Larry Ray

100 DAYS AGO

It was a crisp day in early Autumn....The four of us found ourselves at work after a grueling few weeks of cases...

I'm Attorney Keith Jones....I sat in my small cubicle going over some notes from my last case...

My girlfriend, Attorney Beatrice "Bee Bee" Evans had just walked in...She had gone home this weekend to spend some time with her parents...and they had traveled to D.C. for the weekend..

She kissed me passionately...

"Hi baby...Did you miss me?" she asked..

"Of course I did.."I said..

''Well we've got all week to make up for it..I'm going to stay with you the next three nights, how is that?" she said.

"You're the world's greatest girlfriend..." I said , smiling..

"You only say that cause it's true." laughed Bee Bee..

Our other friend and fellow Attorney, Sofia Garcia smiled...

"Did you bring back food?" she asked playfully...

"I did....And a care package from your mother.. It's all in the trunk of my car.." said Bee Bee..

''WOW!  That's always a treat..I'll be down tonight after work"laughed Khalil Ahmed, another attorney and the fourth and final piece of our team...

"I know you will." said Bee Bee...laughing..

Ms. Yvette walked in just then....Her hair was all made up, She had on a new dress and she was practically blushing..

"Hi guys....How are my loves doing?" she said...She was practically glowing..and we all noticed it..

"Oh Ms. Yvette, those came for you this morning..."said Khalil, pointing to a bouquet of fresh roses..

Her eyes got as large as saucers...She really was surprised..

"They're from Gary!" she exclaimed...

Gary had sent them...

Ms. Yvette had spent the entire weekend with him..From Friday Night until this morning..

Most of it on his upstairs terraace ,

Making marathon sweet love...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Vettie." he moaned..

" Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Gary...ouuuuuu" don't stop..You are making me so ouuuuuu!..so damn hot..." she said. 

His big sofa made no noise at all. which she loved..

 "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Gary,I love youuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."moaned Yvette. 

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I love you too Vettie." he moaned..

 Gary couldn't seem to get enough....It was almost as if he were trying to blend her into the sofa...

He was so intense..

and Ms. Yvette was having multiple orgasms...

She couldn't believe how hard she was cumming..Her legs were twitching...She was sweating profusely...and her head was turning from side to side...Gary was trembling, sweat was running down the crack of his back and he began cumming like a river..

He held Yvette for dear life..

Before either of them realized it...It was Monday Morning....

Ms. Yvette stopped by Olivia's

 and got her

to style her hair..

Then she went home

and put on the new dress she had bought Friday afternoon at lunch.

Gary must have ordered those flowers Friday, before she even arrived at his house..

And here she was looking like a million bucks and slightly out of breath...

"You know they are.." said  Sofia, laughing..

"They're beautiful..." she gushed like a teenager...

"And he had roses here before you got to work? WOWWWWWW!  I need to find out , one ,who his florist is and two how he gets this done!" said Khalil...

 Bee Bee and I and Sofia all cracked up laughing....

Yvette's smile got even wider ,if that was possible...

"Yeah, that is something...He loves me, what can I say?" she said..Her head bobbing back and forth as if she was humming a tune..

"And you  love  him too Ms. Yvette?" said Bee Bee..

Yvette smiled dreamily like a school girl in love for the first time and said..

"Yes I do!" she said..

"Well looks like we've wrapped up some pretty big cases.. Bee Bee and I worked two and

 we both worked one a piece with Olivia, Beverly and crew.." I said..

She smiled at me...

Kahlil and Sofia had worked a couple of cases with them also and some immigration cases.

."Josie will be coming over here to work as our para-legal for a week..So make sure she gets some good information...Our girl is almost finished law school."said Yvette.

Khalil passed her the dockett...

"This also came for you in the mail Ms. Yvette." he said.

Bee Bee and Sofia stared at her...and smiled to themselves..

"This came in the mail for you  too !Ms. Yvette." said Sofia..

II-

Ms. Yvette's whole demeanor changed once she read the  second docket....

''Oh wow! I forgot about this case..." she said, suddenly looking very serious...

"A case you tried?" I asked.

"A case I lost.....I lost the appeals too... and in uh a few days...This guy is headed to his execution..."said Yvette dryly as she sat down..

"I'm sure you did the best you could Ms. Yvette.." said Sofia..

"No, I didn't!!....If I had of...He'd be a free man....He wasn't the most sympathetic client I ever had...but he swore he was innocent...and I believed him...I just couldn't convince a jury..He's got a new attorney now...A Jessica Sanchez..I don't know her.."said Yvette..

''Let me look at this.."said Kahlil..

"Yes...Fresh eyes..."said Bee Bee..

"This docket says Larry Ray Wiggins  was convicted of killing Mary Lou Trenson  in the course of either an aggravated kidnapping or aggravated sexual assault. According to the prosecution,Larry Ray Wiggins  became angry that Mary Lou Trenson rejected his sexual advances. 

He strangled her with pantyhose, and left her body in the park where she remained until about 25 days after the crime was committed. Trenson was found lying on her back, clothing pulled up under her arms, and one shoe off. Her jeans were on and the fly was closed, but one pocket was torn exposing her red panties. 

No scratches were found on her skin, and no soil was on her shoes. Evidence showed the pantyhose came from Larry Ray Wiggins home, and that Trenson also had an injury on her neck that could have been caused by a knife. She had no injuries that indicated she had struggled with her assailant, but did have a bruise on her face, and a discoloration in her vagina that could have been a bruise, though there was no evidence of penetration. 

Larry Ray wrote a letter to his mother in Spanish purporting to be from a female who implicated her boyfriend was the murderer. At trial, the state proved the letter was written in Larry Ray's handwriting. "  I read.

"He did so many bone headed things during the trial that hurt him, that I came close to quitting.. He and his mother begged me to stay on as his lawyer and he swore that he was innocent...and I believed him..."said Yvette.

"Here is a synopsis written by the Assistant District Attorney , who tried the case.....

ROCKLAND CAMBRIDGE...Oh my god..."said Sofia..

"That's how we met...during this case..." said Yvette..

"He wrote.. the following information about Larry Ray Wiggins, who is scheduled to be executed. Larry Ray Wiggins was sentenced to die for the kidnaping, rape and strangulation of Mary Louise Trenson 

A summary of the evidence presented at trial follows. After meeting Ms. Trenson, a nineteen-year-old college student,  Larry Wiggins told his co-workers and friends that he had met a more attractive college girl in his life and hinted that he wanted to have sex with her. 

In the early afternoon of December 8, Wiggins and Trenson were seen departing together fromTemple University after talking to each other in the school library. 

Trenson's friends and family never again saw the young lady alive. Trenson became the focus of an investigation into the woman’s disappearance, because he was the last person seen with her. On December 11, Wiggins was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants. On January 2 of the next year, Trenson's partially nude body was discovered in Fairmount Park.

 She had been strangled with a piece of torn hosiery found around her neck. Evidence showed she had been raped. 

Fiber evidence showed that Trenson had been in Wiggins RV, on the floor and perhaps on the bed, and in the front seat. 

And evidence in the truck cab showed that some of her hair had been pulled from her head. Although neither Wiggins nor his wife smoked, a pack of cigarettes,

Trenson's brand,Newports  was found in Wiggins RV 

 A piece of hosiery, the companion to the piece used to strangle Ms. Trenson, was found in a trash heap beside Wiggins trailer. 

Hair evidence linked the hosiery to  Wiggins's wife. 

Cell phone records showed that on the day that Ms. Trenson disappeared, Wiggins traveled from his home to the area where the body was found. 

After Trenson disappeared, Wiggins reportedly told friends that he was in trouble and that the police would be after him. 

While in jail awaiting trial, Wiggins, using a Spanish-English dictionary, composed a letter in crude Spanish,purportedly written by an individual named “Rossana.” 

In the letter “Rosanna” identified Trenson's killer as an individual named “Robie.” 

The prosecution alleged that Wiggins composed the letter himself ,arranged for it to be hand-copied by a cellmate, and had the letter delivered to authorities, to deflect blame from himself.." said Sofia.

"I gotta tell ya...He sure sounds guilty as hell to me.." I said.

"He wasn't my smartest client either..but for some reason that nags at me...I just believe he might be innocent.."said Yvette..

"Look Ms. Yvette...We don't have anything to do...Our dockets are clear..How bout..We make this our little project? We ask some questions, nose around a bit..."said Bee Bee.

"It can't hurt...I mean at best....we find something...we delay his date with death...At worst...He was doomed anyway...Nothing changes.."said Kahlil..

"I'm down...how bout you Sofia?" I asked..

"You know if you guys are down...I'm down."said Sofia..

"You guys really like being lawyers don't you?" she said. She smiled...

"And you don't?" I asked.

"No, I love it...and I'm glad you guys share my passion...but cases like this will leave you questioning yourself.." said Ms. Yvette..

Just then, Ms. Jade walked in with young Josie Boyd, Olivia and Beverly's para legal , who was presently in law school...

 "Hey Guys, I brought food....and look who I ran into.."said Jade..

"I'm yours for a week.."said Josie , smiling..

III-

SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE-

"It wasn't as if I was some young, green attorney... I had tried over 100 cases by then and had won about 97 of them...I was pretty darn good..

Larry Ray Wiggins mother worked here at McClusky as one of our Office Managers, His Father was Building Mechanic in one of the High rises across the street...

Larry was a ne'er do well who had dropped out after 11th grade, had done a four year stint in the U.S. Army and gotten a general discharge for excessive drinking, failure to advance and disorderly conduct...

He got his G.E.D. and had enrolled in Community College...He seemed to be trying to get his act together.. He got married and he and his wife moved into a small apartment.. He had a part time job bagging groceries... Then he got himself into trouble..

He was arrested  and did a two year sentence for one count of Burglary of a Building (originally sentenced to probation, but revoked and sentenced to the full two years when he lost his temper and punched a bailiff... Eventually, the two year jail time was reduced to time served..Six months and he was released....

Back home, he was unemployed , but still going to school..His wife worked and supported the both of them...

When he got charged with this murder-kidnapping -rape rap.. The partners tossed this case into my lap.. and there I was...Working a Capital case...

I was excited...

The Judge was a real butt head...He hated Defense Attorneys and he didn't hide his bias...He pilloried me so bad, that one day, I was near tears...

Rockland walked into the hallway and passed me a tissue...

"Don't cry...Don't cry...You were actually doing a good job in there...You really know your stuff..." he said and smiled..

"Thank You.." I said in between tears ...

"You're the uh toughest attorney I've gone up against in my life so far.. Your name is uh Yvette Jones right?" he said..

"Yes.." I said..

''You went to Penn Law....I remember you from one of the times I lectured there.." he said..

"Oh you were checking me out huh?...I'm just joking...I'm sorry..."I said..

He was breathing heavy....

"I-I-I'm afraid I was.... and I must say...I-I-I find you extremely attractive...Ms. Jones.." he said..

"Awwww thank you..." I said.. He was blushing...I couldn't believe it...It was kind of cute... The Prosecutor was sweet on me..

"We are opposing counsel and we uh shouldn't be talking but uh after this trial is over...Maybe we could uh go out ,have a a drink or something.." he said.

"It's within the realm of possibility..Maybe.." I said..

''At least you didn't say no.... I know that Judge is a real asshole..Don't let him get to you...You were doing fine..Shame you have such a loser for a client.." he said..  "Well, uh I'll be going now..Ms. Yvette Jones.." he said..

I wasn't bowled over...I mean he didn't make my heart go aflutter the way some guys can make you, but I smiled.. I hadn't been on a date in a few months at the time...It was nice that he was asking.."said Ms. Yvette.

 "Ms. Yvette, you be slayin these guys..." said Bee Bee.

"For real." said Sofia...

''I know he's cool now..but I just can't picture Rockland Cambridge as a mack.."said Kahlil...

"Look, he got Ms. Yvette and he's with

Beverly's foxy mother, Ms. Alfreda....The man obviously has some game to him.." I said.

Ms. Yvette..smiled.. "Yeah, he does at that." she said..




IV-

Ms. Yvette caught Josie and Jade up on the case at large...

''Wow, this is almost like the case I just had..." said Josie as she sat around the table with us...

''Yes and you did very well....Olivia ,Beverly, Donnie Ray and Nelson are so proud of you.....I know they're mad that I took you from them for a week...but that's how good you are..."laughed Yvette..

Ms. Jade spread all of the Chinese food out on the table...

 and we prepared to chow down...

 "Ouu this is delish.."said Bee Bee as she helped herself to a bit of everything...

 I was right behind her...

 "Josie...after you get over your food, read the dockets..."said Sofia, passing her the dockets..

"Nobody got any soda?...That's okay...I'll get some from the soda machines in the hallway."said Kahlil..

''We are going back to Stanga State Prison..huh? " laughed Josie..

''We are!!!...You guys drove up there...We are going on the train...I'm getting round trip tickets for the six of us...Olivia told me about the Air BNB you guys stayed in...We'll be staying at the same one, but just for two days...and we are coming back.." said Yvette..  ''He's got an Attorney up there.. We'll be facetiming whoever it is after we go up..." said Yvette...

"Well before we go anywhere...Let me do some digging, see what I can bring up....Fresh eyes...You know?" said Jade..

"Good Enough...I don't know what else you might find...but have at it..." said Ms. Yvette, who looked at us..

"Josie, you're going to do for us, what you do for Olivia and Beverly...So you'll be working with me primarily...We'll be looking at predicates..." said Yvette.

 She looked at us... Study the trial transcripts completely, look for any and I mean any irregularity..
Keith, Bee Bee you're on that..."said Ms. Yvette..

 "On it." I said.

 "Right up our alley.."said Bee Bee.

"Sofia, Kahlil...Go over the Autopsy report thoroughly...Go talk to Hazel if you need to...and get the Crime Scene  case files.." said Yvette..

 "On it Ms. Yvette.."said Sofia.

"If there is anything out of order...We'll find it."said Kahlil...

We all continued to chow down...

This seemed like a fun little game, none of us was thinking at the time that a man's life hung in the balance..

(TO BE CONTINUED)