A Most Unlikely Client

 This was the ending of one case and unknown to us, the beginning of one of our strangest cases ever!

We were once again in a  courtroom....The Jury had been deliberating for the second day straight in a murder case my wife, Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander

and her niece,

Beverly West-East were trying...

They were defending a young man accused of killing his boss....who had been sleeping with his ex-wife..

I'm Olivia's husband, Donnie Ray Alexander, Ex-Homicide detective, now Olivia and Beverly's investigator..

I had conducted my investigation the same way I conducted my homicide investigations when I was a cop..I had given them all of the information I possibly could and them being the stellar attorneys they were had given the young man a vigorous defense..

Our Para -legal Josie had been working around the clock with them , doing research for the case, which meant she had spent the night with Beverly and her husband, Nelson East,

Also an Attorney, but not involved with this case...

"I sure hope the jury comes to a decision today...I'm exhausted...but just in case they don't rule our way..I've already got an appeal ready to go.."said Olivia..

''Auntay don't think like that...You need your rest...You're exhausted..Hell, I'm exhausted..."said Beverly...

''Don't worry , After the verdict..I'm taking all three of my girls out for drinks ."I said.

''Can I take a rain check Donnie Ray?..I just want to go home and take these heels off and take a nap."said Beverly..

"Me too Donnie Ray, but thank you."said Josie.

"You sweet sweet man...I'll have drinks with you..."said Olivia..who kissed me..

Her skin felt warm...

"You feel hot babes."I said.

''Donnie Rayyyyy, is that a come on for sex?"asked Olivia,laughing..

"Nah, you feel warm..." I said..



 

II-

While we were waiting for our jury to come back with a verdict...One courtroom down from us...A Case was just beginning that would wind up being our strangest case yet...

Black Semi -Pro Football player, Mason Oliver Dixon was on trial for murdering his white wife..

His attorney,Douglas "Dougie Balls" Baldwin was staggering and slurring in his speech and hadn't picked one juror...

The Assistant District Attorney Soma Priyati stared at him..She was disgusted...

The Judge ,John Fox called both Attorneys to the bench...

"Mr. Baldwin...You are drunk!" he said..

"DRUNK??? DRUNK?? I take great...I Take Great Defense to that your honor...HAAAAAAA, Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.."he laughed and slapped his thigh..

ADA Priyati looked at him with disgust...

"I can't do this...He smells like a liquor store..."she said..

"I-I-I-I....wasssssssssssssssss not in the liquor st-store your honor......"laughed Doug Baldwin..

"I'm gonna cut you a break....Counselor...I'm going to recess my court...You go home and get yourself together....You come in my courtroom drunk one more time and I'm throwing you in jail for contempt..NOW GO HOME!" said the Judge..

"I think I'll go home..Th-Thank You, Yo honor sir."said Doug Baldwin..

"Oh My God...I'm going to death row...This guy is a damn alcoholic..."muttered Mason to himself..

He walked out into the hall and he saw a familliar figure...

"Beverly? Beverly West?/" he said and smiled.

"Mason...Mason Oliver..??" said Beverly...

The two hugged each other and laughed...

"It's Beverly West-East now..I got married last year." she gushed..

"WHATTT?  That's what's up baby girl...How long has it been??  Oh My God!!!" he said..

"I knowww right?? Josie...This is Mason Dixon...He was a standout cornerback at Central High School..This is Josie Boyd, She's our para-legal.."said Beverly..

"Pleased to meet you.."said Josie..

"Mason and I dated...years ago...Then we decided we'd be better as friends.."said Beverly...

"So you're a lawyer now huh?  Followed that sexy auntie of yours into law...Niceeeeeeeee...I wish you were my lawyers..." he said.

"Yeah why are you here? You in trouble?" asked Beverly..

"I'm on trial for murdering my wife...The Team paid my bail and got me a lawyer...That drunken clown over there..Look at him!" snarled Mason...

Turns out Mason wasn't the only person Beverly knew today..

"Be-Beverly...Beverly West??? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"said Douglas Baldwin..

"Dougie Balls!"laughed Beverly....

"You know him?" asked Mason..

"I do...I clerked for him when I first got out of law school and passed the bar...before I became a Public defender...Hell of a lawyer..."said Beverly...

He grabbed Beverly and spun her around and hugged her...The smell was killing her..He smelled like a combonation of everything he drank the past night ,coupled with perspiration..His breath reeked...

"Oh lord!" Beverly said..She winced....She couldn't believe how bad he smelled...

Josie winced..

So did Mason....

III-

Olivia and I walked a few blocks

to a small place and ordered two Ice Teas...

I unbottoned my jacket..

''Excuse me babes..Gotta run to the little boys room...I'll be right back." I said..

What happened next defies belief, but this is the way Olivia would tell me the story later..

She sipped her Ice Tea....Olivia never exactly saw where the woman came from...She just looked up and a pretty young white woman, about her age..maybe a  year or two younger was sitting with her..

"Hi Olivia...Olivia Bennett-Alexander , the Attorney right?" said the white woman..She was dressed immaculately in a matching Black and white beaded mini skirt and top...

"Yes...and who may I ask are you?" asked Olivia..

"I'm Kathleen Dixon...Wife of Mason O. Dixon, the football player..He's a childhood friend of your niece, Beverly, you might not know him.."she said.

"I don't know him.."said Olivia..

"Beverly knows him! They dated in High School...You were probably in law school or just passing the bar, I know..I'm a few years older than my husband myself..but listen...He needs your help...He's on trial for murder in the courtroom next to where you're waiting to hear a verdict...

Anyway..The lawyer he has is just not up to snuff...And if he doesn't get some help soon, my poor husband is going to go to jail for a murder he didn't commit."said Kathleen...

''He has a lawyer..I just can't take his case from him..."said Olivia..,

"You have to...He's a drunk..His name is Douglas Baldwin..at one time he was a pretty decent lawyer like you and your niece, but then he started drinking...He's drunk most of the day now of days...He'll ruin this case and my husband could wind up in prison for the rest of his life or worst on death row...Please Olivia, please help my husband..Talk to Mr. Baldwin...He'll let you take over first chair for him.."said Kathleen..

"Why can't you or your husband just fire him.?" asked Olivia,..

"I'm afraid I can no longer do that..I would if I could.." said the woman...

 ''What do you mean you can no longer do that?  You're here talking to me aren't you? Who is he accused of killing anyway?" asked Olivia.

''ME! Only he didn't do it...but the last memory I have before everything ended was of being shot..I don't know who killed me..I'm dead Olivia..I've been dead for close to a year!" said Kathleen Dixon.

"YOU??? DEAD?? HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING?" asked Olivia.

"No Olivia...I'm dead...I'm a Ghost..."said the woman..

"Stop wasting my time..You need psychiatric attention.."said Olivia, laughing...

"Olivia!!! Who are you talking to? Who needs psychiatric attention?" I asked...I had returned...I sat down..

I began quaffing down my Ice Tea..

''The white woman...She's sitting right next to you.She uh invited herself to our table while you were gone.."said Olivia.

''What white woman??Stop playing...There's nobody next to me.."It's just me and you Olivia."I laughed..

"He can't see me Olivia..He can't hear me either!!!Nobody can, except you...because I want you to see and hear me...I need you to help my husband...please.." said the woman...

Olivia got this strange look on her face...Stranger than any look I'd ever seen on her face before..One of fear and perplexion..

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked..

She leaned over and kissed me softly...tenderly..I pulled her to me and kissed her...

"You're real...You're really here."said Olivia.

"Of course I am..."I said..''And that kiss let's me know THAT YOU'RE REAL...WOW!"I said.. Her lips were so soft, so sensual.Her kisses never failed to get me aroused..

My phone rang..

"Hold up, I've got to take this.."I said..

It was Beverly..

"The Jury is back with a verdict."said Beverly..

"Come On Babes..The Jury is back! We are on our way Beverly/" I said.

"Good Let's get out of here."said Olivia..

"Olivia, I know this is hard for you to understand..but you've got to help my husband.."said Kathleen as Olivia and I got up..

''What are you looking at babes?" I asked her..

"Nothing..let's go.."said Olivia.

IV-

"ALL RISE!" said our Judge...

"HAS THE JURY REACHED A VERDICT?" he asked..

"Yes your honor, we have.."said the jury foreman...

"Bailif."said the Judge..

Olivia and Beverly stood with their client..Marquis Lofton.

Josie and I stood behind them..

"WE THE JURY FIND THE DEFENDENT, MARQUIS LOFTON ,NOT GUILTY ,ALL CHARGES!"they said..

Beverly leaped up...

"WE DID IT AGAIN AUNTAY!" she said..

"YES WE DID BABY!" said Olivia, smiling and high fiving her niece...

Marquis hugged Josie, who he'd kind of had a crush on the entire trial..

"Thank you..Thank you all so much!" he said..

"Okay Marquis, you can let me go now.."said Josie,diplomatically...

I smiled..I didn't think he'd done it from the start...

Kathleen walked over to Olivia...

"I knew you guys would win this...Now please go next door and talk to my husband and his lawyer please."said Kathleen..

"Oh Alright.."said Olivia..

"Auntay?? who were you talking to just now?" asked Beverly..

''The woman standing next to you."said Olivia.

"What woman?" asked Beverly...

"She can't see me or hear me Olivia...Only you can...I told you that!" said Kathleen...

"Never mind...Beverly Did you used to date some guy, some football player named Mason O. Dixon in High School briefly...?"asked Olivia.

"Yessssssssss...How did you know about him?  I never talked to you about him..."said Beverly...

"It's not important...Is he on trial down the hall from us for murder?? for murdering his wife??" asked Olivia..

"Yeah, how did you know that?" asked Beverly..

"And his lawyer drinks a lot..His name is Douglas Baldwin...You used to call him "Dougie Balls"when you clerked for him.."asked Olivia..

''Drinks a lot? He's a damn drunk..Got thrown out of court today because he could hardly stand up..He reeks...I feel sorry for Mason...He deserves better than that..Dougie Balls used to be a hell of an attorney..Now he's a hell of a drunk."said Beverly..

"It happens.."said Olivia.."I need to talk to him.."said Olivia.

"He's down the hall.."said Josie.."You can follow the smell of Henny." joked Josie..

"I'll be back..Girls..Good job...Take tomorrow off..Tell Donnie Ray..I'll be right back.."said Olivia.

I walked up just then...

''Where is she going?"

"To talk to an attorney I used to clerk for down the hall..Strange she knew about me clerking for him and she knew about an old boyfriend I never told her about...Guess she kept more tabs on me than I knew about."said Beverly..

Douglas Baldwin smiled when he saw Olivia walking his way..

"Olivia Bennett-Alexander..We finally meet..I-I've heard a lot about you...Your niece, Beverly clerked for me when she was fresh out of law school..Had just passed the bar." he said and hugged Olivia..

Olivia winced...She didn't know what smelled worse...His breath, his body odor or the liquor on his clothes..

"A word in private please."she asked.

''For you Liv sure...Anything!" he said..

 They both walked into the Judges Chambers and closed the door.

"You need to let me work this case with you..Mason O. Dixon's murder case...."said Olivia..

''Well I think I got it covered Liv...I'm flattered but...Maybe we can work together in the future.."said Doug Baldwin...Then his eyes got as large as saucers and he fell up against the wall..

"I think you should let her do it Dougie...I strongly advise you to let her assist you!"said Kathleen Dixon.

"OH LORD!!! OHHH MY GOD!  WHAT ARE YOU DOIN HERE?? YOU'RE DEAD!!!" he yelled..

''What is wrong with you?" asked Olivia.

"Beside you Liv..It's ..It's Kathleen...She's come back from the dead!  OHHHHHHHHHH MY GOD!This can't be real..I was at your funeral!!! YOU'RE DEAD!!" screamed Douglas..

"He can see me Liv, Only because he's drunk...When he sobers up he won't be able to see me.." said Kathleen..

"Okay, but I'm not drunk...How come I can see you?" asked Olivia.

"Because I want you to see me..I need you to see me...Now Doug...clean yourself up..SOBER yourself up and let Olivia take over this case...I don't want my husband going to prison for the rest of his life...You got it?" asked Kathleen..

"Oh My God...I don't believe this...I gotta stop drinkin...Okay...Liv..you're the boss...You're first chair...Ohhhhh shitttt!"screamed Douglas Baldwin..

"I don't need to be first chair...I can be second chair..I'll be here tomorrow for voir dire..I'll be bringing my Niece's husband, Nelson East..He's a very good Attorney...He'll help us with Jury selection.."said Olivia.

"Y-Y-You got it!"said Douglas, who was visibly frightened...

"I'm not going to hurt you Dougie...When you sober up you won't even see me again."said Kathleen..

"I wish I could say that." said Olivia as she walked out of the judges chambers and met me..

"Ready to go?  Bev and Josie went home?" I said.

"Let's go someplace quiet and have some coffee Donnie Ray...I don't want to drink any alcohol.."said Olivia.

''Okay..anything you want Liv."I said.

And this is how one of our strangest cases began..

(TO BE CONTINUED)