VENTURES: Bones Of Contention

A little after midnight

Early Morning......

Attorney Beverly West-East and her husband..

Attorney Nelson East

were in a car at lovers lane, kissing passionately... They had been out to dinner and had driven here..

"You know...The last time I was here...Was on that stakeout with Donnie Ray and we both got arrested by the FBI." said Beverly..

"Yeah...I remember." said Nelson smiling...

"I told him I'd been up here with Wallace when we were engaged..before we broke it off...and later with Larry North and even with that creep from the DMV I dated , the one who was married....and all the while, the one I should have been up here with was you....YOU were the only one who deserved to be here with me.."said Beverly, getting emotional..."I'm so sorry I didn't realize sooner that you were my one true love Nelson.."said Beverly, nearly in tears..

"We're here now! We are married.. That's all that matters." whispered Nelson..

As they began kissing passionately some more..

Nelson slowly opened Beverly's dress...

"OH MY GODDDDD BEVERLY!" he moaned..

Beverly giggled...She loved that she turned him on so much!

They kissed some more, slowly, softly....

"Last two times we were in a car making out, we got caught ." said Beverly..

in between more hot smouldering slow kisses..

"Third time is the charm." said Nelson...

''Meooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"she cooed and leaned over and kissed him passionately...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmph....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." he moaned...

Beverly could see that his trousers were standing out like a circus tent... ,

She softly rubbed his erection and continued deep throat kissing him....

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Nelson...We need to take this back to our place..."she moaned...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...I know...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh but I'm losing my mind over here...Ohhhhhhh.."he moaned and lifted her top...

and began unbuckling her bra..

"Too Late.....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." she moaned as Nelson sucked on her breasts and kissed her breasts, her neck and her cheekbones and finally her lips....She moaned and leaned her head back......She was giddy with excitement....

Nelson started by kissing Beverly from her mouth down to her breasts, He began giving her french kisses,He moved his lips slowly across her breasts down to her body, He kept kissing her body as he lowered himself to her waist and hips. Beverly was wearing a nice sheer skirt and Nelson lifted it..

As he got to her panties, He placed a hand on both of her shapely legs and slowly spread them, Instead he kissed her vagina through her panties and even squeezed it slightly with his lips,

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ,OHHHHHHHHHH MY GODDDD!!! OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, NELSONNN!" she moaned.

Beverly was near delirium.. Nelson ran his tongue softly over her panties... He kissed her through her panties for a few minutes He moved slightly lower, kissing along her inner thigh. He licked & kissed her inner thigh... Then he began deep throat kissing her again...

She was breathing heavily and her body was shaking.. "OH MY GODDDDD NELSON....UMMMMMMM!" she cooed.

"OHHHHHHHHHHH BEVERLY....OHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nelson moaned.

"YOU'VE DREAMED OF DOING THINGS LIKE THIS TO ME FOR YEARS HAVEN'T YOU..OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, OHHHH MY GODDDDD!" she moaned.

"YES....YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, OUUUUUUUUUUUUU YESSSSSSSS!" moaned Nelson.

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, YOU NASTY BOY!" she cooed..

"Ouuu husband...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"Beverly moaned...She was very close to having a very intense orgasm....So was Nelson.. Her body was trembling...

"OH MY GOD BEVERLY...OUUUUUUU!" he moaned.

She slipped her panties to the side and climbed over to the drivers side..Nelson let the seat back and she

And she mounted him...allowing him to move in and out of her as she slowly moved up and down...Neither of them could believe it..

They had finally got to this point with no interference from anyone..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU NELSON I'M IN LOVEEEE." Beverly cooed.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BEVERLY, I'VE BEEN IN LOVE...UMMMMM." He cooed.

"AWWWWWWWWWWW"she said as they moved up and down in that front seat..

She rode him like a surfer rides the waves, while kissing him passionately...

Waves of pleasure went through both of them as their bodies trembled...

THREE TO FOUR HOURS LATER!

Beverly was standing outside of the car, fixing her hair and applying lipstick....gazing at herself in the rear view mirror.

"That was awesommmmmmmmee!" she said , smiling at her husband, who was straightening out his clothes and smiling sheepishly...

They hadn't got caught...

"Told you third time was the charm.." said Nelson smiling.

They got in the car and drove a little ways...They saw police cars and a small crowd...

Nelson looked at his watch..It was 4:53 AM...

"They're too late...We've did it already." he joked.

"Goofball!" laughed Beverly, holding his hand..

They saw Crime Scene Investigators surveying the scene..

They found skeletal remains of two people...From the size of one skeleton, it looked like a male, while the other one looked like a female.

The grave looked like it was freshly dug...

''Beverly, Nelson, What are you two doing out this late? " asked Dr. Hazel Baylor ...Then she looked around and smiled sheepishly..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yall are so cute! Still Newlyweds...It's been how many years now?" she asked.

"Five Years in a week!" gushed Beverly..

Nelson hugged her...

''What'cha got there?" he asked.

''Somebody was walking their dog and they dug up human remains."said Dr. Marcy Martin.

"WOWWWWWWW!" said Nelson...

"OHHHH NOOOOOO!" said Beverly looking up..

Two police cars drove up....Two uniformed policemen got out of each one..

an unmarked police car drove up, one uniformed policeman got out..

Lt. Tragg got out and began walking towards them.

"Ohhhhhh god..WHY?? WHY?? WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN ALMOST EVERY INVESTIGATION?" sighed Hazel..

"I was thinking the same thing." said Dr. Marcy Martin.

"WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE? AND WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?" he snarled as he approached the crime scene.

''We were minding our own business." replied Beverly..

''We were on our way home and we happened upon this."said Nelson diplomatic.

"OHHHHHHH YOU JUST HAPPENED TO WALK ON THIS CRIME SCENE HUH?" he snarled.

"They were at the lovers lane....They have nothing to do with this.. That man over there with the dog discovered these bones..The dog dug them up partially...This was a shallow grave."said Hazel..

''Hmmm looks like a woman and a man...There is a bullet hole in both skulls...This was a double murder..Hmmmmm I wonder if we've found Richard Graves missing wife after all these years." mumbled Lt. Tragg..

"Ohhhhhh don't start that again, Didn't you learn enough from two years ago, the last time you went on this tangent.?" asked Beverly..

"You know over the years I've put up with your smart mouth only out of respect for your aunt..but I'm getting a little tired of your mouth.." snarled Lt. Tragg.

"I'M TIRED OF YOU PERIOD!" snarled Beverly defiantly, staring him down....

''Come on Honey Bun, let the Lieutenant do his work...Let's go home."said Nelson diplomatically pulling Beverly away..

Beverly went along willingly with her husband, but she glared at Lt. Tragg angrilly...

"Lieutenant! These are not 17-20 year old bones...From first glance ,these remains are recent...I'd say within six months...DO NOT GET ON TELEVISION AND SAY WE HAVE FOUND RICHARD GRAVES'S MISSING WIFE...BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW...I IMPLORE YOU TO WAIT UNTIL OUR FULL AUTOPSY IS DONE!" said Hazel forcefully..

It was as if she were talking to herself.. Lt. Tragg stood there with a blank stare...

The skeletal remains of both John Does were placed into seperate body bags and wheeled off.

A little while later in their bedroom...

"Do you think he'll start that Richard Graves mess up again ?" asked Beverly..

"Of course he will, First thing in the morning.. We'll tell your aunt.." said Nelson. "Now come here..give me some sugar.." whispered Nelson.

Beverly plopped in his lap, put her arms around Nelson's neck..

and gave her husband, a slow, soft kiss.. Lt. Tragg was not going to spoil their night.

II-

The Next Morning..

Alfreda helped me prepare and serve Breakfast...

Bresha, Josie and Olivia ate and laughed at Beverly and Nelson's story of the night before..

''WOWWW..Just can't get away from him can you?" laughed Bresha.

"He really is a pain...It was sooooo nice when he was on that Marine Boat." said Josie.

"Soooooooooooo, you know Donnie Ray and I wondered where you two were last night..All the clubs were closed and you guys rarely go clubbing on a week night...Now we know.... Have fun?" asked Olivia jokingly and laughing..

''Auntay, it was a beautiful night until of course we ran into Columbo...and of course those bones." said Beverly..

"I don't know if it was because he saw us or just the fact that it was skeletal remains.. The first thing he does is go off on that Richard Graves missing wife tangent.."said Nelson.

"You said it was two bodies..what looks like a male and a female..so who would the male be? We know that Mike Fugate, who vanished along with his wife and another female , Lisa Brooks were found the last time..So who would the male be?" I asked.

"No One! These bones are recent..Hazel said they are from the past six months..." said Beverly...

"Oh well then this has nothing to do with Richie..If Lt. Tragg tried to arrest him or hassle him in anyway...I'll have a lawsuit in his lap faster than he can say his name."said Olivia in all seriousness.

"I read about that case, back in 2019 and I remember Lt. Tragg on HARD BOTTOM preening and boasting about the case."said Bresha,

"I was in Law School then, a paralegal here back then." said Josie.

"You think he'll stop by here today Auntay?" asked Beverly.

"Oh for sure...He'll say something stupid on Television without a full autopsy and then he'll raid Richie's house...If he can't find him there...He'll stop by here."said Olivia.

"At any rate...You girls may get another box of shoes out of the deal."laughed Nelson.

As if on cue ,Lt. Tragg addressed a press conference..

"We found the skeletal remains of two people, a male and a female in a shallow grave last night....

We are awaiting a full autopsy, but it is my belief that these are the possible remains of the long missing

Elaine Graves, estranged wife of Eccentric Millionaire, Richard Graves and I am preparing a search warrant for his imminent arrest as we speak." he said..

This led to a barrage of questions....

Lt. Tragg was enjoying the attention...the controversy....

Doc Gibbons was livid...He called a press conference at the Medical Examiner's Office with his two top coroners by his side..Dr. Hazel Baylor and Dr. Marcy Martin.

"Lt. Tragg had no right to make such an assumption... There is no evidence that one of these bodies is Ellen Graves...Ellen Graves would have been dead 20 years at this time if she's dead! and there is a big difference between 20 year old remains and recent remains. These Bones are of a recently deceased pair .. I'm willing to say about six months deceased. Lt. Tragg is not a doctor...He has no business making a statement like this..It was very irresponsible." said Doc Gibbons to the press.

Lt. Tragg and a tactical squad raided Three Condos owned by Richard Graves..

He was not there..They were told that he was in Switzerland at the time..

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie and Richard Grave's personal attorney ,

Seth Fairchild gave an additional press conference.

"Lt. Tragg's comments were irresponsible ,egregious and without proof or merit.. The M.E.'s office has already ruled out the remains as being that of someone thought to be dead for twenty years...We suggest he wait for a full autopsy before he attempts to harass or besmirch Mr. Graves good name." they said.

District Attorney Garcetti tried to do damage control...

"The District Attorney's office has no plans to charge Mr. Graves with anything at this time."he said.

And Lt. Tragg himself got a phone call from the Deputy of Operations.

"Sir..I was only going to bring him in for questioning...I-I, No sir, my head is not up my ass again..Sir, I do not appreciate that kind of language..No sirrrrrrr sirrrr... Yes sirrrrrrrrr, sirrrrrrrr... Yes sir!" he said and hung up..

He was livid.. it seemed like the entire city was against him.

III-

ONE WEEK LATER-

Another day in court for us... Another civil case..

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie, Bresha and I

stood with our client, a brilliant writer named Chimanda Smith, who was suing her former company for back payment of royalties..

"Has the Jury the jury come to a decision?" asked the Judge, an old friend of ours..

"We have your honor..We rule in favor of the plaintiff, Ms. Chimanda Smith...We award her the amount of 2.4 million dollars in royalties...and 1.3 million in additional pay for psychological damages.." the forewoman said..

"You guys are the truth...OHHHH MY GOD, THANK YOUUU, THANK YOU SOO MUCH!"said our happy client.

"You are soooo welcome, I hope your new associates do better by you." said Olivia.

"Yes, and I want an autographed copy of your next novel." said Beverly..

"What are your immediate plans Chimanda?" I asked.

"I'm going to buy a house first, then I'm going to take a long trip somewhere down south where the beer flows cold and I don't know anyone's names."laughed Chimanda.

''A woman after my own heart."I said.

"How about Lunch at Sam Mother's? My treat?" said Chimanda.

"Why not? It's been awhile."said Beverly..

"I don't know..The World's Greatest Detective is still on a tear about his gaffe last week."said Josie.

"Ya know Jo...I'm thinking the same thing."said a cautious Nelson.

Bresha said nothing, she meekly followed us to Sam Mother's Diner.

''Another win for you today huh Liv?" said Sam Mother.

"Yeah, I could get used to this." Olivia laughed...

Chimanda, gave Sam her credit card and told him all of our meals were on her..

Beverly, Nelson, Myself, Josie, who was joined by her husband, Paris today and Bresha all found a big round table that we all could sit at..

We all ordered Sam's special for the day, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes and Green Peas..

And a Pitcher of Ice Tea...

Our meals were just being put on the table , when Lt. Tragg walked in...Naturally, seeing us, he headed right for our table..

"Nice Hit Job you put on me last week Liv at that press conference." he snarled.

"Nice job of charactor assasination of our client, who isn't even in the country right now.. I saw the dog and pony show you put on , raiding his condos after you had been told he was out of the country and having the press there to notice these raids... You know, maybe you're in the wrong line of work.. Maybe you should go into acting." said Olivia.

"Yeah westerns, because you do a terrible job of ACTING like a cop." said Beverly..

Nelson spit his ice tea out, Josie and Bresha cracked up laughing..

Paris snickered.

''This conversation is over...Now please leave our table.." said Olivia.

Lt. Tragg stood there scowling, furious that he was being laughed at by the majority of the table.

"You need to teach your junior partners respect Olivia." he said.

"Duly Noted, Now Again...LEAVE PLEASE!" said Olivia.

"She asked you to leave our table twice!.. NOW I'M ASKING YOU TO LEAVE!" said Chimanda..

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" snarled Lt. Tragg..

"SHE'S A PAYING CUSTOMER..SOMETHING YOU AREN'T AT THE MOMENT ARTIE...EITHER ORDER SOMETHING , SIT DOWN AND EAT OR GET OUT....I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE YOU IN HERE HASSLING OUR CUSTOMERS...NOW WHAT IS IT?" BELLOWED an angry Sam Mother ,who was concerned about the number of customers no longer coming in his diner because of arguments and or fist fights with Lt. Tragg.

Lt. Tragg turned, stomped his foot and angrilly stormed out of the diner...

We all clapped and cheered as he left...So did other customers....

"Chimanda, you're a woman after my own heart."said Beverly, laughing and hugging her..

Chimanda smiled..

"You're my kinda gal Manda." said Olivia, also hugging her.

Nelson, Josie, Paris and Bresha raised a glass of Ice Tea

and we all continued to enjoy our meal...but the unkindest cut was coming..

IV-

Our friend, B.L. Benz was interviewing Dr. Barrett Colgate...

"You said that you identify with Richard Graves, who people have accused..but have never proven he is responsible for his wife's mysterious disapearence several years ago." said B.L.

"Yes...My Estranged Fiance,Marilyn Corey and a man she was having an affair with, Justin Corley vanished six months ago...You interviewed me on this very show and I was the subject of a lot of tabloid fiction and wild accusations..

I am glad it did not reach the hysteria of the Richard Graves investigation..and that's partly because that dunderhead Lt. Arthur Tragg had nothing to do with it.. It is still labeled a missing person's case and not a homicide... I uh don't believe she's dead.. I believe she has run off with the man...It's a personal matter, but irresponsble journalists and a cop who is always seeking the limelight could have turned this into a whole nother matter..Lieutenant Arthur R. Tragg Jr.is the biggest disgrace to the Philadelphia Police Department, Frankly I don't see how he ever made Detective...He should be a beat cop or a crossing guard...He made this latest case completely on a wild made up fantasy of his, that the remains found last week were the long lost remains of Richard Graves wife , with no proof, with no finished autopsy.. He was told ,He was told to wait until the bodies were properly identified, and they still haven't been by the way.but he was so anxious to be on HARD BOTTOM that he made up this story and dragged a man, Richard Graves through the mud..for nothing.. Nothing..If I was Richard Graves, I would sue."said Dr. Colgate.

"Hah Ha, tell us how you really feel Dr. Colgate.. but I hear you... I didn't want to go down that rabbit hole again.. Last time I did and this show's ratings plummeted into the toilet."laughed B.L. Benz.

"I want to thank you for treating me fairly..."said Dr. Colgate.

Lt. Tragg sat in Curly's bar watching the broadcast, steaming..

"I'd like to ring that guy's neck..." he snarled..

ONE WEEK LATER-

At the Medical Examiner's Office.

''We have positively identified the remains found at the lovers lane three weeks ago.. The female is Marilyn Cory and the male is Justin Corley..missing for six months." said Doc Gibbons.

''We used dental records and DNA to make positive identification of both bodies." said Hazel.

Both victims were shot in the head with a small caliber weapon...The cause of death is Homicide."said Dr. Marcy Martin.

Speaking to a press conference.

And at our Duplex/Office..

"Bev, Nelson.. They've identified the remains of the two bodies discovered three weeks ago at the Lover's Lane!!" said Josie.

"Really? Woww!" said Beverly.

"So. Is it, Richard Graves's long missing wife, Elaine and some mystery man?" joked Nelson..

"No! Goofball! Who was it Jo?" laughed Beverly...

''Marilyn Corey and Justin Corley....both vanished without a trace six months ago and both were shot in the head with a small caliber weapon... It's gone from a missing person's case to a double homicide now!" said Josie.

''Well the good thing is ,this has nothing to do with Richie..and it proves Lt. Tragg jumped off half cocked and once again blamed the wrong suspect."said Olivia.

''He does that a lot. Is he involved with this present investigation..