Olivia and I were dining at Bottom Of The C. Dollar Bill's high class seafood restaurant tonight..
Chef Ralph Scallion was serving us two orders of his specially seasoned lobster...
and both Olivia and I were enjoying Mango Martini's with our meal..
"Enjoying your meal husband?" asked Olivia..
"Yes...I knew when I met you that you were something special...and that I couldn't live without you..but I never in my wildest dreams ever knew I'd be traveling around the country with you and eating Lobster in an expensive restaurant..." I said..
"Do you think I foresaw all of this? I just wanted to start my own practice...I figured I'd get lucky and hire another attorney and a para-legal maybe and we'd rent a small office space..I never imagined buying the Duplex/Office...or that my
niece and Nelson would one day be working for me..
Forget about you and Josie and Alfreda.. "I've been blessed to have such talented and loyal staff and the breaks we have gotten..."said Olivia..
As we ate I brought her up to snuff on the investigation so far...
"I started from scratch on this investigation...that's why Beverly and I have been in Bayside for the past three days..
"We started tracing the city construction contracts and asking a lot of questions, and interviewing a lot of people...Some of the same people our fair haired District attorney interviewed and more and looking at city records thanks to the summons..
You, Nelson and Josie provided us with...
We followed the money trail.....The No show construction jobs, The kickbacks...I mean Liv, it went into millions...and this has been going on for three years...just like Britt Reid said... It is said if you follow drugs , you get drug dealers and addicts...but if you follow the money....if you follow the money, there is no telling where it leads... The main players was Frank Castle...He headed the construction company that had the contracts and Bert Johnson...A sleazy attorney who was kind of like the middle man...He fancies himself as a fixer and as someone who puts interested parties together.. He has a Home in Miami Beach,Florida, Another Home in Ocean City and a Yacht down at Penns Landing..Not bad for a sleazy lawyer...with a small office practice and one secretary...Wanna take a guess who that was.....? " I said.
''Velma Blue" said Olivia.
"You got it...She's been Bert Johnson's side piece for years....Bert Johnson , one week before he was murdered and knowing that Britt was getting closer to him put all of his homes and his yacht in his wife's name....I talked to her...She wasn't even aware of that....He was protecting himself from public seizure...and now that he's dead...That's all hers, free and clear.."I said.
"That gives her an excellent motive.."said Olivia..
"It does...but she really didn't know he had put all of this stuff in her name at the time they seperated..And I believe he was getting ready to transfer it all to another relative...His aunt..At the time of his murder... I can account for her movements in the moments leading up to his death.. she was gassing up her car and she stopped for some groceries before she arrived, which was after Brett had left and when she discovered him dead...So at least we know she didn't physically kill him..I checked her finances...No unusual amount of money was drawn from any of her accounts.. This wasn't her..Brett says he left at quarter of 10:00...Which means the killer arrived right after he left and gunned him down and left, dropping the gun in the trash right outside the building.. Giving Mrs. Johnson just minutes to arrive and find him dead...We are looking at a 15 minute avenue here." I said..
''What about Frank Castle?" asked Olivia.
"He too had a Yacht....A summer home in Ocean City and a Home in the Hamptons..When Britt Reid and an IRS agent came around to visit him he apparently got nervous..There was a series of calls to Bert Johnson and this guy Ralph Halibut...I don't know...Maybe he was afraid...Maybe he was close to turning in states evidence...His Attorney told Beverly that he was trying to work out an immunity agreement with ADA Reid the day before he went missing...When Reid went to visit him...He wasn't there and he hasn't been seen or heard from since...I have this fear that he's dead! Bayside Police found his car with the keys still in the ignition, His wallet in the glove compartment and his business phone in the front seat.. To stop Reid's progress, they set him up with Velma...but all they got was a kiss and a woman in her underwear sitting on his lap... Like you told him...He's a single man, so that wasn't going to stop him...So since they couldn't set him up...The best thing to do was to frame him for a murder..and Bert Johnson had to go...He was too hot...With Bert Johnson and Frank Castle gone..that leaves one person in the clear...Ralph Halibut.." I said...
''Who is Ralph Halibut?" asked Olivia.
"In Bayside, they call him the "Bad Fish" He's basically a gangster...He's had his hands in a little of everything...He has a package on the street that he sells to the local drug dealers...and he runs a construction supply business that while legit is just a front for money laundering...He was the silent partner of Frank Castle for years and a friend of Attorney, Bert Johnson...He's sort of been on the sidelines in the shadow, pulling strings...I'm still doing a little digging, but as soon as I can make a connection to this thing...We have a suspect...See..He has no alibi for the night of bert Johnson's murder...and he made a phone call from Philadelphia to Bert Johnson at 9:30...while Britt was still there..AND...well will you look at that Olivia..That's him and the very seductive Velma Blue, sitting right over there!" I said.
"You gotta admire her...She doesn't let one monkey stop the show...She knows which man to latch on to...First Frank Castle, then middle man, Bert Johnson and then the big daddy, the bad fish, Ralph Halibut..
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph girl, come on stop playing with me...What color are your panties?" asked Ralph Halibut...
"Ralph stop being crude....ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu and take your hands from under my dress...This is a nice restaurant...a lot of important people in here..Doctors, Lawyers, Politicians..Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu, stop it now.."pleaded Velma.. She really found him crude and a bit of a lout...She liked Frank and Bert much better...They had manners, class... Ralph Halibut was as wratched as could be...But he had a lot of money and right now, He was her meal ticket....He was putting her up in a nice condo...and had bought her a new car..
"Come here...give Bad Fish some sugar baby." he said and kissed her passionately.... They should call him bad breath...His breath reeked...She had avoided sleeping with him so far...but she knew she couldn't avoid it much longer..She dreaded that night...He didn't have the best hygiene ,unlike sophisticated, well dressed, good smelling Frank Castle and Bert Johnson, both her former lovers who she enjoyed...
She kissed him for as long as she could stand it, then she pulled away...
"Okay Ralph...That's enough...I'm trying to eat here..." she said politely...
"And I'm trying to do the funky chicken with you...Hurry up and finish so we can get going..." he said..
II-
Later that night at home...
Olivia smiled..
"You obviously like this dress....You can't keep your eyes off of it...Beverly talked me into buying it...I didn't think you'd like it...She said you'd like me in a KKK robe with a potato sack.."laughed Olivia..
"Shortcake is right.."I said, still staring at Olivia like a hungry wolf...
"Help me out of it...It's soo tight.." she whispered...
"You don't really need me to help you out of it, do you?" I whispered to her..
She kissed me softly and slowly...
"No, but I know you'd love to.." she said..as I gently removed her panties..
I helped her out of it slowly....She felt the bulge in my trousers and laughed..
"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU..Look at that!" she said..."I'm about to get it, aint I?" she laughed..
''An esteemed attorney like yourself should never say aint.." I laughed..
She took me by the hand and led me to the bedroom...
where we wound up in bed, making sweet love..
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm husband...." she moaned.. "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OLIVIA.." I moaned myself..
Happy that our bed no longer squeaked..and I had taken the headboard off so it wouldn't rattle..
"OHHHHHHH MY GODDDD DONNIE RAY!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" Olivia moaned.. "OHHHHH GODDDDDDDDDDDDD OLIVIA!" I howled as we continued making sweet love on that bed for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS..
A nice meal, A nice night out and this night cap, what more could I ask for..
The next morning we all met in the office... Alfreda had water and fresh fruit ready as usual.
"Ummph, Liv you look like Tall Dark and Southern really put it on you last night...Look at you girl, you're glowing..."laughed Alfreda..
As she poured us coffee and served hot from the oven doughnuts...
"Am I that obvious?? Wowww...Yes he did...I can barely walk this morning...Ouuuuuuu!" said Olivia dreamily...
"Yesssss Yesssss...That's always a good thing girlfriend.."laughed Alfreda..she then looked at her daughter and son in law..
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmm, I love you baby.." moaned Beverly..
"Not as much as I love you.."said Nelson..
They were in the corner kissing passionately...
"Lord have mercy, those two are like bunny rabbits, always doing it.." she sighed and smiled..
"I actually think they're cute...They need to get a room, but they're cute."laughed Olivia.
"Hi everybody.."said Josie..
"Hey guys.." I said and proceeded to tell them what I'd told Olivia last night.."I started from scratch on this investigation...that's why Beverly and I have been in Bayside for the past three days.."We started tracing the city construction contracts and asking a lot of questions, and interviewing a lot of people...Some of the same people our fair haired District attorney interviewed and more and looking at city records thanks to the summons..
You, Nelson and Josie provided us with... We followed the money trail.....The No show construction jobs, The kickbacks...I mean Liv, it went into millions...and this has been going on for three years...just like Britt Reid said... It is said if you follow drugs , you get drug dealers and addicts...but if you follow the money....if you follow the money, there is no telling where it leads... The main players was Frank Castle...He headed the construction company that had the contracts and Bert Johnson...A sleazy attorney who was kind of like the middle man...He fancies himself as a fixer and as someone who puts interested parties together.. He has a Home in Miami Beach,Florida, Another Home in Ocean City and a Yacht down at Penns Landing..Not bad for a sleazy lawyer...with a small office practice and one secretary...Wanna take a guess who that was.....? " I said.
''Velma Blue" said Josie
"You got it...She's been Bert Johnson's side piece for years....Bert Johnson , one week before he was murdered and knowing that Britt was getting closer to him put all of his homes and his yacht in his wife's name....I talked to her...She wasn't even aware of that....He was protecting himself from public seizure...and now that he's dead...That's all hers, free and clear.."I said.
''That Gives her an excellent motive.."said Nelson..
'We thought that at first.." said Beverly...
"It does...but Mrs. Johnson really didn't know he had put all of this stuff in her name at the time they seperated..And I believe he was getting ready to transfer it all to another relative...His aunt..At the time of his murder... I can account for her movements in the moments leading up to his death..
she was gassing up her car and she stopped for some groceries before she arrived, which was after Brett had left and when she discovered him dead...So at least we know she didn't physically kill him..I checked her finances...No unusual amount of money was drawn from any of her accounts..
This wasn't her..Brett says he left at quarter of 10:00...Which means the killer arrived right after he left and gunned him down and left, dropping the gun in the trash right outside the building.. Giving Mrs. Johnson just minutes to arrive and find him dead...We are looking at a 15 minute avenue here." I said..
"So what about this Frank Castle charactor...By the way...He's still missing." said Nelson..
"Well like Bert Johnson...Mr. Frank Castle also had a Yacht....A summer home in Ocean City and a Home in the Hamptons..When Britt Reid and an IRS agent came around to visit him he apparently got nervous..There was a series of calls to Bert Johnson and this guy Ralph Halibut...I Maybe he was afraid...Maybe he was close to turning in states evidence...
His Attorney told Beverly that he was trying to work out an immunity agreement with ADA Reid the day before he went missing...When Reid went to visit him...He wasn't there and he hasn't been seen or heard from since...Donnie Ray and I have this fear that he's dead! Bayside Police found his car with the keys still in the ignition, His wallet in the glove compartment and his business phone in the front seat..
To stop Reid's progress, they set him up with Velma...but all they got was a kiss and a woman in her underwear sitting on his lap... Like I told him...He's a single man, so that wasn't going to stop him...So since they couldn't set him up...The best thing to do was to frame him for a murder..and Bert Johnson had to go...He was too hot...With Bert Johnson and Frank Castle gone..that leaves one person in the clear...Ralph Halibut.."said Olivia..
''And you are of course going to tell us who Ralph Halibut is right?" joked Nelson..
Josie cracked up laughing..
"Yes Nelson, he is going to tell you.."laughed Beverly...
"Ralph Halibut is somewhat of a gangster.."In Bayside, they call him the "Bad Fish" He's basically a gangster...He's had his hands in a little of everything...He has a package on the street that he sells to the local drug dealers...and he runs a construction supply business that while legit is just a front for money laundering...He was the silent partner of Frank Castle for years and a friend of Attorney, Bert Johnson...He's sort of been on the sidelines in the shadow, pulling strings...I'm still doing a little digging, but as soon as I can make a connection to this thing...We have a suspect...See..He has no alibi for the night of Bert Johnson's murder...and he made a phone call from Philadelphia to Bert Johnson at 9:30...while Britt was still there.." I said.
"Also I should note...Olivia and I saw Ralph Halibut last night and you'll never guess who he was dining with? Velma Blue!" I added.
"Get Out!!!...Are you serious?" asked Beverly..
"Yes, they were sitting a few tables over, kissing passionately....She started out as Frank Castle's Administrative Assistant and lover, then she became Bert Johnson's side piece...He put her up in that fancy condo..and now she's with the man in the shadows...The real string puller himself..The Bad Fish, Ralph Halibut...
"Gotta Hand it her..Ole Girl knows how to work it..."said Josie..
"No Grass grows under her feet.."laughed Josie..
"Donnie Ray, check out her alibi for the night of the murder..." said Olivia..
"Way ahead of you....She was at Stoleys from 8:30 until closing, then she went to Jakes...She was with another young man, unidentified...They were together all night.." I said..
"Damn...Her dance card is full."laughed Nelson..
ADA Rockland Cambridge walked in just then...
He took Alfreda in his arms and kissed her slowly and softly....
She was blushing like a school girl and trying to hide the fact that she was aroused...
He held her in his arms and addressed us...
"I couldn't help hearing the tail end of your conversation...You mentioned Ralph Halibut...ADA Keith Wallace and the Criminal Investigation Division did an extensive investigation of him last year.. They arrested 39 of his associates...None of them would testify against him...They essentially ran out him out of the drug business... I too opened up an investigation of him afterwords... The mounting pressure moved him out of Philadelphia and into Bayside...I was wondering what he was into...Apparently, he set up a phony construction supply company for money laundering and got involved in these city contracts, no show jobs and kick backs...Far more lucrative than the drug business..They call him "Bad Fish and he's as slippery as a fish...We never could put a tag on him...He covers his trail well."said Rockland..
"Yeah he does...Very little of this city contract, kickback scheme points to him and with both of the key players now dead..I suspect, he has collected his share of money and is in the clear, except for one thing..He called Bert Johnson in Philadelphia just minutes before he was shot to death...ad he has no alibi for where he was at the time of the murder." I said.
"Meanwhile..Our job is to develop a timeframe for our client...to prove that he couldn't have committed the murder.."said Olivia..
"We've got to find a witness, somebody that can verify when they saw him next and at what time."said Beverly...
"Let's find out if he went to a store, If he gassed up or what."said Nelson..
"Maybe we can get some street and traffic cam photos."said Josie..
Rockland and Alfreda walked out of the conference room up to the front of our office, out of our sight..
Alfreda..looked around, slyly unzippered his trousers and began to fondle him softly....
which led to deep throat kissing..heavy breathing
and Rockland lifting her skirt and rubbing her legs...
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Alfreda..." he moaned.. "Ummmmmmmm Rockland..." she cooed...
III-
In the new condo that Ralph Halibut had bought her...Velma Blue was making love to Ralph Halibut..She had dreaded it...but it could no longer be avoided..
"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...UMPPPH!!! OUUUUUUUUUU GIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRL" he moaned and slobbered all over her..
He was a bit of a freak and insatiable..
They had been going at it for NINE TO TEN HOURS....It seemed like he was never going to stop and he smelled horrible..His body odor and his breath was making him unbearable..
She got some relief momentarily when he had her on the bedroom floor ,stroking her doggie style..She didn't have to smell his horrid breath...
"Ouuuuu..OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHH!" he moaned..
but once back in the bed, she prayed that he would cum and get off of her..Surprisingly enough..He was actually a good lover..He had brought her to orgasm about five times...but his breath and odor was just too much to take..
He finally came and came hard.....
"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" he moaned...shaking and sweating profusely....
She took an extra long hot shower....and lotioned down afterwords and put on a nice fragrance..
She was looking for a new dress to put on...
Ralph Halibut was up and dressed...
"You're not going to shower?" Velma asked..
"Got no time for a shower...I got some business to attend to..I'll shower tomorrow." he said.
"TOMMORROW?? "she thought... He leaned in to kiss her, but she moved her head away..
"Uh ,I'll see you tomorrow."she said.. He left..
Her sheets were drenched with his sweat and his horrible body odor, so were her pillow cases..She took them both, sheets and pillow cases and stuffed them into a hefty trash bag..She got air freshener and sprayed the room and opened all of the windows...
This was too much...No way she could continue this...
She picked up her burner phone...The spare phone Bert had given her and made a call..
At our office Olivia picked up the phone..
''Who is this??, How did you get my private number?" asked Olivia before she listened to what the caller had to say...After she got off the line ,she said..
"The caller apparently knows we are defending Britt..It was a woman , but I didn't recognize her voice..She gave me the phone number and the GPS tracking code to Ralph Halibut's phone...She said if we get him in court, ask him where he was at the time of Bert Johnson's murder and immediately after it.. she also asked us to ask him where he was the night Frank Castle vanished.."said Olivia..
"WOWWWWWW! Talk about lucky breaks!" said Beverly...
"Hmmmm, this will help us greatly.." I said..
"Seems to me like Ralph Halibut has made an enemy...A very influential enemy..."said Nelson..
"Like Ms. Velma Blue." said Josie..
IV-
At a Penns Landing Marina, an alert fisherman, located a decaying corpse ,floating in the river...It had been badly weighted down and had managed to float back to the top..
The Marine Police were bringing the body to the shore...
Dr. Hazel Baylor was observing it...
"We found a City I.D. on him Dr. Baylor.. His name is Frank Castle...He 's from Bayside.." one of the men said.
"That call was on the money...It said he'd be found here.."said Olivia..
"Whoever your caller is Liv, they have a lot of information...Information only the killer would have. or someone very close to the killer.."I said.
''Velma Blue?" asked Beverly..
"That would be my first choice...but she has way too much to lose...Her condo, her money...No this is someone else...Maybe another jilted girlfriend.." I said..
"Velma Blue has a solid alibi for the night Bert Johnson got it..And the night Frank Castle vanished..She was with Bert Johnson...This has to be someone else.." said Nelson..
"He did a lot of pillow talking...Too much pillow talking.."said Josie..
"You guys shouldn't be here...Awwww too late." Hazel sighed...
The familliar two police cars drove up, facing each other and Lt. Tragg and four officers got out and walked upon the scene..
"Olivia,.Beverly..Donnie Ray, and what are you doing here?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"My husband has been searching for this man for two weeks...as a possible witness in our defense of Britt Reid.. His name is Frank Castle...apparently, we won't be able to use him."said Olivia..
"Apparently not..How did you know he was here.."said Lt. Tragg..
"The same way you did...We got an anonymous call.."said Beverly...
"I didn't get an anonymous call...My buddies on the Marine Police told me they had a floater..And thanks to you and your auntie...I know who he is...I've been looking for him too...And it looks like he was murdered...Before I re-arrest your client, can you provide me with an alibi for him on the night this guy vanished..?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"Thought you might want to ask that...He was in Blue Bar in Bayside, interviewing a city councilman in regards to this corruption probe he was handling.."I said..
''Here is the name and the address of the man he was talking to and if you check...You'll find him and the guy on the camera inside the bar...We have his credit card receipts from that night also."said Olivia.
"You are nothing if not thorough Olivia." said Lt. Tragg.
Beverly smiled, but didn't say anything..
"Don't....Too easy." chided Nelson..Hugging his wife..
Beverly softly rubbed his knuckles...It was moments like this when she realized how much Nelson loved her and how protective he was of her...It was moments like this when she was filled with love for him also.
"Let's get out of here..I'm hungry.."said Josie..
"That's a good idea...See you in court Lieutenant.."said Olivia.
Lt. Tragg looked at Hazel..
"You had nothing to do with them being here did you?" he asked.
''What did they just tell you?" answered Hazel..
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!!!" he bellowed..
Hazel looked at him like he'd lost his mind and walked past him, totally ignoring him.
"Okay boys...wrap him up..Let's go.." she said..
As they packed the body in a bag and strapped it to a gurney...
Lt. Tragg was once again livid...He stomped his foot...He knew there was nothing he could do about Hazel...Her supervisor, Doc Gibbons
despised him as much as she did..And most of the people in that office were cold towards him...
HOURS LATER, ADA Britt Reid found himself in the interrogation room here in Philly ,facing Lt. Tragg again.
He laughed....
''Well I must say, your interrogation room is much bigger and smells much nicer than ours...I'll have to make that recomendation when I return to Bayside.." he said.
"We found Frank Castle...We found his body floating in Penns Landing...Now what do you know about the disappearence and murder of Frank Castle?" asked Lt. Tragg..
"Probably as much as you do...which seems to be nothing! I was looking for him...He was part of my larger corruption investigation...I was about to make an immunity deal with him and his lawyer the day before he vanished..That's all I know.."said ADA Reid..
"And that's all you have to say Britt..."said Olivia..
''DAMN IT!...YOU GUYS ARE EVERYWHERE!" said Lt. Tragg.
"You know he has an alibi for that night...YOU KNOW THAT...Why is he down here?" asked Beverly..
"I'm afraid you're going to have to either charge him or let him go." said Nelson softly...
"And while you're at it Lieutenant...I'm the Zodiac Killer too!,,,You can charge me with that also."joked Britt Reid..
Lt. Tragg was furious and embarrassed....He had hoped to shake the ADA up and perhaps glean some information from him about Frank Castle...He was going to release him...He didn't expect Olivia and Beverly and their crew to show up....
Josie laughed.
"Come on Britt...You're just in time to join us for dinner.."said Josie..
"You're barking up the wrong tree on this Lieutenant...That's all I can tell you." I said as we left the police station...I know that what I said went completely over his head..
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