Honey Bee Sting

Olivia, Beverly and I were surprisingly at the Laundromat the next morning, washing, drying and folding clothes...It was down the street from us...

Thanks to the continuance that ADA Rockland Cambridge asked for...We weren't in court yesterday and today, A Friday...We didn't have to be in court either...

It was early morning..

Olivia was folding sheets...

I was hugging and squeezing her...

"You going to help me fold these sheets Donnie Ray or are you going to hug and squeeze me to death?" asked Olivia playfully...

"Is that a trick question?" I asked hugging her tighter... "You girls may have off...but I still have work to do..." I said.

''Who has off? Bev and I have some more studying to do as well as strategizing..That's why I suggested we get up early and get started.." said Olivia..

In another corner of the laundromat....Beverly and Nelson were busy kissing..

"Nelson honey....I've got to get my clothes folded....They won't fold themselves..."said Beverly in between  wet sloppy kisses...

"Tonight after we come from Stoley's...We can continue this..." said Beverly...

"Okay....besides...I got a court date this morning...Time Bomb made bail and I got them to reduce the charges against him to misdemeanors...I can probably get him off with a fine and a stiff warning..I just paid for his download of his last album...For this..I should have gotten it free." joked Nelson..

"Tell him you have a girlfriend who would like a free download.." joked Beverly...

They kissed a little more....

"Mmmm How bout I download you?" said Nelson.

"You did....All last night and some of this morning."said Beverly in between wet,sloppy kisses.

We wound up in the little coffee shop which was right next door...

These two days off are good...It takes some of the pressure off....You guys got the charges reduced...That was incredible...."I said.

"It's not without it's fallout...Have you seen the papers???... That girl's father is furious at the District Attorney for reducing First Degree Murder charges to Manslaughter..And The Mayor has even weighed in...First Degree Murder charges could be re-instated and Karen could be returned to jail with no bail.."said Olivia..

"Can they do that?" I asked..

"It's happened once before that I know of...I'm hoping this isn't the second time..."said Beverly...

''Well Then..I'm going to get on this case and make sure that this doesn't happen, that you get her off on all counts.."I said..

II-

Thank God the Street Cameras and Jake's store camera were operating perfectly...After much observation...90 Minutes worth to be exact....I actually found Karen's car , with an outline of her in it...The car pulled up at 2:37 am....and left at 3:30 am.... Latoya Rogers was shot to death between 3:00 am and 3:15 am according to the coroner's estimate and the time of her last phone call...

There was no way she could have been here in front of Jake's ,sitting in her car...and halfway across town shooting Latoya Rogers...No way...This actually proved her innocence...

With Help from the Authorities...I Got Traffic Cam Photos of Karen's car on the road to North East Airport...The second place she said she went..  She was on the road from 3:30 to 4:12 am....

And there she was standing in front of her car at 4:15, sobbing...Long after the murder and too far from the murder to actually be there...Just like she said she was...

I got even luckier...She must not have remembered this...But she bought coffee from an Airport shop at 4:20 am....I have a credit card slip showing that...

Karen was in the opposite direction of where the murder occurred..Much too far from the scene of the crime to actually have been involved...

It just didn't fit the time zone of the murder...Karen White was innocent...but who then WAS guilty??

I was curious...

But never mind that...I had to get this to the girls....They'd be overjoyed..

III-

I was right...Olivia was ecstatic!!!

"Oh My God...This is great....Little Niece, we might just win this thing after all..." said Olivia..

"Oh My God...It's official and it's time stamped...This proves she was nowhere near the crime scene..She's too far away...She wouldn't have had the time to drive there ,kill Latoya and then drive to Jakes or Northeast Airport..."said Beverly...

"She's innocent..." I said.. "Really  innocent." I said.

Olivia kissed me slow and sensually...

"Ummmm if my niece and Josie weren't here right now...I'd give you some.." she whispered in my ear....

"Oh Donnie Ray....I uh did those few background checks ,like you asked me.."said Beverly...

''Everybody check out?" I asked.

 "All but one person...This Beatrice "Honey Bee" Beasley you interviewed a few days ago." said Beverly...

"She was her friend...She lived in the building with her...A Floor up.."I said.

"Funny thing...No such person exists.....You said she was in the Army...I called the Department of Defense...They don't have any record of a Beatrice "Honey Bee" Beasley....So I called the Loft where she lives...She's moved out.....Yesterday!    And the only Beatrice Beasley I found with that Social Security Number is deceased....She died in 1965...WHEN SHE WAS FIVE!  She told you she moved into that loft two years ago...That's a lie...That loft just opened last year...She'd only been there six months."said Beverly...

 "Oh Myyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. This Plot thickens!!!" said Olivia..

 "I did see an Army photo of her and a marksmanship certificate..when I interviewed her....If she's not Beatrice Beasley, then who is she?  "I asked..

IV-

 Olivia, Beverly and I went back to the loft where Latoya was murdered.....  I wore latex gloves. ....From the smell of bleach in this apartment...I was certain that everything had been thoroughly wiped down...Meaning No Prints and No DNA...

''Girls, don't touch anything.."I said softly....

''What are you looking for?" asked Olivia.

''Anything old girl might have left behind...Anything with prints or DNA."I said as I opened cubbards...bare cubbards..drawers....and inspected beds.....with no sheets or pillow cases...
"Little girl is good..." I said.

"Looks like she covered her tracks pretty good...She took the bed sheets and pillow cases and bleached and wiped down everything else...." said Beverly....

And then I saw it.... A plastic bottle of bleach....Half full..

"Bingo! Maybe Not Everything...She forgot to discard this!" I said..

"It's a bottle of bleach..."said Olivia..

"Yes it is...Go down to the car one of you and get that big plastic bag...If I'm right...She touched this bottle and her fingerprints and DNA might be on the bottle.."I said.

Beverly ran downstairs to the car and returned with a plastic bag large enough for me to place the plastic bag in.....

"Nice..Remind me never to break the law...With you around, I wouldn't make it out of the state.." said Beverly...

" Bev, Donnie Ray hold up...My phone is ringing..." said Olivia...

''Hi Livy girl, it's me, Sharon...I was trying to call that husband of yours...but he didn't answer his phone.."said Sharon...

"Donnie Ray, you got your phone on vibrate again? Sharon has been trying to call you...Here..Take this." said Olivia..

Sharon was FBI Deputy Special Agent in charge-Philadelphia Region, Sharon Farrell-Hopkins...A childhood friend of my wife and an FBI agent I worked with in New Orleans years later...Small world.

"Hey Sharon...Sorry about that." I said.

"You should have gotten this information sooner...That phone call that your murder victim made , the last one she made before she got shot was to a Leroy Huggins in Cherry Hill,New Jersey...He never got it though....She left him a message just minutes before she was shot.." said Sharon...

I was silent...Leroy Huggins...His wife had caught the two of the in bed and had beat Latoya up pretty bad...Two years ago....Then she had died in a boating accident.

"Gee Donnie Ray, Thank you would be nice." joked Sharon...

"Thank You! Could you look up something for me?  His late wife, Tangerine Joy Huggins...Was she in the Army?  And if you can...Can you send me a photo of her...To my phone?" I asked..

''You're asking for a lot....I'll look into it..I'm just doing this because it's for Livy..."she said.

"Of course....First three drinks in Josies are on me when I see you..."I said..

''Promises, Promises Donnie Ray." she said and laughed...

"Chasing Ghosts Donnie Ray???...Tangerine Huggins is dead.." said Olivia..

''So we've been told...She died in a boating accident in Margate....Her body was never recovered..."I said.

"Oh My God!!!...This is beginning to sound like a suspense movie.." said Beverly....

"I see something real sinister here...We may not only get our client off, but find the real killer.."I said.

''All nice and neat huh?" said Olivia smiling..

"Exactly." I said..

"Like you said Auntay....We may win this thing yet..."laughed Beverly...

V-

It was Friday Night...We were all out at Stoleys, enjoying a night out...Hours later.

"This music is more your taste baby, but these drinks are delicious..."said Olivia..

"Aww Auntay, they play Classic Hip Hop here...it's just they like Electronic Dance Music ad Trap Music lately...."laughed Beverly...

Just then ,Nelson walked in with the rapper, Time Bomb....

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy guys....These are my friends...Timebomb, this is my lady, Attorney Beverly West.. and her Aunt, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her husband, Donnie Ray Alexander.."he said..

Timebomb checked Beverly out...

"Gotdamnn Nelson, you got good tastes...She's fine..." he said..

Beverly blushed and giggled like a school girl...

He smiled at Olivia..

"This your Aunt???..Wowwww...Sexy Auntie...Yall look like yall could be sistas...I bet yall get that a lot."laughed Timebomb...

"No, Not too much." laughed Olivia...semi sarcastically!

He smiled when he saw me..

"I know you...Trumpet Player...You told me you were married to an Attorney, but I didn't know it was this one...Damn man...Nice move...Both you and Nelson..."he said.

"I got the most serious charges dropped and he only got charged with the misdemeanors and fined..He's good.." said Nelson...

"Good Job man..Nelson,I'm gone keep you on retainer...Nice meeting you good folks.."he said...

Sitting right across from us was ADA Rockland Cambridge...He was knocking back the Whiskey....

He saw us and walked over to where we were sitting...He reeked of Whiskey!

"Wellllllllllllllllllllllllll look who it is..The Dynamic Duo...."he said.

"Hello Rockland.."said Olivia...

"Just so you know...The D.A. is taking another look at the circumstances surrounding the case and he may refile First Degree Murder charges...Monday Morning...I'm going to rest my case...It's going to get rough for you from here on out..."said Rockland..

"Rockland...I intend to begin my case and rest it all on Monday..." said Olivia...

''You're kidding right?" he said..

Beverly looked at Nelson,

"Come on Boo, dance with me...I'm trying to have a good time...I don't want to talk shop..." she said..

Nelson agreed and the two of them took the dance floor..

"I'm not kidding...I have enough to prove my client's innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt.."said Olivia..

I smiled...We didn't even mention we might be able to solve the murder for him....

"This is a trick....You're trying to get in my head...Make me think you have an ace in the hole...When you don't....It won't work....I'm confident that I will prevail...I gave the Mayor and Mr. Rogers my word....I'm gonna bring this home..." he said confidently...

"You trying to convince me or yourself?" asked Olivia..

He didn't like being talked to like that and especially by a woman.

I leaped up and dove into Olivia ,pushing her out of the way!!!.....Rockland Cambridge vomited all over the floor in front of us.

"Oh Lord...Oh Lorddd... Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hell. I've...I've never thrown up before!  Ohhhhhhh hell.." he said....He was every embarrassed....

People gawked...

"ALRIGHT BUDDY! YOU'RE DONE FOR THE NIGHT....GET HIM OUTTA HERE!" said Chick, the head bartender...

"I'm Assistant District Attorney Rockland Cambridge...."he said..

"I don't care if you're the Queen of Sheba...You've had too much to drink pal... Get him outta here."said Chick...

Olivia looked at me and smiled..

"Good Looking out..How did you know?" she said.

"I've drank myself and played in many a bar and club....I know when a man is about to puke...Having done so myself on occassion....That's a beautiful dress you have on....It's sheer and soft....In the right light ,I can practically see through it...It's very sexy...I would have hated to have seen it ruined by his vomit."I said.

"Me too!   You're always looking out for me...What did I ever do to be so lucky to cross paths with you...?" she asked..She kissed me softly for a few minutes...

 We were oblivious to the fact that Rockland Cambridge was still standing there observing us..

Mumbling...

"Hmmmmph, you think you're so smart...sooooo comfortable..Kissing...Hmmmph!" he said.

"Come on pal..Let's go." said a bouncer...

Two Beefy bouncers escorted him out...Two other men poured buckets of hot water and bleach on the  floor and began mopping up the mess and cleaning the table...

I ignored him and answered Olivia's question...

"Well you wore a sheer dress just like that one one summer night in New Orleans and sat up front with your pretty ,smooth brown legs...and your top open just a little bit..." I said and smiled..

"Caught your eye huh?" said Olivia..

"Yesssssssssssssssss..." I said salaciously...

''Wow...He hurled..Nice Save Donnie Ray..." said Beverly...

"I've never seen him so unhinged, so uncool...You guys are in his head..."said Nelson...

And outside..Rockland Cambridge stumbled and mumbled to himself...

"I'm going to bring this home...I got this...THEY WILL NOT BREAK MY RECORD...I WILL NOT LET THE MAYOR DOWN!!!  I WILL WIN THIS!!  THEY WILL NOT RUIN MY RECORD!!!THEY WON'T, THEY WON'T, THEY WON'T!" he muttered...

(CONCLUSION NEXT-)