VENTURES: Between Life ,Death and Money

At the Hilton in Attorney Millicent Caldwell's suite...

"Todd, I swear....I would never do something like that...You're my friend...Why would I tape us and send it to your girlfriend???...A girlfriend you failed to mention and that I didn't even know existed by the way...and if I was going to blackmail you, wouldn't I have brought it to your attention and asked for something?? Come on...Use your head...You've got an enemy out there..Someone who is targeting you..Not me.. I'm a single woman, I don't even live in Philly, what would I gain or lose by this?" asked Millicent.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Dellums calmed himself down... He knew what she was saying made sense..All the sense in the world..

"WE FOUND EM BOSS!" said one of his FBI sweep team members ,who swept the room..

"These are government grade...The kind we use...No serial number...Whoever used this was a pro, They'll be damn near impossible to trace..." said the agent.

"Hmmmm ,No one in the FBI would do this.. but I know a P.I. , a P.I. who used to be FBI, who might use these.." said Todd. He looked at Millicent.

"I'm sorry Millie..Sorry for thinking this was you.." was all he said.

''Just get out of here...and take your FBI sweep team with you...I've got an important meeting today.."

said Millicent Caldwell.

The FBI agents all filed out one by one..

Todd spoke to Millicent quietly...

"I'm really sorry about all this. Millie...I swear.." he said.

"Just go...Just go Todd!" she said tersely...

We entered the hospital...

We walked into the hospital room of Michelle Harris, the widow of Quinton Harris, dead now for a week.

She was in a Hyperbolic chamber..

I smiled and shook my head....I couldn't believe this....They were really going for the dramatic..

The look on Olivia's face said she felt the same way I felt...She was in awe...

Beverly said what we both were thinking..

"I don't believe this...Talk about going for the dramatic...This is Bull-" she said.

"I know..I know...Where is Ms. Caldwell??" asked Nelson..

"Yeah, she's late.."said Josie.

Bresha just shook her head...

"Here she comes now." said Bresha.

"Hello, Hello...The Great Olivia Bennett- Alexander and her niece ,Beverly West...I've heard so much about you two and your great team....You know, since I've been here..I've talked to two people who know you quite well." she said, smiling.

''So we've heard!" said Beverly.

Olivia smiled and held her head...

"I love her." she whispered to me..

I smiled...

We had heard about her sexual romp with Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Dellums and the zip drive sent to his now former girlfriend, Natasha Smith

that contained very good film footage of the entire sexual romp....He ended the night with a Sundae on his head...

And Yvette had told us about Millicent's sexual romp ,just a day later with Attorney Warren Lloyd and a zip drive being delivered to Brenda with all of the sordid details...

He wound up getting his face nearly slapped off and his walking papers..

I smelled a rat...a big rat...This had happened to Todd once before and to Former Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Drake.. She had been getting ready to resign and marry a distinguished D.C. area

Attorney ,sell her home here and join his firm as a partner.. Once he received a zip drive with her and Todd's sexual exploits... He broke off the engagement..She had to take her house off the market and that plum job was gone...She tried to kill herself ,she was so distraught....

She lives in Atlanta now...Has a new job...

Todd managed to patch his relationship up, but now..it was all but ruined..and this time for good.

All of these people had a few things in common..They were successful, Black and had run afoul of Lt. Tragg.

His arrest of U.S. Attorney Todd Dellums had landed him on the Marine Boat for a month, which he hated.

ADA Drake's criticism of his performance also got him a stint on that Marine Boat... Warren Lloyd

had a woman that he wanted..Badly...

Brenda Jordan..

Lt. Tragg was petty enough to pull this off...This had him written all over it..

''So, I understand you have a proffer to offer huh? Uh Mrs. Harris is in the Hyperbaric chamber so many hours a day.. It will help her wounds heal faster.."said Attorney Millicent Caldwell.

"Mr. Harris's children and both of his other wives have been given their inheritance as specified by his will... The partners are prepared to offer Mrs. Harris a package of 32 and a half million, tax free... They keep the Harris Group.. I think it's a pretty reasonable deal..." said Olivia.

"OH YOU DO , DO YOU?" laughed Millicent..

Michelle Harris opened the chamber and stuck her head out.. She'd heard the entire thing..

"$32,5 million?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, You're joking right?" she said.

"According to your pre nup..You started off with $2 million, which doubled every year you were married.. The first year , it doubled to $4 million, after the second year, it doubled to 8 million..and let's see... if he had divorced you this year...You'd have $16 million... What we are offering you is twice that much." said Beverly...

$32.5 million is nothing to sneeze at , it's double what you would have gotten...and it's tax free." said Nelson.

"That's more than what his other two wives got.. One got $20 million and the other, a little under $14 million... If I were you, I'd consider it."said Josie.

"But you're not me..." said Michelle.

"We are here to negotiate...."said Olivia..

"Maybe we can agree on another number..a little closer." said Bresha,

"Here's a number... 70...I want $70 million and the company....How's that?" said Michelle Harris.

"Mrs. Harris...Let's be realistic...They don't want to give you $65 million.. and now you're asking for $70 million?? Do you know anything about what it takes to run a conglomerate like the Harris Group?" said Olivia.

''So I'll hire advisors to help me run it... That and 70 million dollars is worth Billions.." she said.

"I can see we aren't getting anywhere today... Look, when do you get out of here???.. I'd like to meet either at my office or Ms. Caldwell's office... This is no place to negotiate.." said Olivia.

"I get out of here in two days... It doesn't matter..I'm not changing my mind." she said.

"I live to keep her happy." said Millicent. "At any rate..we'll meet at your office and continue our talks."said Millicent.. "Thanks for coming.."she said.

''Well this was a great waste of time. Give me an old fashioned murder case any day."said Nelson.

"I hear you Nelson...She's delusional and her attorney is just enabling her.. Not helping her."said Olivia.

"She's batshit crazy, that's what she is." said Beverly...

"I don't see us changing her mind anytime soon either ." said Josie.

"Maybe we should talk to her lawyer..Get her to see reality."said Bresha.

"She's not going to go against her client.. More money and prestige for her." I said.

As we got on the elevator and headed out.

II-

The next day at our office/duplex

Alfreda put out a nice spread..Coffee and Doughnuts, Bagels and Cream Cheese, Pastries and Orange Juice...

along with water and fruit....

The Doorbell rang!

"I got it guys." said Alfreda..

It was Judge Jetty Dukes... ( William Jefferson Tyrone Dukes)

"Alfreda, is it me or do you get finer as the days goes on?" he said..

''I don't know...but the pile gets deeper around you....How you doin Jetty?" laughed Alfreda...

He grinned..

"I'm doing just fine Freda....Your Boss Lady wanted to see me." he laughed.

"Yeah, they're all in here.." said Alfreda.

''Good Morning Judge Dukes." said Olivia.

"Good Morning Judge Dukes" I said,.

"Goooood Morning, Sit down, Have some coffee, a bagel, some O.J." said Beverly...

"Yeah, there's a seat right here.."said Nelson..

"Goood Morning Judge Dukes." said Josie, pulling a chair up..

''Hiiiiiii" said Bresha.

He smiled and sat down and took his coffee and a glass of orange juice and a Bagel..

"Uh oh....You guys need a favor?" he asked and laughed..

"No actually we are here to give you a heads up.....We thank you for enforcing that C& D on a certain unhinged Detective and protecting us and our friends from him...That's why we asked you to come here."said Olivia.

''Are you familliar with Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Dellums?" I asked.

''Yes, I 've met him...Young...Pretty Boy...Quite impressive and ambitious..I understand you guys put him in his place recently...Showed him how it's done.." laughed Jetty...

''Well he had an afternoon romp in one of the city's tony hotels with a beautiful young attorney from New York City, who is visiting here from New York...He and her were classmates in Harvard...They were photographed and filmed the entire afternoon and all of this information was put on a zip drive."said Beverly..

"Blackmail??? He's not married is he?" asked Jetty...

"No but he has a girlfriend...She might have been a live in... This zip drive containing this very damaging and explicit sex was mailed to her..And as a result, they have broken up...And this is not the first time... A few months back...He and former ADA Cheryl Drake had a one night stand in her townhouse.. This too was caught on camera and film and sent to the same girlfriend...She has probably had enough by now.."said Nelson..

"Boy needs to keep it in his pants or at least learn to be more discreet.."laughed Jetty..

"The same footage was mailed to her fiance , An Attorney in D.C. He broke off the marriage..and the partnership she was supposed to get, well that fell through...She was so distraught, she attempted suicide.. She has resigned from the District Attorney's office and moved to Atlanta." said Josie.

"That's terrible, but what has all of that got to do with me?" asked Jetty...

''We are getting to that...Both of these people have one thing in common...They made enemies with Lt. Tragg. She wrote a scathing end of trial report on him... and Todd Dellums had him arrested recently for Obstructing a Federal Investigation...Not to mention, a few weeks ago they got into a punch out in the street." I said.

''And there have been others...B.L. Benz...Host of the show , Hard Bottom stopped featuring him on the show..He winds up high and unconscious at a party with his trousers off and a prostitute lying next to him, with photos delivered to his girlfriend, ADA Karen Page a woman Lt. Tragg coveted..

Dabnis Coley, the attorney who sued him and the city for their twice false arrests and prosecutions of Judge Percy Reynolds.. He too was found in just his boxers, high and unconscious in a party with a prostitute lying on top of him... The photos were mailed to his wife..." said Olivia.

''An Attorney named Warren Lloyd is or was involved with a woman, Lt. Tragg was obsessed with, Had sex in a hotel room with this same visiting New York Attorney...He was recorded and a Zip drive was mailed to his girlfriend, Attorney Brenda Jordan...who has ended her relationship with him..."said Bresha.

"I know Brenda Jordan....Wowwwwwwww!" said Jetty..

"Yeah ,well the point of this is.. You have knocked the daylights out of him in public and you got him put on that boat for 30 days...and he doesn't care for your girlfriend ,Virginia...He's already had you hauled into jail and had her apartment raided... There is no reason for me to think that you aren't being targeted too...We are just telling you to keep your eyes open and be aware that you're being watched..

We suspect he's got a Private Investigator on you....He watches us too...We have our office swept three to four times a week..But he knows if he shows his face in this neighborhood without a warrant he can get locked up and he has been locked up twice , he's on Cease and Desist..." I said.

"Thank You....I'm grateful to you all..I'll be on the look out...I think the good Lieutenant needs to go fishing." said Jetty Dukes.. "Thank you guys...Anything you need....You just give me a call." he said as he left.

A half hour after Jetty Dukes left us... Attorney Millicent Caldwell arrived...She looked around..

"Nice...and you guys live upstairs huh? Sweet....Four Attorneys, an Investigator and an Office manager..

Olivia...I have to say, I admire you ,almost to the extent of being a fangirl."said Millicent..

Olivia, Beverly, Josie and Bresha laughed...

Nelson began the negotiation....

"Ms. Caldwell...I'm glad you came by yourself...Now let's be realistic...70 million dollars is not going to happen...Not ever.... 65 million is not going to happen either...We were hoping maybe we could bump it up to maybe 40 million." said Nelson as diplomatically as he could.

"You're making me laugh Mr. East....You're really making me laugh...What about the company?" said Millicent Caldwell.

"The Company is not on the table at all.... We are willing to try and negotiate 40 Million and perhaps some stock options...but that's it."said Olivia.

"I'll talk to my client and get back to you." said Millicent, grabbing a few pastries.."I'll be in touch." she said.

"Nothing like a woman that knows what she wants." I joked.

''She's not going to do better than what we offered her." said Beverly.

TWO HOURS LATER-

Josie and Nelson returned from Center City

''We've got a problem!" said Josie.

"We just met with Zelinsky..

"He said No to 40 Million and No to Stock Options...It's 32.5 million to go away period. He says he's at the point where he is putting pressure on D.A. Garcetti to prosecute her for First Degree Murder."said Nelson.

"Okayyyyyyyyyy , we'll see if she goes for our proffer....If she doesn't...Then we'll do the one thing neither of them wants to do." said Olivia.

''What's that?" asked Bresha.

''Take em to court." said Beverly..

III-

Our next meeting was on neutral grounds... The Bridge Building..

in their huge conference room..

Olivia looked at her watch.

''She's late." she said. She was a bit angry...

"Punctuality isn't her strong suit is it Auntay?" said Beverly.

Nelson smiled, remembering how Olivia drilled into him ,Beverly and Jazzy about being on time for court and all meetings.

Many Years Before-

''WE DON'T OPERATE ON C.P. TIME! C.P. TIME IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE, DEATH AND MONEY...BE ON TIME FOR COURT AND ALL MEETINGS AND LITIGATIONS , NO EXCUSES! Remember that always!" she told him, Bev and Jazzy..

when they were young attorneys at the Public Defenders Office... They never forgot it...They were always on time for court and all meetings with no exception...

"I wonder if her client is coming with her today?" asked Josie..

"I'm betting she will... The smell of money." said Bresha.

I smiled at Bree, sweet innocent Bree, who I suspected was going to be a cut-throat negotiator or litigator one day...She was really sucking up everything Olivia and Beverly and Nelson were doing..

She walked in...

Attorney Millicent Caldwell walked in with building security and the Hyperbaric chamber that contained Mrs. Michelle Harris.

Again, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing..

Her quasi celebrity had brought so much attention to this case...

ADA Karen Page of the WRONGFUL CONVICTION UNIT, Dabnis, Jazzy, Kayla, Ray, Tony, Jessica and Chip all stood outside the conference room looking in...It was the talk of the building.

They were soon joined by our other friends, Yvette, Keith, Bee Bee ,Sofia, Kahlil, Jade and Ms. Virginia.

They were all watching the spectacle....

"I talked your offer over with my client and uh 40 million is just not enough....She has lowered her offer though." said Millicent.

"Oh?" said Olivia.

"Yes...She wants 65 million and the stock options....She'll let them have the company...." said Millicent.

"You can't be serious... 65 million is not on the table at all...We told you that!" said Beverly...

''And Mr. East I met with Mr. Zelinsky yesterday...Stock Options aren't on the table either..His offer is

32.5 million and she goes away and that is it. We are sorry." said Josie.

Michelle Harris rose up out of the chamber...

She laughed loudly...

"Do any of you realize how much the Harris Group is worth? They have offices here in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Los Angelas.. Last I heard , they are worth at least 9 Billion.....BILLION!!!!!! My husband gave me a prenup that was worth 16 million, a drop in the bucket... and this man...this man who vowed in a church to love and honor me tried to kill me...That first stab wound just missed my heart by inches...I'm lucky to be alive...That second stab wound just missed my liver and the third one just missed my femur....He tried to kill me.. I was lucky enough to grab his gun off of his desk and kill him before he would have killed me...For my pain and suffering and for the pain of being married to that horny old goat, who demanded sex three and four times a day from me for four years...I deserve more... These negotiations are closed.. I want 65 million, clear and a controlling interest in the Harris Group... If you don't like it, TAKE ME TO COURT!!! I'LL ASK FOR EVEN MORE!" she said... "Ms. Caldwell let's go!" she said and laid back down in the Hyperbolic Chamber.

Building Security and Hospital employees weilded her out....

Millicent shrugged her shoulders..

Her phone was ringing..

''See you all in court!" she said. I could look at her and tell her heart wasn't in it.. She didn't really want to have to go to court..

IV-

AN HOUR LATER- THE PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

"You really think she may have killed her husband Ivan? You realize how sensitive this is...don't you?" asked District Attorney Gill Garcetti.

"You mean how embarrassing it would be if your office screws it up right Gil? Well we have Attorneys you can use... Special Prosecutors you might say....All you have to do is deputize them...I understand you have deputized a few , since a lot of your ADA's refuse to work a case involving a certain Lieutenant." said Ivan Zelinsky...a brilliant attorney who really did his research.

''Special Prosecutor? Uh Okay....I can work with that?" said Gil

He opened the door..

"You can come in now folks.." he said.

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie, Bresha, Myself and Jazzy walked in..

''Hello Gil, Never thought we'd be on the same side did you?" said Olivia.

"To Tell you the truth...I never thought so either."laughed Beverly.

"This is definitely a day I'll write on my calender." said Nelson.

They had all gone up against hm and beaten him when he was a young ADA and they were Public defenders.. How far they had all come.

"Hello Sir." said Josie politely..

"Hello sir." said Bresha. This was her first time actually meeting the District Attorney.

I simply smiled.

''Hello Boss." said Jazzy, who used to work for Gil for awhile, when she was an Assistant District Attorney. We hired her as a "consultant" when we heard we were going to be Special Prosecutors..

We had spent most of or time defending people.. Now we were going to put somebody away..Jazzy was perfect.

"You guys? You guys are going to be my special prosecutors? Oh this is funny, you don't know how funny this is..."laughed Gil Garcetti.

"Well Gil?" asked Ivan.

"Okay Ivan... I'll write up an Indictment... Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie, Bresha and Jazzy....I always dug you Jazzy...I have to swear you in... Donnie Ray, you are now my Special Investigator.. Thank god.. it's not Tragg...but he will have to go along with you when the arrest is made..but that's it as far as his involvement goes.. It's your show Donnie Ray and you can have all the manpower you need.." said Gil.

"Wow! Mom would be proud." I said smiling..

I watched as Olivia, Beverly, Jazzy, Nelson, Josie and Bree were sworn in as Special Prosecutors.

in court

in front of one of our favorite Judges, Elise Cummings.

who we'd had the pleasure of defending once before..

By District Attorney Gil Garcetti.

"Lieutenant, I don't think we need all of this manpower for this arrest....It's a woman and she's bed ridden...We aren't arresting Ma Barker or Bonnie Parker." I said as Lt. Tragg and a Tactical squad followed me.

"Look Donnie Ray.You haven't been on the job for a few years now...I'm the expert at this." said Lt. Tragg.

I was sorry he had any involvement in this at all..

When we arrived at the door, Attorney Millicent Caldwell and Michelle Harris were sitting in chairs..

''What is this?" asked Millicent Caldwell.

Michelle Harris looked as though she had thoroughly recovered from her wounds..

''What Gives? Mr. Alexander , what are you doing here?" asked Michelle Harris.

"Michelle ,you should have taken the money...I have a warrant for your arrest on First degree murder charges.." I said, presenting the warrant to Millicent Caldwell.

"Zelinsky intends to play hardball....So I suppose Olivia is the Special Prosecutor...huh?" she asked.

"She is." I said.

"You can ask all the questions you want later.. "said Lt. Tragg slapping handcuffs on Michelle Harris.

"Michelle Harris...you're under arrest on a charge of First Degree Murder, you have the right to remain silent, Anything you say can and will be used against you...You have a right to an attorney, which I see you have...VA VA VA VOOOOOOOOOOM!" he said looking at Millicent's sexy legs...If you can't afford one, one will be assigned to you....Do you understand these rights as I'm reading them to you?" he asked.

''Yes." she said.