All About Angela

 Josie's Boyfriend ,Paris Picked up the bus and piled us all on the bus in front of our building that morning..

"All aboard.." he said, smiling..

"Thank you so much Paris, for doing this for us.."said Olivia..

''On No prob Olivia."said Paris, who picked us up at 7;30 to drive us to Penns Landing's Bridge Building , where we would be working for the next three days..Our final three days on research for this case..

"Thank you Bae." said his girlfriend Josie..

Laying a sloppy kiss on his lips...

Beverly ,still a little sleepy laid her head on Nelson's shoulders..

Nelson put his arm around her waist and squeezed her a little bit..

I did the same thing with Olivia.

who laid her head on my shoulder...

"Stop staring at my boobies."said Yvette playfully to her husband, Gary...

"Can't help it...They're so prominent."said Gary as they both laughed.

Keith Jones hugged his wife, Bee Bee

who giggled like a school girl...She was clearly very happy to be his wife.

Sofia leaned her head on her husband's shoulder and drifted off to sleep..

It was going to be a short sleep,Kahlil noted..The ride was little over 40 minutes..

Jade Lee, was the only person on the bus ,who was not coupled up..sat by the window..

Jessica and Chip were the last two to get on the bus...

Alfreda passed them a Peach Cobbler, she had baked for us

to take with us... She smiled  and waved...

As the bus carrying us to our destination, pulled off..

II-

We headed for the Bridge , headquarters of the Wrongful Conviction Unit...It was the fourth day of research for us on this case..

How did we get here?  It was all about a 12 year old girl named Angela ..Angela Allen...A 12 year old who was now a grown woman...Who still mourned the father possibly unjustly taken away from her by the State of Pennsylvania.

Angela Denise Allen...She is 28 years old..Her father was Sean Allen, Her mother, Berneice Allen...When she was 12, her father was arrested and charged with raping and murdering a neighbor...Betty Ann Parlor... Her mother Berneice Allen had divorced Sean Allen the year before ,because she had caught the two in bed together... Parlor's husband, Big Jack had broken Sean Allen's jaw in a fight after their affair was discovered.. Sean Allen had visitation rights and he was visiting his daughter...Taking her away for the weekend..The night of the murder..

Betty Ann Parlor's body was discovered in the basement of her home the next day...nude, with her panties on her head and her bra in the corner...By now she and Big Jack , who had a number of restraining orders filed against him had seperated and a divorce was pending.. Sean Allen always maintained that he did not see Betty Ann at all that week, but a pair of his boxer shorts were found near the body ,loaded with semen, semen that was never tested for DNA....Nor was the saliva on the panties..

You and Dominick Evans made the arrest .... Sean Allen confessed, but he later recanted and said that his confession was beaten out of him...By your partner, Dominick and another Detective...Not you!

His lawyers , now both deceased appealed his conviction in three State appellate courts  and in the state Supreme Court saying that a DNA test of the boxer shorts, the panties and the bra would exonerate their client..It was met with deft ears...

Sean Allen was executed by Lethal Injection!

Angela Denise was 12 years old... Her mother died when she was 15...Liver Cancer...She went to live with a grandmother until she was 18...

She went to Temple University, getting a B.A. and a Masters Degree...

Today she owns three Beauty salons and Three Barbershops...She's doing quite well..She never got over her father's unjust execution..

She went to several attorneys , none of who would listen to her.. She found one who would..

Jessica Sanchez-Burrows of the INNOCENCE PROJECT...

She and her husband..went on Television and Radio and began to talk about how the state of Pennsylvania just might have executed an innocent man...This led to public calls for the case to be re-opened..

Assistant District Attorney Karen Page..

And Attorney Slim Johnson of The Innocence Project

Approached McCluskey/Cozen/Connor & Pratt law firm for help and got the help of

Attorneys Yvette Jones-Lockwood, Keith Jones, Beatrice Evans-Jones, Kahlil Ahmed and Sofia Garcia-Ahmed and their investigator ,Jade Lee..

And Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West-East's law firm..

In which Olivia Bennett-Alexander, Beverly West-East, Myself , Nelson East and Josie Boyd also agreed to help out in the research of this case.

This is where we are...This is how we got here..

Seated in the conference room, sharing information with,

ADA Karen Page, being assisted by

Jasmine Coley

and Kayla Bennett....

"OUUUUUU AUNT ALFREDA made a Peach Cobbler.."gushed Kayla..

We had a Catered Breakfast

and a Catered Lunch...

Then we all returned to the law library....For more looking at witness statements, trial transcripts from the actual trial and the appeals in three state courts and the state supreme court...as well as autopsy reports and evidence...

We all clearly liked each other and enjoyed working together...It almost wasn't work..It was almost fun...

For the next two days...This was our life.. 7::30 am Pick up...Breakfast, Work from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Lunch from 1:00-2:30... Work until 5:30 pm.... 6:00 pm the last day...

III-

Angela Allen addressed us on our third and final day of working...

"I want to thank all of you great attorneys for working on my father's case..This is just something I feel as though I had to do.. Clear his name.." said Angela..

"And we just may be able to clear your dad's name." said Olivia.

"We've got the panties and the bra with down graded semen and saliva still intact and the boxer shorts."said Beverly..

"15 years ago, DNA technology wasn't as sophisticated as it is now..They can still take that DNA and determine if it's your dad's or someone else's." said Yvette..

"We are going to take the DNA findings to our own Medical Examiner, The FBI and an Independent LAB...This is the DNA test your dad should have had.." said Chip.

"But they need my dad's DNA...Which I don't know if they took a sample or not."said Angela.

"We are searching to see if they ever took a sample...But we can take your DNA...because you are a relative."said Nelson..

"Or we can have his body exhumed and get a more accurate sample.." I said.

"This will take some time, but we want to be right when we do this...So you'll win."said Bee Bee.

''Here are the Exhumnation papers right here.. Sign these and if we find we have to, we can go with that."said Sofia.

"We are going to get to the bottom of this." said Sofia..

"We've put together a good argument for your dad's exoneration..."said Keith Jones..

''They made so many mistakes and there are so many inconcistancies...So much the jury wasn't told like for instance, The victim had swore out a restraining order on her estranged husband just two weeks before, claiming that he raped her..That was kept out of the original testimony.." said Kahlil.

"And your father's claim that a confession was beaten out of him is true..We found a witness , a witness who was too afraid to come forward during the trial.."said Jade.

"That witness says then Detective Dominick Evans and Captain Jack Tragg, beat the confession out of him..The Late Jack Tragg has a record 29 brutality cases lodged against him and he is the uncle of everyone's favorite cop, our own, Lt. Arthur Tragg, then Detective Tragg, who was not on the scene at the time of the beating."said Gary.

"Oh My God, did you say Lieutenant Arthur Tragg?  I thought I recognized him...He's older now and I see he's moved up in the ranks..He was a detective then...The other detective on the case..His partner ,Dominick Evans was the primary..They both were assholes.. He came to my house last night.. Took me out to dinner..tried to hit on me.. Was asking me to drop this case..He said it wasn't going anywhere..When I realized who he was, I poured my drink on his head and told him to drop dead and I left.."said Angela Allen.

Kayla and Jazzy busted out laughing...

"I'd of paid money to have seen that."said Kayla..

"Ouuuu I imagine he is in a real foul mood right now."said Jazzy..

"When isn't he?" asked Beverly...

"He had no business approaching you at all!" said Jessica.. "He's under a Cease and Desist order not to come anywhere near us or our homes...If you like, I'll have one filed for you too.."said Jessica.

"No need to do that...I've packed an overnite bag and I'm going to be staying with friends until this is over..He strikes me as a stalker."said Angela.

"Oh He is...He is.."laughed Assistant District Attorney Karen Page.

Instead of going straight home since it was our last night...We all found a great place to have dinner and drinks in Camden..

''I used to come over here with some of my cop buddies when I was still on the force..Nice place."said Gary.

"It is." said his wife, Yvette..

''Vettie ,we should hang out in Camden more..They've got nice shops and restaurants along this Waterfront."said Olivia.

"Girrrrrl yes...Some Saturday, give me a call... And Donnie RAy, they have a nice Jazz club on this waterfront too I hear."said Yvette.

"Yes I've heard..Maybe we can make it a double date." I said.

Beverly was sitting on her husband, Nelson's lap, feeding each other Scallops and Clams.

Josie and Paris were engaged in a seemingly deep conversation while eating..

As was Bee Bee and Keith

And Sofia and Kahlil..

Jade had called Danny Ho and he had met her there...she was happy to see him..

They weren't eating, they were kissing the entire time..

Jessica and Chip joined us..

As did Kayla and her husband, Ray...

And Jazzy and her husband, Dabnis..

It was that rare night out that we could all enjoy each other's company and not have to be worried about running into Lt. Tragg...He even showed up in Stoleys and Aqua Bar occassionally...and a few times Josies and the Mermaid Tavern...Tonight he had no idea where we had been or where we were..

We didn't mention him or the case.. Our part of the case was done..Tommorrow  most of us would be sleeping late...

IV-

Night time...After work and after drinks and dinner at the local bar in Camden..

Paris drove us all home...

''Well folks...Here we are.. I'll take the bus back tomorrow Liv." said Paris.

"Thank you Paris...for all three days...You're staying over tonight..No problem.."said Olivia.

''We should sleep good tonight.."said Beverly..

''Yeah, especially since we are off tomorrow.." said Nelson.

''Yeah...It feels good to be finished.."I said.

"I know.." said Josie..

''Before you guys go in...I just want to thank every last one of you for all of your help..I couldn't do this without your help...I love you guys.."said Jessica.

''Awww Anytime Sweetie.."said Yvette, hugging Jessica.

"But no time soon alright?" laughed Gary...

We all laughed..

"Good Night everybody.." said Chip..

"Goood Night Guys." said Gary.

''Good Night" said Keith Jones, hugging his wife, Bee Bee and heading down the street towards their home..

"Good Night everybody."said Bee Bee.

"Good Night."said Sofia.

"Good Night."said Kahlil.

"Good Night" said Jade and her boyfriend, Danny Ho, 

following them down the street...

"Unlike you guys..We gotta work tomorrow."So I'll see ya." said Kayla.

As did her husband, Ray who smiled and waved..

Jazzy and Dabnis said goodbye and walked to their home..

We were all in our homes..

Our six days of work was over..Most of us could sleep late tomorrow..

Hiding in the shadows was Lt. Tragg, totally ignoring the Cease and Desist order..He was off duty...he had no idea that we all were finished.. he had no idea where we all had been...

He didn't realize that he'd only be facing Jessica and Chip when the hearing started..

He drank his bottle of Jameson's and walked toward his car...How he despised all of us, young, successful Black , Attorneys.. making his life a living Hell..

He dreamed about Angela..

She was a good looking girl..

He had bought her five Margharitas....

He talked to her long and hard about why she should drop this case and why after 15 years it would be better for both sides if it was dropped..She remained stubborn...

He had ran his hands along her legs and up her dress and she had not stopped him until he tried to slip her panties down..She had politely removed his hands..

Then she stared into his eyes and she recognized him..

"YOU!!!! You were the other detective...The partner of the one who arrested my father.. You were Detective Tragg....YOU PIG!!!!" she said.

She dumped her drink on his head...drenching his suit..and got up and left..

Several patrons howled with laughter..

Curley came over with a towel....

"Damn...Last time you were in here with a woman, she slapped your face...This one poured her drink on you...Artie, maybe you need a different approach." said Curley...

He awoke in his car...He had been sleeping for nearly EIGHT HOURS! 

It was Daybreak!

(TO BE CONTINUED)