Silenced Justice: A Josh Williams Novel (18 page)

Chapter 24

Anthony Sorin, checking the day's schedule for the Senator, located the one item that mattered. Reaching into the briefcase, he pulled out the position statement and supporting documents. I will need to review these with the Senator again. It is frustrating how slow the man is at embracing complex concepts. Perhaps, it is why he is so useful to us.

The phone rang, "Yes sir?"

"Good morning, Tony. I assume you're ready for the morning briefing?"

"Yes, Senator, I'll be right over."

Gathering his materials, Sorin headed to the Senator's office. As he walked down the windowed hallway in the McCormick Senate Office Building, his cell phone rang.

Glancing at the caller ID, he ducked into an alcove. "Yes?"

"All is good?" came the accented voice.

"Just going to review it with him now. We secured the supporting votes; the House group is on board. We are ready on our end. Have you taken care of things on yours?"

"The funds are in the staging accounts. Once the vote is taken, the transfer through the usual channels will happen."

Sorin ended the call.

Senator Collucci's secretary was in her accustomed position, guarding access to the Senator.

"Good morning, Tony. Would you care for some coffee?"

"That would be great, Sandy. Please hold all calls; we've a lot to discuss this morning before the committee meeting." He handed the secretary a piece of paper. "I've made some changes to the schedule; we'll have to cancel a few appearances for today and tomorrow. Would you please handle those for me?"

"No problem, I'll get on these right away. Oh, by the way, the Senator received a call today from a Judge in Rhode Island. I have the name somewhere," shuffling through some papers.

"Judge Tucker?" Sorin asked.

"Yes, that's it. I have it here. He left a message on voice mail. Said it was important he speak to the Senator. Would you pass this on to him for me?"

"Of course," taking the note and walking toward the Senator's private office. "Oh and Sandy, please delete the voice mail from the Judge. I'll make sure the Senator contacts him."

As he entered the office, he crumpled the note and stuck it in his pocket.

Collucci was on the phone as Sorin came in, motioning with his free hand for him to sit. "Yes, Senator, this is critical in several areas. Economic development and jobs." He covered the phone, "Senator Murray, wants me to support his construction bill. He says he'll support our motion."

"Our support margin is tenuous. I'd say agree," Sorin replied.

Returning to the call, Collucci became more animated. "Look, Senator. For too long Native Americans have been, to be blunt, screwed by the system. Oh sure, we gave them some casinos on tribal land but most of them are so far away from the main population centers they struggle to survive. Support my bill. It will create a partnership between government and the indigenous Native American tribes. The project in Rhode Island will serve as a model for the rest of the country."

Collucci listened a moment then said, "Okay, we are in agreement. You sign on in support of this legislation and I agree to support your bill. I will lobby for support from other members of the committee," pausing a moment. "Excellent, see you in the committee room. Thank you, Senator," hanging up the phone.

"Well, sounds like we've added to the margin," Sorin smiled.

"Indeed, we have. Now, what else do we need to do?"

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. The secretary came in with coffee. "Will there be anything else, Senator?"

"No, that's all for now Sandy. Please hold all calls for the next hour. Thank you," watching as the woman left the office.

"Okay Tony. What else do you have for me?" Collucci put his hands behind his head and sat back in the chair.

"Tucker called," Sorin said. "It can't be anything good. We need to avoid any problems. We're too close to let this slip away."

Collucci's demeanor changed, “Tucker suffers from terminal conscience. He just cannot let the past go. Son-of-a-bitch has made a career out of playing up to the minority crowd out of a sense of guilt. Damn it, it's not as if he killed the black bastard himself. Pardon my political incorrectness," a smile creeping across his face.

"Senator, let me remind you our friends are anxious about this. They do not want any disruption of our arrangement. You need to deal with Tucker and dissuade him from creating any further problems."

Collucci put his fingertips together. "Perhaps it's time the Judge understands something. His interference can have a negative effect on his daughter. And, if that isn't enough motivation, the truth about his granddaughter."

Sorin smiled. "I'd like nothing more than to see that bitch suffer. What she did to me is unforgivable. If there was another way to manage the local aspect of this, I'd dump her and that annoying child of hers."

"Now, now Tony, is that anyway to speak of your flesh and blood, or your namesake? Once we finish with the land transfers we will sever the relationship."

Collucci watched as Sorin furrowed his brow.

"Careful, Senator, our friends have a huge stake in this venture. No one is indispensable. They decide who, or when, that might be, not you."

Collucci, ignoring the implied threat, turned his attention to the file on the desk.
When this is over, a new Chief of Staff is in order.

* * *

A week after the Senate voted on the legislation, Collucci stood on the stairs in front of the Rhode Island State House. The Governor and elected officials from East Providence and Providence stood behind the Senator. The Sachems of the Narragansett and Wampanoag Tribes completed the list of VIPs.

Sorin motioned to the gathered media the Senator was ready to start. As Collucci waited for the crowd to quiet, he gave two thumbs up, pointed to various people in the crowd, and smiled for the cameras.

"Today," Collucci began, "we announce the dawn of a new era. A new chapter in the relationship between government and Native Americans," nodding to the two Sachems.

"The Comprehensive State and Native American Economic Development Partnership Act, a bill I wrote and sponsored, passed both houses of Congress. The President assured me he will sign the bill into law," pausing at the smattering of applause and nodding to the gathered dignitaries.

Turning back to face the cameras, Collucci continued, "Today, with the passage of my bill, we begin a new chapter in history."

More applause rose from the gathered crowd.

"We have the joint support of the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes," pointing to the two Sachems.

"Through this cooperation, we begin the process of rectifying the injustices of the past." Collucci paused as the applause gained in intensity. "My legislation provides funds to acquire waterfront property in East Providence. We will link this with the reclaimed land from the Interstate 195 relocation project, creating a huge enterprise zone.

"The legislation funds an expanded deep water port and railway links from downtown Providence to Boston and New York.”

More applause from the crowd interrupted Collucci. He basked in the attention.

"But wait," he said, raising his hands, "there's more." His face broke into a huge smile as he watched the reaction of the crowd.

"The State of Rhode Island will move the headquarters of the Rhode Island Lottery onto the East Providence property. They will expand access to gaming activities controlled by Native Americans on tribal lands,” causing another round of intense applause.

As the noise died down, Collucci looked around the crowd, allowing the anticipation to build. "But the keystone of the project is this," turning as his Chief of Staff removed a covering on a large design drawing. "The center piece of the project is the integration of the Twin River Casino and Newport Grand facility into one operation. The Native American tribes will operate the facility with state oversight. Upon completion, it will be the largest combined gaming facility in the western hemisphere."

The applause rose in intensity. Many of the assembled media struggled to maintain the sound levels of the live feed.   

"With this consolidation, the people of Rhode Island and the Native American communities will reap enormous benefits. The projections for revenue potential are significant. This is an opportunity to reduce taxes and increase spending on important projects such as transportation infrastructure and schools. This is a momentous undertaking. I am proud to be the sponsor of this legislation and look forward to seeing its full implementation. Thank you," gesturing to the group surrounding him, “for making this possible."

Collucci walked around shaking hands and patting people on the back.   

A few reporters shouted questions. "Senator, how will the selection of private companies be managed? What is the plan to deal with revenue lost to Lincoln and Newport? How much of the cost is the state responsible for?"

Collucci ignored the questions, waved at the crowd, and walked into the State House. The Governor and the others followed him in. Moving to a private reception, the group engaged in animated conversations on the announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention for a moment," Collucci said. Standing at the podium, he waited for the conversations to die down.

"This is a historic moment. By collaborating with our Native American brothers and sisters, we have the opportunity to right a terrible wrong. Not only will we open new avenues of economic growth, but also we have the chance to share these opportunities in a most meaningful way. I want to thank all of you for your help. Without it, this day might never have happened." Reveling in the applause, Collucci stepped away from the podium.

"Senator, might I have a word?"

Collucci turned to the question, taken aback to see Judge Tucker standing there. Recovering his poise, he nodded. "Of course, my old friend, what can I do for you?"

Tucker looked around the room. "Perhaps we can go someplace private, after this little gathering?"

Collucci saw Sorin standing in the back of the room, watching them. “Let’s go to my office on the third floor. I keep a small office here for my staff. Now’s fine,” pointing towards the exit, motioning for Sorin to come with them.

* * *

Collucci led the way to the office, followed by Tucker and Sorin. As they entered the room, Collucci told the on-duty staffer to leave. Collucci, rubbing his hands together, looked at Tucker. After the door closed, Collucci said, “What is it about you, George?" disgust in his voice. "Why can't you leave ancient history alone?"

"I do not care what you think. I did not come here to negotiate." The Judge's out-of-character, angry tone caught Collucci and Sorin by surprise. "I am here to tell you I am going forward with this. I prepared a document detailing all, and I do mean all, of the actions we took back then. I intend to deliver it to the media. With what I have learned over the past few days, I am ashamed of the way I behaved. An innocent man died because of us."

Collucci glanced at Sorin, who nodded. Collucci returned his attention to the Judge. "Time for a reality check here, your honor. You release anything and all you do is ruin your career. Nothing in those files ties me to anything. You were the AG assigned, your initials are on the lineup, you indicted him, and you put him in the system. If that is what you want, go for it. Someone else will sit in your seat and your cozy little relationship with the minority community will suffer. Is that what you want for your friends of color?” The venom in the words shocked Tucker.

"Listen to me, Senator--"

"No, Judge, you listen to me," Sorin interrupted. "There's someone else you might want to consider in this matter."

"And who would that be?" Tucker asked.

Sorin shot a glance at Collucci and took two quick steps to stand in front of the Judge, drawing his attention. "Your daughter and precious little grandchild."

Tucker, surprised by the words, glared at his former son-in-law. "What do you mean? What do they have to do with this?"

"Much, my good Jurist, more than you realize. Seems your daughter was not satisfied with the amount of money I pay her in alimony and child support. She wanted more. The business of hers, I set that up. I arranged for her to meet a business associate. You will be happy to know your daughter has a good head for business. She owns, or thinks she owns, a good deal of the land for our new project. The truth is my organization owns it through a maze of cover corporations."

Watching the reaction on the Judge's face, he knew they had him.   

"Some of those transactions have your name on it as well. It would be a terrible thing if you or little Ms. Jennifer were caught up in trading on inside information. Remember, yours was the deciding vote on the legality of re-zoning the affected property. Where would that leave your granddaughter?"

"My granddaughter?" Tucker shook with rage. "Kelsey's your daughter, Anthony. How could you do that to your own daughter?"

"Oh, yes. That is something else little Jennifer forgot to tell you. Remember that law student, that 'chorn' from South Africa? The one who stayed with you for a court apprenticeship about, let me see, 9 years and 9 months ago? Well, you'll be pleased to know, your granddaughter is a half-breed herself," Sorin spat the words at Tucker. "She's not my biological daughter."