Chapter 12

Life in Dani's house was a bit hectic. Not only for the weekend, but into the next but week. Once young Dale was out of the hospital and being taken care of by his step-sister and father, the house began to calm down. Josh had rescheduled his arm surgery for the following week to allow a bit more breathing room for everyone in the house to adapt to the new situation. That was until a very unwelcome woman returned.

"You will let me on to this property," demanded Ms Crandle, "or I will have the police come and arrest the lot of you!"

"Madam, you have an active restraining order against you," offered the gate guard. "I would be helping you to violate that order if I were to allow you entrance. If you have a problem with that you need to contact Ms. Orchard's attorney."

"I'm not here to deal with Ms. Orchard. I'm here to collect one Dale Perry. I was informed by a reliable source that he was here. He's listed as a run-a-way and I'm to bring him back and return him to his mother."

"That would be his step-mother," the guard corrected. "And you would still have to go to Ms. Orchard's attorney. Now please leave before I have someone call the police on you."

"You go right ahead and call the police. I am well within my legal rights to be here. I have an order from the family court judge to retrieve young Mr. Perry and one for Ms. Blackwood as well. You can just have both of them come out or the police can go in and bring them out. I'm just here doing my job."

"One moment and I'll check with the house and see what they want to do." The man finished and walked away from the car over to the side and keyed his mic.

"Gate one to house. I have a Ms. Crandle down here claiming she has an order to get young Mr. Perry and Ms Blackwood. Please contact Ms. Orchard and advise her of the problem. I would also appreciate any suggestions on how you want me to handle the present situation."

There was a pause before he got a response. "Gate one, this is house. We have informed Ms. Orchard and she is working on the problem. Please stand by for additional orders, but at present, do not let Ms. Crandle past the gate." Replied Beth.

In the office, Dani was indeed working on the problem. She was already on the phone to Mrs. Sandy McNarry, the company lawyer. Mike had already left to get Ray, Dale's father and Sandra Blackwood. His instructions were to bring them to her office.

"No, she didn't say which judge signed the order but she did say family court," said Dani as the others walked in. "It's clear that someone has told a fib if Crandle has one for Sandra, she's 18 and a high school graduate. So they have no claim on her."

Mike, Ray and Sandra listened to the Dani's side of the conversion to try and find out what was going on and what was going to happen.

"Yes Sandra has her diploma as well as her driver's license and birth certificate. Well, I had the feeling that Mrs. Blackwood would try something, but I didn't think Children's Services would re-higher Crandle after the last trouble she caused. It was also why I had you work on a custody change for Dale."

Ray, who had been listening closely to the conversation, remembered meeting with a lawyer. It was during the time his son was in the hospital after the beating. They had gone to court and after the judge reviewed surveillance footage from Sandra's house and Dani's. He was given temporary custody of Dale pending a hearing, with the stipulation that Ray returned to work once his son was out of the hospital. Ray honored the order by returning to work the day after Dale got out of the hospital.

Dani listened to Sandy and added what she could when asked. It took some work and waiting but finally she had the answer and the out come she was hoping for. Sandy was on her way with a stay order to counter the ones that Ms Crandle had. In addition there was one from a none too happy judge that had been circumvented in order to get the other orders written out. It seemed that Mrs. Blackwood, her father and Ms Crandle had been less than forthcoming with all the facts of the case.

"Thank you Sandy we'll see you in about 30 minutes." Dani said and then hung up the phone. Looking at the people waiting in the room she said. "Well the bad news is I have to let Ms. Crandle on to my property in a few minutes. The good news is that Roy has full custody of Dale until the hearing. In addition a restraining order is in place against Rebecca just to be safe.

"She and her father contacted a judge friend of theirs. They got him to sign the orders without telling him that, you, Sandra, had already turned eighteen. Nor did they bother to tell him that Dale had been beaten and was just out of the hospital. Further they chose to exclude that court proceedings were already scheduled for the family court docket.

"If only that were the end of it, it would be enough, but somehow Ms. Crandle, managed to convince Children's Services to take her back. I'll never know what she told them to convince them she should be allowed, but she was dispatched to retrieve Dale. Although personally I think she took it and didn't tell anyone what she was doing it."

"I can believe that. But how long do we make her wait?" asked Mike as he watched the monitor that showed the main gate.

"Not too much longer." Dani said and looked at the clock. "Sandy already had the papers she needed and was heading out the door. She's bringing a policeman with her just to be safe."

Looking to Sandra she added, "Sandra will you go and get the papers for your dad that gave him temp custody so that we have those just in cast we need them."

Sandra nodded her head and ran out the door.

With that out of the way Dani said, "Now when we let her in. Mike you stay near me. I want to make sure you don't go flying off the handle, or worse, that I do."

Everyone chuckled and the tension in the room broke as they checked the clock again. To everyone's surprise it was time. Sandra walked back in just as Mike took up his mic.

"House 1 to gate 1, Please tell Ms. Crandle that she is now clear to come onto the property."

"Rodger that, House 1. Be advised that this woman is very agitated." Replied that man.

"Understood. Rover 2, please, be at the front of the main house to help us welcome our unwanted guest."

"Copy that. ETA 90 seconds." Answered another man.

Mike looked at Dani and nodded. Dani, with the others went out to the front door to await their guest.

The guard pulled out the remote and pretended to aim it at something and pushed the button as he walked up to the woman in the car.

"Ms Crandle, sorry it took so long, you may go in now."

"It's about damn time!" was all she said and drove past the guard and through the still opening gate.

Five minutes later the guard saw the police car followed by another heading up the main road towards him. Having an idea as to why they were there he was ready to just wave them through.

Moments later Ms. Crandle came to a stop in front of the big house. It was only with a great effort that she was able to control her anger. She felt she had been cheated out of gaining control of the place like she had been told she would. But that still could come to be if her next plan worked.

Ms. Crandle got out of her car and began walking to the front door when several people came out.

"Hello Ms. Crandle. I see we meet again." Dani started. "Now if you would be kind enough to show me the court orders. Then we can get on with other business."

"My business is not with you Ms. Orchard. So I don't have to show you anything. Now I want..."

"What you want and what you are going to get are two different things. You are already violating a restraining order just by being here. If you have a court order to get someone from my property, then I do need to see it. Or you can just leave and I'll forget this incursion ever happened." Dani stated.

"In that case I would have you arrested for harboring run-a-ways." Answered Ms Crandle smugly.

"Well as Dale's father is right here I don't consider him a run-a-way, nor would a court of law. Not after the fact was known that his mother abandoned him here when he was in need of immediate medical attention. I believe the court would think it's more of a case of that."

"Well I don't think you know the full story. So if you will just bring the boy and his sister out, I can collect them and get out of here."

"Not until I see the court orders, Sorry. And you can hand them to the Mr. Card."

"I don't have to show them to you."

"You do as you are on my property, that is, according to my lawyer."

"Fine!" Ms Crandle exclaimed, before she turned and got the papers from the car and gave them to the man next to her.

Eric took what he was given and walked them to his boss. Dani thanked him and started looking over the papers from the family court and started laughing.

This just made Ms Crandle anger. "I don't think this is a laughing matter."

"Oh but I do. But in another way you are right, in truth, it's sad that it's going to fall back on you. I don't know if you are aware of this but the information in these is inaccurate to say the least and an out right lie in others. But lets start with the easy one."

"Those Papers are legitimate court papers! There's nothing false about them.

"I'm afraid there is. The easiest to take care of is going to be with Sandra. Your papers have her date of birth date wrong and puts her age as 17 but according to her drivers license and birth certificate she's 18 and has graduated from high school as well. So for her mother to go to family court and claim her to be a run-away is a complete falsehood."

"You are..." Ms Crandle started.

"She is telling the truth. My mother has used that ploy before." Stated Sandra "I'm 18 and I have my papers with me."

"Well that may ... I mean it could be a clerical error. But the birth date on the other is correct." Ms Crandle replied trying to save what little hope she had.

"Your job is to see that they are all correct before you come out. Now as to the orders in regards to Dale; Per the original divorce papers, provided by Mr. Perry, his son has unlimited access to him during the summer months. We are aware that there were some modifications done later but that stipulation has never been challenged.

However, with the abandonment of young Mr. Perry, here at this very house, I might add. Because of that Roy Perry filed a motion for emergency custody so that he could sign for any medical assistance his son needed. A family court judge viewed evidence that Sandra and I provided and he ruled in Roy's favor with the stipulation that once Dale was released from the hospital Roy would gain employment, which he has done."

With the news of a family court intervention Ms. Crandle had gone white. She knew she had just made a major mess up. She was about to say something when two cars pulled up next to her's and things went from bad to worse.

"Ahh Mrs. McNarry, right on time I see," said Dani.

"Sorry I would have been here sooner but the gate motor took that moment to jam up. Again," she added with a wink.

"Not a problem at all. I was just explaining the facts to Ms. Crandle. But I'll turn it over to you now that you're here." Answered Dani and handed that stack of court papers to Mr. Card, who took them to Mrs. McNarry.

"Well now that I'm here, I can clear up a lot of this too. Ms. Crandle as of 30 minutes ago Mr. Perry has full and permanent custody of his son. Judge Flint, is to say at least, very upset at what he was told by Mrs. Blackwood and her father. He has even gone so far as to have them charged with contempt of court and for perjury.

"How the case was passed on to you is still unclear. I do know your superiors are not happy that you did not state you could not take the case since a standing restraining order is in place. The fact that you did have a valid set of court orders at the time you set foot on the property, you were not breaking the law by coming here. That is, of course, as long as you did not make a move at Ms. Orchard. But with the new information I think it would be advantageous for you to depart so that we can let the deputy go about his business as will." Mrs. McNarry turned slightly and pointed to the man standing by the other car.

"I would like to see these new orders if I may. Only to verify for myself that they are not false as well." Replied Ms. Crandle.

"Of course." Answered Mrs. McNarry and handed Ms. Crandle a new stack of papers.

Ms. Crandle looked over the papers, handed them back, then walked to her car and drove away without saying another word. There was nothing she could have said that would have saved her from looking like a bigger fool than she already felt like. And she knew some how that it was all Daniella Orchard's fault.

It wasn't until everyone was inside Dani's office with the door closed that all of them started laughing. Though Dani felt sorry for Ms. Crandle, she didn't let it stop her from what she needed to do.

Once the laughter was finished as was the discussions about Ray and Dale most of the people present left and returned to whatever they had been doing. Dani was finally allowed to get back to the next piece of business at hand, Josh's surgery.

"Good Morning, Sandra. What's on the schedule for today?" Dani asked as she finished the start up of the computer and checked the security logs from the night before.

It had been a couple of weeks since the mess with the children's services worker. Followed by Josh's arm surgery, which had gone very well. The fact that Sandra had became Dani's personal assistant really helped. This arrangement worked very well and let Dani concentrate even more on what was needed for the company.

"Actually you, Jenny, and I have a date at the spa and a shopping trip after that." Sandra said with a smile. Since she had started working for Dani she found that Dani did very little for herself and a lot for others. So Sandra took it upon herself to schedule one day off and take Dani out for some person pampering.

Sandra smiled inwardly as she thought of how her friend was going to scream at her until she finds out she has a date with Mike for that night.

"What? Sandra I don't have time for a spa day. I need to finish that proposal to Biocorp. We..."

"Dani that can wait one day and you know it. That thing doesn't have to be in until next month and nothing can be done until you get though the court appointments anyway.

You've been working harder than any one I've ever seen on this. You need a break. I'm here to see that you get it."

"Sandra, you have been a great help but I really think I need to get this done." Dani replied. She had never been into spa type pampering.

"Not today. I've already made the appointments. Jenny's going nuts wanting to go. If Carol and Marg didn't have to work or have a Doctor's appointments respectively, they would be with us too. The guys are all planning on doing something together so your stuck."

Dani looked at her friend. Then a feeling came over her that made her think Sandra was up to something.

"Sandra, what are you planning? I think you have something up your sleeve, so spill it."

Sandra snickered, "Now would I do that? All I want to do is take you out, let you get pampered and prettied up. Maybe find you some really pretty things to wear. That's all." Sandra just couldn't keep the smile from trying to form on her face.

"Yes you would Sandra. Don't make me go ask your brother. He'll tell me what's going on."

"Go ahead, he doesn't know. And just because you can scare it out of him doesn't mean he'll tell you this time. There is one person he's scared of more and that's me."

Dani couldn't hold it in and busted up laughing.

It turned out that young Dale had bit of a crush on Dani but it only took Mike one quick talk with some very scary pictures to convince Dale that Mike must be insane for wanting to be with Dani. Now whenever Dani wanted to know about what Dale's sister was up to Dani would ask him and if he wouldn't tell, she would remind him of what she had done.

The laugher was broken up when Sandra's ever present shadow, Jenny, showed up. If Officer Jennings granddaughter wasn't over Jenny could be found helping Sandra.

"So are we going? I want to see Dani all made up. I want to be made all pretty too. Won't it be fun?"