It ultimately took a day for the Las Vegas Police to confirm that the writing in the journal that had been found was found to have been written by Paulina Weary. It wasn't as quick as Tommy would have liked, and Sylvia had to work with it, but then a lot of that was likely the nature of bureaucracy. Las Vegas was a big enough city to have a dedicated crime lab that could either call in people who could match handwriting styles, or at least easily contract someone who could authenticate handwriting, but there was also likely plenty of cases in which those officers had plenty of other things to do. Not only that, but they'd also likely need to find other paperwork that they could confirm was signed by Paulina Weary in order to compare. They found a checkbook at the scene, so far as Sylvia knew, but it would still take time.
That then left Tommy still hanging around with Sylvia while waiting. Some of it was a bit frustrating in that it ultimately meant that a lot of her work for Boothe and Spear's firm was on hold, as Tommy proved to be enough of a handful that Sylvia couldn't focus on her work, and with the fact that Andrew was likely to be released, it wasn't as though she could just drop Tommy off at a random daycare and go about her work. It lead to questions on why she didn't have things like candy or peanut butter or the like, but she ultimately did manage. As they arrived at Boothe and Spear's office, both found the senior partner, Booth, waiting for them... or rather for Sylvia.
"Well done, Ms. Rattlerton, I've gotten a call from the DA that's seemed to indicate that you found some things that proved Andrew Weary innocent... and without having to go to trial!" Booth commented and then let a small slip onto his lips, "that was something I didn't expect."
"I must admit that I didn't expect it either, sir," Sylvia answered, "as much of what Andrew told me when I talked with him wouldn't by itself provide enough doubt that the DA couldn't have countered it in court." She paused and looked down to Tommy and then looked up to the firm's senior partner before continuing, "but it would appear that young Tommy Weary, here, had a key to some evidence that the DA and the police didn't think of... and it would appear that Paulina Weary might have threatened him for being a kid... I can't say as to how damaging it was, sir, but it was enough to scare him into being cryptic with regard to his answers regarding Paulina's journal. Once the journal was found... the DA found it relevant to case and if the writing matched known documents that Paulina Weary had signed... it would mean that the DA never had the information needed and thus dropped all the charges."
"As I said," Booth's smile remained, "Good job. Anyway, they will be releasing Andrew Weary shortly and the local ABC affiliate will be there to cover the release. Given all the stuff that's gone on... and the fact that you were the attorney that cleared him, why don't you take Tommy and go down to the jail. Andrew will be glad to be with his cousin and the press will want to talk with the hero who practices corporate law who beat the city DA's office without even having to go to court."
Sylvia swallowed hard for a moment and then nodded, "of course, sir."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The arrival at the jail was met with little real celebration, but it was pretty clear that Sylvia, at least, was expected. There was at least on TV news van parked in one of the guest spots and one of the LVPD's officers waiting for the pair as they arrived at the front door.
"Your bosses at Booth and Spear and the DA's office told us to expect you... and that the news will be here in relation to Andrew Weary's release," the officer spoke as Sylvia approached.
"A man being proven innocent of all charges is worthy of such attention?" Sylvia asked, "there was less when the man was thought to be guilty."
"Put that to the sensationalism in the story," the officer answered, avoiding meeting Sylvia's eyes as he kept the door open, "a lot of that sort of thing can happen from time to time... often with things like inheritance coming into play. This... the fact that your friend here thought of something that we didn't isn't normal..."
"Well... I'll try not to say anything critical of your department," Sylvia commented and wrested one hand on Tommy's shoulder, partially to keep him calm and nearby and partially just to make sure he hadn't run off.
The officer chuckled and lead them along. His shoes' heals clicked against the tile as they were lead past one set of doors that lead toward the interrogation room where she'd fist met with Andrew Weary. Sylvia's eyes glanced in that direction, but eventually returned her gaze to the officer who lead her along. They were eventually lead into an enclosed area and a hallway that ran with a series of large heavy doors along one wall. Sylvia could faintly hear some things coming from within and she held Tommy to her for the moment. Some of what she heard sounded a bit rough.
Eventually they came up to another door, though outside this one was the woman from the DA's office that Sylvia had met with before. She turned and looked calmly as the door open as Andrew Weary came out, looking clean shaven and actually wearing a fairly plain dark suit with a lime green tie.
"Andy!" Tommy gave a cheer and ran forward and practically leaped into the man's arms.
Andrew smiled and caught his cousin in a hug and lifted the four year old into the air as Sylvia came up close to the DA attorney.
"I'm not going to hug you," the DA's attorney commented.
"Well... I haven't fully warmed up, yet, so... that's probably good," Sylvia answered, "but I can manage."
"Don't reptilian and amphibian Animalians hold their body heat more than mundane reptiles and amphibians?" the other woman asked.
"Better... but not by much," Sylvia answered, "in this... I gave up being fully warm blooded to become as I am. But Las Vegas isn't very cold in winter... with potential highs still in the 50s, so I can still function."
"That'll be good," the DA's office attorney spoke, "and we'll have one last function... being a short press conference on the release of Andrew Weary. Clearing up that it was his step mother that actually caused the trouble and your gallant little detective was ultimately the key to finding the proof."
Sylvia looked over to see Andrew setting Tommy down, and with Tommy having a wide grin as he hugged his cousin, "more a child had more faith in his cousin than most would have given him in the situation... I wouldn't think there'd be too much your office has to worry about."
"Yes, but we still have to clear that up to the media," the DA's office attorney finished, "If you all would come with me, we can get moving."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The hallway from where Andrew and Tommy had their reunion ultimately lead into a large conference/briefing room with several rows of blue plastic chairs that were lined up in rows. As they came through the large heavy doors and sat at a long table with Andrew seated to the right of the DA's attorney while Sylvia coiled her tail to a position to the right of Andrew. She motioned the chair to where Tommy could sit in it, but with childlike glee, Tommy was still very happy and seemed to be full of a fair amount of energy and he kicked his legs back and forth in the chair. Once seated, Sylvia looked out to see the reporters that were there. The local ABC affiliate did have a camera team there and there were several newspaper reporters that were also present, or at least apparently newspaper reporters. Some of them might have been from online news outlets. For the moment, no one said anything, until the DA's office attorney cleared her throat.
"Okay this will be the city's last press release on this case," the DA attorney spoke clearly into a microphone, "with the evidence that came to us... provided by the defense attorney for Andrew Weary, a Sylvia Rattlerton, and a young family member's confidence in the innocence of his cousin... the Las Vegas District Attorney's office has found that in the death of Roosevelt Weary the most likely person to have perpetuated the cutting of his cars breaks was actually done by Paulina Weary, as stated in a journal found in the weary home. Officers of the LVPD and their crime lab were able to confirm that the journal had Paulina's handwriting and not Andrews. As such, all charges against Andrew Weary are hereby dropped and this incident is to be cleared from his record."
"What would you say to questions that the detectives in the case might have jumped to certain conclusions when it came to the arrest of Andrew Weary in the first place?" one of the press reporters asked.
"Given the information we had at the time and the unlikely factor that someone would be as foolish as Paulina Weary was to write everything down, we do not feel that our office or the LVPD made the wrong decision, based on what they knew at the time," the DA office attorney spoke, "and based on answers that we got when the journal was discovered... we think that Paulina Weary may have tried something harsh that threatened young Tommy Weary. Though with Paulina Weary presently deceased we can do no more in that regard. I will now turn it over to Andrew Weary, his attorney, Sylvia Rattlerton, and his cousin, Thomas Weary."
"Tommy," Tommy corrected.
"Tommy," the DA's office attorney repeated with a slow nod.
"Mr. Weary..." the ABC reporter began, "do you feel any pressure or anger with the LVPD or the city over your arrest or how you were retreated? You made a firm statement of your innocence after your arrest..."
"I may have some frustration," Andrew said slowly, "at the fact that father's business, which I have been managing for the past few years, is likely going to be in a bit of chaos over all of this... with the owner dead and the manager under arrest and thus with no certainty over what would happen to the company... and I will have a lot of work to assure stock holders and getting things back in order. I will have some frustration that my uncle and aunt have had their vacation interrupted to have to come back and look after Tommy over the events that have happened... but... I cannot say that that is aimed at the Las Vegas Police. They did what they felt necessary and had a limited amount of information... and even I didn't know about this journal that my stepmother wrote. If any one person is to blame... it would be her. If my father left everything to her, I would have been happy for her and for the most part... I thought we got along well."
"And what will you do now?" the ABC reporter asked.
"For the moment... I will have my cousin to look after and see that he stays safe and sound until my Aunt and Uncle arrive," Andrew commented, "and from there... go about the process of handling the work related to my father's company and keep it running."
"What about the ownership of the company? Or your father's will?" the ABC reporter asked.
"The company will likely end up going into public ownership via its board of directors and stock holders," Andrew spoke, "I may hold enough shares to retain the managerial post... but I will need to buy back the stock to gain ownership." Andrew paused and drummed his fingers on the desk, "as for my father's will, that will have to go a joint review between my Aunt and Uncle's attorneys and my own attorneys... To be honest, I'd never paid that close attention to what my dad put in his will."
"So you would turn things over to Ms. Rattlerton here?" one of the other reporters spoke up.
"Booth and Spear serve Mr. Weary's company and primarily practice corporate law," Sylvia spoke up, "if they've done other work for Mr. Weary personally, that would likely be with them. My role in helping gather the evidence that has cleared Mr. Weary is the result that I'm new to Booth and Spear's firm and was selected because of it."
"And they sent a beautiful guardian angel," Andrew said softly, that Sylvia didn't think the reporters could hear, but it did catch her by surprise. It was enough to get her to shake her tail slightly. The tell-tale buzz of her rattle was heard briefly. She glanced to see Andrew looking down with a bit of a blush and then up to the ABC reporter who caught the rattle and Andrew's blush.
"Ms. Rattlerton... are you involved with Andrew Weary?" the ABC reporter asked.
"Now, we only just met when I was assigned the case... Mr. Weary just said something that surprised me," Sylvia answered.
"And that is true," Andrew spoke, "I'd never met Ms. Rattlerton before... and I must admit to falling victim to a few base impulses of my own."
"Ms. Rattlerton, what do you think this will do for your career?" another reporter asked, "will you join the DA's office? Stay with Booth and Spear? Branch out as a defense attorney?"
"For the moment I would look to stay with the firm I've been hired to serve," Sylvia answered, "handle the cases and work I'm assigned."
"And to you, young Tommy..." the ABC reporter asked, "what made you so sure that your cousin was innocent... or that this journal held the key? Did you read it? If so... it's made you quite the little hero."
"I found Pauly's journal once... but I couldn't read it and she got mad," Tommy answered, "that was why the journal seemed important... I couldn't read it... but it just felt important. And Andy's always been good to me."
"And what will you do now that Ms. Rattlerton has helped you win his freedom?" the ABC reporter asked.
"Have ice cream," Tommy answered simply, which earned a few laughs.