Affection Connections

"He's Mighty Flirtatious." said Attorney Nelson East to my wife, Olivia...as he glared at our client, Richard ''Ricky"Beavers...Who was sitting at the table with Beverly and Josie..

He was telling them something...I'm sure it had nothing to do with the trial...

 Beverly appeared to be tickled pink...She was laughing heartedly...

So was Josie...

I just smiled...We were at recess...We had all returned early ..The girls and Ricky were sitting at the table...Olivia,Nelson and I were standing in the back of the courtroom...

Olivia smiled...She found Nelson's inquiry amusing...

"Nelson? Are you jealous?" she asked ,smiling that devilish smile which I found very sexy... Ricky Beavers did spend a lot of time talking to the girls....They went to lunch with him and he paid for it....

''Me??..Jealous??...Nahhh..I mean he's the client.." he said.

"I do believe you've slept over Bev's place three of the last four days and I do believe it is you that will be sleeping there tonight...Not Ricky Beavers...So what are you worried about?  My Niece adores you...You've lasted longer than any of her other boyfriends....You? You're the one...He's nobody..." said Olivia..

"Feel Better Nelson?" I asked , smiling...

"Yeah, I suppose.." he said..

II-

 The trial had begun a few days before...

ADA Cal McCaffrey was proving to be quite an adversary....A very intelligent and analytical man with an acute knowledge of the law...

For such a simple case..He was giving both Olivia and Beverly fits and he seemed to take pleasure in the fact that he could do that....

But my wife and her niece were no slouches either...They knew their law and what law they didn't know, they researched and researched thoroughly....They came prepared....

Josie was a sponge...Soaking up everything and helping them with their research at night...She loved these cases...

She like Nelson had spent the last few nights at Beverly's place...She slept in the room that Olivia used to sleep in when she lived downstairs with Beverly and Nelson and Beverly shared Beverly's room...

Beverly loved the company and spared no expense, having the foods they liked and having everything set up so they could study and be entertained...

Olivia and I usually stayed until around 1:00 am and then we retired to our room upstairs... The Five of us were becoming one big happy family...

The victim, an attractive Blonde named Sherri Perry had positively identified our client as the one who had carjacked her and beat her up and stolen her car...

According to her story, She approached Ricky Beavers..

mistakenly thinking he was the parking attendant...The man told her she had to move her car or it would be towed...and he followed her to the back of the car...As she got in her car to leave..., the man told her she could stay...As she got back out...He grabbed her...reached his hand up her skirt and tore her panties off...He attempted to sexually assault her...A fight ensued..She punched him in his face and kneed him in his groin...As she fled...She noticed that there was blood on the drivers seat and on the door...

They found the car , several blocks away a day later....No dried blood on the seat or anywhere...and only a palm print on the hood...

Whoever stole the car had bleached it down and cleaned it of prints and DNA...but had left a palm print on the hood by mistake..

Once Again...Lt. Arthur Tragg was the arresting officer...The composite that Sherri Perry gave to a police sketch artist looked a lot like Ricky Beavers...

Or how he'd look without a moustache and a goatee.....Sherri Perry described her assailant as a brown skinned African American man, about six feet ,one inch that was clean shaven...

Olivia and Beverly brought up the fact that the palm print was not Ricky Beavers and the fact that one could not grow a moustache as thick as his or a goatee as pronounced as his in one week..They had they wrong man...

But she cried on the stand and swore that Ricky Beavers was her assailant...

ADA McCaffrey accused both Olivia and Beverly of badgering the witness..

Judge Percy Reynolds agreed and admonished both Olivia and Beverly....

They were both astonished....but did not argue or question her any further.....

She was very attractive and she had the white males on the jury swooning.....

Lieutenant Tragg was swooning himself...

He said to her during recess....

"Don't worry baby...I caught that creep and ADA McCaffrey is going to put him behind bars where he belongs...I don't even think the Judge likes him..."he said..

Something about what he said made me think...Made me look at that Judge a bit funny...

III-

Ricky Beavers ,who was free on bail said to Beverly and Olivia....

"Hey Ladies...I know you guys are doing a hell of a job...I mean I see you...but I think I'm cooked..That Judge has it in for me...That ADA is giving you guys all you can handle and that broad has every male in here that aint Black eatin out of her hands..." he said..

"If There was blood in that car, semen on her , anything we could use to prove it wasn't you...We'd have this wrapped up..."said Beverly...

"You tested the Palm Print...They know that's not mine...And She said dude that attacked her was clean shaven...I've had this moustache for three years...This goat too...I'm not gonna suddenly grow this in a week..Man if that jury buys that they're stupid.." he protested...

''She's an attractive woman...She cries and winks at the males in the jury....It could cloud their Judgement.."said Olivia..

''We need to establish your alibi...You were across town , getting gas in your car..."I said..

"Yeah Man...My credit card proves it..." said Ricky...

"Your Credit card proves somebody made a gas purchase....You could have loaned somebody your car and your card..."said Nelson..

Ricky looked at Nelson and frowned..

"Are you for real dude?  I drive a 2017 Lexus, Same as Mrs. Alexander here...Do you really think I'd lend my car and my credit card to anybody?"he asked..

''No we don't...But Nelson is just saying what ADA McCaffrey is going to say and what Sherri Perry's tears will convince part of the jury.."said Olivia..

''So we lookin at a hung jury...Does the fact that I have no prior criminal record, not even a juvie record mean anything?  I've kept my nose clean my entire life man..." said Ricky Beavers..

It was true...I had thoroughly vetted him...He was as clean as a baby's bottom somewhat... His record with the ladies was another story...He had three children with three different women...Was paying child support out the wazoo and had never been married..Engaged three times ,but had never made it down the aisle..
He was a  consumate ladies man...

Beverly and Josie thought he was cute,They laughed and giggled at his funny stories...He was quite glib...He should have been an attorney...

Much to Nelson's consternation....

Judge Reynolds for some reason seemed to have a particular disdain for him also....And yet their paths had never crossed before...

I checked....

But there was something going on in that courtroom that was unseemly...I could feel it..I knew it...

III-

At home the five of us sat in our conference room...

It was the latest our lights had ever been on in our office...Nearly midnight..

 "Normally I could have had a case like this thrown out for lack of evidence..I've done it a hundred times.."scoffed Olivia..

"Me too Auntay...I don't understand ADA Graham...He knows he has no case..." said Beverly...

"He's taking particular joy at frustrating the two of you and tangling you up...." said Nelson...

''That's right...So we've got to come up with a way to tangle him up!" said Olivia.. "But first we've got to square Ricky's alibi and we might as well do it now while the Prosecution is making it's case so that we can really hammer it home when it's our turn..."said Olivia...

Beverly smiled and looked at Josie...

"See? You learning anything..?? I learned everything I know from this woman...After I passed my LSAT's before my first day of law school...I was following her around...back and forth to court, just like you're doing now..soaking up knowledge..." said Beverly proudly...

"I'm learning so much...I've learned so much in the years I've worked with the both of you..." said Josie....

"According to his Alibi...Pretty Ricky was on the other side of town ,gassing up his car...We know this..We know this because his credit card receipt bares this out...We know it's highly, very highly unlikely he'd loan a new car like that to anyone...None of us here would do it..Let alone his credit card....His bad luck is the street cam in that area was broken...but I'm going to see if there were any witnesses that saw him on that day.." I said....

"Donnie Ray? Did you do any research on Judge Reynolds?" asked Olivia.

"The Book on him...Born and Raised in Washington, D.C.  Attended D.C. Public schools..Attended Howard University and Howard University Law School...

Was a Hell of an Attorney for years...Worked in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department...was an ADA in D.C. for a few years..

He met and fell in love with a young and beautiful Attorney from Philadelphia named Patricia Natson..

She was born and raised here in Philadelphia...Attended Philadelphia Public Schools...Graduated from University of Pennsylvania and University of Pennsylvania Law School...Your alma mater.." I said..

''I knew I liked her..." laughed Beverly...

"Me too" giggled Olivia.

"There's more..."I said..

"Like you two...She enjoyed a career as a hell of a Defense Attorney,Public Defenders Office, Probably before you three were working there,  NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Innocence Project and then with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department...Which is how she happened to be in Washington D.C. meeting our Judge, who fell for her hard.....

I don't know what happened that weekend...but he sold his home and moved up here to Philadelphia and found her...Wouldn't let her out of his sight....Got a job with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department here in Philadelphia to be near her and after a short courtship, married her!" I said..

Olivia looked at me and said...

"Hmmmm, I seemed to remember someone else meeting an Attorney who was away from home and following them to their home town and getting a job close to them...and not stopping until she married him too!" she said staring at me..

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....It does sound mighty familiar..."said Beverly , who hugged me....

His story , was my story...Except that I'm not a lawyer...

"Yeah, wonder who that was?"I jokingly asked and hugged Olivia..

Olivia Sat on my lap ...

"Patricia put it on him and he lost his mind...Couldn't think straight..." she said...

Lord Knows I couldn't think straight after my first night with Olivia in New Orleans...I just knew I had to see her again...by any means neccessary...

Josie and Nelson cracked up....

We were getting tired...We had ate...read law books and strategized enough for one night....It was Midnight..

I left them all with one parting thought...

"Last thing...I feel I should share with you all...THEY'VE BEEN SEPERATED TWICE!  I got access to some court records...She filed for divorce on two occassions, citing "irreconciliable differences" and both times they made up and got back together... The last time was about four years ago..."I said.

"REALLY?" said a surprised Olivia...

''He looked so sprung...I thought they were blissfully happy."said Beverly....

''Well HE'S BLISSFULLY HAPPY NOW You all saw that !!!What has this got to do with our case though?" asked Nelson...

"My inquiry was to find out if Liv and Bev had somehow crossed paths with him....I don't see any instance in which they did...And none of their clients have had anything to do with either Judge Percy Reynolds or Patricia Natson Reynolds.....I've wasted a lot of time on one angle...when I could be locking down Ricky Beavers alibi.."I said..

"By the way Donnie Ray...Who was the Divorce Lawyer?" asked Olivia..

"That was my big surprise....You won't believe this....

The same woman who handled yours......Zoey Easter!"I said..

"I haven't talked to Zo in a minute.....Tomorrow might be a good time to talk to her.." said Olivia with a devilish giggle...

''Wouldn't that be a breach of Attorney -Client priveledge? She can't talk about her clients can she?" asked Josie..

"You're right Josie...She can't ....And maybe she won't....What We'll be doing is gossiping..."joked Olivia..."This Judge seems to have it in for somebody....If it's not Beverly and Me...It must be my client...Ricky Beavers has no criminal record whatsoever...So I'm wondering if maybe he and Patricia knew each other..."said Olivia..

''Why not ask him? He's the one person who hasn't told us as much as he should have.." said Josie..

 Beverly beamed with pride....looking at Josie..

''Look at my girl... She's going to be a hell of an Attorney when we get through with her Auntay!" she laughed.

Nelson smiled and hugged Josie... "She's going to be a hell of an Attorney....Let me know when you sign up for the LSAT's..." said Nelson...

Olivia smiled and hugged Josie...

"Yes she is...She's going to be great..." she said...

"Come on guys...Let's call it a night "I said as we locked up and cleaned up... and headed upstairs...

"You want me to drive you home Josie?" I asked..  She walked from her house to our office most days....

"That's alright Donnie Ray...I'm staying with Bev tonight." she said.

"Yeah, me too!" chuckled Nelson.

Beverly shrugged..

"What can I say?  I like company." she said and smiled sheepishly.

Olivia laughed...

"I see." she said.

Like I said...We were becoming a family of five..

IV-

While we were strategizing...In another part of Philadelphia, Lt. Tragg was also strategizing...Strategizing how he might get carjacking victim, Sherri Perri in bed..

They were dining on this warm December night at one of the city's outdoor seafood bistros....

"Lieutenant Tragg this food is just delicious.." she said as platters of Hot piping Fried Shrimp was placed in front of them..

The aroma alone was tantalizing...

"Call me Arthur...I'm not on duty right now...You enjoying your food?" he asked as drinks arrived..

They ate and drank and smiled sheepishly at each other...

"This is a little bit awkward you know..." she said..

"How so?" he asked..

"Well..I'm a carjacking victim and you're the arresting officer...It uh doesn't look too kosher...Us out eating dinner and drinking together.." said Sherri..

''You watch too much television baby...It's not like you're a suspect in the case... You're a victim...I arrested the suspect...His conviction is a foregone conclusion..."said Lt. Tragg as they enjoyed the good food and drank the liquors...

''He's got Olivia Bennett -Alexander and her niece, Beverly West defending him...and it looks like she has two other lawyers with her...They're pretty good...I've seen them on TV over the past few years..Those two have won some unwinnable or seemingly unwinnable cases..."said Sherri..

''Yes, she and her niece are good..I'll give them that..I've known them for years...but they won't win this one...ADA McCaffrey is equally good...You see how he's been tying them up...And this is a slam dunk case..He'll get a conviction." said Lt. Tragg...

"I guess this will be a feather in your cap too...You've had some recent mis steps too huh?" she said..

"Baby...You watch too much television...I was mis quoted and a lot of facts were sensationalized for the news....I assure you I'm one of the top detectives on the force...Why I'm constantly on the lips of the Deputy of Operations....I-I mean he's constantly talking about me and the good job I'm doing...Those are things you don't see on the television.." he said..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh I see.." she said and laughed...

(TO BE CONTINUED)