A/N: once again, sorry for the delay and thank you for the nice reviews. Here's a nice long chapter for your enjoyment, so enjoy!
Chapter 27
"Why are we here?" Peter Markham groused as he studied the orient dining room belonging to the Wilcox family.
"We're here because Miranda Wilcox asked us to be here so shut your mouth, young man," his grandmother, Dorothy snapped. "You're in enough trouble as it is."
"Coffee or tea, ma'am?" Candy asked politely.
"Tea would be lovely, dear. Do you have Orange Pekoe?" Dorothy asked.
"I do indeed, ma'am," Candy replied as she expertly served the lady. She then turned her attention to Conrad Markham, Dorothy's husband and Peter's grandfather, and served him his requested coffee and the same with Jerry Wayne, the family lawyer.
"I just don't understand why Miranda asked that our lawyers be present," Sidney Raies said, father of Bryan Raies, accepting his cup of coffee from Candy. "Do you know, miss?" he asked Candy.
"Ms. Wilcox doesn't reveal her plans or her thoughts to me, merely her directions. I do my job and leave it at that," Candy replied smoothly as she continued to serve the rest of the gathering. "However, I have learned that Ms. Wilcox usually has her reasons."
"Well, at least she was polite about it," Mathew Raies, said. He was Sidney's father and Bryan's grandfather. He was also the head of the Raies family and ruled with an iron fist. "Miranda may be of eccentric taste but she does have class and I will not deny her an audience if that's what she wishes."
"There are some rumors circulating that she's been associated with the NYPD," Benson Hayes, family lawyer for the Raies, cautioned. "After this latest business with the Dales murder and both Peter and Bryan being questioned, I would exercise caution."
"So noted," Mathew said, even as Bryan's smirked.
"Speaking of which, has anyone heard or seen Eddie Nashwood lately?" Peter asked casually.
Those who knew Edward Nashwood simply shook their heads. It was like the loudmouth, brash member of the Nashwood family had vanished off the proverbial radar. No one had seen or heard from him in almost two days and the other members of his family weren't saying too much.
Outside the dining room, past the huge, closed double-doors, Mac, Sheldon, Flack, and NYPD lawyer Kevin Cameron waited patiently. Also with them were two cops, both built like bears and both in uniform. With the exception of the two cops, McEntire and Smithers, everyone was dressed in their best suits and ties, but Sheldon was fidgeting with his.
"I hate ties," he muttered, trying, once again, to straighten his.
"If you would quit futzing with it, it might help," came Randi's quietly amused voice as she joined them.
She wore a navy-colored silk crepe de Chine suit in pure silk with matching high heels. A cream-colored camisole peeked out from under the blazer and a four-inch purple, white, and blue glass-stone butterfly brooch was pinned to one side of the jacket, remaining true to her sense of eccentrics and uniqueness. Every time she moved, the stones caught the light and sparkled. Her hair was pinned up and simple crystal studs were in her ears, allowing the brooch to be the center of attention, which was the purpose of that particular piece of jewelry. Everything about her appearance fairly screamed 'class' and 'elegance'.
She smacked Sheldon's hands away from his tie and neatly adjusted it for him. "Now leave it alone."
"Yes, ma'am," Sheldon replied, grinning.
She moved over to Mac and quietly began fussing over his jacket and tie while speaking quietly to him and allowing herself a quick moment of tenderness with him.
"Are you ready?" she asked quietly as she adjusted the jacket collar and smoothed the lapels.
"Nervous as hell but yeah, I'm ready. You?" he asked just as quietly, allowing the fussing since it gave him an excuse to be close to her.
"Bundle of nerves but I can fake it with the best of 'em. I'm just hoping there won't be any major trouble," she replied.
"We'll be right behind you the whole time."
She smiled at that. Just then, Candy came in to the hallway.
"Hey, boss, natives are getting restless," she reported, smiling at Sheldon, who smiled back. She was wearing a simple grey suit and white blouse with basic flats, benefiting her position as Randi's secretary.
"Is everything in place?" Randi asked.
"Ready and waiting," Candy said.
"And our little secret weapon?"
"In place and broadcasting loud and clear," Candy replied.
"In that case, gentlemen, it's show time. Do you all know what to do and where to go?" Randi asked.
There was a round of nods. Candy smiled and quietly entered the room again, closing the door behind her.
Randi took a couple of deep breaths and as the assembled group watched, it was like a change slid over her. Her shoulders went back, her head and chin leveled, and her hands relaxed at her side. A gleam came to her eyes. The men fell behind her, as per the arrangement and Randi moved towards the doors. In one smooth move, she shoved both doors open, announcing her presence.
She moved to the head of the table and Mac, Sheldon, Flack, and Kevin moved down the table to the opposite side of where the Raies and Markhams were seated and seated themselves. McEntire and Smithers closed the double doors and took up position on either side of the doors. They were there primarily as visual intimidation and extra help in case things got nasty.
In the room, at the end of the table, was a large DVD player and a large flat-screen TV on a mobile TV stand. The remote was on the table where Randi now stood. Also there was a digital recorder.
Randi quickly took and held center stage, showing right away just who was in control of the meeting.
"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate you coming to this meeting. For documentary purposes, this meeting will be recorded and a copy kept in a secure place," Randi said. She reached out and pressed a button on the recorder before continuing to speak. "The date is November 28, 2006 and the location is the Wilcox residence." She gave the full address of the location before continuing. "I am Miranda Wilcox, owner of Back In Time Antique Appraisals. I am also known as simply Randi. Starting on my right, I ask that each person formally identify themselves for the record."
She nodded at Kevin, who spoke.
"Kevin Cameron, lawyer on retainer for the New York Police Department."
"Detective Mac Taylor, CSI, First Grade, NYPD."
"Detective Donald Flack Jr., NYPD."
"Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, CSI, Third Grade, NYPD."
"Candice 'Candy' Monroe, secretary to Miranda Wilcox."
"Peter Markham, grandson to Dorothy and Conrad Markham. Current occupation, student."
"Jerry Wayne, lawyer on retainer for the Markham family, currently serving as Peter Markham's legal advisor."
"Dorothy Markham, wife to Conrad Markham and grandmother of Peter Markham. Co-head of the Markham family. Retired."
"Conrad Markham, husband to Dorothy Markham and grandfather of Peter Markham. Co-head of the Markham family. Retired."
"Bryan Raies, son to Sidney Raies and grandson to Mathew Raies. Current occupation student."
"Benson Hayes, lawyer on retainer for the Raies family, currently serving as Bryan Raies' legal advisor."
"Sidney Raies, father to Bryan Raies and son to Mathew Raies. Board administrator of Lexcomp Industries."
"Mathew Raies, head of the Raies family, retired."
"Sergeant William McEntire, NYPD."
"Officer Mark Smithers, NYPD."
"Thank you. The purpose of this meeting is very simple," Randi said. "It has been brought to light that Peter Markham and Bryan Raies are being questioned in regards to the assault and murder of Jack Dales, found deceased on the campus of Berkley College on the morning of November 22, 2006. Video evidence led the NYPD to question and detain Mr. Edward Nashwood. DNA evidence found on the victim was found to match Mr. Nashwood and he has subsequently been arrested and charged with manslaughter."
"What does this have to do with Peter and Bryan?" Benson asked.
"Initially, both young men were asked to submit a DNA sample in an attempt to eliminate them. Both flat-out refused," Randi said.
"That's our right," Peter snapped.
"I will not deny that," Randi replied coolly. "However, it is not your right to be unnecessarily rude towards the investigating officers, threatening them with complaints against them for harassment."
"Neither of these young men had anything to do with the murder," Sidney stated firmly. "They're good kids."
"In that case, Mr. Raies, allow me to demonstrate otherwise," Randi said. She picked up the remote and pushed a button. "Please draw your attention to the video." The screen flickered to life and various images began to play across the screen. "This is a compilation of various video sources from various locations around Berkley College and other unnamed sources." She let the attended gathering watch the video for a moment before saying coldly, "As you can clearly see, Bryan and Peter are not good kids. Their behavior, in fact, is against the law."
"We were just having some fun!" Bryan protested.
"Your fun, young man, is called 'bullying' and New York State has some very strict laws about that," Kevin replied coldly. "I'm sure your lawyer can tell you that."
After a moment, Randi shut the video off, looking at the two families. The looks on their faces ranged from anger to shock to incredulousness. "Now, that video is not public knowledge but there's nothing that says it won't stay that way. The end result will be a lot of people finding out just what kind of sons both the Markhams and the Raies have and, once that happens, I'm sure a lot more of what the video doesn't show will come to light as people begin talking. I don't think I need to tell you how much damage that will do." She looked at the two families with a cold eye.
There was silence at the table for a moment before Dorothy Markham spoke up. "What sort of evidence do you have that says Peter and Bryan were involved in the death of Jack Dales?"
"We have video evidence that show Peter, Bryan, and Edward confronting the victim. Time and date stamp indicates they were one of the last to see him alive," Mac said. "We also have several witnesses that say the three mentioned young men got in to it with the victim shortly before his death. Upon issuing a search warrant for Edward's dorm room and vehicle, we found fibers in Edward's car that matched ones we found on the victim, along with the victim's blood in the trunk of the car. A search of his dorm room turned up a blood-splattered jacket. Testing has found blood belonging to the victim and three forgiens, one of which we have positively identified as belonging to Edward. Blood-splatter analysis on the jacket shows the jacket was worn when the victim was assaulted. The transfer was not of a passive nature."
"All we need is a simple DNA sample from the two young men, which will either eliminate them or convict them," Sheldon said.
"We weren't there when that jerk was killed!" Bryan protested angrily.
"Prove it," Flack replied calmly. "Give us a DNA sample. It'll only take a second or two at the most."
"What is Edward saying?" Jerry asked shrewdly.
"At this moment, due to the nature of the case, we refuse to say until the evidence is in," Kevin replied calmly.
"You have arrested him though, which was stated," Benson said.
"Yes, we have," Kevin said.
"So surely he's said whether or not Peter or Bryan were there the night of the attack," Jerry said.
"Again, due to the nature of the case, we cannot reveal what was said," Kevin said.
"We have a right to know!" Peter demanded.
Randi eyed him coldly. "Young man, I do believe your hearing needs to be checked. You obviously failed to hear what Kevin said, therefore, I will repeated it for your benefit. He stated that, due to the nature of the case, he cannot reveal what Edward has said. You are clearly a bright young man; don't act like a spoilt little toddler," she said, watching as his face flushed with anger. "Now, NYPD has stated their position. I have stated mine." She looked at each member of the Raies and Markham family, holding their gaze. "I say again, I am asking that Peter and Bryan co-operate with the police to the fullest extent and quit acting like spoilt little boys. Know this, along with manslaughter, Edward has been charged with sexual assault. Based on that video, which we have all seen, both young men can subsequently be charged with harassment and sexual assault as well."
"What do you want?" Dorothy asked tiredly.
"The DNA sample and both your families getting a tighter grip on your sons, effective immediately," Randi said coldly. "No more games with the NYPD. No more bullshit. If they've done wrong, let them pay the way the rest of society pays. If they haven't, fine. Then let this be a lesson to them and let it sink in, fast."
There was a quiet round of tired resignations and sighs from the assembled families. Finally Conrad spoke up.
"I think I speak for both families when I ask that if you, Miranda, and the NYPD, would give a moment of privacy?"
"We can do that. Simply let my secretary know when you're ready," Randi said graciously. She nodded at the NYPD members and they stood up and, following her, filed out of the room, McEntire and Smithers the last to leave and closing the door behind them.
"Now we wait and see what happens," Randi said, leaning against the door and dropping her act.
"What was that 'secret weapon' you mentioned?" Flack asked.
Randi grinned mischievously. "I trust those kids as far as I can throw 'em, and the same goes for their lawyers."
"Ditto here," Sheldon said.
"Just in case someone decides to 'alter' the recorder or 'destroy' the video or any other stupid stunt to get themselves out of trouble in court, we've got back-up," Randi explained. "There was a hidden camera in the chandelier, complete with one very sensitive microphone. It's been going since the first member set foot in that room and it's still going."
The grins started. The chandelier in the dining room had been huge and glittering and hard to miss but not something one paid much attention to. A hidden video camera would be hard to spot amid the lights and glass.
"Where's the data being sent?" Kevin asked.
"To a location in the house. Once this whole thing is over, it will automatically be forward to you, Kevin, as well as Sheldon, Mac, and Flack, for safe-keeping," Randi said.
"I like you!" Kevin said, grinning broadly while the other men smiled in appreciation.
"Sorry, sweetcheeks, I'm seeing someone," Randi teased. "And I'm afraid he's a wee bit possessive of me." She winked at Mac, grinning.