Criminal Defense

by Alice J. Harris-Wood

  "‘Now that we have more land and more money, we can start our building of the empire that will be passed down to other generations. To start with, I want to send Nate to Georgia to work the land and the area,’ Pop spoke like a general in the army. ’You will find a woman and make her your wife. Make sure that you do love her and she is pretty. Have lots of children. By doing this, everyone will see you as a family man with many business ties. Your main crop will be corn. In the swamp, you will set up your stills. You will open up several bars that are legal and sell our moonshine. I will handle the distribution of moonshine to other parts of Georgia. You will find the drivers and I will guarantee the delivery. If trouble finds you, take care of it, but inform me before you kill anyone.

  "‘In your bars, hire fast women and offer good hometown cooking and music and keep the music going with dancing. It should be non-stop all night until the sun comes up. Have several guards at the door to throw out rough people. If the peace officers come, pay them off, and give them a bottle of our best moonshine,’ said Redd as he started to stand up.

  "’Keep an eye on the money! Have your wife be in charge of finances. Make an example out of someone who you know is stealing from you. This can be done in several ways. One is to cut off their hand or just kill them. Whatever happens, you have to maintain your laws and your order.

  “‘If it appears that you are having a problem with the peace officers, send your wife over to charm them and to settle the problem,’ Redd said with a deep conviction that this was the right course to take.”

  Lola stopped talking and was having a hard time keeping the family ancestry history going. Lola said, remembering what her father would say about her mother, “What his Georgia Peach wanted, she got.” She was thinking about her father’s saying as she surveyed this gorgeous creature. Ted was great-looking with smooth, light brown skin and pretty, brown, bedroom eyes. The aroma coming from his clothes was sending her straight to the bedroom. His eyes reminded her of her brother.

  “Oh my,” said Lola in a low, soft voice.

  “What was that you said, Miss Lola?” Ted asked, looking totally involved.

  “I was thinking about something my father would say about my mother,” said Lola.

  “Lola, let’s continue with your defense because what you have given me so far will not get you a reduced sentence or get you off altogether,” replied Ted.

  “It was told to me that Redd had even bigger and better plans for Nick,” said Lola.

  “Redd turned to Nick, who was the younger twin, and said, ‘You are a lot like me. I know it is in the genes. You think things through, you take action, and you will deliver. In this line of work, having all those attributes will make for an important man in this competitive field of business. Therefore, I have laid the ground work for you but all the small details of how to accomplish your mission will be up to you.’ Redd sounded like the good father giving his son some advice on how to make an honest living.”‘I have some very important friends in Philadelphia and New York. I have sent word that you will be there by the end of the month. They will provide you with two rows of homes in South Philly. You will take the money that I will give you and renovate the buildings by tearing down the joining walls. This will allow for a larger home. The home will have two basements, eight bedrooms, two kitchens, two bathrooms, one large living room, and one large dining room.’ Redd spoke as if he had a list written in his brain.

  "‘You will put bars up at all the windows; this will keep the peace officers out until you can close down your activities,’ said Redd.

  "‘I guess you want me to decide what activities will be going on at my home,’ said Nick.

  "‘Yes and no,’ replied Redd.

  "‘My friends will teach you the business. Do not, under any circumstances, get married or fall in love. That will truly be your downfall. A woman in this business is a liability that will be hard to overcome. As you get further into the business, you will understand.’ Redd spoke these words like a man who had been there and done that.

  "Rita was a woman that he married to help raise his two boys. But he did not love her like a lover, only as a partner raising children, cleaning, and cooking. She did love him and was willing to settle for that small part of him.

  "Redd’s first wife was named Nina. She was slightly tall, thin, with silky smooth creamy skin, and long, dark brown thick hair. No matter where she went, all heads would turn. She was beautiful from head to toe. She knew she was blessed with many of the benefits of beauty that most people could only dream about.

  "Nina was very smart and at an early age decided what road she would travel in life. Her road consisted of having men adore her for money. She learned the business from an older girl, who was about twenty-two years old, who saw potential in Nina. She took one look at her and became Nina’s good friend. Her name was Candee and she had total control over her new young friend Nina who was sixteen years old.

  "‘I want more than anything to use my gifts that God has given me to make men happy and at the same time become very wealthy,’ Nina spoke these words to Candee as she was laying out Nina’s future.

  "‘To begin with,’ said Candee, ’all types of men are going to try to claim you. Do not let that happen. If you do, your chosen career will be over.

  "‘You must be sure this is what you want,’ said Candee in a very directing voice. ‘Never have sex with any customers. That is never acceptable in the business that we are going to introduce to this county.’

  "‘How do I start?’ asked Nina.

  "‘Tell your parents that you have a job in the next county,’ said Candee.

  "‘I do not have any parents or any relatives but have always wished for a family of my own one day,’ revealed Nina.

  "‘Well, you can start by calling me Candee. How’s that?’ said Candee as she smiled.

  "‘I have foster parents who will be happy to know that I am leaving. They were friends of my parents and took me in and gave me a place to live,’ said Nina as she looked hopeful about her future.

  "‘I have dreamed of starting this business. I have most of the details worked out. Money will not be an issue because I have a boyfriend that just loves me. In fact, he wants to marry me but I am scared,’ said Candee.

  "‘My friend’s name is Buddy. He is a good-looking guy. He has never been married; I would be the first. The first Mrs. Buddy and the wife of a true criminal sounds like a good future. Buddy is involved in many activities but I act as though I do not know. I did some research on him and found out he is the boss in Harrisonville County. He is worth millions,’ said Candee, who spoke like an authority figure.

  "‘He once told me he had a business partner named Redd. They grew up together like brothers. Redd and Buddy have been friends since the age of sixteen. I have never seen this Redd character but from what Buddy told me, he is someone worth knowing,’ implied Candee.

  "‘Well, I would like to meet someone nice one day, but for now I just want to get our business off the ground,’ said Nina.

  “’Okay, let’s see. I will ask Buddy to give me one of his buildings for our saloon. We will open up late and stay open until daybreak. We will sell food that is cooked by the blacks in the area. They are the only ones in this county that can cook. Their cooking is so good that men will be asking us to sell them food to take home. Our clients will be men and women. We will also sell corn liquor supplied by Redd and his gang. The music will be played by the blacks because they know how to get it going. The singers can be white or black as long as they can sing and the customers can dance,” said Candee.

  "‘I have a few ideas,’ said Nina. ‘In a totally different area of the building, maybe the basement, we can have a special place for men and women who want to get together to socialize. I can run that part of the business. I will charge the men by the hour for the room and pay the woman per client. This part of the business will be open twenty-four hours and every day of the week. Is there a name for this type of business, Candee
?’ asked Nina, looking very innocent.

  "‘Yes, a gentlemen’s basement,’ replied Candee in a joking way.

  "‘Great, that is what we will call my area of expertise. The Gentlemen’s Basement,’ said Nina.

  "‘I will call my business Candee’s Palace,’ said Candee in a sweet, low, sexy voice.

  "‘I will get in touch with Buddy and run our plans past him. I know he will like the idea and will also be extending the services that we plan to provide. He thinks big and goes big with everything,’ said Candee.

  "Buddy had several businesses. They included farming (produce and livestock), rental properties, rooming homes, speakeasies, moonshine/liquor-producing, gambling, banking, and insurance. Buddy grew up the hard way, fending for himself, because his father was killed while robbing a bank and his mother gave him away, after the death of his father, to a preacher and his wife who did not have any children. When Buddy got the chance, he stole the church offering and took off. He was on his way to anywhere except that town.

  "He landed in Harrisonville and met Redd. Redd’s genes for criminal activities matched up with Buddy’s perfectly and they were friends instantly. Redd’s experience from the old country made him the perfect partner in crime.

  “Their empire all started with the introduction of making outstanding corn liquor that could be produced quickly without losing its quality. As times changed, they changed and they got involved in legal businesses that were profitable but at the same time concealed their true vocation. That is, professional gangsters.”

  Ted asked the jail attendant if he could have a private room to interview his client. As they were walking to the room, Ted walked slightly behind Nina. He started looking at her feet. He could see her toes in the flip flops that she was wearing and noticed that her feet were well kept. Her toes were manicured with a bright red polish that matched her lips and accented the shape and beauty of her feet.

  As his eyes rolled upwards, her legs were perfect in shape and size. The short skirt she was wearing could only be worn by her. Anyone else would have destroyed the design. Ted thought to himself, ‘There must be a God that made such a beautiful creature.’

  Lola’s waist was just the right size to hold tight as a lover would in order to make love with her. Her breast was small but sweet to look at. She was wearing a spaghetti-strapped top with a low-cut front.

  Ted tried to stop himself from looking at Lola but was unable to control his eyes. His eyes wandered up to her neck and that is when he stopped walking behind her and rushed up to open the door.

  “After you, lovely lady,” Ted spoke like a gentleman.

  “Lola, your family history is getting very interesting and I want to hear more,” said Ted.

  “Okay, there is plenty more to tell. This family of mine never gave me a chance in life to be an honest working person. It is really not their fault, for it is all about the genes,” said Lola as she started sitting in the cushioned chair.

  "Candee sent word to Buddy that she wanted to see him and it was all about business. Buddy knew that Redd was his best friend and partner and that all business must be discussed amongst the three of them.

  "‘I love Candee, Redd. Hopefully one day she will marry me. She has everything a man like me needs, but she changes the subject every time I come close to talking about future plans with her,’ said Buddy with a sad look on his face.

  "‘Well, my friend, I will never fall in love. I love the single life. Having a different woman every night and loving it. Marriage will never work for me. I do not want someone asking me questions, like where are you going, when will you be back, and that suit does not look good on you. To hell with married life! I love this life and it cannot get any better than this. Trust me, friend, we are better off single,’ Redd spoke like a true friend.

  "Buddy had a key to Candee’s home. He opened the door and Redd and Buddy just walked right in. Walking in without being announced made Buddy feel like a husband. This gave him a pleasant feeling about his relationship with Candee.

  The two girls were sitting on the sofa having a drink when the men entered. ‘This is my cousin, Nina. She will be staying with me until she gets her own place, okay boys?’ said Candee in a low, sexy voice.

  "The two men looked like schoolboys that just saw their first look at a woman’s body. Their feet were frozen to the floor. No words were able to be formed because their jaws were shut tight and locked. Candee kept yelling Buddy’s name but he did not respond. Finally, Nina got up and went towards Redd and kissed him on his lips. At that point, he came back and was astonished and shocked.

  "Everything Redd had said about not falling in love was gone. He was in love at the sight of this beautiful woman. ‘You are gorgeous. You are gorgeous. You are gorgeous,’ said Redd, with no control of his words.

  "‘Redd, Redd, Redd, snap out of it. Pull yourself together,’ said Candee.

  "‘Guys, come and sit down and have a strong drink,’ said Candee in strong, commanding voice.

  "‘To start with, this is my cousin and she is a beauty. She is young but willing to learn the business,’ said Candee.

  "After taking a few slips of his drinks, Buddy said, ‘What do you mean by learning the business?’

  "‘I have been with you for many years. Long before you became rich with influence. Your banking operation, insurance business, and the gambling enterprises have survived because of the long hours and hard work that I have devoted to the business. It is my time to open up a new business of my own with my cousin. I have many of the details worked out. I will start small and expand in a few years,’ said Candee in a demanding voice.

  "‘So, tell me what you want, my love,’ said Buddy.

  "‘To begin with, you can see that Nina is beautiful. With her beauty and my business knowledge, we can get it right the first time. What is needed is a nice-looking, big building in town. We want it to be accessible to customers who are walking or riding. I’d like to open a saloon. It will be called ’Candee’s Palace.’ I will serve alcohol, food, music, and dancing. It will be like a New York City Club but located in Harrisonville. It will be glamorous with pretty girls serving drinks and food. The music will be live with a band and singers. The customers can dance or sit and enjoy the music,’ said Candee, looking very calculating.

  "‘In the basement, Nina will be dressed like a porcelain doll baby. Part of the basement will be for men who want to socialize with a beautiful woman like Nina. She will run that business. Located in the basement will be another business that will help to expand your current business like poker games. Even though the basement is illegal, there should not be much of a problem because of your influence with top-elected officials and the local law enforcement. Many of them will also be patrons of the ’Gentlemen’s Basement,’ said Candee.

  "‘If we have room, there can also be a number writing business for your bookies,’ said Candee, looking business-like. As you can see, I have been thinking about this for a long time and Nina came into my life and gave me hope, excitement, and energy to take on such a big project,’ Candee spoke like a professional businesswoman.

  "‘Yes, it is obvious that this is what you want. It is also what I want for you. We can work out the details later but there is one thing I would want from you. Let’s go into the other room. This is between you and me,’ said Buddy.

  "Candee did not know what to expect, so she just followed Buddy into the other room without any resistance.

  "Redd looked at Nina and walked right up to her without blinking his eyes. ‘I do not believe I am saying this but you will be my wife? I cannot help myself but no other woman has ever turned me on like you. I just met you for the first time. It is also the first time I met your cousin. Buddy talks about her all the time. I think if she asked him to go straight and be honest, he would do just that. I could never understand his love for this woman but now I understand,’ said Redd with a very sober face.

  "Nina looked at Redd and felt the same way, love at first sig
ht. ‘I do not want a short romance before I tie the knot,’ thought Nina. ‘Therefore, I will have him wine and dine me for a while or until I am twenty-one,’ she thought as she analyzed the situation.

  "Redd’s beautiful, curly black hair and red face made him look outstanding. He was dressed splendidly from neck to his feet. ‘He is a tall, slender man with a good speaking voice,’ thought Nina. ‘He could have been anything in this world if he wanted it. But Redd chose to be a gangster.’ She was thinking to herself as she looked him up and down in a girlish demeanor.

  "‘Nina, do you think I can meet your family soon?’ asked Redd.

  "‘Ho, you do move quickly. Well, you see, Redd, Candee is all I have and you met her tonight,’ said Nina. ‘Therefore, we can skip the family thing and go to dinner soon, okay?’ said Nina.

  "‘That sounds like a lady who knows what she wants and how to get it,’ thought Redd.

  "‘We will go to the finest place to dine in this state. That is my golf club’s country club,’ said Redd with great joy.

  "‘What should I wear to the club, Redd? You know I am just a small-town country girl,’ said Nina, looking naïve.

  "‘You will look good in anything but if it will make you happy, then we will go shopping for all new clothes for an all new you. I will be the envy of every man in this county. One day, I will be pleased to announce that you are my fiancée,’ said Redd.

  "Voices were coming from the other room that sounded happy. At this point, Buddy and Candee entered the room. ‘Hey guys, we have some good news to tell you,’ said Buddy. ‘My lovely lady has finally agreed to marry me. To make sure she does not change her mind, we are getting married in two months,’ said Buddy, speaking like the happiest man in the world.

  "Redd went home and Buddy stayed with Candee that night. Buddy could not get Candee out of his mind, for he had tunnel vision. All he could see and think about was Candee.

  "The next day, Buddy got busy making plans for the wedding with Candee. First he sent for all his staff. The business was really one business, that business of making money from any source. His staff was his lawyer, his accountant, and Candee his manager.