Murder And Matrimony

An amazingly beautiful autumn morning in the city...

found us all up and on our floor.

Olivia put on a pot of coffee and I made us some omelets...

I of course spared nothing...Cheddar Cheese, Mozzerella, Green peppers, Onions and tomatoes..

I also seasoned them Louisiana style...

 I made some hash browns

and bacon...

 My wife ,Olivia

and her niece, Beverly were big fans...

and Nelson became a fan....

Outside, the sun was just starting to come up....



We ate quietly.....finally ,Olivia broke the silence..

"This normally would be a routine case....but because we know the players personally...it become difficult..I'm thinking about passing this off to Zoey...Divorce is her real area of expertise."said Olivia..

"Ummm Donnie Ray, this omelet is delish....You know Auntay...That doesn't sound like a bad idea..but he was adamnit that he wanted us to take this case...but let's throw this out there...He might go for it..."said Beverly..

"Yeah..He's emotional right now...but after he gets some sleep and thinks about it..He might be open to it." said Nelson..

"I certainly understand where you guys are coming from...and I'm 100 percent with it...but let me do some digging first...Give me 24 hours to see what I can uncover...Then , we give it to Zoey with all of the information.." I said.

 ''Fair enough...How do you feel Niecy poo?  Nelson."  asked Olivia.

 "That's fair enough."said Beverly, whose heart wasn't in to getting involved in this..

"I'm with you guys one hundred present." said Nelson, who didn't seem to have the heart for a fight either..

"Okay....then I'm goin a huntin today..."I said..

''Can I sit this one out Donnie Ray..?" asked Beverly.

I smiled..I knew how painful this must be for her and the drudging up of old memories and all..

"Sure Shortcake....Next time..I'll take Josie." I said.

"Okay, but remember...Just this once...I'm still Robin to your Batman." she said and smiled.

 Olivia laughed..

I did too.

II-

You never know what a day can bring...You plan for it to go one way and without warning it can go sideways...

Our Office Manager, Alfreda Johnson has caught the attention of an older distinguished looking man who was sitting in the office..

He was quite enamored with her...

''So Attorney Beverly West is your daughter.?" he asked as they sipped coffee..

"Yes and her father is the older brother of Attorney Olivia Bennett-Alexander..."said Alfreda...who was hoping that Olivia, Beverly, Myself and Nelson would hurry up and come downstairs...This man was handsome and suave, but he was flirting hard and she didn't want to be bothered...

'My goodness....So they really are Aunt and Niece....For years I wondered how they could be Aunt and Niece...They are so close in age...I mean, Olivia can't be but a few years older than Beverly.." said the man..

"She turned nine years old about three days before I had my baby....I remember because we had a big chocolate cake for her with nine little candles...Olivia loved it...She was sooooo cute.."gushed Alfreda..

'So uh, you and uh her father aren't together huh?" he asked slyly...

"Ohhh no..we haven't been together for years...In fact, he's married now and lives in San-Francisco."said Alfreda..

The man's eyes arched and he smiled..

"Really? wellllllllllllllllllllll….So uh are you uh seeing someone?" he asked..

"Actually, I am...He's an Assistant District Attorney...He's crazy about me.."said Alfreda..

"I don't blame him...I'm crazy about you and I just met you...Heh , heh, heh." the man laughed...

''Handsome guy like you is not married?" asked Alfreda..

"I'm uh divorced....It's uh been a few years." said the man..

Dr. Wallace Anderson, our client sat in the corner, sullen and disgusted...

Beverly was the first person downstairs...Wallace looked at her...She was still as cute as a button, still had that curvy, sexy body..He wondered for a minute how different his life might have been had they have gotten married years ago...

''Good Morning Wallace."she said and smiled.

"Good Morning Bev." said Wallace...

 Olivia and I and Nelson walked in next...

"Good Morning everybody." she said and saw the man ,who we did not know standing there and the look of pure relief on Alfreda's face...She summed up the situation and smiled a very sexy and devilish smile she had that could reduce me to mush..

 ''Good Morning Alfreda." I said and kissed her on the cheek..

''Good Morning Ms. J." said Nelson, who also kissed her on the cheek...

"Good morning everybody..This is Dr. Hal Wallingford, Chief of Surgery and Attending Physician at the hospital..."said Alfreda..

"Good Morning...I am here to hire you...I know that uh my young surgeon, Wallace Anderson was here yesterday about a divorce hearing...but I'm asking you to set that aside.."said Dr. Wallingford..

''Excuse me Dr. Wallingford?  Wallace is our client..."said Olivia..

Dr. Wallingford looked at Wallace...

"My wife has been charged with first degree murder...Whatever else she is...She is not a murderer....Apparently while I was here yesterday, a tragedy occurred...One of my uh colleagues, Dr. Christian Bernard was found shot to death in an abandoned wing of the hospital...A part that was scheduled for renovation..." said Wallace, who was both embarrassed and humiliated..

''Wallace...Wallace...How does Ginger figure into this?" asked Beverly...

"Her DNA and prints were found all over the bloody crime scene...AND A PAIR OF HER DAMN PANTIES AND A DAMN BRA THAT BELONG TO HER WERE FOUND IN THE DAMN ROOM ON THE FLOOR!!" he shouted...

"HEY...HEYYY ..HEYYY ..BOY CALM DOWN!" shouted Dr. Wallingford... ''It's bull...She said she wasn't wearing that underwear that day and she doesn't know how the police got them, plus the murder weapon, a gun with a silencer was found right outside the room ,already in a plastic bag in a trash can, with her fingerprints all over it...The whole thing looks like-"said Dr. Wallingford..

"Like a frame....If someone went to the trouble to use a gun with a silencer, why would they deposit it in a plastic bag with prints all over it and drop it in the trash can outside the room where the police would find it." I said.

"Right and why wouldn't they wipe that room down of any prints or DNA....I tried to explain that to that butthead, Lieutenant Tragg, but he wouldn't listen..."said Dr. Wallingford.

 "This explains so much."said Olivia.

''But it doesn't look good either way." said Nelson.

Josie, our Para-Legal and Law Student entered just then...She didn't have class today....

"Hi guys..."she said..

Beverly looked at Wallace..

''Wallace honey, you want us to rep her on this murder charge?" she asked softly...

"Yeah....we'll worry about the divorce later...I don't wish to see her in prison for the rest of her life or worse, on death row..."he said ,punching his fist...

She could tell he was angry....

 Josie, who Wallace didn't know ,poured him a cup of coffee

and rubbed his back.

For the first time...Wallace managed a smile....

"Where is Ginger now?" asked Olivia.

"She's at Central Booking...I already went to see her.. Ginger , her husband, Wallace here and the late Dr. Bernard are my best surgeons...I've mentored the three of them since they were interns...Ginger is no killer...This I know." said Dr. Wallingford.

"Well this certainly changes things." said Olivia...

Dr. Wallingford wrote a check and passed it to Olivia..

"This is your retainer...Let me know if you need more." he said..

Wallace hadn't paid us anything yet...He got up and walked out of our office...

 "Damn...I feel sorry for him..."I said.

"It's like he just got side swiped." said Nelson..

"He's naturally a little pissed at the implications....but he'll get over it.  Thank you for your time guys."said Dr. Wallingford who then whispered to Alfreda, while passing her a business card.

"And thank you for the coffee and the conversation. If anything uh goes wrong with you and your Assistant District Attorney...Give me a call baby." he said and  smiled..

Alfreda smiled and shook her head..

 "I'll uh keep that in mind.."she said.

"I think we should all go to Central Booking, then visit that crime scene , while it's fresh."said Olivia.

"I'll get the car.." I said..

 Nelson looked at his wife, but didn't say anything.

Beverly smiled at her husband and kissed him passionately....

''I'm fine baby....Thank you for your concern..." It was as if she had read Nelson's mind...She kissed him some more..

"I love you soo much baby." she said to Nelson..

"I love you too." he said in between kisses...

Olivia observed Beverly and Nelson...

''Those two will find any reason to kiss.."she said, smiling.

I pulled her to me and kissed her..
\

"It's not a bad idea..." I said.."Ummm, I want some.."I said in her ear..

"You always want it.." said Olivia..

Josie collected the tablets and Laptops..She smiled at Alfreda..

"You still slayin em Ms. J.   I see you girl..You had that guy's nose wide open..."she said,

"Baby please...Rockland is enough...without adding more trouble.." she said and laughed...


III-

At Central Booking, Ginger Anderson sat sobbing in the "Fishbowl" the nickname detectives gave to the interrogation room..

She couldn't believe she was in this situation...

At first, her and Christian had been careful...Going to Motel Rooms, Hotel Rooms, Air BNB's owned by friends...Always using cash...but then they got careless, doing it in a work closet and in hospital rooms....

Now it was out....People knew..She was disgraced and poor Christian, someone had killed him and she was accused of the murder...

Lieutenant Tragg walked in...He gave her coffee

and tissues....

''Now, Now, Stop crying...Just tell me what happened...How did things go sideways? did he force you?" asked Lt. Tragg..

''I want to speak to a lawyer." said Ginger silently..

"Look, what do you need a lawyer for?  We know you killed this guy....Just tell me something I can use to help you out...Get you a lighter sentence...Just tell me what happened?" asked Lt. Tragg..

"I said I would like to speak to a lawyer.."insisted Ginger as

she continued to sip her coffee...

"Look...a lawyer can't help you now...We've got you cold..."said Lt. Tragg.

"I SAID LAWYER!! WHAT ABOUT THAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" said a now exasperated Ginger..

"She asked for  a lawyer three times Lt. Tragg...the interview should be automatically over ."came the voice of Olivia..

"Oh My God...NOT YOU TWO!  You can't win this Olivia, we've got Prints, DNA at the scene and a video caught of her leaving the hospital from the back right after the murder..."said Lt. Tragg.

"Can we speak to our client?" asked Beverly..

Lt. Tragg laughed..

''Sure ,knock yourself out.."he said, shaking his head and giggling as he walked out of the room..

"Olivia, Beverly....I swear....regardless of how this may look, I did not kill Christian...I-I woke up and he was dead..."she said..

"Shhhhhhh, not in here...You're going to be transferred to Women's Detention Center later on today...We'll  meet with you there tomorrow and we'll talk.."said Olivia..

"This is a frame...The panties and the bra they have....They're mine...but I wasn't wearing them that day..I don't know how they got them....I swear..." said Ginger..

"GINGER!  GINGER!!! SHUSH...NOT IN HERE..We'll talk to you tomorrow!"said Beverly.

"Anything we can get for you?" asked Nelson..

"Yes...Call Wallace...Tell him I still love him and that I'm sorry..."said Ginger, who erupted in tears..

 Beverly walked out of the interrogation room then...

Josie followed her...Neither woman said anything, but they both understood..

Nelson looked at his wife....He started to go after her, but thought better of it..

"  She's okay....Leave her be." said Olivia to Nelson.  She turned to Ginger..."Alright Ginger....Sit tight...Don't talk to anybody about your case....and that means anybody!  Cops, cellmates, ANYBODY!   We'll talk to you in the morning..."said Olivia.

"Thank you so much Olivia....Tell Beverly I said Thank you too.." said Ginger....

I didn't ask Ginger anything...I had already heard some things that tweeked my interest...I needed to see that crime scene..




IV-

Back at our office, Wallace sat by himself...

 He looked up and a tumbler of coffee had been prepared for him...

Alfreda poured herself a cup and sat down next to him..

"You look like you want to unburden yourself...You can...I'm a good listener.." she said..

"You're Beverly's mother....." he said softly...

"I am..." said Alfreda..

"You're pretty like her or rather...She's pretty like you..." said Wallace...

"Thank You....That's Okay I know what you meant..."said Alfreda..

"I'm Sorry I never got to meet you when we were together...She told me about you....She told me that Olivia has a much older brother, who is her father...and that's how they were Aunt and Niece...because for a long time...I didn't believe it...I thought Olivia was just her older sister..."laughed Wallace..

''They seem like sisters don't they?   No, As I was telling your boss, Olivia was my then boyfriend's little sister...Olivia turned 9 years old three days before I had Beverly...and they just took to each other like a Fish to water...They've always been close...Aunt and Niece...Her father and I didn't last...but the bond between those two has never been broken...And Olivia has always been like my little sister." said Alfreda...

Wallace grew dark....

''Me and Him...Dr. Christian Bernard...We were always rivals...Going back to Med School...We competed for everything....Grades....everything!   Dr. Wallingford took us both under his wing and we competed for his love, his recognition...He was like a second father to us both....Then she entered our lives, Ginger..

I won her heart, or at least I thought I did......He couldn't deal with it... If I took her out to eat, he could have taken her out to a better more tony or chic restaurant....If we went on vacation, He could have taken her out  to a nicer place....It just went on and on...

I tried to ignore it...because she was my girl....she was with me, not him. When we got engaged..he was beside himself....He had to do me one better...He married the Chief resident's daughter...." said Wallace.

"He's Dr. Wallingford's son in law?" asked Alfreda.

"Yeah...His daughter from his first wife."said Wallace..

"How many wives has he had?" asked Alfreda...

''He just divorced wife number two...They didn't have any kids..He has that one daughter from his first wife."said Wallace..

"Ginger and I were married for two good years and then I started getting the looks from my co-workers...Some looked like they were sorry for me, Some smirked...And then the talk started going around..."You better get your wife...Chris is on your wife tough...….Chris is bangin your wife...I ignored it...I didn't want to believe it was true...but I could feel it.. And then little things....lies for no reason, Clothes in the hamper that reeked of a man's cologne..

I hate to admit this, but I went in her phone one time and saw 16 calls from him and calls from her to him in one day...ONE DAY MS.ALFREDA....

I knew...but I didn't want to know....He had her .."said Wallace...

''You didn't have anything to do with his death did you Wallace? I mean you couldn't have...You were here with us asking for a divorce when it was happening..."said Alfreda...

Tears were streaming from his eyes...

"No...I had nothing to do with his death....I didn't even know they were together at the time I was here...She had a major surgery that morning to do...So did he? I don't want to see her locked up for the rest of her life or get the death penalty..." he said.

"You still love her don't you?   It's okay if you do...We love who we love...You're a good person Wallace...And you deserve better than what you got...You're still young, young enough to find somebody that appreciates a man like you...."said Alfreda….

At that moment, Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie and I were returning...

 ''Heyyyy, we are back!" said Olivia..

 "Wallace, you're back!" said Beverly.

 ''We saw her... Tomorrow we are going to interview her at Women's Detention Center...and there will be a bail hearing."said Nelson..

 Josie smiled at him weakly, but said nothing..

"I don't know if you wanted to go or not..." I said.. I didn't expect he would...

"No.....but I will be going....Thank you Ms. Alfreda for listening and thank you good people for your legal help...I see why my uncle raves about you guys.." he said as he left...

"Man, he and I are just alike.  We both have rich Uncles , who were like second fathers and who invested in our education...."said Nelson...

"And you both crossed paths with me at some time or other..."said Beverly , hugging Nelson for dear life...

and kissing him so slowly and passionately...that we all blushed..

''My lord, those two need to take that upstairs.."said Alfreda, laughing..

 ''Don't worry..They will."laughed Olivia

"I'm ready to take you upstairs." I said To Olivia..

and pulled her to me and kissed her passionately....

 ''Well, I'll see you good people tomorrow..Good Night." said Alfreda..

"I'm out too.." see ya.."said Josie...

It was still time for Wallace to see Ginger at the Women's detention center...She had just gotten there an hour before and was being brought out for her first visit..

When Ginger saw Wallace, she burst into tears...

"I'm so sorry Wallace....I'm so sorry baby...."she said..

Wallace stared at her, He didn't say a word.....

(TO BE CONTINUED)