On Their Day Off

 We had been informed that ADA Jake Patais had asked for and been granted a continuance..We were in Sam Mother's Diner having breakfast...

"He must have called the Judge overnight..."said Olivia..

"Probably was too weak after a night with Diane.."laughed Beverly....

"OUUUUUUUUUUU GIRLLL, YOU ARE BAD!"laughed Olivia, who was thinking the same thing that her niece had just said.

"That gives us more time too." I said.. I was still investigating leads and talking to everybody that Lt. Tragg had talked to and getting notes...I was also studying Street and Business Cameras near the Houseboat that night..Unfortunately, there were not too many...

"We can start first with the witness statements and what the physical evidence tells us.."said Nelson..

"This is not an open and shut case..In fact, it's one of Lt. Tragg's weakest cases.."said Josie.

"Shhhhhh don't talk him up...I want to eat in peace.."laughed Olivia.

"YESSSSSSSSS!"laughed Beverly.

As five plates of Shrimp and Grits were delivered to our booth...We were hungry and we chowed down, glad that we didn't have to go to court today...We did not want to be interrupted by Lt. Tragg and his pyrotechnics...

A black man walked in....He saw us and walked over to our table..

"Hiiiii Beverly....Hiiii Josie. Hiiii Olivia." he said and plopped a manilla envelope on the table..

"Hazel said that you've been waiting for this.." he said..

"Hiiiii Brian.."said Olivia... "This is my husband, Donnie Ray Alexander...Our Investigator,.Donnie Ray, Brian Robertson, of the Medical Examiner's Office." said Olivia.

"Hello Brian. Pleased to meet you." I said.

"Pleased to meet you also."said Brian.

"Hi Brian." said Josie..

"Hi Brian.." said Beverly..

"He works in The Medical Examiner's  office Donnie Ray.."explained Nelson..

"Ohhh " I said.

He looked at what we were eating, The Cheese Grits and Shrimp..

"Shrimp and Cheese Grits...Somebody here is from Louisiana...Cause I know these Philly girls don't know nothin bout this.."said Brian.

"That would be me...I'm from New Orleans...You from New Orleans?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm from Philly, but my Mama And Daddy were from Monroe, Louisiana....I spent many a summer in Louisiana...Am quite knowledgable of the local cuisine..If I had time ,I'd sit and eat with you, but I gotta go..See you guys."he said and left..

"You notice he didn't speak to me?  He used to have a thing for Beverly..a few years back and got a little disrespectful...I had to take him to the woodshed and show him the error of his ways...He hasn't liked me ever since..I could care less.."said Nelson matter of factly..

Beverly smiled, pointed at Nelson and said in a Baby voice.,. "Him loves me!" and giggled.

"Me loves him too!" she said.

She gave him a sensuous kiss that got even me excited.....

"Will you two be needing a moment?" Olivia said , smiling at them both...."Let's open this up and see the results.."said Olivia..

She observed the results and smiled..

"WELL GUYS...IT IS A MATCH, DNA SAYS....DIANE BARONSKI WAS THE WOMAN ON THE HOUSEBOAT!!..Her DNA and prints are on all three loaded condoms...."said Olivia..

"Yes!"said Beverly , high fiving Josie.

"Let's get that subpeona ready."said Josie..

"I hate to be Debbie Downer folks but that just proves she was on the Houseboat, We had kind of ascertained that...Walker told us that he, she and Vinnie hung out...We need to know who was the fourth person, the unidentified palm print.."said Nelson..

"Nelson is right...I'm still hunting and my guess is this unidentified person is our killer...We need to know why." I said.

We finished our meals ,paid our bills and left...Amazing...No sign of Lt. Tragg.

II-

At Assistant District Attorney Jake Patais's Condo.

Diane and Jake were kissing passionately at the door..

He and Diane had had mind blowing sex the night before for NINE TO TEN HOURS WORTH!!

And then, early in the morning for THREE TO FOUR HOURS...Both were exhausted..

He had called for a continuance , early in the morning after they had finished a session..

Diane had called out sick today too!  

"Jakkkkkeeeee, you're like a teen aged boy sometimes...Let me gooo...You've got an extra day..Work on your caseeeeeee.." said Diane in a sing songy voice. She could hardly walk after the pounding Jake had given her last night...She eased out of his embrace....

Jake was exhausted...

"I'm hooked on you." he said, trying to catch his breath....

"Work on your case...I mean it..I'm hooked on you too!" she said and opened the door to leave, only to see..

Dead Tulips lying in front of Jake's door..

"OH MY GOD!!!" she screamed..

"Baby! what's the matter? What's up?? It's just some dead flowers...Some Litter bug tossed em in front of my unit." said Jake..

Diane calmed down...but she didn't believe that...

Beverly and Josie wandered down the hallway, eagerly heading toward Diane Baronski's office..Their mission was to serve her with a subpeona..

"Her office is down this way I believe.."said Beverly...

"Oh My God, this oughta be good.. I don't see her running do you?" asked Josie.

"I have no intention of getting a run in my pantyhose today."laughed Beverly.

"Me neither girlfriend."said Josie.

ADA Ron Harper happened to be coming down the hallway and ran into them...

"Heyyyyyyyy Beverly, Josie...Fancy seeing you two in here.." he said.

''We are looking for ADA Diane Baronski."said Beverly..

"Her office is two doors down, but you're out of luck..She called out today...Is that a Subpeona you girls got there? You guys were going to subpeona her? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"laughed Ron..

"What's so funny? Anybody can be subpeonaed." said Josie..

"I know, I know.....I'm just used to us doing the subpeonaing..that's all....Well, I gotta be in court..Happy Hunting."laughed Ron as he walked away...

"She must know we were coming for her...She has to know that Walker has told us about him ,her and Vinnie."said Josie.

"Could be...but I'm thinking she was just exhausted after a night with Lawyer Bae." laughed Beverly...

A Home, Olivia had just gotten off the phone..

"That was Beverly and Josie...Diane Baronski called out today...She might have an inkling she's about to be served."said Olivia.

"No...I think this is something else...Perhaps what you said last night was right ,She was tired from a night with Jake Patais...He did ask for a continuance...When they get back...Nelson and I will take that subpeona and pay Jake a visit..I'm betting..She's there." I said.

"Yeah" said Nelson.

Diane was actually at Curley's Bar with Lt. Tragg unaware that we were searching for her..

They were having Corn Beef Specials..

"I tell ya Diane , Nobody in this city makes a better Corn Beef Special than Curleys"said Lt. Tragg who felt Diane's leg and ran his hands up her skirt..While munching on his sandwich...She removed his hands right away..

''Arthur ,let's not start with that...I only agreed to meet with you today because I feel like you've made a mistake...You've arrested the wrong guy...Walker Clarke is no killer...I know him personally, Yes..I was on that boat with both of them...I met them when I first moved back here..I was living down near the riverfront..We used to have coffee in the morning...The three of us and we used to drink together and hang out on the Houseboat..Both were very nice guys...We were all friends...You've got the wrong guy."said Diane 

as she finished up her sandwich and sipped the last of  her Coke.

"You mean your boyfriend is in over his head..You're afraid of Liv and Beverly's stunts bruising his little ego aren't you?  Actually I'm quite impressed by him. He got that damn Judge Reynolds to recuse himself..but that was you...wasn't it??? He borrowed from your playbook...and he won the argument, the soft argument Olivia lobbed out there to throw the whole thing out...She was testin the waters..She knew the Judge wasn't going to throw it out!!! Just one of the games her and her niece like to play from time to time..Testing the waters, how much they can get away with...Under the circumstances Junior's not doing a bad job so far! You've trained him well.." he said...Then he smiled slyly...

"Uh Uh...I know what this is, You don't want him to know that YOU SLEPT WITH BOTH OF THOSE GUYS...Barrett and Clarke....Let's see, we add them to me, Bert Vandenberg and Jumpshot Jim...That's five guys within a year...Nooo, Junior makes six...Whooooo, you've got some dance card little lady..You just drop your panties for everyone don't you?" he laughed.

"ASSHOLE!" she said and slapped him hard...  Everyone heard it and saw him fly out of his chair and hit the floor.. Several patrons snickered....Some laughed outright...

"OOOOOOOF!" said Lt. Tragg as he hit the floor..

She got up, tossed a few dollars on the table and walked out abruptly as people looked on and gasped...

Curley helped Lt. Tragg up off the floor..

"Artie, you really know how to bring it out in people, don't you? " he said and shook his head..

Lt. Tragg got up off of the floor, dusted himself off and smiled sardonically....

III-

Jake worked on his case at the law library

 most of the day and was just returning home...He had brought some groceries...He put them in the refrigerator..

There was a strange smell in his apartment like body odor...sweat...He had never smelled anything so putrid in this apartment in his life...He went to open the window.,.

When someone came up behind him with a garrote and pulled tight around his neck..They punched  him hard in his head...

He struggled mightily...Whoever was behind him ,could use a good shower..They smelled like sweat and extreme body odor...Their breath was strong also..

Whoever this was, squeezed hard ...He was finding it hard to breathe....Finally he stopped resisting and went limp...He was unconscious...but his attacker thought he was dead..

He dragged his body down the hallway and out the back door and into the indoor parking lot..Not realizing that a camera was filming him...He fished Jake's car keys out of his pockets and opened his car door..

He put him in his car and closed the doors..and turned the car on , with the exhaust running..

If he wasn't dead..He would soon be dead and it would look like Suicide.

The Killer walked out of the parking lot..

and walked out into the afternoon air .......

Meanwhile at Diane Baronski's Condo, Beverly, Olivia and Josie drove up

in Olivia's Lexus..

"I know how excited you girls are about serving her...but I want to talk to her, really get her to understand that we, well at least I am not doing this to be punitive or vindictive.."explain Olivia,who parked the car..

"You may not be vindictive Auntay, but I am.."laughed Beverly, who made no secret of how much she did not like or respect Diane Baronski.

Josie laughed and ran up and rang the bell....

There was no answer..

They waited about ten minutes..

"There is no light on...Apparently she's not home.."said Olivia.

"I think she's in there hiding.."joked Beverly..

''Well Donnie Ray has a copy of the Subpeona. Maybe she's still with Jake.."said Josie..

"Ummmph, must be good."joked Beverly...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU BEV...YOU ARE BAD.."laughed Josie..

"That's my neicey poo, LOVE her to death."laughed Olivia.

"You both know you were thinking the same thing."laughed Beverly..

IV-

Nelson and I pulled up in front of Jake Patais's condo..

We got out and walked inside...Nelson carrying his copy of the Subpeona.

"Nice Digs...I almost hate to do this...Interupt them on their private time.."said Nelson..

''Let's try not to say too much...I don't think she wants Jake Patais to know she slept with those two guys..At least not yet.."I said as we approached his unit.

"The door is open and look at this place...Looks like there was a hell of a struggle in here.."said Nelson..

I looked around..The apartment had definitely been the scene of a struggle, broken dishes, chairs turned over, scuff marks on the kitchen floor..

I spotted a garrotte on the floor..I pulled a plastic bag out of my pocket and put it in the bag and placed the bag in my pocket.

I stepped out in the hallway and spotted the back hallway door open...

I pulled my gun and motioned for Nelson to follow me..

We entered the parking lot..I heard a car's engine running..

I walked to the car...and there was Jake Patais...slumped over in the front seat..The door wasn't locked..

I opened the door and turned the car off..

Jake's limp body fell out of the car... He was alive!!!....He began coughing ....

"Cough....BREATHE!...COME ON...BREATHE!!!" I said..

He coughed and took deep breathes...

"Oh Thank you...You saved my life...Somebody tried to kill me..." he said.

''Who tried to kill you?" asked Nelson..

"Let's go back to my apartment.." he said..

We walked back to his apartment..

He sat down and took deep breaths.. 

''Somebody came up behind me , choked me....They dragged me to my car and turned it on...If you guys hadn't of showed up...I'd be a goner right now. Thank you so much....You're Olivia's guys aren't you?

Thank you, I owe you.." said Jake..

Olivia, Beverly, Josie and Diane Baronski walked in behind us...They had caught up with Diane and served her..They saw the state of the apartment..

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?" asked Olivia.

"And What is that smell?" asked Beverly..

"Smells like old socks and and urine.."said Josie..

''What happened?" asked Diane..taking a deep breath herself.. "OH MY GODDDDD!" she said.

"Somebody broke in here ,tried to kill me...Choked me and dragged me to my car and turned on the exhaust...If not for Olivia's guys...I'd be dead.."said Jake, still rubbing his neck.."Whoever it was , smelleed like hell." he added..

Diane took a deep breath....Now she knew...She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt...

"I know who did this." she said,.

(CONCLUSION NEXT)