Eating Crow

Alfreda Johnson made sure that the conference room table was set..

She had hot steaming cups of coffee in place for all of us...

 Alfreda was good like that...

Josie was silently helping her out...

"Your co-workers better get down here....before this coffee cools.."said Alfreda..

"They'll be down..."said Josie softly...

"I'm nervous about this case as if I'm the one trying this..."said Alfreda..

"Me too!" said Josie, managing a smile..

Upstairs in Beverly and Nelson's domicile..

Beverly and Nelson were enjoying one last kiss...

"We've got to get downstairs boo!....Let me wipe my lipstick off of you.."said Beverly silently...

"I don't even care..."said Nelson in between more kisses

Upstairs on our floor, I was in the bathroom, kissing Olivia passionately...

running my hands down in her panties, rubbing her butt..

"Ouuu Donnie Ray, you've got to let me put on my lipstick and make up and my dress..."said Olivia..

"Yeah, you're right." I said as I eased up and allowed her to put her dress on and her make up and her lipstick..

She looked great as usual...She fixed my suit...

"Okay...let's go downstairs..." she said..

"You ready for this?" I asked..

"Never been more ready." said Olivia, smiling..




II-

We walked downstairs and sat down  at our conference  table..

and enjoyed our coffees..

"Bev, this will be the easyist bet I ever won.."said Olivia.

"I know Auntay, they ares so cocky, So Sure they have this in the bag...I saw the three of them

 ADA Brad Hammer

Lieutenant Tragg

And ADA James "Straight" Shooter...at the preliminary yesterday..They looked so smug..."said Beverly..

"Especially since I wasn't there..."laughed Olivia..

"They were smiling and high fiving each other...It was disgusting ."said Josie, who went with Beverly to the preliminary hearing.....

Nelson ,Beverly and Josie were there to pick the jury....They got five African Americans, Two Latinas and five whites...The jury they wanted.. Still No sign of Olivia..She didn't feel there was any need for her to be there..

Nelson, Beverly and Olivia stayed behind the next day, reading the jury's bios which

 I provided and working on strategy....

III-

But now it was Trial time...

Trying the case was Assistant District Attorney James "Straight" Shooter...We had been up against this guy before..

I hated to say this, but the man was an imbecile...He carried a loaded .45 in his shoulder holster at all times as if he was a detective...and like ADA Keith Wallace, he often went out with the Detectives when they made a bust...

 Unlike ADA Keith Wallace...James "Straight" Shooter was  a nuisance who often got in the way...On two occassions ,he had fired a  shot into the window of a house not involved in the bust...Once he shot out the tires of the lead detective and a uniformed officer's car....

Detectives preferred he not go along when they made a bust...

He was a current commentator on several local Law and Order TV shows and was thinking about leaving the District attorney's office and getting a Television Talk show...

Seeing him was a good sign...

Judge Adam Alarky was a mixture...A Tough but fair, No Nonsense judge who was a stickler for courtroom decorum...He was not fond of Jim Shooter's appearence in court...With a mustard and ketchup stain from his hot dog on his shirt, and with his shirt hanging partially out of his trousers...He  preferred Shooter wear a suit jacket and a tie...

On the other hand he was quite impressed with Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie and myself..We came dressed immaculately everyday...

Even Lt. Tragg was dressed immaculately...

 Lt. Tragg sat next to Brad Hammer..

He whispered...

"This is going to be good...Jim is a good guy..and so is Adam.."

For the first time...Brad Hammer smiled..

"I know..I've tried a couple of cases in front of him, He doesn't suffer fools lightly and he won't go for a lot of courtroom histrionics.." he said.

Austin sat with Olivia,Beverly and Nelson...

He had tried a few cases in Judge Adam Alarky's courtroom too...The Judge was no fan of his dramatic sometimes over the top style...but he wasn't trying a case today...He was the defendant..

He looked nervous...He had every reason to be...

Nelson peered over at the Jury, then he surveyed the rest of the courtroom...He was ready..

Olivia looked perky....Sexy even...She had a confident smile on her face that un nerved Lt. Tragg and ADA Hammer.

So Did Beverly....

Josie and I sat behind them...

I was as cool and calm as could be...

And now it was showtime..

Jim Shooter wove a ridiculous story of Austin Worthy , a hot shot celebrity attorney who could have any woman he wanted ,who was so angered that Joanie Hammer was passing up his advances that he killed her by beating her brutally...

He showed the jury shocking photos of Joanie's badly beaten body...An X ray of her broken neck and photos of the murder weapon...A Gun found under the bed in Austin's Apartment and a sandle found in the trash can in Austin's apartment...The Jury gasped..

He asked for the jury to find him guilty and to give him the death penalty...

The Judge had to remind him that sentencing was another trial, after the verdict...

Olivia, calm and cool as ever, addressed the jury with an eloquent summary...She agreed that Austin was quite the ladies man,showing them photos of Austin out and about with the citys's most eligable bachelorettes...She said that Austin was not rebuffed by Joanie Hammer, but on the other hand was with her two days before she died...

She showed the jury reports by a private investigator proving the two had sexual relations...

"Hardly being rebuffed."she said.

The jury laughed..

Then Olivia hit them...I will not only prove my client did not kill Mrs. Hammer, but will prove that someone else killed her...SOMEONE PRESENT!" she said without looking ADA Hammer's way."

ADA Jim Shooter spent the first week bringing forensic specialists and crime scene investigators to the stand...They testified to what was already known...

Olivia, Beverly and Nelson didn't cross examine one of them....They sat quiet.....

ADA Hammer smiled...

"They got nothin....So much evidence was thrown at them they don't know what to do..They couldn't refute anything" he said to Lt. Tragg..

But Lt. Tragg had seen Olivia and Beverly in action too many times...He wasn't too sure..

It was the defense's turn....

Beverly said that all of the experts who spoke last week were just rehashing what was already known...and that none of them placed the blame on their client..

Beverly brought up the fact that Joanie Hammer was divorced from ADA Brad Hammer and had filed seven restraining orders against him in the past two years...She said that Austin Worthy's affair with her began during their separation and the two remained friends with benefits..

She called the Private Investigator to the stand...He testified that he had been hired by Brad Hammer to follow Mrs. Hammer around even after the divorce and that he indeed had her house and bedroom bugged and that Mr. Worthy had visited her several nights in the past month and their conversation had been cozy and that they had made love several times..

Beverly showed the jury the lusty x-rated photos...They laughed and gasped at the same time..

Nelson asked him if he had relayed this to ADA Hammer, He said that he had and that Mr. Hammer hadn't taken it well..He had gone"into a rage."

Olivia called Brad Hammer to the stand..

He was furious..

"What is the relevance of this?" he snarled..

 "Just answer the questions Mr. Hammer."said the Judge..

Olivia asked him where he was on the day of the murder...

He said at the policeman's beef and beer fundraiser from 12:00- 6:00

"You do know you're under oath right?  What time were you at the Policeman's Beef and Beer event?" asked Olivia again..

"I TOLD YOU...FROM NOON TO SIX THIRTY...ARE YOU HARD OF HEARING?" he snarled.

"Mr Hammer...Mr. Hammer...JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION..."said the Judge again...

Olivia called 26 policemen and 17 detectives...All attendees of the Policeman's Beef and Beer event..They all knew Brad Hammer personally and all of them said that they didn't see him until 2:00pm..That he was not there during the opening session as he originally stated...They all said that he left around three o'clock....

Olivia then showed the jury a glossy photo of ADA Hammer on his phone...The clock said 3:00pm..

She then showed the jury Enlarged cell phone records that showed he called Joanie Hammer three times and had 20 minute conversations with her...

"She still had a restraining order out on you....You weren't supposed to be within 100 feet of her or to call or contact her in anyway...and yet you did!" was all Olivia said..

The Jury looked at him strangely...

Beverly interviewed six residents of Joanie's apartment who said she was seen running out of her apartment at around 3:50 pm and that was the last time she was seen alive..

Nelson called surprise witness Pete Kaplan, a twice convicted thief and burgular, who testified that he was told BY ADA HAMMER to steal Austin Worthy's car , the day before the murder and to drive it past the driveway, where it was later learned the murdered woman's body was found ,when called..He said he was told if he did this, ADA Hammer would work with his parole officer to keep him from being sent back to prison...He also said that he was given a woman's sandle and the .45 and told to give it to a woman....Wanda Peyton...

"THAT'S A LIE...THAT'S A GOTDAMN LIE!" screamed ADA Hammer..Who was shocked that Pete Kaplan had been located.

"MR. HAMMER RESTRAIN YOURSELF...OR I'LL HAVE YOU REMOVED!!" screamed the Judge..

Olivia showed the jury an enlarged photo of ADA Hammer's phone records...It showed he called Pete Kaplan at 4:30 pm...and Wanda Peyton...

"You have to ask yourself...Why would an Assistant District Attorney be calling a convicted felon and a prostitute on the day his wife died.."asked Olivia.

ADA Hammer stood up and screamed..

"RELEVANCE!! WHAT IS THE RELEVANCE OF THIS??I AM NOT ON TRIAL HERE?"

"Heyyy Brad, Cool it...I'm supposed to yell that....What is the relevance of this?" said ADA Shooter..

"May I remind you Mr. Hammer, That you are not trying this case....Any more outbursts and I will have to remove you...Now SETTLE DOWN!"said the Judge..

 Olivia didn't lose her cool or decorum....She continued calmly..

"The Relevance is...I'm showing my client was with Ms. Peyton all afternoon...Who unknown to him was a prostitute, who was paid to keep him occupied and to plant incriminating evidence in his apartment by the convicted felon, who was paid by ADA Hammer himself..."said Olivia , smiling and refusing to look at ADA Hammer, who was fuming...

Nelson called Wanda Peyton....

She appeared in the courtroom , escorted in by me..

 I smiled...

It was a got'cha moment...Olivia peered at ADA Hammer for the first time...A wry smirk appeared on her face...

ADA Hammer put his head in his hands...his legs began to shake...

His airtight frame was coming apart in the seams..He knew it..He hadn't expected this at all..Tears began to flow down both sides of his face...

Olivia's smirk turned in a broad smile!!!

Wanda Peyton testified that she was paid to make Austin Worthy's acquaintence ...but that she never met the person who paid her...On the day of the murder...She was given a box and told to plant it's contents in his apartment...his gun and a woman's sandle..by an unknown man...Who it turned out to be ,Pete Kaplan..

Peter Kaplan testified to as much...

Olivia called ADA Brad Hammer back to the stand...

He was furious...

Olivia showed him a photo of him on his phone, taken at 3:30 pm...

"Is that you?" she asked..

"You know it's me" he said..

''So I take that is a yes?" said Olivia, who couldn't take the smirk off of her face...She was enjoying this and it was showing..

Beverly showed the jury a photo of him taken hours later....in another suit..

"That's you too...Same day, hours later...Why did you change your suit?" asked Beverly...

"I spilled something on it.." he snarled..

Nelson presented the suit he was wearing in the second photo...

"Did you? , Did you?" he asked again...

Now Brad Hammer was stunned...He was certain that he had gotten rid of that suit, he had no idea how they found it.. He looked at me with a white hot hatred..He was literally shaking with rage...

 I glared at him with an equal white hot rage....which un nerved him a bit...He hadn't expected that!

"You spilled blood on it...That's your wife's blood and your blood...I have someone from the M.E.'s office that will testify to as much.....You changed the suit because you ran into her somewhere...Maybe we'll never know...and you two got into some kind of altercation and you killed her..You were furious about her sharing her bed with Austin Worthy....and you killed her..That was the plan all along..WASN'T IT BRAD?? To Frame our client, who you hated with such a passion.." yelled Nelson...

He hung his head...It was over!

"Yes..." he said quietly...

"What was that? We didn't quite hear you?" said Beverly...

''Yes...I killed her...I-I wanted her to come back to me...The thought of her and that slimy Austin Worthy drove me nuts....I killed her....and once I did...I had to have someone to blame it on...Who better?" he said, crying profusely and stomping his foot..

Marshalls walked in, read him his rights and handcuffed him...

All of the fight was out of him...His whole body shook and he wept like a baby....as they dragged him out...

 "I know this is terrible, but I feel good, taking him down.."said Olivia..

''Me too, especially after what he tried to do to Austin.."said Beverly...

''He reminds me of too many corrupt and bad people I knew in New Orleans." I remarked as the Marshals took him out.

"He framed him and was going to try and prosecute the case...Almost assuring him a win and cover...Wow! I'm glad we didn't let him get away with this."said Nelson.

"In light of all of this...All charges against Mr. Worthy are dropped!!...Mr. Worthy ,You are free to go..Court adjourned.."said the Judge who shook his head...The Jury gasped...but they were glad they didn't have to deliberate...

The media was everywhere, snapping photos....

Austin hugged Olivia, Beverly and Josie..and posed for photos...

"You guys are miracle workers..." he said..He was in tears...

 "Now..Now...No tears..We won...You should be happy.."said Olivia..

 ''We told you we'd get you off!"said Beverly..

"Yeah....and I think somebody owes us dinner.."said Josie, smiling..

Austin shook my hand and then bear hugged me..

"New Orleans's loss is Philly's gain Mr. Donnie Ray..You did a great job..." he said.

"Thank you...I'm a musician too..You've got to stop by Josie's and hear me and my quintet play sometimes.."I said..

He looked at Nelson...

"Is he for real?" he asked..

"He is..He plays the trumpet..."said a smiling Nelson...

ADA Jim Shooter stomped his foot..

"Son Of a Bitch!!!....I can't believe it...Brad??" he said and quickly left the courtroom..

Lieutenant Tragg looked sick to his stomach...

"I can't believe it...I just can't catch a break...Damn it!  Damn it..Damn it to hell!" he said and kicked the table..

Olivia and Beverly walked over to him...

 "Not that I'm gloating Lieutenant...Oh Yes I am.. I know a steakhouse that has the fattest sirloin and where the beer runs long and cold.." she said..

"Ummmmm, I like my steak medium rare...Auntay likes hers well done...Like your cases..."said Beverly,laughing as they walked away...

I stood with my arms around Nelson and Josie..

I had to laugh....I loved these people...These people who allowed me to come into their lives and be a part of their successes...

EPILOUGE-

ADA Brad Hammer was disbarred and convicted of First Degree Murder and sentenced to Life with no possibility of parole..

He is housed in Segreation at Stanga State Prison and on Suicide watch...

No Charges were brought against either Pete Kaplan or Wanda Peyton and they were released from custody..

Lieutenant Tragg was if nothing else...A man of his word...He bought nice thick juicy steaks

and a round of beers for the five of us at the restaurant of our choice..

"Well Thank you Lieutenant....Thank you for being a man of your word.."said Olivia..

"This food is delish, isn't it Josie?" asked Beverly..

"Yes indeed.."said Josie... as we all chowed down...

"And this beer is just perfect for washing all of this good food down ."I said..

"Yesssssssssssssssssssss.."was all Nelson would offer...He was too busy chowing down

and slurping his beer..

 Newly freed Attorney ,Austin Worthy was also dining with us...

"This food is incredible...I'll have to come here sometime later.." he said..

"Your meal is not on my dime Worthy...I'm only paying for Olivia, Donnie Ray, Beverly, Nelson and Josie.."said Lt. Tragg..

"Oh I know that and to show you I'm a good sport....I'm paying for your meal"said Austin....

"What? Really ?   I guess I was wrong about you...Austin, you're alright with me.."said Lt. Tragg..

"Waiter...I'd like to order a meal for the esteemed Lt. Tragg...Tell me...Do you serve a bowl of CROW?" he asked...

 Beverly was the first to laugh...

 Olivia was next...

 Even I laughed...

 Nelson laughed

Josie laughed...

"I guess I earned that."said Lt. Tragg, allowing himself to laugh..

FOR SLC!