Shape of Things to come

Shape of Things to Come

Part 3:Seeds of Time

Chapter 34

‘All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts'
...William Shakespeare. As You Like It

Charlie was not working Saturday night so she and some college friends were going to P3 and Leslie made a sacrifice and said she would join them and drag Fern along to get her out. Donald and his girlfriend also decided to join his family. The witches were supposed to meet their brother at P3 but were surprised when Donald and Robbie both called in to the Manor, sometime before they were due to go out, where they found Cole who had returned from the office, having a beer in the parlour. They explained that Donald’s girlfriend would meet the rest at P3, with some of her friends and Cole reluctantly took the hint and called P3 to make sure they could all get in on a busy night. Their sisters, including a reluctant Fern who did not really want to go into the Manor but did not want to explain why to her brothers, joined them.

Finally, after some general conversations, just before the girls got ready for P3, Donald watched by a concerned Robbie awkwardly explained they had called in for a reason.

“You see him a lot” snapped Leslie, still feeling the strain of all the events.

“I saw him too” Robbie admitted. “He called me and wanted to meet Don for lunch. Okay Les I don’t tell you every time he contacts me because he always starts claiming…. well he thinks you’ve been …brain washed.”

“Don’t want to shut the door on Dad, and Gran well she says he’s her son and of course she doesn’t want to shut it down and Dad’s kids are her grandchildren. And it gets awkward.” Donald shrugged uncomfortably.

“Okay how did he get awkward?” Fern finally snapped with a bluntness only siblings can use to each other “Stop buggerising around.”

“Shut up for a minute” Cole told everyone. “All quiet” he insisted as he checked his magic. “Hmm that was not there this morning” he murmured. He flicked his fingers and there was a very loud bang as something metallic exploded. “All clear.”

“Be careful” instructed Cole bluntly to the girls. “This better be going somewhere Don.”

Because his sisters were too close to exploding to be coherent, Don still uncomfortable continued, “It was you wasn’t it?”

Robbie finally took the plunge. “Dad saw the film and went to the FBI about it. Told them that it was his daughter Charlie, told us he was going to rescue her from…”

“Well what Dad called those lying bitch witches who stole my kids from me, who broke my family and he insisted he is going to get you back. Its my duty he said to rescue my girls from them to protect them.” Robbie finally got out.

Cole watched Charlie burst into tears as Fern let fly with an exact opinion of what she thought of her father and Leslie slumped in her chair.

“What do you want to call him?” demanded Fern forgetting her war with the Halliwell family.

Cole nodded at Donald and Robbie “You guys just became clients. If you weren’t before. No speaking about anything family or anything like family to anyone without Leslie or me there.”

“Will they want to speak to us?” Donald asked. “You and Leslie here now?” he checked.

“Yes to both” Cole replied. “They’ll speak to both of you because they’ll need confirmation. Any half way decent lawyer could screw John over on a stand, raise doubt because of the alcoholism, especially if they get him to tell the truth about magic.”

Leslie almost as if she was enjoying the prospect of screwing her father over in court added gleefully “Have some fun getting him to say why he does not believe in it.”

“Nope” explained Cole. “I want you to tell the truth but only to what they ask and only when a lawyer is with you. No matter how many promises and bribes and threats they make.”

“Won’t they think we have committed a crime if we ask for counsel or maybe think Charlie is guilty of something?” Donald asked.

“You’re entitled to counsel” Leslie informed them tersely “and bugger what they think.

“So we say we think it was Charlie?” Donald asked which set Charlie off crying again.

“No” answered Cole firmly. “You say the truth. One of the women in the film looks a bit like Charlie. I’ve seen the original; that’s the best anyone could say. As for the others. Hard to tell and that is the truth.”

“I’ve seen the original” Phoebe told them. “The one on TV is doctored.”

“Chances are if they get recognition on the TV one, even if they have to use the original in legal proceedings they will bank on recognition from the doctored one influencing what people recognise in the original. But we can screw that.” Cole grinned.

“What else?” asked Robbie. “What if they ask about cults or even magic?”

“I know about magic and I know you practice wicca” Donald answered. “Like mom.”

The girls all in various states of anger went to get ready for the night at P3, and Phoebe returned to the kitchen.

Robbie held up his beer “Do you think Dad has told the FBI you illegally supply me with booze?” Robbie asked Cole.

“Probably” Cole told them said “But if you visited certain friends of mine it would not only be legal but encouraged to teach you responsibility with alcohol.” He hesitated. “Something else you guys need to be careful of, I was going to call you anyway, and this is under privilege so it’s no discussion.”

“Having problems with … people close to us being targeted … by Evil. Tempted to Evil.. going after souls” Cole revealed. “Just be careful of anyone offering you favours that make your life a little too easy. Doesn’t have to be much.”

“Won’t sound Evil” Cole explained “Will sound harmless probably, but once they get you in debt on something harmless… it gets less harmless and then very soon they own you.”

“Demons lackeys more likely. Someone you may know who’s been corrupted. Demon grunts and lackeys around education institutions at the moment.” Cole told them.

Robbie swallowed uncomfortably “Would offering something to ‘help’ in bike races be in that category? Coaches and things are always making suggestions” he sighed.

“Well, that’s it” Robbie admitted. “I think ..I got offered something. They said not illegal but … dodgy.”

“And” Cole asked severely in his best lawyer voice, making Robbie grimace nervously.

“Well, I don’t want to win” Robbie explained. “I want to do the very best I can. See how well I can do. Always watch things that add muscle or protein stuff cause if you don’t get everything balanced, I mean it’s really important. You know you get to much muscle and you start tearing ligaments or you get to heavy.”

Cole smiled because usually there was no stopping Robbie when he got into the details of bike riding. “What did they offer you?” he asked sighing.

“Some kind of herbal supplement they said. Guaranteed would make me do…pretty okay in the college championships. Wanted me to win for the university, said I need to get some levels higher, get a chance at sports scholarships. But I want to be doing this in ten years, you know, body isn’t ready yet. I’m only eighteen. And I think to get scholarships I’d be competing against guys who… well sell their souls for the bit extra.” Robbie gushed.

“How hard did they push?” Cole asked “Good for you for refusing” he added making Robbie go red at his approval.

“Pretty hard. Said I might not stay on the team if I didn’t get the placing up. Said if I take the stuff I would. That’s okay” Robbie insisted. “I can just enter for myself. Compete in a local club . I just want to get me the best I can be. Not break down before I’m 20 . The college team are all about winning” he explained. “Kind of make heroes of winners and not so much about trying. Don’t want to be a hero, if it gets me crippled for life.”

“Already are a hero” Cole told him. “Usual demon trick is to get you addicted to winning or feeling like a failure if you aren’t a winner regardless of how well you do. Then you need more and more.”

“And before I know it I can’t ride up a hill without help.” Robbie snorted.

Cole smiled “Never thought I’d be glad for someone eighteen and knowing it all” he told the boys as Robbie smiled just a little awkwardly. “They seem to be targeting … family.”

“Do you think Dad was targeted?” Donald asked bitterly. “That’s why he went to the FBI. Told he could get his family back?”

“I doubt it” Cole answered honestly. “He’s in a place, well, to unreliable for Evil to target believe it or not.”

“Well don’t take this wrong” Cole told them both “but your father doesn’t know what he wants so its kinda hard to target him. He’ll say he wants his family back but if that means paying the bills and having you in the house he’ll back out.”

Donald nodded then was very quiet “I think I got targeted” he told Cole eventually.

“If it was everything you wanted or even exactly what you wanted.” Cole insisted. “You were targeted.”

“Worried about the job” Donald explained “and then someone from an airline headhunted me, I mean. I got a bit well suspicious because it was … I went to an agency and then this offer comes. Look I’m ..pretty damned okay at what I do. I got top grades but it was the sort of job I reckon I need a couple of years’ experience for. Yet. … I don’t know … as when I asked why me they were kinda vague about the job. Turned ‘em down.”

The Simpson family all went to P3 where Fern got herself very tipsy after spending the night avoiding Piper. Leo finally told Leslie to take her home. Cole took both boys to the movies and Paige and Phoebe took Melinda and Mandy shopping, spoiling them outrageously and when Piper went to object the next morning Phoebe gave her the look and she quickly stopped speaking. Piper still made the big Sunday night dinner which Fern was reluctant to attend but her sisters made her.

“Bugs?” asked Paige nervously as they all sat around the table after eating when the kids went off to watch television, although Melinda stayed close enough to hear what was being said.

“I killed them” Cole assured them laughing but annoyed “Up until now bugs would have been illegal, evidence inadmissible. No evidence to get a warrant but if …John was gabbling just possible they could squeeze one out.”

“You can now” Cole flicked his fingers. There were no big bangs but a slight fizzing from the hallway. “Listening device of some sort” Cole explained, very annoyed now.

“Would have taken a few hours to get a warrant for listening” Cole suggested “an hour at least to get a listening and recorder in place. Late afternoon yesterday when everyone was off doing stuff.”

“Wish you’d been here to shimmer in and scare the hell out of them” Paige mumbled, enjoying the thought.

“I kinda wish Durand had made an unexpected visit” Cole laughed as Leo chuckled out loud.

Cole shook his head. “Nope be knocking at the door or sneaking in when they realise listening devices won’t work. What did they speak about yesterday?”

Charlie considered “Got back from work five thirty. Went to my room to listen to my music until Donald and Robbie came over.”

Paige thought about it “Healed Mandy then came over here for supper. Melinda and I discussed magic.”

Phoebe thought hard. “Got back with Mandy from the hospital did some writing.”

“No” Paige responded. “Talked about magic a bit. Melinda was still annoyed at not being allowed to orb. Patsy started teasing Wyatt about a soccer ball they were playing with sending it over the yard. Wyatt got pissed and orbed it.”

“Piper and Leo talked about orbing” Phoebe remembered “She said she was scared he wasn’t being careful enough wanting to accompany kids. Said he should be all right at P3.”

Leslie laughed nervously “You know you’ll get a drug bust here if they kept talking about orbing, anyone listening figuring it to be ….well talking about something else.”

“Could they go after the club licence?” Piper asked “Don’t want any bad publicity for Reggie right now. Wouldn’t be fair.”

“Drug bust coming” sighed Leslie. “What can they do with talk about magic?” She asked.

“Except you” grinned Phoebe “Said all there was to be said yesterday? What next?”

“There’ll be a knock on the door pretty soon” Cole assured them “More bugs if they can get in. Maybe you guys could think up a nice anti-bug, anti-listening spell and use it well in your vicinity from now on.”

“What I don’t get” Charlie insisted, “is why you don’t just go and tell them we were at the mall and then wouldn’t it be over? What if they don’t find it?.”

Leslie glanced at Cole, who nodded. “Because” Leslie clarified, “it won’t be over if WE tell them.”

“Well,” Cole explained. “Practically, it doesn’t because you were there. We need them to find it. They have a plan then this comes up, they check it out, hopefully use cc cameras and credit cards, even check phones. Horror hell their case is buggered up. They have to admit there is reasonable doubt and they don’t want to go to court and lose so it’s all over she wrote.”

“Because despite popular opinion, trials aren’t about surprise witnesses and shock accusations. They’re a performance for the jury. And a person on trial does not have to defend themselves. In fact, its very unwise to do it most of the time. You try and bring in a witness where the opposition has not seen the witness statement or deposed them, judge will throw it out, declare a mistrial or higher court will throw it out.” Cole explained.

“Because you introduce evidence then the prosecutor gets to depose the witness. Depositions aren’t about the lawyer attacking the witness. Its about asking what their evidence will be. Often a witness statement will do just as well. If the witness varies from the deposition or witness statement. Gotcha. If they depose you it will go to court and you will have to lie under oath and because you are lying, you panic. GOTCHA. They find it. No deposition or witness statement. And they have to tell us they found it” Leslie smiled wryly. “Precept of law the person on trial gets to challenge the evidence against them. The evidence has to be given to them. We stipulate it is correct. Judge throws it out.”

“Charlie there is a big, big secret about what you were doing at the mall. When a prosecutor is hammering you it will be like the only thing you can think of is that secret.” Cole explained.

“Then they will have a case for not making evidence in our favour admissible” Leslie explained. “We have to wait it out.”

“It kinda balances” Leslie justified. “Especially if you think about penalties for lying under oath.”

“Don’t people lie under oath all the time?” Fern asked sucking on her lip.

“Yes” agreed Leslie. “But saying I don’t recall or I don’t remember which is the safest option looks suspicious to a jury but it just stymies the prosecutor on a witness statement. We wait it out.”