VENTURES: Seriously Dead

PRELUDE- THREE WEEKS AGO!

It was a rainy night in the city.. a very rainy night...A night when most people were at home...If they were lucky ,they were snuggled up with somebody...

The doorbell rang to Zack Roman's tony apartment....

His eyes bulged out of their sockets...She had on a trenchcoat with only a bra and a pair of bikini panties on underneath.

"Kathy! Oh My God!" he chuckled..

"Heyyyyy sexy...It's cold and raining outside and you're all alone...Feel like some company?" she said,

"Wait!! Don't answer...judging by that huge bulge in your trousers...YOU ARE DOWN FOR SOME COMPANY!" she laughed.

"I haven't seen you in a week....I'm glad you came over....You picked the perfect night to come over.."said Zack..

"Yup, it's raining cats and dogs...So get your clothes off and in the words of Marvin Gaye...Let's get it on..." she laughed as she walked inside his apartment and closed the door..

"Ummmmmmm let's play bodyguard....My turn to guard your body..."he said as they began kissing..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuu you nasty boyyyyyyyyyyyy....." she moaned..

Their kissing got more passionate and steamy......

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm you are as erect as a board...and hard as hell...ouuuuuuuuu!" she cooed..

"The better to guard that body baby.." he said in between kisses...

He took her raincoat off....She had on nothing but her bra and panties and high heels...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Kathy, you're a naughty girl..." he moaned.

"I ammmmm..." she laughed..

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm..." he moaned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, you're as hard as a baseball bat....I like..ouuuuuuuuuuuuu" she cooed and giggled softly fondling his very erect and very hard penis....

He unsnapped her bra... and slipped her panties down....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I LIKE THIS BRA AND PANTY SET!" he said.

"Do I have a pair you don't like?" she said as they both laughed..

"You make a good point." he laughed..

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm, the kissing continued....

Another rainy night in the city...

The Next Morning........

"WOW LOVER! You wore me out last night.....wouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...You really put it on me....I can barely walk....Oh My God! You are a stone freak! Wouuuuuu!!! I'm gonna hop in the shower....When I get out.,.We'll get dressed and go to breakfast. I'm buyin." said Kathy...totally satisfied and exhausted..

They had met in the basement laundry room of this building six months ago... He helped her take her laundry back to her loft...a few floors up from his.. They had sex on the living room floor of her loft that very afternoon for the first time..

That was six months ago...They'd been meeting and having sex in each other's lofts, the laundry room, et al ever since....

She took some body wash and a spare towel and rag and went into his bathroom...She loved his shower.

Even though they lived in the same building...his shower seemed to have better water pressure than hers...

She lathered down in soap and stood under the hot soapy water, catching her breath from last night...

Someone had a key!....They opened the door of his loft....

Zack Roman heard it and heard the door opening.. He immediately jumped up, only to find a familiar face...

"YOU!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?? THIS IS NOT A GOOD TIME!" he bellowed angrily..

It was Judge James Wilson and he was holding a baseball bat..

"I'm afraid it's not a good time for you! Time is up for you my friend!!... I'm up for an important position!" he said

"What are you talking about?....I didn't say nothing..It's been nine years...I haven't said a word to anybody.." said Zack..

Judge Wilson turned the radio up loud as loud as it could go....He obviously heard someone taking a shower...

"AND I PLAN TO KEEP IT THAT WAY ZACK! I'M DEAD SERIOUS!!!"said Judge Wilson.

Kathy emerged from the shower a little while later...She was drying her hair..

"Hey how come you got the radio up so loud.?.. Hey what is this?" she said.,

She picked up the baseball bat and then walked into the living room where she saw the battered body of her lover....

She let out a loud scream!!!

Zack was on the floor, dead....He'd been bludgeoned to death!

Some time later-

"My God...He was beat to death...and from the looks of things....It was with this Louisville Slugger." said the crime scene investigator..

"He's got multiple fractures...A Skull fracture.....decimated ribs, a leg fracture...My God this was a cruel killing. Death was by extreme blunt force trauma." said Dr. Hazel Baylor..

"From Body temperature...He's been dead about an hour and a half..." said Dr. Marcia Martin...

"I live upstairs....I was taking a shower...I uh spent the night...I didn't hear anything...and when I came out the shower...The Radio was blasting as loud as it could and I found him on the floor by the door which was open, dead.." said Kathy, sobbing profusely...

"Get your clothes on , you're going to have to come downtown with me and answer some questions." said Lt. Tragg.

"I uh have to go upstairs to my place... I uh don't have any clothes except my trenchcoat and my panties and my bra and my heels...That's uh all I wore down here." said Kathy ,obviously very embarrassed.

II-

THREE WEEKS LATER-The Bridge Building.

We were all eating lunch...

"You won't believe what was in the mail for me yesterday....I'm just now reading my mail..It's a summons to do Jury Duty..." said Sean.

"Let me see that" said his wife Brooke. "Yeah, that's a court summons." she said.

"Not to worry. Once they find out he's a lawyer, A Federal Public Defender at that, he'll be dismissed. I had jury duty two years ago...Once they found out I was An Assistant District Attorney I was so gone." said Natalie.

"I remember that." said her husband, David.

"Well I wasn't so lucky...I was picked for jury duty. They knew I was an attorney...I was still picked."said Ms. Yvette,

"Yeah I remember that," said Keith Jones.

"That case where that guy was practicing law without a licensce."said Bee Bee.

"Yeah, he was charging people in the neighborhood $25.00. He read law books for fun and looked up anything he needed to know on the internet."laughed Sofia,.

"After he was acquitted, he did go to law school, graduated with honors and passed the bar." said Kahlil.

"In that case,it was good Ms. Yvette was on the jury." said Jade.

"Yeah, you never know what kind of case you may get Sean, if you get one...but it might be a case where you can make a difference." said Ms. Virginia.

"You never know...but I'm most certain you'll be dismissed. "said Jetty.

"Yeah, I was like Natalie..I had jury duty last year...Once they found out I was A former Assistant District Attorney and a working attorney. I was so gone. I was outta there." said Natalie.

"I haven't been called for Jury Duty in a few years,,,I suppose my number is coming up.." said Dabnis.

"Me Neither,,,but like you say,,,,my number could be up soon." said Kayla.

"Ahh Jury Duty, I think it would be fun...At best you'd get some rest."laughed her husband, Ray.

"I got a summons last year...I went...They found out I was an Innocence Project Attorney and I was sent away immediately."laughed Jessica.

"I remember that...You won't believe this...but the last time I did jury duty was before I took the bar exam...I had just graduated from law school." said Chip.

"That's been awhile...Believe it or not...I haven't been called....I'll knock on wood...My number may soon be up."said Karen.

"They sent me home too!...They knew I was an Attorney, but being a Television Reporter and personality, they didn't want me."laughed Karen's husband, B.L. who was eating with us today.

"Don't worry Sean, Just go early, wear your court badge....You'll be let go in the first group."assured Natalie.

"Natalie's Right." said David.

"So Husband, what are you going to do?" asked Brooke.

"I'm going to court...I'm going to honor my summons." said Sean.

"Like the good citizen you are." said Zoey with a smile.

"I'm wondering what kind of case you'll get." mused her husband, Lem.

"If it's a Capital Case...A Murder Case for instance...I know they'll send you packing...They don't want a lawyer on that type of jury."laughed Renee Cantrell.

"Lie, tell him you have an overload of cases to try."said her husband, Tyrell.

"They might check." said Paris.

"They're not gonna check." said Tony.....

"Ahhh I'm going....I'm gonna tell em that I'm a Federal Public Defender,complete with my ID and my Bar Association card and watch their mouth's drop."laughed Sean.

III-

WEDNESDAY MORNING- COURTROOM A-

Sean sat in the jury pool....He looked confident that he wouldn't be picked....No way.....

ADA Abigail Wilson-Walker stood pensively, looking at the jurors and studying questions she had for them...She thought she recognized Sean Marks, sitting with the other jurors...

Arresting Detective- Lt. Arthur Tragg also recognized Sean and he too wondered what he was doing in the jury pool...

Sean peered at the Defense Table....

The Defense Attorney was Public Defender Adam Clarke...

The Defendant was Kathy Elliot, accused of bludgeoning Zack Roman, her lover to death....

The Judge was none other than James Wilson , presiding over this case.

"Good Morning, Good Morning, I am Judge James Wilson , a direct descendant of one of this nation's founding fathers...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 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 will start today with introductions.." he said.

"Representing the people of this commonwealth , Assistant District Attorney Abigail Wilson your honor.." said ADA Wilson-Walker...

"Attorney Adam Clarke for the Defense your honor." said Adam Clarke.

"You're with the uh Public Defenders office aren't you Mr. Clarke?" asked Judge Wilson.

"Ahhh errr yes your honor, I am." he remarked..

"Alright, we'll begin with Voir Dire." said the Judge....

The battle of wits between ADA Abigail Wilson-Walker and Public Defender, Adam Clarke began....

Sean yawned.. , He was certain he was going to be dismissed and he was used to seeing the brilliance of Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her team of attorneys

And or Yvette Jones Lockwood and her team of attorneys...

Both teams who knew in advance everything there was to know about the jurors, who had excellent questions for each juror and was able to pick the jury they wanted..

ADA Abigail Wilson-Walker was doing slightly better than Public Defender Adam Clarke...She had already picked 7 of the 12 jurors needed....Then they got around to Sean..

"Mr. Marks....Sean Marks isn't it? You sir are an Attorney...Am I correct?" he asked.

"Yes, I am in the Federal Court System...I am a Public Defender like yourself, a Federal Public Defender." said Sean.

Adam Clarke smiled... "I ask that this juror be struck for cause..." he siad.

"No! He stays.....You've already struck down three witnesses for cause.... Mr. Marks as a fellow attorney can you be impartial?" asked the Judge..

"Yes, but..."I said.

"Excellent, we have our twelfth juror.....ADA Wilson, you don't have a problem with him being on the jury do you?" he asked.

"Uh er no your honor." said ADA Abigail Wilson-Walker..

"You can't be serious!" said Adam Clarke.

"I'M DEAD SERIOUS!" said the Judge.... Alright...We have a jury.....Jurors and Attorneys , we will meet in this courtroom, Courtroom A tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM....be on time and be ready for trial." said the Judge.

Sean couldn't believe he'd been picked to be on the jury..... He couldn't believe it...

He looked over at the defendent...

She was crying profusely.....Was she crying for her predicament? Or was she grieving the death of her former lover?? To Sean it seemed like the latter.

IV-

Back at the Bridge Building...

In the Wrongful Conviction Conference Room

"Whattttttttt? You Actually got picked?" said David.

"I can't believe it...Didn't they know that you're a Federal Public Defender?" asked David's wife, Natalie.

"Yeah they knew...The ADA, The Public Defender and The Judge.....The Public Defender asked that I be struck for cause, as he should have...but the Judge, that crazy judge over ruled him and practically

bullied the ADA into accepting me...So I'm it...The 12th juror." said Sean.

"You've got to be kidding....Who is the ADA?" asked Brooke.

"Abigail Wilson-Walker." said Sean...

"Oh I know Abby....She's good people."said Natalie..

"I know her too! We worked a case together...I was her second chair." said Brooke.

"I worked a case with her too...She knows her stuff." said Natalie.

" Who is the Defense Attorney?" asked David.

"A Public Defender named Adam Clarke." said Sean...

"I know him! He passed me that uh Capital Punishment case that we worked last month...He's a good solid dude."said David.

"Well he's fighting an uphill battle... The girl swears up and down she didn't kill the man, says he was her lover...Says she was in the shower when the murder occurred...but there is no sign of forced entry and her fingerprints and only hers is on the murder weapon, a baseball bat that she swears she never saw in the apartment before... Thing I keep asking myself...Why would she call the police and stick around naked and wet and wait for them to come and not attempt to get her prints off the bat? Doesn't make sense, doesn't play...The prosecution says it's a crime of passion...I don't buy it...but that's all I'll say about the case right now." said Sean, who knew he shouldn't be discussing the case...but these were his close friends and like him, they too were attorneys.

"Who may I ask is the Judge?" asked Karen Page.

"James Wilson....I never heard of him before..." said Sean..

"I know him...I know him quite well.....He's a friend of Assistant District Attorneys and a bully to Public Defenders and Defense Attorneys in general. He's also a PIG....I had an incident with him years ago...

In the law library downtown...

I was a young attorney, doing some research for one of my first cases when I felt someone behind me....

"Ouuuuu...oh excuse me..." I said. He was so close to me, I could smell his cologne and feel his erection in his trousers....

"Karen Page....Karen Page....You're one of the new attorneys eh" he said.

He wasn't a Judge then or even an ADA, just another Attorney, who was with a rival law firm, working his way up, making the right contacts and such....I knew him in passing.

"Yes...I uh passed the bar last year...I'm an Associate Attorney at McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt."I said.

"I know your boss...Old McCluskey....We were in law school together...I think I was a year or two behind him..." he said and now he had his arms around my waist...I removed them slowly..

"Oh Really? " I said, trying to put some distance between us... The bulge in his trousers was even more prominent now! I wondered if he'd cornered other women in here...It was the perfect place, isolated, quiet.

"You're a beautiful woman Karen, very beautiful and I've been very attracted to you for a long while now!...Come on...

put those files away...It's getting late, come with me to my apartment..." he whispered.

"What? No! I don't even know you like that." I said. I couldn't believe him....He was someone I maybe said two to three words to in passing at office parties or in court in between trials and he was hitting on me hard.

"There is no better way to get to know me than to come to my apartment and spend the night." he said.

"Are You serious? You are out of your mind!" I asked incredulously...

"I'm Dead Serious." he said..

He tried to kiss me...I pulled away from him....He attempted to kiss me once again, but I moved my head...He tried to move it back, but I moved away....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm, come here baby....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you've got me hotter than a cigarette at a gas station.." he moaned..

He grabbed my butt and pulled me into him, He kissed my neck and the side of my face....I eased out of his embrace once again..

"Come on Karen, I've got a boner for you that just won't quit..." he said, breathing heavily...

"Please stop...Please..." I pleaded...

He knocked over a chair...Some of his legal briefs fell to the floor...He was now grinding on me up against the wall and breathing heavily...

"You've gotten in to me....I'd like to get INTO YOU!!! I can't stop....Do you really want me to stop Karen???, I told you I've got a boner for you that just won't quit!" he moaned...

"That's not my problem...." I said. Finally, I slapped him hard and kneed him in his groin...

OOOOOOOOOOOOUF!" he moaned...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMM...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned..

He moaned and fell to the floor..

The curator came around the bend...just as he was getting to his feet..

"Is everything alright? You okay sir?" he asked..

"-YES...I'm fine....Go away.....I'm just fine..." he moaned...He was more embarrassed than anything else, and as red as a beet... He leaned on the table, trying to catch his breath....He was obviously in pain.

Yvette and Olivia were there that afternoon and they both came to get me.

"Hey Karen, you ready to go?" said Yvette, not realizing what had almost happened.

"We are going to get coffee and a few burgers." said Olivia.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go..." I said and we left him there, catching his breath and seething.

He called my supervisor and tried to get me fired a week later... I told my supervisor that he attempted to sexually assault me... My supervisor, a woman just smiled and said that she knew he was a pig and that I wasn't the first woman he had assaulted.. She simply ignored him...Nothing happened to me.

Years went by and the next time I saw him , he was a Judge....I prayed I'd never have to try a case in his courtroom." said Karen.

"Wowwwwwww this guy is a real pig huh? And Now he's a Judge." said Natalie.

"Over the years he has made the right contacts with the right people who have financed his campaign for Common Pleas Court Judge....I hear he's up for a Federal Judgeship...He's very ambitious...Always has been...He was a brilliant attorney.." said Karen..