Loaded Deck

 A WEEK LATER-

Mike entered the house he shared with his estranged wife, Jessica Hudson, Award winning novelist and screenplay writer...

It was his first time being here since she had put him out...The day after his arraignment..

Her attorney, Evie Harden was there also.... They both could sense some important announcement was about to be made..

He hadn't seen Evie since the wonderful night they spent at the Motel..

Making sweet love. Evie said she wanted to wait until after his trial on Murder charges before they could get together again.. He couldn't wait...Just thinking about Evie and how good she made him feel in bed was enough to drive him crazy some nights.

Also in attendance was Bert Vandenberg, an ex-FBI agent, now successful private investigator, who had been in Jessica's employ and her bedroom for quite sometime.

After he and Jessica's last romp in the bed, Bert felt as if he were falling in love... Just thinking about Jessica and how good she made him feel in bed was enough to drive him crazy some nights. It had been two weeks since they last made love.

"I have an announcement to make.... One...I plan on putting this house on the market...I'm moving to New York City..." she said.

"WHAT?  MOVING???YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT!  THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD DISCUSS TOGETHER FIRST...MY TRIAL STARTS TOMORROW FOR GOD SAKES!!" said a surprised and very angry Mike Hudson..

"Your trial is of no concern to me...This is MY HOUSE and I believe I owned this house before I even met you....I'm no lawyer, but even in this community property state, I don't have to divide or share anything with you I had before we married. I'm putting this house on the market immediately and that is that... Also... I'm handing you divorce papers...according to our pre-nup, You'll be awarded accordingly.. You can use it to pay your legal fees..HAHAHAHAHAHA! " she said and served him with divorce papers.."

"WHAT?? YOU'RE DIVORCING ME?? BUT I'M INNOCENT I TELL YOU....I DIDN'T POISON KATHLEEN... I DIDN'T.. I SWEAR...I HAVE GOOD ATTORNEYS AND THEY WILL PROVE THAT...I NEVER TRIED TO HARM YOU JESSICA...I SWEAR!" said a distraught Mike Hudson..

"Your Attorneys are good, The best ...but I don't care about that...I'm divorcing you... Good Luck with that...Who knows? Maybe they'll actually get you off .hahahahahahahahhaha! " said Jessica.

"Jessica, you should have talked to me about this...I am your attorney. How can you be so cold...How can you be so cruel??" said Evie.

"You WERE my attorney Evie.... You have been a capable attorney, but personally, you've got popcorn for brains....I have new counsel, in New York, He wrote up these divorce papers...  You'll be paid your severence and I'll expect you to move out one week from today..."said Jessica.

''So I'm Fired  ???? I've been with you from the beginning..and now I'm fired...I gave up a lucrative job with a good firm to work for you exclusively and now I'm just fired?" said Evie.

"Terminated is a better word... Fired is so uh Mr. Spacely on the Jetsons...I'm sure your old firm will take you back....You're a talented and seasoned Attorney. You won't have a problem finding work......Now, the reason why I'm making these changes is that I'M GETTING MARRIED!!! I'M MARRYING MR. JAMES RATCLIFF, PRODUCER And EXECUTIVE AT LIFETIME MOVIES INC!" she said Cheerfully...

" WHATTTTT??? MARRIED?? MOVING TO NEW YORK??" said Private Investigator Bert Vandenberg, who had been in her bedroom in this very house, making love to her just two weeks before..

"Bert, Bert...Your services have been appreciated both in the bed and out of the bed...but our business is ended...I'm sorry Bert...We are all adults...Get Over it....Get Over Me! " said Jessica, laughing......

"YOU!!!! YOU WHORE!!!! You were sleeping with him??? You were sleeping with another man?? While holding me off for once a month?? YOU YOU COLD CALCULATED BITCH!!!" screamed a distraught Mike Hudson..

"Honnnneyyyyyy, He's not the only one...There have been others." said Evie, now livid, that she was fired...

"WHAT?? OTHERS??? YOU WERE CHEATING ON ME?????" said a surprised and angry Bert Vanderberg...

"You didn't really think that YOU...were the only one.....YOU?????? Really Bert...Really?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Evie, slapping her thigh.

Jessica looked up.. she saw us...The Attorneys from McCluskey/Cozen/Connor & Pratt staring at her.

"WHO LET YOU IN?" she said incredulous.. Ms. Yvette ,myself, Bee Bee, Sofia, Kahlil and Jade were standing in her living room..

"Oh the door was unlocked...We heard you talking, So we just uh let ourselves in..." said Ms. Yvette.

"We aren't staying long.. We came to uh serve you this.. It's called a Subpoena." I said.

and dropped it in her lap.

"You are being subpoenaed to be a defense witness in the trial of your husband... You should read it..It's good bedtime reading before you go to sleep." said Bee Bee with a sexy ,devilish smile , much like Ms. Yvette's.

"Here is one for you too Mr. Vandenberg.." said Ms. Yvette dropping a subpoena in his lap..

He looked stunned.

"WHAT???" he said....He had said that a lot this morning...

"That's a subpoena....You of all people know what that is Bert." said Kahlil, smiling..

"Co'mo dices que te vere en la corte"said Sofia.

"She says we'll see you in court." said Kahlil...

"Bye Now!" said Jade,smiling...

"Please be on time.. The Judge hates tardiness." said Yvette as we all exited.,.

Bert  got up...He was livid....He was so angry , he was shaking and tears were streaming ddown his face.

"I'll let myself out...My business here is over." he said as he walked out the door with his subpoena.

"Don't look at me... I'm no longer your lawyer... I'm going to go upstairs and pack my things...I'll have a moving company stop by and get the rest by the end of the day..."said Evie, trying to conceal a smile.

"I'll help you pack your things... I think I'll pack up some of my things too!..."said Mike, following her.

Jessica sat there with a blank expression on her face... She had thought she was ruining everyone else's day and all of a sudden, the tables had turned a little bit.

II-

COURTROOM A- 10:00 AM, The Next Morning..

We sat in court on the first day of the Preliminary hearing into the murder of Kathleen Morrison with our client....Michael Hudson, husband of famed Novelist and Screenplay writer, Jessica Hudson...

Because She was famous...

Naturally, the Press was all over it and Lt. Tragg

Looking like he was straight out of Central Casting was there talking to the press... Every single hair in place, Brand new tailored Italian suit.... Shoes that cost a mint...A manicure and heavy make up... He was reveling in the fact that he made the arrest...

''I wish he'd shut up..Whether he made the arrest or not...He takes away from your right to have a fair trial...He's poisoning the public and any potential jurors that sees him on TV against you." said an Angry Yvette.

"What happened to cops saying they couldn't comment on open investigations or cases?" asked our client, Mike Hudson, who totally understood what Yvette was saying.

"Lt. Tragg didn't read that part of the policemen's handbook." said Bee Bee.

"You mean he can read?" I joked.

Sofia cracked up laughing and playfully slapped me on the back...

"He must have heard us, he's walking this way." said Kahlil.

"I know what this is about." said Jade.

Lt. Tragg walked over to us...He pointed at Bee Bee and Jade..

"YOU TWO....You were driving a dark late model Tesla about a week ago near the Hudson joint...I know it was you...I clearly saw Bee Bee driving and you were with her Jade...What were you two up to?" asked Lt. Tragg.

''I don't know what you're talking about....I don't own a Tesla.." said Jade.

"Neither Me, Nor My Husband owns a Tesla." said Bee Bee.

''Don't get cute with me.. I saw you both cruising by the Hudson place a week ago..NOW WHAT WERE YOU UP TO?? I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU AGAIN!!" snarled Lt. Tragg.

"For the sake of an argument...Say you did see them...Did they break any laws? Run through any red lights?? Go above the speeding limit?" asked Ms. Yvette..

"Well, well no." said Lt. Tragg.

"Far as I know...There is no law against driving...." said Ms. Yvette...

"I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY WERE UP TO??" snarled Lt. Tragg..

''Here comes Judge Robinson and the ADA...Let's go guys." said Ms. Yvette as we all piled into the courtroom...

Judge Robinson greeted us all as we entered the courtroom...

''Good Morning everyone...I'm sorry, I was running a little late." she said.

ADA Leslie Chance walked in right behind her...

The burden of proof is a party’s responsibility to prove a disputed charge, allegation, or defense 

The burden of proof has two components: the burden of production and the burden of persuasion. The burden of production is the obligation to present evidence to the judge or jury. 

The burden of persuasion is the duty to convince the judge or jury to a certain standard, such as beyond a reasonable doubt, which is defined shortly. This standard is simply a measuring point and is determined by examining the quantity and quality of the evidence presented. 

“Meeting the burden of proof” means that a party has introduced enough compelling evidence to reach the standard defined in the burden of persuasion. The plaintiff or prosecutor generally has the burden of proving the case, including every element of it. 

The defendant often has the burden of proving any defense. The trier of fact determines whether a party met the burden of proof at trial. The trier of fact would be a judge in a nonjury or bench trial. In a criminal case, the trier of fact is almost always a jury because of the right to a jury trial in the Sixth Amendment. Jurors are not legal experts, so the judge explains the burden of proof in jury instructions, which are a common source of appeal.

The prosecution’s burden of proof in a criminal case is the most challenging burden of proof in law; it is beyond a reasonable doubt. Judges have struggled with a definition for this burden of proof. 

As Chief Justice Shaw stated nearly a century ago, [w]hat is reasonable doubt? 

It is a term often used, probably pretty well understood, but not easily defined. It is not mere possible doubt; because every thing relating to human affairs, and depending on moral evidence, is open to some possible or imaginary doubt. It is that state of the case, which, after the entire comparison and consideration of all the evidence, leaves the minds of jurors in that condition that they cannot say they feel an abiding conviction, to a moral certainty, of the truth of the charge (Commonwealth v. Webster, 2010).

 In general, the prosecution’s evidence must overcome the defendant’s presumption of innocence, which the Constitution guarantees as due process of law (In re Winship, 2010). This fulfills the policy of criminal prosecutions, which is to punish the guilty, not the innocent. If even a slight chance exists that the defendant is innocent, the case most likely lacks convincing and credible evidence, and the trier of fact should acquit the defendant.

Ms. Yvette asked to waive a Preliminary Hearing...We knew a crime had been committed...The crime of Murder in the first and she asked that we have a Bench Trial..

A bench trial is a trial by judge, as opposed to a trial by jury. The term applies most appropriately to any administrative hearing in relation to a summary offense to distinguish the type of trial. Many legal systems (Roman, Islamic) use bench trials for most or all cases or for certain types of cases.

Judge Robinson was surprised by the request....but she  accepted our request...

Assistant District Attorney Leslie Chance agreed..  "The People have no problem with this..." she said.

"Yvette must not have a case to make which goes well in our favor." she said to Lt. Tragg, but knowing she didn't have much of a case to make either..  "On the other hand, I think Yvette could possibly be playing with a loaded deck. Is it too much for me to ask you to go out and do a little digging???...I don't want to be surprised here.." she said to Lt. Tragg...

"Oh she's got nothing....and she knows it....That's why she wants to, why she needs to argue before the Judge....You've got the hot hand baby, the loaded deck....We are going to send this guy to the little green room at Greene Correctional Center , where he'll get a hot shot in his arm...Heh heh Heh!"laughed a confident Lt. Tragg.

"I'd feel better if you went out and did a little more digging...Don't leave any stones unturned." she said and removed his hands from under her skirt... "Instead of digging your fingers in my panties..."PLEASE STOP IT!" she protested again...

Lt. Tragg had a goofy pleased as punch look on his face.... He had no intention of doing anymore investigating than he already had done.

"I'll Hear arguments tomorrow Morning in this courtroom at 11:00 AM. Be On time and be ready for

arguments, everybody..." said Judge Robinson.

"I know you're the lawyers, but is a bench trial wise?" asked a very nervous Mike Hudson...

"In your case , yes... It'll get your trial over quickly...Without worrying about a jury pool that has been poisoned thanks to Lt. Tragg's press conferences and appearences on Television."said Ms. Yvette.

"I've tried two bench cases in my short career...You have to be sure of the Judge... You have to be sure you don't have a judge who is hostile to the defense and pro prosecution...I was lucky to have a Judge who was pro defense." I explained to him.

"Keith is right.. Most of the time...I'd say 98 percent of the time we opt for both a Preliminary hearing to see what the prosecution has... and a jury trial, to give us time..." said Kahlil..

"That's not the case now.... We have enough to get you off and we know the Prosecution has next to nothing...We know that...We have a good Judge and that is that..." said Sofia..

"Okay....I'll trust you guys...You seem like you know your business." said Mike.

"ALRIGHT EITHER YOU GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER OR I'LL PULL YOUR LICENSE RIGHT NOW!! YOU WERE IN A BLACK TESLA A WEEK AGO!! WHAT WERE YOU DOING DRIVING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD?" bellowed Lt. Tragg.

"I was not driving a Black Tesla." was all Jade would say..  It was the truth, She was not driving a Black Tesla... Bee Bee was!

''Well you heard her...She wasn't driving a Black Tesla and I don't own one...Byeeeee."said Bee Bee, laughing as we pulled out..Which didn't exactly say she wasn't driving one..It just meant she didn't own one..

We all laughed at how perturbed and unhinged Lt. Tragg was over this issue...He didn't have one lick of proof that they were in that car that night and even if he got proof that they were... What could he do to them?? There is no law against renting a car and driving anywhere....

''He needs Psychiatric attention...I'm serious..." I said.

"I can't believe he is so unhinged about this... So they were driving and he saw them?? What is the big deal??" asked Sofia.

"Yeah, really?" asked Kahlil.

"You know, he's dangerous....He shouldn't be on the force..." said our client, Mike Hudson...

"And to think, they issued him a gun.."laughed Ms. Yvette as we all filed out of court...

Leaving Lt. Tragg standing there steaming....

III-

We were home after a short work day....

Bee Bee and I were in the shower together...

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu Hot Stuff...Look at you.....Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" said Bee Bee. Kissing me and using both of her hands to fondle what had become a huge raging erection....

" Girrrrrl these past few days.... You driving sexy cars, wearing tight black mini skirts...It's been more than I can take.." I said..

"Well relax... You've got me all to yourself.." she said smiling.

Out of the shower , Bee Bee lotioned down and got ready for bed...

"Stop looking at me like that..." she laughed..

"I can't help it...You're gorgeous.." I said...

"That earns you a kiss." said Bee Bee.

I sat her on the bathroom sink and slowly and softly entered her....as we kissed passionately....

''Ouuuuuuuuuu this is more than a kiss hot stuff." she said,laughing as I moved in and out of her..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...UMMMMMMMMMMMMM...YESSSSSSSSSS" she cooed..her body trembling mightily.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, OH MY GOODNESSS,WOUUUUUUU! UMMMPH...YOU ARE GOOD AND HARD AND SO DAMN BIG, Hot STUFF!" she cooed...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BEE BEEEEEE!" I moaned... She felt so soft, so wet, so good." I thought..

She wrapped her legs around my waste and continued to kiss me slowly and softly as I lifted her long stroked her in the middle of the floor..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, UMMMMMMMMMMM YOU ARE ALL UP IN THIS!" she cried out

We made it to our bed... She wrapped her big shapely legs around my waist....I was in Heaven...Pure heaven as I began to stroke her masterfully....

"OUUUUUUU HOT STUFF....YOUR BEE BEE LOVES YOU!!! UMMMMMMMMMM MORE THAN YOU CAN UNDERSTAND!!" she moaned...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWD!" I moaned as we continued making love...

And Next Door, Sofia and Kahlil were already in bed...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU PAPI.....PAPI OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Sofia cooed.

Kahlil was slipping Sofia's panties down... and mounting her..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MAMASITA! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he moaned.

Sofia said something in Spanish which got Kahlil  very excited..

They sat on the side of the bed, kissing passionately , while Sofia moved up and down on Kahlil, still speaking Spanish and kissing each other passionately.....Sofia's body was trembling, her head was moving from side to side and she was actually crying like a little girl..

"AYE PAPI" she screamed out!

''Ayeeee Papi...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she moaned , wrapping her big shapely legs around Kahlil.

"Mamasita..." he moaned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...UMMMMMMMMMMMMM...YESSSSSSSSSS" he moaned.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, Aye Mios Dios,WOUUUUUUU!" she cooed...

And a few doors down at Ms. Yvette's house...

''Gary....Gary..UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM OHHHHHHHHHH MY WORD..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Ms. Yvette moaned..

"OHHHHHHH VETTTIE, YOU ARE MY SWEET GIRRRRRL....IT'S BETTER EVERYTIME...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Gary moaned.

She rode him on the side of the bed, clinging on for dear life, her head moving from side to side...Her body trembling... Sweat and tears flowing down the side of her face....

and on top of the bed.... Gary didn't know if he was coming or going.... Yvette was simply driving him crazy......

Their bed was moving with the rhythm of their bodies, which made the experience all that much better.

And a few doors down at Ms. Jade's house....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH YOU SEXY LITTLE MINX!!" hollered Danny Ho....

"OHHHHH LOVE ME, LOVE ME...LOVE ME LONG TIME!" screamed Ms. Jade..

As they made sweet love...and their bed squeaked out of control, their headboards slamming against the walls.

We all may have been inside our homes ,making  sweet love....but unknown to us...

Lt. Tragg was in an unmarked police car with tinted windows... cruising down our street and down our driveway...Looking for that Tesla..

We kept our cars in our garages...We didn't park on the street...so his search for the car was fruitless...It was fruitless anyway since it had been returned to the dealer...Had he of bothered to take down the license plate, he could have traced the car to the car rental place and discovered that Bee Bee had taken it out.

"No sign of that car and I'd need a warrant to get inside of those garages.." he thought..

He pulled off...He didn't want to spend too much time on this block... 

And at the same time Private Investigator, Bert Vandenberg was in Curley's Bar, downing one beer after another, crying in his beer literally.

"I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! TWO WEEKS AGO , WE WERE IN BED, MAKING LOVE....SHE WAS SCREAMING MY NAME!!!BEGGING ME TO PUT IT IN HER....AND TODAY, TODAY SHE TELLS ME SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!!!! MARRYING SOME GUY FROM NEW YORK??? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!  CURLEY!!!! TWO WEEKS AGO ,JUST TWO WEEKS AGO MANNNN,  WE WERE IN BED, MAKING LOVE....SHE WAS SCREAMING MY NAME!!!BEGGING ME TO PUT IT IN HER....AND TODAY, TODAY SHE TELLS ME SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!!!! MARRYING SOME GUY FROM NEW YORK??? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!" he moaned...

Gulping down his eleventh beer...

"Roscoe, call an Uber... He can't go home in this condition...He's plastered...." said Curley, who was tired of hearing the story....

IV-

COURTROOM A- 11:00 AM, The Next Morning..

Judge Robinson was on time this morning... She hadn't presided over a Bench Trial in awhile....

"I don't like this... It smells like a trick!" said Lt. Tragg to Assistant District Attorney Leslie Chance..

"It may be the easiest way for me to get a conviction, considering the very little I have." said ADA Leslie Chance..

 

''What do you mean???, You've got all you need." said Lt. Tragg ,still believing he had given her a loaded deck. He was going to find out soon...

We all sat quietly and allowed Assistant District Attorney Leslie Chance to make her case..

She called to the stand, Several people from the Medical Examiner's Office and several uniformed cops who were at the scene of the crime... Their statements were the same as the ones they initially made.. We didn't cross examine them because they told us , what we already knew.. That Kathleen Morrison was poisoned by what she thought were allergy pills, but were actually....Pills laced with heavy dosages of arsenic...

This took up two days of testimony.... This proved to us, that she didn't have much..... She produced the Pharmacist who made the subscription up and gave it to Michael Hudson  the CSI men who testified that only Michael's fingerprints were on the bottle.

Assistant District Attorney Leslie Chance argued that Michael Hudson ,husband of famous novelist and Screenwriter, Jessica Hudson planned to murder her by lacing her allergy pills with arsenic...A lethal dose.. She said he stands to get her 30 million dollar fortune plus a 1 million dollar life insurance policy... Only he killed the wrong woman. An assistant of Mrs. Hudson who took what she believed was an allergy pill, meant for Jessica Hudson and collapsed and died.

She closed her case on the fourth day of testimony....

Lt. Tragg folded his arms... He smiled wryly... "Oh Yeah, he's going down...No way Yvette and them are going to get him off...They might have fared better with a Jury." he said.

"Mrs. Lockwood you asked for this Bench  Trial, I assume you have a defense." said Judge Robinson , who was surprised we hadn't objected to or questioned one prosecution witness on cross the entire four days..It indeed looked like a slam dunk case for the prosecution...She was curious as to what kind of defense we could possibly have.

''We do your honor...We call our first witness, Bert Vendenberg...." said Ms. Yvette.

Bert walked to the stand.... He hadn't even been present the night in question...What could they possibly want with him???, he wondered...

Lt. Tragg wondered the same thing... "What do they want with Bert?" 

"Mr. Vandenberg, You were once a decorated FBI agent and since leaving the bureau , you have become a much heralded Private Investigator.. Is that correct?? " asked Ms. Yvette.

"That's correct." said Bert Vandenberg.

''You have been acquainted with Mrs. Hudson for a number of years, is that correct?" asked Bee Bee.

"Yes....For a number of years...My services have recently been terminated.." he said , staring daggers at Jessica Hudson..

,who looked off into the distance..

"I used to read Mrs. Hudson's novels religiously when I was younger and I noticed the attention to detail and how a lot of the stories were loosely based on people I knew, movers and shakers in the city...although fictionalized... Two of the characters were loosely based off of my very best friend, Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her niece, Beverly in her last book in which they defended a man accused of murdering a Ms. Panties contestant, which they actually did...And the real life winner of Ms. Panties recently sued Mrs. Hudson because she didn't like the way she was portrayed. Mrs. Hudson got all of that information from you didn't she?" asked Yvette.

You did a lot a lot of the research for her didn't you? These Books were just too accurate..." asked Ms. Yvette.

"As a matter of fact, I did.. Not the first two...but every one after those...She owes a big chunk of her fortune to the research that I DID!" said Bert Vandenberg, who appeared visibly hurt and wounded.

Jennifer looked aloofly at the ceiling..

''She wrote one last Book, A book she didn't finish about a wealthy heiress who suspects her personal assistant is having an affair with her husband and she poisons her assistant and frames her cheating husband by lacing her allergy pills with arsenic... Sound familliar?" asked Kahlil..

Bert looked surprised...

"I didn't help her with that book... I didn't know anything about it.." he said.

"We know you didn't..No further questions...." said Ms. Yvette.

"Now Jennifer Harrison was nervous...she shouted out..

"HOW DID YOU GET THAT MANUSCRIPT?"

"It was mailed to my home by persons unknown." Ms. Yvette said.

Ms. Yvette had printed it out in full and had Ms. Virginia

 place it in a large envelope and mail it to her home from a Post Office across town..

.Just to cover Bee Bee and Jade.

"I call my next witness , Mrs. Jessica Hudson.." said Ms. Yvette.

She glared at Ms. Yvette with an Icy hatred.....

"You know.....I took this case on and I had no idea how I was going to defend your husband until I read this manuscript and you showed me how it was done....You almost got away with this...His fingerprints on the bottle....Everyone saw him  give Ms. Morrison the pills and a glass of water, including myself, who was a guest at your house that night... you had stacked the deck against your husband.

 But a few things bothered me though..... One...You've known Kathleen Morrison since you two were in college and you've known she was allergic to Deadwood plants and yet the day before our dinner, you ordered a big Deadwood plant from this florist....I have the receipt and your credit card receipt right here..Defense exhibits, B& C... You knew she was allergic and yet you planted that plant in the dining room knowing she'd have a reaction....Just like in your book...

Then there is the matter of the pills.." said Ms. Yvette..

"Your husband purchased the pills...from the Pharmacist who testified... But what he and no one else knew is that you purchased the same pills from another Pharmacist across town on the same day......I have your credit card receipt to prove it and the pharmacist is here and will testify to that...Why would you have your Husband pick up your allergy pills and then you pick up the same allergy pills from another pharmacist on the same day?" I asked..

"I have a receipt and a credit card charge for a large amount of rat poison that you ordered on line..And rat poison contains arsenic..." said Sofia..

"You switched the bottles didn't you? Knowing your husband was going to grab the bottle you wiped down and left in the medicine cabinet.. Just Like in the book... Your husband's prints were the only ones on the bottle. You framed him...Killing two birds with one stone...You kill your rival who betrayed you and you frame your husband for her murder...It was brilliant." said Kahlil.

"It was brilliant..but you made one mistake.. besides the obvious...." said Yvette.

"You killed the wrong woman!!.....Kathleen was not sleeping with your husband..."said Bee Bee...

"Your lawyer was!! Kathleen was loyal to you until the end...and you killed her!" said Ms. Yvette..

"OH MY GOD NOOOO!  OH KATHLEEN....I'M SOOOO SORRY....I SHOULD HAVE KILLED EVIE..AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW NOOOOOOO! I DIDN'T KNOW....I DIDN'T KNOW ,OHHHHH KATHLEEEN... I SHOULD HAVE NEVER KILLED YOU...OHHHHHHHH!" sobbed Jennifer loudly.

And then it was all out... She had confessed.....

"BAILIFFS, TAKE THIS WOMAN INTO CUSTODY!!!" said Judge Robinson...

"Guess I uh should have signed your autograph all those years ago huh?" Jessica said to Yvette.

"Wouldn't have made a difference....You shouldn't have cut your husband down to having sex with you once a month....That might have helped the situation.." said Yvette quietly...

She sighed and smiled.  "Yeah, it might have." she said as she was handcuffed and lead out of the courtroom...

ADA Leslie Chance looked at Lt. Tragg and shook  her head... ''Loaded Deck huh?  Looks like Yvette was playing with the loaded deck...You didn't look into the lawyer or Mrs. Hudson to see if they might have motives...You didn't check anybody's debit or credit card receipts... Simple things a first year detective might have done. YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE WORST....I DON"T EVER WANT TO WORK A CASE YOU'RE INVOLVED IN AGAIN....OH MY GOD!!!" she said loudly...

and stormed out of the empty courtroom.

We all heard it...

Lt. Tragg was thorougly embarrassed...  He was as red as a beet.....

Me, Bee Bee, Sofia, Kahlil and Jade heard it and we all snickered a little... Jade laughed out loud, not trying to hide it.... We were the only ones in the courtroom, so he heard it.

"Yvette, you and your team are incredible... I didn't know how I was going to beat this case and you guys found a way..... You're the best..."said Mike as a bailiff removed the electronic ankle bracelet.

"There is someone here to see you Mikey....She won't cut you off to just once a month..." said Ms. Yvette.

"Michael....you're Free...Yvette and her team are amazing...When she said she was going to ask for a bench trial, I was worried...But she knew what she was doing." said Evie..

"Of Course, they did... They were playing with a loaded deck.." said Mikey, winking..

As he took Evie in his arms and kissed her passionately....

EPILOUGE-

We recommended our friend, Zoey to handle the divorce... She did and Mike and Evie got married soon after...

Jessica Hudson was convicted of First Degree Murder and sentenced to Life... Naturally, her engagement to John Ratcliff was called off.  We heard she's writing a novel from prison.

Maybe we were being sadistic...But after this victory..We all met at Curleys to celebrate to rub it in Lt. Tragg's face... Our entire building was there... Ms. Yvette, her husband Gary, Me, Bee Bee, Sofia, Kahlil, Jade, Danny,Ms.Virginia, Jetty, Jazzy, Dabnis, Kayla and Ray and Jessica and Chip....

"Here's to one week of a well deserved vacation guys..." said Ms. Yvette, who was sitting in her husband, Gary's lap..

"Here Here..." said Gary, holding Ms. Yvette tight and kissing her every other second.

I was holding Bee Bee tight in my lap too...

"I can't wait to hit that beach." I said.

"Me Neither... Wait until you see the neon bikinis Sofia and I bought." said Bee Bee.

"They're scandalous..." said Sofia.

"Ouuuuuu I can't wait. I'll bet they are." said Kahlil, holding Sofia in his lap....

"I'm tired..I need a break." said Jade.

"I know I do..." said Danny Ho..

"Wow....My first time vacationing with you guys....This sounds like fun." said Virginia..

"Oh I know it will be." said Jetty.

"The Best thing.... We don't have to buy and pack any food.... Rollie said there is an excellent restaurant  and Bar in our hotel and several nice restaurants along the beach.." said Jazzy...

''He financed our vacation last year in Punta Cana...He really loves Olivia and Beverly." said Dabnis..

"Oh he does and they've been representing them since they started the firm.." said Kayla.

"Wow,between hm and Richard Graves and that guy who owns that rooftop Nightclub... Liv and Beverly have it made..

''And the best thing is... They share the wealth with all of us.." said Jessica..

''Yeah, that's the best thing." said Chip..

Our Across the street neighbors Olivia Bennett-Alexander , her husband, Donnie Ray, her niece, Beverly and her husband, Nelson, Josie and her husband, Paris and Bresha and her husband,  Tony, Her office manager, Alfreda and her husband, Rockland were also in attendance.

"Hey Everybody...I'm so glad you're all here.., I picked up everybody's airline tickets..." said Olivia ,who passed them out...And we lucked out... We are all on the same floor, except for B.L. and Karen and Zoey and Lem... They're a floor below us." said Olivia.

''But you know they'll be on our floor all the time.." said Donnie Ray.

"Our floor has a huge day room where we can hang out all the time.." said Beverly...

''When We aren't on the beach or hitting the clubs." said Nelson..

"Ouuuu I can't wait.." said Josie.

"Man, this is gonna be so much fun... I saved this week just for this." said Paris.

"I suppose we all did." said Bresha.

"I was glad I could take it." said Tony....

''Me too Tony... I love vacationing with you guys." said Alfreda. Being around these young people made her feel young and having a husband a decade younger than her made her feel even younger..

She sat in Rockland's lap....He looked happy and content..

Zoey and Lem had walked in...They drove down... They didn't ride on the buses with us..

This could become a problem if Lt. Tragg came in tonight.. He was still smarting from his DUI arrest a few weeks ago and itching to put the bite on one of us...any one of us.

"Hey everybody..."said Zoey.

''What's going on?" said Lem as he sat down.

Tonight was Martini Night... The women were having Watermelon Martini's, Lemon Martini's,

Mango Martini's and Citris Martini's , a favorite of Olivia, Beverly and Ms. Yvette.

More Martini's arrived...

The Guys had their favorite draft beers...

As fate would have it.. "Mr. Warmth" himself, Lt. Tragg walked in.. He was still smarting from his recent losses in court to both us and Olivia and Beverly... Seeing us all here together and coupled up only enraged him more...

"ALL THIS DRINKING GOING ON. I KNOWWWW ALL YOU HIGH FALLUTIN ATTORNEYS WON'T BE DRIVING AFTER ALL OF THIS DRINKING IN HERE TONIGHT...IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF ANY OF YOU GOT ARRESTED FOR DUI!!!" he bellowed.

''Only one whose had a DUI and an accident is you...You'd better watch your drinking." said Dabnis.

Everybody sitting around him exploded in loud raucous laughter.

Especially Jade and Beverly, who were laughing the loudest.

''Button your lip pal or I'll button it for you." said Lt. Tragg to Dabnis..

"Seems like the last time you said that, U.S. Attorney Dellums buttoned your lip for you.." said Dabnis..

Which was met by more laughter..

Laughter from folks a little older who he couldn't bully or intimidate.

Now Lt. Tragg was really unhinged..but before he could say any more to us..

Dr. Barrett Colgate walked in...

He had a pair of panties in his hands.. He gave them to Lt. Tragg..

"You bought my girlfriend a pair of panties? What is wrong with you, you freak?  Here take these.. She doesn't need you to buy her panties. And if I hear of you rubbing her legs and running your filthy hands up under her skirt again...I'LL KILL YOU, YOUR FREAK!" he said and stormed out.

The laughter at our tables was now so loud and hysterical that Lt. Tragg turned and left... Which was met by clapping, whistling and cheering...

He angrilly got in his car and pulled off.

"You know, I'm gonna miss him next week." said Ms. Yvette.

"I won't." said Olivia.

"Me Neither" said Alfreda.

''That makes Three of us." said Virginia..

All four women laughed.