That's My Girl

The next few days....Olivia worked herself to near exhaustion....Studying and writing a memorable brief to be submitted to the panel of State Supreme Court Judges who hijacked her case and said only that they wanted to read a brief...

Beverly worked with her..

I had been a part of these two women's lives so long that the sight of them in slips or in t-shirts and panties was nothing out of the ordinary...I wondered how Nelson would take it...

He didn't mind...He was coming home from work and making a bee line to our floor, where he joined us in late night sessions...pouring over cases and precedents and preparing the basic points for Olivia's brief...If he noticed either one of them, it was news to me...He was up to his neck in briefs and writs...We were all truly family here!

On Friday night instead of being at Josies or Aqua Bar  or Stoleys or anywhere else...He was with Olivia and Beverly, studying and helping to draft the brief...

I was serving them endless cups of coffee...

Lawyers and Cops...We weren't that much different...

"They used this Nuclear Option to discourage us and to bury this.......Most Attorneys give up at this point...They run out of time and money....I've got time and I want you to know...I got you guys some money..I called Slim and Larry North....The Innocence Project  and The ACLU is all in, They got some money for you Bev, You Nelson, Donnie Ray and Josie..."said Olivia..

''What about you Auntay?" asked Beverly..

"I gave up my salary so that I could get Josie some money..."said Olivia..Don't worry about me...I just want to get this brief finished and get it to them by Monday.....I appreciate you all, especially you Bev and Nelson for giving up your Friday Night to help me...You didn't have to.."said Olivia...

Olivia ,didn't know it...but Beverly, Nelson and Josie and I agreed to give a portion of our pay to her, so she'd have something...She's worked too hard to have nothing..

She , Bev and Nelson worked into the wee hours of the morning...

Beverly and Nelson fell asleep on our couch...

I covered them both with a blanket...

Olivia fell asleep in the living room by our Ottoman...I covered her too...I drove Josie home, when I returned....Olivia was beginning to stir...

She woke up and kissed me softly.....She looked at Beverly and Nelson sleeping on the couch...

She quietly motioned for me to follow her into the bedroom....I did... and she softly locked the door, She quietly helped me out of my trousers.....

We kissed some more.....I lifted her up....She had already taken her panties off..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Donnie Ray, So glad I didn't miss this opportunity..." she cooed softly...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm so glad I didn't miss it either...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.."I moaned...

We made quiet love in the corner and later on the side of our bed.....I was losing my mind...Olivia was so soft, smelled so good...and had butter soft kisses....


"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmph!" I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she cooed..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Oliva...Olivia.....Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmph!"I gasped...

"Shhhhhhh Not so loud Donnie Ray.....Bev and Nelson are in the living room...Is it that good?...It can't be!!" she said..

"You lyin to me.....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I moaned.. 

  Olivia giggled...

 We wound up on top of the sheets, making love with wild abandon....giggling a lot and trying not to make  any noise....

I was thankful our bed was quiet and didn't squeak....Our headboard only rattled a little bit...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmph! damnnnnn Olivia....you feel sooo good..." I moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! So do you Donnie Ray....So do youuuuu, ouuuuuuuu!" she cooed..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Oliva...Olivia.....Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmph! I can't control myself...Ummmmmmmmmmmm"I gasped...

''Shhhhhhhh, we don't want to wake Nelson and Beverly..." she said.

Unknown to us...Beverly and Nelson had awakened

and walked downstairs to their floor...

Where they wasted no time making sweet love.....in their quiet bed........

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,I really like being married..." moaned Nelson...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, So do I Nelson...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"cooed Beverly in between smouldering hot kisses... 

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmph!" he moaned..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she cooed.. 

''Girllll,I'm losing my minddddd!" moaned Nelson...

''Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu babyyyyyyyyyyyy!" cooed Beverly...

II-

 Taking a page from Lieutenant Tragg, Olivia called a Press Conference..

 She talked long and hard about her fight to not only get sentencing youthful offenders 18 and under
to life no parole sentences abolished...but her fight to save one individual in particular...Cora Bey.

 Beverly showed a life size glossy of Cora Bey and spoke passionately about her case....

 Josie spoke on the case and addressed a grass root movement of activists who planned to march on the courthouse...

 Nelson talked about his planned defense of Cora Bey and other youths sentenced to life without parole that weren't grandfathered in when the law was changed...

All of this ,plus the help of Innocence Project Attorneys and Grass roots activists put an unwanted spotlight on this case ,which was hijacked just the week before...

People were to demanding to know why...Important people...Politicians.....

Olivia showed reporters copies of her brief and said that if these judges didn't read this and review this carefully...people should want to know why...

She whispered to me...

"I can forget ever being a States Attorney or a Supreme Court judge in this state..."

"You didn't get into this to become one of them anyway did you?" I asked ...Remembering the kindred spirit I met any years ago in New Orleans...

''Sure didn't...I got into this to make people like them nervous." she said...

I smiled..

"That's My Girl..." I said..

When I turned in those three murderers hiding behind a badge and the 19 corrupt officials who tried to cover it up...I knew I'd never be more than a detective...never make Lieutenant...and in my case...I was drummed right out of the force..I never regretted what I did.. Some people need to always be nervous..

The panel of Judges who would have rather been anonymous were now known and questions were being asked about Olivia's brief...

Beverly and Josie had sent out copies of the brief to members of the Media.. and thanks to Nelson..

Cora Bey's face and the faces of  Double G, Jay Hampton and Mr. Otiel were plastered all over the news....

"This is working just perfect....They won't sweep this under the rug....They're in the spotlight...More so now than they would have been if they had let the original hearing go on.."said Olivia..

''So what now Auntay?" asked Beverly...

"We go home and we resume our normal lives...and we wait...We've done all we can do for now!"said Olivia..

III-

 And in Philadelphia PA... One man is furious....

 Former District Attorney Royce Barnes...

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS....I I I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!  I WANTED THIS BURIED!!!!" he screamed and kicked his trash can...

''Daddy if you had just let me handle this...You wouldn't be in this mess..."said his daughter ,Assistant District Attorney Margaret Barnes..

"Not trying to hurt your feelings baby girl, but they were eating you for lunch...They were better prepared...I told you...Preparation is everything!!...You were about to lose...People will start to look into this case...They'll question my judgement... My campaign for State's Attorney will be stymied...I'll look like the man who sent a child to prison...Even though that CHILD is a killer.." he bellowed..

"So Daddy beat her to the punch!!....Give Olivia what she wants....She wants justice for Cora Bey...What do you care about a ten year old case?  Give her what she wants...Broker a compromise...Nobody will grandfather all of those cases..but more importantly...They'll let Cora go..That's all Olivia and Beverlyreally want anyway...Everybody wins...And you look wise and compassionate.." said Margaret.

Royce Barnes looked at his daughter....

"That's a  brilliant idea.....That's My Girl!" he said ,beaming like the proud father he was...

IV-

THREE DAYS LATER-

We were all sitting in the office.....We had popped some popcorn and had Cokes...It was that rare slow day..No one was in court or working on a case...We had short lulls like that....Olivia was sitting in my lap..

I was squeezing her tightly....

"Ummmm you smell good today baby..." she said..

"I didn't yesterday?" I asked playfully...

''Silly!" she laughed....

Beverly, Nelson and Josie walked in...

 "Ummmm Popcorn...."said Beverly...."Auntay, Donnie Ray, you won't believe this...Former D.A. Royce  Barnes is all over the Television...Saying he may have erred in Judgement when he tried the Cora Bey case ten years ago and he's calling for the D.A.'s office to take a second look and consider re sentencing..Some of the cases"said Beverly...as she munched on the buttered popcorn...

 ".He's saying she was 16 years old and had been sexually abused by at least three grown men...Which might had led to her having diminished capacity....We didn't even think of that angle." laughed Nelson..

"I think it stinks....He could have done this a long time ago....He's running for States Attorney...Everybody knows he wants that job and he wants to seem wise and compassionate...He's trying to one up us..."said Josie..

"Absolutely right...He knows that now that my brief is in front of those Supremes and they can't just sweep it under the couch....His name would be on record since he personally prosecuted that case and rode it into office...So he's doing damage control.." said Olivia..

"He's a smart man..but this change of course doesn't sound like him..."I said.

"Donnie Ray is right...This sounds like somebody else's idea...Somebody like a certain ADA , who happens to be his daughter..As a way to get back at us.."said Beverly....

"No...I was thinking more like....Her way of saying..."I'm sorry, Helping us..." said Olivia...

"At any rate...You're getting what you want...Cora Bey may get a reduction of sentence...A glimmer of hope...That's all you wanted to give her right?" I asked..

"Right" said Olivia...''Everybody deserves a little hope." she said.

I whispered in Olivia's ear...

"Do I have any hope of getting some tonight?" I whispered..

"Of course you do..." she whispered back..."Here's a down payment..." she said and gave me a slow sensual kiss..

"That's my girl..." I laughed..

EPILOUGE:

The State Supreme Court Judges read Olivia's Brief...They agreed to grandfather some of the more severe cases , but not all of them into the new ruling ,including Cora Bey's...She was resentenced to 10-25 years in prison...

Because she had already served 10 years and had a sterling record...She was granted parole and released from prison immediately....

We were waiting for her when she was released...

She saw us and ran toward us with tears in her eyes...She hugged Olivia and Beverly..

"Oh My God...I never dreamed this day would come so quickly.....The best I hoped for was a reduced sentence...This is like my wildest dream come true.." she said..

 "I'm Happy for you....I know it's early, but what do you plan to do, now that you're free?" asked Olivia..

"I can answer that...You want to wear some real clothes again, Sleep in your own bed...right?" said Beverly...

She laughed...

"Girllll you aint never lied..." she said..

"You don't have to take that prison bus back to the city...We are here to take you back with us...Anywhere you uh plan on going?" I asked..

"My Grandmother ....She lives in West Philly....She knows I'm being released today...I'm going to stay with her until I get my bearings and get myself settled..." she said..

"Hop in...There's room in the back...You're petite like Bev and Josie...Bev can sit on my lap..." said Nelson..

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" said Beverly laughing....and hugging her new husband...

Cora laughed...

"I can tell you two just got married.."she laughed....

"Welcome back to the world Cora..." said Josie...

"Thank you guys....I owe it all to Ms. Virginia...She reached out to you guys...I sure wish she was coming home...I can't believe she was like actually an Attorney one time ,like you guys.."said Cora..

''She was one of the best....She made some bad choices.."said Olivia..

"It's not just people like you who make bad choices Cora.. All kinds of people make bad choices...But now that you've been given a second chance....Don't Blow it...Make the best of it.." I said..

She smiled..

"I can tell you used to be a cop.."she said and hugged me..

"He's aightttt!"joked Beverly...

"He's the only cop I let handcuff me without a warrant.."joked Olivia..

Beverly, Josie and Nelson gave Olivia the side eye...

"Kidding!!!...It was a joke..He doesn't even own any handcuffs!" said Olivia..

Cora Bey cracked up....

"You guys are crazy!" she said laughing..

"Come on...Let's go home..."I said..Laughing...

We piled into the SUV and pulled off...

Putting the prison behind us.....

And inside the prison...

Virginia Shaw sat in her cell...She had gotten another person out of here...She had done some good..

She allowed a tear to run down her face....


FOR L. CHANTAY!-