In The Wash

 Beverly, Josie and Bree decided to go to the Laundromat tonight.. While they were there they ran into Bee Bee, Sofia and Jessica and were telling them about the recent drama.

"Bee Bee, Josie kept saying she wished you were there...It was crazy...Jumpshot Jim and Lt. Tragg came close to coming to blows.." said Beverly...

''And today, he brought another chick in there with him." said Josie.

"Oh it was crazy!" said Bree.

''The Tea was definitely spilling.. It's been spilling for awhile now." said Bee Bee.

''What is she doing to him? To both of them?" asked Sofia.

"You have to ask that?" said Jessica.. "Tell her girls." said Jessica.

Beverly, Josie, Bresha, Bee Bee and Jessica all said in unison..

"THE POWER OF THE PANTAYS!"

Sofia cracked up laughing..

While they continued to wash clothes, their husbands and significant others provided food. Nelson  ,Paris, Tony, Keith Jones, Kahlil Ahmed and Chip arrived with food.. They found a table in the back..Pulled up 12 chairs and laid the food out..

"Hey ladies , to show our appreciation..we are back.." said Nelson..

"And we brought food." said Paris..

"Italian Hoagies for some, Turkey Hoagies for you Bree."said Tony.

''So come over and sit down and take a break." said Keith Jones.

"The other Turkey Hoagie is mine." said Kahlil..

"Yeah, come on, sit down.." said Chip..

They put the Hoagies and Cokes on the tables and each couple sat down together..

"Thank you baby...This was just what the doctor ordered..." said Beverly..

"Oh I know..we knew you guys would be hungry...After working all day and then doing laundry and running to the dry cleaners..Least we could do."laughed Nelson..

''They are soo thoughtful." joked Josie..

''Aint we though?" laughed Paris.

'"Don't gas their heads up...but this is nice..and we were hungry." laughed Bresha.

"See we were thinking of you."laughed Tony...

Bee  Bee laughed too!

''Well at any rate..these hoagies are good.." said Keith Jones.

"Where did you guys get em from?" asked Sofia.

"That new place..Harry's Hoagies..." said Kahlil.

"Oh Yeah...I heard Chris Thompson owns a piece of that."said Jessica.

"Chris and Chess own a piece of almost everything around here except the neon lights." said Chip

as they all laughed and chowed down..

A night at the laundromat!

And at our Office /Duplex

in our domicile..

''The kids are doing their laundry tonight and dry cleaning runs..Vettie and I made a date to do that this weekend and go to the hair dressers..Beverly texted me, they're grabbing a bite to eat out..She said Keith , Bee Bee, Sofia, Kahlil, Jessica and Chipare there."said Olivia.

"Oh so they made it a night...Cool...Nice having all of our friends and associates living near us huh?" I said.

''''When we first bought this place, I worried because we were so far away from everything, everybody...but everybody is here now..Vettie and the gang, Kayla and Ray, Jazzy, it's great."said Olivia.

"For what it's worth here is the file on our two principle players, First there is our client." I said passing her the file on Chris Tabor

CHRISTOPHER DANIEL TABOR

BORN in Springfield , Mass.

Father; Judge Daniel Tabor, Mother : Cynthia Ross Tabor-Corporate Attorney

B.A. Administration of Justice, Pre-Law, Trial Advocacy -Harvard University

J.D. Harvard Law School

Passed the bar in Massachusetts, Conneticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Deleware, New Jersey

Fluent in Spanish, French, Russian

He was a law clerk to Tenth Circuit Judge Louis E.. McConnell and Chief Justice John Roberts and then worked as a lawyer, first in private practice, for Mitchell and Louis in Boston and then for McCracken and Solis in New Haven.. 

 Moved to Philadelphia PA. and took a job as an Assistant U.S. Attorney , has prosecuted successfully several graft and corruption cases.

"He is said to be a brilliant attorney and a very successful prosecutor , but he has his weaknesses...He likes to drink and he loves the ladies." I said.

"No surprise there..He came in here smelling like a saloon the other day and was openly flirting with Alfreda and couldn't concentrate on the case...He was so busy looking at Beverly, Josie and Bresha....and me a couple of times... I find him totally abhorent..."said Olivia.

"He's been linked romantically  to several female Assistant U.S. Attorneys and several other young ladies around town...It was the same in Boston and New Haven, where he worked before." I said.

"Donnie Rayyyyy, as usual, you've done a great job of investigating...." said Olivia, taking my hands and leading me to the bedroom....but not before turning off the lights..

She began to undress...

"Tomorrow is another day..." she whispered..

"Yes it is..." I said as we began kissing passionately.....

"We've been doing it a lot lately..." Olivia laughed.

"Not enough.."I said..

"You are a horn dog....You never get enough.." she whispered in between more kisses..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.." she cooed..

I lifted her up and began long stroking her.....Olivia was the most seductive entrancing woman I had ever met... She had had me hooked from the first night we met in New Orleans.. I had followed her here to Philly, just knowing I had to see her again...be apart of her life...And here I was , six years later, married to her and working for her as her firm's investigator..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU OUU OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" she cooed.. She loved it when I stroked her like this..

and eventually tossed her on the bed......

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HUSBANDDDDDDD!" she moaned..

Which led to the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS of sweet, slow sensual lovemaking..

and Olivia sitting on me on the side of the bed, moving slowly up and down , kissing me as tears began streaming down her face . She was having an intense orgasm and I soon climaxed myself...totally destroyed....

II-

The next morning.. We decided to have breakfast in our domicile..

Pancakes, Sausages, Hash Browns and Omelettes for everybody 

and an everything Omelette for me.

"Somebody was good last night.." whispered Alfreda in my ear...She had helped cook the breakfast this morning..

I didn't say anything...I just smiled sheepishly...

Olivia was practically in a daze, swooning like a school girl and sitting very close to me...holding my arm....

Beverly, Nelson, Josie and Bree were busy chatting and eating....Oblivious to Olivia and I....

While over at ADA April Taylor's condo..

The bedsprings were squeaking loudly...and the headboard was slamming up against the wall..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she moaned..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came a man's voice..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" she cooed loudly....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH APRIL IT STILL FEELS SO GOOOD ..OUUUUUU!" came the voice of James "Jumpshot Jim" Taylor.. her ex-husband...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH JIM....TAKE IT TO THE HOLE!!! OUUUUUUUUU! SCORRRRRRRE!!!" she screamed to the top of her lungs...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" he cried out!

They had met for coffee to talk about the case, late last night and had wound up in bed..making love..

NINE TO TEN HOURS  worth of lovemaking had slipped by......

He fell asleep between her legs...

Sometime later, after they had both showered and gotten dressed...They stood in her living room by the front door.

"Now that you've gotten that out of your system...You can go....This should have never happened...and it's not going to happen again...Do I make myself clear?" said April..."What's with that grin? Don't look so satisfied." said April...

He pulled her to him......They kissed passionately one last time..

"April, I forgot how good you smell, how soft your skin is and how good you feel...ummmmm" he moaned.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm Jim, we can't do this anymore...Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she moaned..

She felt good, but in a way she felt like a slut for giving into Jim so easily...She felt like she had betrayed Arthur Tragg...She was glad he didn't try to come around last night..

She checked her phone...He had called 16 times last night....She sighed....

Jumpshot Jim smiled..

''See ya later" he said.. and walked out to his car.. He felt good..He felt damn good this morning.

While in our conference room there was anger and consternation-

"I can't believe this guy...He hasn't answered a text and isn't present for our Portal call.."said Olivia.

"He's not answering the portal or his phone.."said Nelson.

"He is probably just waking up from a hangover or in some woman's bed." said Beverly.

"Or Both!...It's his life or death...We are going to work with what we have..If we get an acquittal, great..but if not..That's totally on him." said Olivia.

"Well right now..The State doesn't have much of a case.. No Physical evidence, DNA, Fingerprint or anything that places him at the scene..No one in the hotel recalls seeing him and he's not on the Hotel, Business, Street or Traffic Cams.." said Josie.

"But he is romantically and sexually linked to the dead woman..Angellica Dallas.. She's an Attorney, What they call a head hunter...She puts people together..Negotiates deals.. She and Chris Taber were pretty hot and heavy last year." said Bresha.

"And the dead man, Bob Sullerson, was a co-operator in Chris Tabor's probe." said Beverly...

''Why would he kill his co-operator? Because he was sleeping with a girl he used to sleep with?  He was done with her...We know that." said Nelson.

"He wouldn't kill his co-operating witness...but unless he gives us the name of the woman he was with..We are at a loss.." I said.."However I know who our eyewitness is and I have some information on him.. You can go ahead and file your appeal for Discovery, but I know where he lives and I plan to question him soon. Here is the file on Him." I said.

William Anthony Sonnett-

Born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania

Educated in Wilkes Barre Public Schools.

B.A.-Public Administration- PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

B.A.-Business Administration-PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

JD- UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW SCHOOL

Fluent in French and Spanish

Passed the Bar in Pennsylvania, Deleware, New Jersey, New York and Maryland

He was a Senior Associate Attorney with Berkshire & Fitch, Philadelphia PA.

He began negotiating contracts and partnership between several companies while associated with them..

He soon quit and began his own practice and began investing and negotiating on his own terms..Considered a major player.

Married to Ellen Baker-Sonnett, no children.

"WOW!! You are good! Remind me to never commit a crime and try to get away from you."laughed Olivia.

"For real!" laughed Beverly.. "How did you find out?" asked Beverly.

"I know people within the Philadelphia Police department , who aren't that fond of Lt. Tragg, who are more than willing to talk and help a guy like me out from time to time." I said smiling.

"Imagine that, somebody in the police department who is not fond of Lt. Tragg." said Josie sarcastically..

"Yeah, imagine that!" said Nelson as both he and Josie shared a laugh....

"His wife, Ellen Baker, 

I know..went to law school with her..we weren't really friends, but we knew each other...Last I heard, she was working for a major law firm in D.C.  Guess she got married and she's back...Married to our distinguished eye witness huh?" laughed Olivia.

''Small World isn't it?" I laughed.

III-

I usually went on these junkets with Beverly...but this afternoon.. The entire crew insisted on going with me..

and so we loaded up the SUV and headed off....

It was an overcast day and it looked like it was going to rain..

Our eye witness didn't appear to be hiding...And the condos he was staying in said everything we needed to know about him... Money! Lots of it.. Influence..

And yet he ,like everybody else had to use the laundromat...we saw him walking down the street with a duffell bag filled with laundry as we drove up...

''Will you look at this place Auntay? I feel like driving over here to do my laundry."joked Beverly..

"I know right? It's beautiful...Even has a coffee station." said Olivia..

"WOWWWWWWW! Next time I do Laundry , I am going to drive over here."joked Josie.

Bresha laughed.. "Girllll you're crazy.." 

"There he is Donnie Ray." said Nelson.

"I see him." I said..

I walked up to him... He was putting his clothes in the washing machine and instead of using coins, was using his credit card to pay for his wash..

He barely noticed us at all..

as he finished loading his clothes..

"Mr. Sonnett...I am Donnie Ray Alexander..I'm a Private Investigator.. I work for these Attorneys here..

Mrs. Olivia Bennett-Alexander

Mrs. Beverly West-East

Mr. Nelson East

Ms. Josie Boyd

and Ms. Bresha Williams.

They are the attorneys representing Chris Taber...." I said.

"I know who you are...Tell me, how did you wind up representing that arrogant egotistical jerk Chris Taber?" he asked.

"Just lucky I guess." said Olivia..

They both shared a hearty laugh.

"Wellllllll I'm awful sorry you guys traveled this distance for nothing...As you know I have been subpeonaed as a prosecution witness and being an attorney myself, you know THAT I KNOW...I don't have to talk to you or answer any of your questions...AND I DON'T PLAN TO.....but since you came all this way...Do enjoy our fresh roasted coffee, served at our coffee bar." he said.

That's one thing I missed about being a cop...Just my badge alone would compel most people to talk and if they refused... A warrant would certainly do the trick...I was no longer a cop, just a private detective and I worked for lawyers....we could no more compel him to say anything than any other private citizen.

He was right...We had an eyewitness we couldn't question until court, an alibi witness, we still didn't know the identity of and the most unco-operative client in history.....This was one dilly of a case.

And at ADA April Taylor's Condo

In the basement laundry room....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned..

Lt. Tragg had April Taylor bent over one of the sinks..his trousers down to his ankles...his boxers as well and her panties down, just plowing into her with wild abandoned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ARTHUR..OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDD

WOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she howled to the top of her lungs..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH APRIL, YOU ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!VA VA VA VOOOOOOOM!" he moaned..

She hadn't gone to work today...She had called out..She had worked on the case....It seemed she was the only one working on the case.. Her ex-husband, James "Jumpshot Jim" Taylor and Lt. Tragg seemed to be only working on her, she thought.

"ARTHUR , THIS FLOOR IS HARD AND IT'S COLD...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!" she moaned as he mounted her doggie style on the cold brick floor...plunging into her..

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!" he moaned..

Lt. Tragg had managed to control himself , while she washed clothes..., but once the clothes were in the dryer, he could control himself no longer..

They started kissing...

and kissing led to fondling and boxers and panties coming down..Bras coming off..

and before they knew it..

"Awwwwww lawd April..." he moaned as he came like a gusher..

His suit was wrinkled and his hair was in disarray...He drunkenly followed her upstairs into her house and into her bedroom as she folded and put away things..

"Take your clothes off..Let's get in the shower.." she whispered to Lt. Tragg..

He was dazed... He was starting to fall in love with this woman...

They took a nice long shower together and then got in her bed..

Where they made slow and steady love for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU APRIL..........."he moaned.

"ARTHUR THIS IS SOOOOOO NICE" she said, swooning as they made sweet love on an overcast afternoon..

IV-

THE NEXT DAY!

We sat in Sam Mother's Diner pretty disheartened..

U.S. Attorney Todd Dellums sat with us..

"I'm so sorry...Chris is a bit hard to take sometimes." he said.

"You mean he 's an asshole." said Nelson, visibly angry..

Todd laughed.. "Yeah he has been called that....but deep down inside..He's a good guy...He helped me out when we were in law school and I was going through some difficulties.. and believe me..He's a damn good prosecutor.. everything about him that makes him a class A asshole is what makes him a dogged and determined prosecutor.. My guess  is he was getting too close and someone wanted the probe stopped , which they succeeded in doing, it seems." said Todd.

"He was two and a half hours late for our meeting...We gave him a Portal and a Burner phone so he could contact at where-ever he is staying.and we haven't heard a peep out of him..."said Olivia.

"And this guy , this eyewitness, Bill Sonnett, he won't talk to us..He knows he's a subpeoned prosecution witness and he doesn't have to answer any of our questions."said Beverly.

"Sonnett, funny thing..Those two used to be friends..They had a falling out about a year ago...This might be personal with him...When you question him at the trial, you might want to key on that." said Todd.

''You're his friend...Do you have any idea who he might be seeing?" asked Josie.

It was a good question...And one I eagerly awaited the answer to.

"You know, he usually bragged about his sexual conquests and there are many in the U.S. Attorney's office...but for the past year...he's been closed mouth about who he's been seeing."said Todd.

"He told us, he was seeing somebody married.,and that he couldn't reveal her identity...So that's why we have no credible alibi..Our whole defense is just that he wasn't at the scene and we are going to force the prosecution to prove it other than one eye witness." said Olivia.

"That's a risky and gutsy strategy, but if anybody can pull it off, you guys can." said Todd.

"Heads up guys." said Bresha.

Lt. Tragg walked in with a big smile on his face..What looked like a new suit...Every hair in place, smelling good. He saw us all sitting at a big table, but walked right by us..

"New York strip Steak Sammy and two fried eggs...Some Orange Juice and Coffee.." he said.

"You're in a good mood Artie."laughed Sam Mother..

as his meal arrived..

ADA James "Jumpshot Jim" Taylor walked in.. He sported a big smile on his face... He looked at Lt. Tragg with a superior grin...

"Sam , an Omelette, Bacon and Coffee" he said as he sat down a few chairs from Lt. Tragg.

His meal came up.

Both men were smiling for the same reason....They had both slept with April Taylor in the past 24 hours..Just at different times.. They just didn't know it..They both thought they had one upped the other.

For her part, April was eating breakfast far across town...

At The Bridge Building 

in their stylish cafeteria...with the new investigator..

Laura Vale.  Neither woman wanted to be in the company of either man.

(TO BE CONTINUED)