VENTURES: Homecoming

7:00 AM-Sam Mother's Diner... It felt weird not riding the train to work with our friends and being here early...but it was trial day...and we were famished and wanted to start the trial on full stomachs..

"You know...you made me Blueberry Pancakes, the morning after we first made love...I'll never forget that....I knew right then and there that I was going to marry you." I said to Natalie as my order of Blue Berry Pancakes, Hash Browns and Breakfast Sausage Arrived..

"You did? Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"laughed Natalie

As her order of steak and eggs arrived...

She often said that she considered Brooke, her sister....the two of them were so close...Brooke had ordered Steak and Eggs and Hash browns also and so had her husband, Sean..

Also with us today...

Renee and Tyrell ordered omelettes hash browns and Bacon...

and were sitting with us..... Renee had had the honor of having worked with practically every attorney in our building and in our "friend" group and Tyrell had seen practically all of us in court from his days as a bailiff and law student....

We had a nice quiet ,early morning breakfast that was peaceful....strangely peaceful.....

We walked over to the courthouse waiting area....To our surprise, our Boss Lady, Karen Page and our two "Aunties" Yvette Jones- Lockwood and Olivia Bennett-Alexander were standing there waiting for us with tumblers of hot coffee.

"Hi Guys....We came down here to wish you good luck and to watch you work." said Karen..

''Don't be nervous.. we have complete faith in you." said Ms. Yvette..

''We know how hard you guys worked on this....We brought you some coffees..." said Olivia..

"AWWWWWWWW THANK YOUUUUU!" said Brooke...

"AWWWWWW THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!" said Natalie.

"It feels so good to have all of this support and help." I said.

"THANK YOU GUYS!" said Sean.

"THIS IS SO NICE! THANK YOU!" said Renee

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" said Tyrell....

Of course , the morning couldn't be completely perfect....

Lt. Tragg happened to walk into the courthouse... Naturally he would...

The press was there and he never missed a chance not to be around snapping cameras and reporters...

This re-trial had captured the attention of the city...and was being widely discussed...

He spoke to the press, even though he shouldn't have...

"This trial is just a show trial for these young attorneys , to get their names out there...It really has no merit..Michael Rennie is just as guilty now as he was in 2019...and no amount of legal mumbo jumbo or tricks is going to change that..." he said to reporters...

"He's got no business talking about our trial." I said angrilly.

"He has nothing whatsoever to do with our case." said an equally angry Tyrell.

"Let's hope his remarks don't poison potential jurors." said Sean....

"Just concentrate on the trial at hand guys...Don't be distracted." said Yvette.

"He likes hearing himself talk." said Olivia.

"And those reporters love getting a good quote from him." said Karen,.

Still sitting down and seemingly far away from the madness... Renee whispered to Natalie, who she'd known since their days at Girls High.

"Hey Nat remember when we were in Girls High, when me, you, Beverly, her cousin Kayla and Jazzy all used to sit in the park and smoke joint together and laugh and talk about our futures....Bet you never imagined a moment like this...Us being lawyers and us taking on a controversial trial huh?" said Renee.

"I sure didn't...I remember when I passed the bar...and I went to Howard's homecoming that same weekend and I saw you there...A first year law student, you had just completed your first year of law school......I was so happy for you....I never imagined us being back in Philadelphia, let alone working together.... Look at us now huh? "said Natalie..

"I know right? Working down the hall from each other in the same building, working a case together, living in the same neighborhood practically... It's more than I could ever imagine." said Renee.

"I know righttttt? Well here comes the judge....and there is the Sherrif's Bus...Showtime." said Natalie.

The Sherrif's bus drove up...

They brought our client, Michael Rennie out in chains.... He looked around....He hadn't been in this courtroom in four years.....Now here he was again.

The Judge walked in , Judge Ronald Coughlin...a very tough no nonsense Judge..

I had tried a case before him before...My biggest case to date, The Pedro Alvarez case...The case that put my name on everyone's lips...

Assistant District Attorney John "Hanging John' Wiltshire was there....All the players were here..Let the game begin.

II-

The Retrial began...

"Good Morning Everyone...I am Judge Ronald J, Coughlin...Common Pleas Court Judge...This is beginning to sound like a broken record but Welcome to my courtroom....Due to courtroom crowding of cases , we are going to bypass a preliminary hearing...We know that a crime, a henious crime has been committed..A Brutal murder of a young woman in 2019. We are going to go through this once again and hopefully this time bring closure to this matter., So we are going to go straight to trial.. We will have Jury selection today...We will begin with trial tomorrow morning at 9:00 pm." said Judge King.. "We will start today with introductions.." he said.

"Representing the Commonwealth, Assistant District Attorney John Wiltshire." said ADA Wiltshire.

"Lead Attorney for the Defense, David Charles your honor." I said.

"Natalie Charles, Attorney for the Defense." said Natalie.

"Brooke Marks, Attorney for the Defense."said Brooke.

"Sean Marks, Attorney for the Defense." said Sean.

"Renee Jones, Attorney for the Defense." said Renee.

"Tyrell Jones, Attorney for the defense." said Tyrell.

''Nice Suit man.Respect." said Michael Rennie to Tyrell.

"Thanks Man." said Tyrell, smiling.

''We will now begin Jury selection..."said The Judge.

John Wiltshire was old school.. He scoffed at the notion of Trial Science..He had prepared questions for the jury, but that was as much preparation as he had done.

When he saw Natalie and Brooke doing Voir Dire for our side...He looked like a hungry wolf....

The Joke was on him though. Both Brooke and Natalie had studied Trial Science while in law school and had been tutored by Nelson, Yvette, Keith Jones and Kahlil Ahmed...

All Masters of the craft of Voir Dire.

Hanging John had no idea that Natalie and Brooke already knew all there was to know about the jurors and which ones they would find acceptable and which ones they wouldn't...They had carefully worded questions ready for each person they talked to..

Renee was helping them today...She sat behind her laptop and whispered certain things they had talked about into their ears.. We all smiled.

Natalie and Brooke got an even dozen jurors....

I smiled broadly.....

ADA John Wiltshire was not happy....He could feel a decidedly huge shift from four years ago.

"Alright...We have a jury...Jurors, Attorneys...Trial will begin tomorrow at 9:00 AM sharp...I expect everyone to be on time and be ready for trial....You are dismissed." said the Judge.

It had been a good day....And we were back at home...

"Wowwww did you see the look on ole Hanging Jack's face today....We really cofounded him, beat him at every turn."said Natalie.

"Yeah, he looked like he aged a couple of years...Bullying season is over for him.. I was sooo proud of you, Brookie and Renee....The way you handled Voir Dire.....You made him look like an Amateur.." I laughed....

"Me thinks, I deserve a reward for my performance in court , from YOU!" said Natalie, smiling..

She kissed me slowly and passionately....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...Natalie, tell me what color panties you got on today." I asked..

"Ouuuuuuuuuu you usually KNOW what kind of panties I'm wearing.."laughed Natalie...

"Ummmmmmmmmm I missed you this morning....You got dressed while I was in the shower...."I said..

"Well undress me and find out..." she whispered in my ear...

I unsnapped her bra..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY...THIS IS PRETTY!" I said.

Natalie giggled...

"Thank youuuuu, glad you like it!" she said..

I slipped her panties down..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GIRRRRRRRRL!" I exclaimed....

"You're so silly....You really like these don't you?" she asked..

"YESSSSSsSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS" I said.

"You are so badddddddd!" she giggled... "And HARD!! WOUUUUUUU AND BIG!" she said rubbing my penis with both hands."OH MY GOD!! YOU ARE A BIG BOY...UMMMMMMMM!" she cooed..

We stood in the middle of the floor and kissed passionately...

I squeezed her butt...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU DAVID!" she cried out..Her body trembled a little bit.

I spread her legs wide and entered her slowly....She was so soft, smelled like a newborn baby and so wet...

"LAWWWWD GIRL, I'M ABOUT TO LOSE MY MINDDDDD!" I yelled out...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed loudly..Her whole body trembling, her head turning from side to side and she crying tears of joy.....

I felt like my whole body was just blending with hers...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY DAMNNNNNN!" I cried out..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU BOYYYYYYYY!!!" she cooed.

She grabbed my butt, almost like she was guiding me inside of her...She had another intense orgasm....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PUT IT INSIDE ME...WOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she screamed...

"Natalie, I love you..." I said...

"I love you too! I love you too! OUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed...

We made love for EIGHT TO NINE HOURS...

Natalie lie on top of me, smiling from cheek to cheek... I was trying desperately to catch my breath...I had cum so hard, I felt as if I had died....

Natalie snuggled up with me...She smelled so good and her body was so warm.....

While next door...

"Vanilla ,I'm horny as hell." he whispered to Brooke..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ARE YOU?" she asked.. She knew the answer to that....

Sean and Brooke were staring at each other...

But not for long....They soon were kissing and undressing....

A Bra was unsnapped....

and panties were slipped down....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU GIRL!" moaned Sean as once again, he entered Brooke..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" she cooed loudly.... She was having more orgasms than she had a right to....

Sean was on the verge of losing his mind....He entered Brooke as gentle as possible....but soon he was thrusting away..... Brooke's head was turning from right to left, her hands were flailing...her legs were shaking and tears were streaming down her face.....

"OH GOD VANILLA, I LOVE YOUUU!" Sean cried out as they made love...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM SEAN, I LOVE YOU TOO!" she cried out..

For The next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS.....They too made crazy love.. both cumming with wild abandon.....Their entire room shaking.

Brooke lie on top of Sean, smiling from ear to ear....

"Ummmmm you're still hard." she cooed softly. rubbing his penis...

"You're still sexy.." he whispered and smiled...

"Stop looking so...so...so satisfied.." she giggled..

"I am satisfied." he whispered..

They kissed some more....

She felt so good, so satisfied, so safe....It was easy for her to doze off into a peaceful sleep...Sean was already fast asleep, with his arms still around her.

III-

The trial began....

Before the trial could even begin, ADA John Wiltshire tried delaying tactics...He had a list of our witnesses and he demanded that their testimony be stricken and that he have a chance to talk to them first before the trial..

I WAS LIVID!! I was outraged...

So was Sean and Tyrell......The three of us argued furiously against his delay tactics....

Renee was good on her laptop, looking up predicates, like laws and laws pertaining to Capital cases with break neck speed.

The Judge had to have the jury sent to another room away from the arguments, which lasted two days.

Finally he ruled..

"These witnesses should be heard.......Mr. Wilshire, you will have plenty of opportunity to cross examine them during trial...." he ruled.

Once Again ADA Wiltshire failed with his delay Tactics.....

With the jury back...He put on the same argument he had put on four years before...No New Evidence, nothing compelling...Just a Dog and Pony show..

Me, Natalie and Brook tied him up with logical objections.....

He got very combustible.....He got so angry that a lot of his arguments got very personal with me, Natalie and Brooke...He didn't like me..That was bad enough...but he hated women going against him...Black or White, didn't matter. He was incensed....

The Judge had to warn the four of us to cool it or he was going to hold us all in contempt.

Sean, Renee and Tyrell were the cooler heads that we needed , but they didn't let ADA Wiltshire Bully or intimidate them and they didn't put up with his delay tactics either....They kept their wits about them,they didn't lose their tempers or their composure...

This angered him more than his battles with Brooke, Natalie and me...He didn't like playing tag team with all of these attorneys...He preferred one that he could bully...He was having no luck with us and even worse luck with his case..

When he closed his case... I polled the jury and I saw 10 to acquit and 2 that couldn't make their mind up...

John Wiltshire had to see that...He had to be livid....about these five brilliant African-American Attorneys and one Brilliant White female attorney making him look so bad, so inept...

Our defense began....

Brooke, Natalie, Me, Renee and Tyrell began our defense...

We presented the jeans, the Black jeans that the witness said Michael Rennie was wearing....

The Jeans ,which had been discarded and had the victims blood on them didn't fit him then and after the passage of four years and considerable weight loss still didn't fit him....They were made for a much shorter man...

Brooke questioned the Jogger, one of the witnesses that John Wiltshire didn't want to testify...She read what he said in 2019 and now in 2024...In which he had recanted his original testimony....

Natalie interviewed another so called witness who identified Michael Rennie in a line up...She got him to admit that he had seen Michael Rennie on the news and in the papers before he was brought in and was predisposed to identify him...

John Wiltshire objected loudly, slapping his hand on the table loudly....

The Judge sustained his objection and warned him about such outbursts...

Tyrell and I questioned yet a third witness...This witness said in 2019 that the man he saw was a "light skinned Black male about 5"8....

Michael Rennie was dark skinned and about 6'4.....

Sean called a former policeman who said he saw the perpetrator, but was never called to view a line up or give a description...He said he would have never have picked Michael Rennie out of a line up...

"It wasn't him and I told Detective Polito that..He didn't want to hear it...This guy was lighter and shorter than Rennie." he said.

Finally Renee, Natalie and Brooke interviewed Dr. Goggins from Goggins DNA Laboratories, and Dr. Hazel Baylor and Dr. Marcia Templeton of the Medical Examiners Office.

They did the in depth DNA testing that I had asked for in the original trial...And they testified that the DNA in the semen in the panties, on the bra and inside the murdered woman did not belong to Michael Rennie...and none of his DNA was on the jeans or any other part of this murdered woman.

I brought on Michael's manager at the diner and two cooks who testified he was at the diner at the exact time of the murder...They didn't get the chance to testify in the first trial......

With that, I did my sumnation and the defense rested.. I was satisfied that I gave Michael the best defense I could...The defense , he deserved the first time.

IV-

ONE HOUR LATER-

ADA John Wiltshire did not like that the Jury came back this fast....He paced back and forth around his table.

Our client didn't like it either..They came back fast in his first trial with a guilty verdict and a sentence of death...

"Trust me buddy, we got this...We knocked this out of the ball park...It's gonna be different this time.'' I assured him.

Renee ,Natalie and Brooke held each other's hands....They weren't sure which way the jury was going to go..

Sean and Tyrell stood stoically, their faces betraying nothing..

Judge Coughlin walked in...He looked at the jury-

"Has the Jury come to a conclusion?" asked Judge Coughlin.

"We have your honor." said the jury foreman..

"Bailiff!" he said.. The Baillif brought him the verdict....He read it and sighed..

"Read it!" he said.

"WE THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA VS. MICHAEL RENNIE ON THE CHARGE OF CAPITAL MURDER,, WE FIND THE DEFENDENT, NOT GUILTY.."

"I want the jury polled." said ADA John Wiltshire.

The Judge sighed..

The Jury was polled.. All Twelve agreed with the Not Guilty Verdict...

John Wiltshire tossed his suit jacket in the air...He kicked the table hard and slammed his hand down on the table..

"WHAT KIND OF TRIAL WERE YOU BOZOS WATCHING?" he bellowed angrilly...

"Oh My God! We Won!" said Michael Rennie.

"That's right....We Won...I told you it would be different...You are a free man." I said as Sheriff's deputies took the shackles and chains off of him...

''We bought you a suit and some other civillian clothes to wear.." said Brooke.

''Come on...I'll walk you into the restroom where you can change." said Sean.

"Good Luck to you Michael." said Natalie.

"Good Luck to you Michael." said Renee.

"You got it mannn, I'm happy for you." said Tyrell....

Karen, Olivia and Yvette had been at the trial everyday...They were there to congratulate us...

"I'm so proud of you guys..." said Karen ,who hugged every one of us....

''So Am I and we are all going to really celebrate..."said Olivia, also hugging every one of us...

Yvette hugged everyone of us too...She had tears in her eyes...

"I'm so proud of you guys...You kept your composure and got the win!" she said.

Justin Brown was also there...He hugged Micheal and shook all of our hands...He looked well rested...Healthy....

"Good Job guys....I knew you guys would pull it out...Let's Party." he said..

The Press interviewed me as the lead attorney in the case...

and they interviewed a jubilant and newly freed Michael Rennie...

They also interviewed Brooke, Natalie, Renee, Sean and Tyrell and Justin as well, his legal team.

It was great to win!!

Even better to see John Wiltshire and Lt. Tragg standing along the side, angry beyond belief.....

That was the best part.

EPILOUGE-

It was Thursday Night and instead of going to Curley's we went to Josie's...There was no better place to hang out than Josie's ...It was in the neighborhood...It was walking distance from our homes..We didn't have to worry about driving home...We all could walk...

Gus was glad to see all of us on a weeknight as oppossed to Sunday's at Super Brunch....

''Welcome Home " said Honey Brown..

who served up the drinks...

"It does feel like a homecoming....I felt like this was the safest place for Micheal to be tonight, to celebrate...Lt. Tragg and Hanging John looked a little unhinged...He wouldn't have had any peace in Curley's and neither would we."said Olivia.

"You're right about that."said Donnie Ray.

"Lt. Tragg is why I never go to Curley's , as much as I like it...He has gotten to putting his hands up my skirt and asking me out on dates...He never takes no for an answer...I just hope he doesn't start coming down to the Women's Law Center." said Nina Rios.

"Nina, you are staying with us tonight...You know we have extra bedrooms....Micheal Rennie will be staying in our sub-basement apartment..." said Olivia.

"I'd hate to be caught out driving tonight by you know who...and either get a ticket or a visit at my job tomorrow and propositioned for a date...Thank you Olivia." laughed Nina Rios.

"Yeah, that would be too close for comfort...Too close to our other friends in the Bridge Building too.."said Beverly...

"This is nice and comfortable and best of all, walking distance.."laughed Nelson.

"Yeah, that's what I like about it." said Josie.

"That's what I've always liked about it."said Paris.

"And they have music, live music and a couple of D.J.'s." said Bresha.

"That's what I like." said Tony...

"Me too! Much as I like Curleys...I do enjoy peace much better." said Alfreda.

"Yes...I do too!" said Rockland.

The Band played a few sets and then the D.J. Kicked in..

The Youngins loved that...They got to dance..

Jazzy kicked her heels off and plopped down after a session of line dancing...

"Whoooooooo I feel good...Good and Thirsty.." she said..

"A whole nother rounds of drinks are coming." said Dabnis, who was equally tired.

"And more fried chicken too!" said Kayla , who was sitting on her husband's lap....Her mouth opened wide and she whispered in Ray's ear..

"I don't believe youuuuu, you're hard..." she whispered..

"I'm human...I've got a sexy, beautiful woman sitting on my lap, what do you expect me to be?" said Ray...

''Ummmmm flattery gets you everything."cooed Kayla.

And they began kissing passionately..

Jessica was sitting on her husband's lap...

"You've got a massive erection.." she whispered..

"Shhhhhhhhhhh don't tell anybody, that's just for you.."said Ray...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU THANK YOUUUUUU!" said Jessica..

Who also began to kiss her husband..

"This is so nice...and now it's walking distance.."said Karen..

"Yeah we don't have to drive with the windows down so the cold air will clear our heads."laughed her husband, B.L.

Our former client Micheal Rennie was just amazed by it all.. He was free...No one to tell him when to go to bed or to put the lights out... He wasn't locked away from human interaction....He was sitting here in this bar, Having an alcoholic drink for the first time in four years...Sitting around women ,able to dance and talk to women...Eat good fried chicken and simply relax....He was free...He had to take this all in..

"Mikey looks happy."said Natalie.

"Yeah...His manager said he can have his old job back... Monday he's going to secure an apartment or a room."I said.

''And how about that, The cop who put him on death row is himself in prison, serving 8 life sentences.." said Brooke.

"Talk about Poetic Justice."laughed Sean.

"Yeah Polito was actually at Greene Correctional Center when I was... but I was on Death Row He is in segregation...His life was constantly in danger." said Michael Rennie.

"Him being an ex cop and all...I imagine it is in danger."said Zoey....

"Yeah, a lot of people still there that he put there."said Lem....

"Yes, and I bet they can't wait to see him." said Renee.. Which brought the entire table to laughter.

"Ugh oh..Here comes more chicken and brew." said her husband, Tyrell..

More Fried Chicken, Baked Barbecued Chicken, Beer and drinks arrived....

"I forgot how much fun Josie's is....during the week."said Yvette....

''At least from Thursday Night til Sunday..."laughed her husband, Gary....

"That fried chicken was good."said Keith Jones..

"This barbecue chicken isn't bad either." said Bee Bee.

"Ummmm you are so right about that." said Sofia.

Both girls kicked off their heels...They would sleep good tonight ,they wagered...

Kahlil laid his head back......This was the most comfortable he'd felt in awhile....The best thing was...He could walk home tonight...

Jade munched on both the Fried Chicken and the Baked Chicken and quaffed down a beer...

''So did her husband Danny, who was glad to see his comrades, Sissy Van Buren, Duke, Jimmy, Rico and Hop and their spouses here tonight.. and not their SUPERIOR OFFICER, Lt. Tragg..There was no chance that he'd walk into a bar like this.

"Ummmmmmmmm you may be in luck tonight...You know how I get after a few of these beers."said Virginia winking at her husband Jetty..."And I'm wearing Black Lace bikini panties."she whispered..

"WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?" exclaimed Jetty...

Virginia laughed and then jumped on his lap...

"You are soooo easy." she said, still laughing.....

"Nice crowd in here tonight." said Sissy.

"Yeah ,Olivia, Vettie and their crew...Usually only see them on Sunday Mornings at Super Brunch."said Eddie C. Sissy's husband.

"I'm glad to see them all in here.. I missed them, We all used to be so close.."said Carlotta.

"Yeah Lt. Tragg kind of made it impossible for us all to dine in peace in Sam Mother's.."said ADA Keith Wallace.

"Yeah and in the meanwhile, we got our own building with a cafeteria.. and most of them work in the Bridge Building where I hear they have a fabulous cafeteria that's like a five star restaurant..."said Tyriq...