CHAPTER 48 - WOE IS THREE
SLICK AND LINDON’S HOME - AFTERNOON, TWO DAYS LATER
KITCHEN
SLICK
“So why did you think he called them?” Lindon asks, lifting the foil off of the lunch. “Ooh what’s that?!”
“Lambchetta.” I reply, raising my spatula as he seems set to start tasting. “As for why he called Debs and Carl, no idea.”
“Smells so good! Come on, just a little bit?!” He pleads.
“No.” I swat him on the ass. He pouts, but does recover the lamb. “Serving it with new potatoes, summer vegetables and salsa verde.”
He sighs before wrapping his arms around me. “Is that all?”
“Well, there was going to be chilli crab rolls…” We turn to a very proud looking Justin as he comes in empty handed. “...but it’s a hard no from hubby.”
“Had a feeling he would say that. Don’t know what you worried over.” I tease him. “Was a hard no with adjustments or just flat out.”
“Flat out, and no recipe sharing.” Brian states firmly as he comes in with wine, which he puts on the counter before wrapping an arm around Justin’s waist and tickling him. “You were worried about that? Why?”
“Still not as confident a cook as you.” He blushes. “Do you fancy...”
“Always. That’s not the only del…”
“So, given that this Lord and Master said no, have me a back up plan…” I interrupt with a smile. “...I know we’re all good with scallops, some on the shell before you start in on me - so the question is, which dish?” I point at my iPad, they peruse in silence. “Need one from each of you.”
“Saunternes butter for me.” Lindon smiles.
“Vietnamese herb sauce.” Justin slavers.
“BBQ.” Brian declares, before rifling in a drawer and pulling out three aprons.
“Uh, Brian...ah, we’ve got to cook them ourselves, right, Mrs Miller-Fox?” Lindon asks as he takes mine off to put on, whilst Brian helps Justin before doing up his own.
“I think you should Sheba that sofa.” Justin declares. “Are you sure you don’t mind us copying you and buying this as well?”
“Of course not! It’s very...” I’m interrupted by the gate creaking and check to see who it is. “Finally, we get to hear what the idiot is trying to do now. I was going to suggest opening the wine, but judging by the flummoxed expressions they’re sporting, something stronger is needed!”
BEN AND ROBIN’S HOUSE - SAME TIME
BATHROOM
ROBIN
“So, apart from my wire wool of a beard that chafes your delicate bits; you going to tell me what’s bugging you?” I ask as he lathers up the brush so that he can shave it off.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Ben replies, concentrating way too hard on the brush.
“My beard has never bothered you before; in fact, I believe your ass thinks it’s one of the best parts of me. So again, what’s…”
“Dads! It’s Emmett for one of you!” Hunter bellows through the door.
“I’ll get it.” Ben sighs, and heads out. “Robin! Pick up the extension!” Ben hollers.
GEORGE AND EMMETT’S HOUSE - A MINUTE LATER
LOUNGE
EMMETT
I wait for Robin to pick up and smile at Georgie. “So, how are we going to do this?” I ask.
“Do what?” Ben queries.
“Mr Bruckner, how long have I known you? And how long have you known me and my uncanny ability to find gossip, spot sadness, and try to fix things.”
“Over five years.” He replies. “What are you talking about? Nobody is sad about anything, so there’s nothing to fix.”
Georgie shakes his head at the ‘lie’ and I pat his hand. “Ben, like I said, I know you, and you’re one of the kindest men ever, so you will bear the ‘slings and arrows’ even at the cost of your own happiness…”
“Happiness? What is he talking about?” Robin demands.
“What’s the date tomorrow, Robin?” Georgie asks gently. “And, more importantly what would he be doing?”
There’s silence for a few seconds before he groans. “I’m a blithering idiot!” He berates himself. “Sorry, Ben, I forgot. Our scouting trip, correct?”
“Yeah.” For a man so big he sounds so small. “I just want to marry you, and tomorrow we were going to scout for places. But when Debs and Brian made the suggestion, I got caught up in the excitement of it all and seeing how happy Ems and George got...”
“Just because ‘they’ so ‘ordered’ doesn’t mean we blindly ‘obey’. It’s rare, but sometimes Debs and Brian get it wrong; this is one of those times!” I declare. “And besides, you have a venue already. All you need to do is get everyone there!”
“Do we? Where and when could we do this between now, the fundraiser, your wedding, and Michael’s trial; just when?”
“My dear boy…” Georgie chuckles. “...get married in your cabin. Party afterwards.”
I can hear Ben warring with himself, he is such a decent man, time for him to be selfish and me to be a bully. “Think of yourself for a minute, Ben! You’ve always put everyone else’s whims and fancies above your own. You took a 3 year hit dating Michael for crying out loud. I demand that you get married this weekend!”
“Robin...hey!”
“Ems, it’s Daph! Get the ball rolling, we’ll sort out the rest!”
SLICK AND LINDON’S HOME - SAME TIME
DEBS
This called for whisky! I ‘slow my roll’ as Slick says, and revert to sipping and not gulping.
“He’s done what?!” Justin gapes at us.
“Sorry, he’s not done, but that’s what he said he’s going to do, which is why he needed the suit. He’s going to court so that he can fire Melody Chen.” I repeat.
“Why?” Slick tops up Carl’s glass.
“He didn't feel that she had his best interests at heart.” Carl replies.
“And this isn’t going to delay the trial at all?!” Brian stops pacing, then sits between Slick and me. “Did Lorrimer speak to Chen to find out if he tried the food defence?”
“Food defence? What defence?” I frown, Carl also looks puzzled.
“That Brian, as the recipes are all his, might have set him up.” Justin answers whilst making a call. “Hi, Charles, you okay? Have you heard about Melody Chen? Brian reckons that by doing that, apart from being a shithead, he’s trying to delay the trial.” He listens for a few minutes before hanging up. “Well, Charles thinks the same...”
“So how long does he think the delay will be?” Carl sighs.
“A day tops.” Justin grins. “Chen had had enough of him, and because the case has not come to trial, she already had plans in place.”
“So we have nothing to worry about?” I drain my glass in relief. “When he called us to visit him, you should’ve seen his face; so pleased and arrogant.”
“Well…” I’m interrupted again, but this time by my phone ringing. “...hey, Hunter. Oh, he has, has he? Okay.” I hang up, then hand $20 to Brian.
“What’s that for?” Carl frowns as Brian gets up and pulls out his phone. “Who are you calling?”
“Honeycutt and Honeycutt.” Justin grins, and starts to help Slick box up the food we’re supposed to be having for dinner, which I was looking forward to. “So, Carl, are you ready to give Ben away?”
“Give…” Carl begins. “...he wants me to give him away? I’d be honoured, when did you find out about this?!”
“What do you need us to do, Honeycutt?” Brian chuckles. “Um, she’s done lambchetta, and we are doing scallop dishes. When and where?” His eyebrows go up. “Well that’s one foot put down! Okay, go.” He takes the iPad. “Uh huh, yeah, yeah, we’ve got some, I’ll have to speak to Justin about that. He was looking forward to it for dinner on Sunday. I’m not sure that I can persuade him to give it up…”
“Not if he’s after the oxtail!” Justin declares.
“Justin, it’s for Ben’s wedding!” Emmett screeches, making Brian wince before he puts him on speaker. “Pretty please, he had three years of Michael, he even bottomed once, now come on, surely that deserves oxtail?!”
“And the salt crust chicken with that sauce!” Carl declares.
“Indeed!” Justin shivers before finishing off his whiskey. “Whatever else you are writing down, add a fillet of beef, a block of mozzarella and cheddar please. We can have the crispy chips with chilli salsa and cheese for....”
“Ooh that sounds like the perfect pre-wedding nibbles!” Ems chirrups.
“No!” Justin exclaims before Brian hangs up, chuckling.
“And why can’t they have that?” Lindon asks. “It sounds very nice.”
“The same reason I don’t share the lamb neck curry.” Slick smirks as both Lindon and Justin go bright red.
ALLEGHANY COURTHOUSE - AN HOUR LATER
COURT ROOM 3
MICHAEL
I keep checking the door, waiting for her to come in. As I said the last time I saw her, she is completely useless. She is supposed to do as I say, not what she wants! I demanded, and got, a meeting with the warden then a judge to have her replaced. I almost hug myself with delight when I hear the annoying clack of those heels of hers.
“Mr Novotny, good morning.” She smiles, she won’t be smiling for long!
“Miss Chen, how are you this morning?”
“Great, you?” I reply as the courtroom begins to fill. Normally, I hate rubberneckers, but since this is going to be her humiliation and not mine, I don’t mind them this time!
“All rise for Judge Bradshaw.” The bailiff orders.
I’m relieved that it is not Judge Richards presiding, as the Warden said could happen. No doubt, knowing our history, he would refuse through spite not due to any legal reasoning or my rights.
“Your Honour, this is a hearing brought by Ms Chen against Mr Novotny, attorney and client respectively. She wishes to either be removed as his client or have a secondary.”
“You’re doing what?!” I demand.
“Mr Novotny, this should not come as a surprise to you, as you are here. Prisoners are advised of this kind of thing.”
“But I’m getting rid of her, not the other way around, Your Honour!” I fume. ”And I was not advised…”
“Your Honour, please allow me to present the receipt for the document advising Mr Novotny of my intentions. I have a copy for him also.” Once the Judge nods, she slides my copy across the table and hands the other to the bailiff.
“Is this your signature, Mr Novotny?”
“I signed for a document, but I hadn’t opened it yet as I’d only received it…”
“Let me stop you there, Mr Novotny, as there’s a lot for me to get through. Seeing that the pre-trial hearing has already taken place; unfortunately for both of you, getting rid, as you eloquently put it, is not an option. However, as she makes a compelling argument for a secondary, it is so granted.”
“What?!” I gasp. “But, what about the trial? My new attorney will…”
“The trial will go ahead as planned. Court is adjourned!” When she bangs her gavel, she also smashes my hopes to smithereens!
MEETING ROOM SEVEN - TEN MINUTES LATER
MELODY
He has assumed the position. By that, I mean, sitting opposite, glaring at me with arms folded...as they have been since Judge Bradshaw ruled mostly in my favour...and breathing heavily.
“So, I’ll introduce myself, shall I?” He asks, looking between the two of us.
“Since she’s clearly not going to, yes I think that’s best.” He carps before putting out his hand. “Michael Novotny.”
“Matthew Aspen.” Once they shake hands, the silence descends again. “Shall we start then? Ms Chen has updated me on this and your previous cases, which made...”
“Why would you tell him about that?” He glowers. “This has no bearing on the…”
“On the contrary, Mr Novaotny, they do since this involves the same people. Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney…” He shakes his head when Novotny opens his mouth to speak. “...Ms Chen took very comprehensive notes, then, of course, there’s the recordings. Now, to review your last meeting with Ms Chen, which…”
“Led to my requesting that she be removed as my attorney. She didn’t take my defence, seriously and…”
“Mr Novotny...” Matthew interjects. “...let’s get things quite straight here. As I said, I’ve read up on your previous cases; it was my choice to do so, Ms Chen did not instruct me in any way. I found some things very interesting, and…”
“As I said, the previous cases have no…”
“There you go again, being the one thing that a person in your position should not be! A refusenik!”
“A refuse…”
“Refusenik. You refuse to take responsibility for your actions, you refuse to show remorse, and you refuse to face the reality of your current situation…”
MICHAEL
I am incensed! Incensed by the way this person is talking to me! “My situation is that my attorney is talking to me with such disrespect, and…”
“Disrespect? That’s laughable coming from the expert in the field! Let me break this down for you, Novotny...you are going to jail. How long for, and where depends on your…”
“Matthew…” Chen finally says something. “...perhaps we should take a break for a…”
“No…” He inhales deeply. “...apologies…”
“Accepted.” I retort, before looking knowingly at Chen.
“The apology is for Ms Chen!” He clips out. “As I was saying, where you go to jail depends on your behaviour from this point onwards!”
NEXT MORNING
MICHAEL’S CELL
I stare at the ceiling, seething, and replaying his ‘chest beating’ display!
“Novotny…” I sigh and obey the new rule, which is to stand whenever a guard addresses you. “...you’re being moved, so pack your things. You have an hour.”
WARDEN’S OFFICE - AN HOUR LATER
“When he…” I point at the guard. “...said I was being moved; I thought he meant a different cell, not a different prison!” The Warden says nothing. “Let me guess, this was Chen’s doing!” I spit. “Chen did this, I want to complain about…”
“You complain a lot, don’t you, Novotny?” The Warden snipes. “For the record, it wasn’t Ms Chen who put the transfer request in, it was Matthew Aspen.”
“Let’s go, Novotny, it’s a long drive.” The guard orders. I follow him in stunned silence.
COUNTRY CLUB - SAME TIME
DINING ROOM
NANCY
Sighing, I adjust my uniform; I am on trolley service. my face burns as I wheel it from table to table. Whilst nobody says anything outright, the looks, smirks, and whispering are ‘loud’ enough.
“You can go on your break after you’ve served that table.” Anna orders.
As I approach, I frown at the occupants: two teenagers, a boy and a girl. It’s the boy that looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place him. “Good morning.” They continue their conversation. I grind my teeth whilst waiting for them to pause, but it takes another three minutes.
“Morning…” He peers at my name tag. “...Nancy. Can you come back in five minutes, we’re not quite ready.”
I’m just about to wheel away when his cough stops me, I turn back with a stiff smile in place. “Are you ready now?” I ask.
“No.” I straighten up and fold my arms. “Ah-ah-ah, I wouldn’t cop an attitude if I were you, Grandmamma. I just wanted to show Jenny here how the supposed mighty have fallen.”
I can’t help the gasp as I recognise him. I can still feel the sting of his words in court! I glower at my ‘grandson’ in disgust, whilst thinking that this is what happens when those kinds of people fornicate.
“I think it would be best if someone else serves you. I wouldn’t…”
“No thanks, we’ve got a wedding to attend.” He interrupts. “As well as showing the fall of the mighty, I wanted to give you a piece of advice. Do not try and bolt like you did before. You see, Mrs St Bride and Mrs Miller-Fox have invested heavily in you. Try to run, and they’ll hunt you down and drag you back to jail, whelping all the way! By the time you get out, I shouldn’t imagine there’ll be much interest in a fossilised bald old bat who’s in debt to the tune of one million dollars.”
“I’m not in debt. I’ll not have my reputation sullied by…”
“Yes you are. That’s what you will owe them since they put up your bail.”
BATHROOM - FIVE MINUTES LATER
“Cameron-Peterson! Have you started your break now?” Anna demands from the other side of the door.
“Yes, you said that I should after I served them.”
“I’m aware of what I said! I had assumed you would let me know that. Remember to do it next time, we wouldn’t want people to think you’ve gone missing again, would we?”
“Apologies.” I call out, but get no response. Opening the cubicle door, I find myself alone. I dab the sweat away. I begin to pace my heart is thumping. Opening my purse, I know what I have to do. I need to call my attorney and find out which Mrs Miller-Fox has my future in her hands!
Chilli crab rolls
https://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/c/chilli-crab-rolls.html
16 Best scallop recipes:
https://www.olivemagazine.com/guides/best-ever/best-ever-scallop-recipes/
Lambchetta: https://gastrogays.com/lamb-breast-lambchetta-sp/
Oxtail stew with dumplings:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/oxtail-stew-dumplings
Salt crust chicken: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/altcrustchickenwithp_88912
Crispy chips with chilli salsa and cheese:
https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/crispy-chips-with-chilli-salsa-and-cheese/
Fillet of beef with chilli, lemon and cumin rub:
https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/fillet-of-beef-with-chilli-lemon-and-cumin-rub/
Slow cooked lamb neck curry:
https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooked-lamb-neck-curry