Outside This Heaven

WEDNESDAY MORNING 10:00 AM -COURTROOM D

Olivia, Beverly, our client Tiffany Dayton, Nelson ,Josie ,Bresha and myself met in Judge Elizabeth Coleman's courtroom....

"I'll call this hearing to order...The arraignment of plaintiff, Tiffany Rhodes -Dayton on the charge of Murder in the first degree." said Judge Coleman.

"I like her...she used to work at McCluskey/Cozen/Connor & Pratt with Vettie." said Olivia.

"OLIVIA BENNETT-ALEXANDER and Associates for the Defense your Honor, Mrs. Beverly west-East, second chair, assisted by Nelson East, Josie Boyd and Bresha Billips, we plead NOT GUILTY YOUR HONOR!" said Olivia.

''Well here we go." said Beverly to Tiffany.

"I'm scared....I didn't do this.. Bad enough I've lost my husband, but now I face a life behind bars."said Tiffany.

"Don't think negative thoughts.. We are going to get you out of this.Trust us."said Nelson.

"It's just beginning."said Josie.

"Yes....Trust us." said Bresha.

 I said nothing...I just stood with them..

The Assistant District Attorney was Cal McCafferty, who we had gone up against a number of times...He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here..

"Your honor..The prosecution is asking ,due to the diabolically heinous nature of this crime that the defendent , Mrs. Dayton be denied bail. we consider her a danger to society at large." he said.

Lt. Tragg sat with a wry smile and his legs crossed...As usual, looking like someone straight out of central casting....Nice neatly tailored Italian suit...Expensive shoes...A nice fragrance and every hair in place..

"Your honor, my client has not one blemish on her record...Not even a traffic ticket...No prior arrests. She is a solid citizen and poses no danger at anytime to the community at large." said Olivia.

Beverly presented the Pastor of her church, who talked about how long he'd known Tiffany and her family and how proud he was of her education strides and her business strides. He said he was proud to have married her and Christian.

Josie and Bresha presented 21 people , from her job and from the various charities she worked at who attested to her good charactor..

"Your honor, our client loved her husband, adored him...She had no motive to murder him..."said Nelson..

"Oh she had motive...To inherit his fortune and take over his company..."said ADA Cal McCafferty.

Olivia produced a copy of his last will and testament.. "He had already left her everything and had made her Vice President...THis was done in my office a week before he proposed..She already had more than she could hope for.. She was not plotting on his money."said Olivia.

''Alright...Stop it both of you.. We aren't going to argue the merits of the case here in court..There will be plenty of time for that when the trial begins..."said Judge Coleman...She looked around..She saw Lt. Tragg sitting next to the ADA...It had been a few months since Lt. Tragg had not only arrested her , but went out of his way to embarrass her by showing sexually lurid photos used to blackmail her and extort money to the public, before he was stopped by her lawyers.. She despised him. 

She had a red hot hatred for him that went beyond reason...

"I am setting bail at $1000.00 dollars," she said , which meant we had to pay $100.00 dollars.

Bresha passed a check for $100.00 to the bailiff, the one who was always checking out her cleavage and making goo goo eyes at him.. She smiled back and passed him the check and just like that...We Were all out of there.

"Thank you so much for getting me out of jail."said Tiffany..

"That's just half the battle...we've got to prepare a defense , a defense that will get these charges dropped." said Olivia.

"And to do that we are going to need your help.. But right now..I'm betting you want to get something to eat." I said.

"Me too, but we aren't going to Sam Mother's diner..." said Beverly...

"No we are going to Yvette's building." said Nelson...

"Yes..Let's get out of here." said Josie.

"Yeah before old Lt. Columbo can follow us." said Bresha.

We exited out side of the courtroom and hopped on the subway to the 

bridge building, where all of our friends worked and ate...

Lt. Tragg was not above trying to put tracking devices on our vehicles.. We all took the train into town this morning..He had no target...

He was furious that we weren't in Sam Mother's diner either...

We all wound up in the modern cafeteria at the Bridge Building where our friends and neighbors Yvette Jones-Lockwood and her  staff, Bee Bee, Keith, Sofia ,Kahlil , Jade and Virginia, their office manager  worked.

"Olivia, Beverly, Donnie Ray, Nelson  Josie ,Bresha...I see you've learned the lesson we've learned..of taking that ride the distance back to here as opposed to Eating in Sam Mother's after court."said Yvette.

" As hungry as we are..It's just more comfortable to come here and eat...Lt. Tragg makes it impossible to enjoy your food."said Bee Bee.

"Yeah, he gives you indigestion."said Keith Jones..

''Among other things."said Sofia.

''Even when you totally ignore him, he stands over your table, whining and complaining and accusing you of obstructing justice or some other feckless crime."said Kahlil.

"Here you can eat in peace." said Jade.

"Anywhere away from him is peaceful."said Virginia.. "How are you guys doing?" said Virginia.

"Yeah, I figure he's really in a tizzy this morning..We got our client free during arraignment.., So we figured.. let's take the ride down here to eat...so glad you guys are working here Vettie."said Olivia.

"Glad and relieved we can all hang together." I said.

"Hi Cousin Liv."said Kayla , who had just walked in with her husband, Ray..

"Heyyy Bennett women."said Ray..

"Hi Kayla, Ray." said Beverly..

"Hey guys." said Nelson who turned toward Tiffany... "They all live across the street from us... They all work here and because they do, we are allowed to eat here." he said.

"This is soooooo cool." said Tiffany.

''After what you've been through the last 48 hours , you need some relaxation.." said Josie.

Bresha was happy to see her husband, who also worked here and was sitting on his lap kissing him passionately...

"Heyyy Liv, Donnie Ray, guys and gals..Glad you could visit us." said Dabnis.

"Bev ,you coming over tonight to wash and style my hair?" asked Jazzy.

''Yeah, I'll be by...around 8:00 okay?" said Beverly.

''Hail Hail, the whole gang is here."said Jessica

"Nice to see you all."said her husband, Chip..

"I'm so glad you guys all work here now...I thought I was going to be lonely and isolated when I first moved to this building." said ADA Karen Page who sat with us...

We had a good ,piping hot meal and a relaxing chat with our friends and neighbors...

II-

Back at our Office /Duplex

"OUUUUUUUUU YOU ARE THE HORNIEST MAN ALIVE!!! OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ,SO DAMN HARD AND SO BIG....OUUUUUUUUU!" moaned Alfreda. She and Rockland were kissing passionately in the kitchen...They had been for the past HALF HOUR!

Her Boyfriend, Assistant District Attorney Rockland Cambridge was off today and had come over early after we had left for court.. She was wearing a dress...and he had made the best of his time...

"You know how I get when you wear a dress." Rockland moaned.

"I know how you get when I breathe." Alfreda said, kissing him...

He had slipped her panties down...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ROCKLAND!!!!! OH MY GODDDD!" she exclaimed...

He had her in the kitchen...hoisted in the air..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS, HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS MAN!!!! " she yelled as he thrusted with wild abandon inside of her.. sweating and driven to the point of deliriousness..

The past HOUR AND A HALF they were going at it..

"OUUUU WE ARE GONNA GET CAUGHT ONE OF THESE DAYS!" Alfreda wailed, her head turning from side to side..Her body trembling..

"NOT TODAY!" Rockland moaned.. "Alfreda ,I love you!" he cried out..

Alfreda's body trembled.. She had an intense orgasm and Rockland couldn't control himself either.. He too came with wild abandon...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu Rockland.. I love you too!" she whispered.

They finished...They straightened their clothing.. They took turns using the bathroom to clean themselves up..

They didn't notice that the bell was ringing until afterwords...

"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE...OPEN THIS DOOR!" screamed Lt. Tragg..

Two Sherrif's deputy vehicles showed up like clock work... He couldn't believe it.. AUSA Todd Dellums

still had his FBI Agents following him and reporting his every move.. He was still under cease and desist...and he had violated it once again by being at our place of residence.

And Lt. Tragg was once again arrested for violating C&D!!

We saw him being packed in the squad car just as we were arriving home. 

He saw us walking up to the house as he was pulling off in the squad car... He realized that we hadn't been home...So this was either Dellums or that harpie, Alfreda ,who had called the Sherriff's deputies he thought.

He was taken to the courthouse and locked up in "The Cooler"...The courthouse holding facility on the sixth floor.

"That was Lt. Tragg." I said.

"Looks like he came here to hassle us and got himself picked up."said Nelson.

"Good...He'll be locked up at least 24- 48 hours.. Nelson is going to take you home, pack a few things..

You're going to stay with us a few nights." said Olivia.

"Ohhhh cool, thank you so much...I can't stay there at that condo...not tonight." said Tiffany.

"I perfectly understand.. staying with us will keep you out of Lt. Tragg's radar for awhile."said Olivia.

"I'm supposed to do Jazzy's hair tonight.. I'll have her come over here." said Beverly.

"Dinner here tonight Liv?" asked Josie.

"Yeah....I'll throw something on."said Olivia.

"I'll call Tony."said Bresha.

We decided to have dinner at our place tonight...

"Liv is it okay if uh Rockland and I spend the night tonight?" asked Alfreda , who was helping Olivia and Beverly prepare dinner... We had fixed up the sub-basement...Put a new Bed down there, two chest of drawers and a nice rug...It had been the quarters if the B-Mechanic when this Duplex was just two domiciles and a real estate office, before Olivia bought it.  There was a half bathroom down there with a shower, toilet and sink... We had made it comfortable for Alfreda , who had half of her clothing down there now and stayed overnight quite a bit.. Her lease on her present apartment was up and she was looking for someplace closer to us.

"Sure! You don't have to ask Freda...You have a key, you're always welcome." said Olivia.

"Yayyyyy Mommy is staying." said Beverly.

They were preparing Lamb Chops, Cooked Shrimp, Mashed Potatoes and String Beans...

Nelson and I returned with Tiffany and an overnite bag...

''Wowww ,smells good ladies."said Nelson..

"Ummmmmmmmmmmm and I've worked up an appetite too!" I said.

"Yesssssssss." said Tiffany..."You guys do this often?" she asked.

"As much as possible... We have breakfast here, when we aren't in court and order take out and have dinner here, again when we aren't in court... Mostly us, the staff and our spouses...Tiffany, this is my husband, Paris...Paris, this is our client, Tiffany Dayton." said Josie.

"Pleased to meet you." said Paris.

''And this is my husband, Tony." said Bresha.

''We met a few hours ago." said Tony.

"Yes....In your building... You all live on this street...and most of you either work here or your fabulous building...That is sooooo cool...I love your togetherness."said Tiffany.

"We've all known each other and worked together for years, Through school, jobs, what have you...and by divine co-incidence...We All wound up living on this street." said Jazzy, who came over to have her hair washed and styled by Beverly, who had been doing her hair since high school.

"And working in the same building.. Most of us anyway."said Dabnis.

"Olivia and Beverly are my first cousins... I've been with them my whole life."gushed Kayla.

"Good God, everything looks delicious...Let's eat." said her husband, Ray...

"I second that" said Rockland...

We all chowed down....Later Beverly washed and styled Jazzy's hair...

and we all settled down for the night.. a peaceful night.

While a livid Lt. Tragg spent the night..

locked up....fuming about his misfortune.

III-

The next morning.. we had a continental breakfast spread in our conference room..

Doughnuts, Bagels, Pastries , Orange Juice and Coffee..

courtesy of our very efficient Office Manager, Alfreda...

''Wow, you've got a nice set up here Olivia." said Tiffany... "You live where you work and you have everything you need right here." she observed..

"I dreamed about having my own law firm for years...and after I divorced my first husband and got a huge settlement.. what I wanted came more into fruition..and it turned out better than I could have hoped...

My Neicey Poo and her husband,,

both of whom had worked with me at the Public Defenders Office came to work with me..

The love of my life , the man of my dreams married me and became something I had a hard time getting when I was a Public Defender, my in house investigator...

Josie girl, who was with us when we opened these doors.. Used her talents to help design both the law library and the media room..

Josie had degrees in Architecture and Business Management...before she went to law school and got her J.D.

and I found a smart as a whip law school graduate who had just passed the bar in Bresha..

and Beverly's mama...My brother's former girlfriend was the most organized person I knew , growing up...Who better to manage this office... There you have it ...The perfect team..." said Olivia.

And Across the street and down the street..

you have your very best friends and you cousin and her husband.. 

"Ouu this is Heaven....I can't imagine living Outside this Heaven..."said Tiffany..

''But speaking of things outside of this Heaven, there is your case."I said., "You said you didn't know where those Red Bulls came from...Had you ever seen him drinking Red Bull before?" I asked.

"Oh Yes, around the office all the time." said Tiffany.

"So Somebody in your office orders Red Bull, just like Ms. Alfreda orders bottled water for this office?" asked Bresha.

"Yes exactly." said Tiffany..

"So he might have grabbed a couple of Red Bull and brought them home correct?" said Josie.

"He probably did...He drank that stuff like water all the time.. He hadn't been to work in three weeks, so those cans had to have been in the refrigerator the whole three weeks we were in Paris on our Honeymoon, but you said all three cans were opened...I didn't see them in the frig and it's not like him to open a can and half drink it and then open two more."|said Tiffany.

"That's the thing...The other two cans hadn't been drank, they were full, they were just open....and according to the tox report and the autopsy report I have here...He ingested a full can of Red Bull laced heavily with digitalis... The other two cans were laced heavily also." I said.

''Somebody might have come in your condo while you guys were away and opened those cans and

spiked that Red Bull.."said Olivia.

''Who else had a key to his condo ?" asked Nelson.

"Wallace Anderson, his primary care physician and Best man at our wedding. That was his best friend..He woudn't have done this...I know he wouldn't have." said Tiffany.

"I know but I still have to ask him." I said.

''Do you want me to go with you?" asked Beverly.

''Sure Shortcake.."I said.. I put a glossy on the table... "This is a Three Dimensional Printer.. This machine can make a model out of almost anything , a working model out of wax... Especially a key..

I found wax shavings.. A lot of them by the door...These shavings are in evidence at Police headquarters right now.. If Wallace is not our man and I don't think he is...Somebody got a copy of Christian's keys and made a duplicate of it and gained access to your condo while you two were in Paris." I said.

We all looked at the photo of the three dimensional copier..

"Nelson will take you to get your locks changed tomorrow and some new keys......." I said..

"We know an excellent guy.." said Olivia.

Tiffany stayed with us one more night..

and then returned to the condo she once shared with her now deceased husband..

IV-

Beverly agreed to meet Wallace in Sam Mother's Diner.

"Yes Bev, I had keys to uh Christian's condo... He told me to check in on his place while he was gone..Cindy and I both stopped by there just one time after their wedding...It was the Saturday Morning..One week after they had gone to Paris.. I was there for an hour...In fact I made myself a sandwich while I was there..he had Cheese and Lunchmeat and round sandwich rolls in his refrigerator and a pickle...but I can tell you this much... THERE WAS NO THREE CANS OF RED BULL IN THE REFRIGERATOR while we were there!" he said.

"There wasn't?  Wow!  Well that says a lot." said Beverly...

Beverly's husband , Nelson sat down with them..

"Hi Wallace." he said.

"Heyy Nelson." said Wallace, smiling and shaking his hand.

"So that means someone else brought those Red Bulls there during the week right before they returned..Opened em and spiked them..."said Beverly.

"Well Cindy and I were in San-Francisco, a few days after that and we didn't return until after Christian's death." said Wallace.

"I believe you, but I had to ask." said Beverly.

"I understand...You're defending his widow huh? Once again that jackass Lt. Tragg may have jumped to conclusions and arrested the wrong person."said Wallace.

"Hey Guys, cheese it!" said Nelson.

Lt. Tragg, newly released from the "cooler" was coming through the door.

Naturally , he made a bee line for Beverly and Nelson's table..

"Soooooooooooo, two of the best lawyers money can buy eh?" he said.

''Didn't you just get out of jail?" asked Beverly, pointing to the window..

A Sherriff's Vehicle pulled up just then...

Without saying a word, Lt. Tragg, as red as a beet headed to the counter and ordered his food to go.

He stayed there until his order was ready and promptly left without incident..

He was livid as he drove away....If it was the last thing he did...He was going to get even with AUSA Todd Dellums, he vowed..

Later back at our Office/Duplex-

Olivia and I, Alfreda, Josie and Bresha howled with laughter as Beverly and Nelson told us the story about Lt. Tragg's visit today in Sam Mother.

"You should have seen the look on his face Auntay...He stopped on a dime.." said Beverly.

"He walked up to the counter, got his food to go and left immediately...That's the fastest I ever saw him exit...Those Sherrif's deputies are on top of it."said Nelson.

"I'm certain they're being helped." said Olivia quietly..

I smiled.  I agreed.

Tiffany's doorbell rang...

''Ervin? What are you doing here?" asked Tiffany.

"I was thinking about you...I couldn't get you off my mind..I had to see you. I came around here two nights before. You weren't here." said Ervin Edwards.

"I haven't seen you in nearly three months and you show up now...Now after my husband has been murdered." said Tiffany.

"When else could I have shown up? You were married remember? I'm sorry for your loss...I'm here as a friend, for support." said Ervin.

"You're here to get in my panties...You don't fool me Ervin.."said Tiffany.

He took his suit jacket off and tossed it on the chair..He stepped out of his shoes..

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

He dropped his trousers and slipped his boxers off..

"Comforting you." he said nonchalantly..

"OH MY GOD!" she said..

They kissed passionately..

He slipped his hands up under her skirt 

and removed her panties..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU BOY, YOU SO NASTY!!! OUUUUUUU!" she screamed.

"But you want it baby... I know I want it." he said.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU YES...YES!" she cooed.

Before anyone knew what was happening... They were in the bedroom, making slow and sweet love..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...ERVIN, YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE, WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS....OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned.

"THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING BABY.....OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'VE MISSED YOU SOO MUCH!  OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned.

The bed squeaked something terrible and rocked back and forth..The headboard softly slamming up against the wall...

SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS drifted by slowly.

Ervin awakened something in Tiffany, Something primal that needed a release...

He too needed a release . 

Tiffany had an intense orgasm which left her body trembling. Ervin too had a mind numbing orgasm, cumming so hard , he thought he'd died and gone to Heaven.

He found himself lying between her legs, sweating profusely when she said.

''Ervin? Get up....you've got to go." she said.

"What?" he said, astounded.

"You can't stay here...You aren't spending the night, please go." she said softly...

"Well can I get a shower at least?" he asked. "Perhaps we can take it together?" he said raffishly and smiling.

"No...You have to go...I'm sorry, I should have never let you in.. This was wrong." she said. "Take a shower when you get where ever you are now staying." she said.

"I DON'T BELEIVE THIS!" he snarled angrilly.

He got dressed....He was furious, livid... He didn't say goodbye..He stomped his foot and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

(TO BE CONTINUED)