VENTURES: Getting Ready

VALHALLA WOMEN'S DETENTION CENTER-

William "Bull" Bailey was shocked to see her...

Brooke! Brooke Kennedy!! Now Brooke Kennedy-Mars, a married woman , now a staff attorney with the Wrongful Conviction Unit..

While he, who worked closely with her when he was a Lieutenant of Homicide had now lost his job and was working as a checker at this women's detention center...quite a fall.. He had gone from being a Homicide Detective to an Investigator for the U.S. Attorney's office to this..It was quite a fall from grace.

She wouldn't take a deal, wouldn't lie about placing evidence at a crime scene, which he turned out to be guilty of....Part of hm couldn't be angry at her...She stood to lose a lot had she of lied..Her license to practice law for one, her good name...she wouldn't take a deal and she got lawyers to fight for her and she prevailed.. Now she had a plum new job at the Wrongful Conviction Unit and had gotten married...to a Black man....

For that, he could not forgive her..

Brooke allowed her legal briefcase and her purse to be checked...

"We are here to see Alice Donegan...She is a potential witness in our case." said Brooke...

She was still with Natalie Tennison, he saw... Natalie her smart mouthed friend was surprisingly quiet this morning...She didn't say anything.

David Charles, the other attorney with them...He had heard of him...The Young Public Defender, who had won a major ,major case... He was with them..He held Natalie's hand...

He saw a sparkling engagement ring on her finger... Apparently these two were a couple...Well Lahhh Deee Dah! he thought. He had never liked Natalie and had often tried to seperate Brooke from her..

He recognized Jessica Sanchez-Burrows, He remembered her as a Public Defender...now she was with the INNOCENCE PROJECT....She was a pain in the ass bleeding heart liberal attorney...He couldn't stand her either.

He couldn't stand her husband, Charles "Chip" Burrows , another former Public Defender, now the INNOCENCE PROJECT EITHER!

Just his luck, all of these troublemakers here today at once.. why just a few weeks before

Brooke's husband and Olivia Bennett-Alexander and that bunch had just been up here representing one of the female inmates...He really had a burning hatred for all of them!!! He hated Sean Marks for being involved with Brooke , who he wanted ...

and he hated Olivia, Beverly and that bunch for defending her..and insisting she not take that deal whch led to him being exposed and losing his high profile job and pension as well as his boat...He was livid at the thought of that....And here he was , a Guard at the women's prison...checking people as they came in and left....What a fall from grace from where he had been.

Alice Donegan was in her sixth month of a one year sentence for passing a bad check. Several Bad Checks.

Alice Donegan looked at the attorneys...She didn't know any of them...

"I'm gonna assume you guys are lawyers....What are you doing here and what do you want?" she asked.

"Hello Alice, I am Brooke Kennedy -Mars, I'm an Attorney...We are with the Wrongful Conviction Unit... My colleagues here, Attorney Natalie Tennison

and David Charles are also with Wrongful Conviction Unit....

Attorney Jessica Sanchez-Burrows and Charles Burrows, her husband are with the Innocence Project...We are representing Jimmy Lee Woods, who we believe was falsely accused of murder..He's been incarcerated for six years....We are looking for your boyfriend, Gus Donegan...We understand, Jimmy Lee drove a truck for him...A Beverage truck...We need him for his testimony..."explained Brooke.

"Yeah, I remember Jimmy Lee...He did drive for my boyfriend...He didn't kill his girlfriend...Not the night they say he did...He and my former boyfriend were on the road...All of those people lied... You see they changed their stories several times...You do know that don't you?" said Alice.

"Yes we know that.." said David Charles... "We have an investigator who has been turning the city upside down looking for him and he can't find him...We were hoping you might shed some light on his whereabouts."said David Charles.

"I haven't talked to Gus in six months....I have an idea where he might be....What's in this for me?" she asked.

''What do you want?" asked Jessica.

"You've got 6 months left on your sentence. You'll be out by what? June...July at best, just when summer is beginning." said Natalie.

"I wanna get out now...I have a little girl, she's six months...She's never seen me.. My mother is watching her..and I ned child support from Gus..." said Alice.

"I can put in a good word for you...though I can't promise you anything....but I can definitely get your mother up here with your baby..."said Brooke.

"Alright.... He's still a dispatcher for this trucking company......I'll write you an address...He lays his head in Camden at this address...He's got himself a new girlfriend, like I don't know about it...right?" Alice laughed...

''We are going to act in good faith and contact your mother and your baby....Thank you for your help."said Natalie.

"Yes, thank you!" said Brooke.

Bull Bailey stared at Brooke as she left...

He thought about what in his mind and his mind only might have been...He wanted her in his bed and still now in the worst way.

Natalie, David, Jessica and Chip all left..

and pulled off in Brooke's car.

II-

We returned to our building....

just in time for lunch...

''Well any progress?" asked Karen Rogers.

"Yes... We got a possible address on Gus Donegan."said Jessica.

"We contacted her mother, who promised us, she would visit her with the baby....And we put in a good word with the board of pardons..To shorten her own already short sentence." said Chip.

David Charles handed the investigator, Gary Lockwood an address...

"This is where she told us he works and where he lays his head." said David.

"I've already been to the address of his trucking company....It's closed...been out of business for months..but this Camden Address...I'll check it out."said Gary Lockwood, who was eating lunch with us today and hugging his wife, Yvette Jones-Lockwood.

Yvette hugged Natalie..

"I'm so happy for you girl...Engaged!" she said.

"Thank you sooo much..." said Natalie..

"I'm so glad you came over here to have lunch with me." said Brooke to her husband..

"One good turn deserves another."laughed her husband, Sean, hugging her..

There was a lot of pasta being served today....We were glad because they were all famished.

''Mmmmmmm good pasta."said Keith Jones..

"Yesssssss...They are continuing to serve excellent meals in here..." said Bee Bee..

"Yes they are."said Sofia.

"Mannnn I don't miss Sam Mother's at all on days like this."said Kahlil.

"I never miss Lt. Tragg..."said Jade.

"Me neither girl."said Virginia.

"I could care less about him."said Jetty.

"This is sooo good." said Jazzy.

"I think we are both spoiled...We never worked in a building with a cafeteria before."said Dabnis.

"Or a Gym for that matter...This building is the bommmmmb!" said Kayla..

"It is...We technically don't have to leave this building...Once we enter, unless we want to."said Ray.

''That's what's up." said Ray as he chowed down...

Natalie looked at every one, who were here with their spouses...Everyone looked relaxed and happy.... For so long she was the odd one out, without somebody...Now she had somebody...

Not only that....She had a ring, a ring on her finger...Somebody wanted to marry her....She was elated...So elated, she grabbed David..

and kissed him passionately...

A roar came from the tables around them...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEAHHHHHHHH!" they all said and they clapped and laughed...

"What was that for?" asked a stunned David..

"For you.....For you being you and making me happy!" said Natalie...

III-

Rick Madewell stood across the street from the building Natalie now worked in....This building wasn't even here when he left town a few years back...Now it was here and seemingly filled to the brim with young Black legal talent..

It was 5:00 pm... he watched as everybody filed out..

Yvette, Gary, Keith, Bee Bee, Sofia, Kahlil, Jade, Virginia, Jetty,Jazzy, Ray, Jessica and Chip and Tony...

They all got on the train and headed home...

He saw Brooke's husband, Sean Marks waiting for her..

"Hey Baby.. I kinda miss riding the train with everybody else today.."said Sean.

"I know, but we had to drive today..."said Brooke.

Then he saw Natalie... He couldn't unsee that sparkling ring she was wearing...

She looked so happy... and looking happy made her look sexy...

He hated the guy she was with... He hated that he had Natalie....

"You all did good... Gary dropped subpoenas on all of the former eyewitnesses and all he has to do is pick up Gus Donnegan and it's game set match guys." said Karen..

''We plan to keep up the tradition you've set so far of never losing a case.."said Brooke.

"That's right. Can we drop you off anywhere Karen?" said Natalie.

"No I'm going into town, do a little shopping...See you guys tomorrow." said Karen...

The four of them got into their car and pulled off..

None of them saw him across the street, watching them all.. thinking about the girl he lost...The girl he couldn't get back now!

At Home...Sean stared at Brooke

Brooke smiled sweetly..

She kissed him slowly and softly, while he unzippered her skirt

and she unzippered his trousers...

He slipped her panties down....

And she quietly lowered herself on to his massively erect penis..

and gave him the ride of life....

While Next Door..

David and Natalie were standing in their bedroom kissing each other passionately...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmm you can't keep your hands off of me can you?"asked Natalie..

"To be honest, I'm afraid I can't.." admitted David....

"Well to be honest, I'm glad...and unless I tell you differently, keep on..." said Natalie...as David removed her dress and was unsnapping her bra...

and slipping her panties down...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" he moaned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!! OH MY GODDDDD!" she moaned loudly...

She was spoiled, getting such good loving daily...

IV-

The team enlisted Olivia and Beverly to help them prepare for their big trial.. For the next three nights they met at Olivia and Beverly's Office /Duplex after work...Which David Charles called a " Post Law School University"

Natalie was being tutored by the best in reading a jury and jury selection......Nelson, Yvette, Keith and Kahlil. This would put her in direct collison with Rick Makewell, which is what she wanted to do..She knew that facing off against him would throw him off...Giving them the advantage..

Brooke and David Charles boned up on their research...Studying Like cases, Laws pretaining to the present case and predicates and making sure everything was up to snuff...Olivia, Beverly, Josie, Bresha ,Sofia and Bee Bee aided the two of them and helped them with trial strategy.....

Jessica and Chip stopped by for updates on everything....

Donnie Ray, Jade, Alfreda and Virginia sat around talking animatedly in the conference room..

"Hard to believe that months ago we were facing both of these teams in vicious court battles...and now we are all friends and they are actually helping us."said Brooke.

"I know right? Both teams who represent our only two losses as ADA's are now helping us to win a case."said Natalie.

"You find your friends in the strangest places I always say." said David Charles, who unlike Brooke and Natalie had heard about Olivia and Beverly and Yvette and her team but had never met them, but had studied some of their big cases, hoping to be like them...Never guessing they would all be friends and working together..

Sean, Brooke's husband arrived.. "I got a message from Gary....

He located Gus Donegan in Camden..

and dropped a subpoena on him... He'll be testifying....." said Sean..

"Great...We are Ready!" said Brooke.

"Let's Get this man exonerated." said Natalie...

''We're as ready as we'll ever be Jessica."said David.

"Good...I don't know much about this ADA Rick Madewell, but I hear he's pretty sharp...Doesn't lose...That's the type I like to beat the most.."said Jessica.