They shouldn't have worried about him. They should have been watching Stefano. "Are you calling my brother a liar?" He looked relaxed, sprawled out in his chair, a tiger eyeing prey. His voice was very, very soft. So low they had to strain to hear it.
"Stefano," Marcellus cautioned.
"I want to know if he's calling my brother a liar. It's a simple enough question." Stefano didn't take his eyes from Kichiro. Neither did the other members of the Ferraro family, and that included every cousin in the room. The tension stretched out until Mariko wanted to scream.
"Of course I'm not calling him a liar," Kichiro clarified. "Ricco's reputation has always been impeccable. It's just the shock of finding out three of our most legendary families covered up such a brutal event and a Tanaka still remains."
"Why didn't Ricco's family go to the council?" a rider from Russia asked.
"Ricco didn't tell them. He was threatened by the three families. He was told they would kill his entire family if he breathed a single word to anyone."
A collective gasp went up from nearly every rider.
Marcellus continued. "He was also told they would say they investigated and he had committed the murders of the Tanaka family."
The riders looked at one another, frowning. "That wouldn't make sense," the Russian persevered. "All of us would have known if he was responsible; they would have brought him up on charges to the council immediately."
"Isamu Yamamoto was part of the International Council as well at that time." It was Kirchiro who reminded everyone, his voice thoughtful. "He served on both councils."
"The idea that anyone could wipe out the Ferraro family is ludicrous," a rider from England added.
Stefano stirred again, but Eloisa laid her hand gently on her son's arm. She stood up and faced the council members. "I am not the head of my family. That falls to Stefano. But I have something to say. My child was fourteen years old. I sent him off to be trained, believing he would be safe in the hands of those riders meant to guide him. He was not. He was threatened, and he believed those threats as all children do. It changed the entire course of his life and who and what he was. Mariko's life was changed for all time. Compensation must be made to both. Justice must be served. In the world of riders, everyone must know what happened. This I demand as is my right."
Eloisa had thrown down the gauntlet. The council couldn't ignore her demands. She was within her rights. More, Ricco and Mariko, especially, deserved compensation.
"The investigation is ongoing. We have not had enough time -" Marcellus began.
"You have my son's testimony. You have a letter written by Isamu Yamamoto before he died. He waited for his wife to die and then he committed suicide." Her tone suggested she believed Isamu to be a coward. He had been unable to face what his son had done, and he'd taken his life.
"That is true, but of course, Mikio Ito and Dai Saito have denied the charges. We will get to the truth of this matter."
"You know the truth or you wouldn't have given the report to the riders," Eloisa pointed out. "Spare us the bullshit, Marcellus. My son has been through enough. When I found this out, it was everything I could do to keep from seeking justice on my own."
"That is the job of the Archambault riders," Marcellus said, his voice gentle.
"Do you think I care?" Eloisa snapped. "I've lost my husband. I'm not a young woman. Retribution by the Archambault will not deter me as long as I bring these criminals to justice."
Stefano put a hand on his mother's arm. Just laid it there. He said nothing, but she glanced down at it and some of the anger receded from her face to be replaced, just for a moment, by sorrow. That was quickly gone as she struggled to put her mask back in place. She sank back into her chair, looking small and tired.
"I understand how you must be feeling, but we have laws for a reason," Marcellus said. "Those laws are very exacting. When a rider harms another in any way, justice will be served, but not before every single member of this council is convinced we have the absolute truth of what happened. This took place years ago. It is only coming out now."
"You know it isn't coincidence that Mariko showed up here and suddenly every family member is under attack, just as Ricco was threatened all those years ago," Stefano said. "It isn't the first attempt on his life. The crash in his race car was no accident. There were numerous incidents prior to such a costly and coordinated attack."