Benjamin

 We were in the 10th day of a very contentious murder trial...

A Young Black man, William Russell, A Security Guard at a Bank was accused of murdering his boss, after being told he was being terminated...

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie and Bresha had been in a pitched battle with young Assistant District Attorney, Janice Hankins..

Janice Hankins had a perfect 19-0 record as far as prosecutions went.. and like Olivia, Beverly and Nelson, had been a Public Defender once with a stellar record of 56 acquittals and 5 losses... 2 hung juries.. Not bad..Not bad at all for someone who had graduated from The University of Pennsylvania Law School just four years ago...Same year as four of our friends and neighbors..

Keith and Bee Bee Jones, Sofia Garcia -Ahmed and Kahlil Ahmed.. We'd find out later that she knew them and graduated with them...

ADA Janice Hankins was young, but no slouch. She came prepared, just like we did, with laws, predicates and cases to boost her arguments...and she matched Nelson at Voir Dire.. Getting six of the twelve jurors she wanted..

This was her dream come true..She was going toe to toe with her idols...

Olivia and Beverly.... Like Bee Bee..She had followed us , our cases, ever since she had entered law school.. When she was a Public Defender...She sat in Olivia's old office..She stared at photos of Olivia, Beverly, Nelson and Jazzy...

And imagined herself as them , arguing a case before a jury like them...And here she was facing them in court...Minus Jazzy, who was now in private practice..

A DAY LATER-

We were awaiting the verdict.

She and Lt. Tragg had butted heads the entire trial...He had refused to recanvass the crime scene....So she did it herself.. He had missed interviewing some key witnesses, so she did it herself. He had missed some possible exculpatory evidence..When Asked about this, he wrote her off.. Calling her a "snot nosed kid" Telling her how long he had been doing this..and imploring her to "Work her side of the street and allow him to work his.." She thought he was  sexist, a little racist and a genuine idiot!

"This was some trial...I gotta admit , that little young ADA was good..." said Olivia.

''She gave us all we could ask for.." said Beverly..

"Now I see why Liv always said, come prepared...because you can't win these things on rep and experience alone.."said Nelson..

"That's right..A first year attorney can beat a 20 year vet if they come with more evidence, more predicates, what have you." I said.

"This case proved it...because she sure tried to take our heads off.."said Josie..

''She was fierce...but so were we...I think we gave as good as we got.."said Bresha..

Our client was holding Bresha's hands... The last male client wanted to hold her hand... She didn't mind this guy...He was nervous...His palms were sweaty...

Judge Elise Clemmons addressed the jury..

"Mr. Foreman do you have a decision?" she asked..

"We do your honor." he said and passed it to the Bailiff, who passed it to the judge..She read it quickly and passed it back..

"Read it!" she said.

"WE THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE MATTER OF WILLIAM RUSSELL,

COUNT ONE ,CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER, WE FIND THE DEFENDENT, NOT GUILTY..

COUNT TWO, USE OF AN INSTRUMENT OF CRIME IN COMMISSION OF A MURDER OR VIOLENT CRIME, WE FIND THE DEFENDENT , NOT GUILTY...

COUNT THREE, MANSLAUGHTER- NOT GUILTY

COUNT FOUR, 2ND DEGREE MURDER, NOT GUILTY

AND COUNT FIVE, THE MOST SERIOUS CHARGE, MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE,

WE FIND THE DEFENDENT , NOT GUILTY" said the bailiff..

The Jury was polled and to a man and woman they all said NOT GUILTY!

And there went her perfect 19-0 record....She was now 19 -1.... Her first loss...and look who it was to, her idols...It didn't sting too much..

Lt. Tragg walked over to Olivia..

''Won another one eh Liv? You took advantage of a snot nosed kid..She was inexperienced." he said with a superior attitude, despite the fact that he gave her a weak and suspect case and failed to co-operate with her.

''She was very good..And she's been practicing for four years...She no inexperienced kid..I'll have you know as a Public Defender she won 56 cases...and this was her first loss in 20 prosecutions..She was tougher than a lot of prosecutors we've gone up against with more years experience.."said Olivia.

"Is that so? Huh! You guys still had too much experience, too much firepower for her..." said Lt. Tragg.

"Her  real misfortune was that YOU were the arresting officer..." said Beverly...

Josie and Bresha snickered.....

''What did I say about Junior Partners being seen and not heard?"said Lt. Tragg who was miffed by Beverly's remark and by the fact that the other two girls were laughing at him...

"Stay out of trouble son...Watch that temper of yours...That's what made you a prime suspect." I said to our client..

"I know Mister Donnie Ray..I can't thank you and your wife and your peeps enough.." said 

"It's all good man.." said Nelson...

Assistant District Attorney Janice Hankins walked over to us...

"Thank you for those kind words...You apparently know all about me..I'm surprised.." she said.

''Part of the game..I'm sure you know all about us too!" said Olivia.

"I've known about you guys since I was in law school....Believe it or not, you're my idols..I've followed all of your cases...I was honored to face you guys in court... I would have liked to have won, but hey, everyday was an experience...Shows you how empty my life is otherwise... I need a man.." she joked and we all laughed..

"As cute as you are...I'm surprised you don't have one or two...but they'll come in time, like everything else! Look, here is our address...The trial is over.. I'm having dinner tonight...You're welcome to join us....My staff and some friends.." said Olivia.

"Yes...We are inviting some classmates of yours.. Keith Jones, Bee Bee Evans-Jones, Sofia Garcia -Ahmed and Kahlil Ahmed.."said Beverly...

"Oh My God!!! That's right, you live across the street from them...I went to Central High with Kahlil, Four years of Temple with Sofia, Bee Bee and Kahlil and Three years of Penn Law with Keith, Bee Bee, Sofia and Kahlil... and Oooou Ouuu OOOp...Hello Soror Bev." said Janice..

''Awwwwwww heyyy Soror.." said Beverly, embracing her...

Lt. Tragg watched them all from afar.. He just didn't get it..They were mortal enemies in that courtroom and out here in the hall way, chatting away..like old friends...He shook his head and walked away...

SOME HOURS LATER-

Alfreda's caterer delivered an Italian Buffet styled meal..

We had it  served in our conference room because we had so many guests tonight.. Janice did come and was reunited with Keith , Bee Bee, Sofia and Kahlil as well as Ms. Yvette, Gary and Jade.

"This is soooo cool...I told you I'm looking for a house out this way." said Janice.

"This is the hot place to live.."said Keith Jones..

"Soooo you faced off against your idols today...huh?" laughed Bee Bee.

''Don't listen to her Jan, Olivia and Bev are her idols too!"laughed Kahlil

"Olivia and Bev are our idols too....We are just smart enough to work WITH THEM, not against them."said Sofia.

Yvette and Jade cracked up laughing...

"Next time you have a case and need an investigator...Call me..."said Gary.

"I should have done that....Tragg goofed this case up...I was up late investigating part of it, myself." said Janice..

Our staff was there, Josie and Paris, Bresha and Tony and Beverly and Nelson

"I'm so tired baby...will you rub my feet tonight.?

"Of course baby." said Paris..

"I can't wait until we get married and move into our house...We won't be so far from all of this.."said Bresha..

Tony hugged her, squeezed her tight..

"They're so cute...They remind me of us." said Beverly to Nelson..

"Yeah." he said..

And rounding out our guest list was Jazzy and Dabnis, Kayla and Ray and Jessica and Chip...

"Everything looks delicious Liv, Beverly." said Jazzy...

''Uhhh what my wife said." laughed Dabnis..

"We'll all be at the gym this weekend."laughed Kayla..

''Yeahhhhhh, you're right about that.."laughed Ray....

"This is so nice, all of us together like this."said Jessica.

''Yeah, it is.."said Chip.

It was no special occassion, just another chance for all of us to fellowship...

"Sit down Rockland...I made you a plate." said Alfreda...

"Oh you didn't have to do that...I made us both a plate." said Rockland with a smile

"That's okay...I'll take the extra plate.." I said with a smile..

Alfreda , Rockland and I helped with the set up and the passing out of plates, knives and forks..

"Ms. Olivia, thank you so much for the invite...This is so nice...YOU are so nice.." said ADA Janice Hankins...

"You're quite welcome baby.."said Olivia. "And don't be a stranger.." said Olivia..

Alexa played R& B, Hip Hop and Smooth Jazz, something for everybody that night..

A Nice Night of Food ,Fellowship, Music and fun... A foreshadowing of what was to come!

II-

THAT SAME AFTERNOON-

A Tony Condo in South Philadelphia...

A beautiful bouquet of tulips arrived for her.. "her" was Bunny Johnson...a kept woman!

She put them in a vase with water...

She sighed..."Benjamin just can't take a hint.".She said..

Her phone rang...

It was Benjamin Akers, a young Attorney who had taken an interest n her...

"Bunny, did you get the flowers I sent you?" he asked..

"Yessssssssssssss Benjamin, they're beautiful...Please don't send me any more flowers Benny....I've told you....I'm not interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with you..You're a nice guy...Find yourself 

someone for you..." she said..

"Bunny...." said Benjamin...

"Come on Benny, we've had this conversation before... Look I gotta go...Someone else is on my line.." she said..

(Click!)

"Hello"

"Hello Bunny, I got your envelope in the mail... I didn't find it funny at all.." came the voice..

"Strange, I found it hillarious..." said Bunny...

"You little blackmailing bitch....I'm not going to pay you a red cent.." came the voice..

"Oh I think you'll reconsider....Of course I can always call YOUR WIFE and tell her all of the nasty things we've been doing on the nights when you were supposed to be WORKING LATE! Imagine how she'd feel if I sent those photos to her job???? She'd divorce you in a heartbeat and according to your pre-nup...You wouldn't get a cent if a little thing called Infidelity was the cause of your divorce...And let's not even talk about if your partner, your business partner were to find out..." said Bunny..

There was silence...

"Okay, Okay...Look...I'm sure we can work somethings out...Let's talk..." came the voice...

"I'm listening..." said Bunny...

"I'll bring five thousand over tonight...That's all I have on me in cash right now..." came the voice.

"I asked for Ten thousand...Did I stutter?" said Bunny...

"All I have is five thousand....You can't get Blood from a rock...I'll have it by Friday...I swear!!!!" came the voice.

"Okay...Okay... You have until Friday....Bring the five thousand over tonight...I'm here.." said Bunny...

"I'll be over in two hours.." came the voice..

"Alright." said Bunny... "The door will be open..

She laughed ...

She moved the Tulips to her window.. She smiled...They looked good.

Midnight!

The street was empty...silent..One car drove down the street...

The doorbell rang...Bunny smiled..

She opened the door..

"You took your sweet time getting here..I was about to go to bed.. You want a drink?" she said as she turned to pour some whiskey into a glass...

"Put the money over here on the table" she said.  It would be the last words she would ever utter!

She shouldn't have turned her back...

''Why so quiet?" she asked.

Her visitor said nothing.. She never saw the .40 caliber he brandished...He pulled it out, just an inch from the back of her head and fired....There was a loud roar..She fell to the floor!

He fired again!!!

He went to her laptop and snatched her hard drive....

He took her phone and tossed it on the floor and smashed it with his foot..

He then took her lipstick in her pocketbook and scrawled "BEN" on the mirror!!!!He put the lipstick in his pocket, put his gun in his coat pocket and slipped out of her apartment and exited down the backsteps.

His car was six blocks away in the opposite direction...He vanished into the night...

THE NEXT DAY-

We were all having breakfast at Sam Mother's Diner...

"After that meal last night....I'm not even hungry...Coffee for me..." I said..

"I'm just having tea.." said Olivia..

as our coffee and tea was served to us...

Beverly and Nelson

had Omelettes and Bacon.

Josie and Bresha sat having only coffee..

Thank God Lt. Tragg was nowhere in sight...We were tired...We had just finished  a big murder trial..

"Guys and Gals...You've all worked very hard.....Take the rest of the day and tomorrow off.." declared Olivia.. "As of now!"she added..

''Best Boss in the world." said Josie, hugging and kissing Olivia.

"Ditto" said Bresha , also hugging and kissing Olivia..

"Best Auntay in the world" said Beverly , who hugged Olivia..

''Thanks Liv.." said Nelson, who was exhausted after such a big trial..

"You all look very tired and whether you are or not..I'M TIRED!!!"laughed Olivia..

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm, we have a whole afternoon to be alone...."I whispered in her ear...

Olivia giggled...and pulled her phone out of her purse..

"I'm calling Alfreda, telling her she can go home." laughed Olivia.

A few seats from us...Attorney Benjamin Akers and Assistant District Attorney Janice Hankins sat finishing up their coffee...

"Janice, I don't get it...Nothing I do seems to satisfy Bunny... I sent her a beautiful bouquet of Tulips as you suggested.. I called her to see if she got them.. She said she did and that they were beautiful..but...That she still didn't want a relationship with me... You said maybe I was pressing her too hard ,so I stayed away for two weeks..I just don't get it." said Benjamin Akers..

"Benny.. Benny...She's just not into you...Move on...If she was into you , you wouldn't have to stay away and when she got those flowers...She'd of called you...Maybe you're not her type.."said Janice , who was getting tired of hearing Benny whine about Bunny...Who she personally thought was a user..

"I guess you're right...Thanks for uh putting up with me and my whining..." he said.

"Benny, you're an Attorney...A Black man, single, no kids...That makes you a major catch for a lot of females out there,,,You've got a good heart...You need to stop wasting it on Bunny Johnson...What does she do for a living anyway? She lives in that real nice condo..drives that nice car..Where does she work?" asked Janice.

"You know....I don't know...She never told me...I met her last year in Stoleys...She has never seemed like she's needed anything and she's always home unless she's shopping.." said Benny..

"You know what I think?  I think she's a kept woman...She's got a rich boyfriend, a guy who might be married, who's sponsering her...By the way..when did you talk to her last?" asked Janice..

"Last night around eight...I uh called her this morning...but she never answered...." said Benjamin...

III-

With the rest of the day off..

Alfreda went home...

So did Bresha...

Josie, Beverly and Nelson picked up their dry cleaning, Nelson went to the Barber shop.. Josie and Beverly went to the shopping center..

Olivia and I came home.. back to our domicile...It was quiet and we were alone..

"You know this was so the right thing to do...Giving everybody the day off."said Olivia.

"Yes it was... I kinda wanted to spend some time alone with you..." I said..

"You're always alone with me , every night.." said Olivia.

"Yes, but, we have to work the next day and I just wanted some time alone with you...time where we didn't have to rush..." I said softly... 

."Oh!  I see..." she laughed...

She got out of her clothes and into her lacy baby doll and walked over to me and kissed me passionately..

I eventually unhooked her bra and slipped her panties off..

and moaning...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!   OHHHHHHHHHH MYYYY GODDDDD!!!"

"Well , here I am...We are all alone..." she whispered..

''Look at youuuuuuu" I said.

She felt my penis with both hands....

".Wouuuuuuuuuuuuuu!~look at YOU!!!!" she said, smiling.

We stood in the doorway, kissing passionately...

"Ohhhhh my god...." I said.

" My goodness, you are a blessed man... You are like a mule."exclaimed Olivia.

"REALLY?" I said..

''Yes...Really!" she said.

"WOW!" I said...

"Oh My lord, you are HUGE! ." she said.......

"It's all for you  baby" I said shyly...

"Yesss, you're all mine now! wouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Look at you....What am I going to do with all that?" she exclaimed, putting her hands over her mouth...and giggling with excitement...

This got me very excited..

''Anything you want" I said.

I tossed her on the bed...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Donnie Ray" she gasped... 

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph."I groaned in my low baritone as the bed began to squeak and the headboard began to rattle a little..

''Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!  baby!" she squealed..

  I  lifted her up!

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SWEEET BABY!!!" I moaned...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU TALK TO ME DADDDDDDYYYYYY!!!!OHHHH MYYYYY TALK TO MAMA!" cooed Olivia..I was nearly to her stomach, she gasped..

We were back in the bed now, going at each other strongly.....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPH!" I groaned..


"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOO HOOOOO, OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
OUUUU HOO HOO...OH MY GOD!!!! OUUUUWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! OH MY GOD!!!! DONNIE RAY!!!!!!!!!!....OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!''Olivia  screamed..She was pleasently surprised...

The bed was squeaking loud now and the headboard was slamming hard against the wall...

THREE TO FOUR HOURS slowly drifted by....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!  OHHHH  DONNIE RAY!!!, you aren't making any
damn sense!  OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Myyyy LAWD!"said Olivia

''OOOOOOOU..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OLIVIA!!! OLIVIA" I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu say my name baby...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she cooed deliriously....

"OLIVIA... MRS. BENNETT-ALEXANDER!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I moaned  loudly..

"YESSSSSSSSSSS YESSSSSSSSSSS BABYYYYY! WHAT DO YOU WANTTTT????" she cried out...

"MORE...MOREEEEE!" I yelled..

"TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!" she cried out...

THREE TO FOUR MORE HOURS PASSED  before I came and came hard....and Olivia's  legs began to quiver and then shake...her head turned from side to side and tears streamed down the side of her face..She was crying like a little girl....She was having ,she believed her fourth intense orgasm and just crying like a baby...

I continued kissing her.....I was still hard and still very aroused...much to Olivia's delight...

"!!!OUUUUUUUUU!!!" she said..

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! YESSSSSSS BABY! YESSSS!" I moaned.. 

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! YOU REALLY WANTED TIME ALONE WITH ME!!!!" Olivia wailed..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEET BABY!" I moaned.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU YESSSSSSSS!" she cooed!

I was engaged and on her again....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"I  moaned..

"TALK TO ME BABY...YOU LIKE IT BABY!? TALK TO MAMA!" she asked.

"YES!!! YES...OH YESSSSS! OLIVIA, I LOVE YOUUUU! "I moaned..At this point, I  didn't know if  I was coming or going...

"I LOVE YOUUUUU TOOO!!! OUUUUUUUUUUU!!!  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!  YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND!" she cooed...She was having her fifth and sixth intense orgasms...

OH MY GOD.....OUUUUU MOREEEEE?" I  asked.

"OUUUUUUUUU YESSSS...YESSSSS AND MORE , IF YOU WANT IT...I SURE DO!" she moaned..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW..OUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" I moaned...


THREE TO FOUR  MORE HOURS drifted by....Olivia  was sitting on me, riding me hard.....

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWWWWWWWWD!" I moaned as I began to cum like a gusher...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM CUM DADDDY! CUM FOR MOMMY!!! OUUUUUUUUUU!"moaned Olivia!!!...

I lie in between her legs....exhausted...

I continued kissing her, she rubbed my penis and whispered to me..

''It's still hard.OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.. You're as beast!" she cooed..

''OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.. LAWDDDDDDDD! " I moaned..I climbed back on top of her...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..LOOK AT THAT!!" she cooed..

We were at it again...The Bed was squeaking out of control...….The headboard was slamming against the wall...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU, UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...OUUU.UUUUUUUUUU YOU FEEL SO DAMN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!" she moaned loudly...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SO DO YOUUUU!" I moaned..

.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU  HUSBAND....YOU ARE DOING THE DAMN THING!" she moaned..


"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW...OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I moaned..

We  were standing in the middle of the floor now, I was long stroking her..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU HOOOO HOOO HOOO HOOO HOOOOOO, Aye...Ayeeeeeeee, Ayeeeee, Ay yi yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii….OH MY GOD  BABY!...OUUUUU! YOU ARE ALL UP IN THIS..OUUUUUUUUUU WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" she screamed.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU HOOOO HOOO HOOO HOOO HOOOOOO, Aye...Ayeeeeeeee, Ayeeeee, Ay yi yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii….OH MY GOD ...OUUUUU!  ayyyee, aye yi yiiiiii" she screamed.

Then we were back in bed...going at it slower..

FIVE TO SIX HOURS DRIFTED BY

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPH!" I moaned...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu lover...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu this is soooooooo

nice...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..YOU LIKE IT DADDY?" she cooed softly..

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"  I moaned  as I came again like a gusher...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU, UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...OUUUUUUUUUUU YOU FEEL SO DAMN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!" she moaned loudly., both of her legs just shaking.....

I lie in between Olivia's  legs, exhausted....too exhausted to move...Olivia was  totally satisfied...She had never had this many orgasms and such strong ones at that...She held my head in her arms..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu that was sooooo good.." she cooed..as she rocked me slowly to sleep!

This was the kind of time alone I meant.....

Halfway across town at the tony condo of Bunny Johnson..

Crime Scene Investigators and members of the city's Forensic unit snapped photo of a grisly scene..

"God the back of her head was practically blown out..." said one..

"The bullet exited through her right eye...probably before the body hit the ground..death was instantaneous.." said one man..

''So why shoot her again...in the back?" asked another..

"I guess to make sure.." said another.

"These were .40 caliber shells..They make a big hole.." said the other, who used tweezers to pull the second shell out..

The Bloody body of Bernice "Bunny" Johnson was found lying face down on her living room floor..

Two neighbors recalled hearing two gunshots sometime around or immediately after midnight..

No one could give a description of the killer though...

''Somebody used lipstick to scrawl Ben on the mirror..." said Dr. Hazel Baylor..

"Had to be the killer...There is no way she did this...That first shot to the back of the head killed her instantly..She was dead by the time she hit the floor.." said Dr. Marcy Templeton...

"Where is her lipstick?  I looked in her pocketbook and in her drawer...No lipstick!" said Hazel...

''Alright ,Alright, what have we got here?" said Lt. Tragg, who walked in and surveyed the scene.

"Black female....Took one to the head and one to the back....40 caliber slugs...we recovered both Loeutenant." said one of the CSI men...They were still snapping photos and dusting for prints and checking for foreign DNA...

''She got a name?" asked Lt. Tragg.

''Bernice Johnson, 36 years old..We have a Drivers License and an access card for this building...No employee ID of any kind found.." said Hazel..

Lieutenant Tragg saw the word "BEN" scribbled on the mirror in lipstick...

"Hmmmm Ben...perhaps she was trying to give us a clue who the killer was before she checked out." said Lt. Tragg..

''That's what the killer would like you to think..There is no way she wrote that....She was shot in the head with a .40 caliber..the bullet exited through her right eye.. She was dead before she hit the ground..and then shot again....No way she would have had the strength to crawl over there and write that and if she had...Do you think the killer...if his name is Ben, was going to leave that there? Come on Lt. Tragg and I'm not even a detective and I figured that out.."said Dr. Marcy Templeton.

Dr. Hazel Baylor shook her head...She knew there was no reasoning with Lt. Tragg... 

"I keep trying to tell you that I AM THE DETECTIVE HERE....Stay on your side of the street and let me work mine." said Lt. Tragg, dismissing what had ben said by the two coroners.

"The killer tried to cover his tracks..He snatched her hard drive..

and he cracked her phone, but we can still get her call history from her provider." said Lt. Tragg.

Lt. Tragg peered at the window with "BEN" scrawled in lipstick...

"Well Benny boy, you didn't cover your tracks well enough..She left a message beyond the grave...heh heh heh.."laughed Lt. Tragg..

Hazel shook her head in disgust...

Marcy sighed..

"I'm glad this is my last case for awhile.. I'm getting married next week...You can have him all to yourself." she said.

"Marcy!! I thought we were friends" said Dr.. Hazel Baylor, smiling.

As the body was put in a body bag and strapped to a gurney and moved out..On it's way to the morgue.

IV-

THREE DAYS LATER-

A Typical day in the office...

Beverly, Nelson and Josie had met and talked with three seperate clients on three different cases that did not involve being in court and the clients had left...

Bresha had handled a successful  negotiation by zoom...

Olivia, surprisingly idle today, with no pending cases was sitting on my lap with her arms around my neck...

Alfreda ,our office manager and her boyfriend, Assistant District Attorney Rockland Cambridge were in the kitchen kissing passionately like they usually did!

"Mmmmmmmmmm Rockland ,you'd better go back to work...before-" said Alfreda..

"Before you what?" asked Rockland in between kisses...

The doorbell rang....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH WHO THE HELL IS IT??" asked an angry Rockland..furious that he and Alfreda were being interrupted...

"This is a successful law office...WE DO GET WALK IN CLIENTS!" said Alfreda, straightening up and smiling..

It was Assistant District Attorney Janice Hankins.

We didn't expect to see her back here so soon.. Something about the frantic look on her face told me this wasn't a social call...

''Well Hello little lady..It's not often Assistant District Attorneys visit us with one possible exception.." I said, gazing at Assistant District Attorney Rockland Cambridge, standing in the foyer..

Rockland smiled at my remark...

So Did Beverly...

"Hi Soror...Something tells me this isn't a social call." said Beverly...

"Yes, what's on your mind?" asked Olivia..

"My friend is in trouble...Big trouble...He's an Attorney, He works for Hedge fund Managers  Bobby Tomlinson and Teddy Cross...The Millenium Group...They're Big Time. His name is Benjamin Akers.." said Jasmine..

"Benny Akers?? I know him...I worked a case with him about a year ago...A litigation...He really knows his stuff.."Hell of a nice guy.." said Beverly..

"I know him too! I worked a case with him when I was at Robert Foxworth and Associates.. I liked him...What kind of trouble is he in?" asked Nelson...

"OH MY GOD BENJAMIN AKERS...I KNOW HIM!!! WE WORKED AT BACH & ROACH TOGETHER!  I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN YEARS!!! WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE IS OLE BENNY IN?" asked  a surprised Olivia.

''The Worst kind!! He was crazy about this girl, Bunny...Her real name is Bernice..he's been chasing her for about a year..Not much is known about her..She lived in a real nice condo in South Philly, drove a nice sports car...but had no visible means of support..No job...but lots of cash to spend..He was crazy about her, but she wasn't giving him the time of day.." said Janice..

"You speak of her in the past tense..Is she dead?" asked Olivia.

"Yes...She was murdered three nights ago...The police have questioned Benny three times , made him take a polygraph test, which he failed...That's because he was so emotionally upset when he took the test and he was being yelled at by that butthead, Lt. Tragg...She was shot twice in her living room...The police pulled her last calls....Benny called her at 8:00 pm to see if she got the flowers he sent her...There is another call after that at 9:05 pm...but it's from an unidentified number, a burner phone... Somebody, possibly the killer scrawled "BEN" on a mirror with lipstick... Dr. Baylor and Dr. Templeton say that she couldn't have done it..She was shot in the back of the head with a forty cal...the bullet exited her right eye..She was dead before she hit the floor and then shot again...They both say there is no way she could have possibly of scrawled that on the mirror..she was dead..but Lt. Tragg can't be convinced.. And today, they found the murder weapon, a 40 caliber pistol registered to Benny...He reported that gun stolen two months ago...They found the weapon in a dumpster ,behind his apartment... He could be , being arrested and charged with murder within the next hour or as I speak... Look, I know this guy...I would state my reputation that he's no killer and he wouldn't have killed her, even though she spurned his advances... He loved her..." said Janice..

''"Because you can't defend him. Sounds like he could use a real good defense attorney or attorneys right about now, which is why you're here." I said.

"Because you can't defend him." said Josie.

"Right? I can't be involved at all..." said Janice..

"You're a very good friend...Your secret is safe with us." said Bresha..

"He helped me study for the bar and he was pushing my resume to a few firms..He's been a real good friend to me and I don't want to see him lose his license and go to prison for something I know he didn't do.." said Janice..  "I have some money....I can pay you a retainer fee in installments..You name the amount.." she added..

''We can work that out later...What I need you to do is to go to the courthouse..If you hear he's been arrested...or you see him being taken into custody...You call us and we'll be down..."said Olivia.

''You guys are the best..." said Janice..

"It's not so often we do favors for ADA's...but we'll make an exception in your case." said Olivia, smiling and winking..

(TO BE CONTINUED)