Bitter Sweet

Book 1, Love Ain’t Easy Series

ISBN: 978-0-9765879-2-7
Price: $14.99

Chapter 1

     “Order in the court room!” Judge Lee Wells angrily banged the gavel on the desk twice.   The noisy court room fell silent.   “Another outburst and I’ll clear this courtroom.  Everyone be seated!”

The cool, breezy, fall October day in Memphis could have well been hotter than a day in Hell.  Even hotter than Tyra Banks in the 2005 Victoria Secrets Fashion show in that white bikini earlier this year.  Judge Wells glared around the divided courtroom.  Enraged blacks settled down on the right hand side and vengeful whites moved back to the left.  The statement Marvell made on television last night referring to Tiffany Settlers as a passed around reject trying to latch on to a brother on the rise stirred up the whites.  The minute he stepped in the courtroom white shouted vile things at him and blacks shouted equally nasty things back in Marvell’s defense. After everyone settled down, the judge’s gaze returned and settled upon Defense Attorney Nick Brigance and Prosecution Attorney Amber Taylor.

“Your witness, Mr. Brigance.” Judge Wells gestured toward him.

“Your Honor, the defense calls the defendant Marvell Wright to the stand.”

Nick took a quick glance at his client.  Marvell moved his six feet plus stocky body in a lazy grace.  He was wearing a blue suit, white shirt and a tie, it played better with the jury than the draws – showing jeans he’d worn at the arraignment.  Good move, Nick thought.  Juries liked defendants in suits, even those with a mouthful of gold.

“Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?”  The court clerk waited for his reply.

“No sir, I don’t swear, it’s against my religion.” Marvell hand’s glided backwards over his thick braided hair.

The court clerk sighed.  “Well do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?”

“Yeah.  I mean yes sir.” Marvell straightened in his chair.

“Where were you on June 15^th around 10 o’clock p.m.?” Nick had moved from the defense table and rested against the oak witness stand.

“I was coming from a friend’s house on Winchester Street off of Shelby Drive.” Marvell took a breath and a full smile curved his mouth.  The glitter was blinding.  “We were working finishing up our new CD,” he announced proudly.

“Sixteen year old Tiffany Settlers was raped a block over from where you were.  Do you know Tiffany?” Nick watched Marvell’s reactions closely.

“No sir, I don’t know her?”

“Objection!”  Amber’s tall, slim figure moved swiftly to the front of the prosecution table.  “Your honor the defense is stalling.  Mr. Wright knows the woman that he raped”

Sweetheart, you better watch yourself.  Nick thought as he glanced at Amber.  “Follow my lead; the judge is not in the mood today.  Since his father and Judge Wells were friends, Nick received warning early this morning that the judge was in one of his cranky moods.  It seems that the judge and his wife stayed up half the night taking care of a sick grandchild and he didn’t get much sleep.

.           “Overruled.” Judge Wells said and rebuked her with a look.  “Continue counselor.”

“Did you rape Tiffany Settlers?”  Nick pushed force from his voice stressing each word. Tension was thick—everyone in the room stilled again and stared at Marvell, waiting.

“No sir, I’m a happily married man.”

“No further questions Your Honor.” Nick took a seat.

“Your witness Miss Taylor.” Judge Wells took a swallow of water, leaned back in his chair and prepared to watch the prosecution.

“Mr. Wright you seem to think a lot of your family.  Do I have it right?” Amber walked slowly, her hips swaying as she moved closer to the witness stand.

Marvell stirred uneasily in his seat and looked over at Nick before answering.   “Yes ma’am I do,” he said slowly.

Nick was sitting on the edge of his seat with his guard up.  Amber had a record of throwing a hard punch on the defense and gaining victory points for those blows.  She was fishing but he hadn’t figured out what her angle was but he knew whatever it was wasn’t good.

“So it’s safe to say that you wouldn’t do anything foolish to take yourself out of their lives, like committing a rape crime?” Amber smiled.

“Yes ma’am, I love my family.”  Marvell nodded his head and seemed to relax a little bit.

“But you would steal food out of a supermarket and go to jail and take yourselves out of their lives that way.   What is the difference?” her voice challenged him.

“Objection, Your Honor.”   Nick shot straight up.  “That’s not applicable and Miss Taylor knows it.”

“Objection sustained.  Counselor you’re out of order.  We are not trying Mr. Wright for a former theft charge but for the rape of Tiffany Settlers.  If you continue with this exhibition you’ll be held in contempt of court.  Is that understood?” Judge Wells shot Amber a cold look.  “Yes, Your Honor.” Amber straightened herself with dignity and proceeded.

“Mr. Wright you say you’re a happily married man, if that’s true,” she paused allowing her voice to die away.  “then please explain why your semen was found on a robe in the apartment shared by Tiffany Settlers and her roommate Dana Moore.”  Her lips thinned in anger.

Marvell’s eyes bugged and that laid back attitude disappeared from his face as he focused on something in the back. He looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary.  Taking a couple of deep breaths, his eyes refocused on something in the back of the crowded courtroom—what?   Nick looked back and locked eyes with Jasmine Wright standing at the back near the door. Pain of her husband’s betrayal was written all over her young face as she sucked it all in.  Damn!  Jasmine had made it back in town from Philadelphia—she wasn’t due in for another week.  Marvell hadn’t told her about his cheating and hoped he wouldn’t have to even though he knew it would probably come up in court.  He’d planned on not talking to the media in public, denying any rumors others said he’d expressed about it verbally and chalking down anything in print concerning the affair as a misquote.  But now…..?

“Listen, I didn’t rape that girl!”  Marvell pulled his eyes away from Jasmine’s and focused directly on Amber Taylor while making his confession.  “Me and Dana messed around a couple of times that’s all.  I’ve never seen Tiffany before these trumped up charges.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Tiffany that you messed around with?”  Amber boldly met his eyes and held them.

Marvell bristled and lashed out.  “I don’t mess with snowflakes, OK.  I stick with cinnamon sugar!”

Nick dropped his head and groaned.  Amber had rattled Marvell’s cage and he grabbed the bate.  Man, he hoped this didn’t yank the race card.  The outburst earlier from Marvell’s television statement created only a spark of what could happen if color kept being mentioned.

“Liar!” someone shouted from the crowd.  “You did it and you’re gonna pay!”

“She ain’t his type. Get over it!”  another shout roared from the far right corner.

“Quiet!” Judge Wells banged the gavel on the desk.

Amber Taylor smiled as if she’d won the lottery. “No further questions.”  She tossed her waist length hair to the side and moved with the fluent grace of a fashion model back to the prosecution table and crossed her bare nutmeg legs.

One of the twelve jurors, an older black lady face had turned into a glowering mask of rage and her eyes blazed as she watched Marvell.  She adjusted her round wire framed glasses several times before crossing her arms in her chest.

“This court is adjourned until tomorrow morning at which time summations are due.”  Judge Wells rapped the gavel and the courtroom cleared.

*          *          *

“All rise!  The honorable Judge Wells residing.”  The bailiff stepped to the side and allowed the judge to make his entrance.

“Be seated.  The prosecution will begin.” Judge Wells leaned back in his chair.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” Amber spoke in a quiet but firm tone.  “Tiffany Settlers civil rights have been violated.  The accused, Marvell Wright’s statement “I’m a happily married man” proves that he is a liar.  Happily married men don’t have affairs or rape young girls.  Tiffany has been robbed of the right to give her husband, on their wedding night, the precious gift of her virginity bec…..”

A gut busting cough erupted from the right rear of the courtroom and got everyone’s attention.  A younger man about twenty five exited the courtroom coughing violently.  A couple of other young men seated near him were snickering—hard.  Amber threw a warning eye at them and continued.

“As I was saying, her innocence has been stolen by a vicious predator!” Amber spat in a elevated tone   After throwing a hostile glare at Marvell, she turned to the jury. “Your duty is clear.  His behavior cannot be excused.  Who will be the next victim?  Your daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, sister?  Who?”  Amber’s brows drew together in an agonizing frown.  “We don’t know but your duty is clear—convict.  Prosecution rests, Your Honor.”

After Amber sat down, Nick stood, straightened his six foot-three inch frame and moved in haste until he stood directly in front of the jury box.

“I’m not going to bore you with facts that you’ve already heard.  But I will tell you some home truths.  My client, Marvell Wright is a victim of racial profiling.  A black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I personally would have never had that problem had I been doing something positive in that area as he was.  Why?  As a Caucasian man growing up in that predominantly white area I can tell you that trust is not easily given to someone outside that color line.  Marvell like most of us has made mistakes. He admits to having sexual relations with Dana Moore before going to his friend’s house to work on his CD.   His local popularity as a rap musician has drawn groupies and it’s no secret that he has been offered a music contract, which proves that excuse, is viable.  His jaw clenched and eyes narrowed as he looked at the prosecution and back to Marvell.  He inhaled the musty scent of cheap cologne, stale cigarettes and aged urine which settled over the courtroom and quickly exhaled.

Nick walked over to the defense table and looked down at Marvell.  “All humans are created with survival instincts—self preservation if you will.  Yes, my client stole from the local supermarket.  But what if I told you that his unemployment check was late, his 18 month old daughter needed Pampers and milk, his unemployed wife was seven months pregnant and there was no food in the house.  Would you still feel the same way about his stealing?  And what if I told you he repaid every dime to the supermarket owner and apologized?”  Nick took a step forward and openly studied each juror and continued, “Would this make his stealing more justifiable? You judge.

Marvell is not a hard criminal.  He did what most of us without someone to turn to would have done in that given situation.  Tiffany Settlers rape was committed by another man find him and release this innocent man.”  His voice held onto the firmness right to the end.  “The defense rests, Your Honor.”

“This court is in adjourned until tomorrow morning.” Judge Wells rapped the gavel and the courtroom began to buzz with a flurry of activity.