as in another case before. the D.A.'s office called in former ADA Jasmine Jenkins to retry the case..
It was something new
D.A. Jack Garcetti had been doing when a controversial case was overturned...Rather than subject his current ADA's to a foreign case..He'd call in the original ADA whether they were now in private practice or not...
Jasmine Jenkins, who worked under the prior administration and was now working in the private sector..refused...She didn't even try criminal cases anymore...
Her Supervisor though played racquet ball and golfed with Gil Garcetti on the regular and was his personal attorney...He suggested strongly that she reconsider. Jasmine was on a fast track to making partner...She didn't want to do anything to upset that apple cart...
Olivia sat back as Josie actually argued the case..
Olivia would smile and nod or whisper things in Josie's ear at each interval..
Jasmine couldn't believe she was arguing a case she long closed to a Law Student..A second year Law student who was actually holding her own against her...
The Judge finally made her ruling after hearing both sides...
"Alright..We are going to trial..There is compelling evidence that this man was convicted on at the very least, sketchy testimony..." said the Judge...
"Your honor...My eyeball witness was solid..she saw a lot in the street....due to her profession.."said Jasmine..
"Yesssssssssssssss apparently she did...Six different murder cases...all yours...That is truly amazing counselor.. Be that as it may...Since your witness is now no longer amongst the living...Mention of her or her testimony is stricken from the records and can not be used." said the Judge..
"Your honor...Her testimony is tantamount to our defense...The fact that she was not truthful.."said Olivia..
"Mrs. Bennett-Alexander...How would you prove or not prove that one way or another.?.. She's dead, She can't be cross examined.. My ruling stands.." said the Judge... "Be ready for court on Monday." said the Judge..
"Aww man, now what?" said Josie..
"Don't worry...I've got questions for the other so-called witnesses who are still amongst the living.. Donnie Ray found them and gave me their addresses and phone numbers."said Nelson..
"Nowww Josie...We have to get creative."said Olivia..
Jasmine walked over..
"Hello Olivia, you look well.."said Jasmine..
"Jasmine, my god...it's been years." said Olivia..
"And helloooooo Mr. East or should I say Mr. West? At any rate, you finally got your Beverly...Congratulations on the Wedding...I saw your wife at Aqua Bar a few weeks ago." said Jasmine.
"She told me." said Nelson...
"Where is Beverly anyway?" asked Jasmine..
"She's with my husband... He's my investigator...He likes an Attorney along when he does his interviews, just to make sure everything is above board..."said Olivia..
"You're nothing if not thorough Olivia...I suppose this is your little protoge' huh? Para-Legal..Law student..."said Jasmine looking at Josie..
and smirking..
"This is Ms. Josie Boyd...and yes, she is our para-legal and she's currently in Law School...Her law school, along with the Innocence Project plucked this case and gave it to her...She got his original conviction overturned and this new trial ordered without any help from Beverly, Nelson or I..
We are so proud of her.." gushed Olivia..
"Well you picked a bad case...This guy is guilty as hell." said Jasmine..
"I think he's innocent." said Josie..
''Ohhhhhh she talks...Is that factual knowledge talking dear or is that your vagina talking? He is built and quite handsome...but a ruthless killer none the less."said Jasmine..
"Jazzy, there is no reason to be nasty....What did I always tell you , my niece, Nelson, all of you?" asked Olivia..
"You're right Liv, Never take these cases personal...You win some, you lose some...Appeal and move on...I'm Sorry Josie....but you got a bum case and I aim to prove that...Nice seeing you again, Olivia, Nelson..Say hello to Kayla for me when you see her." said Jasmine as she walked away...
"I don't think I like her.."said Josie..
''She's a little rough around the edges. but she's alright." said Nelson..
II-
Beverly and I tracked Elijah Wallace down to the county lock up...
He was in debtors prison for failure to pay child support...You might say we had a captive audience..
''I'm Donnie Ray Alexander and this is Attorney Beverly West-East...We are representing Dennis Carter...I don't know if you heard, but his triple murder conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered.." I said.
''Yeah? Wow, good for him...Boy had three life sentences...I never believed he killed Scar..and I told everybody I thought he got a bum deal.."said Eli Wallace..
"Why is that?" asked Beverly..
"Well for one thing...Scar took his gun off of him...He aint have no gun... and the other thing...Manny Spain's guys didn't hit people out in the open like that...They'd of gotten him someplace else, by himself and with no witnesses...and they certainly wouldn't have hit a civilian...somebody not in the game..The pregnant woman....we all knew her, we liked her...None of us would have harmed her!"said Eli..
"The Pregnant girl right?" I said.
"Yeah, her name was Andrea...Andrea Robinson...She used to work and get off late and come down to the laundromat to wash her laundry...." he said.
"She wasn't in the game at all right?" I asked.
"Awww nah...She had a straight job ,was expecting her first child...and lived in some apartment buildings a few blocks away...I used to walk her home sometimes...So did Scar believe it or not..We aint want nothing to happen to her...These streets bein what they are and all.." said Eli..
''Who was the baby's father? He in the game?" I asked.
"I don't know who the father was...It wasn't nobody in the neighborhood I know that!...She didn't rock with none of the neighborhood guys..and whoever he was, he never came around here.."said Eli..
"Dennis said he didn't know Scar was dead until the next morning when you told him" said Beverly..
"Yeah...the bodies were discovered that morning when the first customer walked in..I told Dennis, we called him DC .when I ran into him...I didn't know myself until that morning when I saw the cops around and saw the bodies brought out in body bags.." said Eli..
"You saw Dennis that night in the Bowling Alley.."I said.
"Yeah, we was both there until around 1:00 am.. Then we left...He bought a soda and some popcorn from the Bodega and said he was goin home..and I went home.This was around oh 1:30- 1:45...That was the last time I seen him...But I'll tell you who I did see...The so called lying eyeball witness...April Dellums..She was with Tater Jackson...In his jeep...They was goin to town...everybody saw em..Jeep bouncing up and down, the windows steaming...in the parking lot...tater was moaning and groaning and she kept shushing him telling him to keep the noise down...A lot of people heard em."said Eli Wallace.
"That was six blocks away...The time of death for both was at 2:15 am...."said Beverly....
"No way she saw anything..Not at 2:15 am, Her and Tater Jackson was in that jeep doin the Hibbity Bibbity...Trust me...Everybody saw it..AND HEARD THEM!"said Eli...
"Thank you Eli.." I said..
"Good Luck with your child support case." said Beverly....
III-
Beverly and I went home with our findings..
"Wallace puts Dennis Carter at least six blocks away and headed in the opposite direction at 1:45 am.. and he puts the so called eye ball witness, April Dellums in the back of Tater Jackson's jeep at 2:00 am ,just 15 minutes before the murder occurred, six blocks away...No way she could have seen anything.. She lied. She perjured herself.."I said.,
"That's all well and good, but we can't use it."said Olivia..
"What? What do you mean Auntay?" asked Beverly..
The Judge said that since April Dellums is dead and can't testify, her name can't be used, nor can her testimony one way or the other."said Josie.
"Tater Jackson is dead too...The one she was having sex with in the car...He can't be used to fortify our argument that she didn't see anything.."said Nelson..
''We just have to use the living witnesses we have.."said Olivia.
"Bummer...Nothing is breaking our way!" said Beverly
IV-
At Sam Mother's Diner...Kayla Bennett-St. Jacques..
was enjoying a bowl of creamy pasta..
When she heard a familiar voice..
"Mmmmmmmmmmm that looks good.."
She looked up..
"Jasmine?? Jazzzzzy?? Oh My God, How are you doin?"said Kayla , who hugged her..
''I saw both of your cousins recently, Olivia and Beverly..
'They're looking good..."said Jazmine..
"You know Beverly and Nelson are married now...I uh remember, you and Nelson had uh ahh brief fling." said Kayla..
"Very brief...I'm happy for those two...I didn't get to meet Liv's husband...but I did see Beverly in Aqua Bar, Olivia and Nelson in court with that uh law student girl that works with them.."said Jasmine..
"Oh you mean Josie...
She's a sweetheart..been with Olivia and Beverly since they opened the doors of their practice.."said Kayla.
"Congratulations are in order for you too...I heard you got married recently...Congrats girl."said Jasmine..
"I did...I did...About two months ago..You know I was living and working in Atlanta for awhile...I met my future husband on the plane, when I was moving back to Philly...He's an Attorney too and he was coming back to Philly from Atlanta also...Small world..His name is Ray S.t. Jacques..."said Kayla.
"No, he's Black...His parents are immigrants from Martinique...He was born here in Philly though.."said Kayla..
"Good for you girl...You know, I saw your resume at my firm recently...It looks good...I'm on the fast track to being partner..I could uh speed it along.."said Jasmine..
''Would you? It would be a big step up for me..In salary and Prestige.....I sure wish I'd known you worked there..I would have talked to you sooner."said Kayla..
"It's cool...We all go way back...Penn Law...Kayla, I uh need you to uh do me a favor..." said Jasmine..
"What kind of favor?"asked Kayla.
"This Josie Boyd, who works for your cousins..
She's in law school and she's doing one of those uh Mock trials...You know the kind the Innocence Project or the ACLU will throw at law students...Get a talented student to pick one of their cases and actually try it..." said Jasmine..
"She's got another one? She tried a case a few months back...
I heard she did good...Won the case..beat a seasoned ADA too..
Nelson was her second..You know, they have to have one real attorney sit in with them when they try the case.."said Kayla..
''Uh Kayla...I know all of that....We did them remember? Me You and Bev when we were in law school???She's got one of my old cases from when I was an ADA....She and her law professor actually won a guy convicted of a triple murder a new trial.."said Jasmine..
"Josie is sharp....Hey wait a minute...You're not an ADA anymore, what do you care?" asked Kayla..
"I didn't care...until D.A. Jack Garcetti put a bug in my supervisor's ear about getting me to retry the case since I was the original ADA....I didn't want to, but I have no choice now.."said Jasmine..
"You want me to be your second or something?" asked Kayla..
"Oh nooooo noooooo...but I do need inside information..Your cousin's and Nelson
are going to assist her...Perhaps you should pay them a visit, talk about the case...learn their strategy..."said Jasmine.."I'd be very grateful and someone could land a very cushy position at my firm.."said Jasmine.
"Let me get this straight, you want me to betray my cousins? Be your pipeline....Are you serious Jazzy?" asked Kayla.
"Not them? You know I love Olivia ,Beverly and Nelson as much as you almost...but that girl, that girl, Josie...she's not your cousin, she's not blood..I'm not asking you to kill her..I just need information...That's all." said Jasmine..
"Who are you Jasmine? I mean you always were ambitious..but it's like I don't even know you now!"said Kayla..
''You're ambitious too...You want that job don't you? We all do things to get what we want...It's one case...It won't hurt Josie..she's in law school...It certainly is meaningless to your cousins in the long and short of things...Show me you're a go getter like I know you are...Get me that info."said Jasmine as she got up and left..
Kayla sat there finishing her pasta..
and thinking about how her one time friend had changed..
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