Half And Half

The next morning...at nine o'clock sharp...Calvin Hunt, Beverly and I met with Lonnie McLucas, charged with murder in the death of Exotic Dancer/Stripper Daysia Jennings...

 I broke down Lonnie McLucas...

A slender, slightly built man, with Carmel Brown skin, He wore his hair close cut....Corporate style....He was clean shaven and wore horn rimed glasses...

He didn't look like he was at all built for being locked up...I could see that he had already lost weight

He was born and raised here in Philadelphia... excelled in his studies in the Philadelphia Public School System, won a scholarship to the prestigious Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with honors... Soon he got his MBA and began his rise up the corporate ladder...

He began working his prestigious Brokerage firm and soon caught the eye of his Bosses daughter, Leigh Carrington- McLucas...They began a brief courtship that resulted in a quicker than quick, according to some...Marriage...

The Marriage was not without it's problem...He being African-American and she being white...Never the less...His rise up the corporate ladder continued and soon he got promoted to Vice President and had a cushy office in the corner on a top floor...

They bought a nice house in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia.

His wife ,had had two miscarriages and she had taken them hard....She was very afraid that her "Black Adonis ight have wandering eyes and might look elsewhere according to some...

Life was still good for them until this stripper he had ties to before they got married got herself killed..

Lonnie swore to anyone who would listen that he did not kill her or anybody...but he had been seen at her residence the night she died...

Now we were here and I wanted to know the truth, the entire truth.... Up until now he had only met me once...He dealt with his Attorney, Calvin Hunt..

and the "girls" My wife, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander-

and  her niece, Attorney Beverly West-

None of them was going to talk to him the way I was going to talk to him today....

He saw me and he looked around... Calvin was sitting in the back with Beverly...

"Where is Ms. Olivia?" he asked.

"She's not here today...She's attending to another matter...She's not your concern...Your concern is me today..."I said..

"You sound and look like a cop." he said.

"I used to be...Now I'm the investigator for Mrs. Alexander and Ms. West...."I said..

"Oh " he said..

"Mr. McLucas...I'm going to give it to you straight, unless you tell us everything and I mean everything...You're going to go to prison!!!...A place far far worse than this, for the rest of your life....Things aren't looking good for you right now, So I want to know everything....THE TRUTH!" I said and I stared at him hard...

He wasn't a tough guy....The types I'm used to interviewing and I could tell I was intimidating him..

He looked at Beverly..

She felt sorry for him....so she got up and left the room...

Calvin said sternly...

"Answer his questions Lonnie...I'm trying to get you out of here.." he said.

He was silent for a moment...Then he looked up..

''I know you two were old friends...but you weren't just stopping by her house for a social call, Not at that time of night." I said.

"No, I wasn't...I used to frequent the Strip club she worked in....I liked her...I liked her a lot...I always got lap dances from her...Just her...I tipped good...We developed a relationship outside of the strip club...An intimate one...I must have slept with her dozens of times...but it wasn't no thing...I never considered her my girl or nothin like that... I uh even slept with her the night before I got married.."he admitted..

"So she knew who you were and what you did for a living?"I said.

"Yeah and she knew I was marrying the bosses daughter...I got married and I didn't see her for close to four years and then all of a sudden she shows up out f the blue in one of the restaurants I frequented with my colleagues.." he said.

"Of course you didn't want her invading your new world ,right?" I said.

Beverly walked back in and sat down next to me...

He held his head down...

"No...There was all these white people there...I was the only Black person in the crowd and here she was...A Stripper  I knew from back in the day...I told her I'd meet with her later and I did.. I met her in Josies..

She asked me how I was doing, how's married life...You know...the works...I told her, and we had small talk for awhile...That's all I thought it was and then she hit me with the big one....She was in a little bit of trouble with somebody and she needed my help to the tune of $1500.00 a month for a period of time so she could pay her debt off..." he said..

I shook my head...I had seen so many strippers/exotic dancers/ladies of the evening pull this hustle on poor unsuspecting guys from time to time...

"What did she say?" I asked..

She had photos...Photos of me and her in bed..making love...Her having Oral Sex with me.. Me and her on the floor ,in the bed, in the shower...She told me she had the negatives and that if I didn't pay her...She'd tell my wife and ruin my marriage and my career..She gave me the photos to keep...She had the negatives."he said.

"So what did you do then?"I asked.

"I told my wife everything and begged her forgiveness...She didn't hesitate to forgive me because it all happened before we knew each other...I didn't cheat once we were married..To my surprise...She told me to pay her...She said that her father is a big man in this town....He plays golf with the Mayor, He's got friends in high places..She said she didn't want a scandal dragging his name down...She gave me the money....She said that little bit of money was nothing compared to a scandal..."he said.

"So you went there that night to pay her, right?" asked Beverly softly..

"Yes....it was going to be the first of several payments...Only when I got there, the door was ajar and she was on the floor in a pool of blood...I had told the cabbie to wait....I got the hell out of there as fast as I could and I went home....I told my wife she was dead and she smiled...She said -"Good, this whole ugly mess is over and done with..."

"Did you know her wall safe was blown and cleaned out...Empty?"I asked.

He frowned..

"I'd never been to her house before...I didn't know she had a wall safe,I swear.."he said..

I believed him...

"Now this cabbie, This Uber Driver..Lemon Jefferson,He took you there...He can verify some of your story.."said Calvin..

Lonnie Frowned..

"Him? Next day ,he's at my job...He'd read that the Stripper was dead and he remembered that he had taken me there at midnight the night before...He said...If he went to the police...I'd be in a world of trouble...He wanted $2000.00 a month and he said that was for starters ..I went home and told my wife..She surprisingly told me to pay him.... I called him and told him to come to my office..I had the money....Only he never showed up....I never saw him..."he said.

"We found his cab up by the Airport....Car keys still in them...No sign of him at his home and he hasn't been to work in a week.."I said.

Lonnie McLucas shrugged his shoulders...

''Damn if I know...I had his money..."he said..

"According to the GPS on his car....He went to your house at around 10:00 am on the last morning he was seen..Now we know you were at work..We know that...and we know you didn't leave until 5:15pm..So why was he at your house?" I asked.

"I don't know..My wife never mentioned it...I don't know why he'd be at my house...He knew I was here!" he said.

"She told the police she was out....That she never saw him....His GPS shows he was at your house for about thirty minutes and then he or someone drove to the airport and left his car there...He hasn't been seen or heard from since!..."I said.

"I don't know anything about that." he said..

Again ,I believed him...

"Now tell me about Myra Zanders..."I asked.

Again he frowned..

"She's a meddling busy body that's what she is....Did you know she bugged my office??...She said that she recorded the entire conversation between me and the cabbie and that she wanted a considerable raise for her silence and some new dresses...Can you believe that? Some new dresses." he said.

"So did you pay her? " I asked incredulous..

"Helllllllll no...I told her I was going to the police and that she was fired....She threatened to tell my Father in law...I told her to go right ahead, but that she wasn't getting a red cent..I told her she had one day to pack her desk...Then I got arrested for Daysia's murder that night...After all of that...." he said.

He was already in custody when Myra Zanders vanished... She had called his wife...Her cell phone records proved that...Then she left the office...And hasn't been seen or heard from since.. Her car is parked in front of her house..Keys still in the car on the front seat...along with her purse..

At least we knew more of the story...At least we had more to work with...

''Who was the arresting Detective..??" I asked.

"A guy named Tragg...Lt. Arthur Tragg!" said Lonnie Mclucas..

Beverly and I looked at each other and said...

"Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeet!" in unison...

"I take it you know this detective." said Calvin Hunt.

II-

Olivia was miles away in a high rise at a very tony law firm... Conner, Mcklusky, Cozen and Pratt and associates...Attorneys at law...

She was in the modern office of Junior Partner, Attorney Yvette Jones.. Yvette had been her room-mate for three years of Law School..They had rented an apartment in University City...For Yvette, an only child and Olivia, the youngest of two children, it was their first time on their own...They developed a kinship...They viewed each other as sisters almost...but after graduation , they had gone their separate ways....

"Olivia how long has it been?" she asked..

"Too Long girl...Law School..." said Olivia..

"I heard you were a Public Defender for years and then you went corporate...You were at a very big firm.....Then you left and went into private practice...Good move girl..strong power move.." said Yvette Jones..

''I was shocked when I found out you were the Attorney handling this...So what have you been up to?" asked Olivia..

"I love this office.." she added..

"I've been here the entire time....I was at our other office down town for awhile ,until I made Junior Partner  and got an office down here...How's your niece, Beverly? She's an Attorney too?" asked Yvette.

"She's my partner in my firm...

In fact , She and my husband are working on a murder case I'm involved in..."said Olivia..

"That's right...You remarried...A detective...A Homicide Detective...." said Yvette..

"Ex-Homicide Detective...He's my in house investigator now." said Olivia..

''Sweet...So you know I'm representing Victoria's Secret Model Tamika Carson....She's suing your ex-husband, Elwood Barnes...

for Paternity....She's almost due...I've heard about him....With his track record..it's a wonder he doesn't have more of these paternity suits....I see why you divorced him.....My question is...WHY are you representing him?  You're remarried...You've moved on....What do you need with his bum ass?"she asked.

"You sound like my niece....I guess, I like seeing him sweat for one thing and he is sweating...and I like the fact that he is finally acknowledging my worth as a woman, and as an Attorney...He looked down on me when we were married...but now he respects me..Now HE NEEDS ME!!!" said Olivia..

"But you don't need him....You have a very successful practice...You have a husband who loves you...You have a niece who compliments you professionally....and I know you have a paralegal who's pretty sharp and your niece's boyfriend...He's good too..."said Yvette..

"YOU HAVE A GOOD INVESTIGATOR!  YOU KNOW MY ENTIRE SET UP!" said Olivia,laughing out loud..

''We have several investigators at our disposal...Plus, I saw you guys in court against Wallace Payton and both times against  ADA Rockland Cambridge....I don't know if you know this or not, but he and I used to date..." she said..

"Really? Him? Rockland Cambridge?  I mean he's cute and all...but he seems a bit uptight and a little square....Not your type!" said Olivia..

"I knowwww...I was surprised I even agreed to date him...He was very intense...Too intense for me..I think I turned him out...He just recently stopped calling me.." she said and laughed..

They both laughed....

"I'm going to get Elwood's DNA tomorrow.. Urine, Saliva and Blood samples..." said Olivia ,matter of factly...

"Oh I expect you to....If it turns out Elwood is the father...What are you going to do?"asked Yvette..

"What any good attorney would do...Work out an applicable settlement for him...then, I'm done." said Olivia..

"This matter should be cleared up fast....Between me and you, this girl is a stone bimbo...clueless, This case was dropped on my desk by one of the partners , who felt it was uh below him....You know, Black people's mess..I'm so sick of this and their condescending attitudes around here..I know that professionally I've hit a wall..but this job more than pays my bills..but I've got feelers out there for something better, where I can move up...." said Yvette..

"Girl, who are you talking to?...Been there done that....They used to have me gnashing my teeth so much when I was corporate...That's what made me decide to start my own firm..I had some clients on retainer and my niece Beverly had a few....and that kept us afloat until we started getting big cases.."said Olivia..

"And look at my girl now...always on the news....got her own firm....You're the female Johnnie Cochran.."said Yvette...

"Girl ,when this is over...We gotta have drinks...I know a great place..A place I was at a few nights ago..Red Booth." said Olivia.

"Heard of it...Never been there...It's a date girlfriend.."said Yvette..

The two of them laughed

and looked out at the sunny Philadelphia skyline..

III-

Olivia and I hadn't seen each other all day, so when we did see each other, we naturally shared a nice ,wet,juicy kiss...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm Hi babyyyy." she said.

''Wellllllllllllllllllll, hello..." I said..

Calvin smiled..

''Do those two always carry on like that?" he laughed..

"They're married...Don't you kiss your wife when you get home after a long day in court?" asked Beverly..

"I suppose I do....Della! ,She's had a long day in court too! and then she's dealing with the baby...Sometimes we are both too exhausted to get ourselves all hot and bothered.." said Calvin...."By the way...where is your hussssssssssssband?" he asked.

"He was in court today too... He'll either call or he'll drop by..One or the other.."

Nelson walked in just then...

''Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy baby!" he said and planted a passionate kiss on Beverly's lips..

Beverly looked at Calvin and winked in between soft kisses...

Calvin smiled..

"Guess I'll be getting home.." he said, shaking his head and laughing.


(TO BE CONTINUED)