VENTURES: Manhunt

Philadelphia is a large city...Close to two million people call it home...and many more than that do business here everyday..

It is not easy to find someone here...

Lt. Tragg seemed to have an obsession with capturing and charging Attorney Warren Lloyd

with the murder of Attorney Anne King

who had defended the Hotel, he had recently won a 3.5 million dollar judgement from.

Especially after he realized just who he was...

The day before in Sam Mother's diner.

The man who kissed Attorney Brenda Jordan passionately in front of him....

The man's voice he heard the last time he attempted to visit Brenda...

"OOOOOOOOU HOOO HOOOOO HOOOOO, UMMMMMM Warren, oh my god!!"

"OHHHHH SWEEEEET BABY...OUUUUUUUUUUU!"

He had a copy of his prints and his DNA... His employer, The Harris Group keeps all of their employee's DNA and prints on file. Because they do a lot of International law, they are all bonded.

Lt. Tragg got a court order for his Prints and DNA and matched them and the dead girl to a champaigne
bottle and glasses

found in her hotel room...

They found a pair of panties loaded with semen...His semen.. and three condoms, also with his fingerprints on them and loaded with his semen..

And there was film footage of him entering her complex and leaving early in the morning, before he came to visit us and leave a check.

Lt. Tragg made sure Brenda knew all of the sordid details.

And us as well...Even though we told him time after time that he was no longer a client of ours and that we hadn't heard from him...

Of course Lt. Tragg was good at angering the girls and that made for great sex...

Olivia and I were having wild, emotional non step sex in the middle of the afternoon sometimes.,

and well into the night..

Beverly and Nelson were the same..

It was bad enough that they kissed each other off and on all day anyway...

They too were making an inordinate amount of love lately because of the girls anger at Lt. Tragg's constant harrassment.

Across the street..

Josie and Paris, Newlyweds

were making love a lot anyway...but if it was possible, the level of their sexual activity increased.

and a few doors down...

Poor Tony couldn't get in the door good.. Bresha was naked and ready for him..

I shouldn't say "Poor" Tony...He wasn't complaining.

This however did not lead to good sex for Lt. Tragg.

His girlfriend, Assistant District Attorney, April Taylor was out of town with other ADA's and a few Judges for a "Justice Emporium" They were in Atlanta for the week..

And even though Brenda Jordan was angry and disappointed that Warren Lloyd had obviously cheated on her and lied to her , which was why he was in this predicament, this didn't exactly mean that Lt. Tragg was invited back into her bed.

In fact she was sorry she had ever slept with him. She knew that once she had done that she wasn't going to be able to get rid of him.. She had no desire to sleep with him again, ever!

When he came to her office, she had her assistant to tell him she was out. She even worked remotely from home a few times..

She avoided Sam Mother's Diner and even Curleys and when he came to her condo..She didn't open the door.

If he thought this meant he and her were going to sleep together again, he had thought wrong...

He spent his nights in Curley's alone, a little drunk, very horny and livid that he had not caught Warren Lloyd yet.

His attempt to get on Television to talk about it failed.. The Producers at HARD BOTTOM, wanted no parts of him.

II-

We met with Brenda at a coffee shop in Little Norway..

''I haven't been up here in years."gushed Olivia.

She was sitting on my lap...

"You used to come up here?" I said. It was peopled mostly by East Europeans in here and I couldn't understand what they were saying.

''Oh Yes..I used to bring Bev and Kayla too.. We loved the pastries and the smell of good coffee."said Olivia.

"Oh I remember." said Beverly, smiling.

"My Uncle brought me up here when I was a little boy...but I'm sure it wasn't for coffee or pastries..Now that I know what he used to do for a living, I'm sure it was something nefarious."said Nelson.

His Uncle, Former Gangster, Arthur " Fathead"Newton probably dealt with Russian Mafia types who frequented these establishments.

"My daddy brought me up here a few times too when I came to Philly to visit...and just like your Uncle, it was probably for something nefarious."said Josie.

Her father , the Late Joe Boyd, ran the Black Underworld in Philly...He kept a low profile...but he was known on the streets as "Joe"The Bossman" Boyd.

How odd that the nephew of one Crime Boss and the little daughter of another both grew up to be two of our most valued Attorneys...and such great individuals, far removed from that lifestyle.

Bresha, like me, was here for the first time..She was just breathing everything in and like all of us, enjoying

The Freshly baked Pastries, Bagels and Doughnuts and the aroma of fresh roasted coffee..

Attorney Brenda Jordan joined us...We never expected to be such close friends with her..

"Hi Guys..I thought this would be a nice place to get away from you know who. He's been a pain in my ass ever since this happened. I told him that I haven't heard from Warren in the two weeks since the murder...but it's like talking to a brick wall.. I've changed the sim card in my phones since then about three times.. I know he's tapped my phones..and I suspect he's had my condo watched by plain clothes cops. I took three taxis to lose them today... It's not just that...He wants to sleep with me badly...and that is not gonna happen."said Brenda.

"He's got a girlfriend!! Isn't he with ADA April Taylor.?" asked Bresha.

"She's out of town..The Justice Emporium in Atlanta." said Brenda

''And when the cats away, the dog will play." said Olivia.

"Good One Auntay.I like that." said Beverly, who was sitting on Nelson's lap.

"WOOF!" said Nelson jokingly.

Josie laughed... "He's got a thing for Blondes." she added, noting Lt. Tragg's penchant for Blonde busty women.

"We haven't heard from him...but I do have friends at Police headquarters..I saw the Tox report and the Autopsy report..She was strangled and it could have been anytime from 12:00 Midnight until they found the body at around 6:00 pm that afternoon.. Because the body was in the water , it's hard to tell when time of death was. I looked at the street and traffic cam video. He entered her hotel at 9:45 pm and he entered through the front desk . They remember him...He had a bottle of champaigne and glasses. He left around 7:42 am the next morning, out of the front...He talked to the gu at the front desk about the game the night before. Doesn't seem like the behavior of a murderer. Prior to coming there, he was at Aqua Bar, Stoleys and Mulberry Street with some lawyer friends of his, buying drinks for everybody.

He called you and then he called her. Doesn't seem like the behavior of a murderer." I said.

"Olivia ,you've got quite a husband there...You're not even his attorneys of record and he's already done an initial investigation and laid out a defense.. I could use about two investigators as good as Donnie Ray."laughed Brenda.

"You think he did it?" asked Nelson.

"OHHHH NOOOO, OF COURSE NOT! I never did think he killed that woman. Why would he? He just won 3.5 million dollars free and clear in a settlement. Why would he kill the attorney who lost?

He is guilty of being a cheating sex obsessed horn dog though.. Just the night before, he was in my condo, Humping and sweating and moaning on top of me.. He was over my place, four days out of the week...We never went anywhere, not to a bar, out to eat, a movie, a hockey game, nothing..We just had sex, all night long..and the one night I wouldn't let him come over...I needed sleep..He goes dogging around with that chick.,I personally think he's a sex addict." said Brenda as our coffee's arrived.

"Hmmmm!" said Beverly, eyeing her husband ,Nelson.. "You're hard." she whispered in his ear.

"I can't help it...you're sitting on my lap." he whispered back.. The two of them giggled.

"They're so cute." said Bresha, thinking about her night with Tony..

and how he left for work this morning, dazed..She was dazed too!

''We haven't heard from him." said Olivia.

"If you do, are you going to defend him?" asked Brenda.

"Yeah, just to mess with Lt. Tragg.. He came to our office last week and told us he didn't want any interference from us in the arrest and apphrehension of him and didn't want us defending him...He can't dictate who we defend, the nerve of him."said Olivia.

Josie, sitting next to Olivia nodded in agreement.

"Well he deserves a good defense. He's no killer..but I think he and I are over..." said Brenda.

At Sam Mother's Diner

Lt. Tragg's usual breakfast of Fried Eggs, Hash Browns and Breakfast sausage arrived..

"How's the manhunt going Artie?" asked Sam Mother.

"I got this city buttoned up tight.. Men at the Bus Station, Train Station and Both Airports.. I even called the Stateys (State Police) here and in Jersey... We'll get him....Can I have some coffee Sam?" he asked as he ate.

''Sure Artie" he said as he poured him a cup of coffee.

He missed it when the attorneys were all in here.. They didn't come around anymore. Neither did any of the detectives that used to eat here.. The fact that he might be the cause never crossed his mind.

It crossed Sam Mother's mind.. As much as he like Artie, he often thought of asking him to eat elsewhere. He was bad for business.

Those attorneys always tipped well and ordered a lot of food...So did a lot of the detectives that used to eat in his diner..but arguing and now fist fighting with Artie had caused them all to avoid his diner.

Artie was bad for business.

When he was on that Marine Boat or out of time..Business increased..but when he was around, his business dropped off..

Artie was bad for business.

III-

Lt. Tragg kept a watch on our Office Duplex...

He kept at least two unmarked cars across or down the street from us..with plain clothes cops watching every move and making note of everyone that visited us..

From Kayla coming over to eat with us or to have Beverly do her hair

Or her husband Ray, to eat or watch a game with Nelson..

To Jazzy coming by just to shoot the breeze with Beverly ,Olivia and Josie.

Or husband Dabnis coming by to run some legal theory or precedent by us.

or Jessica and Chip stopping by to go over a case of theirs with us or eat... Our office was always peopled with folks .

Kevin and or a few of his operatives came by and swept our office three times a week..

Much to Lt. Tragg's consternation.. He couldn't hear what we were discussing.

Yvette Jones and her crew worked remotely at our Office Duplex and Ate Breakfast and Lunch with us, not so much to escape Lt. Tragg..He had no idea that they had relocated..but because for the next two weeks, both of our teams were working on a Wrongful conviction case.

We worked remotely from their new office a few times too..It was great fun.

With ADA Karen Page.

After the Wrongful Conviction case was over..

It was business as usual.

Pairs of unmarked cars with tinted windows and constant surveillance.

"He still got cars out there?" asked Nelson.

"Yeah..He's obsessed with you guys. "laughed Alfreda.

"I'm almost tempted to take them some coffee, Let em know we know they are there." said Beverly.

"Uh Uh...Let em continue to waste their time.They must be sick of watching us by now." said Olivia.

"Warren is probably in California ,laid up with some bimbo, enjoying a Martini."said Josie.

"Think so Jo Jo? I'm betting he's right here in the city...Think about who's hunting him!" I said.

Bresha busted out laughing. "Yeah you're right .He couldn't find a suspect if he confessed and turned himself in"she said.

This was met with gales of laughter by all of us..

"You're right about that." I said.

"You've been around my niece too long.. She's already corrupted sweet Josie."laughed Olivia.

'Can't get mad at her for stating a fact."said Beverly..

''For Sure."said Nelson..

"Yessssss." said Josie.

"Barney Fife with a suit and tie and a manicure." said Alfreda.

It had been a month, Ann King's relatives had claimed the body...She'd been funeralized and buried and Lt. Tragg had not captured his main suspect or anyone for that matter.. He was frustrated and livid.

When he did see Brenda Jordan, who he was now obsessed with, She had no time for him..She was rushing to court or a litigation...And she was serious about never sleeping with him again.

This added to his frustration...He was like an addict.

Then one Thursday afternoon, our doorbell rang..

Alfreda answered the door and to her shock!!!

"Heyyy pretty lady. Well let me in, I'm no stranger, though it has been awhile." said Warren Lloyd

Josie and Bresha were getting ready to leave for the day...They were stunned..They stopped in their tracks,,,

As did Beverly, Nelson and I.

"Oh My Godd! Warren, you shouldn't have come here! This is the last place you should have come."said Olivia.

IV-

"Look Guys...I didn't kill Ann King.. She was my friend...Why would I? We used to work at the Harris Group together years before. I know her..I told you that. We are all attorneys..What's one trial? We don't take these cases personal..We appeal and move on to the next case, the next litigation...and besides..Why would I kill her? I won, remember? I took some champaigne over to her room, we drank the entire bottle and we..we made love until the wee hours of the morning.. I got up, took a nice long shower and I swear...when I left, around 7:30, she was alive...She waved at me and giggled and rolled back over. I didn't kill her." said Warren Lloyd.

"We know all that and we believe you, but this wasn't the right place to come."said Beverly.

"They've been watching us like hawks, Plain clothes cops, unmarked cars... We've had to have our office swept three times a week and change the sim cards in our phones to keep Lt. Tragg from hearing confidential conversations about our other cases."said Olivia.

''Even though we've told him we are not your attorneys of record anymore. He's kept an eye on us 24/7.." I said.

"It's quite annoying. They've followed me for dress fittings and to my OBYG appointments." said Josie.

"They've snapped photos of our neighbors and everyone who has come to visit us the past few weeks, Clients included."said Bresha.

''Well Guys, you've talked him up again...Here he comes now." said Alfreda.

The Doorbell was ringing and there was loud bamming on the door.

"OPEN UP!!! I'VE GOT A WARRANT!" bellowed Lt. Tragg.

"OLIVIA!!! I DIDN'T KILL ANNE, FOR GOD SAKES..I NEED YOUR HELP...I CAN PAY YOU!

PLEASE!" begged Warren Lloyd.. he looked desperate.

''Okay...Sit tight. You're an Attorney, you know to say absolutely nothing until we get there alright?" said Olivia.

"Yes..Thank You Liv, thank you guys."he said, relieved.

''Let him in Alfreda." said Olivia.

Alfreda opened the door..

Lt. Tragg pushed right past her and strutted into our conference room.

He saw Josie, Beverly, Bresha, Me and Nelson standing up...

He has greeted by a coldness he had never experienced around us before.

Olivia didn't say a word.

Warren held his hands out to be handcuffed.

That took the wind out of Lt. Tragg's sails..He had expected at least some verbal jousting with us, but he got nothing.

He spun Warren around and handcuffed him.

Mr. Warren Lloyd, you are under arrest for the murder of Ann King, you have the right to remain silent, whatever you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you can not afford one, which in your situation is highly unlikely, one will be appointed to you.. You apparently have five very competant attorneys..and as an attorney I know you understand these rights as I've read them to you...Let's go killer." said Lt. Tragg as he proudly walked out of our Office/Duplex with Warren.

The Manhunt was over.. Lt. Tragg had gotten his man..

He addressed the crowd that "magically appeared at our door.

"IT TOOK ME AWHILE, BUT I STAYED ON HIS TRAIL, DOGGING HIM EVERYDAY, GIVING HIM NOWHERE TO RUN, NOWHERE TO HIDE AND I FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH HIM..HE WAS RELIEVED TO FINALLY NOT HAVE TO LOOK OVER HIS SHOULDER." he boasted.