Retribution

ONE MONTH LATER-

We were all working in the office today..Nobody had any court cases for a change...

 Bee Bee  had just finished three big cases and was filing her case files.....

Sofia had also finished three big cases of her own and was busy filing away her case files..

I had also finished three big cases my self...but Ms. Yvette and I had filed our cases away the day before..I was sitting at my desk, reading the sports and sipping a soda..

Kahlil was coming off of two big cases himself...Was filing his case files away and helping Bee Bee file hers...

Ms. Yvette was returning from court....

"Hey Loves...I just finished a grueling case today...I'm glad it's over.." she said and put her briefcase on her desk and took her heels off...

"Ohhhhh that feels so good.."she said as she sat down in her office and swiveled around in her chair...

To our surprise...Gary and Jade walked in...We were expecting Jade.. We weren't expecting Gary..

 "Hey Guys....We are here." said Gary..

"And we brought foooooooooood"said a happy Ms. Jade.

They brought enough Chinese Food to feed Hong Kong....It smelled great!

"Hope you guys are hungry because I can't eat all of this by myself.." laughed Gary..

''Awww Thank you baby...I'm famished.."said Yvette..

She rewarded Gary with a sweet kiss..

Gary was blushing and practically in a daze...
"If you like, I uh can bring you some take out tonight for dinner.." he said..

Yvette laughed..

"Oh Hush up....You are sooo bad!" she said,laughing..

"Well Dig in.." said Ms. Jade..

 "Don't have to tell me twice.."I said..

 "Ouuuuu this is delish.." said Bee Bee..

 "Thank you so much Gary and Jade."said Sofia...

''Awww man, this is just perfect."said Kahlil..

We chowed down....

 Our Founding partner, William McClusky walked in...

''Welllll look at this..Who's birthday is it?" he asked.

We all laughed..

Judge Mason Spector, who we hadn't seen since his wife's funeral a few weeks before  also walked in..

He smiled..

"Guys...I hope what I'm about to ask you doesn't turn your stomach...but I just became this firm's newest client..I am paying for your services...All of you.." he said..

''Are you in some type of legal trouble?" asked Yvette..

''Not me...I want you to defend Pinkney Bach...His Murder trial is coming up soon.. He's fired all three public defenders and he's refused bail...He's still locked up.." said Judge Spector.

"I thought it would be better if he asked you himself.."said Mr. McCluskey..

"He's on trial for murdering your wife..He slept with her...and you want us to defend him?  I don't understand.."said Yvette..

I didn't understand either.. We helped him beat a sexual assault rap a month ago and then found out he actually was guilty..He had a witness perjure herself...I'd hate to get him off of a murder rap and find out he was guilty of that.

''He's a class A Jerk I know and arrogant as hell and never met a woman he didn't feel he should liberate from her bra and panties...I know...I get it...but he's no murderer.. That I do know.. Plus, when my wife was meeting her end.. He was in court being defended brilliantly by you guys..Can't convince that jackass Lt. Tragg that he arrested the wrong man...

Yvette, you're the only one who can handle him...make him act right, put him in his place..You do me this favor and I promise you....He'll pay that young lady he assaulted a pretty penny and you'll never have to worry about facing his arrogant ass in court again.." said Judge Spector..

"You're not going to kill him are you? " asked Kahlil..

 "NOOOOO!" said the Judge..who busted out laughing...."But I ought to right?" he added, still laughing.

The rest of us broke out in gales of laughter...

"What do you say Yvette?" asked Mr. McClusky...

Yvette sighed..

"We'll go see him tomorrow morning.." she said..

"Thank You Darlin...I owe you."said Judge Spector..

"Thank you guys.."said Mr. McCluskey…"Go on with your lunch...Sorry to have disturbed you guys  with this..but it was important.." he said as the two men left..

Gary pulled Yvette to him and kissed her again...

softly, slowly...

"Ummmm what was that for?" she asked..

"Because like this food, you're delicious.." he said.

"Ohhhhh good to know.I thought maybe you were horny!" said Yvette, who giggled like a school girl.






II-

The next morning, like clockwork, we were at the holding facility to see Judge Pinkney Bach.

He was glad to see us...

"Ohhhhhh Vettie, I'm so glad to see you." said  Pinkney...

"My friends and my boyfriend call me Vettie....You are neither...You are my client...."said Yvette coldly...

"This is the police report...... A Tea cup filled with tea, laced with Cyanide was found in the loft belonging to Mason and Lena Sceptor..."said Bee Bee..

"Your fingerprints were on the tea cup and quite a few places in the condo...." said Kahlil..

"A used condom filled with semen that is a DNA match to you was found in a waste basket outside of the condo...."I said..

"Looks pretty bad for you Captain." said Sofia..

Yvette smiled for the first time..

"Look, I didn't kill her...I was in the Condo, We had sex ,but I didn't kill her...Judge Spector was out of town on business... He was at Howard Univeristy's Homecoming and he addressed the Black Lawyers Association held in D.C. that weekend... Lena called me...I came over..We made love ….This was the night before and the early morning of my trial for sexual assault..

I got up that morning...She made me some tea...We both had a cup...I showered and got dressed..She never did get dressed..She called out of work..We had a cup of tea...

She kissed me at the door..She said she was going back to bed...She was alive and fine when I left..

That was around 7:30 am...I went home, I shaved , changed my clothes and met you guys at the courthouse..

Check my phone...she called me while we were in court and sent me a text of her in her panties and bra while we were in court...

Now that was around 10:00 am...  She was still alive..I was in court all day with you guys..I didn't kill
her...I couldn't have...I wouldn't have... I have no good reason...Lena was good to me." he said.

"I'll say.." I said..

Bee Bee smiled and playfully punched me...

"I'll have to retrieve his phone from evidence..." said Jade...

"Was Mrs. Spector possibly seeing anyone else?  Someone who might have been jealous?" asked Yvette...

"Noooo, Nooooooo that would be out of the question.."said  Pinkney...

Yvette sighed..

"Of course not.."she said sarcastically..

"How about you?  You sleep with anyone else..? " asked Kahlil..

"That girl from uh Stoleys….The one who testified for me.."  said Pinkney...

"You mean the one who perjured herself for you..Brenda  Reagon."said Yvette..

"Yeah...I barely know her...She was always talking to me...Sending me a free drink on the house..

I slept with her two times maybe...She was a little extra, calling constantly, sending me nudes on my
phone...I blocked her ...What about her?" asked Pinkney...

"Nothing...We just need to know everything.."said Jade.

 "Come on guys...we got our work cut out for us."I said.

 "Lead the way counselor.."said Bee Bee.

 "Anyplace around here to get some decent coffee?" asked Sofia.

"Think of where you are babes." said Kahlil..

"You've got a point."said Sofia..

"There's a coffee shop down the street, we'll stop there.."said Jade as we exited...

Only Yvette stayed..

"You are such a disapointment...Successful Attorney, Brilliant Career, Youngest Sitting Judge in the City's History and you let your hormones possibly derail all of your accomplishments.." she said.

"I know...I know.." said Pinkney sadly...

"Despite you nearly raping me Three years ago and then treating me like a complete jerk in court this year..I respected you, I respected your accomplishments..You're a brilliant attorney...Was all of this worth it?  You could get sex anywhere...I saw you in the papers...One of the city's most eligible bachelors, the Sexy Singles list every year...Why? Why?" asked Yvette..

"I talk to 30 women, I tell em I'm an Attorney, I'm the youngest sitting Judge in the city's history...29 of those women are taking their panties and bras off and throwing them at me before I can blink! But it's that 30th women...The one who won't, the one who turns me down that drives me insane...That I have to have...Like You....Like Amber Robinson...  Amber wasn't like you, a fellow attorney...She was a nobody, A court stenograpger...Temple graduate...but not even in law school...She lives in a cheap apartment in West Philly..."said Pinkney...

''And she should bow down and worship you right? Only she didn't.."said Yvette..

"Right, I found myself taking her to Breakfast,Lunch, Dinner, buying her things and she was still playing coy, not wanting to give it up...It drove me crazy....I couldn't understand it..."said Pinkney...

"I didn't uh rape her...I was trying to get a kiss.." he said..

"With no pants on, with your penis exposed? Really?  What about Lena?" asked Yvette.

''She came on to me... I was flattered, Older , mature woman, attractive...Lena was my crown jewel..I loved Lena...I would have never hurt her.."said Pinkney...

Yvette believed him , but still found him deplorable as a person...

"Why haven't you made bail?" she asked..She knew Judge Spector offered to pay his bail and he turned it down...

"I'm safer in here..." he said and ogled Yvette's cleavage... "Could you uh open your blouse just a little bit...Let me see what color your bra is?" he asked, smiling raffishly...

Yvette stood up...

"In your current situation...I don't think you could handle it...I'll see you tomorrow in court." she said and got up and left...

"Yvette!   Thank you!" he said softly...

Yvette didn't even turn to respond, she kept walking..

III-

ONE WEEK LATER-

The Trial began...

Lt. Tragg as was his custom had on an incredible new tailored suit...every Hair in place, his perfect white teeth glistening...and cakes of make up...He was Press ready...but unlike other times, he had no quote for the case and gave up no information regarding the suspect...He simply smiled and waved and allowed his photo to be taken...

He saw ADA Karen Page walking into court...She had on a beautiful new dress that accentuated her nice figure and her shapely legs...

She did address the press..

"Oh I won't be trying this case guys..I'm acting as second to Assistant District Attorney Richard Gray." she said.

Richard Gray had been an ADA for two years...He had moved here from New Haven, Had Attended Harvard Law school and passed the Bar in Mass. , New York and Pennsylvania and was just itching to go up against IVY League Schoolers from rival PENN...

I think only I cared about that...

During Voir Dire..

Kahlil and I played Bait and switch with him... We wanted as many Black jurors as we could get..

But he grew hip to our tactics and we wound up with five African-Americans and seven whites...but three of the whites were our kind of jurors, young, urbane on the dating scene.

Yvette smiled at us...

"Job well done guys...He's pretty smart...and he's not distracted...We'll have to bring our A Game.." she said..

He opened with a pretty accurate narrative of  our client Pinkney Bach.... Born into the Black Middle Class, His Father and Mother were both Attorneys...He followed in their footsteps...was a brilliant attorney, worked first as an Assistant District Attorney himself , then crossed the street to a corporate job where he distinguished himself as a litigator...Threw his hat in the ring and ran for and became the youngest sitting Judge in the City's History....Here he said, he got drunk on his own fame and power...and became somewhat of a lothario he said.

Yvette turned to Bee  Bee and Sofia and said..

"When you're right you're right."

Bee Bee and Sofia giggled..

Pinkney found none of this funny...

The ADA continued...

"He loved women...Nothing wrong with that....but he loved any woman that crossed his path...He slept with the wife of the man who took him under his wing...The man who nurtured him and taught him everything he knew about being a trial lawyer and a litigator and when she spurned his advances ,when she said she wanted to break it off...He poisoned her... or perhaps he was tired of her and wanted a younger woman, like the one he was accused of assaulting a month ago.." he continued..

Yvette sat quietly and let him finish...

Her sumnation was shorter and less dramatic..

"We know his story...We've seen him on the television, read about him in the papers for years...I'm not going to go back over the ADA's brilliant sumnation...I'm just going to say this.. Whatever else my client may be...Lothario...or whatever...He is not a murderer and I will prove it.." she said..

ADA Karen Page called out the Police that were on the scene...The CSI and Forensic team who gave the time of death and produced the tea cup and other items in the apartment with his fingerprints and DNA on them...

She produced photos from the ATM Camera and the Street Camera of his coming and going on the day of her death..

Sofia showed the time stamped dates on the same films.. She compared them to telephone conversations she had with her husband and with the defendant right after the time he left..

"He was there..he doesn't deny it...but when he left...She was alive.." she said.

Kahlil asked a Forensic Expert , how long would it have taken for the poison that killed her to take affect...

The man said anywhere from a half hour to forty five minutes..

He showed a blown up photo sent to our client's phone of Lena Spector in Bra and Panties  sent to Pinkney Bach's phone two hours later..

"He was in court with us...On trial for sexually assaulting another woman...No way he could have been with her killing her..The five of us are his alibi."said Kahlil..

The Young ADA was thrown...He produced a discarded condom with Semen that was a DNA Match for our client..

"Where are you going with this...We have already established that our client was there, that they had consensual sex...but he was long gone before Mrs. Spector was murdered..." I said.

Bee Bee pounded home that the time of death and the phone calls and the fact that our client was in court with several witnesses and never left...making it impossible for him to be the killer..

ADA Gray produced several witnesses..Women who knew Lena , who knew about the affair who said she was thinking about breaking it off with him, because he was attracting too much attention in the news...

Yvette objected saying it was here say...

ADA Gray and Page asked the Jury to forget all of that and see that Judge Bach was the only one with a motive and who could have committed the murder.

Yvette argued that the time span just didn't support that...She called Brenda Reagon to the stand...

''Who the hell is that?" asked Lt. Tragg..

"You should know that." said ADA Karen Page.

Bee Bee smiled...

"You had a sexual relationship with Judge Bach didn't you?"she asked..

"Damn yall get right to it huh? Yeah, you could say we did..Hahahaha." she laughed..

"You liked him a lot, a lot longer than he even was aware of.."asked Bee Bee..

"Yeah...I did.." she laughed..

"You knew he was a Judge...You knew who he was the minute he stepped into your place of work..didn't you?" asked Yvette..

"Yeah." she said..

''So you thought it was real cool when a big time Judge started paying a little attention to you...Talking to you...Taking you home with him, his nice big condo...It was more than you had ever experienced before wasn't it?" asked Kahlil..

''He did more than just pay attention...He took me in one of the bathrooms in Stoleys one night..

bent me over the sink , said he had to have me... we were rocking so hard, I thought we might break the sink off the wall....After that...he gave me his number and address and I gave him mine..." she said..

"This was while he was also trying to get Amber Robinson in his bed wasn't it." asked Sofia..

"It was...I saw him leave with that girl...I was pretty upset...Then he called me when I got off work and told me to come over and I did and he made it up to me..We had wine and we made sweet love..

the rest of the night and early morning..Then he called me an UBer and I went home.." she said.

"Relevance...What has her relationship with the defendant or his relationship with Amber Robinson got to do with this case?" asked the ADA,..

Yvette and I decided to pull the trigger...

I pulled out photos of her going into the Spector Loft...and time dated it...

"It's 6:45 am on the last day of the trial...Mrs. Spector's last day alive...You followed Judge Bach there didn't you? In fact after the night you two spent together...You were in love...He wasn't but you were though...I have his phone records...You called him twenty two times...and you sent a nude text to him...He blocked your number after that. You stalked him and you followed him there..and you heard the two of them making love, moaning and groaning didn't you?  That's you isn't it.."I asked..

"You raced over there right after the trial...You had already been there in the hours before the trial and knew what had gone down between Judge Bach and Mrs. Spector, didn't you?" asked Sofia.

She began to shake and cry...

"After the trial was over and you had testified  for him, you went back didn't you?  "asked Yvette..

She cracked faster than either Yvette or I thought...We had photos of her leaving the Condo, time stamped that matched the time of death...and we had a gun...The  gun she pulled on Mrs. Spector and forced her to drink the poison laced tea with...

"I LIED FOR YOU.....YOU TOLD ME YOU LOVED ME....I WENT TO COURT AND LIED FOR YOU...AND YOU COULDN'T WaIT...YOU WaS IN THAT HEIFER'S CRIB ...COULDn"T WAIT...YOU JUST USED ME!!!!" she said and pointed at Pinkney...

He looked frightened..

"You pointed this gun at her and forced her to drink that Tea , laced with Cyanide didn't you?  "asked Yvette quietly...

"I aint sayin a damn thing else.." she spat...

We had made our point...


"I LIED FOR YOU.....YOU TOLD ME YOU LOVED ME....I WENT TO COURT AND LIED FOR YOU...AND YOU COULDN'T WaIT...YOU WaS IN THAT HEIFER'S CRIB ...COULDn"T WAIT...YOU JUST USED ME!!!! YOU DID ASSAULT THAT GIRL...SHE DIDN'T WANT YOUR LYIN CHEATIN ASS AND YOU DID CHASE HER AROUND WITH NO PANTS ON...I CAME OVER HOURS LATER!" she said and pointed at Pinkney...

"ORDER...ORDER IN THE COURT!" yelled the judge...

Bailifs grabbed her, handcuffed her and read her her rights...They ushered her out of the courtroom as the jurors and spectators gasped..

"In Light of this new evidence...The people move to drop all charges against Judge Bach..." said ADA  Gray. He dropped his head...He had been bested by his PENN rivals..

 I got particular enjoyment at handing them a defeat..

 "You're enjoying that win too much lover.." said Bee Bee, taking my hand as we walked away..

 "All in a days work."said Sofia.

"Yeah, let's get out of here.."said Kahlil..

 "Nothing like a good investigator...Jade..you are worth your weight in gold baby."said Yvette, kissing her on the cheek..

"This was kind of easy.."laughed Jade...

ADA Richard Gray looked at Lt. Tragg..

"You didn't know who she was eh?  She testified on his behalf in his sexual assault trial.." he said.

''She perjured herself..I didn't know she had anything to do with this murder case.."snarled Lt. Tragg..

"Water under the bridge now..He was acquitted of those charges and he was acquitted today...but you should have known...Their investigator knew..."said ADA Gray as he walked away...

Lt. Tragg turned his attention to ADA Page..

"Uh Karen...I was thinking we might have a drink or two...I know a quiet place and uh.." he said..

''Sorry Arthur...I'm meeting B.L. for dinner." said Karen Page as she walked out of the courtroom..

Lt. Tragg just shook his head...

The Press awaited him...He didn't feel like it today....He ignored their jeers and taunts and laughter and walked past them...totally humiliated..
IV-

"Yvette, thank you so much...This last month has been a nightmare...I'm just glad to have this all behind me now.."said Pinkney...

Before Yvette could say anything..Judge Mason Spector walked up..

"Wellll you're a very fortunate man...Acquitted of sexual assault and murder...." he said.

"Mason....Mason...I'm so sorry...What can I do to make this right?" asked Pinkney...

"You'll never make what you did to me right...My wife is dead ,largely because of you....I'll never forget that...What you're going to do is pay two years of Amber Robinson's law school tuition...I want the check in my hands by next Friday,,Then the next thing you're going to do is resign from the bench...You fail to do either and I'm going to strongly suggest that you be censored , which could lead to your law license being suspended for a year.. I am on the Legal Ethics Board.." said Judge Mason Spector.

"Sounds fair to me.." said Yvette laughing...She was enjoying seeing Pinkney Bach get his come uppance...

Gary walked up, took Yvette in his arms and kissed her passionately..

They kissed for a few minutes...

Then he took her by the hands into the judges chambers and closed the door..

''Garyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, we can't do this in here..we are going to get caught.."said Yvette in between soft wet kisses...

"By who, the Judge just left the courthouse.." said Gary..

Pinkney was envious and furious that Gary Lockwood kissed Yvette every chance he got almost out of spite and now had her in the judges chambers ravishing her...That should be him he thought...
Mason Spector looked at Pinkney...He shook his head...He had figured out that Pinkney had a thing for Yvette.

"Get your life together Pinkney..You need therapy...Serious Therapy...You're a damn sex addict!"said Judge Spector, who turned and walked away...

Judge Pinkney Bach stood all alone...A tear ran down his face...He stomped his foot and stormed out of the courtroom...

EPILOUGE-

Amber Robinson, the court stenographer was given a check from Judge Pinkney Bach that paid for her first two years of law school...Judge Mason Spector gave her a check for her third and final year and money to take the Bar Exam...

Her parents were grateful, all they had to do was pay for her books and her apartment.. She got a free ride to law school for her troubles..

Pinkney Bach resigned from the bench... It didn't take him long to find a job with a small law firm..

We would never have to try a case in his court again...

We spent a nice relaxing Saturday at Ms. Yvette's house.. It was like a slumber party...We brought sleeping bags and made pallets and slept over...She loved it..

We ordered enough Chinese Food and wine to feed  all of us..

Ms. Yvette was happy to be entertaining us...

"I love you guys....You're my family..." she said, almost getting emotional..

''Awwwww don't cry Ms. Yvette..we love you too."said Bee Bee, hugging Yvette..

 ''We love you Ms. Yvette."said Sofia., who also hugged her...

 "Best Boss, Best Mentor a lawyer could ever have.."said Kahlil..

''What Kahlil said.." I said as we chowed down...

Ms. Jade poured flutes of wine..

.

and turned on Alexa

and began to dance to the music as we clapped..

 Gary pulled Yvette to him...

"You can't keep your hands off of me can you?" she asked..

"Guilty as charged counselor.."said Gary, smiling..

"I'm guilty of loving it..."said Yvette who kissed Gary softly and slowly..

For Monique Pressley