Hoagie's Blues

Vocalist,Ingrid Rhodes was singing up a storm tonight at Josies.....and I was in the band that was backing her on my trumpet...

I had been so busy investigating this case for my wife ,Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander that I had neglected my music...I was able to pick up this gig at the last moment...because she needed a horn and Gus's main man Shine couldn't locate Reed Nelson or Downtown Rob Brown...So he called me in....I was playing along side of Dutch Van Buren and with the blind keyboardist... Chazz....I wondered sometimes if he was really blind..

We finished our set...The crowd went wild...Gus could be seen from a distance ,smiling and clapping while his bar tenders and bar maids raced to take drink orders...

From a distance I could see my wife and her niece, Beverly sitting in a booth with our client, Celeste Tate and our office manager, Josie Boyd and Attorney Nelson East,Bev's boyfriend..

They clapped enthusiastically as barmaids brought their drinks to them... From a distance ,I looked for my contact...The one who was supposed to meet us here on this Friday Night.. The man known as "Hoagie"

II-

The trial began on Monday....Since this was the Friday before and we all had been working pretty hard in preparation and I decided we all needed to take a break...And what better place to take a break at than Josies...Where everybody truly knew your name...Detectives, Private Detectives, Cops, Lawyers,Musicians,Cooks, Players,Power brokers...They all hung out and came through Josies...Along with ordinary everyday folk...I loved this place...The drinks were cheap and they had Hot wings and ribs to die for..

"Come on Donnie Ray...Sit with me...You've been playin that horn all night...I'm jealous." cooed my wife, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander..Who was looking sensational in a silver mini skirt that I was dying to slip off of her..

We sat down and she leaned her head on my shoulders...Her niece, Attorney Beverly West and her boyfriend, Attorney Nelson East were kissing passionately as though we weren't there..

Our client smiled and laughed and looked at us...

''Wow..all this love....This could have been me and Chucky..." she said.

Josie was dancing slowly in the corner with her new boyfriend ,Paris....Her head on his chest.......When Olivia noticed a big hulk of a man walking towards us..

''Donnie Ray...here comes your guy "Hoagie" she said.

"You know Hoagie?" I said.

She simply smiled and nodded.

By asking around several legal circles I found the man known as "Hoagie"..Real name...Franklin Trevor Carmaichel... Believe it or not he is a practicing attorney...Who dresses and carries himself like a mob boss. A man who used to have connections in very high places in the political spectrum of Philadelphia...A legend amongst Black Philadelphia Defense Attorneys...and also a man who could get you things...for a price.

"Donnie Ray...Sorry I'm late...Order me a Scotch...On Da Rocks baby.." he said..Which meant..I was paying...

He turned around and smiled at Olivia...

"Livy?" he said.

"Hiiii Hoagie." she said.

"You know my wife?" I said.

"You're married to Olivia??Well Hell Donnie Ray,if you'd of told me that...I'd of been here.." he said laughing and hugging Olivia..

''Donnie Ray...Hoagie is the dean of Philadelphia Black Attorneys...Everybody either was trained and or mentored by him..As was I or they unfortunately had to face him in court.."said Olivia...

"I taught this girl when she was fresh out of law school...had just passed the bar...I taught her how to prepare a case, how to pick a jury, what to look for...all of the little tricks and nuances of being a trial attorney..She was a good study...So was her girl Celeste here.." said Hoagie..."I started to ask you where your fresh ass niece is ..but I see her over in the corner sucking face with young East over there...I ever tell you I repped his Uncle...Fathead Newton once..? " he laughed...

"Hoagie....You uh had something we should see?" said Celeste, stopping him before he went into one of his classic riffs...

"Oh yeah..right here...Let's sit down and order some more drinks and some wings..." he said.

III-

 

"Soooo Livy..you goin after a big Fish...Betty Mercy eh?  She needs to be brought down a peg...And if anybody can give her an L.  It's you...I can't believe she's crazy enough to rep herself in court...Then again..It's her...From what Donnie Ray told me..You guys have a guy who will testify that she made false statements about him and you did complete work ups on the accuser and your uh deceased fiance, Celeste..
Good......So you need what I got...

This here is a document from the late State Supreme Court Justice Calvin Corley...I understand you and your niece met him.." said Hoagie...Nothing got by this guy...

"Yes, We did...we represented his estranged wife at the time...Juanita Corley.."said Olivia...

He smiled..."I heard...You two did good work on that case...One before it too..."he said..."Anyway Justice Corley reprimanded your girl for withholding evidence and knowingly making false statements in a 2002 Arson and Homicide case...He stated to her in this very document...

"ADA Mercy...Your deplorable behavior today demonstrates to me your total disregard of the notion of due process and fairness...This is inexcusable.." he said and tossed the conviction out and let the guy go...

"Then get this...your girl, His wife, Judge Juanita Corley...

had to censor her in a 2005 Triple Murder case.......She said-

"ADA Mercy...You played fast and loose with the truth several instances in this case...and you knowingly withheld evidence ,evidence that might have freed this man in your zeal to get a conviction...You allowed a Detective to testify falsely while under oath and you allowed evidence that we had already discussed could not be admissable to be seen by the jury....I'm going to have to throw this case out..Don't you ever come in my courtroom and display this kind of unprofessional behavior again..."she said..I was the Defense Attorney in that case...She had gotten a conviction, but I appealed and charged her with prosecutorial misconduct and won...So much for her boasting that she's never lost a case.You present these copies of court documents,plus the other stuff you got and you got her cold Livy.." he said.

Olivia smiled...

"Hoagie Thank you so much.." she said.

"Thank you Hoagie.."said Celeste..

Hoagie looked at me...

''Donnie Ray Alexander...Donnie Ray Alexander....Donnie Ray...Ex-Murder Police eh?  Part time musician huh? ,Private Investigator now!! And you snagged a big time lawyer like Livy?  I got big respect for ya boy...You got some game wit'cha." he said laughing heartily...

"He's my Knight in Shining Armor."laughed Olivia ,kissing me on the cheek...Hoagie smiled, then took an ice cube and threw it across the room hitting Beverly in the head..

"Ouch...Hoagie....Damn it!" said Beverly, laughing....

"Liv, listen to the mouth on your mini-me!! Come here shortcake and give your Uncle Hoagie a hug." he said as Beverly laughed and ran into his arms...He hugged her and kissed her on her forehead....

"Liv...She's just like you..She's gonna be fierce..." he said still hugging her...

"Ohhhh and here is the icing on the cake...Do you remember the Whitney Jenkins Case??" he said.

"Oh yeah...She was accused of murdering her missing baby...Because the baby had been missing for a month." said Beverly...

"Yes..That was one of the first big Hard Bottom Cases..."said Olivia..

"You know how that turned out don't you?  She badgered that woman un mercifully on her television show...I swear ,I don't know why anybody in trouble with the law would agree to an ambush interview on that show...She kept screaming at her...

"WHERE WERE YOUUUUUUUUU? WHAT AREN'T YOU TELLING USSSSSS?????"

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson and Celeste spit our drinks out laughing at Hoagie's imitation of Betty Mercy...He continued...

"The girl shot herself the next day....and get this...Her child was found...safe and alive just two weeks later...The child had been abducted by a neighbor...Whitney Jenkins had nothing to do with it....Somebody should have protected that girl....Somebody should have stood up for her...When you go to court Monday Olivia, Beverly....You're standing up for all of the people she has badgered and tried and convicted on Television.....You're speaking for two people who ended their lives that can't speak for themselves anymore...Take that bitch down for every last cent you can get from her." he said.

We all got very solemn.....

"What's with the long faces....Let's get some more drinks..." said Hoagie...suddenly laughing...

We ordered more drinks...I kept thinking about how mean spirited the world had become...I thought about two people ,two weak people who were bullied and wound up taking their lives...

I wanted Olivia to win this one more than anything..

I looked at her...Looking so good and enjoying herself...The calm before the storm....

(CONCLUSION NEXT)