Sins Of The Father

One Week Ago...Miami, Florida-

Frank Manley, A Very Wealthy Partner in one of the country's top Investment Firms parked his car in the parking lot...He was on his way to a very important stock holders meeting in Miami.. He was running a little late..

As he locked his car and began to walk towards the front he was approached by a younger man...

"Mr. Manley...Do you remember me?" said the man...

"Are you the Valet? I park my own car...I don't use Valet's ." said Frank Manley tersely....

"I'm not the gotdamn valet...You're responsible for ruining the life of a dear friend of mine..." said the man..

"What? You're crazy...I don't know you?" he said..

"You mean you don't remember me..." said the man who produced a gun...

Before the startled Frank Manly could say anything...The young man fired twice....both shots to the head..

Frank Manley fell to the ground mortally wounded....The young man vanished in the shadows...

Frank Manley was dead by the time his body was discovered...minutes later....

II-

PHILADELPHIA PA- Today!

 The television was on....I was helping my wife, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander zip up her dress...I am her husband of little more than a year and a half, Donnie Ray Alexander...Ex-Homicide Cop....Now the Investigator for my wife and her niece's law firm.

I pulled her towards me and stared in those pretty soulful eyes of hers...

"What?" she asked me...

Soon we were kissing passionately.....

"Ummmmmmmmmm..Damn girl you are so sexy." I said.

"Stop, you're going to get my lipstick all over your face and your shirt..." she said as she took a wet wipe and wiped my face off..

At times Olivia could be so prim, so proper....

"Damn girl, I could do this all morning.."I said...

"I know you could and we wouldn't get a thing done...But I like that you think I'm kinda sexy."laughed Olivia...

"Well it's nice that you and Bev don't have any pending cases....You two just wrapped up that big case two weeks ago.."I said.

"Yeah....that was a nice payday...I've been enjoying our days off..just sitting around the office, taking leisurely walks and what not.." said Olivia... "

Although I do have a meeting with Rollie Rollerson this afternoon..."she said.

"How's he doing?" I asked....He had been engaged to a woman, who it turned out had been born a man...The woman was murdered and the truth came out..Rollie had been in therapy ever since...

"He's doing better ..He's been keeping a really low profile...He's the laughing stock of the circles he runs in...Which is not fair...His fiance fooled everybody....I heard her surgery was incredibly good work...It would have been hard for anyone to know that didn't know before hand." said Olivia..

My wife is such a lawyer...She already sounded like she was building a defense for him... I just shook my head and laughed....

Just then Olivia caught a glance at the Television set...

"Local Police still have no clue as to the motive or the shooter's identity in the murder of Investment Banker, Frank Manley, who was shot to death in a parking lot in Miami, Florida last week." said the
broadcast... "The FBI is being brought into the investigation! Manley was recently divorced from his wife of nearly 30 years  and leaves behind one son.." 

 "Oh wow! Somebody killed him? I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner." said Olivia, smiling to herself..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu that doesn't sound like the compassionate earth mother I married...What's up with that? You know this guy?" I asked ,smiling as we left our domicile and walked down the stairs to our office...

My wife's Niece and law partner, Attorney Beverly West, younger by only nine years met us at the door..

She smiled sheepishly upon seeing the two of us...She was just getting in. she had a change of clothes , but she still had her overnite bag with her...

"Oh uh Hi D.R. , Hi Auntay." she said...

Olivia gave her the side eye and smiled..

"Late night eh?" she said and busted out laughing...

"I uh guess I uh did have a late night.." she laughed shyly.....

''Guess what I just heard on the news?? Somebody shot Frank Manley to death in Miami...Last week!! Cops don't have a clue and they are bringing the FBI in on this..."said Olivia..

Beverly's eyes perked up...

"Really? I'm surprised somebody didn't do this sooner...When they catch his killer...I might defend him or her pro-bono." laughed Beverly...

"Me too!"laughed Olivia as the two women high fived each other!

''Who is this guy that you two obviously know and don't think too highly of?"I asked..

By now we were in the office... Josie had poured three hot steaming tumblers of coffee for us..

"Hey guys..." she said..

"Hey Jo....Sit down Donnie Ray...We'll tell you."said Olivia..

III-

Olivia and Beverly looked at each other and began talking..

''Frank Manley is from Philadelphia...He was the head of one of the city's...one of the Nation's largest Investment Banking firms...A real mover and a shaker....Donated money to various political campaigns...was a lobbyist...."said Beverly...

"It was several years ago...I was still married to Elwood...and I had been at my downtown law firm for about a year and a half....I had been doing good work for them...So when Frank Manley came to them ,saying he needed an Attorney, they trotted me out...He took one look at me and asked if he could have another Attorney...

"Nothing personal against you Mrs. Barnes...but...you're...." he said.

"Black and Female?" I said...

"Well considering the nature of my son's case....being a female isn't a plus and ..and ..you're pregnant!" he said.

"I assure you, my being pregnant will not be a problem...I can handle this case...I just closed a case last week..." I said.

"I know all about you...You came here from the public defender's office...They say you're an excellent trial attorney..."he said.

''So what's the problem?" I asked.

"My son and his buddy are accused of uh ruh, innappropriate uh behavior a young lady in their college dorm..Supposedly ,the woman was drunk and unconscious...She says that they forced themselves on her...."he said.

''So he's accused of rape?" I asked.

''See this is what I mean...You..You..You just would look at this too emotionally...I-I need..." he said.

"A man?   You think I've never tried a case like this before??...I was a public defender...This is nothing and if you give me a chance...I'll prove to you that I can handle this case..."I said.

''And your being pregnant won't cause you to uh be emotional??" he asked.

''And to think, somebody actually married and had a child with a caveman like you."I said ,already disgusted.  "You know what? Maybe you should hire a man..."I said and stormed off..

''Wow...What a neanderthal.." I said.

"Oh My God...My Auntay told me about this and I was flabbergasted..." said Beverly....

"It didn't end there...though I wished it had...I was already pregnant and throwing up and spending my afternoons alone ,in my pajamas on the couch ,feeling neglected...

Elwood came home at around midnight....

"Hey" he said...

''Hey yourself.."I said...

"I uh ..was uh at a staff meeting at the firm....I uh ate dinner out..Did you make yourself something?" he asked..

"No and you didn't bring me anything either...."I said...

''No..I uh figured you would uh ruh have ordered out..."he said.

''So Elwood..when I was on my way home tonight...I found these in my car,under the front seat."I said showing him a pair of panties and a bra...

"They're not mine...I'm not wearing anything like this right now in my present state.." I said.

''Who is she this time?  A secretary?? Another lawyer at the firm?? A client??"

"Olivia,You're going to get yourself all upset...Now let's not get into that...You don't want to lose this one." he said...

"Like I lost the last one right?   The stress you put me under is the reason why..Just like the stress you are putting me under now..."I said...Then I smiled..

"You know what? Forget it...I-I-I can't go there with you....Do what you want...You're going to do it anyway..."I said.

"I-I-I promise you Liv, you will not find another pair of panties or a bra in your car or mine..I promise." he said.

"Geeee thanks Elwood...you're all heart..."I said..

"Baby what do you want?" he asked..

"Oh My God Donnie Ray, Do you see why I can't stand bum ass Elwood?" said Beverly...

"He does seem a bit clueless...So apparently, this wasn't the end of your dealings with Frank Manley.." I said.

IV-

"No, two days later...I got called into the conference room where the head of of our law firm was sitting..I thought it was funny that just he and I were the only ones in the office....He smiled and asked me to sit down....

"Mrs. Barnes...First off..How are you feeling?" he asked..

"I'm just fine..."I said..

"You're uh what now...In your fourth month of pregnancy?" he asked...

''Yes.."I said..

"Must be a nice feeling...This your first one? I recall you being pregnant before or am I wrong?" he asked..

"I was pregnant about a year ago...unfortunately uh I lost that one."I said..

"Ohhhhh such a shame...well,I hope the second time will be the charm..." he said..

''I hope so too...You uh didn't call me here to talk about my pregnancy ,did you sir?" I said..

"Uh No..I didn't...Mrs. Barnes...You've been with this firm for two years now and I've gotten nothing but glowing reviews from the Associates and the Partners about you...Haven't lost a single case...Now that is rare....I'm likely to say you're talent as a trial attorney exceeds most of your peers here...who aren't used to actually having to go to court...You're very valuable to us....."he said...

"He then pulled out a quarter....and said..."Mrs. Barnes...This is you and your value...." He then tossed it on the desk...

"This desk is our law firm....We have offices in Philadelphia, New York City and Los Angelas..Do you get where I'm going with this?" he said.

"Kind of.." I said.

"Frank Manley is a big client..A BIG BIG Client....And you were refferred to him because of your reputation as an excellent trial Attorney and I must say ,I am surprised at the disrespectful way he said you spoke to him a few days ago....Now we went to bat for you and he's willing to let by gones be by gones..And you are going to give his son and his son's young friend the best defense you can...IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?" he said.

I was furious....It was bad enough, Elwood and I 's relationship was coming to an end...I had decided that I wanted a divorce...I would have his baby and raise it as a single mother..I didn't want to live with that lying ,cheating ,soul killing man any more..but now I had to work for a man I despised from the outset...and had just been disrespected by the Senior partner of our firm.....Still I found myself saying..

"Yes Sir."

''Good...He'll be calling you today and you'll be meeting with his son." he said. "Good Luck with the pregnancy...And we've uh hired an Investigator to be with you..." he said..

"Thank you sir." I said..

"It was at that moment that I knew...I wasn't going to be at this firm much longer...I was going to start my own firm..." said Olivia.

''Wow Liv...I'd of been crushed ." said Josie..

"I was.."said Olivia..

"Auntay came by my apartment and just cried and cried all afternoon...I had never seen her like that before..She was so angry...." said Beverly... "She spent the night with me and we went back the next morning...We stepped on a bra on the walkway leading up to the house and found a pair of panties by the door.Like he'd rushed a woman out of Auntay's house...

She and Elwood had a big argument...She told him she wanted a divorce and demanded he leave the house..

I busted out laughing....

"Did he leave?" I asked..

"Yes he started packing....and do you know he tried to blame me for this...Threatened to sue me."said Beverly..

"I told him to go right ahead...Auntay should have left him a long time ago... He finished packing and stormed out....Good Riddance..."said Beverly...

"Bev packed a bag and stayed with me for a few days..."said Olivia...

"Auntay began mapping out how she was going to start her law firm....and she contacted a divorce lawyer..She wanted the house and some of Elwood's cars...She was going to sell them and buy a duplex with a storefront and begin her firm...Auntay was so organized.."said Beverly... "I asked her if she really was going to leave such a huge law firm?" said Beverly..

"I am..they'll never make me a partner and it's quite obvious they don't respect me...I'm just their token, Their affirmative action baby...I have a nice sized clientele..People who will follow me from there as well as people I've worked for when I was in the Public Defender's office..I'll be just fine...Maybe you'll come and work with your Auntay one day." she said... I smiled...

"That was a whole two years before any of this happened...I smiled.. I couldn't even conceive it all, but Auntay had squirlled away huge amounts of money...and had been planning this for a long time..I was amazed by how organized she was..."said Beverly...

"I'm going to take on this last case...Just to show them how competant I am and after it's over...They can kiss my ass...because I'm gone..." said Olivia...

''Wow...We hadn't met yet had we?" I said.

"No baby....I was one summer away from meeting you...but that was the beginning of the end....I went and met with his son.....Once meeting the son and his co-defendent...I could see that the apple didn't fall too far from the tree..The son,Jason wasn't a racist...but he was certainly just as misogynistic as his father..A frat boy!......

"He and his co-defendent, Jessie had a party at their college dorm...There was a lot of drinking..as you can imagine...and the young lady admittedly was drunk and high...There was evidence she had smoked a large amount of marijuana... According to them they went back to her room for consensual sex....She told a different story...She said she agreed to consensual sex with Jason, not his friend, Jessie...She serviced Jason orally for about an hour and then the two of them had sex on the living room couch.....She said she doesn't even remember having sex and she was certain she was unconscious by now...She said when she awoke...Jason was humping her from the back and Jessie, who she had never met had his penis in her mouth...It was hard to know who was telling the truth..."said Olivia..

"What did your gut tell you?" I asked.

"That she was telling the truth....I didn't even want to take this case...but I had to.." said Olivia..

V-

I spent the next six to eight weeks preparing for the trial, going to pre-trial appointments and hearings...and meeting with my attorney to begin divorce hearings....Which led to another meeting with the Senior partner and head of our firm...

''Dear, How is the case going?"he asked..

"It's going as good as possible...I'm preparing for it...I've been to a few pre-trial hearings and I'm getting ready.." I said..He had never taken such a hands on interest in any of my cases before.."said Olivia.

"Good..Good..I told Frank..Uh Mr. Manley that you are a very competent trial attorney and that so far you haven't lost any cases for us...He's still very worried...He has asked us to assign another attorney to assist you on this.." he said.

"I don't need another attorney...I can handle this case by myself...In fact it would be better if-" said Olivia.

"Now now...don't get all emotional...It's to help you be as successful as possible dear..." he said.

"How bout we compromise...Why don't you send me an investigator?? The one you promised me..That never showed up...That's what I could really use."I said.

"Fair enough....I'm uh sorry to hear that you and Mr. Barnes are going through a divorce....I've met him before..Hell of an Attorney...HELL of an Attorney..." he said..

"Such is life.."said Olivia..

"This is a great story..."I said.

"It gets better, depending on how you look at it."said Beverly with a smile..

Josie cracked up....

Just then someone walked in the front door......

It was Jason Manley.....He looked around...He was amazed....

"Wow!  Olivia...You have come a long way..." he said.

"Jason...What are you doing here?" asked Olivia..

"I went to the law firm you used to work for asking about you and they told me you were no longer employed with them....I asked around about you and found out you have your own law firm now...wow! I am impressed....Dad would be impressed.." he said.

"I seriously doubt that....Sorry for your uh loss..."said Olivia..

"No you're not...you despised my dad....It's okay...Most people who weren't related to him despised him...He was not a nice man...He didn't deserve to be murdered..but that's uh another subject for another day...I'm here because I need your services.."said Jason..

"Another drunken girl claims she was assaulted ?" asked my wife..

He laughed...

"Ouch..I guess I deserve that..No..My wife has left me....And she's got our son....I need you to represent me.." he said.

I stared at him....The Apple didn't fall too far from the tree, did it?"


(TO BE CONTINUED)