VENTURES: The Slave Key, Part 2

TWO DAYS LATER-

Olivia and I were in the kitchen kissing passionately...This is usually where Alfreda and Rockland were kissing, but today he was in the front office preparing to go to work...

"Come on Husband...before we both get so aroused we wind up , upstairs and in bed.."said Olivia in between kisses..

"Yeah , you're right..." I said as she eased out of my embrace...and smiled at me...

In the front office, Assistant District Attorney Rockland Cambridge and our office manager Alfreda were kissing by the door..

''Rockland...you have to go to work...Don't you have to be in court this morning?" asked Alfreda.

"Tomorrow, but who cares?" laughed Rockland...

"Go to work Horny Toad.."laughed Alfreda..

Her daughter, Attorney Beverly West -East and her son in law, Attorney Nelson East were walking down the stairs..

''Good Morning Mommy..Good Morning Rockland."said Beverly, who took a hankerchief and wiped her mother's lipstick off of Rockland's lapel..

"Goooood Morning Ms. J. , Rockland" said Nelson...

"Thank You Bev, Goood Morning Nelson." said Rockland as he got in his car and drove off.

"Good Morning Sweet Daughter" said Alfreda, kissing Beverly on the cheek and squeezing her.. "And My sweet son in law.."She said kissing and hugging Nelson...

Josie and Bree were walking up just then...They always walked to work..

"Good Morning Everybody." said Josie.

"Good Morning." said Bree..

They had all been in court the past two days with minor cases, while I worked on the mystery of Victor Bailey and Helen Brooks..

We all sat around the conference room table...

While Alfreda served us a Continental Breakfast

Hot Coffee, Doughnuts

and Bagels with Cream Cheese and Jelly...

''What's on our dockets? I just finished up The Bridges Case and the Riley Case.." said Olivia.

"I finished up the Tidewater Case." said Beverly...

"The Negotiations for Rollie Rollerson are done..and that case I worked with Arthur Trout is finished also." said Nelson..

"I've got a Bond hearing for Titus Lewis in two days...I'm taking Bree with me.."said Josie.

"By the way Donnie Ray, any news on Victor Bailey and Helen Brooks...You were working on that?" asked Bree..

"Baffles the hell out of me.. No activity of either of them's debit cards or credit cards for the past seven years...In fact, some of their accounts have been canceled for non -usage and not a peep out of either of them..

Victor Bailey's bank account was cleared out and closed by his wife..one year after he was last seen...but Helen Brooks's account remains the same except for interest that she's accumulated...No withdrawals and no new entries...In seven years...That's odd...

I went by the place she was staying in after she left Melvin...A new tenent is in the apartment..And you wouldn't believe all of her things that are in storage...It's as if she wasn't intending to go anywhere..

I called Mexico and I called Canada...They have no one named Victor Bailey or Helen Brooks or Helen Bailey listed as living in any of their main cities..

I checked with Victor Bailey's next of kin...It seems as if they had been trying to get in touch with him for seven years too...Nothing..And they said his estranged wife, Marla Bailey stopped talking to them.

I called New Orleans..Helen Brooks has family there..They said they hadn't seen her since she came to Philly with Mellow Lemon Jelly...Nor heard from her.. They said he called down there looking for her after she left him...Even came down there..but to no avail..

Vic Bailey's things are in storage..here in town...Get this..I found two packed suitcases...One for a man and one for a woman...They looked like they were packed to go on vacation, not run off.." I said.

"Donnie Ray, you think they uh might be the victims of uh foul play?" asked Beverly..

''Sounds like they both might be dead!" said Olivia.

"You said he was a gambler..didn't know a Poker game he didn't like.. Maybe he was into somebody for long green.."said Nelson..

"Well Why kill her? She didn't have anything to do with that." said Josie.

"Maybe she witnessed the hit." said Bresha.

"No...He wasn't into anybody for any dough....I checked that angle out.. The last time he was seen..He won big...40 Large...They vanished on Memorial Day weekend..They both had reservations at the Borgata in Atlantic City...I called.. They keep very good records.. Those two never showed up..They rented a car from Enterprise...Never picked it up..."I said.

"Ouuu this is creepy...See, before we met Donnie Ray, we had run of the mill law stuff...He came into our lives and we get crazy , creepy cases like this."laughed Beverly, hugging me..

"This is the creepiest thing I've heard yet.." said Josie.

"It is sending a cold chill down my spine.." said Bree..

"Donnie Ray, what kind of marriage did Mellow Lemon Jelly and Helen Have?" asked Olivia.

"Well it all goes back to New Orleans..

"When you met me...I was playing the trumpet in a small club... A lot of the musicians I traveled with played small clubs..We did a little recording when somebody was in town that needed session musicians or a back up band...but it's hard to pay the bills when you're hardly working.. A lot of guys found a gal they could leech off of..Live with and who would support and take care of them..."I said.

"Oh they were bums." said Beverly.

"And the girls were fools." laughed Josie.

"I'd like to say in love....A lot of us had other gigs...Those of us that liked to eat, that liked running water and electricity on...like myself.. I liked nice clothes, as well.." I said.. ''So I had a regular nine to five. Most of us did.. I was a Homicide Detective on the New Orleans Police force,.

Mellow Lemon Jelly was a Saxophone Player by night and a school teacher at the high school by day..He had a B.A. in Education from Southern University and had been at Julliard for awhile , but didn't finish." I said.

"Ouu Julliard.." cooed Olivia.

"I was at New Orleans Community College taking Administration of Justice courses and Pre-Law...I was earning an Associates Degree...He liked me..We could talk ..I had a job, I was in school and like him, was a working musician at night...Neither one of us had a woman to take care of us.. He was there for my first wedding..When I got stood up at the alter...And When I decided to do it again and the woman just called it off at the last minute..He was there too!"I said.

''And he still wanted to get married after all of that?" said Nelson.

Olivia, Alfreda and Bresha cracked up laughing..I laughed too!

Helen was a party girl..She was at all of the clubs...Knew all of the musicians...She stole Melvin's heart...She liked the fact that he had a nine to five..He was a school teacher as well as a musician..He had a car, had some money and could take her out to dinner..buy her nice things...

Mellow was going with Helen when Olivia and I got married and I moved to Philadelphia..They were at our wedding in New Orleans.. I remember him saying "Third time was the charm buddy and she's the best looking of the three if I don't say so myself."

Wasn't long before they too tied the knot and moved to Philadelphia. Mellow got a job , teaching music

at the local high school and he like me,played gigs at Josie's , sitting in with the House Band, Did some recording gigs and session work." I said.

"What did Helen do?" asked Beverly...

"Same thing she did in New Orleans, Nothing! She was in Josies when he played there and Mulberry Street as well...She began running with a crowd of women who hopped from Aqua Bar to Stoleys and back...and she met Victor Bailey, a flashy gambler in one of those clubs...Victor Bailey was like her, very married.. They began going to China Town, to Eddie Lee's game and Atlantic City.. Melvin knew about it..and it broke his heart...Finally, they filed for legal seperation.." I said.

"I remember, That was one of the early cases Bev and I handled , when we first opened up."said Olivia.

"I remember that." said Beverly..

"Well what about Victor Bailey's wife..?" asked Nelson..

"Yeah what did she do?" asked Josie.

"It seems as if she did nothing..She never filed for legal seperation or divorce.. She did move out of their house and sell it..I heard she fell on bad times and had to close his bank account out and use what little money he had left. This was after the two of them vanished..She bought another house with some ground around it... I need to talk to her..She wasn't answering her phone when I tried to call." I said..

"Indeed...I'd Love to hear her side of the story.."said Bresha.

II-

Our doorbell rang just then...

"I'll get that...." said Alfreda , who went to the door and came back with , the man of the hour,

Mellow Lemon Jelly also known as Melvin Brooks..

''Donnie Ray, Olivia, guys...You are uh just who I needed to see..." said Melvin, who handed Olivia an envelope with a check in it..

"That's a retainer." he said.

"What's this for? Are you in trouble?" asked Olivia.

"Remember I told you about that woman, Lena Horne, who has the Slave Key...who informed me that my ex-wife Helen was alive and well here in Philly and to see her as soon as I got home? Well I went to see her...I should have waited and gone with you guys in the Broad daylight...She called me at 10:00 pm two nights ago and against my better judgement, I went to see her..around 11:30 pm..I knocked on her door..there was no answer...I should have gone home...I rang the doorbell, still no answer...The door was unlocked..I walked in and tripped over her body....

"SHE WAS DEAD DONNIE RAY!!!! SOMEBODY HAD SHOT HER!!!! I GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE!!!! NOW I'M SCARED..SCARED TO DEATH!!!" said Melvin..

"Did you touch anything in there?" asked Beverly..

"My prints may be on the doorknob and the bell.. and I uh may be on the street cam...coming and going..but I didn't kill her, I swear..She was dead when I got there." he said.

"You didn't really know this woman or anything about her do you?" I asked.

"I saw her only once...She was at Martha's Vineyard at my wedding..The next time I saw her, she was dead!"said Melvin.

''Why was she so interested in you?" asked Nelson..

"I sure don't know." said Melvin.

"Have you talked to anyone else about this?" asked Olivia.

"Just my wife...She told me to come see you guys." said Melvin.

"That was good advice.." said Beverly...

"That was good advice..Don't talk about this with anyone else?..Who knows..It might just blow over."said Josie.

"Uh, I don't think so guys...We got company ..." said Bresha, looking outside.

Outside sat two police cars , facing the opposite direction...

and an unmarked police car with red and blue lights flashing...

Lt. Tragg got out, flanked by six uniformed patrolmen...

He confidently rang our doorbell....

"Ohhhhhh goddd, it's him!" sighed Beverly...

"Just be cool Babe!" said Nelson..

Olivia took a deep sigh...''Alfreda! Let him in...Make sure he's got a warrant.....Melvin, don't say a word...Exercise your right to silence.. We'll be down to get you arraigned tomorrow..Okay?" said Olivia.

"Okay! Thanks you guys.."said Melvin.

I put my arm on my friend's shoulder...

"It'll be alright..Don't worry." I said.

Alfreda answered the door...As usual there were no pleasentries...She said one word!

"WARRANT!"

"But of course." said a smiling Lt. Tragg, who walked in and walked straight to our conference room like he owned the place.

"Olivia, Beverly, Donnie Ray and staff, always a pleasure....You know , when I found out Mr. Brooks here played the Saxophone at the same places you did Donnie Ray and that you guys attended his wedding a few weeks ago...it didn't take much imagination to figure out who his defense lawyers would be and where he'd be.." said Lt. Tragg..

"Right, it didn't take much imagination." said Beverly...

Nelson, Olivia, Josie and Bree all laughed, even though they didn't want to...

Melvin and I probably would have wanted to..but we didn't see the humor in the situation at hand..

Lt. Tragg didn't catch the sarcasm, but sensed he was the butt of the joke and did not like it, bristled..

"Well laugh this off.. Melvin Brooks, you are under arrest for the murder of Lena Braithwaite...You have the right to remain silent..Any and everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..Yo have the right to an attorney, if you can not afford one, which does not look to be the case..one will be obtained for you...Do you understand these rights as I am reading them to you?" said Lt. Tragg..

"Yeah!" said Melvin...

An officer handcuffed him and he walked out with the five other officers..

''Hell of an office and living quarters you got here Liv..How did you swing this?" asked Lt. Tragg.

He had raided our office a few months before and had seen everything, our law library, our monitors and electronics and our upstairs living quarters...He had been very impressed...

"Living right I suppose, Divorcing even better." said Olivia..

"I'll bet!" said Lt. Tragg and they both shared a rare laugh.... "Good Day folks." he said.

Once he was gone...

''What do we do now?"asked Josie.

"You and Bree

are going to get in contact with his wife and line up charactor witnesses....Donnie Ray can give you the names and addresses of his musician friends...

"Beverly, Nelson and I are going to work on his initial defense...Cases, Predicates, Law..the usual..

Donnie Ray, I need the Autopsy report, The Police crime scene report and any witness statements.." said Olivia..whose mind was working rapidly....

"I'm on it... Her name was actually Lena Braithwaite...I need to know just who she was..."I said.

They both got in the unmarked police car and pulled off.. He pulled off in his unmarked police car... Three of the four hub caps came off as the car roared down the street... The car had to stop and one of the uniformed officers had to get out and chase the hub caps down, and get back in the car with them, before the car took off again..This time, the fourth hubcap came off...Another officer had to run and chase that one.. This brought guffaws of laughter from all of us...

''What the hell is going on with this damn car?" Lt. Tragg bellowed..

They pulled off again.. All four tires blew out !!!! and the car was seen going down and sliding...

It shouldn't have funny, due to the situation, but all of us, Alfreda, Olivia, Me, Beverly, Josie, Nelson and Bresha were laughing so hard , tears were flowing from our eyes..

Even Melvin, the prisoner was laughing so hard, tears were coming from his eyes..

Another police car came to pick him up and take him to Central Booking..

While Lt. Tragg had to wait for a tow truck...to tow his unmarked police car..

He was as you could expect, Livid.. He kicked a metal trash can until it dented.!~

"You know...he could use a vacation." I said.

''Yeah, a change would do him good."said Olivia.

"It would do us some good too!" sighed Beverly...

"Indeed" agreed Nelson..

"YESSSSSSSSSsS!" said Josie and Bresha..

"You all are saying what everybody who knows him is saying!" laughed Alfreda.

III-

Tender was the night..

We were home for the night..

It was 9:30 pm...The streets were quiet..We were turning in early...

"Oh ,I'm just soooo glad I can take my clothes off and relax.."said Olivia, as I unzippered her and helped her out of her clothes.

"I'm glad you're taking them off too."I smiled as I began to undress..

and watched her undress.

"I know you are..." laughed Olivia as she slipped out of her bra and panties..

Olivia gasped...Oh My God...DONNIE RAYY!!!....Ouuuuu...you are huge!!!.Did you get bigger?" she exclaimed...as I unhooked her bra and began sucking on her breasts.....

I didn't answer...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh DONNIE RAY!....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she moaned.

"You're going to split me in half with that huge thing..What am I going to do with all of that?" she joked..

"You'll be fine.." I said.

I thrusted my tongue practically down her throat and while squeezing one breast with my hand... and I lifted her up and positioned her on me as I entered her and began thrusting away...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GOD, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU HOOO HOOO HOOO HOOO, OH MY GODDDD YOU ARE ALL UP IN THIS!!!! UMMMMMMM!!!!!" she screamed as I continued to thrust , harder and feverishly more.....

A HALF HOUR slowly oozed by...I felt so good...I wasn't even close to stopping..

"Ouuuu husband you are doing the damn thing...UMMMMMM" she said..

I laid her across her bed , a few minutes later and I entered her softly and gently and began to stroke her softly and slowly....She moaned and put her arms around my neck and drew me closer to her..I kissed her neck, between her breasts, her cheeks....She continued to kiss my lips and my ears and my chest...

"Ohhh My God...I can't believe how good this feels!" she moaned..

"Me neither!" I said.

She wrapped her legs around my waste and we began to move in a slow, yet deliberate rhythm for quite some time...She matched me thrust for thrust and even kissed my shoulder at one point...She was so soft...so moist and smelled so good...I was losing my mind....She was shaking and looking like she was on the verge of crying the entire time.......

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OHHH MY GOODNESS...OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she moaned loudly ,obviously not caring who heard us....

We made sweet passionate and intense love like this for EIGHT TO NINE HOURS.. Olivia began to shake and gyrate and tears began to stream down her face again....I was surprised at how passionate she still was ...

"It's sooooooooooooooo goooddd...Oh my godddddddddddddd it's soooooo gooood Oh my Goddd Donnie Ray....ohhhhh don't stoppp, don't stopp...don't ever stop...ouuuuuuuuuuuu" she screamed as I mounted her from behind on the floor of our bedroom..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..
OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" she screamed...

I came like a gusher....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" I moaned...

She smiled....Her mouth was wide open as she stared at me...

"Wow! THAT WAS AWESOME...WOW! OUUU HUSBAND...YOU WERE JUST SHOWING OFF IN THIS BED!! MYYYY GOOODNESS!" she exclaimed....

I smiled and gently felt her breasts...I gently kissed both of them....She leaned over and kissed me again..

"You were so..so intense....You made me cum like four times..OUUUUUUU!." she smiled..she was still shaking as she continued to kiss me...

She gave me a nice sloppy, wet kiss....I pulled her to me and kissed her too..She felt my still very hard and engorged penis...Her mouth opened wide..

"Damnnnn, I'm still horny"..I whispered...

"Ouuuuuuu...Me too!.You like that Mini skirt...Do I have any other skirts that turn you on as much?"she laughed as we continued kissing and I mounted her once again...

"Too many to name!" I said..

"Oh My goodness!!!! DONNIE RAY!!!! OUUUUUUUUU!" she replied smiling and slowly kissing me as I entered her again...She was so warm,so moist...so inviting..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Donnie Ray...ohhhh my goddd!..Ouuuuuuuu..." she cried out...as the bed began to squeak....The headboard slammed against the wall....She stared at me almost in disbelief.....

Another TWO TO THREE HOURS of sweet and tender lovemaking continued....We were both going to be very tired tomorrow ...but neither of us cared at the moment...Not like we had to be anywhere at any time..

She began to blow softly in my ear ,in between soft , wet kisses..which turned me on even more...and within twenty minutes... I exploded like a gusher ...Holding her tightly....Her body shook a little too..Tears ran down the side of her face..her body began shaking and her head turned from side to side...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...myyy goodnessss.." she exclaimed...still shaking like a church woman testifying......

We continued to hold each other for a few minutes....

"You okay?" I asked...

"I'm just fine..." she said, smiling serenely....

She smiled...

This was a nice stress buster after the day we had..

Downstairs from us...

Beverly motioned to her husband ,Nelson...

"Come here...Unzip my skirt..Take my clothes off" she said playfully...

"Ohhhh my god..Those are pretty panties", Nelson exclaimed...

He unzipperd her skirt and she slipped her top off...His eyes nearly bulged out of his head...

"I'm glad you like them...You bought these for me....Remember?" she giggled...

Beverly giggled..She loved getting Nelson hot and horny...She was wearing a Pink lace flowery bra and a matching Pink lace pair of Bikini panties..

He took his clothes off slowly and just stared at her..

She smothered him with wet ,sloppy kisses...Kisses that were driving him to near delirium!!!

"OH MY GODDDD NELSON, YOU ARE HUGE!!! I'M ABOUT TO GET IT, AINT I?" she giggled..

"YESSSSSSsss!" was all he could manage to say as she softly stroked him...

Nelson got to do what he had been daydreaming about all day, make love to Beverly

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" he moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…talk to me daddy, is it good?" she cooed softly as the bed began to squeak and the headboard began to rattle..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..Ohhhhhh my goddddddd! YESSSSSSSSS!" he moaned...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"she moaned softly......

"TALK TO ME BABY...DO YOU LOVE ME?" she asked.

"YES!!! YES...OH YESSSSS!"moaned NELSON..who didn't know if he was coming or going...

"Because I LOVE YOUUUUU TOOO!!! OUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Lord Knows I do...I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND!" she cooed...and once again got emotional and began to cry as Nelson thrusted faster...

EIGHT TO NINE HOURS SLIPPED BY!

"You are just showing off...Just showing off in this bed...."she said..

"Ohhhhhhhhh you are driving me crazy.." he moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! You like it Husband?" she cooed loudly..

"Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss…you know I do...Ohhhh lawdddd!" he moaned in his deep baritone..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh NELSON….ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she moaned.

She had already had three or four very intense orgasms that left her in tears.....And Nelson as usual showed no signs of stopping..

She blew softly into his ear..and played in his hair...

THREE TO FOUR MORE HOURS and a half went by before Nelson began to come with wild abandon as did Beverly.. holding on to him for dear life....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned..both of her legs shaking and her head turning from side to side...she found herself getting emotional and crying again..

After a short pause, Nelson began to make love to Beverly again ,slowly, tenderly, kissing her cheeks and hugging her gently....

ANOTHER TWO HOURS drifted by in which she had a very intense orgasm.....and looked up at him in amazement...at both his stamina and his excitement..as he came like a river....

He found himself more satisfied than he had been in awhile... He turned over and lay on his back with a big grin on his face...

"Ummmmmmm stop looking so...so satisfied " she said.

But he was satisfied...He pinched himself...He was actually married to Beverly and making love to her on a regular basis...The stuff dreams had been made of..

IV-

Lt. Tragg took the Ankle Bracelet with the Slave Key on it out of his pockets..

''What am I still doing with this? I meant to place this in evidence." he said.

He marked it as evidence and placed it in the evidence box at headquarters...

I thought about that Slave Key All night..Well the part of the night I was actually asleep! Was it really cursed? Or was this just co-incidences..?

A woman, more than likely a Blackmailer had it in her possession and now she'd been murdered....My friend's wife had previously worn it around her ankle..A wedding gift from him and had managed to live quite a long while..Now she was missing ,presumed dead....This whole thing spooked me..but I intended to get to the bottom of it..

Early the next morning in our domicile...

We were all here early...Olivia, with help from Beverly had fixed a nice easy breakfast of Shrimp and Grits, a Louisiana Delicacy...and a Pennsylvania specialty that I had come to love , Scrapple..