Chapter 39: The Cat's Out Of The Bag

 

Lucky notices an unhappy Lucy sitting alone at one of the tables with her head in her hands, a strong contrast to the gaiety in the rest of the club. He threads his way through the customers to get to her table. 

"Hi, Luce. You don't look so hot. Is there something I can do for you?" He asks tentatively. 

Lucy looks up at him soulfully. "Boy, I wish Luke were here. I could really use his advice about now." 

A look of pain crosses Lucky's face momentarily. "Yeah, know what you mean." Lucky sits down across from her. "What's going on?" 

Lucy looks around the room as she whispers back. "I can't talk about it with Mike around. He's such a sweet man and I don't want to hurt his feelings, you know? But I sure could use a friendly ear. Not to mention a stiff drink." 

Lucky looks at her curiously as he makes an offer. "We could always go to the back office.. Dad's private stash is stocked." 

Lucy smiles back at him gratefully. "Sounds great. Let's do it. " Lucy chatters at him as they make their way to the office. "You sure are growing up to be like your dad, Lucky. You look like him more and more every day. Of course you have more hair, but that's a good thing. You'd look really strange if you were losing your hair at sixteen. Not that your dad looked strange, he didn't. He was just older and older guys lose their hair. Not all guys but a lot....." 

Lucky opens the desk drawer and moves away. "Help yourself, Luce. I'd pour it myself, but It's probably better if I didn't." Lucky gets a soda from small fridge. 

Lucy pours herself some bourbon and raises her glass to Lucky. "To Luke. Here's hoping he's getting into trouble where ever he is." 

Lucky smiles sadly as they toast. "To Dad." They each take a sip. "Okay, Lucy. You got me curious. What's so bad that you can't talk around Mike? Is it something about Sonny?" 

Lucy studies him for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell him. "You have to promise not to breathe a word to anyone. Promise.. cross your heart and hope to die." 

Lucky makes the signal. "I promise. I won't tell a soul." 

Lucy shakes her head. "It's not Sonny, it's his perfect little daughter, Cassidy. I tell ya, Lucky, she's trouble. I can just feel it. She and Stefan Cassadine have something planned for my Doc. And it isn't good." 

Lucky looks at her in bewilderment. "What? Cassidy and Stefan? They don't even know each other." 

Lucy starts in on her tirade. "Oh they know each other alright. Stefan hired that little.. little witch to work at Cassadine Incorporated to revamp their security system. And she's working with MY doc, getting her nasty little claws into him. " Lucky numbly takes a seat as he tries to process the information. Meanwhile Lucy chatters on. "But she won't know what hit her. I'm going to tear apart whatever plan she and Stefan have cooked up to hurt my doc, and then I'm going to rip her to shreds. But I gotta find out what that plan is." 

Lucky shakes his head trying to make sense of it. "How? I just don't get it. I've got to warn her about Cassadine... or he'll destroy her." 

"You can't breathe a word of this! Remember you promised you wouldn't tell anyone." Lucy looks at him threateningly. "I mean it, Lucky. I'll...." 

Lucky puts up his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine, I won't say a word, but don't expect me to sit back and do nothing. So do you have any ideas what Batman's got up his sleeve?" 

Lucy shakes her head. "Not yet, but I will." 

---

Mac, Alex Garcia, Keesha and Taggert meet in the Commissioner's office to discuss the investigation. 

Garcia:"Taggert, why don't you start by telling us what you found out at the airport." 

Taggert flips through his notepad as runs through the information. "The airport personnel were very helpful. It turns out that Alexis and Jason and a THIRD person left for Greece in the Cassadine jet a few days after the murders. Their destination was the landing strip on the Cassadine estate. When they returned a couple days later from Greece, there were only two of them." 

Garcia rubs his chin thoughtfully. "So who was the third person and what happened to them? Could it be Harry perhaps?" 

Mac:"I think it's unlikely. Jason and Alexis would be more likely to kill Harry than provide him with an escape. Sonny was like a brother to Jason. What else do you have Taggert?" 

Taggert:"I got a copy of the phone records on the payphone Morgan used the night of the shootings. No long distance phone calls. I'm still trying to trace down the phone numbers. Most of them were to cell phones with aliases. Some of them to known EMPLOYEES of Corinthos. We're still trying to trace them all down." 

"Were there any phone calls to Harry's cell phone?" Garcia asks. 

Taggert shakes his head. "No. So far no link on that end. But there was one to Mike Corbin's home." 

"To tell him of his son's death, of course. So either Morgan covered all his bases or he had nothing to do with the shooting." Garcia looks frustrated. "Keesha, what do you have on the Cassadine angle?" 

Keesha begins. "The Cassadine jet made a trip to the Cassadine estate the night of the shooting." 

Mac pounces on the information. "Any idea who was on it?" 

Keesha continues. "It wasn't a person; it was cargo. Listed as artwork, but the interesting thing is that it wasn't a planned flight like you'd expect. The flight plan was registered only an hour or so before they took off. But I wasn't able to locate any witnesses who saw the cargo being loaded." 

"And you won't. Not with Cassadine money behind it. How soon did they take off after Jason's disappearance from the ER?" Mac questions. 

Keesha looks at her notes. "Looks like a little over two hours." 

Garcia's eyes light up. "Long enough to get Harry on the plane, dead or alive?" 

Mac's face looks grim. "I'd say dead. If Jason followed the mob credo, he killed Harry. Perhaps delivering the body to Helena as a warning with the help of her son. Alexis and Stefan are tight."  

"But this is all speculation. We have no body, no murder weapon. Nothing. Not even a last known location on Harry." Garcia throws his pen on the desk in frustration. 

Keesha breaks in. "There's more on the Cassadine jet. Stefan wasn't the only passenger bound for Switzerland. I was able to track down the customs agent and he said there was a little girl on board." 

Mac leans forward, astonished. "Stefan took a little girl out of the country?" 

Keesha nods. "Yes. Illegally. She was listed as LesleyLu Cassadine on her passport. The guy remembers because the girl was so adorable and the name was unusual." 

Garcia shakes his head in bewilderment. "Lord, I've been angling for dirt on the Cassadines but I never imagined it would be this. Kidnapping? Certainly falsifying passport documents. Time to interview Laura. Keesha, get the customs agent in here for a formal statement, and make sure you have a photo of Lulu to throw down so he can identify her." 

"He's already scheduled to come in tomorrow morning." Keeha replies.  

Mac rubs his forehead. "So Stefan Cassadine took Lulu out of the country and they returned a few days later with Laura ..... wait a sec! What if Laura was the third person on the Cassadine jet with Alexis and Jason? Maybe Laura took a flight from Greece to Switzerland. Her mother still lives there I believe.... It's all fitting together." 

They all nod in unison as the picture becomes clear. Garcia dismisses Keesha and Taggert. "Nice work guys. I expect written reports on my desk tomorrow." He turns to Mac and shakes his hand. "Thanks Mac, I knew I could count on you." 

---

Jerry enters Luke's and heads straight for the bar where he finds Mike. "This bloke would like a double scotch, straight up." 

Mike studies him curiously as he makes the drink. "Bad day?" 

"The god-awful worst." Jerry downs the drink in one large gulp. "Thanks, could you pour me another? Or maybe just hand over the bottle." 

"Not unless you hand over your car keys, buddy. I'm not going to lose our liquor license by letting you drink and drive." Mike holds his hand out for Jerry's keys, who readily complies. 

Jerry pours some scotch into his glass. "Thanks, mate." Jerry downs the scotch and pours himself another. 

Cassidy walks in, surprised to see Jerry at the bar with her father. She joins them. "Hi, Daddy. Jerry, why didn't you tell me you were back?" 

Mike quickly grabs the bottle back from Jerry, giving him a dirty look. "You didn't tell me you knew my daughter!" 

Jerry gives Cassidy a sloppy kiss. "Hey, luv. I just got in. This is your dad? Damn! Just lost my ticket to the drunken stupor I was hoping for. Of all the bars I walk into it has to be your dad's." 

Cassidy looks at her father pleadingly. "He's not like this all the time, really. Daddy, this is Jerry. Jerry this is my dad, Mike." 

Jerry smiles at both of them. "Nice to meet you, Mike. You have a terrific daughter." Jerry's hand snakes around Cassidy and pulls her close. "I like this song. Dance with me." 

Cassidy tries to reassure her suspicious father. "It's okay, Daddy. Really, I can handle this." 

Mike gives Cassidy an anxious look. "Fine. Be careful, honey." 

Jerry drags Cassidy to the dance floor, pulling her close, burying his face in her neck. "I'll let you intoxicate me, darlin." 

"Tell me what's wrong, Jerry. You're never like this.. so out of control. Was it your dad's funeral?" Cassidy's voice trembles slightly.  

Jerry picks up on the fear in Cassidy's voice. "You don't need to worry, darlin. I won't hurt ya." Jerry begins to undo her braid. "I want to see your hair down. I never get to see it that way." 

Cassidy allows him the intimacy. "What's wrong? Please tell me." 

Jerry sighs as he continues to tug at the braid, slowly loosening it. "It wasn't just my Dad. I can't tell you. You'd be ashamed of me." 

Cassidy takes his bearded cheeks in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I could NEVER be ashamed of you." 

Jerry glances around at their surroundings, noticing the stares they are getting. "Not here. It's too public, sweetheart."  

Cassidy checks the time. "The club will be closed in half an hour. Let me go talk to my dad." Cassidy leaves for a moment. Jerry watches her talk with her father, who is clearly unhappy by her request. Finally Mike throws up his hands in defeat, then digs into his pocket for keys. Cassidy leans across the bar and kisses Mike on the cheek as she takes the keys from his hand. Cassidy returns, leading Jerry to the back of Luke's. "Dad gave me the keys to the back room. No one will bother us there." 

They enter, the blues music purrs softly in the background. Cassidy locks the door behind them. Jerry pulls her into his arms again. "Want me all to yourself, darlin?" 

Cassidy wraps her arms around his waist as they start to dance. "Well there's that. But I'm thinking more in terms of not wanting to be disturbed by patrons who might come for a last minute game of pool." She looks into his eyes and sees the haunted look in them. "So tell me what's haunting you. I can see the pain written all over your face." The couple stops dancing in front of the pool table. 

Jerry closes his eyes to the pain, a few tears escaping from his eyes. "Oh, luv," he says jaggedly as he looks into her eyes sadly. "I just want to forget... everything and everyone but you and me, right now. Help me forget. Please...." His head dips to kiss her tenderly, tentatively. Before Cassidy can respond he ends it. Jerry cups her face in his hands. "I'm not being fair, am I?" 

Cassidy swallows the lump in her throat at the sight of Jerry's devastation. "This is really bad isn't it? I've never seen you so upset. I'll do anything for you, Jerry. Anything to help you through this." 

Jerry stares at Cassidy intensely, memorizing her features, her dark brown eyes, full lips, small upturned nose, and rosy cheeks. He focuses on her hair, freeing it fully from the stubborn braid. The golden brown hair falls in waves around her face. He breathes unevenly at the breathtaking vision before him. "You are so beautiful... I want you so much." 

"Jerry...make love to me..." Cassidy kisses him ardently, her hands roaming over his back, enjoying the feel of his muscles under his shirt. Jerry lifts her onto the pool table, standing between her legs as she sits on it. Cassidy grasps the loops in his jeans to pull him closer, wrapping her legs around him. Using one hand she unbuttons his shirt, planting kisses on base of his neck and chest, his shirt falling to the ground unnoticed by the lovers. She can feel his chest rise and fall unevenly as he groans under her seduction. Jerry threads his fingers through her mane of hair, tugging on it gently to tilt her head back so he can kiss her face and neck. Finally the craving becomes unbearable and their mouths meet in a burst of passion. Her hands caress his chest lovingly, sending shivers through him. As their passion builds and their kisses become more fervent, Jerry leans over until Cassidy's back is against the green felt of the table.