunt Patty." I said and laughed.

Yvette smiled..

"I think in time she'll forgive your aunt...I mean, your father is dead now..They did get back together and stay together right?" asked Yvette.

"They did and all I ever saw was great love between them....but you know...Family scandals and old wounds can be as petty as hell." said Della.

"Buckle Up Mami, We are going to the mats on this one..."said Sofia..

"Thank You." said Della as she was handcuffed and walked to the prison bus by Sheriff Deputies..

"I hate to see her put back on that bus...We usually have our clients out on bail...I just hate this.."said Kahlil..

''I know..I know...I feel the same way." said Jade.

IV-

Gary and Yvette finished their day off in Curley's Bar..

"End Of a long day huh?" said Gary...

''End of a Long week...I feel like I've been involved in two trials , even though I wasn't trying the first one, just serving on a jury...And Now I'm trying a case that at first glance looks impossible to win...but we are going to give it our best...like we always do." said Yvette.

Their Shrimp Baskets Arrived..

along with two Margaritas....

Lt. Tragg was having a heated discussion with Judge Micheal King..

"I can't believe you....You know how Yvette and those snot nosed kids are, you'll give them an inch, they'll take a mile..How could you rule in their favor?" he asked.

"Because they ,unlike YOU, know the law and the application of the law....They were correct and I couldn't deny them...They had all their ducks in a row.. Besides..of all of the cases you've brought before the courts this is definitely a slam dunk..The broad shot the guy in front of witnesses and dropped the gun and waited for you to arrive...Hell, she's not even denying it...What are you worried about Artie? You can't bring in a better case than this..Stop being so petty and calm down....Besides , you aint trying the case...The lovely Ms. Hughes is and Artie...I don't want any nonsense out of you...I know you like to get handsy...Keep your damn hands to yourself , ya hear.....One complaint and you're out of there....You got that?" said Judge King..