Mothers And Daughters Ch 09

The police quickly assessed the situation from Vera's excited utterances and took appropriate measures. Reinforcements were summoned. Dr Frank Slaughter was duly apprehended and hauled away to the appropriate police station, Crime scene specialists descended on the warehouse and storage facility to investigate.

An officer was able to provide Vera with a blanket to cover herself as she waited for an ambulance to take her to the hospital; ironically North Central Memorial. Her nakedness did not bother her as much as she was mortified by her stained body and its repulsive odor. She knew intellectually, though, that the elation of having secured her freedom should trump any embarrassment.

Vera stayed in the hospital for a week recovering, both physically and mentally. Her physical ailments quickly healed and there was no permanent damage as a result. Mentally was a different story; she was almost a basket case.

As the doctors became more aware of what Vera had endured they were not surprised at her weakened mental state and actually were amazed that she had retained most of her sanity. The treatment Vera received during the week got her to the point that she was able to cope, but she still needed extensive therapy, both one-on-one and group before she would completely heal. The doctors suspected that there might remain some residual damage that would never be overcome. Dr Sarah Morrison became Vera's main psychiatrist.

A joyful celebration marked Vera's return to the Excalibur Street home. It had been a truly terrifying and frightful ordeal for the Williams sisters during Vera's absence as they were never sure of whether Vera was alive or not. When Vera did not come back from her date with Rodney, Ebony had directed Michael to seek his cousin out and ascertain what had happened to Vera. After Rodney failed to return his calls, Michael went to the apartment and made the grisly discovery of Rodney's decapitated body.

The Williams sisters perceived that the police were operating on the premise that Vera was dead as well. Yet all of the Williams sisters, especially, Ruth, intuitively believed Vera was still alive. They were disappointed by the police premise because it meant they were making no effort in trying to find Vera.

During Vera's absence the Williams sisters attended Church and prayed constantly for her safe return. The anguish over the mystery of Vera's disappearance demonstrated how much Vera was loved and accepted as part of their family; a sister just as much as the actual sisters.

Consequently, no one begrudged looking after Natasha during this time. In fact, when more than one sister was available, they fought over the privilege of who would have the responsibility. A delightful child to look after, Natasha caused no trouble whatsoever. As long as she had her violin, or Alisha's son Reggie to play with she was happy. She occasionally pestered the Williams sisters to be allowed to play Olga's violin but accepted the sisters' rationale that they could not allow her to play the instrument without Vera's permission. Although Natasha missed Vera terribly, she accepted Ruth's explanation that her mother had to go away for an emergency and would be back soon. Having accepted at face value the reason for her mother's absence, Natasha was impatient for her mother's return but otherwise was not worried.

As the days went by, there was no appearance of Vera. Although still intuitively believing her to be alive, Ruth Williams had to deal with practical considerations of what to do about Natasha. She would have dearly loved to have continued to look after her, as if Natasha was her own child, but she knew she did not have the moral, let alone the legal right, to do so. From what Vera had told her about Larry 'the father', Ruth knew that he would have no desire to have custody of Natasha and probably would resist any suggestion to have her foist on him.

In light of Vera's successful visit to Crystal Springs the past summer, and reconciliation with her family, Ruth realized Vera's parents or one of her sisters would want to take custody of Natasha, should Vera indeed be dead like the police presumed. Ruth had notified the Starikovichs immediately of the disappearance of Vera, and kept in touch. As the days went by Leonid Starikovich suggested if Vera was not found by Christmas, Natasha should be brought to Mississippi.

It was decided that Anna, Vera's 23 year old sister, would drive up to Chicago to take Natasha back with her in time for Christmas. Anna had just moved out on her own, and was in the process of preparing her apartment for her upcoming marriage. With agreement from her fiancée, Anna was willing and desirous to take Natasha and raise her. Vera's rescue naturally negated such plans. However, all of the Starikovichs had been anticipating seeing Natasha that Christmas, so after the rescue Leonid asked Vera if she could come to Crystal Springs for the holidays.

Thinking the trip would be a perfect tonic to offset the traumatic experiences she had undergone, Vera welcomed the invitation. Subsequent to her return to the Excalibur Street home from the hospital, Vera succumbed to a severe bout of depression. She had fully recovered from her physical injuries, but mentally she was a mess.

Although she could function and respond to normal day-to-day activities, her mind and heart were not really there. Even Natasha's pleasure in seeing her and her daughter's love was not enough to snap Vera out of her deep melancholy. She knew she was in a depression, but she did not have the energy to fight it. She hoped that the visit to her family for Christmas would be a step towards recovery.

The publicity surrounding Slaughter's capture and Vera's rescue from the horrendous kidnapping attracted national interest. As circumstances of Vera's ordeal leaked out to the national press, the general public was fascinated. Vera's super good looks fueled the media interest in her. There was speculation that a television movie would inevitably be churned out, and it was expected that a book by Vera herself would be a best seller.

Vera was constantly being besieged for media interviews by the press, radio and television, but her fragile mind was not up to it. She convinced Dr Morrison to try and get the press off her back.

The good doctor appeared in a televised, nationwide press conference and stated, "I am Dr Sarah Morrison, psychiatrist and the physician in charge of Vera Starikovich's current health treatment which we hope will lead to her full recovery. Ms Starikovich has suffered from and has been a victim of a brutal crime which has severely impacted her mental health. She has undergone extensive therapy and the prognosis for an eventual full recovery is excellent.

"However, at this time, her condition is such that I have forbidden her to make any public statements, for it is my opinion that for her to do so will certainly impede her progress to full recovery.

"She will be spending the Christmas holiday with her family, in her home town in Mississippi. Ms Starikovich has been unable to spend Christmas with her family for the past five years, and it is hoped that an uninterrupted and calm visit will go a long way towards her healing. When she returns, I will be able to reassess her condition and decide whether she is healthy enough to grant interviews. Now, I am available for some questions."

In the ensuing questions Dr Morrison refused to answer any questions regarding the crime or what happened to Vera. She did answer all legitimate questions concerning the state of Vera's mental health. She refused to divulge the location of Vera's hometown and suggested it would be churlish of the reporters to demand this information. She emphasized that Vera's mental state was at this time so fragile that hounding her could cause permanent damage to her. Dr Morrison was so persuasive on this point that the reporters universally relented.

By the time Vera and Natasha embarked for Crystal Springs, the interest in her had died down and thus they were able to arrive at her parents' home in relative obscurity.

One person who watched Dr Morrison's press conference with avid interest and utmost alarm was Larry's father, Lamar Grant. Since the signing of the child support agreement life had ostensibly been copasetic for his son and daughter-in-law. She was pregnant and would be presenting him with his third grandchild. In calculating the number of grandchildren he was not counting Natasha; only the two children of his daughter Mary was in his calculations.

His son had enjoyed a tremendously successful rookie season in the NFL, beyond even the most optimistic hopes he had dared to imagine. This serendipity was being threatened by that bitch, Vera Starikovich.

Lamar noticed that Dr Morrison's press conference made no reference to Vera's child. He was very cognizant that should Vera sell her story for a book deal and/or television movie rights the paternity of her child would in such cases naturally become public knowledge. There is no telling how such revelation would impact on his son, but Lamar believed whatever the impact it could not be any good.

As far as Lamar Grant was concerned Vera was nothing but a manipulative gold digging bitch. For evidence he only needed to recall the only two previous indirect encounters he had had with her. Lamar was indeed the one who provided the $5,000 abortion money to Larry, when asked. It was not lost on Lamar when Larry recounted his meeting with Vera that she immediately upped the ante from the $2,500 initially offered by Larry to a $5,000 demand.

Likewise he remembered that Vera could not sign the child support agreement fast enough once she learned of the outrageously generous offer. The most unsettling circumstances of the child support agreement was that Vera had appeared out of the blue some four years after the birth; curiously right after the time Larry had successfully negotiated a lucrative pro football contract.

Although Vera had not given any interviews concerning her kidnapping, Lamar Grant believed her reticence was caused solely by her wish to drive the price up for her story. Lamar surmised from Dr Morrison's press conference that Vera was going to be in Crystal Springs for Christmas, without publicity. He realized then that this would be his best opportunity to buy Vera off. He loved his son unconditionally so he was determined to thwart the evil designs of that bitch. It pained him that he would have to offer more money for this conniving bitch but it could not be helped as far as he could see.

Accordingly, after Vera with Natasha arrived at her parents' home as planned for Christmas, she was unexpectedly treated to yet another financial windfall. The first business day after Christmas, she received a call from Saul Silverstein. The lawyer advised Vera that Jack Hawkins wanted to see them the next day at 2:00 in the afternoon for a new financial proposal. Vera suspected that it would be a plea for lower child support payment. In good conscious she felt she could not object to a reduction should Larry find it onerous to continue to pay such a huge monthly sum. Besides she knew she could easily manage from the monies she had already received. So resigned to having to agree to a reduction in her income from Larry's support payments she agreed to the meeting.

However, Vera was instead in for a happy surprise. After the exchange of greetings in the boardroom of Adcock, Hawkins & Horn, Jack Hawkins began, "Ms Starikovich on this occasion I am acting for Mr Lamar Grant only as you notice his son Larry is not present at this meeting. My client of course is negotiating on behalf of his son who is unaware of this meeting and my client wishes his son to remain in the dark of this matter. My client is aware that you, Vera Starikovich, have been recently the victim of a horrid crime in Chicago. This crime is sensationally newsworthy that has attracted national media attention. There is speculation that for your story you may be offered lucrative book deals and/or television movie rights not to mention possible payments for print, television or radio interviews.

"My client is quite cognizant that the paternity of your child will inevitably become public knowledge in such eventualities. Also as no doubt your attorney would be quick to point out that the child support payments made by Larry Grant will not necessarily cease in accordance to that agreement you signed last June. It could be argued that there was no violation on your part of that agreement. Needless to say my client is most unhappy of such state of affairs.

"Accordingly my client wishes you to execute this agreement we have drafted. In it you promise unequivocally not to grant any interviews nor agree to sell your story. In compensation for the possible loss of remuneration as a result of your forbearance, my client will pay 1.5 million dollars. In addition my client will pay on your behalf sufficient monies to the IRS and to the State of Illinois treasury, so that you will have tax credits to offset your income tax liability. If there is tax liability for you to the City of Chicago you will have to satisfy that yourself. I might add that although there are penalties for violation of this agreement, nevertheless for this agreement to work, my client has to rely on the integrity of your word. For this reason he and I have been absolutely frank in stating our position. Do you have any questions?"

Taking the agreement and handing it to Saul Silverstein, without flinching and directing her gaze first to Lamar and then to Hawkins, Vera replied deliberately, "Mr Silverstein will read over the agreement and assuming he is satisfied that the contents are drafted in accordance as you have purported I will sign it. Your client and his son can be rest assured that I will not reveal the paternity of my child to anyone including my immediate family. I reserve the right to reveal the paternity to Natasha at an appropriate time as I believe she has the right to know. I shall caution her not to importune her biological father since he has exhibited no interest in knowing her. On this point I regret that your client and his son have elected to be a stranger to my daughter. Should either one of them change their mind I will offer no objection to reasonable visitation rights. I can assure your client and his son that neither one of them would be ashamed of her."

There was an awkward silence after Vera's speech while Silverstein thoroughly read the document. However, since the agreement was relatively short the interval of silence was not too long. Silverstein handed the agreement back to Vera with a nod, and she promptly signed it and the copies at the appropriate spots. Then Vera and Silverstein left not having been in the offices of Adcock, Hawkins & Horton more than a half hour but with Vera emerging 1.5 million dollars richer than when she had entered.

At Vera's invitation, Saul Silverstein agreed to accompany her to a nearby upscale bar for a celebratory drink. Vera ordered a Gin and tonic while Silverstein opted for a Jack and coke. As Vera's stunning good looks gave her a mature look and besides being in the company of Silverstein who was obviously in his fifties, the server did not even consider carding her.

Silverstein opened the conversation, "I could tell from your body language that you were inclined to accept the offer without any haggling. However you should be aware that the interest in your kidnapping has captured the fascination of the nation and I believe you could easily parlay your story to earn possibly substantially more than the 1.5 million offered by Grant. At least we could have shaken at least a half mil more from him. Besides as Hawkins indicated so long as you did not identify Natasha's paternity you would not be in violation of the child support agreement even if the press were to investigate and to discern or discover the father."

Vera replied, "There was never going to be a movie or a book deal. I never intended to grant even an interview. I cannot talk freely about what has happened to me. I cringe whenever I think about it. As a result I have kept details at a minimum and definitely have left out the most horrific parts whenever I have described my ordeal to my friends and family. Even when I am with medical professionals and in therapy sessions I have trouble talking about it. I know I will have to reveal in graphic detail when I testify in Court at the bastard's trial, but at least I will have some time to steel myself for the event. So yes, I was in no mood to haggle and I was uncomfortable the whole time I was in that boardroom. But of course I am not stupid enough not to sign the agreement that gives me even more money."

"You certainly handled yourself superbly at the meeting. The speech you gave certainly provided no clue that you were under distress."

"Looks are deceiving. I can cope with the day to day activities necessary to lead a normal life but mentally I am truly a basket case. With this money and my generous child support payments I know I do not have to work, but when I return to Chicago I will resume my restaurant job as it will help me retain my sanity. I know I will brood too much if I am idle. I just hope I will not be pestered by reporters as I dread the time when I can no longer hide behind Dr Morrison's protection."

"Perhaps I can help. If you continue to retain me, I can be your spokesperson. You can refuse to talk to any reporter and direct them to contact me if they wish any further information. I would be touch with you by phone to strategize how to handle the media as events transpire. It helps that you are in Chicago and I'm in Jackson as it disrupts the flow of reporters when pursuing the story. That way interest in you may more quickly die down."

"That sounds like a good idea. I don't want to talk about it now. So how about I see you tomorrow at your office and we can set things up."

"That would be fine shall we say 1:30?"

"Yes that's fine. You know what really frosts me about the Grants? Father and son have thrown lots of money at me, and for what? That I and Natasha not have anything to do with them. As if we are a toxic poison. I bet Natasha will be a far more worthwhile grandchild for Lamar Grant than anything Larry and Pamela Rose will come up with. And yet he is not interested because I am perceived to be white trash: a slut and a whore. This, despite the fact as far as they know and believe I have had only sex twice; both with Larry. And the truth is discounting the rapes by Slaughter I've only had sex twice after Larry."

"Well at least you have been well compensated for their blindness."

"I guess that's true enough."

Vera did then retain Silverstein as her representative and spokesman for the press. All in all Vera's Christmas visit with her family was a tremendous success, and that's not even taking into account the extra monies Lamar Grant had agreed to pay her.

The June visit had brought about the reconciliation with her family and this visit solidified the newfound respect her family had developed towards her. As she had arrived at Crystal Springs in a brand new Ford Taurus, her own, and bringing lavish Christmas presents, her family realized that she was financially independent.

The fact that she was merely, twenty years old, a single mother and accepted to attend the University of Chicago next fall was most impressive indeed. Added to the fact that she had endured and escaped a brutal kidnapping, made Vera a most daunting young woman that her family could not admire enough.

Natasha was a particular favorite. Her natural good nature and joy of life endeared her to her aunts, uncles and grandparents who could not love her enough. Vera was overjoyed at the acceptance of her daughter and she was very pleased to have learned that her sister Anna had been willingly prepared to take custody of Natasha had her encounter with Slaughter gone south.