It was late...a little after midnight...Olivia was worried..
"I wouldn't put it past Lt. Tragg to take that girl downtown and try to grill her in 'The Fishbowl" said Olivia..
As a Homicide Detective, I had done that myself...Taken a suspect to the interrogation room right after arrest, to grill them before they could lawyer up...I didn't put it past him....
"I think you're right Auntay…"said Beverly...
''When we were public defenders, a lot of our clients got taken in and grilled all night until they were so tired they actually confessed..." said Nelson..
''Were they guilty?" asked Josie.
''Some were...Some weren't" said Beverly..
''The thing is...It's not fair...Donnie Ray,let's head to Central Booking."said Olivia..
She was right...It wasn't fair, but I was guilty of the same practice myself when I had been a Homicide Detective..
"Alright Josie...You know the way." I said,.
"Sure Do." she said and turned our SUV Around and headed there...
At this moment , Lucy Luckenbill sat in the interrogation room detectives called " The Fishbowl" sobbing uncontrollably...
She had never been in any kind of trouble her entire life and here she was arrested for murder and suspected of the theft of 200K that she didn't even know existed...It was going to take probably half of her life savings to pay attorneys to save her she thought....
She had been drinking. She asked for and got coffee....
Lt. Tragg came in with a loaded file in a manilla envelope.. The file had nothing to do with her and her case whatsoever...This was just a psychological trick Detectives used to further intimidate the suspect..
He slammed the file down on the table..
''You're in a lot of trouble young lady...We found the murder weapon in the trunk of the car..The tire iron you used to smash the skull of Joyce Martin and an empty briefcase... Now tell me...Where is the money? and what happened? I'm the only one between you and a needle..."said Lt. Tragg..
Suddenly, she stopped crying...She stared in his face...She remembered what we had told her....
"Ms. Olivia, Ms. Beverly...I didn't do this...I didn't steal any money and I didn't kill anybody, I don't know what they're talking about."said Lucy..
"Exercise your right to remain silent...Don't say anything to anybody....We'll be down in the morning."said Olivia..
''We got you, just be quiet...Don't answer any questions, Don't offer any information. Don't trust anybody" said Beverly..
"Sit tight...We'll be down." said Nelson...
"Look, 200 large is a lot of money...It's tempting to anybody....Hell I can't say I wouldn't be tempted my damn self.. Did she see you going in the briefcase? Did she get violent with you? Was it self defense? an accident perhaps.." asked Lt. Tragg..
"LAWYER!" she said.
"Look no lawyer can help you now....It's just you and me....Now I'm trying to help you...How did it happen?" asked Lt. Tragg..
She angrilly repeated...."LAWYERRRRRRRRRR!!!"
"I can see we are going to be up all night young lady..." said an angry Lt. Tragg..
''No we are not!....She asked for an attorney two times....That means the interview is over." said Olivia.
"Olivia, Damn it, What are you doing here?" asked Lt. Tragg..who knew she was right..The interview was over the minute a person asked for an attorney.
"We used to be Public Defenders...We know all about how you guys used to keep a suspect up all night grilling them until finally in exhaustion they confessed to being the person in the Grassy knoll, just so they could sleep.." said Beverly..
"Nice try Lieutenant!..."said Nelson...
I said nothing...I just stood stoically....
He looked at me..
"You gonna tell me that you never did this when you were a Homicide Detective?" he asked.
"I sure did....Occassionally a real sharp attorney showed up and ended it, Like they're doing tonight." I said..
"She's already been booked....She has nothing more to say...We'll be down to see you in the morning Lucy."said Olivia..
''Way to hang tough lady." said Beverly."
Josie was like a sponge, absorbing everything..
Nelson and I smiled..
An angry Lt. Tragg stomped his foot..
"Officer! Take her down!" he snarled..
He looked icily at Olivia...
"One day, one or both of you are going to be sitting in this very room..." he said..
"Hope springs eternal, Doesn't it Lieutenant?" laughed Olivia..
''What my Auntay said." laughed Beverly.
"Thank you so much." said Lucy...As the female officer handcuffed her and took her to the Women's Detention Center..
II-
We drove home...
It was a good night ,despite everything...
Olivia and I were kissing as soon as we got in the door..
and we didn't make it to the bed...
I lifted her up and was long stroking her in the living room...
We eventually made it to the bedroom!
Since Josie was staying over...Paris arrived not long after we got there..
He and Josie retreated to the extra room
where he soon liberated her from her clothes and was showering her with kisses...
Which led to marathon lovemaking...
Likewise, Beverly and Nelson were in their room..
Kissing passionately
and making crazy love....
I knew we were going to have a great night....After today's events..and we did!!
III-
The next morning... Alfreda stood outside of our duplex giving Rockland
a soft and slow kiss
"Ummmm have a good day at work today baby....I'll see you this afternoon.." she said..
''After last night, today can't be any better.."said Rockland..
He said remembering the wild night of sex the two of them had had..
Alfreda giggled ''Oh Hush up..." she said.
Thinking about the crazy and wild sex she was having with Rockland...He made her feel a decade younger..
Paris was leaving just then..
"Hi Ms. Alfreda.." he said...
"Hi Paris..." said Alfreda, smiling...
"Good Morning Freda...Hi Rockland...We have to go to a bail hearing and arraignment this morning." said Olivia.
"Yeah...She paid us a retainer...We never did get around to asking her if she had any means of getting funding for bail.." I said.
''We would have if Lt. Butt Head hadn't shown up."said Beverly...
"Oh Well...Let's see how it goes...She's not used to being locked up...I hope she doesn't crack under the pressure."said Nelson.
"I was thinking the same thing....She was close to tears last night ."said Josie.
Just then a car drove up and a white man in an expensive suit and horn rimmed glasses got out..
He walked over to us...
''You are Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West..is that right?" he asked.
"Yes that's correct."said Olivia.
''And you are?" asked Beverly.
"My name is Raymond Connor...I'm from New York...I understand you are representing my courier...Lucy Luckenbill, is that right?" he said..
"We are.."said Nelson...
"I'd like to help....I'm prepared to pay your legal fees." he said.
"Right now, we are going to her arraignment and bail hearing." said Olivia..
''I'll pay her bail...Please allow me to follow you to the courthouse...Lucy has worked for me for a year now...She is the most honest and forthright person I know..I know she didn't , she couldn't kill anybody...She didn't know Ms. Martin...I doubt they'd ever seen each other...And I don't believe she stole that money either." he said..
"Okay ,follow us.."said Beverly....
Nelson whispered to me...
"Donnie Ray, remember the guy that falsely said the body in the bag was Lucy....Well I took his license plate number....That's it...He was driving this guy's car.. He's an Ex-FBI agent...Now he's a Private Investigator who works exclusively for Ray Connor.. His name is John Sample.." he said.
"Good pull Nelson...So this is Ray Connor huh? I'm going to keep an eye on him.." I said..
We met with Lucy at the women's detention center...
She was in good spirits....
"Mr. Connor, I'm so glad to see you...I swear ,I left that briefcase right on the back seat of that car,just like you said...I didn't kill anybody and I didn't take the money, I swear..."she said.
"I believe you....Tell me what happened.." he asked.
"I put the briefcase in the backseat and the keys in the glove compartment, just like always...Then I got on the subway and went into town here...I was going to buy some dresses.....I had some dinner and a few drinks in town...I was going to catch the train back to New York, when you called me and said the money never arrived..I got scared...I got a room at a hotel...and two days later I went to Ms. Olivia and Bev...I figured something bad had happened and that I might be in trouble."said Lucy tearfully..
"You did the right thing...I have my own theory about who took my money, but it has nothing to do with you....Let's get you out of here..." he said..
IV-
We met in court where Lucy was arraigned...
And formally charged with First Degree Murder Charges...
Judge Keith Morrison was once again the Judge...
"Judge Morrison, If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were hand picking our cases...This is how many times this year?" joked Olivia..
"Just lucky I guess." he laughed while checking her out..."My lawd, I bet she's a freak in the bed." he mused..
Beverly and Nelson surrounded Lucy , while Josie stood on the outside..
I kept my eye on the spectator section....The mysterious John Sample in the black suit who identified the body stood in the back of the courtroom..
I wondered what he actually did for Ray Connor. I'm certain he was an investigator....Was he also an enforcer????
''Well look at this...I'm up against you and Beverly Liv...Just saw you a few weeks ago."said ADA Karen Page..
"How are you Karen?" asked Olivia..
Olivia, Beverly and Nelson argued..
Argued that there was no physical evidence linking her client to the murder, that she wasn't in the area at the time of the crime and that she had no type of criminal record whatsoever and that she should be released on bail...
ADA Karen Page argued that because this was a Capital Crime and the suspect was not a Philadelphia native, she might be a flight risk...
It was a weak argument and Karen Page knew it....
Judge Morrison set bail at $35,000 and admonished Ms. Luckenbill to be in court promptly for the preliminary....
She promised she would and her employer, Ray Connor
paid the incredibly low(for him) bail money...$3500.00..
Lucy Luckenbill was released on bail..
"Oh Thank you so much, I'll repay every penny.." said a very happy Lucy Luckenbill..
"Nonsense...I wouldn't hear of it..." said Ray Connor, hugging Lucy
''Let's go and get your things" I said... "You're staying with us...We have an extra room at our place.."I said.
"Oh My God, are you serious?" asked Lucy...
"Yes..You'll be safe with us...."said Nelson..
''We'll have a great time...My husband and I live downstairs from Donnie Ray and Olivia and Josie has been spending the night with us this week.."said Beverly..
''We can order some Pizza and some Cokes and have a girls night tonight."said Josie..
"Heyyy" said Nelson...
"Oh yeah, our husbands and Josie's boyfriend will be there too."laughed Olivia..
"Thank you so much..All of you guys"said Lucy and thank you again Mr. Connor.." she said.
"You're quite welcome...And thank you guys for representing her...I'm going back to New York tonight...but I'll be back for the trial...Good Luck Lucy..." said Ray Connor.
"This is a joke...Olivia charmed the pants off of Judge Morrison, speaking of uh charming the pants off of somebody...heh heh heh....I'd love to charm the panties off of you" he said as he slid his hands up her skirt...
She removed his hands...
''Oh My God! You are wayyy over the line here!!!!!Lt. Tragg, let's uh keep our relationship professional, okay?...I want you to recanvas that crime scene...I'm serious...If I'm going up against Olivia and Beverly, I'll need more evidence..." she said..
Lt. Tragg pulled her toward him gently...
"Baby...I'll get evidence....but right now...I've got evidence that I'm hot for you..and I think you're hot for me too! I'd like to recanvass you! "he said remembering a few weeks ago in the bar, when a drunken ADA Karen Page came within minutes of going home with him...
She drowned her sorrows in beer..
Lt. Tragg sat with her...
''Gee kid..I heard what had happened. .I'm so sorry for you...Listen, if there is anything you need.. ANYTHING….I'm available..": he said..running his hands up her skirt, feeling her legs and rubbing her butt..He felt her panties...They were nice and silky...
She was so drunk she unzippered his trousers and began to softly stroke his now erect penis..
"Ohhhhh thank you Arthur...Thank you....ummmmmmm...ouuuu you re really excited aren't you.?" she whispered..
"Geeez" he said..Hard to believe this was the same woman who had slapped his face in court a few weeks ago for doing the same thing..."Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.." he moaned...He was enjoying himself immensely...
She kissed him passionately...Her lips were so butter soft that Lt. Tragg was close to exploding...
''Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" he moaned...
''Shhhhhhh you're too loud....Calm downnnnn." said the drunken ADA...Then she stopped...She politely removed his hands from up under her skirt and stopped stroking him softly...
"Don't stop! What are you stopping for.?" he asked as he straightened up ….
"I'm very inebriated and I've been inappropriate...I'm sorry Arthur, ...I need to rest..."said Karen Page..
"No , No Nooooo, you've done nothing wrong....Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...excuse me....ohhhhhh..uh let me run into the men's room and I'll uh be right back..I'll drive you to my house and you can sleep it off.." he said..."Heh heh heh.." he laughed as he got up..He had been wanting to get it on with ADA Karen Page for about year now and here was his chance...He hurriedly rushed to the men's room...
"Lt. Tragg, Get me information on this case please." she said.. Awakening him from his erotic daydream...
"Baby, what about the flowers I bought you a few weeks ago..Gladiolas...Your favorites
And am I mistaken? You're wearing Chanel- Chance...Smells great.." he said.
''Arthur...Lt. Tragg..Thank you soooo much for the flowers and the perfume...It's..They're my favorite..I don't know how you knew..but that was very nice of you...Very Nice.....But you know I'm seeing B.L. right now..You know that...So let's stop all of this...Get me some information on this case please?" she said.
Whatever moment he had had with her was now gone....and he knew it! He stomped his foot and walked away...very upset...
I kept my eyes on Ray Connor, he was talking to the mysterious man from the other day...
"She didn't steal the money....I'm 100 percent certain of it...And we both know she didn't kill Joyce Martin." said Ray Connor.."But I want you to keep an eye on her anyway....She'll be staying with her lawyers in that duplex..." he added..."I'm going back to New York tonight, but I'll be back.." he said.
"Who do you think stole the money?" asked the man..
''I think Karl is trying to pull a fast one on us...Check out his financials, see if he's in debt to anyone.. He gambles...see if he owes any of the local players any money...Keep an eye on him too until I come back.." said Ray..
"Got'cha…"said the man...
At home, we were just returning...
Beverly and Josie took Lucy to the shopping centers where she picked up some clothes and underwear and toiletries and a suitcase..Since she was going to be in Philly for awhile,she also bought food for herself too..
They Gave her the tour of our Duplex...
Olivia and I's floor..and the room where she'd be staying..
"Oh My God, this is beautiful..." she said..
Then Beverly and Nelson's floor, where we all would be hanging out tonight..
With Josie and Paris...
"Oh my God, this is soooo nice..." she said..
and we showed her our office and conference room, which she had seen..
''Except for court, you guys never have to leave here..." she said..
That night we had Pizza and Cokes delivered to us..and the seven of us chowed down, momentarily forgetting the murder trial that loomed...
For the first time in a few nights, Lucy would have a good nights rest and feel secure surrounded by friends...
The mysterious man in the white shirt and black suit sat in a car, across the street , with tinted windows ,watching us..
At his neighborhood bar, Lt. Tragg sat watching ADA Page from afar..
She was drinking a Citris Martini ...
She was sitting and talking with Attorney Yvette Jones.
an old law school chum of hers as it turned out!
He couldn't get close...but what he could do was recanvas that crime scene and get to the bottom of what that girl was carrying and for who....There was obviously more than what met the eye..He wasn't going to let Olivia/Beverly and Donnie Ray get the jump on Karen...This time...This one time, he was going to be the detective ,he knew he could be...The goal being..to impress Karen and get an invitation to her bed...
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