Chapter 74 The Mediator Part II

At lunch, Logan and Josh told Honor and Rory what happened at the mediation. Rory is always the one not to take things involving Shira for surface value. "Are you sure she doesn't have some angle?" She asked.

Logan put his hand on her shoulder. "Ace, I would like to sit here and tell you that you have nothing to worry about, but I can't. This is Shira. My advice to all is to always have your guard up." Honor and Josh both agreed.

On the way back to the office, Logan asked Rory what they had discussed in her meeting with her dad. She told him that basically she and Ricky were told to answer the questions as honestly as possible. If either one of them were asked a question they were not comfortable with, request to speak with the lawyers. Logan agreed. That is the only advice he had for her and Ricky.

When they entered the building, Logan stopped at Renea's desk. "Renea, I need a visitor's pass for" He turned around, looking at his group. "Never mind, they all have their own passes." Renea was laughing at him. "There will be an FBI agent and possibly a stenographer coming up to my floor. Just make copies of their credentials and give them passes."

"Three FBI agents and a stenographer have already passed through. I sent them to 22-A. That is what is on the calendar." Renea said.

When Logan and the crew got off the elevator, they could not be seen by the occupants in 22-A. Logan directed the crew to the conference room. He looked at his watch. "We have a few minutes. I am going to get my messages from John." Logan left as Christopher and Josh followed Rory and Ricky into the room. Christopher pointed to a seat for Rory to sit. Ricky followed suit.

"I assume you are the FBI agents that are to question Mrs. Huntzburger and Mr. Greene," Christopher said. "I am Christopher Hayden Esquire. This is my client Lorelai Leigh Huntzburger. She prefers Rory."

"I'm Josh Chase Esquire and this is my client, Richard Greene. He prefers Ricky." Before the FBI agents could introduce themselves, Logan returned.

"I'm Special Agent Brody Stone," He said as he stood up and this is Special Agent Hanna Horn, and Special Agent Johnny Williams, and let's not forget FBI stenographer Lisa McDonald." Everyone nodded their heads at each other.

"As I said before, I am Special Agent Brody Stone. This meeting is very informal." Everyone turned to look at Lisa. "Yes, she will be recording. I would like to ask questions and get your input on what you think as well as what you know."

"We will be having the same type of meeting with Victoria Greene. It was brought to our attention by the Florida Bureau of Investigations that this wreck appears to not be an accident." Horn said as she looked around the room. "Ricky, I am sorry for your loss. Do you know of anyone that wanted to hurt your dad?"

Ricky shook his head no. "Ricky, you will have to answer, so the stenographer will be able to record it," Josh said.

"No Ma'am. After Rory and Dad divorced, I did not spend as much time with him as I did when he was married to Rory. The last time I was there was Christmas and that was a last-minute visit. My dad was a pilot, I'm sure you know that." Ricky was nervous. He wasn't used to all these important people asking him questions. "He called to say he was flying into California on Christmas Eve and wanted to know if I wanted to spend a few days in Florida with him. I did. That is the first time I have spent more than a day or two with him in over a year. Usually, he would fly into California and would spend a couple of days with me."

"While you were there Christmas, was anything unusual. Anything that would make you think he was worried about something." Stone asked.

Ricky was looking down at his hands. "Dad was angry because he was not able to see the twins. I don't know why he didn't get to see them. I asked if they were coming, but he just shook his head."

"Can I interject something?" Rory asked, looking at her dad, then the agents. "Billy and Melissa were supposed to come to Connecticut after Christmas. Logan and I were married on New Year's Eve. He and Melissa were going to come on Christmas Day for a few hours, then come back to stay with the twins while we were on our honeymoon. Melissa called the week of Christmas and told me they would not be able to make it. That she was sorry, but Billy had a job that would carry through Christmas." Rory said. She looked at Ricky. "I didn't know he picked you up."

Ricky nodded and continued. "When he picked me up, I thought we were going to pick up the twins on the way back to Jacksonville."

"Rory, did you talk to Billy about him changing the plans at the last minute?" Agent Horn asked.

"I texted him. I told him that I understood that he wanted to give his employees some time off, but he has a family now that is old enough to know he put his job before his family. I don't mean to sound like I was harsh. I wasn't. Billy has always taken flights on Holidays so his employees can be with their families. Before the twins were born, I would go with him. After the twins were born, he promised to put them first." Rory told them.

"Rory, the same questions? Do you know of anyone that would want to do him any harm?" Stone asked.

"No, Other than keeping in touch for the twins, Billy and I did not have a relationship after the divorce. We agreed that when he was in the area that he could stay in my pool house so he could spend time with the boys. We do not, did not have any set custody agreement. The twins were so small when we divorced."

"Anything else you can think of that we need to know?" Agent Williams asked.

"Hey, I didn't introduce myself earlier. I am Logan Huntzburger. This is my wife." Logan said, waving his hand toward Rory. " Ace, remember when we were in New York and Lorelai told you that you needed to ask Karson about Melissa?"

"Yeah, I forgot about that." She told them. "Billy told me that he was moving Melissa in with him. He wanted to bring her on his next visit. Logan and I planned to go to New York for a few days. Karson is our part-time nanny who stays behind to help with the boys if needed. She told me Melissa was yelling at the boys and how she got mad when she found out that Logan and I got engaged."

"Do you think Karson will be available to talk with us today?" Horn asked. Rory looked at Christopher and Josh.

"Let me call her." Rory said, looking at her watch. "Logan, she has already picked the twins up. Can she bring them up here? They can stay in your office if John will keep an eye on them." Logan nodded.

"Okay, Let's take a 30-minute break. Will that be enough time for her to get here?" Stone asked. Logan nodded yes as Rory stood up with her phone to ear calling Karson.

Logan, Rory, Christopher, Josh, and Ricky went to Logan's office to wait for Karson and the twins. They discussed among themselves some of the things that now seemed out of place, at the time it did not register. Christopher suggested they write it all down. He would introduce it to the FBI, then they would have more questions. While they were making a list, Rory had to excuse herself. She was sick again. Logan tried to follow, but she stopped him. When Rory returned, Karson was in Logan's office. The twins were with John getting a snack. Josh was explaining to Karson what was going on. He advised her as he did Ricky, to just answer the questions truthfully.

They headed back to the conference room. Josh introduced Karson. He also told the agents of the conversation that took place in Logan's office. Agent Stone asked to see the list. He and Agent Horn studied the list.

"Karson, tell me about Melissa yelling at the boys." Agent Horn said.

Karson looked at Rory and she nodded. "Billy and Melissa were taking the boys somewhere. I think maybe Star's Hollow to a festival. The boys, who are only 4 years old, were dressed but did not have their shoes on. I guess Billy told them to get their shoes on. I did not hear him, but I did hear Melissa yelling. I have a room downstairs. When I realized she was yelling at the boys, I went upstairs to see what was going on. When I got to the living room, the boys were huddled together, playing, but kept glancing back at Melissa. I was not sure if they were testing her or if they feared her." She glanced back at Rory.

"When I got there, I put shoes on the boys and took them to the car, and buckled them in their car seats. When I finished, Billy came into the garage. He looked embarrassed. I asked him if he was going straight to Stars Hollow, and he told me yes. I then told him that I would be there about 30 minutes behind him to help with the boys. I was supposed to stay home and study, but I did not want the boys to get in trouble for being 4-year-old, so I thought I could just study later. I called Lorelai, that's Rory's mom, to tell her what happened. I did not want to interrupt Rory and Logan's time in New York but I wanted someone to know about what happened." When she finished, she looked at Rory. She had a look on her face that said she was worried.

"Okay, can you tell me about Melissa getting mad when she found out Rory and Logan were engaged?" Horn asked. Karson just nodded her head. Ricky reached under the table and grabbed her hand.

"She must have overheard me on the phone with Rory. I was screaming. I was so excited for them. She heard me. After I got off the phone, she tried to get me to tell her why I was screaming. I told her that I got some good news. She wanted to know what the good news was. I told her it was not my news to tell. I know that Rory wanted to tell Billy herself. Like I said she must have overheard me because later I heard her telling Billy that Rory was getting married and this should relieve some of the burdens since Rory was marrying a Billionaire. Then I couldn't make out what Billy said, but I heard Melissa loud and clear. She yelled that she had better get a ring in the near future. That money was not an object anymore. I didn't get out of the living room fast enough and she saw me. She told me if I knew what was best, that I should keep my mouth quiet." Karson let out a breath when she finished talking.

Agent Williams asked if anyone else had any comments. "Billy and I had our problems when we were married. But his love for the boys, all three, was undeniable. I'm sure Billy was not looking for a mother for the boys. Most of the time he spent with the boys was at my house or if the boys were in Florida for more than a week, I went down there to stay." Rory told them.

Agent Stone stood up. He looked at agent Horne and Williams before speaking. "I think we have enough for now. Ricky, when do you plan on leaving for California? I am sure we will need to talk with you again. I would like to do it before you leave."

"I am living with Rory, Logan, and my brothers while I work for Logan and go to school," he told him. "I will not be leaving for California."

"Good, I will be in touch. Rory, Ricky, Karson, thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I have found the information interesting." Williams said.

"Will you keep us informed?" Christopher said, handing them each a business card.

"We will keep you informed as best we can. With an open investigation, there is little that we can tell until an arrest is made."Williams said.

The three FBI agents gathered their material and left the office headed to the elevator. "Does anyone think that they suspect Melissa?" Josh asked as soon as they were out of ear shot. They all nodded their heads.

"I think I would feel better if it was an accident than murder," Ricky said. He still had Karson's hand in his.