Over A Cliff

The second Murder Trial of Barbara Farber began....It was contentious as could be suspected...

Nelson was on board to help Olivia and Beverly with Jury selection...

They had designed a brilliant defense strategy.....They had decided to leave the part out about the illegal abortion ...They had seen the discovery from Rockland's side and there was no proof of it.. and they had provided their concrete proof that Barbara was with her brother in law and an unidentified woman at a  hotel in Penns Landing throughout the period of the murder...

They wouldn't bring up the illegal abortion or the young lady unless absolutely necessary...

Guided by Nelson, they asked a series of questions of potential  jurors...

This caught Rockland off guard....

Olivia used a savy trick she learned...She leaned toward a juror she knew full well Rockland would reject, while accepting the juror they really wanted, based on the way this particular juror answered questions..It was brilliant...

Beverly and Nelson asked the questions based on the type of juror he said they would need...

They wound up getting 10 of the 12 jurors they wanted.......

Rockland whispered to his investigator, Gary Lockwood..

"They look too content...I feel like I just got hustled.." he said..

Gary said nothing, but smiled..

II-

The trial began....

Instead of Judge Jeff "Death Row" Jefferson, we got Judge Turner Freeman, the cross dressing judge...who was quite fond of Olivia and Beverly..

''At worse, if we lose, he won't impose a death sentence...He hasn't handed out many if any of them to my knowledge" Olivia whispered to Josie and I

 "But we could win and send everybody over a cliff..."noted Josie..

As we sat behind her...She was right..

Rockland was brilliant and well prepared...But he basically hadn't altered or tailored his argument...He played to the women in the jury who were younger, both white and African-American this time...

He wasn't having the same effect he had in the first trial...

It was Beverly ,who made the opening statement this time....Her sweetness was on display and her ability to both tatantalise the male jurors and make everybody laugh was sheer brilliance..

Rockland called his same witnesses...Doctors, Nurses, Medical Examiner's office personell...who gave their same testimony...

Olivia picked and pried at every bit of their testimony, but for the most part left them alone....It was Rockland's show and she was allowing him to put on his performance..

He was back with Alfreda and his old confidence and swagger was back...  On the last day of testimony he called his chief witness, Mrs. Cora Baker.

The Hospice Caretaker, who found Mrs. Farber's lifeless body

and saw the murderer fleeing the house..

Olivia and Beverly were waiting for her testimony....On cross examination...They got her to not only admit that her eyesight wasn't the best...but they produced a copy of her last eye exam...and her prescription for reading glasses...

Rockland theatrically protested vigourously...

But judge Freeman allowed the questions to stand and be answered...

Nelson asked her if it wasn't true that she had never liked either Barbara Farber or her half brother, Milton Dickory?

Rockland protested...

but Olivia and Beverly said that this may have proved prejudice...on the part of the witness....

Cora Baker was flabberghasted and gave Olivia and Beverly the evil eye...She didn't admit to hating Barbara and Milton ,but she admitted...In Hindsight...She couldn't really be sure just who she saw running away from the scene...

Rockland had to now try and clean up this mess...He realized that he was losing the jurors...Over half of them were now confused and now had some doubt and Olivia and Beverly hadn't even begun their defense...

He closed out his case with an emotional and impassioned plea for the jury to give Old Lady Farber the justice she deserved...And that she had died a rather cruel death and she needed to be avenged..

In the hallway that afternoon, I kissed Olivia passionately...

"You were great baby..."I said..

"Maybe, but Rockland cleans up nice..."said Olivia...

"That's okay....Monday is our turn..."said Beverly...

"I was reading the jury....You guys have at least 7 of them in your corner...The other 5 are hard to read...Next week, you've got to hammer your points across...and I mean hard..."said Nelson...

"What if Rockland forces our hand with that illegal abortion thing?" asked Josie..

"He doesn't know about that...We don't have to explain what was going on in that room...Just prove that all of these people were meeting in that room, which we can do..."said Olivia..

"Still Auntay ,he may ask...Then what?" asked Beverly, who was very concerned..

"Then we've got a real problem!  We have to prepare for the eventuality that in winning, we could send Barbara and Micheal Green over a cliff!..They shouldn't have put us in this position...Our job is to get her out of a guilty verdict and a death sentence... " said Olivia..

III-

Cora Baker was not happy to see me...

"You just go right away from here...I know who you are...You're Olivia Bennett-Alexander's husband..

.I don't have to talk to you...I'm a witness for the prosecution..."said Cora Baker..

"Mrs. Baker...I'm not here to badger you..I'm here because I need your help..."I said.

"You need my help? What in God's name for? Why should I help you?" she asked...

"I know you loved Mrs Virginia. Farber...She was your friend and you were with her until she breathed her last."I said softly...

"She was dying...She had only days to live....Why couldn't they let her die in peace?   She was terminal for god sakes...They would have gotten their money.."she said and began to weep...

I pulled out my hankerchief...

"This wasn't about money Mrs. Baker... Barbara Farber is a successful Doctor...She makes three times that inheritance a year.....65 large would have been nice...but she was clearly in no rush to get it......and Myra Farber -Green won a settlement in a lawsuit recently...She took home 1.5 million, after taxes...plus she's married to a very successful doctor herself...None of them needed the money and Milton Dickory, He didn't stand to get a cent, whether she lived or died...No Mrs. Baker, this wasn't about money..."I said...

"She left me money too...but I would've traded all the money in the world for one more day to talk to my best friend.."said Cora Baker...

"I know that...I know that!!  Mrs. Farber adored her two nieces...She didn't agree with Barbara's life style choices all the time, but she loved her dearly and Barbara loved her too...Same thing with Myra, she loved them both ,and she loved you....This wasn't about love or money...This was about hate...and I need you to help me catch the real killer..I know who it is...But I need your help....Will you help me?" I asked..

"Is this a trick?" she asked..

"I assure you it is not.Barbara did not do this and we have proof....but I believe the actual killer shouldn't be allowed to walk scott free, whether Barbara is cleared or not!"I said..

She thought for a long while...

"Okay...If this helps catch whoever really killed her...I'll help you...What do you need me to do?" she said..

IV-

D.A. Investigator Gary Lockwood looked at me..

''She go for it?" he asked.

We were in Josie's later on that night ,knocking back some cold brews...

 I had Olivia with me....She was falling asleep on my shoulder...

She was exhausted.....Part of me felt sorry for her...

"I think so...I suppose we should call Lieutenant Tragg..."I said to him.....

"No....You want this done right? Call Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren of the Criminal Investigation Division..." he said.. "I know her...I'll call her.." he said..

"Thanks man..." I said..

"Look, this is a win win...You clear your client and we get the real killer...Boss man won't exactly lose to Olivia and Beverly and he'll have a good case to prosecute..." said Gary...

"I agree" said a weary Olivia...

Gary looked at her and smiled...

"Why are you helping us? The opposition...?" I asked, smiling..

"Cop to Cop...You were on the job once like me...I like you....And I had the same doubts you had...I did some digging....I don't know what those three did in that room...but I found some bloody sheets hidden in the hamper in that hotel that hadn't been discarded...I know your client is innocent and was in that room...I don't know what she and the good doctor did and frankly...I don't want to know..and I'm pretty sure if Olivia and Beverly do know...

They don't want to talk about it.."said Gary Lockwood..

''You're right."said a sleepy Olivia...

I smiled..and hugged her......

"You and I....We would have been good partners on the force!.."I said..

"No Doubt Brother."said Gary Lockwood.  "You need to take your lady home dude...She's tired..."said Gary....

I looked at Olivia and smiled...She was both exhausted and tipsy....

She leaned over and kissed me...

Her lips were soft as butter...

"Take me home baby..."she whispered......I was immediately aroused.....

''Check please" I said to Gus...

 Olivia giggled and her head fell on my shoulder....

Gary smiled...

"Good Night Olivia, Donnie Ray, get some sleep!" he said..

V-

There was a knock on the door of Cora Baker's home....A night later!

Cora came to the door....

Milton Dickory snarled..

"Same old disapproving grin....What did you want with me?" he asked..

"I want to discuss a business proposition with you."  said Cora..

''What kind of business?" he snarled..

"Oh The 10- 20 large you're going to pay me to keep my mouth shut.."said Cora..

"Keep your mouth shut about what?" he asked.

"About you killing Mrs. Farber...I know it was you!!...You came in here and switched the bottles of her medication...She was too sick to understand what was going on....You replaced her pain medication with Cyanide you cruel bastard and it was you I saw running out here in Ms.Barbara's Trench coat...Not Ms.Barbara....She said those heels weren't hers...They were yours...You're a female impersonator, that's how you fooled me...I thought I saw a woman...I saw YOU!!! You sweaty freak!!" said Cora Baker..

"Nice Story....but you have no proof...None whatsoever..." Milton said..

Cora produced the empty bottle of Cyanide...

"I know you wore latex gloves so there would be no prints...but there is one smudged print on here....You must have handled this bottle before you put on the gloves and discarded it...I put it in a plastic bag and have kept it...Now you're going to give me 10 large or I'm going to the cops and we'll see how things workout for you from there.."said Cora..

"As a Black Mailer you make a great Hospice Care worker...I aint givin you crap...Go to the cops...See what they say when I tell em you tried to black mail me...Go suck an egg bitch...Good Night.You got nothin!" he said and walked out of the house...

 "Damn...We were so close."said Olivia, who came from behind a partition..

 "So Close...but he stopped close to a confession..."said Beverly...

 "DAMN....I thought we had him.."said Nelson..

 "Geeez" said a frustrated Josie..

"Sorry guys...We didn't get enough for a confession.."said Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren...

"I'm sorry,At least I know for a fact that he is the real killer.."said Cora Baker..who took off her wire....

"That's okay...We'll still be able to get Barbara off..."said Olivia.."Come on guys,let's go.."she said..

"Thanks Ms. Sissy." said Beverly...

"Any time...We'll be watching him...We'll get him eventually.."said Sissy as she and three plain clothes cops left, got in their car and pulled off..

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson and Josie got in their car and pulled off...

Cora Baker turned off the lights and retreated upstairs....She was going to bed...

but she wasn't alone...

Milton Dickory had hid outside...He saw Sissy and the plain clothes men leave

and he saw Olivia,Beverly, Nelson and Josie leave..

He was furious..

"Settin me up for a sting was she??  She won't set up anybody else...gotdamnit.." he muttered...

He used the key, the same key he had copied the night of the murder and let himself in....He silently walked up the stairs...

He walked down the hallway to Mrs. Baker's room...He had a garrotte in his hands...He was going to choke the life out of her..

He slipped silently into her bedroom...

Suddenly the light clicked on..

"HELLO YOU LITTLE RAT!!! NOW I KNOW YOU KILLED HER!!"said Cora Baker..

"Maybe..but you'll never live to tell it.." he snarled..

"Oh I think she will!!!.....Drop that garottte..."I said..I had my .38 smokeless pointed at him.

"SMILE!! YOU'RE ON CANDID CAMERA!!!" said Gary Lockwood...who also had his .38 smokeless pointed at him...

He was startled!!!

Detective Tony Hopkins , his partner, Detective Sirena Pile

and two uniformed officers and three plain clothes cops walked into the room...guns drawn!!!

Lieutenant Sissy Van Buren walked in...

"As they say...It's a wrap!!"  she said..

Milton Dickory stomped his foot..

"I hated that bitch....Didn't leave me a dime...Not one red cent... I hope she's rotting in hell gotdamnit! I don't feel sorry for what I did...NOT AT ALL!!!  I'd kill her again, if I could!!!" he snarled..

"Get him out of here."said Sissy..

They handcuffed him, read him his rights and dragged him out....

."Didn't leave me a dime...Not one red cent." he muttered...''Stingy Bitch!"he snarled and stomped his foot again....

Case Closed...

MONDAY MORNING!

''Due to new information this office was made aware of over the weekend, The people move to drop all charges against Barbara Farber and rule that she be released from custody immediately." said ADA Rockland Cambridge..

''So noted...Ms Barbara Farber...You are free to go.."said Judge Turner Freeman..

Barbara Farber, Her sister, Myra Farber-Green and her brother in law ,Dr. Micheal Green all hugged us...

"Thank you so much...You got me off and we didn't have to bring up the unpleasentries that went on in Room 407..."said Barbara...

''We got lucky."said Olivia.

''Whew, I'll say.."said Beverly..

"That was too close for comfort..."said Nelson...

"I'll say.."said Josie..

"Heads up...Here comes Rockland..."I said...

Rockland walked over to Olivia and Beverly...

"Nicely done you two....If I ever find myself in any kind of trouble...You two are the ones I would call immediately to defend me...I only hope after all of our courtroom battles, you'd take my case." he said..

"Of course we would Rockland...You're like...You're like family..."said Olivia...

"Yeah..."said Beverly...

Beverly's mom, Alfreda was watching the entire thing...She came over and put her arms around Rockland..

''Awwww that was sooo sweet.." she said.

She planted a nice wet kiss on his lips...

''So was that kiss..."said Rockland softly...

''Was it?" asked Alfreda..

They stared into each others eyes seductively....

Judge Turner Freeman whispered to Rockland...

"I'm done for the day...You might want to take your lady to my chambers...There's a couch in there..Just lock the door..." he said and giggled..

Alfreda nibbled on Rockland's ears...

"Is that offer still open? To go in the judges chambers?" she whispered..

Rockland smiled..

"YESSSSSS!" he said..

''Okay,Calm down...Let's quietly walk back there..." she said and took  him by the hand and walked him toward the Judges chambers..

''Where is he taking my mommy?" Beverly joked..

"To the happy place.."joked Olivia..

Me ,Josie, Nelson and Judge Freeman busted out in laughter....


EPILOUGE-

We were at yet another tony rooftop bar celebrating an end to our latest case...

"I've always wanted to come here...This place is so nice.." said Olivia..

"I'm glad you like it...Look at this view.."I said..

"I know..Blue skies on the horizon...For us.."said Beverly...

"We really dodged a bullet.."said Nelson....

''Phew...I'll say...Liv would you have really of brought up what went on in that room?" asked Josie..

"Only if I absolutely had to....But I'm guessing Rockland didn't know about that..." said Olivia..

As our drinks arrived...

"I got it on good word that he didn't..." I said..

Beverly raised her glass..

"A Toast...To not going over a cliff..." said Beverly..

"Here, Here!!" we all said...

While across the room, unknown to us...Lieutenant Tragg and ADA Margaret Barnes sat having drinks..

"Look at em....Olivia and her little crew , celebrating...They make me sick!" snarled Lt. Tragg...

ADA Barnes laughed...

''Why? They just do their job...They do it quite well...And they are always on point...Her and her niece and even the little para legal that works with them...Hair always on point, Clothes immacculate...I love those dresses they are wearing....Got to hand it to Liv...She is tenacious...

She had a real loser case....I heard she appealed the verdict in four appellate courts ,got turned down in all four of em before a State Supreme court judge heard her argument and overturned the verdict and sentence...WOW!  She's worth every penny she was paid! Most Attorneys would have given up long before they got to the State Supreme Court."she said.

"I was in court a few days when they had the retrial..She and her niece..

were eating ADA Cambridge alive..."laughed ADA Barnes..

"Don't go all fan girl on me...Her husband broke the case...He caught the real killer.."

said a disgusted Lt. Tragg...

''Something YOU failed to do..I heard Cambridge's Investigator helped.." said ADA Barnes...

"YEAH! And instead of calling me...I was the case detective...They called Sissy Van Buren...Her and her detectives get credited with the collar and once again...I look like a damn goat....Some reporter wrote a vicious hit job story on me called "Wrong Way Corrigan....Lt. Tragg and his history of bogus arrests.." The entire department is laughing at me behind my back...I've been roasted at COMSTAT meetings the last three months..Just when I was making a comeback!!"he snarled...

"Oh Artie it's over...Forget about it..." She laughed...

 ''WHY COULDN'T LIV FORGET IT? SHE GOT PAID REGARDLESS....SHE COULDN'T TAKE ONE LOSS???" snarled Lt. Tragg...

"She's a damn good attorney...She took it to the limit....If I ever get in any trouble...I'm calling Olivia and Beverly and staff...."said ADA Barnes...

''You've got a girl crush on them.."Lt Tragg angrilly muttered...

 "I like winners...Olivia and Beverly are winners....Which makes me wonder what I'm doing here with you.." said ADA Margaret Barnes who was tired of Lt. Tragg's complaining...She excused herself..grabbed her pocketbook and left the Roof top bistro.

Olivia and I, were oblivious to what was going on with them...

We kissed each other softly in between sips of our drink...

I noticed Beverly and Nelson

They were staring in each other's eyes...

and holding hands and staring in each other's eyes..

and Josie....smiling serenely....

It was a nice view, from above the cliff!


FOR MONIQUE!