Prince Of The City

 TRIAL DAY- 

Jeffrey Howard, our client sat and sipped his coffee..

He remembered a conversation from a few days past...Jefrrey and Gloria followed us to our suite and our conference room!

"Nice set up you got here Yvette...This building, that cafeteria, this office.. Looks like you're surrounded by nice people too!" said Jeffrey.

 

 "I am and it is very comfortable being here , and away from Center City..." said Yvette.

"I am soooo envious." said Gloria.

"Now about your case.  Dak Gordon was a notorious Loan Shark...He had juice on the street as they say."I said.

"You were into him for a lot of cash.... Cash that you paid up..."said Bee Bee.

The Police found an envelope on his desk in his office with your prints and DNA all over it... But! No prints or DNA on the believed murder weapon a ten pound metal ash tray.." said Sofia.

"That's in your favor.   But right now, you're his only known visitor that night." said Kahlil.

"But I didn't kill him...I had no reason to. Our debt was paid..We were all square....He was alive when I left, sitting at his desk, counting his money..."said Jeffrey.

"The Police found a safe that was slightly open...There was over 250 large in that safe. Kind of hard to believe that you and whoever killed him would leave that much cash laying around...Not to mention the cash in your envelope on the desk."said Jade.

"There had to be other people's fingerprints in that office besides mine."said Jeffrey.

"The Police are going over the place as we speak.. Jade will be too...." said Yvette.

"I used to be a Defense Attorney and I've worked closely with police on this type of case and it looks to me like a woman may be your killer...an angry woman...Did he have any girlfriends?" asked Virginia.

"I don't know about his personal life....."It's the Egyptian Club....Everybody in there is high or having sex....They don't remember anything clearly...You can't go by that... Any number of women may have come through there...The place is totally hedonistic."said Jeffrey..

"Yeah, that's what I've heard ." I said.

Bee Bee, Sofia, Jade and Ms. Virginia gave me the serious side eye...

"WHAT?   I just said I heard about the place...I've never been in there." I said in my defense..

Kahlil ,Gloria and Ms. Yvette cracked up laughing...

"Ouuu you in the doghouse bruh?" said Jeffrey.

"No he's not...We are just playing with him." said Bee Bee.

She handed him a smartphone.....

"We want you to turn over your phone and your tablet to us...Disable the GPS..We are going to lock it in our safe.You will use this phone , so memorize this number...It's a burner phone, It is untraceable. Don't call our Business or Personal numbers...You call this number on this phone." said Bee Bee.

'Damn you sure you guys are lawyers? You operate like guys on the street."laughed Jeffrey.

"This is a Portal, also untraceable...You can get more personal updates on the process of your case without having to leave your sisters house."said Sofia.

''At sometime today Lt. Tragg is going to find out you've been released from custody...He's going to be livid...He will try to harass you...He can't tap your phone or trace it and if you're at your sister's house in Cherry Hill he can't harass you.  He doesn't know we work here and for the time being..We'd like to keep it that way." said Yvette.

"WOW!  You guys leave no stone unturned.."said a smiling Jeffrey..

"That's why we win cases." said Kahlil.

Gloria smiled.

"Come on Brother, let's get you out of here and get you home....My Home in Cherry Hill."said  Gloria.

That was a week ago....And now today ,he was going to see if these guys...All people that he liked were the genuine article as his sissy had said.

 He stared at them drinking their hot coffees..

 

 ''We've built up a strong enough case for reasonable doubt, provided we argue this the right way."said Ms. Yvette.

"It helps us that Jade located another late night visitor Dak Gordan had." I said.

"Lt. Tragg interviewed over 100 people like Jade did..How did he miss this?" asked Bee Bee incredulously.

"How did he miss that the bloody palm print, though unidentifiable on the Ash Tray was definitely not a match for Jeffrey?" said Sofia.

"It's that part of him that hates to admit he is wrong abut anything...That never wants to apologize..He can't help himself...He's stuck with going in one direction and one direction only."said Kahlil.

"The wrong direction...."said Jade.

"Finding that one witness and that Late Night Visitor was a gem Jade...You've done it again."said Yvette.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Prince walked over to where we all were sitting...

"Howard, enjoy these last moments of Peace with your attorneys...It's going to be loud and noisy in the joint." he said flippantly...

"How do you know?  You been there?" asked Jeffrey...

Bee Bee and I, Sofia and Kahlil, all laughed out loud..

Jason Prince was taken aback...He didn't like being laughed at...

"I think we should let a Jury and a Judge decide all of that Mr. Prince..."said Yvette...

"You're right! and they will." he said. "Oh by the way...Where is your sister?" he asked.

"She's Obviously not here."said Jeffrey ,Snidely.,

Gloria Howard had taken the day off ! She had decided she'd only be a distraction by coming to the trial...

Bruce Greene had also taken the day off and decided to visit her at her apartment in Cherry Hill.

"Gloria this is a beautiful place you have here.." he said.

"Make yourself comfortable.." said Gloria.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" moaned Bruce, taking Gloria in his arms and kissing her.

"Is this how you make yourself comfortable? Kissing me?" she asked.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM YESSSSSSSS!" he moaned...

"MYYYY GOODNESS, YOU COULDN'T WAIT ,COULD YOU?" she laughed as they continued kissing.

"NO I COULDN'T!" he said as he unsnapped her bra.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned and laughed...

He eagerly unsnapped her bra.....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYY DAMN!" he said, ogling her perfect breasts..

She laughed... "You are too funny!" she said.

''YOU'RE VERY FORWARD AND FRESH!"she said,.

He slipped her panties down and off...

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" he moaned....He was so excited he didn't know if he was coming or going!

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed, laughing at how excited his was....

"You do have a bed like mine!!"he said. softly...as they entered her bedroom.

"I told you..." she giggled.

Never had Bruce felt a woman so soft...She smelled good...and her lips were as soft as butter...

He laid her across her bed, spread her legs and slowly entered her...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OHHHHHHHHH MY WORRRRRRD!" she moaned...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...PUT IT IN...PUT IT ALL IN...OUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEET BABYYYYYY! UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!" he moaned...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU IT FEELS GOOD...IT FEELS GOOOD!   IT FEEEELS GOOOOOD TO MEEEEEE   OUUUUUUU Mr. BRUCE!!" she cried out...both of her legs were shaking, her whole body was trembling something fierce.....her head turned from side to side and tears were streaming down her face....She was experiencing an intense orgasm.....She couldn't believe it..

She wrapped her legs around his waste and she pulled him closer to him as he humped away...

"OH MY WORRRRRRD! WOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!YOU ARE SO DAMN BIG  AND HARD!!! OUUUUUUUUUUU!" she screamed.

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...OHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY...UMMMMMMM! OH MY GOD!!! YOU ARE A BIG BOY...OUUUUUUUUU" she moaned...

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW IT'S ALL FOR YOU!" he moaned..sweating bullets...

"OH MYYYYYYY!" she said.  

Again...both of her legs were shaking, her whole body was trembling something fierce.....her head turned from side to side and tears were streaming down her face....She was experiencing another intense orgasm.....She couldn't believe it..two and so quick....

They began making sweet sweet love......"OHHHHHHHHHHHH  !!!!  OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU  COUNSELOR!!

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" she moaned..as the bed rocked and squeaked louder than it had since they'd begun making sweet love... The headboard creaked and sounded like it might split in half...

"GLORIA, GLORIA   baby....Oh my goddd this is sooooooooo damn good.." he moaned...

"I'm GLORIA  baby now huh? OHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" she screamed out....

The bed squeaked even louder...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed. She had yet another intense orgasm ,her third!!! that had her crying like a school girl, had her head turning from side to side and had her legs trembling...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU WHYYYYYYY?? WHYYYYYY?? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO IT TO ME SO DAMN GOOD???OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!  OH DAMN MR. BRUCE!! MR. BRUCE!! LAWWWWWD MR. BRUCEEEEE!!!, AWWWWWWWWW LAWWWWD WHYYYYY?" she cried out..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW SWEEEEEET BABYYYYYY! OUUUUUUUUU! I CAN'T GET ENOUGH!!!!! AWWWWWWWW LAWWWD! GLORIA BABYYYY!" he moaned..

They made love for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS!! She couldn't believe how passionate he was, his stamina.. It was as if he didn't want to get up off of her!!

She crawled on top of him, spread her legs and eased herself down on him.. He was astonished.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she cooed loudly..Her body trembled.....tears streamed down the side of her face.....

"OH MY GODDDDDDDD!" she cried out....

Both of her legs were shaking, her whole body was trembling something fierce.....her head turned from side to side and tears were streaming down her face....She was experiencing another intense orgasm.....

"IS IT GOOD TO YOU? IS IT GOOD TO YOU BABY?" she yelled to the top of her lungs..

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWW, AWWWWWWWWW LAWWWD YESSSSSSSSSS!" he cried out..

 riding him like a surfer rides the waves.....He didn't know if he was coming or going!!

She had yet another intense orgasm.....She feared she was slowly losing her mind.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPH!" she moaned.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW..LAWWWWWWWWWDDDD!" he moaned

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU GIVE ME THAT MONSTER!!! OH MY GODDDD!! YOU ARE HUGE!!! AND SO DAMN HARRRRD!! OUUUUUUUU! GIVE IT TO ME!!" she cooed.Her whole body trembled something fierce..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYY DAMNNNNN!" he moaned..

"IS IT GOOD TO YOU? IS IT GOOD TO YOU BABY? LET ME RIDE THAT HORSE!!!WOUUUUUUU! " she yelled to the top of her lungs..

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!" he yelled out....

They sat on the side of the bed kissing passionately, while she moved up and down....

ANOTHER TWO AND A HALF HOURS PASSED BY

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!  IT'S GOOD TO MEEEEEEEEEEE...OUUUUU MR. BRUCE MYYY DAMNNNNN!!  OUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!  " she moaned.. She had yet another intense orgasm , that had her crying like a school girl, had her head turning from side to side and had her legs trembling...

He humped her doggie style....She couldn't believe his stamina... It was endless....She was just about tapped out and so relieved when he finally exploded.....

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned..

He came so hard, he felt as if he were dying....

She had her final intense orgasm.......

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPH!" she moaned.

"MISTER BRUCE....YOU REALLY GET EXCITED OVER ME DON'T YOU?" she laughed as she lay on top of him....He had his arms around her waist....He rubbed her butt softly...

"YESSSSSSSSSSS!" he sighed...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she moaned.... She rubbed his penis softly....He was still hard...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM calm yourself down.....ouuuuuuu I can't believe you..." she moaned.....

"I can't believe me either..." he said....

She shook her head and just laughed.....

"You are too funny..." she said softly....

They lay on top of each other, drenched in sweat for about THIRTY MINUTES...She whispered to him...

"I'd love for you to stay, but my brother will be home at the end of the day....We gotta get showered and get you out of here....There will be other times....I promise..And you can stay the whole weekend.." she said.

"I'm looking forward to it!" he said.

"So am I...wouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" she exclaimed.. She and her bed had had a good workout today!

They took a hot soapy shower together....Kissing each other passionately...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MISTER BRUCE!!!" she moaned as hot water ran down both of their bodies....

"I'll call you after you get home." Gloria whispered..after they had both gotten dressed.

"AWWWWWWW, OKay!" said Bruce...who was still out of breath.

"Goodbye Mr. Bruce." she said softly....

Kissing him one last time at the door.......

II-

COURTROOM B-

''All Rise for the Honorable  Judge Paul Scanlon.." said the Bailiff.

We didn't know Judge Paul Scanlon...That wasn't a good sign.

"Be seated.."I am Judge Paul Scanlon, We are going to start with introduction of the attorneys." he said.

"I don't believe I know any of you." he said.

"Assistant District Attorney Jason Prince, representing the Commonwealth your honor." said Jason Prince.

Missing was Lt. Tragg, Since the last trial in which he and Jason Prince got into a fist fight , he decided to sit the trial out...He didn't like Jason Prince at all...and didn't want to be around him.

 

 "Yvette Jones-Lockwood, Lead Attorney for the Defense your honor."said Ms. Yvette.

"Keith Jones, Attorney for the Defense your honor."I said.

"Mrs. Beatrice Evans-Jones, Attorney for the Defense your honor." said Bee Bee.

"Mrs. Sofia Garcia Ahmed, Attorney for the Defense your honor." said Sofia.

"Kahlil Ahmed, Attorney for the Defense your honor...."said Kahlil.

Jade sat quietly with our client...

Jeff Howard ,who had never been in any kind of legal trouble before. Here he was being charged with Second Degree Murder in the death of Loan Shark Dak Gordon, a conviction could cost him at least 10 years and at the most, the rest of his life in prison..

''Alright ...we will have Juror selection." said Judge Scanlon..

Jason was cocky....He had studied the juror pool, just as Kahlil and I had...

Kahlil and I began Voir Dire.

Judge Scanlon unlike other Judges did not allow Bee Bee and Sofia to assist us..

He said that it was bad enough that the two of us were going up against Jason....and that it was unfair for it to be four against one...

Yvette challenged his ruling...She stated that Bee Bee and Sofia had helped us out during Voir Dire in trial after trial and that no judge had ever had a problem with it.

He told her she was welcome to take this up in Appellate Court after the trial but for now.. His ruling stood.

"My Court, My rules" he said sternly....

Jason Prince laughed and pumped his fists....

''Well we see how this is going to go homeslice." said Kahlil.

"Yeah...I see." I said.

I picked the jury foreman....

Jason picked the first three jurors..

But Kahlil and I got the next 7 jurors...Winning by an 8-4 majority!

The Judge had made it difficult for us...but Not that difficult... We still got the advantage.

Yvette looked at the Judge and almost sneered.

''Alright...Alright...Alright....We have a jury... Trial will begin tomorrow at 9:00 am sharp...Attorneys and Jurors be on time and ready for trial..Court is adjourned.." said the Judge....

ADA Jason Prince walked by us...He smiled.

"Touche Yvette...You and your kids won the battle today...but Daddy is going to win the war." he said. 

 ''As I said before...A Jury will decide that."said Yvette.

"You know something, I don't like that guy." I said.

"Don't let him get to you sweetie...Just use it as motivation to beat him in court.."said Bee Bee.

"I don't like him either...He's very cocky...."said Sofia.

"He talks about us like we are inexperienced young lawyers." said Kahlil.

''Well We are going to show him where he's wrong." said Yvette.

"Haters are your Motivators." said Jeff Howard with a smile.

Jade laughed...

We went back to our building for dinner.

Even though Lt. Tragg hadn't been at trial today....We didn't want to run into Jason Prince either..

It was better to eat with friends in a comfortable enviroment.

 "Man I dig this place...All this good food." said Jeffrey....

"So your first day of trial out of the way eh?" said Jazzy.

"You'll be alright..You've got good lawyers." said Dabnis.

"Your Prosecutor is Jason Prince eh?  I know him....I used to live in the same Apartment Complex with him...He tried to date me..He acted like he was doing me a favor."laughed Kayla.

"Yeah I tried to seperate his head from his body...He saw me coming to see you and he acted like I was of no consequence."said Ray..

"Yeah, I remember saving his life from you one afternoon." laughed Kayla.

"I know him too...He was so full of himself..He actually turned me off." said Jessica.

"He sounds like a real charactor." laughed Chip who had never met him.

"I know him too!  He asked me out a couple of times...but I declined his offers."said Karen.

"I've seen him around, when I was an ADA.."said Natalie.

"Yeah I've seen him too!  He's a bully...He brags and likes to humiliate young, green Public Defenders..I couldn't stand him."said David.

"I dated him once...I wasn't impressed." said Brooke.

"I'm glad..." said Sean.

"Sounds like a real charactor." said Zoey.

"Yeah, for real." said Lem.

"That's an office full of charactors."said Renee.

"Bruce Greene being one of them."said Tyrell.

"Yeah, well he's not involved in this case."said Paris.

"He was actually kind of , well for want of a better word, decent on that boat trip."said Tony...

"Yeah..He bought me a drink."said Lee.

"And didn't ask you to pay for it."joked her husband, Matthew.

Renee cracked up laughing...

Nina laughed out loud... "I can't believe he used to ask his dates to pay the drink bill." said Nina.

''He sure did!"said Jazzy...

"That's why he got none of this!" said Kayla.

"Ditto!" said Renee.

"WHAT? Oh My God!!!" laughed Carlos..

"You gave that jerky prosecutor a run for his money today..." said Jeffrey Howard.

 

 "Yes, but don't be fooled...He's good...He's only lost one case so far..."said Ms. Yvette.

''We are going to make sure he loses his second case." I said.

"Yes...He thought we were just going to fold and be awed by him..."said Bee Bee.

"This isn't our first rodeo and he's going to find that out." said Sofia.

"Yes he is...I can't wait until tomorrow..."said Kahlil.

"Me neither." said Jade.

"Go get him guys...Take his ass down a notch."said Virginia.

Jetty just laughed.

At Sam Mother's Diner... Jason Prince dined alone..

He realized he may have underestimated us... We may have been young, but we carried ourselves like experienced attorneys...We didn't fold easily and we adapted when things didn't go our way...

He cued up his laptop and took a second look at us...

 

 

KEITH JONES-

Born in Philadelphia PA. 

Mother, Nancy Jones, Court Stenographer

Father, Judge Keith Morrison

Graduated from West Catholic High School

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

J.D.- University of Pennsylvania Law School

Fluent in Spanish, French, German

Passed Bar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Deleware ,New York, Texas, California

Associate Attorney- McCluskey/Cozen/Connor/Pratt

Senior Associate Attorney-McCluskey/Cozen/Connor/Pratt

Married to Beatrice Evans

BEATRICE LYNN EVANS -JONES

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from Philadelphia High School For Girls

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

J.D.-University of Pennsylvania Law School

Fluent in Spanish and French

Passed Bar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Deleware, Texas, California

Associate Attorney- McCluskey /Cozen/Connor and Pratt

Senior Associate Attorney-McCluskey/Cozen/Connor/Pratt

Married to Keith Jones

SOFIA CARMELITA GARCIA-AHMED

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from Philadelphia High School For Girls

B.A. -Administration Of Justice, Trial Advocacy, Pre Law-Temple University

J.D.-University of Pennsylvania Law School

Fluent in Spanish and French

Passed Bar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Deleware and New York, Texas, California

Associate Attorney -McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt

Senior Associate Attorney-McCluskey/Cozen/Connor/Pratt

Married to Kahlil Ahmed...

KAHLIL ABDUL AHMED

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from Central High School

BA.- Administration of Justice, Trial Advocacy, Pre Law- Temple University

JD- University of Pennsylvania Law School

Speaks Arabic languages fluently, fluent in German and Russian.

Passed Bar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Deleware and New York, Texas, California

Associate Attorney-McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt

Senior Associate Attorney-McCluskey/Cozen/Connor/Pratt

Married to Sofia Garcia

YVETTE DENISE JONES-LOCKWOOD

Born in Philadelphia PA.

Graduated from North Catholic High School

BA-Trial Advocacy, Pre Law, Administration of Justice -Lasalle University

JD -University of Pennsylvania Law School

Fluent in Spanish, French and Russian

Passed Bar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Deleware , New York, Texas, California.

Senior Associate Attorney-McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt

Managing Partner- McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt

"Hmmmm" he thought...There was more to us than meets the eye!

III-

COURTROOM B-

ADA Jason Price was good.. Very good.. He thought he was ...He was 40 -1..Losing only to Olivia and Beverly and their team.... He was still dangerous in court. He showed us why...He came prepared...with receipts as they say....

Yvette ,like Olivia before her was just as experienced as he was if not more.. She had been practicing law as long as him if not a little longer and she showed him that...

Bee Bee who appeared to be her protégé was proving to be just as frustrating...He looked at her as though she was an inexperienced young attorney...She soon proved to him that she wasn't...

Jettisoning his prosecutorial tricks every chance she got... 

Sofia, Kahlil and I were just as frustrating to him , We were unafraid and unimpressed by him...Prior to this trial we hadn't heard of him and weren't aware that he had up until now, only lost one case...

Each day of the trial his frustration grew....

Judge Scanlon found himself having to rule against Jason Prince numerous times...He didn't enjoy this. but he had to follow the law...Jason Prince had practiced in his court before. He found him to be very intelligent and aware, always prepared, Sharp, the way he liked attorneys...This was the first time he saw him a bit off of his game, a little less self-assured...He was facing attorneys who were young like him...(He was older than Bee Bee , Myself, Sofia and Kahlil, but not Ms. Yvette)who were unafraid of him and unimpressed by him as well.. and who were well prepared themselves and knew the law..He had a begrudging admiration for the five of us.

Jason Prince was being tested for the second time and in front of a huge audience. He didn't like it..This was supposed to be an easy case and yet it wasn't.

COURTROOM B- A WEEK LATER-

We began our defense... The Murder weapon, the Ash tray was our model exhibit... 

Ms. Yvette and I showed it to the jury ,along with crime scene photos of the blood and brain matter on it and a bloody palm print...

They testified that our clients fingerprints and DNA were not on the Ash tray and that a bloody palm print on the ash tray was not his either...In fact they said the palm print was much smaller this his..

Kahlil brought in Dr. Charles Oakley, a Forensic Psychologist Olivia and us used from time to time.

He testified that in his opinion the palm print was that of a woman and the personal and violent nature of the crime pointed more than likely to a woman....

Of course Jason Prince grilled him mercilessly on cross about his credentials, criticizing his opinion.

Dr. Oakley calmly said.  "Young man....I've forgotten more about medicine than you know.." which brought the courtroom to loud laughter...

Thin skinned Jason Prince backed off...He didn't like being laughed at.

Sofia called our witness, Gretchen Tate...

She couldn't deny being at the Egyptian Club that night...

Jade had studied a lot of the video filmed at the club that night and had filmed her coming in before it opened and leaving shortly after closing at four in the morning...

"Your late husband , Oliver Tate owed Dak Gordon money didn't he?"asked Sofia.

"Yes...He took out a second mortgage to pay him and it still wasn't enough...When he couldn't pay..His goons broke his legs and his arms...Now he couldn't work... After he recovered he paid him a little bit ,but it wasn't enough...Dak asked for me as payment... I had to sleep with him two nights a week until he felt the debt was paid in full... I slept with him for about a month...I couldn't take it any longer." she said.

 "Gretchen your husband committed suicide a few days before didn't he?" asked Bee Bee.

"Yes...and I was enraged....I went up there to see Dak, only he couldn't see me...He had me stay in the back room..."she said.

"You were there when my client was there weren't you?" asked Ms. Yvette..

"I heard him ,I didn't see him..." she said.

"Did you kill Dak?" asked Yvette.

"I refuse to answer on the grounds that may incriminate me...I'd like the advice of counsel." she said.

"That's okay...The Defense rests..."said Yvette.

"Alright...Jurors it is now up to you....Talk amongst yourself and to no one outside of yourselves...I'll see you here in the morning...9:00 am." he said.

Jason Prince knew he had all but lost the jury and the case.. This was Lt. Tragg's fault and his lousy police work...He was going to hear about this.. He angrilly kicked the table... He reminded us of someone else we knew..

Judge Scanlon was seriously thinking of just dropping the charges against Jeffrey Howard...It was looking more and more like he was innocent.

IV-

THE NEXT DAY- COURTHOUSE WAITING AREA, 9:25AM.

WE were sitting in the waiting area , waiting for the Jury to come back with a decision.

"Vettie, I should have married you long ago when we were both at PENN....Gary...He's a lucky man, a smart man...If I had married you...I wouldn't be in this mess I'm in now.." said Jeffrey Howard as he sipped his coffee.

"Jeffrey ,if it was meant to be...It would've happened. We were both heading in wildly different directions then." said Ms. Yvette.

as she sipped her coffee.

''Everything worked out just as we planned it." I said.

''We ran that case like clockwork."said Bee Bee.

''Even Anticipating Mr. Prince's reactions and attempted legal measures and having an answer for them."said Sofia.

''And the best thing...No surprises..Jade you did a wonderful job once again...I see why you had the highest clearance rate of all the Homicide Detectives in Tokyo." said Kahlil.

"Awwww thank youuuuuu" said Jade...

"The Jury is back with a verdict!" said The Bailiff.

"Is that good ? This Fast?" asked Jeffrey..

"For a case like this...I'd expect nothing less." said Ms. Yvette.

Gloria showed up....She had stayed away from the trial, but she wanted to be present for the verdict..

"Ouuuuuu Hi Vettie, Jeffrey...I almost overslept this morning..." said Gloria, fixing her hair.

''Well you're right on time." said Yvette.

We all entered the courtroom and took our seats...

"ALL RISE FOR THE HONORABLE JUDGE PAUL SCANLON!" said the bailiff.

"Be Seated..... Has the jury come to a decision?" he asked.

"YES WE HAVE YOUR HONOR!" said the foreman who passed the verdict to the bailiff.. She passed it to Judge Scanlon.

He read it...His face showing no emotion....

"Would the defendant and his attorneys please stand." he said.

Jeffrey, Ms. Yvette, Myself, Bee Bee, Sofia and Kahlil all stood...

Jeffrey held Ms. Yvette's hand...He was nervous...

Ms. Yvette was calm and serene

as was I...

Bee Bee was a little nervous...She rubbed my hands softly..

Sofia held Kahlil's hand...

Kahlil was as usual, stoic..unemotional.

Judge Scanlon passed the envelope to the bailiff and said to her..

"Read it."

"COUNT TWO- MANSLAUGHTER- WE THE JURY, REPRESENTING THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA FIND THE DEFENDANT, JEFFREY HOWARD, NOT GUILTY!!
THE MOST SERIOUS CHARGE, COUNT ONE, SECOND DEGREE MURDER, WE THE JURY, REPRESENTING THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA FIND THE DEFENDANT, JEFFREY HOWARD, NOT GUILTY!!" she said.

Jason Prince held his head... He had lost his second case....He was in tears and he angrilly kicked the table...

"OH MY GOD!!! YOU GUYS DID IT!!  I ONLY WISH THAT BOZO Lt. Tragg was here so I could laugh in his face...

"Ohhhhh don't worry about him.....The Important thing is...You've got your life back..."said Yvette.

Gloria kissed her brother ...

"Remember our deal Big Bro." she said.

''We pulled it out." I said.

"Of course we did!" said Bee Bee, giving me a smooch

"MMMMMMMMMMMMM!" she moaned...

"Papi, we did it."said Sofia...

''Yes we did baby!" said Kahlil..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU  PAPI!" said Sofia, kissing him..

"AWWWWWW MAMASITA!" he moaned...

Inside the courtroom, ADA Jason Prince sat absorbing his second loss.....

He was inconsolable... He heard a familliar voice behind him...It was Bruce Greene,.

"I told you this was a loser case.....I told you to drop it... Anything Lt. Tragg is connected to is bound to have flaws, missing evidence, missing witnesses that were never questioned...I told you...He's cost you two cases.."said Bruce Greene.

"Yeah, Yeah...Well I'm gonna cost him something, just wait.." said a teary eyed Jason Prince.

EPILOUGE-

Gretchen Tate was arrested , tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Dak Gordan.

Believe it or not , we defended her-We argued that she had become Dak Gordon's sex slave in order to pay off his debt and that plus her husband's suicide drove her over the deep end..The defense for a murder committed under extreme distress is known as Extreme Emotional Disturbance (EED) or the Heat of Passion (provocation) defense. This partial defense does not completely excuse the killing or result in an acquittal; instead, it acts as a mitigating factor that reduces a murder charge down to voluntary or first-degree manslaughter.

Our Good Friend Abigail Wilson handled the prosecution and we worked out a reasonable settlement in a non-jury trial.

We were fortunate to have Judge Kelly Ann Mercer as the Judge.

She was sentenced to six months in county jail and two years probation ,upon her release..

 

 "Nice work.....I'm glad she didn't have to go to prison.." said Ms. Yvette.

"Yeah I am too!" I said.

"She was really a victim!" said Bee Bee.

"Dak Gordon was a predator who got what was coming to him."said Sofia.

"Do you know in all this time..Nobody has claimed his body?" said Kahlil.

"I'm not surprised." said Jade.

Jason Prince's complaints to the Deputy Of Operations and The Police Commissioner

about Lt. Tragg's handling or rather mishandling of both of his cases got him assigned to the Marine Boat indefinitely once again...

He tried to protest, but it was to no avail...He accused Jason Prince of being an arrogant hot shot who was angry that he got out lawyered  twice and was taking it out on him...but neither the Deputy of Operations nor the Commisioner wanted to hear that.

Lt. Tragg was livid and vowed to get revenge on Jason Prince if it was the last thing he did.

He sipped his bottle of Jameson's Irish Whiskey as the boat roared out on the river.. He was livid!

As she promised Gloria Howard treated us all to dinner at a local Japanese Steakhouse in Cherry Hill on Thursday Night...A Departure from our usual trip to Curley's Bar for Couple's Night.

Bruce Greene was surprisingly present...and gracious...He being a foodie was always on the prowl for new restaurants and eating experiences...

Gloria rented out a big room on the upper floor for us... 

 'Oh Gloria, this is beautiful." said Yvette.

''WOWWWWW! I never knew this place existed...."said Gary.

"Oh Mannn, this place is sooo nice." I said.

Bee Bee was looking around...Just amazed as we all were at the restaurant...

So was Sofia...

"Well I've got a big appetite and I'm ready to chow down!"said Kahlil.

"Ouuu so am I....This is like a taste of home."said Jade, who though born in China, grew up in Tokyo.

''Wowwww, I can smell those steaks cooking." said Danny.

"I smell it too!..Ummmmmmmmmmmm!" said Virginia.

"Yesssss...I can't wait to chow down!" said Jetty.

 "My Sis and her new boyfriend, really know their restaurants." said our recently freed client...Jeffrey.

"This is so nice."said Olivia.

 

"It is and the best thing is...We can comfortably enjoy ourselves with no interrruptions."said Donnie Ray.

"That's the best part of eating at places like this..."said Beverly...

"Peace, comfortability and Good Food." said Nelson.

"AMEN!" said Josie...

"Ummm smell those steaks."said Paris.

"I want to try to sample some of the other foods...I'm going to stick with Jade." said Bresha,.

"That's a good idea." said Tony.

Alfreda was the first to have a large Japanese Steak...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUU....UMMMMMMMMM!" she moaned.

 "I'm sampling the Japanese cuisine." said Rockland.

''This food is delish." said Jazzy as she made herself a plate...

"Ummmmm I love it..Especially these steaks." said Dabnis..

"This was incredible....I'm loving this."said Kayla.

"Me too!" said Ray.

"Ouuu everything looks so delicious." said Jessica.

" I've got a big appetite and I'm ready to chow down!"said Chip.

"So do I Chip." said Karen...

"I love this..." said her husband, B.L.

"At first I thought we were going to Emily's....but then I heard there was a change of plans...This was a nice change of plans." said Natalie.

"Yes it was." said her husband, David.

"I heard Bruce Greene picked this restaurant.."said Brooke.

''Well, I hear he's a foodie like Donnie Ray and he loves places like this.." said Sean..

"Well that's good..."said Zoey.

"Ummmmm smell those steaks on the grill." said Lem...

"Yes.."said Renee.

"Ummm I'm ready to chow down." said Tyrell.

"I'm so glad Olivia and Yvette invited all of us to this."said Lee.

"They always invite us to nice things.." said Matthew.

"It brings us all closer together."said Nina.

Hugging her husband..

as we all enjoyed the restaurant.....

Meanwhile in Philadelphia at Curley's Bar-

Jason Prince sat with a hot young para-legal.... She was in her second year of law school...

he ran his hands up her skirt...feeling her legs...She giggled...

More drinks arrived at their table...

It was "COUPLES NIGHT", none of the attorneys who usually hung out in here on couples night was here tonight... He didn't know where they were.. Probably at another bar...Lt. Tragg wasn't here...

He was out on the Marine Boat.... He was responsible for that! 

He smiled... He had gotten his revenge...He was still Prince of The City!

FOR Danyl-