93 Seconds

Eddie Queen sat in the interrogation room at police headquarters known as "The Fishbowl" and stared defiantly at Lt. Tragg and Sgt. Danny Ho...It was near midnight on what would have been his wedding day...If all had gone as planned...He and his new bride would have been in their hotel room ,making sweet love for the third or fourth time by now....drunk with champaigne and lust...

coming up for air....and then getting ready to go at it again.....Like Livy and I did on our honeymoon!

Instead...Here he was , stood up at the alter and accused of murdering his romantic rival...

Despite the late hour...He was wide awake...It has been believed by homicide detectives, that the guys who fall asleep in the "fishbowl" are guilty.....If that was so...Eddie Queen was innocent...

Detective Sgt.. Danny Ho spoke softly...

"Mr. Queen...Do you have an alibi? Anything you can give us that can help you?  You were overheard in the church after your bride stood you up ,saying you were going to find Ralph Jenkins and kill him..." he said...

He stared defiantly and said -"Lawyer"

"Don't lawyer up on me....Look, we got an eyewitness that saw you leaving the building....You're probably on the street cam...WE KNOW YOU DID IT? WE GOT YOU COLD , QUEEN!! LOOK  I UNDERSTAND...I'd be pissed too if my bride stood me up at the alter and for another man..I understand you were enraged...but don't sit here and tell me you didn't do it...We got you cold." said Lt. Tragg...

Eddie Queen stared defiantly at Lt. Tragg and said quietly...

"Lawyer!"

"93 seconds..." came a soft and familiar voice...

Both detectives turned and saw my wife, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander standing in the doorway...

"93 seconds! 93 seconds he asked for a lawyer and invoked his right to silence....and 93 seconds...you continued to press him...." said Olivia...

Sgt. Danny Ho smiled upon seeing her...

"Hey Liv." he said..

"Hiiiii Danny..." she said and smiled at him.

"Olivia????....This is your client?" asked Lt. Tragg...

"He is..He called me a few hours ago and he arranged bail...Lt. Tragg....I thought you were out on the high seas..." said Olivia ,smiling...


The two had a fake cordial relationship...They both despised each other..Lt. Tragg had been assigned to the Marine Police unit as a sort of punishment for some of his past mis-steps...It had been almost two years since he and Liv's paths had crossed...

"I was...Funny thing about life...One day you're cast out at sea...The next day, you're back in the saddle...I'm the acting Lieutenant here in Robbery-Homicide..." he said.

"Well, congratulations on your return to dry land..."said Olivia sarcastically...She looked and saw Sgt. Danny Ho...no fan of Lt. Tragg himself, holding back a laugh...


"Who was robbed?" asked Olivia..

"Victim's apartment was tossed..." said Danny Ho...

"Well are you going to charge my client?" asked Olivia..

"We certainly are!!!...Murder...2nd degree....." said Lt. Tragg....

"Stand up..." said Danny Ho, who handcuffed Eddie Queen and read him his rights....An officer came in and was about to walk him to a holding cell...

"Edward...Say nothing!....I'll be back in the morning at your arraignment...with bail money.."said Olivia..

"Thanks Liv....I swear to you, I didn't do this." he said.

"Okay...I believe you. Remember Eddie...Say nothing!....I'll be back in the morning at your arraignment..." she said.

"Nice seeing you again Liv...." said Lt. Tragg...

"Always a pleasure Lieutenant.." said Olivia..

"Bye Liv" said Danny Ho, smiling...

"Byyyyyeee Danny.." said Olivia, smiling..

Unlike Lt. Tragg, Olivia liked Danny Ho...She had dated him years ago while he and his wife were briefly seperated and she was seperated, but not quite divorced from Elwood.. ...It was short, but bittersweet...They remained friends...

II-

Beverly and I had located Bonnie Sheppard, the bride who had rushed away from the wedding...She was in her condo...with another woman...a friend, Stephanie Cullen ,also dressed in white...

"Bonnie, what happened? Why did you run off like that?" asked Beverly...

"Bev, I wish I could tell you, but I-I-I can't.." she bawled..

"You've got to tell us something...Your husband to be is sitting in jail accused of Ralph Jenkins's murder!" I said.

"Ralph????...Ralph is dead?" she asked...

 "Yes Bonnie, He certainly is....Someone shot him to death hours ago..."said Beverly softly...

"Oh My" she said and looked aimlessly out of the window..

"Where did you go after you left the hall?" I asked..

"She and I went to a bar and had a few drinks " added the other woman ,Stephanie Cullen who had up until now been sitting quietly...

I stared at Bonnie Sheppard and asked her again..."Where did you go after you left the hall?"

She paused for a minute and then answered...

"Like she said...We went to a bar and had some drinks..."

"What bar did you two go to?" I asked.

"Are you trying to accuse us of having something to do with this? Bonnie you don't have to answer their questions at all..They aren't cops.." said Stephanie Cullen

..

 "No we aren't...My Auntay and I represent Eddie....We are trying to clear him of murder...It would be nice to rule you two out also..."said Beverly softly...


"Rule us out for what? We aren't suspects...We didn't  do anything. We didn't  do anything." shot back Stephanie...

"Then just answer our questions , let us verify it and prove it." said Beverly softly...

"We aint got to prove nothin to you....You aint no cops...You just a jive ass lawyer with a rent a cop.."said Stephanie..

"Stephanie...please...Beverly and her Aunt are friends of mine...And have been for years....You don't have to talk to Bev or Mr. Alexander like that.." chided Bonnie softly..

"They don't have to talk to us at all and we don't have to talk to them....I watch Scandal...and uh How to Get Away with Murder and The Good Wife.." said Stephanie..

"Aww gee and to think....I went to College for four years and then wasted an adittional two years in Law School  and then passed the bar ,when all I had to do was watch television and I could have saved a bundle of money..."said Beverly sarcastically....This was the Shortcake I knew and loved..

"Not to mention time huh?" I said..

"Yeah ,that too!" said Beverly...

Stephanie didn't enjoy us mocking her...

"Bonnie...I don't have to stand here and be humiliated by the likes of them...Say something.." she bellowed..

''Why don't you say less? we are trying to talk to Bonnie." I said.

She was a tremendous pain in the ass..but I was being professional and not letting my annoyance show too much!...Surprisingly, so was Beverly....who would have cut her under other circumstances...but it had been a long day and Shortcake was showing signs of weariness...

 "Bonnie look, If  Beverly and I are asking these questions....The cops will be asking them also..." I said..

"I need for you to leave.." said Stephanie Cullen.

Both Beverly and I ignored her...

"Bonnie girl, what did you do? Why did you leave Eddie at the alter?" asked Beverly...

"Beverly,I wish I could tell you....I wish I could, but I can't...I can't..." said Bonnie..."Now I need you and your friend here to leave." she said.

"You heard her, leave." said Stephanie Cullen...

Beverly shrugged her shoulders....She nodded...

"Okay Bonnie.." she said..Refusing to acknowledge Stephanie....

I said nothing....I just followed Beverly out of the condo..

III-

Olivia lie across the bed in her bra and panties when I returned home...

"Any luck?" she asked..

"None....Bonnie was distraught and kept telling us that...she couldn't tell us why she left Eddie at the alter...and it didn't help that her cackling hen of a girlfriend was there acting as if she was her attorney..."I said.

"You mean Stephanie...Stephanie Cullen..."laughed Olivia.

"You know her?" I asked.

"Vaguely....We aren't friends....but Stephanie and Bonnie are thick as thieves...Always have been..."said Olivia..

"Yeah? and yet she wasn't a bridesmaid...That's odd...If they're such good friends..."I said.

"It is...You'd think that she would be the maid of honor..."said Olivia...

"How's Eddie?" I asked.

"He's as good as he can possibly be, all things considering...Guess who the case detective is?" asked Olivia..

"Duke Baylor?? Tyriq Pile??? Jimmy Barlow?" I asked.

''Lieutenant Tragg, he's the acting Lieutenant of Robbery -Homicide, who is handling the case..."said Olivia..

"Oh Nuts...I'll get no co-operation from the Philly P.D. then...but we can get around that...First thing I want to do is find out if those two women went to a bar and when they went...and see if I can get some street cam footage of that apartment building to see who came and went...If I'm lucky ,I may even get to view the crime scene..."I said.

"I don't know about that kind of luck....but uh...you could get lucky right now if you want to..." said Olivia slyly...

I stared into those soulful eyes of hers...

"Now that's some lucky ,I could appreciate..."I said..

We began kissing passionately like kissing was going out of style...And I began undressing fast....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh girl.." I moaned..

"Take it easy Donnie Ray...I'm not going anywhere..." she moaned...

It wasn't long before I was snapping her bra open and easing her panties down and we were standing in the middle of the floor kissing passionately..

I quietly mounted her and entered her quietly...The bed ,to our surprise did not squeak too much..

 ..."Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."
"Ohhh baby, give it to meeeeee....ummmmmmph..."she moaned...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....Olivia...Olivia ...ouuuuuuuuuu, more, more... ohhhhhh..."I moaned.

"Ummmm Donnie Ray...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ouuuuu...you can have as much as you want baby! .."she said..

"LAWDDD girl, what are you doing to meeeee?"

"Driving you out of your mind....Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.. lawwwwddd!!!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh gooooddddddd lawdd it's soooo goood...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh  my god! Keep doin whatever you are doing...ummmmmmm"I moaned....

She laughed...

"Morrre...Morreee....morrre...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. Donnie Ray..ouuuuuu..Donnie Ray....OHHHHHHH."
she wailed...

"Ohhhh Olivia, Olivia,ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..I'm losin my minddddddddd!! "I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...I love you soooooooooooooo much...ouuuuuuuuuuuu..Donnie Ray!"she said softly....

"I love you too babyyyyy...ohhhhh my godddddddddddd!" I hollered out! 

"I'm going to have to close that window.." laughed Olivia...

Five and a half hours of good sweet lovemaking followed...

We couldn't get enough of each other.....

The bed really rocked...from side to side and up and down...

The headboard softly slammed against the wall...

We both came intensely and together....

"Ummmmmph , ouuuuuu   boy that was sooooo nice.." said Olivia...

 "Ohhhhh yes baby!" I said...

 Olivia wasn't through with me...She kissed me softly...

"Ummmmmm...You're still hard...ouuuu, good and hard..ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she said...softly rubbing me for a few minutes and then easing herself down on me again and moving up and down...
This went on for another hour and a half...

"Morrre...Morreee....morrre...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. Donnie Ray..ouuuuuu..Donnie Ray....OHHHHHHH. Ouuuuuu I needed more...."
she wailed...

"Ohhhh Olivia, Olivia,ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..I'm losin my minddddddddd!! "I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...I love you soooooooooooooo much...ouuuuuuuuuuuu..Donnie Ray! Thank you sooo much baby for makin mama feel sooo goood..."she said softly....

"I love you too babyyyyy...ohhhhh my godddddddddddd! You are quite welcome....lawwwwwd!" I hollered out!

I softly exploded again...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmm.." I moaned....

''That's my guyyyyy..ouuuuuuuuuu that's my guy...Yesssssssssssss!" she cooed softly.......as my body trembled....

She wrapped the sheets around her...I kissed her neck and hugged her....

We went to sleep....

IV-

Olivia and Beverly appeared at Eddie Queen's arraignment the next morning and paid his bail....and walked him out..

"Livy, Bev...I can't thank you guys enough for helping me...." he said..

"You can thank me by staying out of the public eye...and don't talk to anybody, don't make any statements...Anybody want to talk to you...You give them my number and tell them to talk to me.."said Olivia..

"Okay...Okay...Anybody talk to Bonnie?" he asked.

"Donnie Ray and I tried to talk to her last night but she was distraught." said Beverly...

"Well what did she say?" he asked.

"She didn't...She didn't say anything..."said Beverly

"I'll bet that cackling hen, Stephanie Cullen was with her...Wouldn't let her get a word in would she?" he said.

"She was there..."said Beverly...

"She was Bonnie's best friend...How come she wasn't a bridesmaid?" asked Olivia..

"Because I forbade it...I couldn't stand her....I didn't want her in my wedding in anyway...I hated the control she had over Bonnie..." said Eddie Queen.

While they were busy springing Eddie..I was busy doing some investigating...

I looked into both women's credit cards..They did go to a bar....but it was long after Ralph Jenkins's body was discovered...So where did they go in between when Bonnie left the hall and she and Stephanie went to the bar??

Plus Stephanie's car was waiting outside the hall...As if she knew Bonnie wasn't going to go through with the wedding?  What was up with that??

Hours later,Olivia and Beverly met me at the crime scene...Ralph Jenkins apartment..

"My god....This guy lived like a bum..."said Olivia..

"Liv somebody tossed the place.."I said.

"Yeah, but they didn't unwash the dishes or unmake the bed..."said Beverly laughing as the two women high fived each other...

I checked his laptop...

"The Hard drive is gone.....Either the killer or a thief wanted whatever was on that hard-drive.." I said.

"Or Lieutenant Tragg has it.." said Beverly...

Both Olivia and I looked at Beverly with a serious side eye..

"Yeah you're right...A thief has it..." said Beverly giggling...

(TO BE CONTINUED)