"Pamela knew it!!!!...That was the understanding you two had right?" asked Beverly....
''She knew it shortly after we were married...We signed a Pre Nup….She was to get half of everything...but we had to stay married for at least six years...We've been married four and a half years...."
"You had your eye on bigger and better things."said Nelson..
''Several Law Firms were looking at me...Several Conservative Think tanks were looking at me also...I am a Registered Republican....I know you guys are left of Stalin....but you're good lawyers...You know your business and I've always respected that.."said Richard...
"To The Left of Stalin,....Now that's funny."said Olivia ,laughing hysterically..
"That is funny Auntay….Never quite thought of myself like that..."laughed Beverly....
"I meant no insult....I respect your body of work and your professionalism...both of you ,I do...but in my world, my sexual orientation is a liability..."said Richard...
"Maybe that should tell you something about your politics.." said Nelson.
''Richard....It's 2020...If you're Gay, you don't have to hide in the closet anymore...You are free to be who you are...Regardless of your political affiliation..You can be out.."said Josie..
"No, not in the world I live in...Not in the circles I travel in....I wish that were true Josie..I do."said Richard...
I walked in just then...I had been gone for a few hours..
"I located both of your wife's lovers...Talked to them extensively and got signed affadavits and tape recorded testimony..." I said.
"That's Great!" said Olivia..
"No it's not!!...Both men have rock solid alibi's....The Attorney from her firm was in court representing a client....and the other guy...the one who hired the private investigator was in jail...for non-payment of child support...Do you know anybody...anybody who would have beef with your wife for anything?" I asked..
"No, I swear...I can't imagine....but it wasn't me..." said Richard...
"But I have some good news...."I said and pulled out a time stamped glossy...
It was a photo of Richard and a man eating breakfast in Sam Mother's diner at 8:30 am...backed by a credit card and another photo taken from a ATM camera of him kissing the same man in the lips...It is dated 9:45 am...
"The Murder occurred in between 9:30 am and 10:am...You just missed the murder when you arrived..This clears you..."I said.
"My career is shot to hell. If that photo is shown...I'm ruined politically anyway!" said Richard...
"No it's not...Nobody will disbar you for being Gay..."said Beverly...
"And if you're a good attorney....There are still lots of outside options...Have faith in yourself.." said Olivia.
"I think I know who killed your wife...The only person who could have done it."I said and smiled..
"I get so turned on when he gets that gleam in his eyes..."said Olivia..
"Really Auntay, just when he does that?" joked Beverly.
II-
And So the trial began...
Voir Dire found Nelson squared off against Chris Garcetti...Son of the District Attorney..
He had no idea how to read a jury...or pick one..
Olivia ,Beverly and Josie had already talked and conferred and decided which type of juror they wanted...
Millennial, Working class, professional...but young enough to have an open mind...
They knew that Richard's sexuality was going to come out...
Nelson aimed to deliver..
Nelson played a text book game of bait and switch, making Chris believe that he wanted a certain juror, knowing he would reject the juror and then making him feel he didn't want a certain type knowing Chris would pick that juror...
By the time Chris figured out what Nelson was doing...They had 11 of the 12 jurors they wanted to his one....
Olivia and Beverly smiled and nodded their approval.
The Judge, Ronald Conrad was tough and stern, but fair...He managed to smile a bit..He realized what Nelson had just done...He smiled and shook his head...This was going to be fun he thought...
Chris Garcetti was a good attorney...He weaved a tale of jealousy , an arranged marriage , a pre nup and a husband anxious to end a farce of a marriage...which led to an early morning murder..
Olivia and Beverly argued that while the marriage was indeed a marriage of convenience..It was still a loving marriage...
Chris brought in Police, CSI and Forensic specialist who gave the same boring and factual testimony they usually give during these cases...
He had huge 50 inch glossies of the dead Pamela Gray displayed so the jury could see it..
Nelson and Beverly questioned them on cross asking them where they found DNA and Fingerprint information and asking them if they found a murder weapon...
They answered the way we knew they would..
Olivia asked them that since the defendant lived there..Shouldn't his DNA and Fingerprints be where they found them???...They had to admit that this was true..
This was three days of testimony..The Jury was beginning to show some doubt...which was what we wanted..
Chris brought up the fact that it was a joyless marriage and that Mrs. Gray was having an affair with not one , but two men...He had done his homework...He had telephone records..The same ones I had.. and their alibi's ,eliminating them as suspects...He called them as hostile witnesses...
He closed on the fourth day....He smiled and pranced around the courtroom...So sure that he had won the case....
Surprisingly, he never once mentioned Richard's sexuality....I'm sure he knew we knew...He wanted to put the burden of that on us...
He was almost giddy...He was certain , he had played us into a hole..
Lt. Tragg, who sat with him was sure too...He looked at us and smiled...
Now it was our turn.
III-
Olivia displayed 50 inch glossies of Richard and Pam's wedding and of them at dinner, in the park,at Penns Landing and in this very courthouse...
She then did what she had hoped she wouldn't have to..
"This was an unconvential marriage...The A. D.A. said it was a marriage of appearences..It was indeed..Despite her affairs...Which my client was aware of..There was still love and a great friendship...Understanding. My client is Gay!!..A closeted Gay man...Mrs. Gray knew that and she still supported him..."said Olivia.
The Jury gasped!!!!!
Beverly talked about his aspirations in Politics and Law which stretched beyond the district attorney's office..
"In the conservative circles he ran in...His sexuality would have been a hindrance...Nobody would have looked at his body of work...just his sexuality...It's not right...It's not fair...but it is what it is.."she said..
Nelson got to the meat and potatoes of the matter...
He called witnesses ..Witnesses who were with Richard from 8:00 pm until 2:00 in the morning..
The Attorney who made partner...The other two Attorney friends....The Black guy they picked up..They all testified that Richard was in good spirits and in no way was capable of any violence that night.
Chris went at them hard on cross...but he couldn't do much damage...
Beverly produced time stamped photos taken by the business camera across the street from the East Coast Club...an exclusive Gay after hours joint...peopled by Lawyers, Doctors and Politicians in the LGBTQ world...
The Photos show Richard and his lover entering at 2:30 am and leaving around 6:30 am..
She showed Credit card receipts and street cam photos taken outside of Sam Mother's Diner that morning.. and last but not least...She showed a time stamped photo of Richard, kissing his lover at 9:45 am..
"Highly unlikely after a kiss like that...I'm going to go and murder somebody.."said Beverly, which brought gales of laughter from the audience and jurors and near Hysterical objection from Chris Garcetti.
"I OBJECT!!!" he screamed and stomped his foot..
"Alright ,Alright..settle down, Strike counselor's last remark from the record ."said the Judge..
Olivia called Joseph Bologna..The Neighbor who discovered the body and reported it to the police..
"Mr. Bologna..How long had you known the Grays?" Olivia asked..
''Oh the entire time they've lived here.." he said, smiling..He had already testified for the prosecution...He didn't know why he was being called by the defense..
"Isn't it true that you've kind of had a crush on Mrs. Gray?" asked Olivia..
The Jury gasped at this revelation...
Chris Garcetti was on his feet objecting, but was over ruled..
"The defendant will answer the question..."said the Judge.
''Huh? What?"he asked.
"Here is your credit card receipts...You sent her a bouquet of roses on her birthday, on Valentines Day and on Christmas....Kind of strange for a single man to send to another man's wife wasn't it?" asked Olivia...
''Are you asking a question or making a statement?" Protested Chris..
"Get to the point counselor." said the Judge...
"You knew Richard was Gay didn't you? In fact you told Mrs. Gray he was Gay...I have a letter you sent her and a photo of Mr. Gray and his lover in the park that you took with your phone last year...And you and Richard had an altercation in which he told you to mind your business and not to send anymore flowers correct?" asked Olivia, ignoring Chris.
"Yes." He said Silently...
"What did you say sir?" asked Olivia..
"YES!" he said.
I smiled and crossed my legs...
Nelson poured a plastic bag full of Micro-cameras and listening devices on the table...He had credit card receipts.
''These are yours...I have your credit card receipts...You placed these in the Grays Condo didn't you?"asked Nelson...
Joseph Bologna was visibly angry...and sweating...
"YES!!" he admitted...
The Jurors gasped and began to smile...
"You've been a nasty boy Joseph, snapping photos of Mrs. Gray in her bra and panties, Like this one here I lifted from your phone..In the shower ,on the toilet even and in bed with not one, but two different guys...Know what I think? I think you got angry...I think you shot and killed Mrs. Gray.....You made that 911 call almost immediately ...You didn't count on Mr. Gray returning when he did...but when he did....That made it even better for you didn't it?" asked Beverly...
The Jury looked at him with disgust....
"I -I want a lawyer. I-I take the fifth dimension against getting myself in trouble "said Joseph Bologna...shaking and in tears..
The Jurors and the spectators erupted in laughter.....
"I think that's a very good idea Mr. Bologna.."said Olivia.. "No More questions.." she said and she closed...
She told the jury that it was obvious her client wasn't home at the time of the murder, that he loved his wife, despite the details of their marriage of convenience and that someone else was more than likely the killer... Someone who had a stalkerish crush and obsession with her...They should weigh all of this in and find ADA Richard Gray, a good guy, Not Guilty of all charges.
Lt. Tragg looked sick... Bologna had been the one who called the murder in...He never expected him to be a hostile witness for the defense..
Chris Garcetti asked the jury to ignore all of that...
"Joseph Bologna is a smoke screen....These two do this all the time...Don't let them play you...Find this man here guilty of murder in the first degree..He is the only person that could have done it...He had motive and opportunity..." he said in his almost two hour sumnation...
Olivia , Beverly and Nelson asked the jury to simply look at the facts or lack of them...and let that be their guide..They took 15 minutes each to lay out the facts of the case...That he had not been in the apartment at the time...and that a stalkerish neighbor who bugged her condo and kept lurid photos of her just happen to be the one to call the murder in...How very convienient..They argued...
IV-
FOUR DAYS LATER-
We stood in the hallway as the jury looked at the facts and was deposed...
''Well if I'm not disbarred and sent to Death Row.. I can go on and be the best ADA I can be.."said Richard...
"You're not going to death row...Think positively..."said Olivia.
"I'm telling you... Any law firm or Think Tank would be fortunate to have you Richard..."said Beverly...
ADA Karen Page walked up to us...
"You're going to be fine Richard....I have complete faith in these three...Even though I hate going up against them.."she joked..
''We don't enjoy going up against you either.."laughed Nelson.
"Hey Guys...The Jury is back!"said Josie..
"Well, this is it" I said..
"They want to go home.. As do I."said Olivia..
Chris Garcetti made the pistol sign with his fingers..
"You guys are going down.." he said.. He looked very confident..
Nelson peered at Lt. Tragg..
"You should have bet us a steak dinner...I know a place not far from here serves the best New York Strip steak in Philly." he said..
"Ooooop, come on goofball.."laughed his wife Beverly....
Josie cracked up laughing...
''Come On Nelson, Stop it!" she said..
Lt. Tragg was steaming.....
INSIDE THE COURTROOM-
"Bailiff, read the decision"said The Judge.
"WE THE JURY FIND THE DEFENDENT, RICHARD GRAY, NOT GUILTY OF THE CHARGE OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER!!!, NOT GUILTY OF USING AN INSTRUMENT OF CRIME!!! AND NOT GUILTY OF CONSPIRACY!!!" said the Foreman...
"WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT? POLL THE JURY!! POLL THE GOTDAMN JURYYYY!" screamed ADA Chris Garcetti...
"NOOOOOO! The Jury's verdict stands!!" Screamed the Judge , who had had enough of Chris Garcetti's histrionics......."They deliberated for four days, they asked pertinent questions which we answered and they made an intelligent decision counselor...Deal with it." said The Judge..
"I WILL NOT!!! I CAN NOT!!! I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT!!!!" screamed Chris Garcetti.
Chris Garcetti kicked the chair over, turned his desk over,spilling a pitcher of water and breaking a few drinking glasses... and jumped up and down...He hurled his suit jacket in the air...
The Jurors were shocked...Startled..
"STUPID JURORS..STUPID , STUPID, STUPID!!!! WHAT TRIAL WERE YOU AT???" he screamed...
Lt. Tragg was astounded...
"This kid is a few doughnuts shy of a bakery...." he thought, watching his antics with total surprise...
ADA Rockland Cambridge was sitting in the courtroom....He laughed heartedly at the entire thing.
"BAILIF!!!! GET HIM THE HELL OUT OF HERE...A NIGHT IN THE COOLER, WILL SETTLE HIM DOWN! GET HIM THE HELL OUTTA HERE! YOU SIR ARE IN CONTEMPT!!" screamed the Judge...
Three beefy bailiffs dragged Chris Garcetti out of the courtroom...
Rockland Cambridge whispered to Chris....
''Ate you for breakfast and lunch didn't they? I told you ,you were out of your league with them." he laughed..
Chris Garcetti screamed even louder as the bailiffs dragged him out of court..
"YOU GO TO HELL ROCKLAND!!! GO TO HELLLLL!!!! STUPID , STUPID, STUPID JURORS....WHAT TRIAL WERE YOU AT??? DID YOU NUMBSKULLS HEAR A WORD I SAID!!! STUPID, STUPID....STUPID!!!!" he screamed..
Rockland smiled wickedly and laughed...and walked away....
Chris Garcetti would spend the night in the holding facility, six floors above us...Fuming!
''What did I tell you Neicey Poo? When they lose they look soooo pitiful..."said Olivia.
"I know right? " said Beverly.
"He makes Rockland look tame by comparison.."said Nelson..
"We still didn't solve the murder." said Josie.
''As Olivia says...That's not our job....But I'm certain Joseph Bologna did it...With what I sent the police perhaps they'll take a closer look.." I said..
"I can't thank you guys enough...I'll be forever in your debt..." said Richard Gray.
"Not bad for two gals left of Stalin huh?" laughed Beverly...
"Not Bad at all.."laughed a relieved ADA Richard Gray...He hugged Beverly tightly.....
"Thank you so much!" he said...
''So what will you do now?" asked Olivia..
"I'm going back to work...I'm going to be the best Assistant District Attorney I can be and keep a watch out for those opportunities you told me about..."said Richard...
"Way to go Richie."said Beverly...
The media as expected was merciless towards Lt. Tragg.
"Wow Tragg you've started the year off with a bang...Brought in the wrong suspect in again huh?" shouted one reporter...Which was met with gales of laughter...
"Lou....I'm going to hold my temper...but one more word out of you...any of you and it's fat lip city!" said an angry Lt. Tragg...
I don't know what was said...but once again, fists were flying...People were running, screaming and falling down...Another courthouse melee.....
Starting the New Year Off Right!
EPILOUGE-
ADA Richard Gray went back to work ...He was out now and free to be who he really was...and with who he really loved...Another young Gay Attorney from of all places, The Public Defenders office...
It would never really be known if Joseph Bologna was the murderer or not...He was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound shortly after the trial...The gun he killed himself with was not a ballistics match for the murder weapon...
The murder weapon has never been found and Pam Gray's murder remains open!
Olivia and I did have our night alone...
back at the house after the trial...
Olivia and I did have our night alone... She wore a brand new lavender see through nightie.. with matching lavender panties..
She had purchased it from Bridget Jones's shop -Lady Chatterlies Lover, Panties and Bras for the Discriminating Woman.
She had showered and had on a new lotion and fragrance..
She smelled great...as usual...Her skin was baby soft..
I loved it..
We kissed passionately in the middle of the floor of our home...
But soon it was off and we were in bed...
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuu girllll.." I moaned..
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh husband, ummmmmmmmmmm.."she moaned.. 'Ouuuuuuuuuu Donnie Rayyyy I love you sooo much, sooo much, you don't even understand..."moaned Olivia.... "I love you too Olivia...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my godddd…" I cried out.. "Ummmmmmmmmmmm… ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu you like it daddy?" she cooed.. "I do.." I said.. "Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu I like it too!" she said..
We were making sweet love...Nice and slow and unrushed...
EIGHT TO NINE HOURS passed by and we weren't even close to stopping...
Olivia positioned herself on top of me and began to move up and down..
"OHHHHHHHH MY GODDDDDD DONNIE RAYYYYY! Happy Anniversary baby!" she bellowed..
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.. Happy Anniversary to you too!"I moaned.. I didn't know if I was coming or going..
This bed didn't squeak, but the headboard did rattle....
This was going to be a great year! I thought..
Later ,as Olivia sat on the side of the bed, smiling at me... I just smiled and thought..
Yes it was going to be a good year..
Olivia got up and walked out to the refrigerator...She got a bottle of water....I could look at her and tell she felt the same way too! We were going to have another good year together..
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