"Back in New Orleans, my grandparents controlled the whole area. They controlled all the drugs, liquor sales, gambling, and prostitution activities. They were people that you did not want to cross. If you did, you would end up in the swamp.
"People feared them. They even had the police force and government officials on their payroll. Visitors to New Orleans could eat, drink, gamble, dance, and have a good time. New Orleans is where Zola learned how to do almost everything.
"Singing and playing the piano came naturally to her. On the weekends, she would visit The Hill, her parents’ club, and entertain the customers. One night at the club, my mother was high off of marijuana and just finished playing and singing. She was on her way home when a man grabbed her and tried to rape her and she pulled out a knife and stabbed him over and over. With blood all over herself, she went back to the club. Her parents cleaned her up and gave her money and a ticket out of town and that is how she ended up in Harrisonville.
"The man she killed was a police officer. Being the type of business people they were, her father thought it would be better for her to leave and let the murder go unsolved. One of the workers at the club heard the conversation between my grandparents and my mother and decided to blackmail my grandparents. Well, he ended up in the swamp.
"In previous years, my grandparents were in a drug war with two other drug cartels: The Brotherhood of N.O. and the Blood Brothers who controlled most of the wards, and they were uneducated and did not understand how to stay in business. The Brotherhood was a white cartel and the Blood Brothers were black. They were always having wars and coming to my grandparents for help.
"In many cases, it was for large sums of money. The cartel would have to give something as a guarantee in case the repayment was late or not repaid. Territory or customers were the most common forms of repayment. With the ongoing cartel wars and the loans, these two cartels were put out of business and my grandparents moved in and took over. They controlled everything.
"Any small business in the area had to buy insurance from them. This insurance allowed them to operate without fear of being robbed or the police harassing their business. Every month, a collector would stop by the business and pick up the cash. All fees were the same.
"My grandparents were professional gangsters. They owned the police department, most of the clubs and bars, rooming houses, and controlled horse-racing tracks, and gaming tables for poker. My grandfather was the best when it came to playing poker. In fact, that is how he acquired his first bar, playing poker. He won the club from a lady who had relocated to New Orleans from Philadelphia. She was good but did not know that he was a card shark who did not like losing. Winning the club was the beginning of his building of his criminal empire. After that, acquiring other establishments and buying influence became easy.
"Therefore, my mother grew up in an environment of lawlessness and crime. Nate did not know much about my mother but he loved her, and her background would not have made any difference.
"Mom and Dad had been married for about two years when she became pregnant. Mom knew it was time to tell Dad that she was part black. Her ability to cook came from her mother’s side of the family. As a small child, she was taught how to cook food in the New Orleans’ style. Zola became an outstanding cook.
One night when the Palace Grande was closed, she cooked a fantastic dinner and got dressed in her sexiest dress and waited for Nate to come home. Her mom had always told her that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.
"Zola heard Nate coming and she rushed to the door. ‘Hello, honey,’ said Zola. ‘I have several treats for you tonight.’
"Nate looked at her and smiled, ‘I surrender, and I know I am all yours tonight. So, let’s eat; it smells great,’ said Nate.
"‘Nate,’ said Zola, ‘I have a few things to tell you. First, my parents are not legit business people. I don’t know how to say this, so I will just tell it like it is. They are gangsters. They control all of New Orleans and beyond. I am part black; my mother is what they called Creole, half French and half black. Next, I am pregnant with twins,’ she said, looking relieved as she looked Nate straight in his eye.
"Nate was not surprised about her background but overwhelmed with joy about the babies. ‘Nina, oh I mean Zola, my twin brother, as you know, is a lawyer. He looked into your background years ago before we got married. I know all about your mother and father. I also know why you landed in Harrisonville. Nick said that the two families were a perfect fit, family partners in crime, and our babies will be beautiful, just like their mother,’ said Nate.
"Nick heard about the good news and wanted to tell them in person how happy he was for the two of them. The next day, he stopped for dinner and it was a wonderful dinner – Louisiana-style chicken, rice and beans, collard greens, and sweet potatoes. Zola was right; she was an excellent cook.
Holding up a glass of red wine, Nick said, ‘You two are my best friends; I will always be there for you.’
"At that point, Nate said, ‘We want you to be the Godfather of the twins. You are living a legit life and in our business. Life can be short. Therefore, we want you to raise our kids if anything happens to us. Can we count on you?’
“Without hesitation, Nick said, ‘Thank you, it will be a pleasure.’ I will always look out for them whether you are alive or have passed away.’”
Ted said to Lola, “Your defense is very creditable. I believe we have a slam-dunk defense. Tomorrow you will go before the judge and he will ask you how you plead. You will say not-guilty. Then I will say not-guilty because of mental disease, mental defect, and extreme family criminal environment. They produced a lifestyle that was considered normal in your family. If your mother’s family was anything like your father’s family, you would have been off the hook. Tomorrow is a big day. Try to get some sleep. Court starts at nine and I will be on time. I will ask if you can be released on your own recognition. This is your first offense and you should be released with a small bail. I know the prosecutor. He is fair. He is an old man and I heard some stories about his parents that question his early life growing up in a family that has a bad family background. This might help our case.”
Lola walked into court looking very stunning. Her hair was pulled up and even though she had very little makeup on, she was still beautiful. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Not-guilty.”
Ted told the judge the reason behind her not-guilty plea. The prosecutor was shocked by the reason and just remained silent for a few minutes. To Ted’s surprise, the prosecutor agreed to release her with a small bail.
Ted said to Lola, “Do you know the prosecutor?”
“No, but maybe he knows my family,” responded Lola.
“He has always been fair, but not that fair,” said Ted.
When Lola got home, Ted came in and said, “Okay, let’s get back to your defense.”
Lola had no problem getting back to her defense.
“My Uncle Nick’s life was full of excitement. His farm and bio-lab was shaping up very well. He had developed several types of special corn. None of the types used much water but produced quicker and larger crops. Twenty-five percent of the corn harvest was for consumption, thirty-five percent for feed, and forty percent for biofuels. The farm in upstate PA was used strictly for biofuels,” said Lola.
"One day as he sat on his big porch in Harrisonville, a well-dressed man drove up in a limo and asked to speak to Nick.
"‘I am Nick,’ he responded.
"‘The waste from your bio-lab is contaminating the soil and water in the PA area. You will have to stop your experiments and production,’ said the man.
"‘Who are you?’ asked Nick.
"‘I represent groups of individuals that are in the oil business. We have purchased almost all the facilities that are producing biofuels. We’d like to buy your farm. Here’s my card. Call me when you are ready to talk,’ said the man.
"The card said, ‘Harry Jones, Special Services – 888-235-9080.’<
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"‘Sorry, but I am not selling,’ said Nick.
"‘You will,’ responded the man.
"Nick realized that his biofuels were driving the price of oil down. He had received a nice letter from the EPA, praising him for his dedication with respect to the environment. All his testing was within the guidelines of the EPA.
"Nick worked hard every day like a drug addict, trying not to become a criminal like one could become in the environment that he was raised in. But that situation could possibly cause him to lose control.
"Nick called Nate and told him what was going on. Nate said, ‘Nick, I am coming to PA with a few of my best helpers and we will guard the farm.’
“When they arrived, workers told them that some men had come by and told them”to leave, for they might find themselves in the ashes." Nate patted his shoulder to see if his father’s gun was still there. Sue was reliable. If he needed her, she was ready for action.
"That night, the men worked shifts in order to keep an eye on the lab and corn fields. Nick said to Nate, ‘Maybe you should sell the farm. It is not worth anyone getting hurt. Tomorrow we can go put a complaint in with the local police department. If they do not help, we can call the State Police, okay?’
"That next morning, the boys when to the police office and told them the situation. Nick pulled out the man’s business card. ‘Special services,’ said the sheriff. ‘We will see how special he is when I lock him up for terroristic threats,’ said the sheriff.
“Nick called Mr. Jones and he set up a meeting for that Friday. What Mr. Jones did not know was that the sheriff would be at the meeting. The meeting took place and the boys told Mr. Jones that under no circumstances were they selling the farm. The sheriff reminded Mr. Jones that this was their final answer.”
Ted asked, “Did anything ever happen to the farm, Lola?”
“Not right away but it became a problem later,” responded Lola.
"That Mr. Jones had the law officers on his side. That day at the farm was a sham to make it look like things were going to be okay. But every week, Nick was getting something in the mail from the county about some made-up violation. On various occasions, a township inspector would come out and complain about something. Nick was getting tired of the harassment and called Nate.
"‘Nate,’ said Nick, ‘let’s sell everything in PA and Harrisonville and move out of state.’
"‘Zola is pregnant with twins and I don’t know if she wants to move at this moment. I will ask her,’ said Nate.
"Zola was seven-and-a-half months pregnant but was still working hard at the Palace Grande. That night, Nate said to Zola, ‘Nick wants to sell everything and move out of state and start over. It sounds like a good idea. It is all up to you.’
"‘I believe it will be the best thing for all of us, twins included,’ responded Zola.
"‘I have only one request. I want to move back to New Orleans,’ said Zola.
"‘That sounds good to me and I know it will be fine with Nick,’ responded Nate.
“When my brother and I were born, my Uncle Nick said we were the prettiest babies that he had ever seen. Basically, that is how our family and friends felt too,” said Lola.
“I looked white but my brother took after my mother’s ancestors. He was light brown, with black hair that he cut very short, tall, and with brown eyes,” said Lola.
"Both boys understood their father’s plans for them, but they had their own plans. Nick said to Nate, ‘I want to practice law, get married, have a bunch of children, live on a boathouse, and make honest money. We are millionaires. Why put ourselves through this horror every day?’
"Nate lowered his head and said, ‘It is in my blood. It was in our grandfather, our father, and now I have a wife and in-laws who can never get enough power, influence, or money to be satisfied. Sorry brother, but that is the way the cookie crumbled.’
“Nick opened up a law office and Nate joined forces with Eddie and Ella, his in-laws. Together they were untouchable,” said Lola.
"New Orleans was sin city. Nick opened up his law office in the heart of downtown. He made up his mind that he would interview potential clients and if he believed they were innocent, he would represent them. That sounded good until a great-looking lady walked into his office. Nick could not take his eyes off her.
"As Nick was standing up to greet her, he felt that before she gave her story as to why she needed a lawyer, she was guilty. He could see it in her beautiful, bright blue eyes.
"‘My name is Eva Johns and I need a good lawyer,’ she said.
"‘The police told me I needed a lawyer,’ she said.
"‘Start from the beginning and tell me your story,’ responded Nick.
"‘My boyfriend, who was really my sugar daddy, was beating me up and I felt like he was going to kill me. So I reached over and grabbed his gun off the nightstand and shot him three times. This happened last night. The police took pictures of me. I went to the hospital and the doctor said I have brushed ribs, a concussion, and bruises on my hips,’ said Eva.
"‘What is the name of the deceased?’ asked Nick.
"‘His name is Eddie,’ responded Eva.
"‘The Eddie who is the most powerful man in New Orleans?’ said Nick.
"Yes, that is my sugar daddy,’ responded Eva.
"‘Let’s go get a drink at my place,’ said Nick.
"When they got to Nick’s apartment, Eva started crying, stating, ’I don’t know how I got myself mixed up in such a mess. I am a college-graduate student working on a paper about underworld crime bosses. I had to play the part in order to get the story.
"‘About a year ago, I went to the club knowing that he would be there. It was known that he was a sucker for young, good-looking women. For some reason, his wife always turned the other way and acted like business as normal. Nothing seemed to bother her, and as time went by, we became lovers. He trusted me with many of his secret dealings,’ said Eva.
"‘I don’t know if I will be able to take your case. Eddie is my twin brother’s father-in-law. They are partners. But there is a law firm down the street that is very good and they have a reputation of getting good results in cases like yours. I will call them in the morning for you. For now, why don’t you go into my bedroom and get a good night’s sleep? We can talk more in the morning,’ said Nick.
"The next morning, Eva was up early and was making breakfast. ‘Good morning, Nick,’ said Eva. ‘I feel better today. I hope that law firm takes my case. I have very little money but will work to pay them,’ said Eva.
"‘I will help you,’ responded Nick. He did not truly believe her story, but he could not determine what she was hiding. Nick called Stevenson Law Firm and spoke to Mr. Stevenson. He had read about Eddie’s death in the local newspaper.
"Stevenson wanted Nick to bring her over that afternoon. Nick was feeling very good and found himself attracted to Eva. He loved the way she walked, her hair, her body, and the way she talked. Eva was also attracted to Nick.
"Mr. Stevenson said to Nick, ‘You are from Harrisonville, N.C., I understand. My parents lived there for several years but moved to New Orleans before I was born. That was long before your time.’
"‘Yes, I was born in Harrisonville,’ responded Nick.
"‘What brings you to New Orleans?’ asked Mr. Stevenson.
"‘My twin brother’s in-laws live here. In fact, Eddie was my brother’s father-in-law,’ said Nick.
"‘Well, they’re complicated things and I want you to leave, and don’t tell anyone that you came here with Eva. Her defense will be between her and her legal team,’ responded Mr. Stevenson.
"As Nick was leaving, he was thinking to himself. ‘I think this lawyer knows something about my family that he is hiding from me. Maybe he does not want to embarrass me in front of Eva or maybe it is personal.’
"‘Eva, I can get you off but you will have to tell me the truth. Not some of the truth but all of it,’ said Mr. Stevenson.
"‘My f
ather worked for Eddie and Ella as their bookkeeper. One day when I was only a teenager, my father went missing. Later, his body was found in the swamp. My mother died with a broken heart. Before she died, she told me that Eddie’s daughter left town because she killed a police officer. My father found out about the murder and was blackmailing Eddie and he had him killed. When I went away to college, I changed my name and vowed to get revenge for my father’s murder and my mother’s broken heart,’ said Eva.
"‘You know that Ella is not going to let this go. She will get to you. She is worse than Eddie. She is the mastermind behind their operations. She calls all the shots,’ said Mr. Stevenson.
"‘I played my part very well and Eddie allowed me to be part of his daily business transactions. I have photocopies of drug transactions with clients, prostitution records with customers’ names, and all the names of judges, elected officials, and law enforcement. I am an undercover agent with the FBI. Please do not blow my cover. Don’t allow Nick to know who I am. I believe he is honest but his brother and the rest of the family are gangsters. I know Eddie and Ella have murdered many people including my father who was their bookkeeper.
"‘With my father as their bookkeeper, he kept secret records of Eddie’s everyday activities. It is in the form of a diary. My mother did not know about these records. I found them by accident. After my mother died, I was having some renovation work done because I was planning on selling the homestead. I discovered a false wall in the bathroom and when I knocked it open, I found the diary. Even the FBI doesn’t know what I have. I told them that I was onto something but it was a work in process,’ said Eva.
"’Eddie paid off all my college loans. In my senior year, I was recruited by the FBI and I asked to be assigned to New Orleans because I understood the people and the mentality of the culture.
"‘I have been working on this case for three years. Do not tell the prosecutor this story. He is in Eddie’s book. We will have to get the FBI involved,’ said Eva.
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