The Next Morning Lois took us to a nice restaurant for breakfast...
"Don't cook up all of your food guys...Come enjoy our local cuisine.." she said.
"This place is gorgeous..."said Olivia..
"It is." said Beverly...
"Yes it is.." said Josie..
We all ordered Blueberry waffles , sausage and scrambled eggs and hash browns...
and hot tumblers of coffee..
"This is good food.." I said.
"It is indeed."said Nelson, who was chowing down..
"Well there you have it..my baby likes it, so it gets four stars.."laughed Beverly staring at the way her husband was eating and laughing..
"Slow down Nelson, the food isn't going anywhere.." laughed Josie as our hot steaming plates of food arrived..
Olivia and I laughed and began eating...
While we ate, Lois talked..
"I don't really remember anything much about that day except that my soon to be ex-husband and I had a big argument."said Lois..
"I told him I knew about his cheating with a number of his secretaries and the abortion that he paid for and the gambling debts that was driving us to the poor house.I told him I was getting an attorney and was divorcing him...He begged me, pleaded with me to reconsider.. I told him my mind was made up and that anyway..I had someone else in my life.. He said not to tell him, that he didn't want to know.. He said it would crush him...I packed an overnight bag and I told him ,I was leaving and that I'd be back in the morning for the rest of my things...I had an apartment in town..The bungalow you guys just moved me out of.." said Lois..
"Do you think your husband was aware of your boyfriend and your new whereabouts?" I asked..
"I don't think so.." she said.
"It's just that I checked his financials and he hired a private investigator about six months ago...There is a chance...I'm not saying that there is..That he may have known about your boyfriend all along."I said.
"That's funny because my boyfriend, Bruce was one of his patients..."said Lois.
"WHATTTTT?" asked Beverly...
"Your husband is a dentist and your boyfriend was one of his patients?" asked Josie.
"Boy he liked to live dangerously.."said Nelson..
"When was the last time your husband saw him?"asked Olivia.
"Wowww! The day he died.. My husband put a filling in his mouth.."said Lois..
The five of us looked at each other strangely...
"I need to talk to the county coroner...I'm sure they did an autopsy..."I said..
"Maybe I can track down that P.I." said Nelson.....
"Bev ,Josie and I will be back at the house with Lois.." said Olivia.
We continued our breakfast....A lot of things were jumping out at me....
This was two nice spots ,Lois had taken us to....The sun was out, but the day was overcast...….I hoped that that wasn't an omen...
II-
We drove back to our Air BNB
Olivia, Beverly and Josie
laid out our operation...
Our complete law library...shipped here from Philadelphia..
Laptops, smartphones and tablets....
Lois was impressed..
''WOW yall got a little law office right here..You don't have to use the county law library." she said.
"We had all of this shipped up here...We picked it up after our plane landed..."said Olivia..
''Which is why it's nice to be in this house and not in a hotel where we are vulnerable due to the sensitivity of this case." said Beverly...
"We can go over your case in privacy with no interruptions and begin to work on a strategy.."said Josie..
"No wonder Richard had so much faith in you guys...You guys are super professional..I know you're wondering about the connection between me and Richard...Richard's family has vacationed here for years...We actually met about 17 years ago...Around the time his wife vanished...He was heartbroken that she had left him...I know a lot of people believe he killed her..but I don't...and you two have defended him any times...I know you don't either. When Richard found out I had been arrested for murder..He knew that it wasn't true...He had business in Italy..but he promised me he'd send help...He said He'd send the very best...He was talking about you Olivia and your niece, Beverly and your team."she said.
"We haven't seen Richard in about three years. but he sent us some very nice shoes.."laughed Olivia..
"Manolo Blahniks." said Beverly...
"I saw them...Richard loves women's shoes the way other men love women's underwear..."said Lois.
Which brought laughs from Josie, Beverly and Olivia..
Nelson and I left them to their girl talk and their legal work...
He drove me a county over, where I rented another car to use..
He took the SUV and I took the other rental...We had people to see..
III-
I traveled to the county morgue...It was smaller than the one in Philadelphia and even the one in my hometown of New Orleans..but it was like them, dark, dank and sterile..
If I had to work in here all day...I would most certainly be drinking...
The County Coroner, Dr. Wilber Haley looked like he'd be plucked from Central casting for this job...
"May I help you uh..Uh...I didn't get your name?" he said.
"I'm Donnie Ray Alexander...I'm an Investigator for Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West-East, the ahh two attorneys from Philadelphia representing Mrs. Lois Farber in her murder trial.."I said.
"You guys come all the way from Philadelphia to represent her? I uh thought the public defender, Ms. Barrett was representing her." he said..
"She was....We were hired by a friend of Mrs. Farber to represent her and Ms. Barrett said that that was fine.."I said.
He seemed very uptight and nervous.....
I noticed a tall man standing near the door...Too far away to hear us..
"I wanted to talk to you about the autopsy...Ms. Barrett's investigator shared his notes and copies with the friend who hired us before we took over the case.."I said.
"Well then there is nothing more I can tell you...You've seen the autopsy.." he said.. he kept looking at the man in the doorway...There was now two men in the doorway..
He scribbled something down on a piece of paper and quietly slipped it in my pocket.. He nodded at me and began to pack up..
"I've uh got to go...Like I said nothing more I can tell you.." he said..
I knew these two men had him spooked..I let him off the hook...
"Okay...I guess I'll be going then.. Good day sir." I said.
He looked relieved ,but frightened for me..
I walked by the two men..
"Excuse me" I said...But one continued to block my path...
I slammed his head hard in to the wall and punched the other man in the stomach..
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" he moaned as he fell to the ground..
The other man also fell to the ground.
"Tricky exit there...Slippery...Watch that doc.."I said and walked out..
I wasn't stupid....I knew these two clowns were going to follow me...They did. I led them down a back alley on a side street..
I turned..
"Alright gentlemen, how are we gonna do this?" I said.
"You got a smart mouth spook...We are gonna close it for you....You're pokin your nose where it don't belong."said the other one..
"I'm assuming this isn't going to be a fair fight."I said.
The first guy lunged toward me..I cracked him in his jaw hard and backed him up with 14 lefts and rights to his body and 14 more to his face...
The second guy hit me in the back with a trash can....I fell to the ground and the preceded to stomp me, except I rolled out of the way and grabbed his leg, twisted it and sent him to the ground..
I got to my feet..The other guy who hit me with the trash can advanced toward me..
I backed him up with 12 lefts and rights to his face and an uppercut that damn near tore his head off..he fell to the ground...Out for the afternoon..
The second man, now on his feet charged me, throwing haymakers..I dodged his punches and landed 16 lefts and rights to his face, he spun around like a top and fell up against the car, then slid to the ground...There was no more fight left in him...
I read the letter the Coroner hastily scribbled and put in my pocket..
"I CAN'T TALK HERE...WHEN YOU GET SOMEWHERE SAFE, CALL THIS NUMBER!" his letter read..
I got in the car and pulled off..
Dr. Haley walked by the driveway...He saw an overturned trash can and both men lying in the alley,out cold...faces swollen, and bloody to a pulp...He giggled at first, then he busted out laughing and stomped his foot...He walked away...
Across town, Nelson entered the office of Private Investigator , Neal Burton..
He was an older gentlemen...His face looked like the swelling had just gone down...
"May I help you son?" he asked.
"My name is Nelson East...I'm an Attorney from Philadelphia." he said.
"You're a long way from home son...You need an investigator?" he asked.
"Actually, I need to ask you some questions...I'm working with Attorneys Olivia Bennett-Alexander and my wife, Beverly West -East...They're representing Lois Farber."
At the mention of her name, his eyes grew as large as saucers..
"I need you to leave..NOW!" he barked.
"Look, I know you were working with the previous Attorney, Ms. Barrett on this case..In fact we read your notes...You did good work..."said Nelson..
"If you're smart you'll leave this alone kid...They broke my jaw , the swelling in my face is just now going down...Three of em...I'm close to retirering...I don't need this foolishness..That's why I bailed..and probably why Barrett gave the case to you...now please leave...I don't need the trouble it brings." said Burton...
"Do you think Mr. Farber hired those goons?" asked Nelson..
"Kid, get out of here and watch your back!"cautioned Burton...
"Alright...See you."said Nelson..
"Not if I see you first." said Burton..
Nelson walked out of the office and was about a block away when he spotted a man..The same man who had been standing across the street when he came in ,now following him..
Nelson had parked the SUV three blocks away as I instructed him in case someone recognized the
car...
He was a block away when he turned and faced the man..
"Okay, you've been following me for two blocks, what do you want?" he asked..
The man had on brass knuckles..
He said nothing...He swung at Nelson, who picked up a trash can and blocked his punch..
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed the man ,who had probably broken at least three fingers on his left hand...
Nelson pulled out a taser and let him have it..
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LALALALALALALALALALALALALA LAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
he screamed and fell to the ground...jerking like a chicken with his head cut off and clothing smoking...
Nelson smiled and walked away, checked the SUV for trackers...There was none, Got in it and pulled off..
into the Cape Cod night...
Neil Burton , fearing for Nelson's safety had his .38 smokeless and came running...He saw the goon who had broken his jaw, lying in the street...unconscious...his left hand broken..
"Wow,that kid had more spunk than I gave him credit for. " he said..
He looked around..Then laughed himself silly and walked away...
IV-
That night we sat around in the Lobster spot,
eating and drinking..
''We had a productive day...Looks like you guys did too."said Olivia , who was sitting in my lap, kissing me constantly..
"That Coroner was afraid..Those two goons have been watching him constantly...but at least he'll talk to me tomorrow...He left a number.."I said..
''Awww baby...I didn't mean for you to have to go through all of that.."cooed Olivia in between soft kisses.
"Donnie Ray did better than I did..That P.I. wouldn't talk to me...The goon I tangled with broke his jaw and had him shook...I don't blame him for giving up the case...And the way it sounds..They intimidated Ms. Barrett..She was glad to give up this case. But they won't be intimidating anyone for awhile...All three of em are in the hospital courtesy of Donnie Ray and I" said Nelson proudly.
''Aww Boo...We'll take a nice hot shower together and I'll make it alright.."said Beverly..
who kissed Nelson softly...
"I'm sorry.. Those boys were hired by my husband...to keep an eye on me.."
"And the P.I. he hired to get dirt on you is not answering his calls..."said Josie..
''What have we gotten ourselves into Auntay?" asked Beverly..
"You mean what has Richard gotten us into?" asked Olivia..
As we sat and drank...
And halfway across town...
Lieutenant Noble Coward is not a happy man..
"Three of your associates are in the hospital...Swollen eyes nearly shut...busted lips, broken noses...That's two of em...The other has a broken hand...I told you..I don't want any intimidation of anybody involved in this case." he said.
"I don't know what you're talkin about...I didn't hire any goons... Still no sight of em huh?" said Marvin Farber..
"No...They aint in no hotel and no record of them at the airport...They must be stayin at somebody's house...They had some boxes shipped here from Philly ,but they used the address of the place your wife was stayin and we checked...Nobody is there..Same thing with the rental car..They gave that address..Hell, she aint even there.." said a frustrated Lt. Coward...
"They gotta be somewhere.."said Dr. Marvin Farber.
It was getting late....Another day of frustration and just a little intimidation gone by..
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