by Bailey West
“This is a great spot, Averie. Thank you for bringing me.”
“You are welcome to come back anytime. I don’t mind sharing,” I smiled.
“I just may take you up on that offer. Are you ready to go?”
“I am.”
He stood and offered his hand to help me up. He pulled up the blanket we sat on, and we walked back to the car.
Samuel
Sitting on the steps of the Arch gave me time to clear my head about Roc’s case. My biggest fear was him being incarcerated when I had promised my Father I would do everything I could to keep him out. The DA’s case seemed almost impenetrable, airtight. I knew there had to be another angle, but I couldn’t see it. It may be because I am so close to the case that’s why it was good to have Averie working with me. She had become a rock-solid ally. Someone I had grown to trust and respect. Not to mention the intense attraction I had to her. She was gorgeous and commanded attention with her strong personality and charm. She said something about her Midwestern charm wearing me down, she was right, it had.
The door to the meeting room opened, and a guard walked in first followed by Reggie. A couple years after I was released from prison, Reggie was moved to a minimum- security prison closer to Saint Louis. He taught a GED class for the inmates on the maximum-security side of the prison, and he ran the prison newspaper. He was due up for parole soon. The wife of the officer who was killed had reached out to him to let him know she would support his release since he wasn’t the one who actually pulled the trigger. We were hoping her support would make the decision to release him, easy for the parole board.
He sat down at the table then the guard removed his handcuffs and left the room.
“What’s up Sun?”
“You got it, god.”
We embraced and sat back down at the table.
“How is everything going with Roc’s case?”
I took a deep breath and sat back in my chair.
“I don’t know if I can win this and I’ve never felt this way before even when all the cards were stacked against me. This DA has a hard-on for Roc and Coco, and he’s not stopping until he has thoroughly fucked them. Excuse the expletives, but that’s the best way to describe it.”
“I hear you. Have you talked to Roc about the possibility of this not working out?”
“No, I haven’t. I was sitting under the Arch the other day trying to think this through…”
“What’s her name?”
I looked at him confused.
“Excuse me?”
“What’s her name? The one who got you to sit still and think. Only a woman will make a man do that.”
I chuckled.
“Her name is Averie, and she is the lawyer we hired to work on the case with us. She’s stubborn, sassy and brilliant.”
“Beautiful?”
“Breathtaking.”
I never mixed words when I talked to my father. He would have known anyway.
“Humph…”
“What?”
“Nothing. Continue with the conclusions you came to at the Arch grounds.”
“I feel like the case is too perfect, you know. The witness list is airtight. The evidence was all bagged and tagged correctly even the stuff they found in Coco’s desk is solid. We saw the video surveillance of the police discovering it. Now the DA has a witness. We don’t know who it is or what they have to say but whatever they have told the DA has made the lead on the case confident enough to amend the charges.”
I continued to go through more of the evidence the DA had while Reggie listened intently.
“Alright, two things.” He said after I finished. “One, nothing is perfect. So, the DA’s case most certainly is not. You are too close to this case for you to see what’s in front of you. The smoking gun is there. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t tell you what it is, but I bet if you give Averie the space she needs she will find it. I know she will because you are partnering with her, so she must be smart. Let her handle the case, and you fall back. I know that’s hard to hear and probably even more hard to do but it’s important for the family. The best way to help Roc at this point is to pass the controls to Averie. Second thing, life is too short to be attracted to a woman and play like the attraction is not there. I understand your need to keep things professional while you are working on the case, but if she can get you to do something as mundane as sit and look at a dirty river, then she is something special. Special ones only come around once so don’t miss it.”
“Pop, I’m not even think…”
“Yes, you are. You are just pretending not to. Now go and do what I said. I will see you in a couple weeks.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Averie
Are you busy? – Valentine
No, is everything okay?
No and yes. Are you home? – Valentine
Yes
Can I stop by? - Valentine
Yes
I will be there in thirty - Valentine
I re-read the text messages from Samuel one more time when I was sitting on my bed waiting for him to arrive. I had planned on drinking a bottle of wine and taking some melatonin, so I could get a solid night’s sleep. I had started on the wine but hadn’t taken the pill yet. I’d started running scenarios through my head of what he wanted to speak to me about, but I couldn’t figure it out, so I waited for him to get here.
I heard the knock on my door and checked myself in the mirror before I walked to open it. Samuel stood on the other side looking like a Hershey’s bar I wanted to take a bite of.
I had too much wine.
He was in a suit but had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top buttons of his dress shirt. I pulled the door open giving him space to enter. I closed the door behind him and wrapped my long cashmere sweater around my waist.
“Have a seat.” I motioned to the couch in my living room.
He sat down, and I sat in the chair across from the couch.
“Thank you for letting me stop by.”
“No problem. What’s up? Wait, do you want something to drink? I have water, wine, and cognac.”
“I will take the cognac.”
I went to the kitchen and poured two fingers before passing him the glass.
“I bought the bottle just in case you need more.” I placed the bottle on the table in front of him.
“My father is in jail.”
“He recently went?”
“No, he’s been there for a long time. I met him while I was serving time. We were in the same prison at Pineville.”
I didn’t respond. I folded my legs under me and listened.
“I didn’t know my father. I was raised by my mother’s boyfriend who was a good man. He died of a heart attack before I went away.”
He swallowed down the entire glass of liquor and poured himself another drink.
“Reggie and I had been cellmates for months before he finally told me he was my father. My mother confirmed it. You would think I would’ve had a lot of internal conflict with that revelation, but I didn’t. I’ve learned to adapt to changes quickly because it could be a matter of life or death in prison. With my father came this kid, Roc. I met him when he was ten and he was already acting like a man. He was already known in the streets. It was easy to see the streets were raising him, not his grandma. Nothing against her, but she was too old to keep up with Roc and his foolishness. The moment Roc and I locked eyes, he became my responsibility. I believe in family. I believe family is one of God’s greatest ideas. How smart was it on God’s part to create a group of people that are similar in looks, share the same blood and can love and support each other? Genius. I love my family. I would do anything for them. I’ve tried to protect Roc from the very thing the DA is trying to make happen, jail. I convinced him to apply himself, so he could graduate from high school. He did. Then I encouraged him to attend college. He did and graduated. I talked and talked and talked until he finally developed an exit strategy from the streets. Now after all o
f that, he may still follow in my dad’s and my footsteps and spend years behind bars. I don’t want that to happen, but I can’t stop it. I’ve looked at this case over and over again. Even before you came on and I can’t see our angle. I can’t see the errors in the DA’s evidence and its eating me up.”
He scrubbed his face with both hands and sat back in his chair. He sat back up and drank another shot of liquor before continuing.
“I am going to hand this case over to you. I need to step back and let you take the lead. My brother and his lady deserve it. I will tuck my ego and pride in my pocket and let you save my family. Ms. Averie Patterson, can you save my family?”
The look of desperation in his eyes made my heart ache. I knew asking for help was difficult for someone like him. It was difficult for me, and I’m not nearly as stubborn as he is, in my opinion.
“You can do whatever you need to do. You will have the resources of the entire firm at your disposal. I will move to second chair.”
“Are you sure? You don’t want time to consider what you are asking?”
“No, I’m positive, and I know exactly what I am asking.”
“You won’t fight my decision or second guess my tactics?”
He stood from the couch and walked to the chair I was sitting in. He got down on one knee and said, “I promise not to second guess your tactics or fight your decisions. I will support you from my position as second chair and give you full authority over everyone employed by my firm to help you in any capacity you deem necessary. Ms. Averie G Patterson, will you please take first chair in the case?”
He was drunk, but it was still so cute and uncharacteristic of the Alpha male, Samuel Valentine, that I couldn’t help but smile.
“I will save your family, Samuel.”
“Thank you, Averie,” he said as he stood and sat back on the couch.
“Can you call a meeting with the team first thing tomorrow? I will need to see everyone who has touched this case all the way down to the mail room attendant who dropped off the evidence boxes.”
“I can make that happen.”
He pulled out his cellphone and typed on it then looked back at me.
“Done. Anything else?”
“Yes, did you drive?”
I looked at the empty cognac bottle and back to him.
“Yes.”
“Get comfortable, Sir. I won’t let you drive intoxicated. Pass me your keys.”
He reached into his pocket and produced a key fob.
“I will make some coffee.”
I went into the kitchen and filled my kettle with water to prepare some coffee in my coffee press. I waited for it to boil and went through the steps to prepare Samuel a cup. I returned to the living room with a mug and found him with his shoes, tie and jacket off, sleeping soundly. I grabbed the blanket from the basket next to my couch and put it over him. He looked so peaceful compared to the stressed-out man who’d just laid all his cards on the table.
I stayed up all night strategizing for the meeting in the morning. I’d made a promise I was going to save the Valentine family, and I planned on making good on my promise. The next morning, I heard light taps on my bedroom door. I climbed out of bed and put my robe on before opening the door.
“Good morning,” Samuel smiled. “I need my keys, please.”
I forgot to leave them out for him.
“Sorry,” I said while reaching into the pocket of the sweater I wore last night to retrieve his key.
“Thank you for listening and for agreeing to handle the case. Gretchen has contacted everyone you requested to see. We will meet you in the conference room at nine this morning.”
“No regrets about asking me to take over first chair?”
“None. I stand by everything I said last night.”
“Do you remember everything you said last night?”
“Would you like for me to repeat them?”
He motioned like he was getting down on his knee again.
“No! Samuel, stop it!” I laughed while holding on to his arm to prevent him from getting on his knee.
“I’ll do it again!” He laughed with me.
I stepped out of my room to follow him to the front door.
“Thanks for the couch. It was surprisingly comfortable.”
“No problem. See you in a couple hours.”
I dressed in my black knee length sleeveless sheath dress. I wore my multi-colored pumps and black blazer. I put my diamond studs in my ears and my Tiffany locket necklace around my neck. I was ready for business.
I entered the conference room at Valentine Law. The room was full of people sitting at the table and standing. Samuel, Xavier, Morris, and Ray stood when I entered the room. I placed my leather briefcase on the table next to Samuel and pulled out my legal pad.
“Good morning! Can I have everyone’s undivided attention please?” The room settled. “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Averie Patterson. Mr. Valentine asked me to be a part of the legal team for the Elkanah/Jenkins case. Everyone in this room has touched a part of this case, and from this point forward everything that relates to this case will come through me. I don’t care if it’s something as minute as seeing the district attorney walking past this building, I want to know everything. I will hold separate interviews with each of you to find out the details of what you’ve touched and give you instructions on how you will proceed. Who is the mail person that delivered the boxes of discovery to the office?”
I looked around the room until an unassuming, pale, white man raised his hand.
“Great, I will start the interviews with you.” He nodded and stepped back into the shadows. “Nothing about this case will be discussed with your family or friends. No one will answer media calls or respond to anything on social media. If I find out any of those things have happened, I will be coming for you. I have zero tolerance for people who don’t follow the rules. I know some of you are looking at Mr. Valentine thinking he is your boss and not me. For the duration of this case, I am the Alpha and Omega. Everything begins and ends with me. There is only one road to this case, and it’s through me. Don’t try to circumvent me because I will know. Don’t try to keep anything from me because I will find out. We have a job to do. We have a case to win, and with all of your help, I plan on making a win the reality. That may mean some early mornings and some late nights for some of you. I would apologize, but I’m sure no matter how late you stay, Mr. Valentine and I will be here later. Please respond to the appointment time for your interview as soon as you receive it. Thank you for your time. I look forward to working with each of you. If there are questions, please save those for our one on one meeting. Please clear the room. Thank you.”
The entire room filed out except Samuel, Ray, Morris, Xavier, and Countee who I didn’t see until I began the meeting. He was standing in the corner observing the room.
I closed the door to the conference room before I began speaking to the men.
“I would say I hope I didn’t come off too harsh, but I really don’t care how I came off. My concern is getting this case won. If I ruffled some feathers, they will get over it. Time heals all wounds.”
Countee chuckled.
“Before I start. Countee is there a way to scramble any listening devices that may be in the room?”
“Yes.”
He tapped away on his phone then sat it in the middle of the table.
“Done.”
“I want to use the empty office next door as the strategy room. Countee is there a way to make sure that room is secure? I’m not trying to be paranoid, but the DA has a way of coercing people into helping them by using family members who are currently awaiting trial or those who are already locked up. Sometimes the people don’t even know they are feeding the DA info and sometimes they do. I don’t know if they’ve gotten to anyone in this firm and I don’t want to take any chances.”
“We can put some toys in there to make it secure. We can also install a small camera
which will record anyone who enters or leaves the room. We would have to install it after hours, so no one knows it’s there.”
“Samuel?” I looked at him for permission.
He threw his hands up in surrender. “This is your show. I told you yesterday. Do whatever you see fit.”
“You can speak up if you disagree.”
“I will. I don’t disagree with anything. Count, take care of that whenever you are ready.”
I felt a boost of confidence and stood a little taller hearing Samuel give me complete control. I figured he would’ve changed his mind today, but he hasn’t.
“I’m on it,” Countee responded while typing away on his phone.
“Xavier, I need for you to go over the list of expert witnesses the DA is using. Find more qualified ones we can use to dispute their findings. Call all the Ivy League schools. We want professors and pioneers in the field to rebut everything their expert witnesses says.”
“I can do that,” Xavier said while writing down notes.
“I want our experts to make their experts look like they are novices.”
“Got it,” Xavier answered.
“Morris, this jury needs to be comprised of white female millennials. You know ones who make statements like, ‘I don’t see color.’ Also, black women who’ve either had a run in with law enforcement or ones who’ve lost children to the street. We can backfill the other slots with people who seem sympathetic to the plight of the black male.”
“The DA is going to fight for the opposite on the jury,” Morris answered.
“I know. You fight harder. You are smarter and wittier than all of those people in that office combined. Use their prejudices against them. Consult with my secretary so she can connect you with the jury consultant we use, please.”
“I will do that as soon as we conclude this meeting.”
I stuck my head out the door and saw Princeton and Deyshonda waiting in the chairs near Gretchen’s desk.
“Princeton, Deyshonda please come in.”
They entered the conference room and sat at the table.
“I need for you both to tell us everything. From the beginning to the end. How you ran your operation down to who is running it now. How did you meet? What was the exit plan? Who did you discuss your plan with? Who else knew your operation? Were there any missteps when executing the exit plan?”