You Got That One Free

Two days later, My wife ,Olivia Bennett-Alexander sat in the small Diner across the street from the courthouse leafing through a few legal briefs....Larry North sat down with her....The day after we saw him in the bar ,he drove up to the prison to meet with Tony James.....Olivia and Bev met with two judges and did some more research...For my part...I chased down a few more leads... We didn't see him at all that day...and the next day, he was in court with Olivia, filing another motion for a continuance...Bev  spent that day relaxing in town... I spent half the day napping in the room ,waiting for Olivia to return... It had been a peaceful two days..We didn't go to the bar at all and we had our meals in seperate places... Olivia and I found a nice cantina in town and Bev had become friendly with another female attorney who took her to a nice spot in Fort Worth...

 Larry passed Olivia a tumbler of coffee..  As they went over some briefs..

"Thank you Larry." she said...

"Your husband called me an hour ago and said you had some good news for me." he said.

"Yes Indeed"said Olivia smiling...

"Does it concern Beverly?" he asked.

"Beverly?  No! Other than the fact that she's talking to a judge right now as I speak no...Why would it concern her?" asked Olivia...

"Uh-Oh....I'm sorry...A slip of the tongue...I guess she's pretty pissed at me huh?"he said.

"No...She didn't mention you at all. She's her usual happy go lucky self." said Olivia...

"I was drunk a few nights ago...I didn't mean any of that stuff I said.."he said.

"You meant some of it." said Olivia....

"Well ...Only the good stuff." he said.

Olivia gave him the side eye...but continued...

"Your client, Tony James will not be executed next week!!!!" she said.

"You found someone??? ,A Judge that will grant a stay???" he asked.

"Not just a stay...He'll be fully exonerated!! My brilliant hubby may have cracked this case...May have found the real killer!!" she said...

"WHATTTT???? Where is he anyway?" asked Larry...

"Oh he'll be along in a few." she said.

"Livy ,if you weren't married...I'd kiss you."said Larry...

"I thought you wanted to kiss Bev?" she joked...-"I'm just kidding.."she laughed...

Larry laughed and then looked up...Officer Bart Snark and two other police officers walked up to the table..

"Ohh hell, him again!"said Larry North..

"Where is your husband?  I'm bringing his ass in...Assaulting a police officer!" said Bart Snark.

"You can't be serious? You were off duty and drunk...There is three or four witnesses who will attest to that...Maybe more."said Larry...

"Johnny,lock this guy up too...I'm sick of his mouth.."said Bart Snark...

The officer didn't move....Neither did the other one.. Bart looked at them in consternation..

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Lock his ass up." he shouted...

"On what charge Bart?"  said the one named Johnny....

"I gotta explain things to you now?" snarled Bart...

"Yeah..You aint my Seargent ,so Yeah, you do..I'm not going to just jack somebody up who's not breaking the law." said the other policeman.

My wife Olivia was as cool as a cucumber....She sat back and said.

"You know Bart...you might want to rethink that..."she said...

"You know, just because you're a lawyer and a woman doesn't mean I can't lock you up too!!....NOW I'm gonna ask you again sweet baby, WHERE IS YOUR HUSBAND?" he bellowed..

II-

"Right behind you Bart!" I said... I had two Detectives with me and five uniformed policemen.....

Bart Snark seemed surprised...I laughed...

"While you're catching your tongue...Allow me to explain..."I said and I opened a portfolio and pulled out some photos..

"This photo was taken the night before the murder......There is YOUR car...Your old car...I ran the license plate in front of Darla Houston's house...You were there for two hours ...Listening in the window,probably to her and Tony James making sweet love...It infuriated you...It infuriated you that she also had another Black lover who was desperately trying to get back with her ,while she was rejecting your many advances... But look here...Here is another photo...Taken the night of her murder...Not just your car...But You at her door!

"That is you...Just a few pounds thinner...She wouldn't let you in would she? You bammed on the door and created a ruckus and she let you in...You two got in an argument and you beat her with her father's golf club...You called your father from your cell phone....and he probably told you to get the hell out of there...Which is why he was on the scene so fast...and as luck would have it...Tony James walked right into your crime scene and you had a suspect....a patsy!!!  Your dad cleaned down that crime scene...but he didn't do such a good job...See ,we found a latent print that wasn't Darla's or James...It was yours!! and the coup de grace!  We found a bloody Dallas Cowboys ring ,much like the one you're wearing...With your bloody DNA on it... The neighbors attested that they saw a white male in the vicinity before and after the police arrived...and I found a receipt for the new ring you're wearing now from the hobby shop, paid for by you just two days after the murder...YOU killed Darla Houston Bart and your daddy has been covering it up and he and his friends have been intimidating witnesses and any lawyers and outside investigators for years...Oh and by the way...You shouldn't have run over there straight from your class.....You left your textbook!!!  I traced it to the school library, It was at the crime scene....You owe about $25.50 in late fees" I said.

"The case detective who handled the investigation was dating your sister at the time...Wow...You really had this thing on lock...Any first year Homicide Detective could have solved this case.. He purposely overlooked a lot...His partner told me that it always ate at him...So much so that the stress of seeing an innocent man go to death row weakened his heart...killed him." I said.

Larry North smiled and looked at Bart...So Did Olivia...

"You were saying Officer Snark?" said Larry ,smiling...

One of the Detectives took his badge ,while another took his service revolver and his throwdown weapon...He looked at Bart and smiled...

"Really man? What era are you from?? A Throwdown piece??"

The two policemen that had come with him handcuffed him, while another read him his rights...

"You guys...You guys was in on this.." he said to the two policemen who had come along with him...

"Yeah Bart, we were told to keep an eye on you.."said the one named Johnny...

''Sell outs..."he said.

"Yeah Bart...We sold you out...Ever wonder why nobody at the precinct talks to you or has much to do with you?? You're an asshole...That's why...In fact...I don't like you." he said.  The other officer snickered..

He looked at Olivia,Larry and me like he wanted to strangle us...

"You think you're sooo smart don't cha..??  She shoulda been with me..She was supposed to be with me..She owed me..SHE OWED ME!!!!" he said , stomping his foot in anger..."Passing me by for those two jigaboos...a dumbass jock and that hip hop kid...SHE OWED ME GOTDAMNIT!!! SHE OWED MEEEEEEE!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!SHE OWED ME!!!!" He screamed and stomped his foot...

The Lead Detective said- "Get this knucklehead out of my face...Thanks for your help Donnie Ray."he said to me..

"My pleasure.." I said. "There  will be plenty of jigaboo's where you're going Opie and I'm bettin they can't wait to get to know you!."I said looking right into the hate filled eyes of Bart Snark.

The other detective and the police officers hustled him off....He was still screaming to the top of his lungs as they dragged him down the hall.....

"SHE OWED ME GOTDAMNIT!!! SHE OWED MEEEEEEE!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!SHE OWED ME!!!!"

Olivia and I just shook our heads...

Larry North looked at me...

"What about his daddy D.R.?" he asked.

"Oh they're charging him with obstruction of justice now...and first degree murder charges are formally being filed against Bart Snark!" I said.

"Livy, Donnie Ray...I don't know how to thank you." he said.

Just then Beverly walked into the diner...

"The Judge just vacated the execution order!!!....and in lieu of this new evidence....Tony James is a free man, he'll be released later on today!!" she said...

Larry was exuberant...He lifted Beverly up and spun her around...and then planted a big ,wet sloppy kiss on her lips... Both Olivia and I knew that he had wanted a reason to do that the entire week... 

It was a little uncomfortable watching them kiss for what seemed like it was longer than it was supposed to be....It almost looked like Beverly was into the kiss, but that couldn't be...

She finally broke his embrace....

"WOW!!! That was amazing.. Damnnn ! You really know how to kiss a man."he said...

Beverly was not pleased...She wiped her lips.....

"You got that one free..."she said looking at him like she wanted to strangle him...

I couldn't help but laugh...Olivia turned from her niece and laughed too!

III-

A few hours later in a courtroom.... A Judge looked at Tony James , who stood with Larry, and a young Black female attorney named Velda Scott, who had been helping Larry with his appeals...

Olivia and Beverly stood with him too!

''Tony James...I'm sure you've had enough judges look down on you in the past...So I'm coming down there and say to your face that you have been exonerated in lieu of this new evidence and you are a free man...You are free to go right now.." she said and the courtroom was filled with clapping and cheering...

Velda and Tony James both hugged Olivia and Beverly and thanked them profusely for helping get him exonerated...

"This is another victory for the Innocence Project.." said Larry North...

''Thank you so much Larry, for calling in your friends..We came so close to losing this one.." she said.

"I called in the one woman who I knew could get this done...I've worked with her and her niece for years...and don't forget her husband...His tenacious leg work is what really cracked this case." he said pointing at me...I just smiled..

Larry went to hug Beverly again, but she pushed him off...

" Ugh Uhhh...No more free kisses...You've already told us thank you..That's enough."said Beverly..

"Well uh, let's go out and celebrate...Drinks?  On Me??" he said.

"Nahh that's alright...I've done a little too much drinking this week." said Beverly..

"Don't be mean."he said.

Beverly smiled..

"I'm not mean Larry...." she said.

"I like you and I think you like me too." he said.

"Not in the way you mean...Larry..I have a boyfriend....We are just starting, but we are very serious."she said.

"Have you told him that you love him?" he asked...

"Larry" she said.

"Has he told you that he loves you?" he asked.

"Larry, let's be friends okay?  I'll have one drink with you...Just one...But don't ask me about my relationship and don't try to kiss me again or grope me."she said.

Larry smiled..

"Okay...That'll work for now..but when we get back to Philly...I'm going to come and see you...I'm not done with you yet.." He said.

"Larry!  Friends! Okay? Friends!!! or I won't have this drink with you." she said.

"Okay.For now!" he said ..He looked at Olivia and I and winked...I just smiled and shook my head...Poor Bev!

EPILOUGE:

Bart Snark was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection...He is currently on suicide watch at Hunstville Prison.  His father was convicted of Obstruction of Justice and sentenced to ten additional years.

Olivia gave an awesome Comencement speech and soon after, We boarded a plane back to Philadelphia..

A much nicer plane than we came on...The three of us actually sat in the same row on this trip...I had both of my favorite women on either side of me..

Olivia had her head on my shoulder...

"You know the Innocence Project compensated us nicely for the work done..."said Olivia..

''They didn't pay me enough for the aggravation "sneered Beverly.

I hugged her..

''Hey look...What is it with your men?" I asked.

"Huh? What? I only have one man and I can't wait to see him."she said.

"Well, you got Nelson East...Yall get married..You're No longer Beverly West...You're Beverly East...Then you got Larry North...Yall get married, You become Beverly North..." I said.

"OH MY GOD....YOU ARE SO STUPID!!!" laughed Olivia hysterically....

''Auntay, Get your husband away from me.."said Beverly laughing and kissing me on the cheek...

"What was that for?" I asked.

"What you did for me...Having Nelson call me was great...It was perfect timing..You are soo cool...I love you D.R. and I'm glad you're married to my Auntay..." she said ,tearing up..

Olivia trying to lighten up the mood said-

"Okay...Okay..Stop with the tears...and stop kissing my husband...You got that one free."she said...

Beverly looked at her aunt...And Olivia looked at her and they both cracked up laughing...