All Good

Olivia and Beverly sat in our room studying their laptops....They were looking at the financial records of practically everybody in the grooms party and the bridal party...
They looked cute in their short night gowns...Both had pretty and shapely legs and smooth brown skin...How lucky was I to be in their company?

I had been looking up a few things on my IPAD Mini myself...but I had decided to take a break...When I heard a knock on the door and heard a commotion out in the hallway....

"Wonder who that could be?" I said dryly...

"Probably your partner...Fearless Fosdick" joked Beverly...I looked at her and laughed..

"You won't find out if you don't open the door." said Olivia ,who got up and opened the door.

She was right...It was Detective Fosdick..

He stared at her in her night gown and smiled....She covered up...

"Detective Fosdick...Can I help you?" she said...

He peered in at Beverly, then he got himself together...

"Yes...I have a team here and we are taking DNA and fingerprint samples of everybody here involved in this." he said.

I came to the door and sure enough...A team of people were taking fingerprints from people ,while another team were taking DNA evidence...Swabs....I was actually impressed...Fosdick was doing some actual police work...

"I'm sorry Ms. Olivia, Ms. Beverly, but I'll need yours too...Even yours Alexander."he said.

"Oh No problem." I said.

"You were right about that phone...We got a fingerprint off of it  that is not the murder victims and we found a blatant print or partial on the murder weapon...Apparently ,the killer didn't clean the knife as well as he or she thought..." he said.

I smiled...Maybe this guy wasn't a complete jackass after all...I mused..

''Oh and those drawers? The boy didn't buy em...They were purchased from a shop here on the island one week before he was even here."said Fosdick..

"Yeah? Who purchased them?" I asked.

"Don't know..They were paid for in cash and the place doesn't have cameras...and the person that sold the drawers won't be in until tomorrow." he said.

I smiled..

''Good work...Good Work Detective Fosdick." I said.

"FOSDICK IS THE NAME!  HOMICIDE IS MY GAME!!" he declared...

Olivia and Beverly giggled...

Fosdick smiled and looked at me...

"You stayin with both them gals?" he whispered to me...

"One is my wife...The other is my niece." I said.

"Uh..Oh...Oh...I believe you told me that the other day...Must have slipped my mind." he said...

I just shook my head.

II-

An hour later...I was walking on the beach alone when I saw Wallace's ,"Uncle"..Ed Hankins...He was at a beachside bar on his smartphone....

"Look, take ten thousand on The Heat over the Lakers tonight...Yes...Yes...I can cover it...If I win, the payoff will be millions....Yeah I need it...Okay...That's cool." he said.

He looked at me and smiled...

"I know you...You're that lawyer that Rollie hired right?" he said.

"My wife is the lawyer....I'm a Private Investigator...I work for her."I said.

"Wow...you could have it a lot worse....Your wife is gorgeous....and that sister of hers isn't bad either.Lawdd Jesus...I saw her out here on the beach the other day...Ummph,Ummph Ummph!" he said.

"That's her niece." I corrected him.

"Niece eh?  Wow...they could pass for sisters...She's a lawyer too huh?" he asked.

"Yes..." I said.

"And you work with both of them....Lawd today...It's a wonder you don't lose your mind...both of them fine women around you.." he laughed.

"I manage to keep my facilities together." I said...

We both laughed....

"I can't wait to get back to Philly....I'm pretty sure this wedding is a wrap....Murder, The bride's indescretion and all." he said.

"The bride didn't have any indescretion." I said.

"Oh ....So She says..." he said. "And speaking of brides....There is your lovely wife." he said.

Olivia had on a bright sundress and sunglasses and was walking across the beach towards us...

''How long you two been married?" he asked.

"About two months.." I said.

"Smart man, smart man....you took her off the market." he said.

"Yupper." I said.

"Uh that niece of yours...She seein anybody?" he asked slyly..

I looked at him sideways....

"I think she is...A fella back in Philly..." I lied. I had become just as protective of Bev as was my wife...Bev and I had become great buddies...I began to think of her almost like a daughter, even though only ten years seperated us and Olivia, only nine years her senior was as protective of her as a mother hen...Bev was equally and fiercely protective of her beloved "Auntay" We were for all intents and purposes..a family..The first family I had known in awhile..

"Oh...Uh, ruh,just askin." he said.

I said nothing...

Olivia greeted me with a warm kiss....

"I'm starving, let's go get some lunch...Bev and I saw a nice seaside bistro yesterday when we were in town shopping.." said Olivia..

"Lead and I'll follow." I said.

Ed Hankins laughed...

''Atta boy..If she was my wife, I'd follow her too." he said laughing.

Olivia smiled wryly at him and she and I walked away...

III-

Beverly sat on the beach by herself... She was wearing a Black string bikini that was hiding little to nothing and was getting compliment after compliment from the guys on the beach...none of whom she had the least bit of interest in.

Several drinks were sent her way also...Most she turned down...She seemed to be in a funk today...Her Ex boyfriend was getting married and it was just her luck to be on the same floor in the hotel as him and the groomsmen.

Olivia and I asked her if she wanted to go with us...

"Nah...you two go...You're newlyweds..Spend some time together  outside of the bedroom" she said with tongue in cheek..

We both laughed and walked on...

Bev's cell phone vibrated...She picked it up...

''Bev ,is that you?" came the voice.

"You called my number...Who else would be answering?" she said.

"Yeah that's you...Smart mouth and all" came the voice...

"Nelson?" she said.

"Yeah,I see you don't have my number in your phone." he said.

"You know what? I will put it in today...I'm actually glad to hear from you." said Bev.

''You....You....You are?" he said.

"Yeah...I was kind of depressed.." she said.

"Really? You're down there on the beach in all that sunny and warm weather..How can you be depressed???..I'm depressed...I'm here in cold ass Philly." he said.

"Yeah and my ex is here and he's getting married...They're in the same hotel...same floor as me." she said.

''Whoa...Bummer.."he said.

"So to what do I owe this call? You missed me?" she said.

''Actually I did..I haven't been teased or insulted lately..." he joked..

"Aww..I don't treat you that bad...But if it makes you feel any better..I missed you too." she said.

There was a slight pause..

"Y-You did?? You for real?" he said.

''Yeah...I miss you buggin me for sex...I miss you asking me to go out and I miss talkin to you." she said.

There was another pause..

"Well, uh when you come back..I uh have Sixers tickets....Sixers vs Pacers...Next Saturday..You uh wanna go?" he asked.

"I'd love to Nelson and uh....if it's real late when you bring me home...You don't have to go home, You can spend the night....if you want to...My Auntay and Mr. Alexander are married now and they live upstairs...I have the entire suite to myself downstairs.." she said.

"Wow Bev, that's great...And look..I won't be no trouble..I promise...I can sleep in the living room...On the couch...I don't snore and my feet don't stink and..and......." he said.

"Nelson...Nelson...It's going to be cold...You can sleep in the bed with me!" she said.

There was a long pause...

"What?You serious?? Is this some kind of joke??" he said.

''You do use condoms I hope."she said.

"Yes...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" he said.

"Good, don't just happen to forget them next Saturday..." she said.

"Oh Bev...Ohhh Bev..This is awesome..This is soooo cool." he said.

"Don't get too excited...I still might change my mind in between now and then...About you spending the night...But I will go out with you." she said.

"No...No.. don't change your mind...It'll be cool..It's All good..It's All good babes..I promise.." he said.

"You do uh like me a little bit don't you? I mean this isn't just about a quick hook up right?" she asked..

"Quick Hook Up?  Bev, how long have I been around you? I like you a lot..Ever since we used to work together in the Public Defenders office..I sure hated it when you resigned...I thought you were moving to D.C. to take that job at the Immigration Department  and I was never going to see you again and I was really depressed...But I felt better when I heard you were staying and working with your aunt..at her private practice here in Philly.If this was just about a quick hook up,I wouldn't have been around this long...Especially with no sign of a return."he said.

For the first time in awhile, Bev smiled..

"Wow....I thought you just wanted to get in my panties..." she said jokingly....Even though she really did believe that for sometime, which was why she kept Nelson at arms length...

"Nooo..Nooo...I mean, I must admit...You are hot...and I'd be lying if I told you that I don't want to go there with you...I certainly do...but do you think I'd let anybody insult me the way you do...If I didn't genuinely care for them?" he said..

She laughed...

"I don't know...but you sure have a high tolerance level...I insult you quite a bit.."she said.

''Bev...I like you a lot..A whole lot...I always have..and I miss you..I didn't figure the convo was going to be this deep...but even if you had insulted me...At least I heard your voice today and got to talk to you..."he said.

"Awwwwwwwww." she said.

"Bev...I 'm so glad I called you babes.." he said.

"I'm glad you called me too...I'll see you next week when I get back."she said.

"Girl, I can't wait...Tell me your flight and I'll be waitin at the airport." he said.

"Okay Nelson..Okay....Calm down...Calm down honey, But thanks...You just boosted my morale like one hundred percent.." she laughed...

"It's All good babes.." he said.

"Yes it is..." she said.

"Bev?" he said..,

"Yes?" she answered...

"I- I..." he mumbled...

"You what Nelson?" she asked....

"Nothin...I'll see you when you get home." he said.

Beverly hung up, but she smiled from ear to ear  and did a happy dance on the beach...

Several of the male beach goers noticed and sighed...That sexy body, that sexy bikini...they were bowled over.

IV-

Some hours later, Olivia and I sat in our room relaxing....She motioned for me to take a look at her laptop...

"You see that Donnie Ray?"

I looked....

"Wow....So that's where the money has been moving to." I said.

"It all makes sense...It was right there in our faces all the time...Rollie was right to be concerned." she said.

''Well there is your motive right there.. I'm going to go to police headquarters tomorrow morning and find out if they got a fingerprint or DNA match and then I'm going to see if that guy who made the monogrammed boxers can tell me who he sold them to...I got a feeling this whole thing is going to come to a head.." I said..

Just then Beverly walked in the room...

"Uh the door was open.." she said.

"It's okay ..We weren't doing anything...Come over here and look at these figures."said Olivia...

I looked at Beverly...

"You're blushing." I said.

''You met somebody?"asked Olivia...

''No...Somebody I already knew...Somebody who's always been around just called me today and made me very happy...He was right under my nose..." she said..

"Nelson?" asked Olivia...

"Yes..He's not so bad afterall.."said Beverly.

Olivia hugged her niece...She looked at me and smiled..

"Sometimes, the best things are, right under our noses Bev." she said.

I smiled.

(CONCLUSION NEXT)