Gimme the News

“Earlier today I stood here to announce the departure of Robert Ravers from Ravers Enterprises. First of all, I want to continue to assure our shareholders and our clients that they should expect the same quality, good work from the Board of Directors during this period of transition. To facilitate this, I wish to elaborate on Mr. Ravers’ exit from the company with the help of the Financial Director of the Board, Mr. Henry Besumer.”

Miles Zurbrugg’s voice was crisp and calm, a confident address of a man who knew how to work the media. The press and interested figures gathered before him in quiet anticipation, only a few cameras occasionally flashing to capture the moment. Mostly it was KAZR-NWS, but there were a few other regional and national news outlets that had also congregated and were live recording the statement too. A few other newspapers from other districts were present but the Walker’s family newspaper was still noticeable by their absence. In the wake of the hack by Shawn Lewis, they were still voluntarily out of print.

His partner in crime looked much more uncomfortable in front of the cameras as all lens were turned on him when Miles gestured to his side at the older, fatter man. He was visibly sweating, the sheen of cameras and flashes making his appearance even more unflattering. Trotting into place, Miles stepped aside to allow Mr. Besumer to stand at the microphone. The camera focused on his jacket as he produced a sheet of paper from the inside pocket, unfolded it and began to read.

“Some years ago, I noticed a discrepancy in the financial records of Ravers Enterprises. Money was missing from the accounts. When I dug further, I found that this money had been transferred into a separate fund outside of the company. At that time, I brought the issue to Robert’s attention and was shocked to find out that he already knew. It was his account. I didn’t know what it was for and Robert refused to tell me. Instead he threatened my position on the Board should I ever tell a soul. I admit that I was weak. I regret my knowledge of this and regret even more that I never spoke up until now. But I simply cannot keep Robert Ravers’ secrets any longer.”

A frantic chorus of questions and camera flashes followed Henry Besumer as he stepped back and Miles Zurbrugg took to the stage again. Taking sip from a cup of water nearby, he waited until the journalists had quietened down again before he addressed them again.

“All files and documents relating to this mysterious account have been handed over to the police and it is my understanding that the District Attorney is now considering whether or not to begin an investigation into Mr. Ravers' financial accounts. Given the sensitivity of this matter and that we don’t wish to speculate on any forthcoming criminal investigation, we will not be taking questions at this time. However, I do need to say that other members here at Ravers Enterprises have been found to know about the account. Those four are Zack Bishop, Chastity Kupp, Brooke Lakefield and Daniel Ravers. It is with a heavy heart but a clean conscience that we have had to fire these four individuals from the company as well.”

The media circus erupted into more buzz discussing the magnitude of the names involved, especially Daniel Ravers. There was now truly no Ravers involved in Ravers Enterprises whatsoever. Daniel had hoped to be able to dictate his release on his own terms, after they’d secured the clients, by announcing it to the press himself. Not only had Miles Zurbrugg managed to steal his thunder, they’d also controlled the narrative of the Ravers’ exit.

“Despite this great loss to the company, we want everyone to continue to have the same confidence in Ravers Enterprises as they’ve always had. I joined this company in the aftermath of Malcolm Ravers ejection when his sons seized control of the business, so I speak from experience when I say that Ravers Enterprises can and will continue without them. As new information becomes available to us, we will continue to update our shareholders and the public as appropriate. Thank you.”

Miles stepped back from the podium, as the crowd shouted questions again, despite the direct insistence that they would not be taking questions. Ignoring the press, Miles and Henry walked back inside the building, seconds before the feed cut back to the KAZR-NWS newsroom where anchor-man Noah Black and his co-reporter Amanda Allen were waiting to comment on the breaking announcement.

“Looks like Mr. Ravers could be in some financial hotwat-” The brunette Mrs. Allen began to say, before Heather brusquely muted the television, and looked to Robert, like everyone else in the room.

“You don’t believe that bullshit, do you?” Robert gestured to the silenced TV.

“Well, is there a secret account?” Daniel asked him bluntly. He trusted his brother, but it would be unlike the usually well-prepared Miles Zurbrugg and the two-faced Henry Besumer to make this kind of big move without evidence.

“Of course, there’s an account,” Robert shrugged his shoulders. “We have a lot of money, Daniel, some of it is held in various funds around the country and indeed internationally, to protect it from bad investments. You already know this, and so do they.”

“Why bring it up then?” Heather asked with a frown. “If they know it’s just going to be shot down as soon as the police investigate it, why use it?”

“It’s not the first time this kind of thing has happened,” Robert revealed, looking to Daniel and his ex-wife for support. “Remember the fund that they found and tried to accuse me of using it to bribe zoning officials and buy building permits. And it never stuck.”

“I remember that,” Brooke agreed, to Robert’s relief. “It was around the time when you were ten, so you probably don’t remember, but you should remember it, Daniel.”

“I do,” he said more calmly than before. “It held up development for a few weeks, but in the end, they couldn’t connect the account to anyone outside of the company.”

“See?” Robert motioned to Daniel and Brooke as he looked pointedly at his daughter. “This is nothing more than a smear campaign, designed to make us look bad and make Ravers Enterprises look righteous for kicking us out. They needed some reason, because that we left to form our own company isn’t a good look for them, and they know the company will struggle to maintain its reputation without a Ravers behind the scene. They can’t get a Ravers, so they do the next best thing, they tear us down.”

“Well, we’re not going to let that happen,” Heather said, revitalized with determination. “So, do we hit them back or…”

“No, we continue with business as usual,” Robert told her firmly.

“Robert is right,” Daniel concurred, still looking sideways at his brother with suspicion. “If we react publicly to these claims it only gives them more power. Denial has a strange way of making a lie seem more like the truth. So, we should continue with our plan, although it might be pertinent to wait a few days for this to fade out of the news cycle before announcing the creation of the new company.”

“So, what does this mean for what we can do right now?” Heather asked, a little disappointed she wasn’t going to get an opportunity to retaliate.

“We can keep working on the plans to make the Amusement Park ready to go. We can work out the patents and permits once we’re up and running, but we can still have an architect look at the site and draw up improvements now,” Robert suggested, sweating a little less having escaped the scrutiny of the secret account for now. “We’ll also need construction. There used to be teams of architects and builders inhouse within Ravers Enterprises that I set up after my father’s mistakes, but without them we’ll have to hire contractors.”

“You should take to Uncle Rio” Zack spoke up, sullen and curt, as if it were a struggle to even care about what was being said.

“Hey that’s not a bad idea,” Robert confessed, his eyes dancing back and forth as he considered the possibility. “Doesn’t Dario live in Black Well? There might be closer construction companies within Azure Rocks.”

“They moved back earlier in the year,” Zack explained so despondent his voice barely rose above a whisper. “Mia is off to college and Dom is apprenticing in Rio’s construction business, but there wasn’t much work out by Black Well, so they came back to Azure Rocks to be closer to…” the word caught in his throat. “family.”

“Who the hell is Uncle Rio?” Heather interrupted.

“Sorry. Dario Minotti is Zack’s uncle by marriage, through Monica’s sister Mallory. He owns a construction business, and if they moved back to Azure Rocks that would be perfect,” Robert elaborated for his daughter’s benefit, with Chastity listening in with rapt attention. These kinds of interpersonal connections were her real strength as a receptionist. “They have two children, Mia and Dominic, though they’re both adults by now, right?”

Zack nodded, while Heather chuckled. “Mia and Dom? Do they take part in illegal street races?”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

Heather shook her head, dismissing the joke. “Never mind. Let’s just say I won’t be surprised if Dom turns out to be pretty handy with a torque wrench.”

“Do you think you could talk to him and get him to help us out?” Robert asked Zack, turning back to the matter at hand. “If he’s looking for work, we could set up a contract for him to get first pick at Ravers-Bishop Corp projects.”

“Do you mind talking to him?” Zack requested. He didn’t feel like he could make a compelling case for waking from a coma right now, never mind a business deal. “My mum is staying with my Aunt ever since my…” he couldn’t even say the word ‘dad’, “…since she moved out. I told her I’d give her space to think some things through. I’d rather not say that then show up hours later on my Aunt’s doorstep.”

“Go see Mallory?” Robert frowned. Besides the fact he had other plans that he could tell the others about, there was history here. “I’m not sure your Aunt would appreciate me landing around at her house either.”

“Dad, you didn’t,” Heather grinned as she rubbed her forehead, amused that another of his father’s old exploits had come back to haunt him.

Brooke took it less lightly. “Is there a woman in this town you haven’t left in a state of misery?”

“On the contrary, when I left them, they were quite satisfied,” he quipped with pride. On second thought, he added, “Mallory might be the exception to that though.”

“Will you go see her or not?” Daniel asked, cutting through the banter as he looked Zack’s slumped form up and down. “Zack doesn’t look up to it.”

“Yes, of course,” Robert agreed with haste, turning to look at Zack as well. Whatever his issues were with Mallory, he was quite happy to endure them if it meant taking the weight off Zack’s laden shoulders. “Just give me their address and I’ll head there straight away.”

“Hold on a moment,” Daniel said, while Zack input his Aunt’s home address into Robert’s phone. “You still haven’t told us where you disappeared to today?”

“Oh that, well, Heather’s news was much more serious, so I didn’t say anything,” Robert lied. Bluffing was all apart of business and Robert was king at it. He always met his promises, but sometimes you had to make them see the destination before you could lay the path. “I made some calls to the Governor and he agreed to host a rally in the Ravers Palace Hotel since he’s seeking re-election in November. I didn’t want to count my chickens before they hatched, so I kept the idea to myself. But it gives us some positive press and they have to pay us to use the venue, so that’s more money in our pocket.”

The truth was that he’d offered them a discount to ensure their acceptance in a rather hurried phone call between his meeting with Miles and returning to the Manor. But Tyson Ross was more than happy to agree to the event since Azure Rocks was his hometown.

“Wow, I didn’t know that you were friends with the governor,” Chastity marveled, continually curious about all the various connections and relationships of the Ravers family.

“Ah, we were never friendly. We have known each other for a long time though. He was in my year at High School, but we weren’t especially close,” Robert corrected her, smiling with amusement. “Though, of course, as the chief executive official for the State and the richest, most prolific developer in the region, our paths cross from time to time. We’ve had several opportunities since High School to become well acquainted.”

“And how will this news of this secret account affect the event?” Brooke inquired.

“Hmm, that’s a good point. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if they think it’s a bad look for them. Truthfully though, I don’t see this reveal affecting the opinion polls,” Robert began to sweat again, feeling like he was being interrogated. “The general public will still like me, and Tyson Ross will want to make good off of that.” He looked to Daniel and tried to change the subject again. “Did you manage by yourself at the Harrington’s Villa?”

To his good fortune, he was saved by Heather, as she reached for the remote and exclaimed, “hey, what are they saying now?”

The screen was still focused on the newsroom, where Noah and Amanda were discussing the subject relating to the picture in the top right-hand corner. Even Zack perked up when he saw the image of Carlos Rivera, a professional photo of the Hispanic man in full police uniform, as Heather rushed to unmute the flat screen television.

“-ase was passed on to the State’s Attorney given the conflict of interest that suspect Hannah Woodsen represents for the Distinct Attorney, the suspect’s father,” Noah Black read out, excited by a story that transcended local matters. “After reviewing the case the State’s Attorney has agreed with the new judge that Carlos Rivera could apply for bail.”

“That’s right,” Amanda Allen chimed in. “Sources say there was some debate about whether Detective Rivera would continue to involve himself in the judicial process. However, with the obstruction of justice charge dropped, and the release of his daughter it was the judge’s conclusion that Det. Rivera did not pose a flight risk or a danger to others.”

“Detective Rivera is now only being charged with ****, however that crime being on a senior officer of law led the judge to set bail at $200,000,” Noah concluded. “In other news…”

Heather was about to mute the sound again when the picture of Carlos Rivera was replaced with Arthur Smith.

“In a statement released in the minutes following Mile’s Zurbrugg’s announcement, Smith Industries have made an announcement of their own, declaring that they will no longer work with either Ravers Enterprises, or Robert Ravers in any capacity. They will continue their good relationship with the Wynwicks, but are seeking a third-party client for their steel. In the statement given exclusively to this station, that say that they are looking for ‘someone who represents the future of Azure Rocks, not the past.”

“That’s a bit rich coming from them,” Heather scoffed to the room. “I can’t think of anyone more traditional than the Smiths.”

“Those bastards!”

“Are you alright, Brooke?” Daniel asked, seeing the seething fury written on her face.

“The bastard lied to me,” Brooke snarled, and thought of Julian, remembering every word he’d told me. And she had been naïve enough not only to believe him but drop her panties. “And after I…” she stopped herself, imagining her daughter losing all respect for her mother to know that she was duped. She still had to talk to her about her affair with Robert and she would need all the authority she could muster.

“Brooke?” Robert drew her mind back to the room. “Did something happen at Smith Industries?”

She shook her head vehemently. “No, I just, I really thought that I’d got them on our side. But I was wrong, obviously.” She couldn’t even tell them the truth. Zack already looked ill, telling him that his mother’s name had cost them the contract would likely be the final nudge into despair.

“Well, it’s an inconvenience, but it’s not a big deal,” Robert insisted as he stood, and stretched. “I can ask Dario for his supplier when we talk. For the rest of you though, you should all try to lie low. Try not to make too much noise until this whole thing blows over.” Or rather, until I figure out a way to fix this…

“If I’m not needed for anything then I’ll head back to the cabin. I haven’t been back in almost a day and I want to make sure they haven’t burnt it down,” Heather stated, while considering if there was any thing she needed to bring back with her. “Maybe I should take some more clothes. I did bring enough for two weeks but everyone else keeps borrowing my clothes. Hey, Chastity want to help me try on some outfits?”

“Hold on Heather,” Brooke called her daughter to a halt in a typically commanding maternal voice. “Before you go, we need to talk.”