The Most Serious Charge

We walked through the halls of the Public Defenders Office...

"Wow, it looks and smells the same...Like stale coffee and sweat..." observed Nelson...

We walked past several offices where young and overworked Attorneys had several case files on their desks, were making phone calls and had a tumbler of coffee on their desks...

"Hard to believe we got our start here isn't it?" said his wife, Beverly, holding his arm and leaning her head into him...

"But this is it...Where we paid our dues and earned our pedigree.."said Olivia to both me and Josie..

I looked at my wife, Olivia and her niece, Beverly and Beverly's husband Nelson...The very expensive and nice clothes they wore, the somewhat relaxed life they led...I couldn't imagine that the three of them ever worked in this office... Overworked, stressed out, low paid...

Sounded like me as a Homicide Detective back in New Orleans...

Josie looked around in awe as we continued walking down the hall...

 "There is absolutely nobody here that was here when we worked here is it Bev?" asked Olivia..

"None that I can see.."said Beverly...

We were greeted by a tall thin white man with glasses..whose hair was just starting to gray...Still he looked young and dashing.

"Wellllllllllllll look who we have here....Our distinguished graduates...Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West....oh and Nelson East...….I'm Arthur Caplan...I'm the Senior Attorney here now...I wasn't here when you guys worked here...but I know the history and I certainly know about you three."he said..

He looked at Josie..

"And you are Ms. Boyd...From Drexel Law School....You will be trying a case for us right?" he asked..


"Yes." she said..

"Who will be assisting you? Olivia? Beverly??"he asked..

"I was told that neither one of them could...that it would give me an unfair advantage...I happen to work for them as a para legal.."said Josie..

''Who told you that?  Both of them can't assist you...but one of them could have...All you need is a licensed attorney...Doesn't matter who it is.."he said..

''Well I have one...Nelson East.." she said..

"That would be me sir.." said Nelson...

He smiled..

"Good enough, Good Enough..." Well come on in my office ,let's meet the other two Attorneys.."said Art Caplan...

Inside his office sat Darryl Jordan, Josie's classmate at Drexel Law School

 and ADA Ron Harper...Like Olivia and Beverly, a former Public Defender himself

and another one of Olivia's admirers....His eyes practically fell out of his head when he spotted Olivia in a black mini skirt and leopard print heels../

'LAWD have mercy.." he said to himself..

Olivia sighed uneasily...

Beverly giggled...She was tickled pink...

''Ronnie Baby" she whispered to her aunt.

Darryl looked Josie over..

"Damn she's fine...I almost hate going up against her.." he said to himself..

Josie said nothing..

Nelson and I stood pat...

''Well Helllllo Ms. Josie...My My Myyyyy you are looking well today..."said Darryl Jordan...

"Let's uh just have a uh good case..."said Josie..

"He's a cutie Josie girl.." whispered Beverly...

Beverly's beauty wasn't lost on Darryl either...

''My God...That's Beverly West...lawwwd...She's hot...Two hotties working at the same firm....and that Auntie of hers is no slouch either...ummmph" he thought to himself..

staring at Olivia, who felt self conscious...

ADA Harper was checking her out too and practically salivating...

Olivia walked over to me and put her arms around me and held me tight...

I smiled...


Arthur Caplan brought over folders....

"This case has been on the back burners for awhile...The defendant's name is Ronnie Morris, known on the streets as "Ronnie Mo..." As a juvenile he had one arrest and conviction for selling drugs...He was in reform school for five years where he earned his High school diploma and was released at 20.

He appears to have stayed out of trouble for the next six years...Then in 2006, He was arrested again for assault and battery in a dispute with a young lady he was living with...Charges were dismissed..

But now he's been arrested and held for Murder.!! The Most serious charge...One of our attorneys was representing him, but she has left us for greener pastures and a lot of our other attorneys are already working multiple cases...and thus we have given his case to fresh eyes...

This is his entire case file.."said Arthur Caplan..

He passed both files to Josie and Darryl..

"This is his complete case file, including the police report...ballistic and forensic report...Study it thoroughly and be ready for trial in two weeks..." he said..

''Who was the arresting officer?" I asked.

"Uh a Lieutenant Arthur Tragg." said Art Caplan..

"OHHHHHHHHH HELL!" said ADA Ron Harper, Olivia, Beverly and Nelson in unison...The four realized they had said the same thing and enjoyed a rare laugh together.

Art Caplan and I both cracked up laughing..

''Apparently you guys know him." he said.

"Uh let's just say our paths have been known to cross."I said.

"And I suspect it wasn't positive.." said Art Caplan..

We all laughed...

"Josie uh why don't we, you and I go have a coffee and talk about the case, compare notes.."said Darryl smoothly..

"Let's not!  We are trying the case against each other...You have ADA Ron Harper to compare notes with...I have Nelson. .Nelson East...He's going to be helping me.." she said..

"You have Olivia and Beverly.." said Darryl..

"No, they won't be involved...In fact...I just helped them prepare for some cases they will be trying in the next few weeks..It'll just be Me and Nelson.."said Josie.

"Ummmmm I sure wish I was Nelson.." said Darryl softly.... Married to Beverly and assisting Josie he thought to himself wryly..

"Nice try....You just wanted to be alone with me...I told you I have a man...."said Josie...

Beverly was watching the entire thing and smiling..

"Josie girl just slays em.." she said..

"Reminds me of you.." laughed Olivia..

Beverly ,whether she knew it or not, still turned heads and broke necks....but now that she was married, the only man's attention she cared about was Nelson's..




.

III-

At home we sat around talking.

"I hate how the city plays with the lives of the poor...No shade on you Josie...but they are obviously over worked and under staffed..Instead of trying to get more attorneys...They pawn off cases to students....Students who are still green and unprepared and this is how so many people wind up in jail.." said Olivia..

"That's not the case with Josie...She's been in court with us on some of our biggest cases for years...and she knows the way to prepare for a case better than most..."said Beverly..

''Beverly's right...Josie is far more prepared than some others because she's had what you might call on the job training...but I get what Liv is saying...A lot of Students take on these cases that don't have Josie's obvious advantages and they make mistakes...Mistakes that land people in prison who might not have gone had they had proper experienced counsel.."I said.

"She'll be fine...I'll be there to pick the jury...and go over the notes...I know you and Bev have pending cases in the coming weeks...I don't..."said Nelson..

"Tomorrow we should go to CFC to meet our client..maybe we can get bail for him.."said Josie..

 "Atta girl!"said Olivia.

"That's my girl...Sounding like a real attorney."said Beverly..

"Let me see that case file...I need to study it.." I said..

Olivia walked over to me...She stared me straight in the eyes and then out of the blue..

Kissed me passionately.....

She smiled...

"I'm sorry guys...Mama has to let Daddy know how much we all appreciate him every now and then." she said..

Beverly smiled...She was already sitting in Nelson's lap with her arms around his neck...

"Yes, we should.." she said..

Nelson smiled..

"I'm thankful to you both.."said Josie.

IV-

At the city jail.. We all went with Josie...but we let her walk forward and do the talking..

"Hi I'm Josie Boyd....I will be your attorney and this is Mr. Nelson East..He will be assisting you...

''What's up?" said Nelson..

Ronald Morris looked Josie up and down...

"You're my Public Defender?  Wow...I been in here for two months...and my original attorney got a better job and just dropped my case...It's about time..."he said and looked Josie up and down and smiled..

''At she sent me a fine one...damnnnn!" he said..

"I'm a law student...I'm close to finishing...This is my sort of mock trial.."said Josie...

"Law Student?? Para Legal?? You aint even a licensed attorney...I'm on trial for murder...What the hell kind of game are they playing with my life?" he bellowed..

"I am a licensed Attorney....I'll be monitoring the entire trial...Trust me...She's good or she wouldn't even have been picked to do this...She's a para legal who has been working with famed attorneys Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her niece ,Beverly West for four to five years..in court...She knows her stuff.." said Nelson..

He looked at them both but said nothing...

"Look, we are being completely honest with you...and we want you to be honest with us.."said Nelson..

"I don't know man.."said Ronnie..

"Well, You could sit in here another two months, missing the summer, waiting for an overworked, stressed out Public Defender to be assigned to you, while he or she is working three other cases or you can take your chances with me...I'm devoted to just you...No other case...Do I look stressed?" said Josie calmly...

Ronnie smiled.

"She's fine as hell and very persuasive….  You worked with Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West?" he asked..

He and everybody in Philadelphia knew about the Dynamic Duo or Auntie and Niecey, amongst their other nicknames..

"I still work for them." said Josie.

"Okay....I'll roll the dice with you guys..." he said..

"Tomorrow we'll see about bail for you...There is a bail hearing..Be dressed and ready when they come for you.."said Josie..

"Josie right?  You gotta man?" he asked..

Josie smiled..

"I do...You should concern yourself with getting out of here and beating this murder rap.."she said..

"Ouuuuu Bruh...I likes her...I likes her...Yeah...I'm rollin with you guys.."said Ronnie.

Nelson laughed..

"See you in the morning..." he said..He smiled at Josie...She handled herself like a champ! He almost thought he was with Olivia and Beverly..

They both walked outside where we were waiting..

 ''Well?" I said..

 Olivia looked at her hopefully...

"How'd she do?" asked Beverly..

"She handled the whole thing like a champ....I thought you two were in there.."beamed Nelson like a proud father..

Josie smiled...She looked and felt confident.

(TO BE CONTINUED)