The Twelve Zenati Pt. 10

Authors note: Hello everyone. I hope you have been enjoying this series of the Tables. Thank you once again to David and Kate for being my second set of eyes. Enjoy! ~ellie.

*****

Dressed in a plain linen shift dress, Olivia clutched Genesis' hand as she walked into the large imposing building of the Australian Federal Police, labelled with the initials AFP. She felt overwhelmed by the people who surrounded her, and if not for the strong presence of the man tightly gripping her hand, she might have turned and run, screaming from what she had to do.

"I need a bathroom," Olivia said quietly, slowing her pace and making Genesis look down at her in concern.

"I'll take her," Marcella said. She had forced her way into this hearing by browbeating the brothers into allowing her to act as Olivia's personal counsel, separate from the Zenati family who obviously had their own interests in this hearing which would supersede Olivia's interests if anything unexpected happened in this interview. Genesis had denied the accusation, of course, but Marcella stood her ground, and the brothers had relented rather than have her go to Olivia with her concerns and scare her any more than she already was.

"No," Genesis said abruptly. Marcella had done nothing but try to bully and intimidate him over her sister's welfare in the last few days. She had even been openly disapproving of Vivienne and Gideon's elopement at times. If she expected him to remain impassive where she was concerned after the last few days, she was sadly mistaken. He was tired of her judgemental and argumentative attitude to everything that he was trying to put in place to ensure Olivia's recovery and safety in the wake of her shooting and time with Remington Royce and the Suebi.

Marcella blinked in surprise as, without another word, Genesis led Olivia to the reception desk and then to a small corridor on the left, leaving her, Noah and the rest of their party waiting for them in the lobby.

"I tried to warn you," Noah shrugged, when she looked at him with a questioning eyebrow. He admired Marcella's feistiness and wiliness in battle to get what she wanted. He imagined that she'd had to do it her whole life. He knew, however, that her constant threat to force Olivia to return to Perth was wearing thin with Genesis and had warned her that Genesis would stop being so accommodating if she didn't back off in her demands where Olivia was concerned.

Marcella fell silent and pursed her lips. Now that Olivia had been pronounced physically and mentally fit to give evidence, she knew that her threat to take Olivia home to Perth, even against her will, was pointless. The three brothers and their family had been nothing but generous and welcoming. She had an apartment, a car and a credit card at their expense, and the freedom to come and go as she wished. The thought that it could all disappear, and she would have to return home alone before making sure that Olivia got everything she needed and was due, made her temper rise again. These people didn't understand, and she wished that she could tell them all to go to hell, but she needed to get inside this interview with them and ask her questions of the AFP once they were done asking theirs.

The conference room seemed crowded with so many people. Olivia sat in the middle of the conference table with Genesis and Noah on either side of her while a team of AFP agents and lawyers sat opposite her. One agent obviously the one in charge of this interview introduced himself as Carl Hopkins and nodded his head indicating they should take their seats and begin. Hopkins led her through her highly-detailed story, from the time she met Remington through to the shooting at her wedding. She had recounted the details in an easy matter-of0fact way as if they had happened to another person and had no bearing on her present life. She paused in her story now and then to answer questions, which seemed only for clarification rather than to probe her memory.

As the interview came to an end, the agents informed Olivia that they would review the evidence given by her against the evidence gained from the people she had mentioned in her statement. If there were any further questions, they would be in touch, but from a preliminary review of the evidence, they believed the statement that she had nothing to do with the illegal business dealings of Remington Royce and those who worked for him.

"If I could just ask a few questions before we conclude here today?" Marcella spoke up, and as heads swung towards her, she pointedly ignored the glare that she received from Genesis and the raised eyebrow from Noah, who had immediately put a restraining hand on his brother's arm.

"And you would be?" Agent Hopkins bent his head and flicked his notes back to the beginning.

"I am Marcella Gambaro, a co-counsel here and family counsel for Olivia Gambaro, who is my sister," Marcella reintroduced herself.

"How can we help you, Miss Gambaro?" the agent said with a sigh, as if he were exhausted by the last weeks of mass arrests, following the busting of several drug-related gangs and their manufacturing and exporting holdings.

"I assume that all of Mr Royce's assets were seized and or frozen upon his arrest and subsequent death and are being held as evidence for the future prosecution of those close to him," she paused for the slight nod of the agent's head. "My sister has legal rights to the legitimate assets accrued by Mr Royce, and we would like a detailed list of what is being held by the AFP. We would also like a timeline of when she will be able to access her personal effects from the house that she shared with Mr Royce," Marcella spoke briskly and succinctly, in a businesslike tone, surprising everyone in the room with her demands.

"I can put you in contact with the agent responsible for those elements of the investigation," Hopkins acknowledged that this was a reasonable request.

"Could I have those contact details this morning, please. I am afraid that we have put undue pressure on our hosts to provide even the basic necessities for Olivia. She had nothing but a blood-drenched wedding dress when she arrived at the hospital after the assassination attempt. We feel it is causing undue distress that she become seen as a charity case, due to her inability to access as much as a spare set of underwear from her home. We are fortunate to have such generous friends, but I am sure you agree that a month without her personal belongings is already a hardship she shouldn't have had to endure," she stated not only the legalities but appealing to their protective instincts as Olivia sat looking vulnerable and distressed by the situation.

"Certainly, Miss Gambaro," he nodded and looked to one of his lawyers for the information.

"If you would like to stay after the interview to meet with me," one of the men said while looking at her curiously. He hadn't expected to be called on this. The Zenati family were wealthy and seemed to be happy to care for the woman without being concerned about money from the Royce estate.

"And you would be?" Marcella asked brusquely.

"Rockford, Joe Rockford." He passed a small card with his name and details to her.

"Thank you, Mr Rockford," she said and accepted the card.

"Was that all you required, Miss Gambaro?" he asked.

"Olivia's boat was impounded several months before the shooting. We would like to know if that is detailed with the seized assets, despite belonging to her alone, or if I will need to seek information about that elsewhere?" she asked.

"I am sure I can assist with that as well," Rockford answered.

"Then I am done for now." Marcella sat back, studiously ignoring the equally surprised and disapproving looks that she was receiving from the Zenati men.

With Genesis keen to get Olivia back to the clinic to rest and recover from having to relive her time with Remington, over half of the people in the room left with formal farewells and promises to "be in touch." Marcella found herself with Noah and one of the women from the Tatar remaining with her to speak to Joe Rockford. They followed him from the conference room to his office, which was large but cramped with cabinets coded in a strange combination of numbers and letters.

"Give me a minute to pull all of the files. We're still finding more assets each time we interview newly-arrested associates of Royce," he explained and, with a sweep of his hand, indicated that they should take seats.

Marcella had wanted to do this alone, but with yet another warning looming in Noah's eyes, she gritted her teeth and accepted that he would be part of this conversation. There was no way, however, that she was letting him take over her mission to get as much as she could from Royce's estate for her sister. She wanted to make sure that Olivia would never have to worry about money or security again, regardless of whether she was with Genesis or not. Genesis would never have the type of misogynistic power that her father wielded over their mother and themselves to make their lives miserable, not if she could help it.

"Do you have documentation for your sister's two identities?" Rockford asked casually.

"I think we all know that Olivia had nothing to do with the false identity that Remington forced on her to hide her from her family and the people who cared about her," Noah jumped in. "I trust there will be no further issue around that fact."

"No, but the documentation will be required if she wishes to claim the assets placed in the name of Serena Seabrook, including her personal belongings at Royce's residence," he explained his reason for asking. "As I am sure you can understand, there is little in the name of Olivia Gambaro, and it will take some time to unravel the legalities around the assets belonging to Sabrina Seabrook."

"I have it," Marcella nodded, placing her briefcase on her lap and extracting a file. She had a copy of the documentation originally sent by Genesis to the Gambaro family to prove that Olivia was alive, plus all of Olivia's official documentation, including birth certificate, driving licence and a copy of her passport application. Replacing the case on the floor, she put the file on the desk but left it closed, showing that she was unconcerned with his request for proof of identification.

"Good. That will make this easier in the long run," he said, taking his seat behind the desk and placing four thick files on top of it. He withdrew a small external drive from a drawer and linked it to his desk computer, leaving them in silence as he concentrated on the task before him. "None of the business assets belonging to Remington Royce were put into the names of either Serena Seabrook or Olivia Gambaro. However, as his wife, she would have a claim to all of them, unless someone from his family or business associates provides a will. We haven't been able to discover if he took the time to make one, or if he merely thought he was invincible and had no need of one."

"The wedding was interrupted," Marcella frowned. "There were witnesses to say that the ceremony was incomplete. Olivia wasn't his wife, not that it matters in the law as she had de facto status but still..." Her voice trailed off as she contemplated his words. "Why do you believe that she was his wife?"

"The paperwork was signed by all the necessary parties and witnesses and filed with the Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages." Hopkins shrugged as if this was common knowledge. "Your sister is Olivia Royce, the widow of Remington Royce, and as such, she has a claim to all of his remaining assets. Of course, those assets have been seized, and until our forensic accountants are done with their investigations, they remain inaccessible. We may be able to allow Mrs Royce access to the house and her personal belongings, however, if you can prove undue hardship. As she is being so cooperative with the investigation, I doubt it would be a problem to allow access to any or all of his properties. I am sure her frankness with our investigators will continue, given her relationship with the Zenati family and the assistance they have been providing our teams."

"Who would have done that?" Marcella asked. "Filed the paperwork?" she clarified.

"It could have been the priest on that day or one of Royce's henchmen wanting to score points with his boss for completing the formalities so that when they had both recovered, it wouldn't need to be repeated. Any number of people could have been motivated to file the paperwork for their own reasons," Rockford said.

"She would have been a valuable pawn to someone who wanted to take over the leadership role if she inherited his wealth and businesses. Whoever possessed her would have been unassailable. I believe that is what the man Kairos feared when he agreed to help your brother sever her ties to the Suebi," the older Tatar woman said to Noah, who was contemplating the fallout of this news as he sat back and listened to the conversation between Marcella and Rockford.

"You could be right," Noah said nodding thoughtfully.

"I'm open to any other reasons you can come up with," Hopkins shrugged.

Noah frowned and looked at the Tatar woman, and it was in that moment he heard her soft laugh within his mind, and realised she hadn't spoken out loud at all. It was disconcerting to have her in his mind. Even though he knew of their power to read minds, he hadn't known they could invade a person's thoughts like this. He blanked his mind and tried to push the voice out, showing his displeasure.

"Relax, Zenati," the old woman's voice sounded in his mind again. "There is more to be discovered from this man if the right questions are asked. Reach out a comforting hand to the sister."

Noah hated not being able to react and scream at the woman to get out of his head. He hated the loss of control that he felt at his own thoughts and actions, but he reasoned if there was more to be discovered then he had to try it this way. He reached out a tentative hand to Marcella's arm and squeezed it for reassurance, not trusting himself to speak lest the old woman influence what he said.

"Maybe it was so that she couldn't testify against her husband," Marcella suggested. "Olivia said that she witnessed a murder on the docks the night she met Royce. Has anyone verified that or what happened to her boat?"

"There are several boats listed in the assets. Do you know its name or registration tag?" Rockford asked, clicking a few keys to search the documents on the external drive.

"Yes, I have the original invoice when it was bought for her," Marcella replied, flipped open the file and handed Rockford a document from it.

"That boat isn't listed, but I'll make a note of it. We are still discovering hidden workshops and caches as time goes on. As for the murder Mrs Royce witnessed, I can't help you with that. I imagine that she will be questioned further about it, after her statement this morning," Rockford said.

"He lies, but we have what we need for now. The seed is sown," the old woman's voice whispered in Noah's mind.

"I'd like to schedule a time for Olivia and myself to retrieve her personal belongings from the house," Marcella spoke again, after getting no real answers from her last question.

"I'm not authorised to do that. However, if you would like to leave your contact details I will have someone who can authorise your entry to the property they resided in contact you," Rockford suggested.

"Quite obviously I am not in Perth at the moment, and I won't be returning until I have settled my sister's affairs," Marcella countered, as she handed him her business card after crossing out her work details and just leaving her mobile number. "Could you also forward me a copy of the marriage certificate to this email address?" She hastily wrote her personal email address on the card. "I believe she has a right to view it and it will save the department having duplicates made when I request it," she said, letting him know that even if he withheld it, she would gain access to it by other means.

"Miss Gambaro, we are not the enemy here. I am sure that we can work together to ensure your sister is well cared-for throughout this ordeal," he said, softening his voice. Marcella narrowed her eyes at the change of tone. Something wasn't right here, she was sure of it. She remained silent for long moments, trying to fathom the wrongness of his words but she was at a loss, and when Noah stood beside her and offered her his hand to help her rise and farewell the man she started.

"Thank you for your assistance, I'll be in touch." She tapped his card on the desk in front of her. "If you could send through the certificate and a list of assets that Olivia may be able to access when your team is done compiling evidence today, it would be appreciated."

"The lists are incomplete at this time, as there are still discoveries being made," Rockford hedged.

"Include a cover letter to that effect, but I would like the details and access to my sister's home and personal effects as soon as possible." Marcella's voice had taken on a steely tone. She was no shrinking violet that could be patted on the head like a good girl and sent away with nothing but a promise. If he didn't follow through, she would hound this man and make him regret underestimating her. "I look forward to hearing from you," Marcella said as she shook his hand and turned to leave the room.

"She's a feisty one. You'd better get your ducks in a row, young man," the old woman cackled aloud as she shook Rockford's hand, surprising Noah, who chuckled with her.

"Call if you need any further interviews with Miss Gambaro," Noah said, refusing to even entertain the idea that Olivia was or even could be Mrs Royce. Then he turned and walked with the two women from the office and stepped into the elevator.

"Speak to Dominic about being able to hear my voice like this. I am sure that he will give you the answers you seek," the woman spoke silently to Noah as they left the building and separated to return to their respective homes. "My name is Imelda," she volunteered, then she disappeared into the crowd.

"Would you like me to drop you at home, or are you planning on coming back to the clinic to see Olivia this afternoon?" Noah asked Marcella.

"I think that I'd better go home and get my own car so you don't have to worry about dropping me home after I see if Olivia is okay," Marcella considered his question thoughtfully. "Are you going to tell Genesis that Olivia was married to Royce?"

"There's no point in hiding it," Noah shrugged. "Secrets and lies, even by omission, end up hurting the people that keep them. There's no point in prolonging it. Better to rip the band-aid off, don't you think?"

"If you say so," Marcella sighed. There was something wrong with that whole situation. She just couldn't put her finger on it yet. "Can you wait for me to pick up my car so I can follow you and we can tell them together?"

"Sure, let's go," Noah agreed and led her towards his car.

"Look, I know this is going to sound wrong somehow, but something isn't right about this whole marriage thing. Do you think you could delay telling Genesis until we see the certificate for ourselves? I mean, why cause angst if it's unnecessary? I'm not sure how Olivia will take the news, and I just want to verify that it's true first," Marcella spoke quietly, once they were in his car and heading back to her apartment.

"Royce is dead. It makes no difference one way or another now," Noah reasoned. "I need to meet with Dom when we get to the clinic anyway, so that will give you a small window of time to verify the information from his email, but Genesis will want to know what happened in our meeting. Even without the marriage news, I doubt he's going to be happy about what you are doing."