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Chapter 19
February 20, 1999
RINGGGG! RINGGGG!
Lizzy struggled
to grab the telephone, wondering who could be calling at this
hour of the morning. "Hello?"
"Elizabeth?
It's Professor Jennings. I need you to get down to the VOICE
office as soon as you can."
"What? What's
wrong?"
"Nothing,
dear - except your big chance! Hurry!"
Marianne looked
a question at Lizzy, who only shrugged her shoulders as she reached
for her jeans.
~*~*~
Lizzy walked into
the office to find Dr. Jennings and Justin talking to a third
person - a slightly overweight middle-aged man. "Elizabeth,
this is Elton Rank, a very good friend of mine, and an editor
for the Times-Picayune," Jennings informed her with
a self-satisfied smile.
Lizzy was confused.
They had gotten her out of bed on a Saturday for this? "How
do you do?" she said as she shook hands with Rank.
"I'm very happy
to meet you, Miss Boudreaux. You write very well."
"You've read
my stuff?"
Jennings broke in.
"He's read this story, at least, my dear." She
handed her a printout. To Lizzy's surprise it was her story about
the AIs.
"Elizabeth,
he wants to run it in the Picayune," Jennings almost
laughed.
"Really?"
"Yes,"
said Rank. "The Sunday paper is almost put to bed, except
to some breaking items. We could stick it in somewhere, but I
was just telling Harriet…er, Dr. Jennings that if we wait
for Monday, I think I can get you the cover of the Metro section."
"You hear that,
Lizzy?" cried Justin. "They're gonna run the whole
thing - special from the VOICE!"
Dr. Jennings was
smiling wildly. "We're finally on the map, dear, thanks
to you."
Elizabeth smiled
as she glanced at the printout. A photo with a caption caught
her eye. She frowned as she saw it was William. The caption read:
"William
Darcy, son of DGS CEO George Darcy and member of AI, deflecting
reporters' questions about the attack. Photo by Justin Middleton."
Elizabeth turned
to the photographer. "You added the photo?" she asked
Justin.
Justin's smile faded
a bit. "Well, yeah, we felt it needed a little punching
up."
Lizzy turned her
attention to the body of the story. New text had been added:
"Looking
for answers, a photographer and I went to the AI House. What
we were met with was not concern for a friend or outrage over
a violation of their supposed rules. What greeted us was stonewalling
by a very powerful member of the fraternity, William Darcy, MBA
student and son of George Darcy, the CEO of Delta Global Shipping.
Darcy, with an armed guard, refused to answer my questions and
threatened us if we did not leave. It is apparent that he knows
that something happened, but his only interest is to cover it
up. To keep it quiet. A future career is at stake, don't you
know?..."
A second photo,
one of the large African American bodyguard raising his hands
to ward off the reporters, was captioned, "An armed guard
at the AI house, ejecting the reporters. Photo by Justin Middleton."
The story continued:
"In fact,
M and F have more than forty enemies. There are the fathers of
these "men" who see their enormous investment in the
education of their offspring threatened. For example, George
Darcy, the head of Delta Global Shipping, is one of the city's
most prestigious business owners. The potential damage to the
reputation of his company and the value of the company's shares
cannot be underestimated. Broken heads are not unusual to those
who work the docks. Hence, the armed guards."
Lizzy looked up.
"You ran the story with this?" Justin turned to Dr.
Jennings.
"Yes, we did,"
she answered. "I asked Justin to add the photos. The additions
were from his experience." She frowned. "Is something
wrong?"
Lizzy thought about
it. Nothing in the story was untrue, but it changed the focus
of the piece. Lizzy's aim was to start an investigation of Alpha
Iota; now the story seemed more about the Darcys.
But wouldn't
that attract more attention? Isn't this all about justice for
Mari? I can't be concerned for the Darcys' feelings, she thought. "No. I'm just…surprised
that Justin isn't sharing the byline."
"No big deal,
Lizzy," Justin grinned. Besides, everybody will know
I'm the editor/photographer.
"So, do you
stand by the story, Miss Boudreaux?" asked Rank.
Lizzy nodded.
He smiled. "I'm
sure the AP will be interested in this, too, but we're going
to need more." He pulled out a notebook. "First, what
is the name of the student that was attacked?"
Lizzy sat down.
"Is that necessary?"
"Yes, we have
to protect ourselves. Don't worry, we won't release her name."
Lizzy swallowed.
"Marianne Dashwood."
"And how do
you know her?"
"She's my roommate."
"Is she the
source of all this?"
"No. I talked
to her boyfriend…and others."
"I'll need
their names."
Lizzy looked down.
"I can give you the name of the boyfriend, but the rest…"
she looked up "…are confidential."
"Why?"
"I promised.
They are concerned about retaliation."
"From who?"
"From…some
of the people involved."
Rank narrowed his
eyes. "The Darcys?"
She nodded.
He smiled. "This
is going to be huge, young lady. Congratulations."
~*~*~
In about an hour,
after Lizzy left to return to her dorm, Dr. Jennings asked her
colleague, "Well, Elton, what do you think?"
He smiled. "We'll
run it on Monday, but, on second thought, not in the Metro section.
This should be on the editorial page. But I can write up a story
referring to Miss Boudreaux's piece in the Metro section."
"Front of the
Metro?"
"Sure, unless
something else pushes it off. But I've a request."
Jennings knew that
the request was anything but. "What?"
"We'd like
an exclusive on this." As Justin began to protest, he continued.
"We'll give full credit to the VOICE, don't worry.
But if the AP picks this up, I want it from us. So, I'd like
you to take this down from your site."
"Dr. Jennings…!"
Justin began, only to be cut off by a wave of her hand.
"Done, Elton
- as long as we get first page of the Metro."
"You've got
it."
Dr. Jennings smiled.
"Justin, pull the story."
~*~*~
Lizzy returned to
her dorm room to find Marianne still in bed.
She sat next to
her, stoking her hair. "Hey, roomie, how goes it?"
"Okay."
Mari's voice was listless.
Lizzy had to fight
back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes as she
looked upon her friend, once so bubbly and outgoing, now withdrawn
and depressed. Any second thoughts that were gnawing at her conscience
were quickly silenced.
Oh, my dear friend,
I will get justice for you - no matter what it costs!
~*~*~
Henry fired up his
computer and used a search engine to find the site for the VOICE.
"Anything?"
asked Pat Patel.
Henry scanned the
page. "Nope. Go tell Chuck."
"He's not here."
Henry turned to
him. "Where'd he go?"
"Don't know.
Ain't my day to keep track of him."
"Watch it,
pledge, you're not initiated yet."
~*~*~
The rest of the
first weekend of Lent passed quietly. It was a wet weekend, so
Will stayed inside and spent most of his time with his sister
and father. As expected, Gina soon grew bored with questioning
the "security consultant" and spent a great deal of
time on the phone with her friends. Mr. Darcy began making reservations
at Walt Disney World, and Will finished up a couple of chapters
in his management book. Gina convinced Will to stay over Sunday
night, as she wouldn't see him again until Spring Break.
George Katz was
on call, so Emma had Lizzy and Marianne over on an overnighter
to watch all six hours of A&E's Pride and Prejudice,
which Emma had on VHS. All agreed that Colin Firth was to die
for. It was a successful outing, as Mari seemed to come out of
her shell for a while.
Chris Breaux, after
trying unsuccessfully to call about Mari again, finished a term
paper and watched basketball. Abe Weinberg did the same, except
for the term paper. Mrs. Taylor just knew he was going to sprout,
if he stayed planted in his chair much longer.
Richard Fitzwilliam
had the week-end off and thought he was going to watch round
ball, too, but his wife, Olivia, had other ideas. His "honey-do"
list needed to be tackled, so he spent a great deal of time,
and not a small amount of his paycheck, at Home Depot.
Chuck Bingley finally
showed up at the fraternity house on Sunday afternoon. His only
response to questioning was that he had been conducting "medical
research." No amount of ribbing would get him to say more.
Carrie Bingley enjoyed
her sushi date, but she enjoyed her dessert of John Buford more.
Cathy Moreland made Henry Tilney look at Modern Bride
magazines until he could puke. Tommy Bertram showed his new friend
Sarah around his apartment, and she agreed to take John Waguespack's
old room.
No one could know
the extent of the storm that was brewing.
~*~*~
February 22,
1999
William awoke early
on Monday, as he had to drive back to Tulane for classes. Grabbing
a cup of coffee for the road, he skipped his usual breakfast
over the newspaper and jumped into the car, his bodyguard riding
shotgun. He honked at his father, strolling out of the house
to collect the morning paper. Will was almost on the interstate
when his cell phone rang.
"Yeah, Dad?"
"William,
what the hell is going on?"
"What? Dad,
what's wrong?"
"There's
a story on the front page of the Metro section about a girl being
attacked at the AI house!"
"What?"
"It's worse
than that. There's some bullshit on the editorial page about
the Darcy family being involved!"
"US?! Who wrote
that?"
There was a pause.
"Lizzy Boudreaux."
~*~*~
It was the worst
drive in William's life. Fighting early rush hour traffic, one
ear glued to his cell phone as his father read the story to him,
Will grew angrier and angrier. It was bad enough that he and
his fraternity were attacked, but to have his father - his family
- dragged through the mud was intolerable. And knowing that the
person responsible was the girl he was falling in love with was
too much for him to bear.
Once he reached
Kenner, Will pulled into a gas station for a paper. The bodyguard
took over driving duties as Will read the article for himself.
His father had told him to go directly to class and let him handle
things, but Will disregarded the advice.
I can't believe
it! Why would Elizabeth say those things? We're friends! She
knows me! Why didn't she trust me? Lies, it's all lies. She was
lied to - of course, she was lied to! Waguespack! He must have
done it! I've got to see her. Get her to retract this. She'll
believe me - she's got to!
"Park someplace
close to Loyola," he told the bodyguard. "I've got
to see about this."
They found a parking
spot on the Tulane campus not far from Loyola. The two wasted
no time but ran toward the neighboring school, Will's phone ringing
again.
"What?!"
he shouted as he ran.
"It's Chris.
I was gonna ask if you saw the paper, but I guess you did."
"I'll handle
it!" he hung up as he turned the corner. They found themselves
between the dorms and the cafeteria. Deciding the best place
to start was Lizzy's room, Will trotted towards Buddig Hall,
the guard following. He had gotten halfway there when he noticed
a brunette exiting the cafeteria.
"ELIZABETH!"
Lizzy heard her
name and whirled around. To her shock, she saw William Darcy
and his bodyguard running towards her, a grim and angry expression
on Will's flushed face. Her first inclination was to flee, but
her courage rose to the occasion, and she stood her ground.
"Elizabeth,
what is this?" Darcy cried as he grew near her, waving the
newspaper at her.
"Exactly what
it looks like," she spat back as she crossed her arms, offended
at his accusatory tone.
Darcy's intentions
of reasoning with her flew out the window. "How could you
write this? None of this is true, trust me!"
"I'm sorry,
Darcy, but I've got witnesses. You'll have to do better than
that."
"What witnesses?
Waguespack? That lying sack of shit?"
The bodyguard stepped
up. "Mr. Darcy, you may want to keep your voice down; you're
attracting a crowd."
Will looked around
to see at least two dozen people staring at the confrontation.
"Lizzy, let's take this somewhere private," he suggested
in a commanding voice.
"No, we can
talk right here. I'm going nowhere with you or your 'persuader'
there." She looked that the guard.
"What?"
Will glanced at the man behind him. "Lizzy, you don't understand.
My dad hired him…"
"Oh, yes, I
know EXACTLY why ol' Daddy hired him. Tell me, is he going to
try to break into the VOICE's offices later? Don't bother
- all of our notes are safe!"
"Elizabeth,
why are you doing this?"
"I might ask
you why you're trying to cover up the fact that one of your precious
'brothers' attacked a girl in your fraternity house!"
"Nobody attacked
anybody!" Will was losing what was left of his temper. "Did
Mar…did anybody say different?"
"Oh, yes! I've
got the goods on you now! We've got all the evidence we need.
Now the police will have to get to the bottom of what went on,
and there's nothing you or your father can do to stop it!"
"Who are you
to bring my father into this?"
She sneered, "Didn't
Daddy hire your shadow over there?" She pointed at the guard.
"Your clean-up specialist?" She spoke to him. "Tell
me, do you work for the Gambino family or for Carlos Marcello?"
Darcy was furious.
"Who's telling you these lies?! What's the matter with you?!
You're smarter than this!"
"You're damn
right I'm smart! Smart enough to know when somebody's been assaulted
and smart enough to know when somebody's trying to keep it quiet!"
"OF COURSE,
I'M TRYING TO KEEP IT QUIET, YOU LITTLE IDIOT! DON'T YOU SEE
WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"
"YES I DO!'
Lizzy screamed back. "I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU BASTARDS
NEVER HURT ANOTHER GIRL AGAIN!"
"WE DIDN'T
DO ANYTHING! WAGUESPACK DID!"
"NICE TRY,
DARCY, BUT HE'S GOT AN ALIBI! BUT IT'S TOO LATE TO TELL ME NOW
- YOU'LL BE TELLING IT TO THE JUDGE NEXT!"
"Folks, you're
causing a scene here!" pleaded the guard, but nobody was
listening.
"Lizzy, believe
me, these are nothing but lies! LIES, GODDAMNIT! You've GOT to
retract this - You've GOT to!"
"Retract the
story? For what reason? Your word?!"
"Yes, my word!
You can trust me!"
"Why?"
"Because I'm
in…I'm your friend!"
"MY FRIEND?!
Is it a friend that dismisses another friend when she
comes for answers? Is it a friend that's a rotten, controlling
bastard; who says nothing, doesn't call for days, and yet demands
total loyalty and trust? IS IT A FRIEND THAT ALLOWS A
FRIEND TO BE RAPED?! I don't know what your definition
of friend is, BUT IT SURE AIN'T MINE!"
The guard had finally
had enough. "Mr. Darcy, this is solving nothing." He
took a shocked William by the arm. "It's time to leave."
William shook off
the guard and looked at Lizzy. Through her rage, she was able
to see that he was no longer angry. It was worse - he was devastated.
"I…I don't
understand. How could you do this? How could you believe this?
You think I had something to do with Mari?" In a near whisper,
he said, "You do! Oh, my god, you do!"
Lizzy began crying.
"What else am I supposed to think, Darcy? It's the truth,
damn you." "The truth? What the hell do you know about
the truth?!" He threw the now-crumpled paper at her feet.
"You call this the truth? Why didn't you come to
us and get the truth?!"
"I did! You
wouldn't talk to me!"
"In front of
that asshole of a photographer?! Do I look that stupid?! I thought
you would trust me! I was TRYING to protect Marianne!"
Lizzy threw up her
hands. "Great! Why not tell everybody her name?!"
"HAVEN'T YOU
JUST DONE IT WITH THAT?!" He pointed at the paper.
"Do you really think her name isn't going to get out?! Do
you know what a hell you've just turned her life into?! Does
she even know what you've done?!"
Darcy took a breath.
"I didn't call you. Well, excuse me - I'm sorry!
We were a little more worried about Mari than your feelings!
Did you even tell Mari I came by - that we were worried about
her?! No, don't answer. I already know. You DIDN'T!
"This isn't
about her. This isn't about me! This is all about
you getting your name in the paper! On the fucking front
page! Are you proud of yourself?!"
"No! That's
not true!" Lizzy protested.
"Oh, yeah?
Then why didn't you call us before you wrote that pack of lies?!
You can't pick up a phone?!"
Elizabeth felt a
flash of guilt over that.
"And that stuff
about my father. How DARE YOU say ANYTHING about the finest man
I've ever known! Where the hell do you get off saying that stuff?!
You've never even met the man!
"But, I'm sure
that crap helped sell the article, didn't it, Elizabeth?!
Why not go for broke, huh? You could say my little sister sells
dope at Destrehan High! Wait, I've got something better! An exposé
on my mother - the Russian Mafia Princess! And no worries about
getting sued - SHE'S DEAD! But maybe you could say that my father
killed her! WHY THE FUCK NOT, IF IT SELLS PAPERS?!"
Elizabeth stepped
back as if struck.
He turned to the
guard. "Do you know what I was going to do today? I was
going to ask this bitch on a date, and on that date, ask
if she would come on a family vacation with me this summer. Why,
may you ask? So that a girl I really liked would get to know
my family." He turned back to Lizzy. "But, see? I don't
have to. She's already knows everything about my family,
don't you, Elizabeth?"
Darcy was numb.
"I dreamed about you. I thought I liked you, maybe…maybe
even loved you, but it's clear I really don't know
you. I don't know who the hell you are."
His face darkened.
"But whoever that is, I don't want anything
to do with her!" With that, he spun on his heel and walked
away.
The bodyguard hesitated
a moment. To Lizzy he said, "Lady, I don't know what the
hell you think you're doing, but I'd watch with the innuendoes,
if I were you."
Lizzy tried to control
her emotions. "Or what? I'm not scared of you."
"You will be
of my lawyer, 'cause he'll sue the shit out of you for libel.
Good day." He then followed Will, leaving an angry and confused
Elizabeth in his wake.
~*~*~
After such a confrontation,
Lizzy couldn't go to class without calming down first, so she
returned to her dorm room. Awaiting her was Marianne, a pale
expression on her face.
Lizzy rushed to
her in concern. "Mari, are you feeling all right?"
"Why?"
Lizzy, confused,
asked her roommate what she meant. Marianne repeated her one-word
question while handing something to her - it was a copy of the
Picayune. She blushed and began stammering her reasons,
but she was interrupted.
"Lizzy, why
didn't you talk to me before you did this?"
"Mari, I'm
trying to get to the bottom of what happened."
"But…but
maybe I don't have to know every detail. Maybe I don't want to
know. What about how I feel?"
"Oh, sweetie,
you have to see. It is about you - how to get this behind you
- how to get justice for you."
Mari put her hand
on Lizzy's arm. "Lizzy, I don't remember anything!
It's a blessing that I don't. But I'm messed up, and I'm stressed
out, so I'm going to get help. I'm going to be all right."
She turned away. "But now, after this article - everybody's
going to be looking at me, wondering…Is she lying? Is she
after money?" She closed her eyes. "Oh, Lizzy, you
shouldn't have done this - you really shouldn't have!"
Lizzy turned pale,
as Mari's words mirrored Darcy's. "Oh, Mari, believe me…I
was trying to help - really, I was!"
"Help who,
Lizzy? If you wanted to help me, why didn't you ask? Did you
think I was too weak to know what I wanted?" She looked
down. "Emma called. While we were talking, she mentioned
that Will had come by on Wednesday and asked about me, but that
you two had decided to keep that from me." She sighed. "You
really don't think much of me, do you?"
Lizzy was shocked.
"But…but we were trying to protect you!"
Mari stood up. "Enough,
Lizzy. I've got to go to class. Don't meet me for lunch. I don't
think it would be a good idea to be seen with you."
The words cut Lizzy
like a knife.
"In fact,"
Mari continued as she picked up her backpack, "we may need
to change our living arrangements."
"Mari!"
"We'll talk
later." With that, Mari exited the room, leaving a shaken
Elizabeth behind her. She looked around, trying to understand
what was happening to her world, when her eyes fell on the Riptide
beanie sitting on her desk - the one Darcy had given her in
Memphis.
With a cry of anger,
she seized the stuffed figure and flung it into the wastepaper
basket.
~*~*~
Somehow, Elizabeth
got through the rest of the day. She received elated congratulations
from Dr. Jennings, of course. The reaction of her fellow students
was varied. Some, mainly females, came up to her to offer their
own congratulations, but others, mostly guys in Loyola fraternities,
eyed her with suspicion and hostility. No one seemed to notice
she was unusually quiet.
She missed her usual
lunch with Mari, but as the day went on, she could understand
her reasons. Many would suspect that Marianne was "F,"
especially if her roommate was unable to hide the haunted look
she had seen on her that morning. Unable to concentrate enough
to study at the library, Lizzy returned to her dorm. She was
sitting before her computer, trying to concentrate on a term
paper, when Mari returned.
"Lizzy,"
Mari said in a low voice as she dropped her bag on her bed.
"Marianne,"
Lizzy began, her eyes lowered, counting the eyeholes on the sneakers,
"you were right this morning. I'm very sorry for what I
did, and what I kept from you."
Mari nodded as she
sat on her bed, her eyes red.
"You're my
best friend, aside from sister. I was SO angry. I wanted to hurt
them like they hurt you. I'm afraid my desire for revenge made
me act in a very thoughtless way." She gulped. "I've
never been that angry at anyone before in my life. I didn't know
I was capable of it. I guess I didn't really know myself."
She finally turned
to Mari, the tears flowing freely. "I WAS trying to help!
I really was trying to get the people that hurt you. But I should
have talked to you, first. I treated you with little respect,
I know, but never think that I don't think much of you! I love
you like a sister!
"I know I've
let you down, and…and if you want me to m…move out,
then I'll do it." Lizzy could say no more as her voice cracked
in regret.
Mari reached to
her friend with tears of her own. Wordlessly, they hugged and
cried together. After a few minutes, Lizzy pulled away and wiped
her eyes. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.
Mari rubbed her
eyes with the palms of her hands. "What can we do? The…the
cat's out of the bag, now."
"You don't
want me to move out?"
"No,"
she managed a trembling grin, "who else would put up with
you?" Their hugging and crying resumed. Finally, they pulled
away, wiping their eyes. "I guess we're stuck with each
other."
Lizzy grasped her
friend's hand. "We'll see it through together. And don't
worry - there's no reason to think that your name will ever get
out."
But Darcy's words
came back to haunt Lizzy: "Do you really think her name
isn't going to get out?! Do you know what a hell you've just
turned her life into?!" She began to wonder if she could
keep her promise to Marianne as she reached for the phone to
call Emma.
Mari's eyes then
caught a bizarre sight - Lizzy's Riptide beanie sitting in the
wastepaper basket. Quietly, she retrieved the doll.
~*~*~
Eventually, all
the AIs became aware of the article in the Picayune. Cell
phones were ringing all over campus. Charles actually left in
the middle of a banking class to handle the crisis. Parents were
called, or calls were received from them. By nightfall, an emergency
meeting had been scheduled. The guests of honor were Mr. George
Darcy and his top attorney.
Behind the locked
doors, the entire incident was revisited. Mr. Darcy and his counselor
listened without making a sound, save from the lawyer's pen as
he took copious notes.
Stories told, Mr.
Darcy looked at the young men before him, his hands cupping his
chin. He turned to his son.
"Will, this
confrontation with the reporter happened when?"
"Thursday night,
while the chapter was meeting."
George Darcy rubbed
his eyes. "And you didn't think this was important enough
to mention?"
Will looked down
in shame, but raised his face again as he answered. "Not
at the time, no."
"Do you think
you may have underestimated this Miss Boudreaux?"
Will's face was
stone. "Apparently, sir, I don't know Miss Boudreaux at
all."
Mr. Darcy looked
hard into his son's eyes and saw the pain of betrayal behind
the anger. "All right, I think it's safe to say we've got
quite the problem here. Mr. Tilney was correct - you should have
gone to the Dean. But that's water under the bridge, now. The
chapter is now in survival mode, gentlemen."
Mr. Darcy's attorney
agreed.
"Very well,"
continued Mr. Darcy. "I hereby offer the use of my legal
team to any of you whose parents choose not to retain their own
legal counsel."
"Dad!"
cried Will.
"It's the least
I can do. Those of you that have your own lawyers should have
them call my people to coordinate our response. And gentlemen,"
he looked at them, "a response will be required. My people
say this story has already been picked up by the AP…"
He was interrupted by a knock on the door. A moment later, it
was opened by the Darcy security detail.
"Mr. Darcy,
there's a TV truck pulling up outside," the guard reported.
"And so it
begins," Mr. Darcy breathed. "Gentlemen, I believe
they call this crisis management in the real world. Please listen
carefully to my lawyer as we discuss what we're going to do."
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