VENTURES: Friends, Visitors And Murder

We were getting used to being in our new building...At Penns Landing..

Ms. Yvette was loving her new office.

I suppose the four of us were used to having our own offices , but we missed when at least two of us shared an office..

We had always had individual cases to work on..but we were able to share ideas with the person we shared an office with..

Now the four of us communicated by phone or intercom...

I'm Attorney Keith Jones...

My Wife, Attorney Beatrice Evans-Jones is in the office next door to mine...

Her life long best friend, almost sister, Attorney Sofia Garcia-Ahmed is in the office right next door to her

And her husband, Attorney Kahlil Ahmed's office is right next door to her.

Our friend and investigator, Jade Lee-Ho's office was in the corner..

We were in and out of each other's offices anyway.. sometimes it seemed the same..

We did have meetings in our Law Library/Conference room and we often brought our breakfasts or lunches in there..

Mostly we ate in our stylish cafeteria.

downstairs with the other people we shared this building with..

Attorney and Neighbor, Jasmine "Jazzy" Coley.

Attorney and Neighbor, Kayla Bennett-St. Jacques., Olivia and Beverly's cousin.

Assistant District Attorney, Karen Page, head of the Wrongful Conviction Unit.

Attorney and Neighbor, Jessica Sanchez-Burrows of the "Innocence " Project.

and her husband, Attorney and Neighbor, Charles "Chip" Burrows of the Innocence Project.

Jasmine Coley's Husband, Attorney and Neighbor, Dabnis Coley.. Like us.. His law firm had just moved into the building and he was overjoyed to be reunited with his wife and other black people, especially his close friends..

Kayla's husband, Attorney Ray St. Jacques law firm had just moved in the building recently too and he shared Dabnis's He was overjoyed to be reunited with his wife and other black people, especially his close friends..

Last but certainly not least, was Attorney Tony Billips, husband of Olivia's newest attorney, Bresha Billips.. He had taken a job with Ray's firm and was pleased as punch to be in the building with us and have a job in Philadelphia with a shorter commute.

We often had Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in a cafeteria and then rode home together on the train..

That stopped not far from our building.

This building also had it's own gym, which occasionally, we all worked out in, when we had the time, which wasn't too often...

There was much to like and love about our new building and Ms. Yvette's new title, Managing Partner.

II-

Today we had an interesting visitor....A man named Wendell Cobb.

Ms. Yvette recognized him as soon as she walked into her office..

''Wendell?? Wendell Cobb is that you?" she asked.

The man, Wendell Cobb, was a Black Man, The same age as Ms. Yvette .An Insurance salesman by day and a neighborhood lawyer by night... He charged his neighbors no more than $25.00 dollars and argued traffic tickets, and Small claims cases..He had tried some 100 cases and had never lost.. Yet he had never spent a day in law school... He was captured by a detective , who did a background check, when he defended one client , accused of a serious crime..Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute... He defended him and won the case, beating Assistant District Attorney, Chris Garcetti..

"You...You remembered me?" he said.

"How could I forget you? Because of you, I had to do jury duty for the first time in years and your case fascinated me..You were charging people in your neighborhood $25.00 to represent them and you won 100 cases with no losses and no law license either.. Fantastic and you beat the District Attorney's son in one of those cases, the case that got you caught...No I wasn't going to forget you...How are you doing?" she asked, smiling..

''Well, I entered an accelerated law program offered at Drexel University School of Law after I passed the LSAT's.. I graduated and passed the Pennsylvania Bar.. I have since passed the Bar in New Jersey, Deleware, New York and Maryland.."He said and showed Ms. Yvette his Law School Diploma and a copy of his Law License...

"Oh Congratulations Wendell..I am sooooooo happy for youuuu! You're a real attorney now!" said Ms. Yvette, hugging him...

"Yes...I remember you were the jury forewoman. If that jury had convicted me and sent me to prison..I'd never be here today as an attorney..I owe that all to you...And the fact that you are an attorney made it all the more meaningful to me. I wanted to thank you. I searched for you...I went to your old building and they told me you made partner and you had an office here in this building. Must be nice.." said Wendell.

''So what are you doing with yourself now Wendell?" asked Ms. Yvette.

"I am Co-Counsel for the Insurance Company I used to sell insurance for.. and in my spare time I volunteer at Community Legal Services...They give me a little stipend.." said Wendell.

"THAT IS WONDERFUL WENDALL!!!! I am so happy and proud of you. Let me introduce you to my staff..

"This is Attorney Keith Jones.." she said.

"He needs no introduction, Wendell Cobb, my mannn." I said, shaking his hand.

"This is his wife, Attorney Beatrice Evans Jones."

"How are you doing? I was in court the day you were acquitted." said Bee Bee.

"This is Attorney Sofia Garcia -Ahmed."

"Pleased to meet you." said Sofia.

And her Husband, Attorney Kahlil Ahmed."

"Heyyy man, you're like my hero...You beat Chris Garcetti...hahahahaha." laughed Kahlil.

"And last but certainly not least, our investigator, Mrs. Jade Lee Ho." said Yvette.

"Pleased to meet you Wendell." said Jade.

''Such a nice looking staff and such a nice building..Wowwwwww! Well, I just wanted to say thank you Ms. Yvette.. I am forever in debt to you.."said Wendell.

"Ohhh Wendell ,just be a good , honest, hard working attorney...That's all the thank you I'll ever need..

Good Luck to you." said Ms. Yvette, hugging him..

"I will... Nice meeting your staff.." he said as he left..

"Byyye Wendell." said Sofia.

"Byyye Wendell." said Bee Bee.

"So long man!" I said.

"Bye Wendell." said Kahlil.

"Bye Wendell."said Jade.,

''Such a nice young man...I was glad I had a part in his journey."said Ms. Yvette.

An overcast day in Philadelphia... In an office, not too far from us.. Two people were having the time of their life..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Moaned the man..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" moaned the woman....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH COSMOS!"moaned the woman....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU SWEET BABY!" moaned the man.

For the past NINE TO TEN HOURS, the two had been making love in the man's private suite with an Ocean view..

They laughed and frolicked in the bed...

and took a nice hot soapy shower together afterwords..

The woman lotioned down ,put on a nice fragrance.. and got dressed, slipping on her panties and her bra, which the man helped hook.

''Whoooooooooo Cosmo...put that thing away," she joked ,pointing to his still erect penis..

''And put some clothes on.."she said.. " I'll see you tomorrow." the woman said.

The man laughed heartedly as she left his suite...

Twenty minutes later.. His doorbell rang!

He was still naked.. He put on his bathrobe...

He answered the door expecting to see his female bed mate..

He saw someone brandishing a gun with a silencer!

"What are you doing here?" he asked.. His last words..

His assailant fired three shots...One shot went through the palm of his hand and hit him in his shoulder..

''ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!" he moaned.

The second shot ripped through his chest and pulverized his heart, killing him instantly and the third shot hit him in his chest, exiting out of his back..

He fell to the floor in a pool of blood...very, very dead!

His assailant closed the door and silently slipped out.

Nightfall came..

All of us left work and rode the train home, not realizing what had taken place, just a few blocks from us and how it was going to become our next case.

III-

The next morning.. Ms. Yvette had another interesting visitor..

"Oh My God.... Look at you...I was wondering if you were going to take me up on my offer.."

Attorney Zoey Easter, the attorney who handled Attorney Olivia Bennett's divorce from her first husband, Elwood Barnes, at the time , a wealthy corporate attorney..

and brokered the deal that led to her purchasing the property

she now lives in and runs her very successful law practice out of, that now includes her niece, Beverly

Her founding partner and a talented attorney herself.

Her husband , Investigator, Donnie Ray Alexander and other attorneys.

Beverly's husband and Olivia's protoge in the Public Defender's Office at one time, Nelson East..

Josie Boyd, who was with Olivia and Beverly when they opened the doors to their law firm

and newcomer, Bresha Billips..

"Hi Yvette, I came here to thank you for forwarding my resume.. , McCluskey/Cozen/ Connor and Pratt hired me! I start Monday...as a Senior Associate Attorney, with a bump in salary.. I'll be working in your old office in your former building... Thank you so much girl.." said Zoey, hugging Yvette..

"Heyyyyy, How long have we been friends huh?" said Yvette.. "I'm just happy you got a promotion and more money.. Besides , when I come over there for the Partners meeting, I have somebody to eat lunch with." said Ms. Yvette, smiling..

We were just walking in... We had had breakfast in the cafeteria downstairs.

"Hi Ms. Zoey." said Bee Bee.

"Hi Ms. Zoey." said Sofia.

"Hi Ms. Zoey." I said.

"Hi Ms. Zoey." said Kahlil.

"Hi Ms. Zoey." said Jade.

"Hey guys...I just came by to thank your boss for getting me a job at your firm...I'll be working in the building you guys just left...but I'm just glad to be a part of your firm...I start Monday.." said Zoey.

"That's great...We should celebrate." I said.

"You pick the bar." said Bee Bee.

"Yes, just let us know..I'll get Olivia and everybody and we'll all meet somewhere."said Yvette.

"Awwwwww gee guys....I'll let you know." said Zoey.

"Yeah there's any number of places we can Celebrate, Josie's , Aqua Bar, Stoleys.." said Kahlil.

"Or the Mermaid Club or Mulberry Street." said Sofia..

"Guys, Guys.. It's her choice, remember." laughed Jade.

"That's okay. I love their enthusiasm.." said Zoey..

"Yes ,they are enthusiastic." laughed Ms. Yvette.

It was a nice visit... Our second visitor in two days...Unknown to us at the time..we were going to have a third visitor and they wouldn't be bringing good news.

"Three shots...One went through his hand...A defensive wound...It looks like it lodged in his shoulder , said a Crime Scene Investigator.. "Second shot tore through his heart...that's the kill shot and the third shot that hit him in his chest was unnecessary..he was already dead before his body hit the floor." he said as another man snapped photos of the crime scene and others extracted one shell casing from the wall...The other two bullets were in the body...

"Body is stiff...Rigor has set in...From the smell and decomposition...I'd say he's been dead at least 24 hours... " said Dr. Hazel Baylor..

"That's about right.."said Dr. Marcy Martin.

"This guy got a name?" asked Lt. Tragg of homicide.

"As you can see , he wasn't wearing much clothing...but we found a wallet with a drivers license...

He's Cosmo Courtland, Wealthy Socialite....He doesn't live here...This appears to be a suite he owns..One of three..." said hazel with disdain..

''Wonder if his wife knows about place?" asked Dr. Marcy Martin.

"Doesn't matter now does it? He's dead!" said Lt. Tragg , who found a tube of Lipstick on the bathroom sink..

and a pair of panties and a bra

lying on the floor by his closet...

"Hmmmm, looks like ole boy was having quite a wing ding." said Lt. Tragg, smiling wryly...

Dr. Marcy Martin groaned as she took the panties and bra from him and placed them in a plastic evidence bag.

Dr. Hazel Baylor smiled wryly..

"Alright guys , bag him and tag him and get him out of here...Ladies, get that autopsy report on my desk as soon as possible."said Lt. Tragg/

As the body was put in a white body bag and strapped to a gurney...

Outside the press gathered...The Murder of Cosmo Courtland was big news...He was a man about town, was wealthy and was linked to a bevy of local lovelies.

Lt. Tragg as he usually did , addressed the press, vowing to "bring the vicious murderer to justice."

For the next week, the Cosmo Courtland Murder case was the talk of the city...If we hadn't heard of him when he was living, we certainly heard of him dead...The local news was saturated with it and the hunt for his possible killer.

"Gee this Cosmo Courtland case is taking up the news..Can't believe it happened just a few blocks away, right under our noses." said Bee Bee as we had our weekly meeting in our conference room.

"Our favorite detective is on it..Let's hope he arrests the right suspect this time huh?" said Ms. Yvette as we all laughed.. "So Bee, did you wrap up that Bond Case?" asked Ms. Yvette.

"Yupper, Nice and neat and filed away." said Bee Bee.

"I got an acquittal in that rape case I was working on." said Sofia.

"I worked out an amicable settlement for my two clients." said Kahlil.

"My case goes to the jury tomorrow. I expect them to rule in our favor." I said.

"That's a civil case isn't it?" asked Ms. Yvette.

"Yupper." I said.

"Outstanding! You four are going to mess around and become great lawyers yet!" joked Ms. Yvette..

who already thought we were pretty good attorneys.

Ms. Jade smiled and passed us each a cup of coffee.

Life was routine and sweet so far in our new building. So Far... We didn't have a clue of the hell that was coming.

IV-

Nightfall...It had been a very sweet and easy couple of days.

We were in our new office in our new building....The staff of the new Managing Partner...Mrs. Yvette Jones -Lockwood. We all liked how that sounded.

We were all at home...

Bee Bee was wearing a sheer see through Baby doll.....She had just taken a hot shower and walked into our bedroom..

My eyes popped out of my head..

She giggled..

"Oh my goddd..look at you...Are you going to act like this all the time?..WOW!!! That boner is massive." she said and put her hands over her mouth..

"You act like this is the first time you've seen me like this." she said.

"It certainly isn't the first time I've had a boner because of you." I remarked , smiling at her.

"Oh I know..THAT goes back to the first day we met." she said.

It was true.

I pulled her towards me..."Is this something you bought at Bridget's store the other day?" I asked.

"The Panties are...I had this baby doll.. You've seen this before.." she giggled..

I undressed and slipped her panties down and off and took her into my arms and kissed her softly....

"Ohhhhh my godddd, Bee Bee..."I moaned...

"Ummmmmm, ouuuuuuuuuuuu you are so hard....Ouuuuuu, look at youuuu! And so damn BIG! OUUUUUUU!" she exclaimed as she stroked me lightly...

"You like that honey?" she asked softly..

"YESSSSSSSS!" I moaned.

We lie across the bed, kissing and practically slobbering over each other....

Soon we were making love passionately on top of the bed..Not thinking about recent events..

The next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS, all we were thinking about was each other..

The same was next door at Kahlil and Sofia's house..

Sofia and Kahlil were lying across the bed..

Kissing ,fondling and laughing..

He slipped her panties down and off...

"OHHHHHHHH MAMASITA!!!" he moaned...

"OUUUUUUUUUUU PAPI...AYE MIOS DIOS! You are sooo damn hard! OUUUUU!" Sofia moaned as she rode him on the side of the bed until neither one of them could take anymore...

"You've always gotten me hard mamasita." said Kahlil.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! I KNOWWWWWWWWW!" she cooed.

It was not long

before they too were making sweet love for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS!

Moaning and cooing..

Gary and Ms. Yvette were way ahead of us..

They had been making sweet love since Ms. Yvette got home for the day...

They had skipped dinner and gone straight to the bedroom..

They had made love early into the morning hours....

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW YOU ARE MY SWEET GIRRRRRRL" Gary moaned..

Ms. Yvette liked when he called her that...

Enjoying their massive and new smart bed..

Yvette smiled.The bed was sturdy and very very comfortable...It moved with their every move and was very comfortable and warm..It actually enhanced their lovemaking..

EIGHT TO NINE HOURS had passed by.

Bee Bee and I were fast asleep in each others arms..

Sofia and Kahlil were in each others arms and still kissing, almost asleep.

And Gary and Ms. Yvette were sound asleep in each other's arms.

A nice stress buster for the coming day..

And At Ms. Jade's House...a few doors down.

"I heard Lt. Tragg is close to making an arrest in the Cosmo Courtland Case. This appears to be his most thorough investigation yet..and he's loving being on TV everyday." said Lt. Danny Ho as he undressed.

"If I know right.. He'll find a way to mess this up too! Arrest the wrong person." said Jade

laughing.

''You're probably right" said Danny.

They kissed passionately..

Danny took her into his arms and stood in the middle of their bedroom, kissing her passionately.

Danny slipped her panties down....

She eased herself down on Danny slowly.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU JADE!" he moaned.

"OHHHHHHHHHHH HUSBAND!" she cooed. She liked being able to say that.

They began making love. And like us ,for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS, all they cared about was each other.

The day was over...Some first few days huh?

TWO WEEKS LATER- THE ROUTINE!

Gary Lockwood, Investigator for the D.A.'s Office and husband of Ms. Yvette was off today...

He sat in the kitchen sipping his coffee and watched his wife, Yvette Jones-Lockwood, Attorney at law and our supervisor run through her routine...

She got out of bed..Made the bed up...

Took a nice hot shower.. with a sweet and fresh smelling body wash, Lotioned down, put on a heavenly fragrance..

and proceeded to get dressed..

Put on a cute outfit...

Called her coffee order ahead and paid for it by phone..

"Off To Work Babes" she said to Gary..

and then kissed Gary softly for three minutes..before applying her lipstick and hurrying out the door..

''See ya Babes.." she said.

"Yeahhhh, see ya..." said Gary...Who was more than aroused by that soft kiss from Yvette...

Once Again to the train station. Just a block from our homes. The train took us all straight to our new building at Penns Landing where we all now worked....Today, it was no Longer a Surprise to see our neighbors and building mates on the train.

"Hola Ms. Yvette" said Attorney Jessica Sanchez-Burrows..

"Hey Ms. Yvette." said her husband, Attorney Charles "Chip" Burrows.

"I see you all had the same idea..Leave your cars home and take the commuter train huh?" laughed Ms. Yvette.

"Guilty as Charged...At least today, we'll both save some gas.." said Attorney Jasmine" Jazzy" Coley

who like her husband, Attorney Dabnis Coley, usually drove to work...

"Man this train is a whole vibe. It's getting to where I only drive on weekends" said Dabnis, rearing back..

"Yeah me too!" laughed Attorney Kayla Bennett_St. Jacques..

"This is cool, except for a night we might have to work late.."said her husband, Ray St. Jacques.. His law firm and Dabnis's law firm had both moved into the same building where their wives' law firm was..Near Penns Landing.. Same building we were all in now.

It was so nice, us all working in the same building and living on the same block.

I sat next to Bee Bee, squeezing her tight.

"Ouuu, you gonna squeeze the air out of me husband..I'm not going anywhere." she cooed and leaned her head into me shoulders.

Attorney Sofia Garcia -Ahmed

and her husband, Attorney Kahlil Ahmed also snuggled.

and our investigator, Jade Lee.. we lived down the street from Ms. Yvette and her husband Gary and the others , sat next to Tony Billips, who had just gotten a job in our building recently.

They were carrying on an animated conversation.

I was second chair with Dabnis Coley on a murder case...We Recently won an acquittal...

Kahlil , Ray and Tony Billips worked a very intense negotiation just a week before..

My wife Bee Bee and Sofia worked the biggest case of all..A wrongful conviction case with Jessica Sanchez-Burrows and her husband, Chip of the Innocence project, Jazzy and Kayla. They borrowed Jazzy's famous cousins, Olivia and Beverly and the crew, Donnie Ray, Nelson, Josie and Bresha to help out. It was nice having them here for two weeks ,working out of our building and eating with us.

ADA Karen Page was pleased.. She now had a 99-0 success rate.

All successful cases... We expected to have an easy day today. Like I said, we expected.

We all exited the train

And headed into our building.

Where we all had a hot piping and delicious breakfast before heading to our floors.

Ms. Yvette had settled into her office for about an hour when she got her third visitor.

"Hi Ms. Yvette...It's been awhile huh?" said Attorney Jane Martin, a neighborhood friend of Bee Bee and Sofia and a fellow attorney who we had defended on Murder charges a year ago.

''Well Hello Girlie, How have you been?" asked Ms. Yvette, hugging her.

"Heyyy Janie girl."said Bee Bee.

"Hola Janie." said Sofia.

They had known each other since second grade.

"Heyy Lady." I said.

"Heyy baby." said Kahlil.

"CONGRATULATIONS GIRRRRRLLLL...MANAGING PARTNER HUH? NEW BUILDING AND ALL...I like...and you brought your folks with you...Where is Jade?" asked Jane.

Jade was just coming up.

"HEYYYYYYY JANE!" she said, laughing and hugging Jane.

"I like that...You made a come up Ms. Yvette and you brought your folks along with you..Nice.

I heard you were here about three weeks ago and I've been meaning to visit you guys and now I find I have to visit you...I need a favor.." she said.

''A favor? You're not in trouble again are you?" asked Bee Bee.

"Not me...My girlfriend..We worked together at the Bridgerton Group...Her name is Amanda Streete, she's been charged with murder...The Murder of Cosmo Courtland.

Lt. Tragg arrested her early this morning. She didn't do it and I'm not a trial attorney like you guys...Can you help her.. She can pay you."said Jane.