Low Hanging Fruit

FRIDAY MORNING-
 

ADA Mellissa Wharton's Apartment-

"Caucasian Male, age 47, cause of death, three gunshot wounds to the chest, one peircing the aorta, the other two damaging major organs and exiting out of the back...Death was pretty quick." said a crime scene investigator..

"He's been dead about an hour." said Dr. Hazel Baylor, taking his pulse..

"His Driver's License says he's Bert Newlin......"said Dr. Marcy Martin....

"He's got a sheet on him.... He did two nickels(10 years) upstate for manslaughter in his younger years and is a suspect in about 10 unsolved homicides...No eye witness would ever come forward.... He is said to be the man you call when you need somebody disposed of...He is said to work clean...This is a real dangerous fellow here.  ADA Wharton did you prosecute him?" asked Detective Sgt. Brice.

"No, I never saw him before a few weeks ago when he put a gun to my head and told me not to see ADA Matthew Muldoon again...and that if I did, it would mean curtains for me...I went out for drinks with Matt last night."said Mellissa Wharton.

"He had two keys,both made with one of those three dimensional printers for your apartment complex and your apartment....That's how he got in....He's good...real professional...Or let's say he WAS good!. The cameras outside your spot shows him entering about an hour before you got home.."said a homicide detective..

They checked her pistol-

It was her legally purchased pistol....She had a license to carry. They surprisingly allowed her to keep it!

They ruled the shooting, self defense.

"Oh My God!   What is this about?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we are going to get to the bottom of it.."said Detective Sgt. Brice... "Alright Ladies, let's get him out of here...Be careful Ms. Wharton." said Detective Sgt. Brice.

Hazel was ecstatic that detectives other than Lt. Tragg was working this case..."Detective Brice, will you need an autopsy report?" asked Hazel.

He smiled.  "I don't think so Dr. Baylor...We know what killed him....Lead Poisoning." he said.

Hazel laughed....How refreshing to have someone other than Lt. Tragg on this case.

They wheeled the body of the hitman, Bert Newlin out of her apartment....

MONDAY MORNING!

The Courthouse waiting area.

Dexter and our client, Veronica arrived with coffees..

"Coffees everybody!" said Dexter, who had gone to the coffee shop down the street... 

"Thank you Dex."said Olivia.

 

"Yeah thanks man." I said.

"Did you hear about ADA Wharton, over the weekend....Somebody broke into her apartment and was waiting for her when she came home from Curleys...He surprised her, but she surprised him...She put three bullets in his chest, killed him."said Beverly.

"Yeah I saw that on the News...She said the man had threatened her a few weeks before, told her to stay away from Matt Muldoon."said Nelson.

"She was with Matt Muldoon Thursday Night in Curley's...I saw them." said Josie.

"Somebody else saw them together too! And apparently this guy was there to give her another warning...Only the joke was on him."laughed Bresha..

We all laughed and enjoyed our coffees...

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Muldoon, D.A. Investigator, Ingrid Stevenson and Lt. Tragg all walked past us into the courtroom..

"I don't know what this is about...She kept ducking my calls, refusing to go out with me for weeks and then I cornered her and she told me about the man who threatened her with bodily harm if she was seen with me again...She told me she was frightened...That she swore she saw him outside of her apartment complex..  She bought a gun for her protection.  I don't know who would pay this guy to lean on her like that." said Matthew Muldoon.

"You got a jealous ex-girlfriend?" asked Ingrid Stevenson..

"Nah, not me..."said Matt Muldoon...

Lt. Tragg was oblivious to their conversation..

His Mind was on Kelly Ann and the lovemaking they did last night.....He was totally enthralled with

her.

Her Black Garters and sheer black pantyhose, so unbecoming her conservative prissy public image...

and the sensual lovemaking they had last night....it was unbelievable...

Veronica peered at the courtroom....she looked a bit frightened...She trembled a little..Olivia hugged her, just as she'd done her niece, Beverly when she was younger and afraid. 

"I know how you feel...but we are going to get you off, you're going to get through this, trust me."said Olivia.

 

"It'll be alright." I assured her..

"We've been waiting for this." said Beverly, who was probably the only one of us eager to go back into Judge Wilson's courtroom...

Nelson was eerily quiet and pensive...

So was Josie...

And so was Bresha...

II-

COURTROOM B-

"Good Morning Attorneys and prospective jurors...I am Judge James Wilson...As some of you already know...." he said snidely looking at the six of us..."You'veheard this before but .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 so we are going to go straight to trial.. I expect, some of you are tired of hearing this...but it is what it is..We are  trying to wind down our case load.. We will have Jury selection today.. Trial could begin tomorrow morning if we seat a jury today.. We'll start with introductions." he said.

"Assistant District Attorney Matthew Muldoon , representing the Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania your honor." said Matt Muldoon. 

"Olivia Bennett-Alexander- Lead Counsel for Defense. Your Honor." said Olivia.

 

I said nothing.

"Beverly West-East , Attorney for the Defense your honor." said Beverly.

"Nelson East, Attorney for the Defense your honor." said Nelson.

"Josie Boyd, Attorney for the Defense your honor."said Josie.

"Bresha Billips, Attorney for the Defense." said Bresha.

"Dexter Braxton, Attorney for the Defense your Honor." said Dexter...  Dexter wasn't actually on the defense team....He wanted to be involved ,so we allowed him to sit with us.

"Alright , we will begin with jury selection." said Judge Wilson.

Voir Dire Began....

The First Thing Judge Wilson did was forbid Josie and Bresha from aiding Nelson..

Olivia challenged him, saying there was no precedent for a Judge denying attorneys on the same team from aiding another attorney...

"That's right Mrs. Bennett-Alexander There is no precedent and there is no precedent allowing them to aide him either...My courtroom...MY RULES!" he said.

Olivia smiled and sat down...

Nelson was still prepared...He knew the jurors he wanted...

Matt Muldoon wasn't as prepared when it came to juror selection and it showed...

Very rarely did a Judge interfere as much as Judge Wilson interfered...He supported every objection ADA Muldoon made. He tried to steer him in the right direction...but neither of them was prepared for Nelson today.

Nelson stuck to his guns and despite Judge Wilson's obvious interference.. He carved out a 7-5 split.

going our way..

Not Bad....The Jury Foreman was one of Nelson's picks...

"Alright, We have a jury....Trial will begin tomorrow morning at 10:00 am... Attorneys, Jurors be on time and be ready for trial...Court is dismissed." he said, striking his gavel. He stared at Nelson...He had a mild respect for him , his legal prowess...

''Well guys, we know what kind of trial this is going to be."said Olivia.

 

"Buckle up guys. This is going to be a wild ride" I said.   I could see it.

"I wanted to say something so bad...but I'm glad Auntay said Something." said Beverly.

"I was prepared for him to interfere....I had my information ready, in my head." said Nelson.

"He is something...He doesn't hide his bias.."said Josie.

"He sure doesn't." said Bresha.

"I'm scared." said our client, Veronica.

"Don't be....We'll get through this." said Dexter...Holding her tightly and hugging her.

Meanwhile, Downtown in the "Fishbowl" the nickname detectives gave to their interrogation room..

Detective Sgt. Brice and Two other homicide detectives had Attorney and Fixer Gabriel Martell "in the box"

"Mr. Martell, you made a purchase of this man, Bert Newly's services with a government credit card to a dark web website that hires out contract killers...We know this..We got the information off of your laptop computer.. and off of his laptop computer in his home."said Detective Sgt. Brice.

"We checked your phone....BOTH OF YOUR PHONES....You got a call from a blocked number a few weeks ago...right around the time ADA Wharton was approached by this man and threatened and then you made your first purchase of his services... Then you got a call Thursday Night, from a blocked number and you made another purchase of his services and you made another call to this blocked number.  "

"We suspect it was a burner phone and it belongs to your string puller...Now who is he? Who is this 

person who asked you to do this?"  asked the two other Homicide Detectives.

Gabriel Martell was sweating.....He smiled nervously and said- "I don't know what you guys are talking about.....Did you have a warrant to search my apartment, my laptop and things?" he asked.

Detective Sgt. Price, so thorough showed him the warrant..

"Now stop B.S. ing me....Someone got you to contact this guy and give him his marching orders...Now who is it?   The Gig is up...You're a very successful attorney...You're known as a fixer here in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. and now your whole career is possibly in the toilet...There has been a death here and a threat to the life of an Assistant District Attorney. This is a stain on your career man."said Detective Sgt.Price.

Attorney H.Stanley Stanlison walked into the Fishbowl..

"Good Morning Boys...This interview is over.. Are you going to charge Mr. Martell.or not?"he asked.

"Not Yet, but it' just a matter of time...We are asking him, not to leave town...."said Sgt. Price.

"Then we are leaving...Come On Gabe." he said.

Gabriel Martell left with him, but he was visibly shaken....and everybody could see it.

III-

COURTROOM B-

As you can guess, for the next four days , the murder trial of Veronica Shanahan was very contentious..

ADA Matthew Muldoon had his facts straight....The fact that the Shanahan's were going broke, the fact that Mr. Shanahan gambled compulsively...and the fact that Veronica Shanahan lied about where she was that night....but that was all he had..

Olivia had her team prepared..despite Judge Wilson's obvious obstruction and interference we soldiered on...

Beverly eviscerated all of his witnesses, She was accused of badgering the witnesses several times and threatened with contempt, but she managed to skirt past being called for contempt...Just barely..

Nelson showed credit card and debit card receipts from the Cantina she was actually at at the time..

and the fact she was with her attorney Dexter Braxton which Muldoon didn't know...

Josie like Beverly eviscerated more of the witnesses and was yelled at by the Judge, who threatened to jail her if she said another word.

She didn't...She didn't have to because Bresha took up the slack....

We frustrated him more than any attorneys who had been before him...You could almost see the hairs on the back of his neck rise..and he was practically as red as a beet every day of trial.. Far worse...because we were an independent operation...there was literally nothing he could do to us. He knew it and he knew that we knew it.

ADA Matt Muldoon was just as frustrated with the way the trial was going...HJe and the Judge both realized that we had come prepared, more prepared and knowledgeable than either of them had originally thought we would or could

He reluctantly gave his closing argument , not feeling he had confidently won over the jury. 

"We bring in Bonnie tomorrow and it's a wrap!" said Olivia.

 

"This won't even go to the jury." I said, smiling.

"Now don't you feel better?" said Beverly to Veronica.

"I do.." said Veronica, who spied her African American Mother and German Father in the visitor's section...

"There are your parents...Go over there and talk to them."said Nelson.. "That Jury is 10 to acquit and 2 undecided...We did what we came to do." he said.

"Yeah despite the odds." said Josie.

"I'll appreciate any Judge we get from now on....OTHER THAN HIM!" said Bresha,.

"Let's Get out of here....Lunch is on me at Sam Mother's.." said Dexter...

"Thanks Dex.." said Olivia.

"Thanks Dex." said Beverly.

The end of the day.....We had all had a meal at Sam Mother's Diner and had retreated home...

The Prosecution had laid out it's case and now we had to lay out our case....We were home....

Olivia was a little nervous....Wasn't the first time  I'd seen her like this....

I put my arms around her and held her tight....

"I know you're nervous....but you guys did a good job of wrecking Muldoon's case and he knows it...The Judge knows it too....You guys were brilliant the way you skipped and jumped and dodged his bullets.." I said..

"I call it the art of anticiapation....We looked at how he had ruled, how he had interfered before and we made ways around it...Even he was surprised...The best thing is...he didn't hurl any of us in jail..I was so proud of my niece the way she kept her composure and didn't allow him to get to her." said Olivia.

She slowly and softly kissed me...

"You trained her well...just like you've trained my penis...to grow and jump to your command.." I said slyly..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Listen at you....Ummmmmmmm, look at youuuu!" she said.

She kissed me and didn't stop...breathing heavily and continuing to kiss me...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWWWWD!" I moaned.

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmm look at it...It's growing...OUUUUUUUUUUUU and it's hard too!" she giggled.

I slowly slipped her panties down.....

I loved them....Olivia knew I loved them....

I,lifted her up....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned....

"OH MY GODDDDD!" I said...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM HUSBAND....OUUUUUUUUU" she cooed..

"OLIVIA!!!!" I whispered loudly...

We crashed on the bed, not talking ,kissing each other passionately.....

Olivia straddled me ,spread her legs and eased down on me again....riding me slowly and slowl;y driving me out of my mind..

Riding me cowgirl style.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! GIVE IT TO ME DADDY!" she moaned....

"OH MY GODDDDD!" I said...I was losing my mind...delirious,not knowing if I was coming or going..

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM HUSBAND....OUUUUUUUUU" she cooed..

"OLIVIA!!!!" I whispered loudly...

"DONNIE RAYYYYYYY!" she cried out..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OHHHHHHHHH MY WORRRRRRD!" she moaned...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...PUT IT IN...PUT IT ALL IN...OUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEET BABYYYYYY! UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!" I moaned...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU IT FEELS GOOD...IT FEELS GOOOD!   IT FEEEELS GOOOOOD!" she cried out...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWWWWD!" I moaned loudly

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU GIVE IT TO ME DADDY, GIVE IT TO ME!!" she cried out..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH....OHHHHHHHHHHHHH...AWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWD!" I cried out.

We made love for the next NINE TO TEN HOURS !!!!

Downstairs in Beverly and Nelson's bathroom...

Beverly stood in the bathroom, washing up...Taking off her lipstick and make up....

Nelson came up behind her...

"Auntay, Josie and I wrote up an appeal just in case...a plea for dismissal of all charges if we get a hung jury." she said.

" I hope we don't get a hung jury....but it's just the way it looked..We even swayed the Jury Foreman "  said Nelson...

"Speaking of HUNG, look at you with your big ole hard self behind me...I feel that thing..."laughed Beverly.

Nelson giggled....Took Beverly in his arms..

He and Beverly began kissing...

"I love kissing you." he said.

"I love kissing you too!" she said.

As their kissing  got more passionate....

He slipped her panties  down.....

He spread her legs and entered her from behind...doggie style.

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!" she moaned..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH........AWWWWWWWWWWW LAWD BEVERLY!" he moaned loudly..

They sat on the side of the bed with Beverly riding him slowly and kissing him...

"NELSON, I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!"she said, moving up and down on him....

"OUUUUUUUUUUU NELSON!" Beverly moaned as he rolled her over on the bed..

"BEVERLY GIRRRRRRRRRRRLLLL!" Nelson moaned..spreading her legs and mounting her again...

He spread her legs and entered her again...Her body began to tremble mightily....she was wet , her skin was baby soft, Nelson was losing his mind...humping away at Beverly mightily...Her head was turning from side to side, sweat and tears were flowing down her face...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...PUT IT IN...PUT IT ALL IN...OUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEET BABYYYYYY! UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!" Nelson moaned...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU  Husband IT FEELS GOOD...IT FEELS GOOOD!   IT FEEEELS GOOOOOD!" she cried out...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWWWWD BEVERLY!!" Nelson moaned loudly

This made Beverly laugh....

Beverly had several back to back orgasms....She was openly crying like a little girl as she and Nelson made sweet love for NINE TO TEN HOURS!

and in our sub-basement..

Dexter stared into Veronica's eyes..

Veronica stared into his eyes..

This lead to deep passionate kissing...

Deep passionate kissing that lead to

Dexter slipping her panties off...

and breathing deeply..

and him laying her across the bed, parting her legs and entering her slowly and softly...her once again being very wet..and aroused..

Her once again wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing him to enter her again and again, while she screamed with pleasure..

Enjoying one orgasm after another....

What started as a very calm cool afternoon...

Became a very restful night....

IV-

We wanted to bring in Bonnie Shay as a defense witness..

Of course Judge Wilson forbade it...

Olivia protested.....She asked for a continuance... Naturally Judge Wilson denied it. So Olivia took a day off.

Beverly, Nelson, Josie and Bresha began their defense of Veronica.

They presented Credit Card and Debit Card receipts showing she was at a Cantina with Attorney Dexter  Bradley at the time her husband was being killed.

Phone records that showed she got a call from her husband, but that in the weeks before she made no  calls that weren't either business related or personal to some friends...

They showed the GPS on her phone that backed up her claims that she was nowhere near the scene of the crime.

ADA Muldoon had no rebuttal for their defense...

Meanwhile, Olivia, Myself, Dexter and Bonnie went to the State Appellate Court... We argued that Bonnie Shay's testimony was tantamount in our client's defense and that the Judge forbade her testimony from being used.

 

After hearing our oral arguments , the court agreed with us and called the Judge after the days trial was over reprimanding him for his decision and ruling that Mrs. Bonnie Shay could and should indeed testify.

Judge Wilson was livid....Twice, Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her team had defied him...First bringing him up on charges and trying to have him removed from the trial..They failed at that.. and now going over his head after he made a ruling and getting his ruling overturned..They succeeded in this!  He was furious!!!

In court the next day...

Bonnie Shay testified... She showed proof that Veronica's husband had taken out a 25 million dollar life insurance policy in which she was the beneficiary...and had hired a hit man through the dark web to end his life... This being an arranged suicide, meant that now she wouldn't be able to collect on the policy.

It also proved beyond a shadow of a doubt...that Veronica did not kill her husband or have any part in it..

"Due to this new information...The People move that all charges against Mrs. Shanahan be dropped." said  ADA Matt Muldoon.. 

"The Defense concurs." said Olivia.. And with that, the case was over.!

 

"We did it!  We won!" I said Jubilantly...

"We sure did.."laughed Beverly, smiling devilishly and staring at Judge Wilson...

"We don't have to deal with him anymore..."said Nelson.

"I hope we never try another case in his courtroom." said Josie.

"He's about to become a Federal Judge, Maybe we won't have to." said Bresha.

"Thank You...Thank you all so much, you're the best." said a relieved Veronica.

""Liv you guys are the greatest." said Dexter.

Beverly and Olivia leaped up into the air and high fived each other..

"WOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU WEEEEEEEEEEEE!" they proclaimed loudly.

"I hate when they do that!" said Lt. Tragg...

Judge Wilson was livid...He stomped his foot and stormed out of the courthouse...

EPILOUGE-

Lt. Tragg arrested contract killer, Harry Galikos, the real killer of Darrin Shanahan....He confessed and took a plea deal.  

He was sentenced to 35-50 years in prison.

Lt. Tragg actually thanked me and Bonnie for giving him the information he needed...

We  both were surprised... 

Kelly Anne was really wearing off on him..

The Body of  Attorney /Fixer  Gabriel Martell hung from the rafters in his condo... It looked like a suicide.  He left no note....

"From the smell and the decomp..I'd say he's been dead about three days." said a crime scene investigator..

"God...such a young guy...I understand he was on the rise, considered a "Fixer " in both D.C. and here in Philly..A lawyer other lawyers go to when they need advice.."said Dr. Hazel Baylor.

"We were one day away from indicting him for conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit terroristic threats against ADA Wharton...We had proof that he made contact through the Dark Web with a man who threatened ADA Mellissa Wharton and tried to kill her a week later...Luckily, she got the drop on the man and killed him...I guess we'll never know why or who the string puller was." said Detective Sgt. Brice.

"Cut him down guys...phew, the smell in here...Let's get him bagged and tagged and out of here."said Dr. Marcy Martin.

The Body of Gabriel Martell was cut down and put in a body bag and wheeled out of the condo....

We were all celebrating and winding down at the NO I.D. BAR, a night later-

"I heard Gabriel Martell died ...a suicide...They found him hanging in his condo." said Jazzy, who knew him and had worked with him before.
 

"Yeah I heard that too." said Dabnis, who had also worked with him in the past.

"They said he was the lawyer's lawyer...A guy who could handle problems, hook you up with the right people." said Kayla.

"Yeah...I knew him...I worked a case with him a few years ago...Nice Guy." said Ray.

"We went out once or twice...He was a nice guy." said Jessica.

"I didn't know him , but I'd seen him around.." said Chip..

"Liv, Vettie and I were in law school with him...We didn't hang out , but we had a few classes together."said Karen.

"He was working with that Judge, James Wilson..Guess he was trying to fix up his image...You know he's up for a federal judgeship." said B.L.

"I guess he failed at that, tidying up his image."laughed Natalie.

"Olivia and Beverly ran rings around Judge Wilson, recently in court....brought him up on charges, tried to get him removed from a case and then went over his head and got one of his rulings overturned..   No other attorney has ever defied him like that and gotten away with it..."said David.

"That's because up until now, everybody has been afraid of him...but not anymore." said Brooke.

"Something about that guy is just off.;I can't put my finger on it...but it is."said Sean.

"Forget him...He's a thing of the past now." said Zoey.

"Yeah, he's gone.."said Lem..

"Literally... I heard he caught a plane to Miami last night."said Renee.

"He went where the beers run cold and he doesn't know the names of the players."laughed Tyrell..

"HEY GUYS, WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!!  VERONICA AND I ARE ENGAGED....WE ARE GETTING MARRIED IN A FEW WEEKS, YOU'RE ALL INVITED!" said Dexter...

Veronica was gushing... 

Olivia hugged her -"Oh that is wonderful..Congratulations to you both." she said.

 

"Congratulations Guys." I said.

"Wow!  We are here to help you with your wedding dress , your hair and anything else you need."said Beverly.

"They love stuff like this."said Nelson.

"Ouuuuuuu a wedding." said Josie.

"I look forward to eating cake." said Paris.

"But of course....You and my husband." said Bresha.

"You know it." said Tony.

"Everybody loves a wedding."said Alfreda.

"Congratulations guys. You two next?"asked Rockland..smiling and looking at Nina Rios and her Boyfriend Carlos,,,

"I'm waiting." said Nina playfully to Carlos...

who laughed nervously.....

 "Well this week ended nicely...Liv and Bev finished their trial and I finished my series of lectures."said Yvette

"And the Bridge Building didn't burn down while you were gone either." said Gary.

"We kept busy Ms. Yvette," said Keith Jones.

"Even had a few minor cases, which we successfully took care of." said Bee Bee.

"We helped out the other lawyers in the building.."said Sofia.

"Yeah, they kept us busy."said Kahlil.

"Me too!"laughed Jade..

"So Nice to wind down.."said Danny Ho...

"Ole Judge Wilson is fit to be tied....I know he's glad he doesn't have to deal with Olivia and Beverly anymore." said Virginia...

"They're Equally glad they don't have to deal with him."laughed Jetty..

At this moment in Miami,Florida- South Beach..

"I needed this respite...Philadelphia had gotten a little too hot for me."said Judge James Wilson as he enjoyed his drink.

"I heard about Gabriel.....A Suicide....such a shame..such a promising young man...."said Senator Hawkins..

"He will be missed." said Judge Wilson..  "Now about my Judgeship..." asked Judge Wilson.

"In due time....We are waiting for the press to die down....People are still whispering about your recent troubles in court....but I understand that case is over..Let it die down and we'll get back to talking about your judgeship....You're still in the winner's circle...relax."said Senator Hawkins..

Both men quaffed down their drinks..

and stared out at the beach and the beautiful night sky of South Beach.

FOR SLC