Cleotis

The new year didn't find us in court....like it usually would....It found us in wedding planning mode....

Olivia and I's cozy little floor became wedding central....

 Olivia was busy talking to the caterer.....Ralph Scallion.....and renting the hall and on the phone with the church...

 Beverly was busy making hair appointments with Bernadette for her and her bridesmaids....

 Their cousin Kayla was busy sending out invitations to everybody on our list......

 Josie was doing double duty...Managing the office downstairs and pinch hitting with the invitations..Helping out Kayla....

Beverly's mother was kind of getting in where she could fit in....She was helping Kayla with sending out invitations  and setting up dress fitting appointments for Beverly and her bridesmaids...The excitement was contagious......

As for me, Donnie Ray Alexander....Investigator for my wife's law firm and husband of Olivia ,I rented a van, hired three guys and was helping the bride groom to be...Nelson East to move his stuff
out of his apartment and into Beverly's Domicile..

"Thanks a lot Donnie Ray..." said Nelson...

"Man... I can't believe I'm leaving this place....It's been my home for four years man...My first place.." said Nelson...

"I remember my first place......I remember my last place.. a rental home.....It was nice....comfortable ,homey kind of place....You know?  Like your spot....I left it to move up here to marry Liv.." I said.

"Wow!  I dreamed of this day as far back as when I first met Beverly....I just never thought it was going to happen...I still have to pinch myself..." he said..

He had put his bed in storage to sell or donate later...He was bringing his clothes , His law books, laptops, phone and music collection...Much the same things I brought into my marriage..Some of his furniture..

Which was why we only needed one Van...

The four of us packed his stuff in a van..

Nelson stood looking at his empty apartment...He could hear his echo...

"Wow!  I'm gonna miss this place..." he said.

I said nothing...I just stared...I knew how he was feeling...

He shrugged...

"Okay...Let's go.." he said.

We packed his van up and we headed towards his new home...The surprising thing though was ..He had been sleeping over here so much,it was barely new to him....

II-

Meanwhile at our Duplex..

''Well Baby girl, four weeks and you'll be Mrs. Beverly East..." said Olivia, gushing.

"I know right Auntay....I never dreamed this day would come..." said Beverly..."I had  so many years of striking out.. Wallace, Larry North, The Guy from the DMV..Oh My Goddd."said Beverly...

""Girlfriend...You and me both and I'm not so sure sometimes if I'm still not striking out..." said Kayla..

"Yeah baby girl...but the important thing is...You've found the right one now.....I love Nelson...."said Alfreda...

"How are you and Rockland doing?" asked Olivia...

"I'll tell you....He is great in the bed....Makes my toes curl....Wouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" said Alfreda..

"I don't know if I want to hear this.." joked Beverly, who playfully swatted her mother on the arms...Neither she or Olivia ,nor me for that matter could imagine

uptight and square ADA Rockland Cambridge being a stud...but Alfreda was very taken with him and his prowess in the bedroom...and he had dated Olivia's girlfriend, Yvette Jones for two years

and she had  confirmed as much about him......

Both women  in addition to being beautiful..were hip street smart girls...The type of women who you would suspect would make a guy like Rockland cry.....but apparently he had some game to him...He had stolen both women's hearts and dominated them in the bedroom....

Even I was having a hard time conceiving such...but as a Homicide detective..I often learned that there was a lot more to people than what met the eye. 

"He can be very sweet and attentive...but he has a dark side..."said Alfreda..

"Him?  Do tell!" said Olivia..who now was very interested...

"He's kind of needy....A  perfectionist...When things don't go his way...He can be very temperamental...That's uh what he's working out in therapy...I seem to have a calming effect on him....but it can be very draining at times....but hey...nobody is perfect.Lord knows I have my challenges too~!" she said..

Olivia and Beverly had witnessed one of Rockland's temper tantrums first hand....When they bested him in court last year...He threw a chair and kicked over a table...They just looked at each other without saying anything..

"Hey guys...Donnie Ray and Nelson are here with his stuff..."said Josie...who had been looking out the window.

III-

Believe it or not...There was a small elevator in our duplex that we hardly ever used...

The two guys we hired used it to transport Nelson's things to Beverly's floor ,which was open....

Nelson pulled out a piece of paper..It was a map....Where she wanted each item placed....She had already made space for it..The two guys had the same map and they placed everything exactly where she had made space for it...

"Can you believe she drew a map of where she wants everything...?" Nelson said  and chuckled..as he looked around at his new home..He had always liked Beverly's domicile...Much larger than his space...An entire floor....Two Bedrooms, A Bathroom and a half...A huge living room...

''Shortcake is very organized....Look at it this way..Everything will be arranged just right by these guys while they're here and neither you nor Shortcake will have to do a thing...You can move right in tonight in total comfort..You guys will be busy enough with the arrangements and all" I said.

"I'm gettin a good wife, aint I?" said Nelson to me..

"I thought you knew that."I said and smiled at him...

Beverly appeared in the doorway...

"Hi Husband..." she said to Nelson...and opened her arms wide....

"Heyy wifey..." he said...and allowed her to embrace him.....

They kissed each other passionately in the doorway...

Now it was Alfreda's turn to joke...

"I don't know if I should be seeing this.." she laughed...

"I'm used to it.." laughed Olivia...

"They're so cute together." said Kayla.

 "They are!" added Josie.

Olivia, Kayla and Josie cracked up laughing....

I smiled.....Their wedding was just four weeks off....Liv and I got married four weeks after our engagement in my hometown of New Orleans...It was nowhere near this much planning and festivity...She and Beverly made hair arrangements and bought their dresses

 and flew into New Orleans with me,

where I got fitted for a Tux the day before Christmas Eve...

The only guests at my wedding was My sister and Brother in Law , my niece and nephew and Willie "Sweet Dick" Jenkins..Who stood in for my dad, since we couldn't find him at the time.. We got married on New Years Day in New Orleans...

I felt bad that Olivia missed all of this pomp and planning..I planned to make it up to her sometime in the future..

IV-

 Olivia and Beverly are still lawyers and I'm still their investigator and that being the case...You know as fate would have it , we were going to get stuck with a case four weeks  before the wedding..

The Next Morning..A striking beautiful and petite young woman was sitting in our office waiting for us when we came down...

''My My Olivia...You've come a long way since your days as a public defender.." the woman said.

Olivia stared at the woman...

''Excuse me...Do I know you?" she said.

"You've forgotten me already....One of many nameless faceless ex clients of yours." said the girl... Who also spoke to Beverly...

"Hi Beverly..." she said.

Beverly looked at her , but was visibly confused...

"Okay....It's me...Juanita...Juanita Jefferson...you defended me on a drug charge when you were a public defender...It would have been my third strike...I would've went away for a very long time...You got me off, scott free...Remember me now?" she said..

Olivia stared at her hard....

"Juanita ....Juanita Jefferson....Oh My Godddddddddd!" she said.

"You gave me a stern lecture after you got me acquitted...You told me to get my shit together...You had baby girl over there with you....She had just graduated from law school...You told me that chances come around and that I could use up all my chances....I listened to you..." she said...

"Wow! " said a stunned Olivia...

"I got clean, I got a straight job and got an apartment away from the neighborhood at night...I got my G.E.D. and got an associates degree from Community....Then I got a loan and entered Temple University...I graduated with a B.A. in Education....I became a school teacher and I uh got my Masters recently...I'm trying to be a Principal as soon as a slot is open....I'm engaged and I have a son....I always wanted to come back and thank you...but you had left the Public defenders office by then....I found out your niece also became an Attorney and the two of you started your own practice...Then I started seeing you two on TV...So, I knew the time would come when I would run into you again....I just wished it wasn't for this reason..." said Juanita..

''Are you in trouble?"asked Beverly...

"No...I'm not...My Brother, Cleotis is...."she said..

Olivia, Beverly and Josie all said "Cleotis?" in unison...

I smiled...

"I know, I know...He's named after one of my mother's favorite uncles...."said Juanita...

She looked around...

''So aren't you going to introduce me to your crew?" she said.

Olivia smiled..

"This is my niece as you know...She is an Attorney also and my partner in this firm..." she said pointing to Beverly...

"She's engaged too..We've been planning her wedding.." said Olivia..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh nice...When is the big day?" asked Juanita..

"Four weeks from now!" said Beverly....

"Nice....I'm getting married in June...." said Juanita...

"This is my husband...Donnie Ray Alexander....Our In house investigator...We've been married a little over three years now..." said Olivia..

"Pleased to meet you Juanita..." I said.

"Ummmmph, Olivia , you got a hottie...and he's got a sexy southern accent...Where you from? You not a Philly guy.." said Juanita..

''New Orleans mam...I used to be a Homicide Detective.."I said.

"Good because that's what I'll need.." said Juanita.

"This is Josie Boyd...She's a Para-legal...She also works for us.." said Olivia..

"Hi " said Josie....

''So what kind of trouble is your brother, Cleotis in?" I asked.

"He got locked up and charged with killing his girlfriend....Only he didn't do it...He's no killer...He's no angel..but he's no killer...I came to you because you two are perfect for this type of trial..I've followed you...I've heard about your cases....And don't worry...I can pay you.." she said and pulled a check out of her wallet and wrote us a down payment...She passed it to Olivia..

"Well, you really have changed since I defended you...I don't recognize you...." said Olivia..

"I grew up...I got smart...When you knew me...I was a high school drop out and I was gettin high and running with a bad crew....I thought for sure I was going to jail for a number of years...I couldn't afford a lawyer and when I saw you...I figured you were going to sell me down the river...Just another over worked ,under paid Public Defender...But you actually worked my case...Gave me a decent defense...Got me off...And then you cussed me out..That was the day I woke up...You saved my life Ms. Olivia...I owe you so much..You actually cared..." she said..

Olivia was stunned...She was speechless...

"Tell us about your brother.."she said.

"He's got a record....He did a nickel for possession with intent to deliver and three years for assault....but since the last time he got out, he's kept his nose clean...Got his G.E.D. while he was in and completed three years of college courses while he was in the last time...and last May he got his Bachelors degree from Lasalle.. Ms. Olivia, Ms. Beverly, Mr. Donnie Ray, I gave him the same talk you gave me so many years ago...He was straightening up his life...At least one part of it..." said Juanita.

"And the other part?" asked Beverly...

''Well ,he likes the ladies and the ladies like him....He had a girlfriend...I didn't care for her too much,I thought she was fast and a little ratchet, but he liked her...They went together for about a year and then he cut her off..Told me she was the type that would hold him back...He started seeing another girl...From around the way....I didn't like her either...I told him he could do better...That's the one he's accused of killing..I know he didn't do it...and he swears he didn't....The cops say they have two people who put him at the scene of the crime...I think they're both lying." said Juanita..

"He's at CFC...I'll go see him tomorrow...Maybe I can see about bail...I can't promise you...but I'll look into it.."said Olivia..

''Don't you mean we Auntay?" said Beverly..

"You're planning your wedding...I thought maybe you might want to sit this one out."I said.

''And do what? Sit around doing nothing...going stir crazy? We've made all of the neccesary arrangements up to this point...Not much we can do right now.. Ugh Ugh...I'm still part of this team...I'm all in."said Beverly..

Olivia smiled..

"Yes you are Bev, you certainly are..."said Olivia, smiling..

"I feel so much better now." said Juanita...

Just then ,Nelson East walked in...

He kissed Beverly...

''Hey future Mrs. East.." he said.

"Hey future hubby! This is my fiance, Attorney Nelson East.." said Beverly...

"I remember him...He worked at the Public defender's office too..He represented my cousin...He got him off..So you two huh? That's nice..."said Juanita..

"You guys got a case huh?" said Nelson...

"A Murder case...I know you don't work for us ....YETTTTT! , but you want in on this one?  Or has Robert got you busy?" asked Olivia..

"Robert gave me the next six weeks off...I'm in...After all, you guys are my new family now..." said Nelson..

"Don't forget me!"said Josie..

"Of course not...Josie, you're family too! Well, that settles it..We are all in.." said Olivia..

"I love the way you guys are so tight...Cleotis is in good hands.." said Juanita..

Now the problem was meeting Cleotis and learning the particulars of his case..

Here we go again...Another new case..

(TO BE CONTINUED)