VENTURES: The Colgates

MONDAY MORNING- 9:30 AM

The peace our office had had for two to three weeks was coming to an end this morning..

Ms. Virginia had just sat down at the front desk when a frantic man came running in...

"I must speak to Mrs. Yvette Jones-Lockwood...It is urgent...Very ,Very Urgent." he said.

"Do you have an appointment? Did you call/" Ms. Virginia asked. Before he could answer...Another person walked in...This was a woman.

"I am here to see Mrs. Yvette Jones-Lockwood..I have an appointment...I called and left a message with her last night.It is urgent..Very urgent." she said.

"Wow...Everybody has an urgent concern.. I'll buzz her." said Virginia.

"Olivia?? What are you doing here? " asked the man..

''He's my husband, Barrett..I love him...We are back together.. He's been arrested and accused of murder.. He didn't kill anyone.. I know he didn't." said Olivia.

"I saw it on the news last night.. That jackass Tragg arrested him and made him do a humilating perp walk..." said Dr. Barrett Colgate. "My girlfriend is an Assistant District Attorney..She told me to get a defense attorney...She sent me here..."said Barrett..

He remembered the Press conference last night with Lt. Tragg almost saying that his brother, Joseph Colgate was all but guilty of First Degree Murder before a trial...He was furious.

I was in my office, filing away some old case files.

Next door to me...

Sofia was on the phone talking to a potential client in an unrelated case...

Next door to her..

Bee Bee was like me, refiling some of her old case files.

and next door to her..

Kahlil was gathering the law books we had been using for the past three weeks and was headed into the conference room to file them away..

And finally in Jade's office...She was doing nothing...Simply listening to music on her small Alexa.

None of us knew the drama that was about to unfold...

Yvette appeared in the front office,She recognized Barrett Colgate as one of Olivia and Beverly's former clients ,who beat the snot out of Lieutenant Tragg for ripping his girlfriend's panties off in Curley's Bar.

She Knew Olivia was Dr. Joseph Colgate's wife.

"Yvette, uh both of these people have an urgent need to see you...This woman here called ahead and left a message," said Virginia.

"We are both here for the same reason...My husband and his Older Brother, Joseph Colgate was arrested by Lt. Tragg yesterday and charged with First degree Murder...You were his attorneys, he told me to call you...He did not kill anybody... He is innocent..I know it.. Joseph has never lied to me about anything." she said.

It was the other shoe she feared would drop...It had dropped... An arrest for a murder and the detective involved was Lt. Arthur Tragg.. but of course...Who else?" she sighed.

"Come into my conference room...You can meet the rest of my staff...Virginia...buzz them, they're in their offices..Tell them to meet me in the Conference Room." said Yvette.. "Both of you follow me." she said.

"Got'cha Vettie." said Virginia.

"Hey Guys...This is Mrs. Olivia Colgate, Joseph Colgate's Wife and this is Dr. Joseph Colgate's younger brother, Barrett Colgate," said Ms. Yvette.

''Pleased to meet you all, such a nice Looking Bunch."said Olivia Colgate.

"I believe I've seen you all in Curley's Bar..You are friends and neighbors of Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West..My former attorneys. "said Barrett.

''And these are my staff attorneys who will be working with me, Mr. Keith Jones, His wife, Mrs. Beatrice Evans-Jones, Mrs. Sofia Garcia-Ahmed ,her husband, Kahlil Ahmed and my investigator,

Mrs. Jade Lee-Ho." said Yvette, introducing us.

"Hello, pleased to make your acquaintence Mrs. Colgate..Dr. Barrett Colgate, small world..You're Dr. Colgate's Brother eh?" I said.

"Pleased to make both of your acquaintences." said Bee Bee.

''Good Morning..Pleased to make your acquaintences.." said Sofia.

"Hi guys...Have a seat..." said Kahlil.

"Nice to meet you both.." said Jade..

We all sat down...

Virginia poured coffee

and served some fresh pastries we still had from Cakeman Raven's bakery....

" We know about the murder...It's a few days old..And from what little we do know..It's safe to say Lt. Tragg doesn't have a murder weapon, Doesn't have a time of death or a timetable of this guy's last movements ,no eyewitness and no forensic evidence..He's got nothing but gossip and innuendos. It's early enough in the day that we can get a Judge who will arraign him at the latest tomorrow morning.

We can get him out and then we can sort this whole thing out.. Bee Bee, Sofia, find me a judge.." said Yvette.

''We are on it." said Bee Bee.

"We'll see you at Central Booking." said Sofia.

Yvette looked at me and Kahlil..

"You two, round up some charactor witnesses...Take Jade with you." she said.

'We are on it." I said.

"We'll see you at Central Booking." said Kahlil..

"See you at Central Booking."said Jade..

And we all hurried out of the office..

"They seem so young." said Olivia Colgate.

"They are young... I took them up under my wing soon after they passed the bar and they've been with me ever since.. They've each tried over 100 cases..Not just with me, but with other attorneys..They are very seasoned.. and Jade, our investigator was a Homicide Detective on the Tokyo Police Force.. She had the highest clearance rate for three years running. My people are highly skilled...They just recently successfully argued a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.. My people are very skilled and up to the task." said Yvette.

''You sound very proud of them." said Olivia Colgate.

"I have the utmost faith in you guys.."said Barrett Colgate.

'We are going to do all we can to free your brother and exonerate him of these charges." said Ms. Yvette.

II-

The "Fishbowl" ,the nickname the detectives gave to the interrogation room smelled far worse than it ever had today and with the sweltering heat, it was torture for everyone involved.

Dr. Joseph Colgate said nothing the entire nine hours he sat in here, He refused a cigarette. He didn't smoke..He refused an offer to get him a candy bar. He did ask for water ,but that was denied to him, unless he talked. He was getting sick to his stomach...Yet he refused to say anything.

Lt. Tragg had left , gone home and shaved and showered, put on a new suit and had come back and still Joseph Colgate refused to talk, refused to say anything.. The heat and the horrid smell and the lack of water was getting to him....

Lt. Tragg stared balefully at him..

''Don't you want to talk? Don't you want to tell me what happened? He was bangin your wife..I know the details..And he was trying to ruin your career at work...You hated him...and YOU KILLED HIM!!

It's perfectly understandable doc...I'd of shot the son of a bitch myself if he was banging my wife behind my back and trying to get me fired simultaneously..."said Lt. Tragg. He had gotten a series of anonymous phone calls which had given him all of this information and had led him to a few people who had corroborated it..

He was about to collapse when he looked up and smiled and spoke for the first time..

"You came!" he said.

"Yes Joseph...I came.. We brought you some coffee." said Yvette, who brought a thermos full of hot coffee. and some cups..

"'Bet;cha you could use this." said Kahlil , who tossed him a bottle of cold water.

"Bless You..." he said as he gulped the water down...and then began with the coffee.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOO THIS PLACE STINKS!!! MORE THAN NORMAL!" I said.

"MY GOD DO YOU EVER MOP THESE FLOORS?? AIR THIS PLACE OUT!!! WHOOOOO!" said Bee Bee.

"OHH MY GOD!! SITTING IN HERE IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT!" said Sofia.

Jade busted out laughing..

Lt. Tragg looked at her.. "YOU'RE NOT AN ATTORNEY...YOU GET OUT!" he snarled.

''She's staying..Would you please leave the room so we can confer with our client?" said Yvette.

Lt. Tragg was so angry when he left that he slammed the door so hard the glass window broke into little pieces and fell on the floor..

"AWWWWWWWWWWW HELL!" he said angrily....

Yvette sighed.

"We don't even have the pretense of privacy now.. You say nothing to nobody concerning your case.. We found you a Judge.. You'll be arraigned tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.. We have character witnesses.. You just sit tight.." said Yvette. Come on guys." she said.

Two uniform officers handcuffed him and took him upstairs to the holding facility....

The desk and the chairs were taken out of the room and scrubbed down...The floors were mopped with steaming hot water and Pine sol and an air freshener was sprayed in the room while the door was kept open so it could air out... The waste basket which was overflowing was emptied and a clean basket with a new bag was put in the room..

"They should have done this a long time ago.." said Bee Bee, observing as we left.

"I know right?" said Sofia..

"My God...I couldn't have taken an hour in there...Dr. Colgate was in there all night." I said.

"He looked like he was about to keel over when we arrived." said Kahlil.

"That water and that coffee saved his life.."said Jade.

"I wish we had brought him something to eat like Doughnuts ,Bagels and Pastries. like we used to do."said Yvette, who added.."When that room was halfway bearable."

We all laughed.

III-

THE NEXT MORNING- 7:00 AM

We were leaving earlier than our friends today...We wanted a chance at some breakfast before our court appearence...

"I'm sorry to do this loves...but it's the only way we can get some nourishment and be in court on time at 9:00 am. I'll make it up to you... After the arraignment...You can all go home.. I'll cut Virginia loose at lunchtime." said Ms. Yvette, who really did care for us...almost like a second mother...

''Thanks Ms. Yvette...I'm starving.." I said. I was holding Bee Bee tight as she laid her head on my shoulders.

"Ummm I guess you are after the performance you put on in the bed last night...Ouuuuuuuu!" she whispered softly in my ear..

"I'm hungry too!." said Sofia, who was also leaning her head into Kahlil's shoulders...

"Thank God they have a nice air conditioned cafeteria in the courthouse...We can eat in peace." said Kahlil.

"I read the crime scene reports....and the autopsy.... There is no physical evidence whatsoever that links our client to this.. No fingerprints, No DNA and not one witness who places Joseph Colgate anywhere near this man at anytime on the day he died... No tracing of his movements or Joseph Colgate at all.. I don't know how Lt. Tragg made a case for this." said Jade, once a seasoned Homicide Detective herself.

"How did he know that Spann and Mrs. Colgate were doing the Hibbity Bibbity.....Didn't you say you went to the job and interviewed people and that none of the other employees knew about that?" asked Ms. Yvette.

"That's right....That was something between the two men. Only we knew that..." said Jade.

"Lt. Tragg isn't the deepest investigator in the world... and yet he knew that..."said Sofia.

"Right Now...It's Hearsay....We are the only ones who have Physical proof of that..."said Kahlil.

"Unless we're not! Unless he heard it from someone else not named in the document." I said.

''Confidential Informant?" asked Bee Bee.

"Nobody on the street wants to talk to Lt. Tragg...My guess is...an anonymous tipster....He's made cases or tried to make cases with an anonymous tipster before..Jade , check his phone calls." said Ms. Yvette.

"I'll get on that... It's a wonder he cracks any cases." sighed Jade in exasperation.

''Who says he does?" asked Kahlil.

Sofia and I, Bee Bee, Ms. Yvette and Ms. Jade all cracked up laughing..

7:45 AM

''We've got about an hour guys." said Yvette.

''Yeah, well at least we can eat in peace...If you know what I mean." said Bee Bee.

"Knock on wood and hope he never wanders up here." I said.

''He strikes me as a creature of habit." said Sofia.

"He's a creature alright." said Kahlil..

Again we all burst into laughter...

"Let's grab some food." said Jade.

Our food arrived and we all chowed down.

Lt. Tragg was actually a few blocks away...

He thought he'd broaden his horizons and step into a Bohemian Coffee House.. See what that was all about.

He immediately thought this was too Millenial, too hipster for his tastes, but the sexy blonde he saw enter just before he did changed his mind.. He bought a cup of coffee and invited himself to her table.

"VA VA VA VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" he said to himself upon seeing her..

She smiled weakly...And was astonished he just invited himself to her table.

"Hi...I'm Lieutenant Arthur Tragg, Homicide, Philadelphia Police department... I uh have got a court appointment this morning for a big case I'm working.. You an attorney by any chance?" he asked ,smiling

and sipping his coffee.

"I know who you are....I've seen you on television." said the Blonde..

He smiled... "Oh really, then you're privy to some of the top murder cases I've been involved with." he said.

"No... I just know that you're the one who arrested my husband and charged him with first degree murder. I'm Olivia Colgate... We are more than likely going to the same hearing this morning." she said.

He nearly spit his coffee out... "You!! You? You're the Doc's wife?" he asked incredulous.... "Well VA VA VA VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! I'd kill a man over her my damn self." he thought to himself.

"That's rightttttttttttt" she said and finished her coffee, plunked down a couple of dollars and put her lipstick on...She then got up without saying anything more

and left the coffee shop. She had no more to say to him and did not want to be seen entering the courthouse with him.

COURTROOM D- 9:00 AM.

We stood in the courtroom with our client, Joseph Colgate..

Judge Elise Cummings was presiding..

"Good ! You guys did good." she said to Sofia and Bee Bee.

"Told you we'd get you a good judge." said Sofia.

"Take Notes Kahlil." said Bee Bee to Kahlil, who had got us Randy Judge Newton Cowley last time.

''Alright ,Alright...Rub it in."laughed Kahlil.

I laughed myself.."It's okay...We got a good judge." I said.

"You guys are alright." said Dr. Colgate.

"Let's Hope so...Let's hope we can get you off." said Jade.

Mrs. Olivia Colgate and her brother in law ,Dr. Barrett Colgate sat together in the visitors section..

Lt. Tragg noticed... "Barrett Colgate....Colgate? That must be his brother... Wow..Small world." he mused.

Shapely Assistant District Attorney Leslie Chance was in court with a new Assistant District Attorney

A young Black woman...Her name was Michelle Battles..No one seemed to know her.

"VA VA VA VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM" thought Lt. Tragg, who was getting an erection looking at both women... He was going to thoroughly enjoy this case.

Michelle Battles actually argued the case saying that Dr. Joseph Colgate was accused of a Class A Felony, Murder in the First degree and was there for a danger to the community at large.. She argued that he was pretty well off financially and a possible flight risk.

Ms. Yvette and I argued that though Dr. Colgate indeed was well off financially, He had no intention of fleeing and wanted his day in court to fight these outrageous and egregious charges. We argued that he had no previous arrests or convictions...Not even a traffic ticket.

Michelle Battles didn't go down the rabbit hole of trying to argue the particulars here...

Bee Bee, Sofia and Kahlil called five witnesses a piece to testify to Joseph Colgate's charactor....

Judge Cummings set his bail at $5000.00 dollars..

Brother, Barrett Colgate wrote a check for $500.00 and passed it to the Bailiff.

"Thank You Brother." said Joseph Colgate..

and his wife, Olivia Colgate gave him a big kiss..

"I'll be waiting for you at home baby." she said.

Lt. Tragg watched the entire thing...He was livid...

"They're obviously too experienced or slick for this new prosecutor." he said.

IV-

Back at our office.. Our newly freed client, Joseph Colgate was relieved to be out of that jail cell and even more so not to have to sit in that god awful Interrogation room.

"Yvette....You guys are saints...I never want to ever be locked up again..." said Joseph Colgate.

"Nobody does... Now that you're free..Why don't you and your wife book yourselves into a hotel for the time being." said Yvette.

"Use your real names...Make sure it's within the city limits." I said.

"Take this Portal....With it you can get daily updates on how your defense is coming along.."said Bee Bee, passing him the Portal..

''That way you won't have to travel here...the whole thing will be virtual." said Kahlil.

"Take this...This is what is commonly known as a burner phone..Don't contact us through our Personal numbers or Business numbers.. Forget them for the time being.. You contact us through this number and this number only."said Sofia.

She passed him the phone.

"I've never seen Married Couples work so well together." joked Joseph Colgate.

"There's hope for you yet huh?" said Jade.

"Hope Springs Eternal." said Joseph Colgate.

Yvette and Ms. Virginia looked at each other and smiled.

Ms. Yvette and her husband, Gary were home...

Ms. Yvette was on her laptop.. She had googled the new prosecutor, Michelle Battles.

Michelle Leslie Battles.

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls.

BA- Trial Advocacy/Pre Law/Administration of Justice/ Howard University, Washington-D.C.

JD- Howard University School of Law- Washington-D.C.

Passed the Bar in Washington D.C. , Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Deleware, New York, New Jersey

Public Defender- Washington D.C.

Assistant District Attorney- Washington D.C.

Taught Trial Advocacy at Georgetown University School of Law-

Associate Attorney at Leland and Saunders- Washington D.C.

Senior Associate Attorney at Leland and Saunders- Washington D.C.

Assistant District Attorney- Philadelphia Pa.

Lives in Bayside, PA.

''Wow, she appears to be very good. She's been at this awhile.. She's no Neophyte." said Yvette.

''Come here...Sit on my lap...Let me show you what I'm good at." said Gary

"I know what you're good at.....All big and hard...Ummmmmmmm...Ouuuuuuuu" said Yvette as she sat on his lap..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, That thing is poking me." she laughed.

As she leaned over and kissed him passionately and opened his robe.. Naturally he had nothing on under it..

"OH GARY GOOD LAWD, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING ON UNDER HERE!" she said, somewhat shocked as she softly stroked his bulging penis...

"YOU'VE GOT TOO MUCH ON UNDER HERE!" he retorted as he slipped her panties down

and off..

He entered her slowly and she gasped for air it would seem...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...OUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned.. He lifted her up and began slowly moving inside and out of her, driving her to near delirium..

They both engulfed each other in slow, warm, kisses.... "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm you are driving me crazy" she cooed.. "AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YESSSSSSS!" he moaned..

She rode him slowly and softly as they sat on the side of their bed...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned.

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" he moaned even louder as she rode him cowgirl style.

"VETTTIE, YOU ARE MY SWEET SWEET GIRRRRRRL!!" he cried out.

"My sweet husband.. OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, what am I going to do with all of this?" she cried out..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" he moaned.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU WOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed

For the next NINE TO TEN HOURS, Yvette and Gary made sweet sweet love in their bedroom, driving each other to near madness...

The doorbell to their stylish condo rung..

Olivia thought it was her husband, Joseph, only this time, it wasn't.

''What do you want?" she asked.

"Hi...I uh don't know if you know me or not but uh my name is Fred...Fred Foslow and I uh live in the unit next door." said the man.

"I certainly recognize your voice...You're the guy who constantly bangs on the wall and threatens to call the police when me and my husband were making love." said Olivia.

''Well not just him, that other guy too..That whiny creepy crybaby your husband is accused of killing.. I know all about him trying to ruin your husband's career at work and your husband getting back at him and you refusing to leave your husband and getting back with him because , what else are you going to do? You don't have a job..You don't have any money besides what he gives you...Over all you're better off with your husband...but ohhhhhhhh now he's been indicted for murder and he might be going away for life...So my point is this.. I've always found you very attractive and I was wondering if you know.. maybe you and me could make a little noise in the bedroom like you've done with the others. Huh?" he asked.