To Deal or Not to Deal

We all sat in the conference room...

"I am surprised you sent Beverly and Josie to the Federal Building Liv and that you didn't go.."said Bresha.

"This is no different than any other arriagnment..Well it is a little different...Don't worry , next time I'll send you with Nelson.. I have confidence in all my people...You all are good enough to act in my absence.."said Olivia, smiling..

"Bev just called.. She got Brooke released from custody on her own recognizance.. She Brooke and Josie are on their way back here." said Nelson..

"You guys are the TRUTH!" said ADA Natalie Tennison, who smiled and shook her head...She didn't think they were going to be able to get her friend sprung from federal custody like that..

''Tall dark and southern is back." said Alfreda.

"No disrespect Olivia...They should call your hubby Tall dark and Sexy...He can really fill out a suit." said Natalie..

"I knowwwww...that's what turns me on about him."laughed Olivia..

I walked in and dropped a number of photos and folders on the table..

"I got copies of the crime report, the crime scene photos...The autopsies of all the bodies recovered and crime scene photos of the deceased.. Detectives William "Bull" Bailey and Stanley Barnes.

Did a very clever and meticulous investigation..a very good one..They made the case on a lot of circumstantial evidence..but it was the only way they could have.. I have the court transcripts here too...They had a good case...and then his partner nearly blew it by striking the guy...They almost got it thrown out.. They couldn't use his confession...but they did use the information to actually locate the bodies..  The killer knew that these women had been missing for so long and were so badly decomposed that there would be no trace evidence, no forensic evidence that could be used against him...

Then there was the discovery of the contact lense in Harley Hayden's apartment with his DNA on it...That sunk him...He didn't figure on that or maybe he did." I said.

"His lawyer is arguing that that evidence was planted...that he was never in her apartment.."said Olivia..

''Well how did it get there and with his DNA on it? It proves that there was some contact."said Nelson..

"Unless it was  taken off of the body at the crime scene...and you have to ask yourself.. The police searched all of their apartments when those girls were first reported missing..How is it they didn't find it? But the Prosecutor finds it...It looks very suspect." said Bresha.

 

"You make good points...Here they come now."said Natalie..

Beverly, Josie and Brooke walked in..

"It was a piece of cake Auntay, easier than most arraignments..."said Beverly...

"The young Judge couldn't take his eyes off of Beverly's butt and my boobs....Luke Fuente never stood a chance."laughed Josie. We had 15 charactor witnesses...Good Charactor witnesses and the bail bondsmen you sent.. Didn't have to use him.."said Josie.

"The Feds have offered me a deal.. If I write an apology and apologize in public...They will not give me any jail time.."said Brooke.

"But ???..."said Olivia.

"There is always a But??" said Nelson.

"But , I would be disbarred...and my testimony would be used by his defense attorney to get his conviction thrown out and that monster would be back on the street, but none of the blow back would hit Former Deputy District Attorney Lucas Fuentes ,who is conveniently prosecuting the case. They are on pins and needles awaiting my decision.." said Brooke.

''So what is your decision???..As your Attorney we'll back what ever you say."said Olivia.

"NO DEAL....Olivia ,I did nothing wrong...I discovered that contact lense..but I DID NOT PLANT IT...I DIDN'T PUT IT THERE....Yes, I got the anonymous phone call telling us to look at that apartment again...I was second chair...I reported it to Deputy District Attorney Lucas Fuentes...It was HIS JOB as lead Prosecutor to inform the defense and to place that call in discovery... I did nothing wrong, nothing at all... They are willing to throw me under the bus...have me disbarred...and all they are saying is I'd get no jail time. Forget it , I want to fight this to the very end..Put them all on blast." said Brooke.

"How much jail time would you be looking at?" asked Nelson.

"Disbarment and 10 years in Federal Prison..All I ever wanted to be was a Lawyer...I used to watch Perry Mason with my Grandfather when I was a little girl and that's what I wanted to be..A Lawyer..They are talking about taking my life away from me...They want me to fall on my sword..Take one for the team...I'm not going to do it..They aren't my team anymore."said Brooke.

Beverly, Nelson, Josie,Bresha, Alfreda and Natalie all stood up and clapped and cheered...

I smiled.

''So...We Fight... and the first thing we are going to do is have a press conference.. That should send a chill through their spines..

We called a press conference outside of our house..Brooke addressed the press..

"I have done nothing wrong...I was released today from Federal Custody and a deal was placed on my plate...They want me to confess to something I didn't do...I did not place evidence on a crime scene and it was not my responsibility to report an anonymous call made to me about the case, when I did report it to then Deputy District Attorney Lucas Fuente....He was the lead Prosecutor, it was his duty to report it to the Defense and place it in Discovery...I was only Second Chair..He was running the case.Now they want me to confess and apologize for the way they screwed up the case..and accept no jail time, but public humiliation and disbarment. I lose either way...Disbarment and 10 years in Federal Prison still means that I can not practice law for something I am innocent of... My attorneys, Olivia Bennett-Alexander, Beverly West, Nelson East, Josie Boyd and Bresha Billips are the best defense attorneys money can buy... I trust them and we intend to fight to the end.. We are going to trial."said Brooke.

Natalie clapped for her friend...Tears ran down her face..

Olivia, Beverly, Nelson,Josie, Bresha and I didn't say anything..but we stood behind Brooke , smiling..

And at Curley's Bar...Watching the entire thing on Television...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ...WHY DIDN'T SHE TAKE THE DAMN DEAL? WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?? She wouldn't have gone to jail...She could have gotten her license back in a year or two.. I've seen it happen...OUUUUUU AND SHE CALLED MY NAME...ARGHHHHH THIS WILL HURT MY CHANCES AT ELECTION...GARCETTI IS LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF RIGHT NOW....I DON'T WANT TO GO TO TRIAL!!!OUUUUUU!" yelled Former Deputy District Attorney Lucas Fuente...

"I told you that Olivia Bennett-Alexander would be a problem...I told you." said William "Bull" Bailey.

II-

We Gave Natalie and Brooke the full tour of our establishment..

The Law Library in the small building adjacent to our duplex...

and the media room ,also in this building..

"Oh My God Olivia...This is incredible..."said Brooke..

"WOWWWWWWWWWWW YOU GUYS ARE FULL OF SURPRISES.."said Natalie.

"Josie helped me design these two rooms in this building.. Before she became an Attorney ,She had a B.A. from  Fisk in Architecture,,and an MBA from PENN....She is very valuable to us." said Olivia,hugging Josie and kissing her on the cheek..

Josie smiled and blushed..

"This is where the magic happens." said Beverly..

We took them up to Beverly and Nelson's floor..

"This is where the magic occurs between me and her.." said Nelson..

Beverly smiled, rubbed his arms..

and gave him a soft kiss..

and finally upstairs to Olivia and I's spot where they had been, where they joined us for dinner.

"Join us for dinner, since you're here" said Alfreda, who was helping me cook..

"Yes, take a seat...We have other guests tonight." I said.

"We wouldn't have it any other way.."said Olivia.

"I can never ever think of you guys as anything but my friends, regardless of whether we face each other in court again or not."said Brooke.

"Me too!" said Natalie..

They joined Beverly and Nelson, Josie and Paris, Bresha and Tony

"Sit down, get comfortable...I invited Jazzy and Dabnis and my cousin Kayla and her husband Ray." said Beverly...

''And I invited Jessica Sanchez-Burrows and her husband, Chip." said Nelson...

"You guys know us... Me and my husband, Paris," said Josie.

"And me and my husband, Tony." said Bresha.

And additional guests, Jazzy and Dabnis, Kayla and Ray...Jessica and Chip and Zoey and Lem.and Alfreda's husband, Rockland as dinner guests..

"Hey Natalie Girl, saw you guys on Television today...We all clapped and cheered."said Jazzy..

"Go Get em Brooke..Don't let em get away with this."said Dabnis..

"Nat if you need any additional help...You know my phone number."said Kayla.

"Yeah these Bennett women are something else."said her husband, Gary.

"You lovvvve Bennett Women don't you?" laughed Jessie..

"That's why he married into the family."laughed Chip.

"Liv, Beverly, everything is delish."said Zoey...

"Yes indeed." said Lem...

We had invited enough people to be sure there would be no leftovers..

We had Fried Chicken, Candied Yams, Greens, Potato Salad, Hot Cornbread.. and Guava Punch..

I had Alexa programmed to play 90's Classic Hip Hop, Classic R& B and Funk and a little Smooth Jazz... A Good time was  had  by all.

After Dinner, Olivia and Beverly pulled Brooke aside.,

"Brooke , we want you to move into a Hotel Room and place your car in an indoor parking lot..Off the Street. Use your own name." said Olivia.

"This is a Portal, I know you know what this is...Use this...Check in with us and you'll get updates on how your case is going." said Beverly

Passing her the Portal..

"Write this number down, this is a burner phone....Hold on to this."said Bresha.

Passing her the phone..

"Don't call our Business phones or our Personal phones...Communicate with us through this and change the sim card every two days."said Nelson..

"You guys take no chances...huh?" said Brooke.

"We have this place swept every three days...We are about confidentiality and security." I said..

"You guys are sooo thorough.."laughed Brooke.

A nice meal and fellowship on a cold Friday afternoon!

III-

Natalie drove Brooke to the hotel...

''Well Here we are...I'll get you tomorrow and take you to your car...So you can drive it back...Maybe we can have dinner."said Natalie,,

"Thank You Nat....You're my good friend.."said Brooke, hugging her..

"You know I got your back girl."said Natalie.. "You need to get laid...Call Lt. Tragg...he'd be overjoyed."joked Natalie..

"Oh My God, You got jokes and Bad Jokes at that!"said Natalie...

She hugged her friend one last time and went to her room..

She took a nice hot shower and lie across the bed..She hadn't had sex in a long time..Almost Two years... She was definitely not calling Lt. Tragg...She was incredibly horny though....

She called one person she hadn't thought about.in awhile... Her Ex-Husband... Yes she had been married and divorced..

Her  Ex-husband, An Attorney, A litigator named Sean Marks and her had been married for two years...

It didn't work out....but they had remained friends..

"Hi Sean...How are you?" she asked.

"Brooke....I saw you on television today....I can't believe what they are trying to pull on you....Look, I still work for the fed...If you need anything, a record, a file, anything..All you gotta do is say the word..and I'll get it to you..." he said.

''No I don't need anything like that..." she said.

There was an uncanny moment of quiet between them for a moment..

"WHAT DO YOU NEED?" he asked.

"I need you! " she whispered...

"WORD!" he said..

She told him where the hotel was she was staying in and within 45 minutes , He was at the door, out of breath...

"My goodness.... That was fast.." she said laughing and marveling at the huge bulge in his  trousers..

"Oh Myyyyy, you uh know just what I need don't you?" she remarked....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM OUUUUUUUUUU I'VE MISSED YOU!" said Sean ,kissing Brooke.

"I'VE MISSED YOUR PENIS INSIDE ME!!....OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" said Brooke, kissing him passionately...They fell up against the wall, Brooke took her foot and kicked the door closed...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....OHHHHHHH MY GOD!" he moaned as he slipped her panties

down and off...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" he moaned..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned.

"OH MY GOODNESS !!!!!OUUUUUUUUUUUUWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she screamed. He lifted her up and long stroked her..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYY GODDDDDD!!OUUUUUUUUUUU
WOUUUUUUUUU!" she screamed.

Her body trembled and she had a quick almost embarrassing orgasm....

He placed her on the bathroom sink and began pounding into her..

"OHHHHHHH I'VE NEEDED THIS SOOO LONG!!!! OUUUUUUUUUU SOME CLOWN WANTED IT...BUT I WANTED TO WAIT FOR YOUUUUUUUU UMMMMMMMMM!" she yelled out...

She was having multiple orgasms.....

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW LAWWWDD,I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER HOW WET YOU USED TO GET...UMMMMMMMMMM!" he moaned..

HE LIFTED HER UP AND ENTERED HER AGAIN!!!

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!  WOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! LAWDDDDDDDDDDD!" he moaned...

"OUUUUUUUU LOVE ME!! LOVE ME !!LOVE MEEEEEEEEEEE" she yelled out..

"I NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOUUUUUUUU!" he screamed out....

She orgasmed again.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed, her body trembling, her head turning from side to side...tears streaming down the side of her face...

They made crazy love for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS....

They continued kissing...and making love on the floor for the next THREE TO FOUR HOURS.

"OUUUUUUUUU I'M ABOUT TO CUMMM AGAIN!!!!" she screamed...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" he moaned..Cumming so hard, he felt as if he were dying...

She lie on his chest...

"Sean, did you mean it when you said you never stopped loving me?" she whispered to him..

"Of course I meant it.." he said.

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu you just earned yourself some more...but not right now...Let's get some sleep first." she said...Always practical..

SATURDAY MORNING-

We all boarded the Buses and headed out to Pancake Pantry..

Beverly and Nelson found a big table and sat with our staff and counter parts, Josie and Paris, Bresha and Tony, Sofia and Kahlil, Keith and Bee Bee, Chip and Jessica.

"I'm good and hungry this morning.."said Beverly...

"Me too and you wouldn't think so after the way we ate last night."said Nelson..

"We burned it off.. I'm sure you guys did too!:said Josie with tongue in cheek..

"Cause I know we sure did." laughed Paris.

"Me and You sure burned it off." said Bresha.

"Yes indeed.."laughed Tony slyly.

"We saw you guys on TV yesterday...We are all rooting for you.." said Sofia..

"Thanks...For the moral support...We've got a bullseye on our Backs now.."said Nelson.

"For sure." said Bresha.

"You're defending the prosecutor we just went up against." said Kahlil..

"She and Natalie turned out to be pretty nice...and they both like all of us."said Keith...

"Yeah they do and we wound up liking them, but damn, they are good..They gave us a run for our money."said Bee Bee/

"They gave us a run for our Money too !  Three Hung Juries and one additional trial before we finally beat em." said Beverly.

"It's good defending them as opposed to going up against them or rather her."said Bresha.

"YESSSSSSSS!" agreed Josie.

"Brooke is not so bad...She kept just as many people out of Jail as she now puts behind bars."said Chip..

"She worked with us at the Public Defender's Office." said Jessica.

Jazzy and Dabnis and Kayla and Ray , Alfreda and Rockland and Virginia and Jetty sat at the table on the side of us..

"It was nice seeing Nat again...We gotta hang out with her one of these afternoons.."said Jazzy..

"Maybe on a weekend..We are usually all so beat when we get home from work." said Dabnis.

"Yeah Maybe we'll invite her and Brooke the next time we do laundry day." said Kayla.

"Or they can go Roller Skating with us."said Ray.

"Both of those gals were sooo nice..I liked them...I hope we see them again.."said Alfreda.

"Our little circle is getting soo big." said Rockland, smiling. He had a point...

"I really liked them...Most ADA's don't want to see my group after a big case...They were cordial to us and Olivia's groups.."said Virginia.

"Yeah...well the one needs Olivia's help now...Of course they're going to be cordial." said Jetty Dukes.

At the last big table. Olivia and I, Yvette and Gary, and Jade and Danny sat...

Olivia was staring at her laptop , which had brought along..She was studying our client and her friend.

Brooke Kennedy

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from Hallahan Catholic High School for Girls.Philadelphia PA.

B,A,- Administration Of Justice/Trial Advocacy/Pre Law- Lasalle University

J.D.- Middleton School of Law, Bayside,PA.

Speaks Spanish/French and Russian fluently.

Passed the Bar in Pennsylvania/New Jersey/New York/ Deleware

Law Clerk for Pennsylvania's Chief Judge of Appeals, Carter Baum

Trial Attorney for U.S. Department of Justice's Anti- Trust Division, Washington D.C.

Married to Attorney Sean Marks, A Trial Attorney for The U.S. Department of Justice, Anti Trust Division. 

DIVORCED after two years. No Children.

Public Defender's Office-Philadelphia

Assistant District Attorney- Philadelphia Districts Attorney's office.

Natalie Tennison- 

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from The Philadelphia High School for Girls,Philadelphia PA.

B.A.- Trial Advocacy/ Pre Law/Administration of Justice - Temple University

JD-Georgetown University Law Center

Passed the Bar in Virginia/Maryland/Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Deleware / New York

Associate Litigation Attorney at Akin/Gerard/ Jordan/Hester & Field

Public Defender's Office- Philadelphia

Assistant District Attorney-Philadelphia

''You're just like me...Livy, you check out your client and everything about them.."Laughed Yvette..

" Brooke's best friend is Black and her ex-husband was Black...She's definitely not prejudiced." joked Olivia.,.Seriously ,  They're both nice girls...I like them both...They're helluva Lawyers..."said Olivia..

"Yes they are! They're nicer than this guy..."said Yvette, looking at Olivia's next subject...

Lucas Fuente

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from St Joseph's Prepatory School, Philadelphia.

BA. Administration of Justice, Pre-Law, Trial Advocacy- YALE UNIVERSITY

JD- HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Speaks Spanish/French/Arabic Fluently.

Passed the Bar in MA/CT/ New York/Pennsylvania/  New Jersey and Deleware

U.S. Navy-Lt. Commander 

Judge Advocate Generals Corps.

Honorable Discharge

Married to Corrine Stevens

3 children

Deputy District Attorney- Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at U.S. Attorney's Office Southeastern Pennsylvania

Candidate for Philadelphia District Attorney.

"I know him...I never tried a case against him." said Olivia.

"I did..7 years ago, right after he convicted that serial killer...He was in all of the papers and celebrated.. and I beat him...I won an acquittal...He was frosty...I had embarrassed him. He couldn't take it.Hates my guts to this day.."said Yvette.

"Like he's going to hate me when I beat him."said Olivia.

"That's the spirit." I laughed.

Gary, Jade, Danny Ho, Zoey and Lem all laughed.

It was nice all of us here eating and enjoying each other's company with no Kill Joys like Lt, Tragg or Bull Bailey or Lucas Fuente around.. I hope whereever Brooke was she was having a peaceful breakfast too!

IV-

AT SAM MOTHERS DINER

Former Homicide Detective William "Bull" Bailey  was enjoying a thick juicy steak and fried eggs.

"I hear all those fancy dan Black lawyer types hang out in here... I'm glad they aren't in here today.. I hear you had a little thing for Ms. Brooke huh? You never had a chance.heh heh heh!"laughed Bull Bailey.

"What are you tryin to say?" asked Lt. Tragg as he enjoyed his Fried Eggs , Hash Browns and  sausage.

"You aint the right color Artie.. Our girl likes uh dark meat....Her ex husband was a soul brother!"said Bull Bailey...

"Yeah? You don't say?" said Lt. Tragg.

"Look, her best friend is Black, Her ex-husband is Black and when she picks attorneys...Who does she go to..Olivia Bennett-Alexander and that bunch... Can't get no Blacker than that..I used to like her, really like her but now..nowww. she's definitely not playing on the same  team."said Bull Bailey..

"I heard about the deal you offered her...No jail time...And she refused to take it."said Lt. Tragg.

''She doesn't want to get disbarred....She could get her license back within a year. Her own attorney Olivia Bennett Alexander has gotten a couple of  disbarred Attorneys their licenses back, including one who did time. It was a good deal...She refused...So now, we have to go to trial.. Counselor Fuentes didn't want to go to trial, but now that he is...He says he's going for the jugular.. He's going to nail her to the cross." he says.

Lt. Tragg smiled wryly...Serves her right for rejecting him and being so flippant! he mused as he drank his coffee.

And at our Office/Duplex , it was business as usual.

"Josie, Bree, I never had a case I wanted to win as bad as I want to win this one." said Beverly...

"Bee Bee told me that Lt. Tragg made them all so angry recently that they felt the same way...Keith, Kahlil and Sofia all felt just like you do...Remember ? They were coming by here on Saturday, using our law library, that's how mad they were.."said Josie..

"I guess we feel the same way about this case...I know I do." said Bresha.

They were in the law library, researching predicates, Laws pertaining to a case like this, Former cases and looking at Luke Fuentes's cases and how he ruled...His courtroom style...

While next door in the Media Room.Nelson and Olivia were looking at the Federal Jury Pool.. I had done work ups on all of them and Nelson was explaining to Olivia what kind of Jury we wanted.

"Liv we want a white urban woman, a working woman who understands office politics and how they work as our juror., our perfect juror."said Nelson.

"It would be nice to have 12 perfect jurors like that, but let's be realistic Nelson...We won't, so in addition to our perfect juror..We ned some right thinking men too!  Let's continue."said Olivia.

I sat alone in the conference room studying this case back and forth...The Autopsy Reports, The Crime Scene Reports and Photos, Witness Statements...

"You guys have really been busy this week..."said Alfreda ,pouring coffee for me.

Olivia and Nelson and the girls have been in the adjacent building and sometimes you're here and sometimes you're out." she said.

''Where's Rockland been, he usually comes by here at lunch time.?" I asked.

"He's working a big case too! He's real focused... That's the one thing about him I didn't change...The man is serious about his work and about winning.."laughed Alfreda..

Just then , the doorbell rang..

It was Rockland...he had a Bouquet of  Blue Roses..

"For You!" he said.. "I got a conviction today." he said, smiling..

"Awwwww thank you babyyyy!" said Alfreda, cutting the stems and putting the roses in vase of water..

And rewarding Rockland with a kiss...

Just another day at the office.

(TO BE CONTINUED)