Joshua scooped up his little brother and moved over to the sofa. The others crowded around, murmuring their distress until Joshua had to yell to get them back. "Get back! Give us room." Joshua was a doctor and was checking over his little brother. Mickey, holding Ken's hand had knelt beside him and Joshua shot her a quick glance before he resumed his exam.
In the soundproof room, Starsky and Dobey watched with increasing concern. "What happened?"
"Mickey put a sedative in his drink," Starsky answered, his eyes on his partner. "She had said she was going to get him out of the gathering."
"Ken seems to be all right," Joshua said finally. "It's almost like he is in a deep sleep."
"I always said he was a weakling," Carlton shrugged.
His jaw snapped back as little sister Mickey put all of her 5'8" and 130 pounds into her right fist as she hit him.
Carlton, bloody nose, went for her, only to be stopped by sister Judith.
"No, Carlton, no!" and she clung to his right arm.
Joshua scooped Ken up. "I'm getting Ken out of here. Mickey, come with me."
"I'm not done yet," Mickey replied with a cold voice Starsky hadn't heard and he moved closer to the screen, on alert. "I'm calling Ken's partner and he can take Ken to the next room and keep an eye on him."
Cousin Juliet got up and stated, "I have a plane to catch to New York with Rosamund."
"We'll drive you to the airport," their parents said. Eunice couldn't help adding, "Juliet is the lead ballerina in this production."
Brandon couldn't help brag about his daughter, Rosamund. "Rosamund is one of the lead actors in her Broadway play."
Both Rosamund, a beauty with dark hair and green eyes, and Juliet, a thin, butterfly-looking brunette with brown eyes, took the congratulations from the others and then the families departed.
Carl and Cynthia cleared their throats and stood up. "Joshua, are you sure Kenneth will be all right?"
"I will let you know if he worsens."
Dave Starsky entered, and after a quick glance at Mickey, picked up Ken, who though two inches taller than Starsky, was slenderer.
"Would you show me the room, Mickey?"
"Of course. I'll be right back."
She led Starsky back to the room where he and Dobey were watching the action and Starsky sat Hutch on a sofa.
"Sleeping pill," was the only thing Mickey said as she shut the door and re-entered the conference room.
Judith and her husband, Adam, stood up. "We promised the twins to take them to a movie."
"Go with them," Mickey suggested to her father and mother, who both looked relieved to leave.
That left Joshua, Carlton, Mickey and their cousins, Steven, Daniel, Elliott, and Darren.
Mickey addressed the three wives that remained. "I will need a few minutes to go over some of the special requests Ingrid asked me. Could you ladies either go home or gather somewhere else for a while?"
Puzzled, they got up and left.
"I'm not staying around at your whim," Carlton sneered.
"I think you will, Carlton." Mickey pulled out her gun. "I need you to remain."
Joshua's eyes widened. "Mickey, put the gun away! It is not necessary."
"I'm sorry, Joshua, but you need to remain, too."
Daniel said brusquely, "What is this about?"
His twin, Darren, backed him up. "This is too dramatic even for Hutchinsons."
"Maybe it is, but it is necessary drama."
"Steven, I knew you were very ambitious, and you and Joshua were thinking of running for Senate." Mickey began.
Joshua responded, "Steven will be. I have decided not to."
"Why, Joshua? You truly care. Steven is only driven by ambition. Were you threatened?"
Steven Hutchinson stood up; a bit unsteady from drinking heavily. "I never liked you, Mickey. I never threatened Joshua."
"Maybe one of your oh-so-eager-for-power sponsors? I know some of them, Steven and I know they are not beyond threats, dirty tricks – and possibly murder."
"Who are they supposed to have murdered, Mickey?"
"Jed, my partner. He was getting to close to exposing Wilson. Then he and I were setup in a robbery; and one of the gunmen who was hidden shot Jed. The strange thing is, I was in his sights all along, but he didn't shoot at me."
"You're crazy, Mickey, shots were fired at you; it was just bad luck for Jed."
"Jed didn't die immediately, and I was with him in the ambulance. I know what he said. "Wilson."
"Since then, I've been run off the road, had a brick thrown through my window, shot at, received threatening notes suggesting I leave town or else."
Starsky, in the other room along with Dobey were watching intently at the reactions.
"Then there is Elliott. Running for governor to set up a Presidential run, right Elliott? Deals with the current governor, who happens to be good friends with our California governor, and there are plenty of rumors about his corruption, our dear Frank Colby. Corruption exposed on Colby could hurt you, Elliott and you are the most ambitious of everyone here. So could all this be a ruse to bring Kenny up here, because Colby felt the heat of investigations of Kenny and Starsky?"
"You are mad, Mickey. There is no evidence of corruption. And there are always rumors in politics. And what makes you think a street cop or even two detectives know enough to be targets?" Elliott sneered.
Steven was still angry, fists clenched. "Everyone knows you have always been overprotective of Ken."
Carlton put in his two cents, "Like faking anorexia to save his life. Yes, I know about that. I overheard Grandma Ingrid talking about it with you. But I'll bet Kenny doesn't know. So much for telling each other only the truth."
Carlton took another swig of his beer. "So what about me, Mickey? Am I the one who is trying to kill you? God knows I've thought about it many times."
"Carlton!" Joshua was shocked. "She is our little sister, you can't mean that!"
"Is she really, Joshua? She or Kenny? All the time, she has kept me quiet with threats. What she knows. How she can hurt me. Have any of you wondered why only she and Ken look like Lena? Mickey could double for Lena. Wondered why Grandmother Ingrid favored the two of them so much? You want truths, Mickey? Are you going to be able to handle the truth? You're as hard as a rock, though you've been cracking up since Jed was killed."
"Carlton, if I were you, I would keep quiet. Whatever you think you have on me, I have much, much more on you."
Mickey had kept the gun pointing around the room and now it was aimed right at Carlton.
"Well, go ahead and shoot me! I've kept silent for over five years! But you think you're tough, deal with this little sister who is not my little sister, just like little brother Kenny is not my little brother!"
"What do you mean, Carlton?" Mickey's face had paled.
"Mother and Father took Ken and you in. For Ingrid's sake. You two are not their children. You're Lena's. Crazy Lena, who is not dead but has been in a mental institution since your birth, Mickey. And it is so ironic you are talking about corruption, when you and Ken's father is a criminal. So, go after him, if you are trying to stop corruption!"
You could have heard a pin drop in the room.
"I'm going to kill you for that," Mickey said emotionless and pulled the trigger.