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Chapter 2~Manipulated

Cressida Dash sat behind the desk in her large elegantly designed executive office. Letting out a sigh of relief, she opened the file her father, Charleston Dash, had placed on her desk. It was a case he wanted her to take on personally. Cressida looked over the papers horrified by what she read. Confused and infuriated, she stood and stared at the file on her desk in disbelief.  How did her father expect her to defend such a person?

She quickly gathered up the papers, shoved them back into the file folder and stomped her way down to her father’s office at the end of the hall.

Charleston Dash was a stern businessman and loving father. He had three adult children,

Jackson, his oldest son, was a neurosurgeon living in Albany, New York. Christian his youngest, was a full time musician and part time mailroom clerk at the family firm. Then there was Cressida his only daughter whom he cherished. Charleston’s wife, Harmony Davis Dash, had been placed in a psychiatric hospital three years earlier.

“Dad, what is this about?” Cressida stormed into his office and threw the files onto his desk.

On the phone with a client, Charleston took one look at his daughter’s face and knew the conversation with his celebrity client would have to be placed on the back burner. “Yes, something just came up. I will have to call you back.  No, I promise you everything is going to work in our favor.  Okay, take care now.” He set the receiver down and picked up the file his daughter had so dramatically thrust before him.

“Cressida, I gave you this case because I thought you would be the perfect person to handle it.” He spoke like the self-confident businessman that he was.

“What? Are you kidding me? Dad this is the same man Mom said broke into our home and attacked her!” Cressida’s shrill voice echoed across the walls of her father’s office.  She was furious at her father’s carefree demeanor.

“Pudding, your mom is not in any position to talk. She has lost her mind. You can’t listen to her,” Charleston replied. He made his way over to the bar to poor himself a drink.

Cressida regretted the harsh words.  She knew the topic of her mother always led him to a drink. “Daddy, I’m sorry.  It’s just that… this man is pure evil. I can’t defend someone like this. Daddy, Blake Carter, raped and killed over twenty-three young girls and boys.” She went to stand behind her father. A tear rolled down her cheek as she pictured the faces of the innocent children who’d been hurt by this man. “Only a fool would take this case. His guilt is obvious.”