Chances Are, It's Murder

Nothing is better than a slice of Key Lime Pie.....It's a taste of Pure Heaven, especially this slice...

Followed by a nice hot cup of coffee...

"Alfreda, I never knew you were such a great cook.....Myyy goodness..." I said.

I'm Donnie Ray Alexander, Ex New Orleans Homicide Detective, Jazz trumpet player on the side and the present Investigator for my wife, Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her niece, Beverly West-East's law firm..

"I knew it!!....She used to bake all of those pies and cakes when I was a little girl.."said my wife, Attorney Olivia Bennet-Alexander, whose much older brother, Jimmie West had had Beverly with Alfreda when Olivia was 9 years old...

''Yessss...Mommy was always cooking."said Beverly... "used to bring me those delicious cookies when she came to visit."said her daughter and my wife's niece, Attorney Beverly West-East.

"Mmmmmmm can I have another slice?" asked Beverly's husband, Attorney Nelson East..

"Of course...You don't have to ask.."said Alfreda as she cut another slice

and passed it to him....

We were sitting in our conference room...

 Olivia had just completed five cases on her own....

 as had Beverly....

Nelson had wrapped up three cases of his own  and the three of them had been involved in three additional big cases...

They were relaxing...Their first chance to breath in days...

I had been busy doing investigations for all of their cases.. I was super exhausted...and glad we had nothing on our dockets for awhile..

This was a rare day of rest....Alfreda had filed all of our casework away....I had helped her  and she had treated us all to Key Lime Pie and Coffee..

"Happy Belated anniversary to you and Olivia...What is it now..Five Years?"asked Alfreda..

"Yes...Five of the happiest years of my life."said Olivia, looking at me and gushing..

"Five Years of  Pure Heaven for me too!" I said..

''Awwwwwww" said Beverly...

"Our two year anniversary is coming up babes.."said Nelson...

Josie walked in just then....She had started her new semester of classes at Law School today...

"Hey Guys.." she said..She usually checked in after class let out...

Alfreda gave her a slice of

 Key Lime Pie

and hot coffee...

"Ummmmm this is delish...Thank you Ms. Alfreda.."said Josie..

"You're quite welcome baby.."said Alfreda..

"Sooooo nice to be free and clear for awhile , isn't it guys?" said Olivia.

Any other day like this...she'd be right....We have had lulls in work before...This however was not going to be such a day..






II-

An hour later.... a disheveled young white man stumbled into our office...He had blood, fresh blood all over his expensive Armani suit jacket and his normally groomed hair was a mess...

He looked frantic...

"Olivia!!!...Beverly!!!.....You don't know me!!!...but I know you...You've got to help me...I'm in trouble." he said..

 "I can see that.."said a shocked Olivia..

"And we do know who you are." said Beverly..

''Yes, you're Assistant District Attorney Richard Gray.."I said.

"Yes, I am....I've never had the pleasure of going up against you guys in court, but I did try a case against some associates of yours...

Yvette Jones and crew..." he said..

"Yes we know." said Nelson...

Assistant District Attorney 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....

 "What Happened to you?" asked Josie..

"Probably why he's in trouble.." said Alfreda.

"I had been out all night..drinking and celebrating a colleague's promotion when I came home and found my wife shot to death!!!....Blood everywhere....I didn't do it, I swear and I don't know who would do such a thing...I swear...." he said..

 '' You're a Prosecutor ...Why did you touch the body? You know better than that." said Olivia..

"I'm curious...Why did you come here? To Us..??" asked Beverly...

It was no secret...We weren't the favorites amongst the Assistant District Attorneys....

"Look ,most of my contemporaries hate going up against you two...You know that...They call you Auntie and Niecey behind your backs...but we all agree on one thing...If we were ever in trouble, you two are the attorneys we would want in our corner...and I am in trouble.." he said..

''Did you call the police?" I asked..

"No!!!....I got the hell out of there..You've got to help me...Please...I can pay you..." he said..

''Where do you live? Give me your house keys..." I said..

"Donnie Ray, what are you going to do?" asked Olivia..

"We'll get an advantage we rarely get....A fresh crime scene...Shortcake..Grab your new iphone..with the three cameras in the back...You've been dying to use it.."I said..

"Oh woww!" said an excited Beverly...

"You guys be careful...I don't want to have to bail you out."said Olivia.. "Josie, go with them..Drive.."said Olivia..

"We can take my car.."said Josie..

"What is he gonna do?" asked Richard...

"He's going to try and save you."said Olivia..

'What?" asked Richard...

 "My husband is amazing when he wants to be.." said Olivia...

I smiled as I left...





III-

It took us no time at all to find the Tony Condo in Olde City...

We were too late... The police were already there...but no detectives...The Crime Scene Investigators were snapping photos and checking for fingerprints and DNA...

Dr. Hazel Baylor, The Deputy Coroner and Forensic Investigator saw us and signaled to the uniformed cops to let us through...

 I had on Latex Gloves and Booties..

So did Beverly....

She snapped photos of the body and the entire crime scene...We did not touch anything..

''Donnie Ray, Beverly, what are you doing here?" asked Hazel....

 I whispered to Hazel...

"Don't say anything, but the husband is with us...He says he didn't do it...He told us he hadn't called the police yet so we came to take photos of a fresh crime scene.."I said.

Beverly continued subtely snapping photos...

with her iPhone 11 Pro Max.... She loved it...

''All I can tell you is the victim took one gunshot to the right temple...Now you guys had better get out of here..Lt. Tragg will rip you both a new one.."said Hazel..

 "No problem...Come on Shortcake...We got enough." I said.

"Okay...Thanks Hazel..."said Beverly...

We raced outside and got in Josie's car....

As we pulled off...

Lt. Tragg pulled up with three police cars as was customary...

He saw us leaving the scene , but he headed up the stairs to view the body.....

We arrived back at our office within a half an hour..

"Thank God you're back...I was worried!" said Olivia..

"The Police were already there...and we saw Lt. Tragg as we were leaving.."said Beverly...

"I'm certain he saw us..."said Josie..

"Oh I know he saw us as we were driving off and he knows it was no co-incidence ." I said.

''Which means he'll be here soon...We gotta get you cleaned up.."said Nelson to ADA Gray..

"Ahhhhh you're too late for that..."said Alfreda..peering out the window..

Two police cars were outside..

 ADA Chris Garcetti

Lt. Tragg

and four uniformed officers rang the doorbell, then bammed on the door..

Olivia sighed..

"Let em in Alfreda.." she said..

She looked at Richard Gray...

"You know the drill. Don't say a word till we come down to arrange bail..." she said..

"I Know.. I'm still an Attorney."he said.

"Alright, Alright...Don't get your panties in a wad...We are all here...Come in...."said Alfreda..

 "Soooooooo this is the home and office of the famous Auntie and Niecey huh?" laughed ADA Chris Garcetti, the D.A.'s arrogant son..

"Olivia and Beverly...At last we meet..." he sneered..

 "You're the D.A.'s son..."said Olivia..

 "Yeah that's him...His Father however is a gentlemen..."said Beverly sarcastically..

 Nelson stared at them balefully..

So did Josie..

"Lawyered up already Richie? Wowwwwww, You don't have anything to hide do ya?" snarled Lt. Tragg, already angry at how much attention and praise ADA Karen Page gave the young man...

"Read him his rights and hook him up boys.." he said..

They read him his rights and handcuffed him...

''Richard Gray, you are under arrest for the murder of your wife,Pamela Gray ... You have the right to remain silent.. Anything you say can and will be held against you. You have the right to an attorney, If you do not have an Attorney, one will be provided for you...Do you understand these rights?" asked the officer..

Richard Gray nodded...

Lt. Tragg looked at Olivia ...

"Of course he does!!!...He's an Attorney himself...At least for the time being...I trust everything was done in order counselor..?" he said sarcastically...

 "Yes it was.....Goodbye  Lt. Tragg!" said Olivia..

"Yes, Good Bye..."said Beverly...

"I look forward to going up against you guys in court..Your reputations proceed you, but so does mine..." said ADA Garcetti...

"I'll bet you do."said Nelson.

 "Goddddd, another sportsman." sighed Olivia.

"They act like beating us is winning the Super Bowl or something.." said Beverly...

 "And when they lose they're soooo pitiful.."laughed Olivia..

"I know right, Auntay?" laughed Beverly....

"He's the D.A.'s son...Rockland hates him.. He wouldn't let Rockland assist him on some case...and Yvette and her crew

ate him for dinner, Rockland told me that he threw a temper tantrum that made Rockland look tame by comparison.."laughed  Alfreda...

"Speak of the Devil!" said Nelson...

Rockland walked in just then...

"Did I just see Garcetti's son and Lt. Tragg leaving here with ADA Gray in handcuffs and all bloody?" he asked..

''Sure Did!!!. ADA Gray is our newest client...Accused of murdering his wife...He says he found her shot to death and he rushed over here..." said Nelson..

"Wow...and Lt. Tragg , three officers and Garcetti's kid were here THAT fast and with a warrant...Wow!"said Rockland..

"Tragg saw Beverly, Josie and I driving away from the crime scene...It wasn't hard for him to figure out that Gray might be here.." I said..

"I thought they were going to try to arrest us for obstruction of justice."sighed Josie..

''What Obstruction? We didn't obstruct anything...We just asked some questions...Snapped a few photos and we left..And Tragg didn't observe us on the scene...He would have had nothing.."I said..

"When has that stopped him?" said Alfreda..

We all laughed..

"Is that your Key Lime Pie Freda? Mind if I sample it?" asked Rockland

staring at the pie...

Olivia cut him the last slice...

''Enjoy!" she said , smiling..

IV-

Later that Afternoon, Olivia and I sat alone in a quiet little wine bar..

"Baby I'm so sorry....I wanted us to have a special stressless night out alone to celebrate our wedding anniversary...I never planned for us to be caught up in a case again..."said Olivia..

"Babbbbbbyyyyy, this is the job....You're an attorney.....This is what you do...You know being an ex-cop I totally understand..."I said..

"I know...but I wanted this night to be special..."said Olivia.

"Why isn't it?  When I first met you, when I first held you in my arms when we danced and I felt how soft your skin was, how good you smelled and soft your lips were when we kissed....I knew that where ever you lived...I had to be with you for the rest of my life and that there was no other woman that even came close...I knew you were the one...I knew it.."I said..

"I'll tell you a secret...After that night, when I got home...I cried many a night because you didn't live in Philly, you lived so far away and I thought...Here is the perfect guy for me and he lives a million miles away.." said Olivia..

"And we found each other and got married.....I'm happy every day with you...I don't care what's going on...I get to spend it with you..." I said..

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.."said Olivia...

We kissed passionately...….

Tonight anyway, Everything was right with the world , regardless of what lie ahead..

(TO BE CONTINUED)