No Happy Endings

This particular morning found me in court with Beverly....I'm Donnie Ray Alexander,

 I'm the in house Investigator for my wife's Law firm... Alexander & West ,Attorneys at Law.. My Wife...Olivia Bennett-Alexander is the chief Attorney...

Beverly West is her young niece.. Also an Attorney...

She was defending a young woman named Kim Lee...A very Petite, Shapely and very attractive Asian woman ,who worked as a Masseuse or Massage Therapist at a local Massage Parlor...

She was suing an Asian Businessman named Lo Mein for sexual assault.. She claimed that he exposed himself and made lewd advances against her in the massage parlor..She attempted to run and he literally ripped her skirt and blouse off and chased her into the lobby with only her bra and panties on...And him clad only in his boxers...She was humiliated and embarrassed!

He claimed that she led him to believe that they were going to have consensual sex..after the back massage...A Happy Ending if you will...

Beverly ,who usually worked as her Aunt's second on a lot of big cases was handling this case by herself...


She was squaring off against an Attorney we had seen before..

..A.Rodger Cockrill...A brilliant, but somewhat sleazy attorney....About six months ago...

Olivia and Beverly were in court representing a woman, Juanita Tolson, in a non-jury trial who was in the middle of a bitter divorce....Her husband, Reverend Brian Tolson, Paster of Jericho Baptist Church had reluctantly given her the house and one of his cars...but was trying to get out of paying her Alimony...Alimony that had been previously agreed on...

Olivia and Bev were playing the court a recording made of her conversation with his lawyer..A.Rodger Cockrill...A brilliant, but somewhat sleazy attorney.

He sat with  her husband,Brian Tolson in court...Olivia,Bev and Mrs. Tolson sat on the opposite side...

The non-jury trial had been going on for the past three days...It was far from boring...It was as good as any reality tv show with allegations of infidelities flowing from both sides...


"So uh listen...Maybe uh...Mrs. Tolson...you and I could uh work something out."he said.

''Work something out? What do you mean?" she said..

"Perhaps we could uh meet downtown at a little place I know...and uh have some drinks, some dinner and uh work some things out after that."he said."Work some things out?  What do you mean Mr. Cockrill?" she asked..

"Heh,Heh,Heh..I think you know just what I mean Juanita..can I call you Juanita?" he said.

"What? why are you talking so low?" she asked..

"Look..Ever since I laid eyes on you,I couldn't get over how attractive you are...Your husband is a fool for divorcing you...You're a very attractive woman...Extremely attractive and frankly I haven't been able to get you off my mind...Now if you and I could meet for drinks and dinner..I'll throw this entire suit out...and tell him that we couldn't make a deal....How about that?"he asked...

"Mister Cockrill...I-I-I don't know what to say....This is ...This is highly unusual..."she said.

"Just say you'll meet with me and wear that white blouse you had on last week..The sheer one and the peach laced bra..That was hot!"he said.

"You liked that one huh?" she said.

"I did...Do you have matching panties?" he asked..

"Mr. Cockrill....my goodness you are getting pretty personal." she said.

"I'd like to get very personal with you Juanita.....Between me and you, this whole suit is fraudulent..but I have to represent my client...but he's got no real case...Your attorneys are correct...He signed an agreement...He's trying to feign amnesia..but he's not fooling anybody..I've told him as much..He should have never of agreed to anything without legal counsel.."he said.

"Your counsel right?" she said.

"Any counsel...Any lawyer would have told him  the same thing."he said.

"So you're just taking his money right?"she asked.

"If he wants to give it away..what can I do? The more to spend on you baby..Heh ,Heh,Heh!"he said.

"Ouuu you're nasty."she said.

"I haven't showed you nasty yet.."he laughed...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."she giggled...

"Damn your laugh turns me on Juanita."he said.

"Does it now? Well uh okay...what time do you want to meet?" she whispered seductively...

"Heh,heh,heh..How about 7:00 pm tomorrow night? Bottom of the C." he said.

"Okayyyyyyyyyyyy."she said..

"No need to uh mention this to your uh attorneys or anyone else."he laughed slyly.

"Of course not..."she said...

 "Well alright..."he said seductively...

"I'll be wearing my matching peach lace bra and panty set."she said. 

"Ouuuu yesssss."he moaned.


Of course She never showed up!!! It was a got'cha moment....Attorney Cockrill had no idea his phone conversation had been recorded...He cried foul...but the judge, our friend, Judge Juanita Corley-Drinkwater was livid....as could be expected...She was no sufferer of fools as we learned the last time we had been in her courtroom...She later on became a client of Olivia and Beverly and a friend ever since...Outside the courtroom....In the courtroom she was hard and fair...

"SIDEBAR!" she yelled...

Nelson and I stood in the back of the courtroom smiling, trying hard not to laugh....

The three attorneys stood before the judge...She was livid!!!

''WHAT IN THE HELL DID I JUST HEAR?" said Judge Juanita Corley-Drinkwater..

''Your honor...I am as outraged as you are...I-I-I-I had no idea I was being recorded...This is low for you Mrs. Bennett-Alexander...It violates Attorney -Client priveledge.."he snorted.

"WHAT ATTORNEY -CLIENT PRIVELEDGE???She's my client....not yours....and I didn't tell her to record your conversation...She did that on her own..."said Olivia, who was trying very hard to hold her laughter back...

Beverly turned her head to hide her smile...

The judge looked at A.Rodger Cockrill...

"I'm throwing this case out...Mr. Cockrill, you are very close to be censored for your shameful behavior...but I'm going to give you a break today..Do you understand?" she said.

"Yes....Yes your honor..Thank you Judge Corley."he said meekly....

"I'm ruling that Mrs.Tolson be awarded the amount of Alimony originally agreed on...I AM THROWING THIS NONSENSE OUT...And I better not see you in my courtroom again for a while..."she snarled..

"Uh Yes Your honor.."he said..

"Get the hell out of my courtroom!" she yelled...

"Yes mam!.."said A.Rodger.Cockrill who grabbed his briefcase and hurried out....Juanita's soon to be ex husband, Reverend Brian Tolson was as red as a beat..

"Rodger, you're a creep ,supposed to be representing me and trying to make time with my wife...I aint payin you jack and I plan to sue your ass." he screamed as the courtroom session came to an end...

I laughed my head off...

Nelson now joined by Beverly was laughing so hard,his sides were hurting...He was slamming his fist up against the wall..

This was the sleazy attorney Beverly found herself up against today....He had nearly been censored for that last stunt..

Beverly whispered to me..


"Donnie Ray, I can't believe this trial is going into day three..."


Beverly had fought unsuccessfully for a trial in front of just a judge...but A. Rodger Cockrill, though sleazy as could be was a very savy and brilliant attorney...as Beverly discovered...he argued for and got a jury trial...The six person jury consisted of four men and two women...

A.J. Cockrill remembered Beverly, He remembered how her Auntay,Olivia had beat him in court just months before...He still believed that Olivia had told her client to record him...She hadn't...But he always thought so and was determined to get revenge by beating her niece in court...

It wasn't working out as easily as he thought it would...Beverly had skills too and was proving to be a very formidable opponent to his dismay.

"Don't worry Shortcake...those three witnesses I located will testify for you and more than bolster Ms. Lee's argument that her establishment was legitimate and that the Massage Therapists were just that...not call girls."I said.

Beverly had more than held her own for three days.....proving to be just as formidable as Mr. Cockrill....Judging by the faces of the jury...This case could go either way...


He tried to cross examine each of her witnesses, but they stuck to their story and were iron clad...


Tomorrow  was going to be key...A.Rodger Cockrill would be calling her client, Kim Lee  to the stand....She could only hope that the coaching she and her boyfriend, Attorney Nelson East had given her and her witnesses would lock in and hold up...They had run a mock trial for about a week leading up to the trial and Nelson did his most ruthless imitation of the prosecution...He was so good that Beverly had to remember he was play acting to help her...Nelson was really quite a good lawyer...Her respect for him grew everyday...

As court adjourned for the day...Beverly held my arm and leaned her head on my shoulder...


''D.R. See if you can find anything on this Lo Mein character.." she said.

"Way ahead of you Shortcake...You want me to drop you off somewhere? Nelson's"I asked.

"Normally, I would but I'm beat...I'm going home." she said.


II-

 At this very minute...Her aunt and my wife, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander was having lunch at Chinese Bob's with her friend and sometimes adversary, Assistant District Attorney, Nina Rios..

Olivia and Nina Rios had been in Law School together...Nina, a year older had graduated a year before...She went to work in the District Attorney's Office...Olivia and her niece, Beverly had gone to work as Public Defenders....Surprisingly, these two friends had never come up against each other ....They came very close when Olivia was defending Richard Graves, believed by many to be responsible for his wife's disapearence over 15 years ago..but except for some preliminary sparring in an extradition hearing ..they hadn't ever faced off against each other in a full blown trial...

Hot steaming platters of chinese food was delivered to their table...As the two women ate...They naturally talked...

"This is so nice...We so rarely get a chance to just sit and talk Livy..."said Nina..

"I know...This is one of the rare times that I'm not involved in a trial or a litigation.." said Olivia..."Girl you are glowing...What's up? This isn't just a chance meeting." said Olivia..

"Olivia...Two things...I am thinking of leaving the D.A.'s office and running for States Attorney...and the other...I think I've got a man!!!!!" she said laughing and almost screaming...

"Oh My God girl, that is soooooo major....States Attorney and a new guy....When did all of this come about?"asked Olivia...

''Some guys from the Democratic National Committe approached me a few weeks ago about a possible run... We haven't had a Democrat in that seat in like eight years.....Based on my win record as a prosecutor...They thought I would be a shoe in..." she said.

"I think you'd make a great State's Attorney....and hopefully I would never have to go up against you in court..." laughed Olivia..

''Yeah...Long as you leave those death row appeals alone in this state..."laughed Nina...

"Yeah,hopefully I don't have to go through that or any more appeals for people wrongfully convicted for awhile..."said Olivia..

"You've been busy out of court yourself lately...You were in San-Francisco two weeks ago receiving another award from the Innocence Project and then in D.C. ,a week later... The Keynote Speaker at a Black Lawyers forum...And then you gave a speech and a lecture at Columbia in New York, two days last week...You've been a busy little girl...Your little niece is usually attached to your hip...How has she been?" asked Nina.

"Bev got an acquittal in a high profile murder case a few weeks ago...Which is why neither she nor my husband went with me to San-Francisco...They did go with me to Washington D.C. and then she got involved in this case about the Massage Parlor assault  and they didn't go with me to New York...That was another two day trip... I miss them so....I'm so used to the three of us being together, the camaraderie..."said Olivia..

''Massage Parlor Case...?? Ohhh that involves Mr. Lo Mein...He's a businessman...His company supplies this very Bistro we are in with produce....Rumor has it ..a few years back..He had a thing for Chinese Bob's wife..." laughed Nina..

"Bev is representing some woman who claims to be a massage therapist...Who claims Mr. Lo Mein exposed himself and sexually assaulted her in one of those places...You do know what goes on in those places...Massage Parlors?? Happy Endings and all..???"laughed Olivia..

"Oh of course...L& I can't shut them down because they are legal businesses..and it's hard to prove that anything untoward goes on in there...but...Everybody knows...what goes on after the massage if you have enough cash...Guess there was No Happy Endings for Mr. Lo Mein.."said Nina...

''I know right?" laughed Olivia.. "So you're seriously thinking about running for State's Attorney huh? You'd be moving to Harrisburg..."said Olivia with a frown...

"I'd still visit...I'd be keeping my townhouse here in Philly.. And of course ,You three could visit me too...Harrisburg is not that far..."said Nina...

"Sooooo...stop beating around the bush and tell me about this mannnnnnn." laughed Olivia.

"Oh My God Olivia...He is my Happy Ending...You have to meet him...His name is Connor...Connor Elswworth...

''Funniest Thing...I met him two days after I was approached about running for State's Attorney.."said Nina..

"Is he an Attorney?" asked Olivia...

"No...He's an Analyst at a Political Think Tank...Which is how he knew about me being approached to run for State's Attorney...but Livy ,he told me that he didn't care about any of that..."said Nina.

"I came over to your table because I was so mesmerized by you....Your eyes...Your smile...Your hair...You are one incredible looking woman and if you don't allow me to pay for your drinks and buy you dinner..I'm going to be very disappointed.."he said.

"Sounds like a real smooth talker."said Olivia.

"Oh he is and my guard was up...I've heard it all before...But I let him buy me drinks and he took me to a fantastic restaurunt...We had a wonderful meal...We talked politics, the law and our jobs well into the wee hours of the morning...He drove me home...I was waiting for him to make a move...But he didn't..He said it was late and that he had to work tomorrow..He did ask for my number and if he could see me again.....I gave it to him...He called me three days later and we went out again for drinks and dinner....Then three weeks later he took me to a play I had been wanting to see...It seemed like he knew so much about me without me telling him...

Then he took me to his loft and we drank wine and talked about our lives, our careers...hope and dreams....All of his this and he didn't make a move...He was the perfect gentleman Livy...

He called me and we would have very long, very deep conversations...that would go very deep into the night...I really was beginning to like and trust this guy...."said Nina..

"He sounds great....So you two haven't uh...had sex yet?" asked Olivia..

"I didn't say that....That happened at my place...a few weeks later..He brought groceries and cooked for me and we killed two bottles of wine...

"He stared at me and the next thing you know...He was holding me, kissing me passionately and running his huge hands up my dress....rubbing my legs and my buttocks and kissing me slowly, deeply and softly....His hands weren't the only things huge if you know what I'm saying...

"I melted...I don't know when my clothes actually came off or his...but...oh my god...He is huge...The next thing I know...We are in the bed...making sweet love....

About four or five hours...Livy ,my body was exploding.....I was feeling things I never felt before....When I came.. It was like the fourth of July Olivia.. and it was several times...He was so gentle, so slow and attentive..." she said..

"Ohhh Myyyy...Well Nina girl, I'm very happy for you....With your new career direction and your new love...You've got to bring him around...We've got to meet him." said Olivia.

III-

Just then, a very exhausted Beverly and I walked into Chinese Bob's and sat down.. I kissed Olivia in her lips ,softly and passionately...for a few minutes...

 "Ummmm, how is my girl doing?" I said as I sat down...

Olivia ,surprisingly blushed like a school girl..

"Ohhhhh...Uh..I'm....I'm fineeee." she said....she looked like she'd broken into a cold sweat...

"My My ,My...Aye Mios Dios...Look at you Livy,blushing...That's how Conner makes me feel." said Nina..

"Hi Nina...You told them about Conner huh?" said Beverly...

"Wait a minute...You know about Connor?" asked Olivia..

''Yeah ,I forgot to tell you Auntay...I saw them together while you were out in Cali those two days...Two weeks ago."said Beverly...

"Yeah,I've met him too..Nice guy.."I said.

"See Nina,that's why I'm not going anywhere else without these two...I miss too much when we are all separated."joked Olivia... She looked at her niece..."So how's your case coming along?" she asked.

"It's coming along...Third day in front of a predominately male jury..with a jerk of a opposing counsel,playing to their stereotypes ."said Beverly..

''Who is opposing counsel?" asked Nina.

"..A.Rodger Cockrill." said Beverly....

"Oh My God he is so sleazy...but he's good...He asked me out on a date once...When we were facing off in court....I told him no...Then one week after the trial, he called me late at night...Wanted to know what I was wearing or if I was wearing anything..."laughed Nina..."It's a wonder he has a license to practice...He hits on every female attorney that crosses his path,ADA, Judge...Opposing counsel..He doesn't care..Long as they are wearing a skirt."said Nina.

"He's pissed at me...He's taking this trial personal..."said Beverly...

"You shot him down?" asked Nina ,laughing...

''No Bev and I beat him in a divorce case a few months back...Our client recorded him making a pass at her and revealing that her husband didn't really have a case...Judge Juanita Corley-Drinkwater presided over the case...She was livid...He nearly got disbarred. She tossed the whole thing out and awarded the wife the money she was asking for and tossed him out of her courtroom...I've heard that he is holding a grudge against me..." said Olivia..

''She's tough..She nearly found me in contempt once....Wow!"laughed Nina..

"Well enough legal talk ladies...What's good on the menu?"I asked..

We all laughed and Bev and I ordered food and we continued to talk...We had no idea that nothing pretaining to any happy ending  was coming down the pike.

(TO BE CONTINUED)