Chapters 57 & 58
Chapter 57: Win Some, Lose Some
Ned stands in the doorway of Tracy's bedroom, listening in on her phone conversation.
"I'll have it for you tomorrow... there shouldn't be any problems." Tracy notices Ned in the doorway and ends the conversation. "Mr Stockam, I'll have to get back to you, my son is waiting to speak to me." Tracy laughs. "Yes, how very perceptive of you. I'll talk to you tomorrow before the end of the day. Bye." Tracy puts the receiver on the hook.
"Who were you talking to?" Ned ask, his eyes dark with suspicion.
Tracy dismisses his question as she touches up her make up. "Nobody important, darling."
Ned walks into the room, coming to stand behind Tracy. "Don't you know by now that I can tell when you're lying through your teeth? Who do you owe money to this time, Mother?"
She rolls her eyes with annoyance. "Why do you ALWAYS assume that I owe money?"
"Because I have you on a very limited allowance and your inheritance from Gino is still being held up in the courts. You've never been able to live within your means."
"Actually I was talking to a boarding school in London for Dylan. He's obviously unhappy living with me." Tracy changes the subject. "By the way, where are your little mewling brats, my darling? I'm surprised they aren't attached to your darling wife's apron strings."
Ned holds back the urge to throttle her. "My daughters are happily visiting the ONLY grandparents they will ever know. Now what's this about sending Dylan to Europe? Have you lost your mind?! The last thing he needs is to be sent to a boarding school all the way across the globe."
Tracy turns to face him. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about your brother? You haven't given him a second thought since you so cruelly sent me out of town in disgrace. Is it because you want a son and can't have one? My heart goes out to you, darling. It truly does."
"Is it so hard for you to comprehend that I might actually be concerned for Dylan? Why not leave Dylan here in Port Charles? Certainly the family would take care of him."
"It's already settled, sweetheart. He's going." Tracy gets up and begins shooing him out of her room. "Now if you excuse me, I have a hair appointment in an hour."
Ned holds up his hands in surrender. "Fine, I'll leave for now. But this subject is not closed."
Laura and Alexis arrive at the Port Charles Police Department. Laura carries a blue duffle over her shoulder as Commissioner Garcia escorts them to an interrogation room.
Alexis puts her briefcase on the desk as she addresses him. "May I see the subpoena?" Garcia hands it over for her to examine. "Everything looks in order. Laura, did you bring all of the family passports?"
"I did." Laura opens the blue duffle and begins to empty the contents on the table... chewed up pieces of paper, old broken toys, mangled paperback books. "Uh oh, it looks like Foster got into the duffle, I sure hope the passports are intact. When he gets started chewing, nothing is sacred."
Garcia looks in horror at the evidence of the dog's destruction. "You have to be kidding me?"
Laura shakes her head sadly, continuing to empty the duffle... this time producing pens, pencils, and a tape cassette.. all chewed and useless. "No, I'm afraid not. Ever since Luke died, Foster's been inconsolable. And when Foster's upset, he chews. I've had to replace all of my throw pillows because of him.... okay, I've found them." Laura pulls out some small blue booklets, which are in tatters. "Damn, looks like he got them too."
Garcia glowers at Laura as he takes the booklets from her. He studies them carefully, ascertaining their complete destruction. "Don't think you've gotten one over on me, Mrs Spencer. I know what's going on here. You will not get away with destroying evidence."
Alexis sighs with impatience. "Commissioner, my client has cooperated with this department. To suggest that she willfully destroyed her family's passports is ludicrous. Anyone looking at this... MESS can see it was done by a canine." Alexis picks up her briefcase. "If you have no further need of my client..."
Garcia stops her. "Not so fast, Alexis. We aren't done. We have a witness coming in." Just then they are interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in."
Keesha peeks her head in. "Commissioner? Mr Cassadine has arrived. He demands an audience with you and to see his lawyer. The witness is also here." She looks at Alexis expectantly.
Alexis turns to Laura before leaving. "Don't say a word while I'm gone."
Laura sits in one of the chairs. "I won't. Thank you Alexis."
Emily sits on her bed with a large textbook in her lap when she hears a knock on her door. She puts the book aside. "Come in."
Nikolas enters. "Hi, Emily. Just thought I'd stop by. Did I come at a bad time?"
Emily smiles weakly. "Hi, Nik. I'm just studying."
An awkward silence follows as Nikolas shifts uncomfortably like he has something important to tell Emily, but isn't sure how she'll take it. Emily just watches him. Finally, he breaks the silence by saying, "How about going for a walk on the property?"
Emily shrugs before sliding off the bed. "Sure."
A few minutes later, they are walking towards the boathouse. Emily studies the landscape in an attempt to avoid Nikolas's eyes. Nikolas notices. "You sure are distant today. What's up?"
Emily lies. "Nothing. I'm just feeling quiet." Another silence follows.
Nikolas takes a deep breath, realizing that by waiting, it's not getting any easier to tell her. "I have some news."
Emily replies without looking at Nikolas."I heard. Congratulations. I'm sure you and Gina will be very happy."
Nikolas shakes his head unhappily. He stops, gently taking her arm to turn her around to face him. "Lucky told you. I wanted to tell you myself..." He looks at her tenderly. "I'm sorry, Emily."
Emily's heart constricts at his tender look, and it takes everything she has to force a smile. "There's nothing to be sorry about.I know you've been busy with your family and fiancè. I'm happy for you both, really."
Nikolas studies her carefully and quickly discerns her need to save face. He squeezes her shoulders affectionately before letting her go. "Thanks, Emily. You are the epitome of grace, even with a lout like me."
Emily laughs at his description of himself. "Lout? Hmmm... Nikolas Cassadine a lout? Bossy and arrogant maybe, but not a lout."
Nikolas grins as he tousles her hair playfully. "Hey, watch what you say, brat."
Stefan leans back in his chair with his arms crossed, watching Taggert posture in front of him. Stefan's face is unreadable as he replies again. "Your endless chatter accomplishes nothing except to demonstrate your limited intelligence. My visit here is merely a formality."
Taggert glowers angrily. "We'll see who's right when our witness identifies you."
Garcia, Keesha, and Alexis enter the room. Stefan leans forward to shake Garcia's hand, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Commissioner Garcia, I wish we could meet under more pleasant circumstances. I have a request to make."
Garcia shakes Stefan's hand perfunctorily. "Mr. Cassadine, I appreciate your willingness to cooperate by coming down here."
"That was my intent in coming down here. I, however, do not appreciate being treated like a common criminal. Detective Taggert has continued to harass me even after I stated firmly that I would not discuss anything without my lawyer present. I want him removed from this interview."
Taggert loses his temper. "Mr Cassadine, with all due respect, you don't call the shots here..."
Garcia holds up his hand to interrupt Taggert. "Marcus, I have another case I want you to investigate. My secretary will give you the file."
Taggert struggles with his temper. "Fine. Good luck with your interview, COMMISSIONER Garcia." He stalks out of the room.
Garcia turns to Alexis. "Do you need a moment to confer with your client before we begin with the questioning?"
Alexis looks at Stefan who shakes his head. "No, go ahead."
"You and Mrs Spencer are in a lot of trouble, Mr Cassadine. We know you took her daughter LesleyLu out of country illegally, it's just a matter of proving it. When we do, you both could be spending a long time in prison. We have a subpoena for your passport. I assume you brought it with you?" Garcia hands the subpoena to Alexis.
When Alexis nods, Stefan pulls his passport out of the breast pocket of his jacket and hands it to Garcia. "You will notice everything is in order."
Garcia inspects the passport carefully, particularly the customs office stamp from his last trip. "We'll have this authenticated."
Stefan shakes his head in annoyance. "The continued harassment of Mrs Spencer and myself certainly explains the high taxes citizens pay. There has been no crime committed, yet you blindly pursue it anyway, wasting valuable taxpayer money that could be better spent investigating drug lords and murderers."
"We think kidnapping and unlawfully taking a child out of the country is a serious offense, Mr Cassadine," Garcia retorts. "I think when our witness sees pictures of you and LesleyLu, it will jog his memory. This is your last chance to tell us what happened and negotiate a deal, one which will protect Mrs Spencer from any prosecution. Something I'm sure you'd want. Dara Jensen can be over here in minutes."
Alexis breaks in. "Alex, I think you've gone far enough. My client has no intention of confessing to a crime he hasn't committed. As for Laura Spencer, you have nothing to prosecute her for. The fact that her passports were destroyed by her dog is not a crime. Unless you plan to prosecute Foster the dog for it."
"Well, we'll see what witness remembers."
Lois pushes open Dylan's bedroom door to find him sprawled face down on his bed. "Hey, champ. I'm gonna take the dogs for a walk. You wanna come?"
"No." Comes the sullen reply.
Lois frowns in determination and walks toward the bed to grab his arm. "Sorry, bud. I'm not taking no, you're coming with me. The dogs need a walk and you're the one to do it." She pulls him off the bed.
Dylan struggles to get away as Lois drags him out the door. "No way!"
"Yes way! It won't kill you to get out this room for awhile. Your bed will still be here when you get back. C'mon! I'm not giving up and I always win when I set my mind to it."
Garcia places a set of pictures in front the customs agent. "One of these men is suspected of taking LesleyLu Spencer out of the country." He places a second photo in front of him. "Here is a recent photo of her. Take your time, Mr Luciano."
Mr Luciano sorts through the pictures slowly, finally he picks out the picture of Stefan Cassadine. "This man looks familiar. Stefan Cassadine, right?"
Garcia's eyes light up with excitement. "Yes, that's Mr Cassadine. What do you remember?"
Luciano taps the table. "I remember seeing his picture in the paper last year.... in fact it was next to a picture of this little girl. Now I remember! He's the one that saved her from the drug cartel down in South America, wasn't he?"
Garcia paces impatiently. "Yes, he's the one. But do you remember if he was the one who took her out of the country a couple months ago?"
Luciano studies the photos carefully. "I see so many people, Commissioner, and that car accident pretty much rattled my memory. I can't recall that day at all. I'm sorry."
Keesha, who has been standing near the door, pipes up. "Were you able to locate any computer records on Mr Cassadine taking Lulu Spencer out of the country?"
Luciano shakes his head. "I did a search through our database before I came down here. He did take a trip to Switzerland on the date you gave me, but there is no record of him taking a passengers with him. "
Garcia slams his fist on the table. "Damn!"
Luciano jumps slightly at Garcia's outburst. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Garcia motions him to the door. "No, you can go. Thank you, Mr Luciano."
After Luciano leaves, Garcia sits at the table and slumps dejectedly. "We were so close!"
Keesha sits down beside him, resting her hands on the table. "Perhaps it would be best if I resigned. It was my husband that ruined our case...."
"No, that's ridiculous. You aren't responsible for AJ's behavior." He covers her hand with one of his. "So, you tell me. How did Cassadine pull this off?"
"He's renown for his ability to crack into any computer system, so somehow he altered his records in the customs' office database to cover his tracks. Our computer experts could see if he left any traces but it's probably moot since he destroyed the passport that he had made for LesleyLu. At least that's what I think he'd do. And we don't even have enough evidence to get a search warrant for Wyndemere to find it if by chance he didn't." Keesha pauses to consider the case further. "He might have even bought off customs agent. He certainly has the resources to do it. I'm sure he guessed the customs agent was the one who could finger him."
He nods in agreement, removing his hand as he gets up. "Very impressive. You have the right mindset for detective work, Keesha. Okay, now it's time to concede defeat."
Chapter 58: Machinations
As Lois and Dylan come into the house with the dogs, they run into Ned. Ned notices Dylan's changed attitude immediately; while he isn't exactly smiling, he's not sullen either. Lois looks up and winks. "You did a great job walking the dogs, Dylan. Let's do it again tomorrow, okay?"
Dylan shrugs noncommittally before climbing the staircase to his room. "Sure. See you later."
Ned puts his arm around Lois' shoulder as they walk into the living room. "Wow, I'm impressed. That's quite a change from the sulky kid we saw before."
Lois shrugs modestly. "He just needed a stubborn Cerullo to give him some good old fashioned TLC. You should have seen his eyes light up when I told him about his little cousins. He's really a sweet kid underneath, ya know, he's just lonely."
Ned breaks away to pour them some ice tea. "Yeah, I do know. I just spoke to Mother and it isn't good. She's planning on sending him to a boarding school in London."
Her jaw drops. "What? You're kidding me? How could she send him away from his whole family? Wait, don't answer that. I know how. She did the same thing to you." Lois crosses her arms angrily.
Ned joins her on the couch and hands her a glass of iced tea. "I think she genuinely loves Dylan, but he's such a handful right now. She doesn't want to be bothered with trying to help him. Not that she could; she'd do more harm than good anyway."
Lois' eyes light up suddenly, and she starts to bounce a little. "Wait a sec! This boarding school thing could work out. Hand me the phone." Ned looks at her in puzzlement before giving her the phone. Lois dials a number from heart. "Hi, Ma!" Lois smiles. "How are my babies? Nah, don't wake them up. I'll call them later like we planned. I have a question for you. You remember that boy's academy that Frankie Cadamatre went to... you know, the one just few blocks from us? Do you remember the name? Oh Good! Can you look up the number? Thanks, Ma. Actually it's for Ned's little brother, Dylan. Seems that Mother Ashton wants to send Dylan to a boarding school... yeah, that's what I think too." Ned hands Lois some paper and a pen, and Lois starts writing furiously. "Great! We'll give them a call right now. Give Brooke and Briana a kiss for me when they wake up! Love ya, Ma. Talk to you later, bye."
Ned's eyes twinkle happily as leans over to give Lois a big kiss on the mouth. "Honey, you're the greatest!"
In her usual style, Lucy breezes into Luke's Place. Mike and Lucky are huddled at the counter discussing the inventory. "Oh, good. My two favorite people! Well, actually, Kevin is my favorite, but you know what I mean."
They look up to smile at her. Mike greets her first. "Great dinner last night, I know Cassidy really enjoyed herself."
Lucky looks confused. "What? You invited Cassidy to dinner, Luce? What gives?"
Lucy loops her arm through Lucky's. "Mike... do you mind if I borrow your partner for a bit? I'll explain everything to him."
Lucy and Lucky retire to the back office. Lucky sits behind the desk and props his feet up. "So what's the deal, sister?"
"It's big news... really big. I'm surprised Mike and Cassidy haven't told you already. I can't believe they kept it a secret as long as they did."
Lucky shrugs. "I've been kind of busy. Why don't you tell me?"
Lucy takes a deep breath. "Cassidy is Kevin's half sister. Mike married Kevin's witchy mother, Melanie."
Lucky is floored. "You're kidding me, right? And Mike and Cassidy have been keeping this under wraps all this time? Why?"
"I don't know all the details; Cassidy and Mike were in hiding from Melanie and her crazy family for most of her childhood. Melanie must have had some powerful relatives. Anyway, it wasn't safe for Cassidy to come out of hiding until she came to Port Charles." Lucy shrugs. "That's all I know."
He shakes his head, still stunned by the news. "How's Kevin handling it?"
Lucy smiles as she thinks of her doc. "He's thrilled to have a sister, especially since she seems to have been protected that woman. It's the first really normal relative he's ever known."
"You think Cassidy is working for Cassadine because she wanted to get to know Kevin?" Lucky asks.
"That's what she says," Lucy replies. "It's makes sense I guess. But you know me, I don't trust that Stefawn Cassadine, not one little iota. Maybe Stefan has something on her to get her to work for him."
"Do you want me to keep digging to see if Cassidy has some history with the Cassadines?" Lucky offers. "I'd be happy to. I need to practice my hacking skills anyway."
Lucy nods. "Thanks, that'd be great. If I can find some way to shake Kevin's confidence in Stefan, then maybe doc will finally really believe me and he'll stop working for that man."
Alexis stands in front of her full length mirror examining her expanding profile in one of the newly purchased maternity outfits when she hears the doorbell. "Coming!" She calls out. She strides quickly to open the door, and is surprised to find Ned and Lois. "Ned, Lois? When did you get to town?"
Lois gives her a warm hug. "Hi, girlfriend! Did we surprise you?"
Alexis hugs her back. "You sure did!" She breaks away and invites them in. "Come on in, have a seat. I'll put some tea on. How long are the two of you in town?"
"We're not sure yet," Ned replies. "As long as is necessary to complete our mission."
Alexis gives him an odd look. "You haven't gotten yourself mixed up in ELQ business again, have you?"
Ned gives a small laugh. "No way! Although I will be attending the board meeting tomorrow. We're actually here to help my little brother, Dylan."
Lois chimes in, waving her wildly painted nails. "Yeah, the poor kid's really hurting since his dad died, especially since he has Tracy as a mother. You've heard about her before, haven't you?"
Alexis grimaces as she continues to prepare the tea. "Yes, a woman who rivals Helena in egocentrism. I remember vividly."
Ned's cell phone rings and he answers it. "Ned Ashton... Jase! Did you hear we're in town? Yes, we're over at Alexis' penthouse right now. Come on over."
Alexis' places the tea service on the table and pours them each a cup. "Maybe the four of us should go to Luke's for dinner? I'd suggest the PC Grille, but Jason's not fond of high brow restaurants. And this kid has a craving for cheese fries."
Ned and Lois nod in unison. "Sounds perfect," Lois replies. "It's been ages since I've been to Luke's. In fact, I think the last time was the party before you and Sonny got hitched. Oooo, Ned, I should talk to Lucky about booking you. Do you think he'd agree to a last minute concert, say Friday night?"
Ned smiles indulgently, never tiring of his wife's effusiveness. "I bet he'd jump at the chance. That means extending our stay though. You think you can stand being away from Brooke and Briana that long?"
Lois shakes her hands excitedly as she takes the phone Alexis offers. "It'd be for a good cause, good old fashioned fun! And if I get to missing my girls too much I'll just pop down to Bensonhurst."
At Luke's Place, Garcia and Keesha sit at one of the tables eating dinner. In between bites Keesha says, "I'm so glad you suggested a working dinner. If I had to eat Chinese takeout at my desk one more time this week, I don't know what would've become of me."
Garcia smiles. "Working that hard, huh?"
Keesha wipes her mouth with her napkin once she finishes her dinner. "Since my personal life is in such a shambles, I've been pouring my energy into my work. I've been following up on some leads in the Corinthos/Spencer murder case. Unfortunately, most of them are dead ends."
Garcia takes a sip of water. "You say most are dead ends, sounds like there are a couple leads that may show promise."
"All the evidence we've found leads directly to Helena's door; Harry's location and who ordered the hits on Sonny and Luke. The biggest problem is Helena Cassadine's healt; she had a stroke shortly after Luke and Sonny were killed. She can't even breathe without a respirator. Apparently her ability to understand and communicate is in doubt as well. She may not be competent for anything, including a murder trial."
Garcia frowns. "Damn. If that's the case, we may not be able to get the Greek authorities to hand her over, even with our assurances that we would provide her with appropriate medical care. And even if the Greek authorities aren't a problem, I doubt the DA will want to prosecute under those circumstances. Have you confirmed the state of her health? The doctor is probably Stefan's mouthpiece."
Keesha shakes her head. "That's next to impossible, unless we want to go there to see for ourselves. She's isolated on private Greek island. Getting a doctor that isn't on the Cassadine payroll..." Keesha shrugs. "You know what I mean."
"I'll check with my contacts at the FBI and WSB. Maybe they can give us some information."
Keesha looks at her watch. "Darn! I'm late to pick Bradley up at daycare..." She quickly gets up from the table
Garcia rises, peeling off several bills from his money clip to pay for dinner. He dismisses her protests. "De nada, it was a working dinner. And I'll drive you, it'll be faster than getting your car."
Later that evening, Lois and Alexis sit alone at their table at Luke's watching Jason and Ned whispering at the bar. Alexis speaks first. "Want to bet they're talking about tomorrow ELQ board meeting?"
"That'd be my guess." Lois changes the subject. "How are you doing, really? With Sonny's death and the pregnancy."
Alexis takes a sip of her club soda as she considers the question. "Honestly? If it weren't for the pregnancy, I'd be a complete wreck." She rubs her expanding stomach sadly. "I'm still a mess, but knowing Sonny's child is growing inside me gets me through the nights."
Lois reaches over and takes her hand, giving it a warm squeeze. "I know when you and Sonny first got together, I wasn't exactly jumping for joy. Heck, Brenda is my best friend, and I was still rooting for them. But you were good for him, really good. You accepted him, flaws and all. He never had to worry about you stepping into something by accident. He called me the night you told him you were pregnant. I'd never heard Sonny happier." She brushes tears from her eyes. "He died a happy man because of you."
Alexis' face glistens with tears. "No, he died because of me." She puts up her hand when Lois starts to protest. "No, it's true. It was my family who called the hit, and he took a bullet meant for me...." She leans her head back, biting her lip to keep from sobbing. "I wasn't going to get into this..."
Lois rubs her back soothingly."It's okay, honey. But you're wrong. You gotta know how happy he was that you and the baby survived. After what happened to Lily, do you really think he would have survived losing you and the baby? Maybe his body, but not his soul. Jason told us about his final moments. Sonny wouldn't blame you and he'd be right. You aren't responsible for what your relatives do. Thank God, or Nedly would be responsible for all the misguided things his mother does. "
Alexis takes several deep steadying breaths to compose herself. "I don't quite believe you, but thank you anyway. You're being very sweet considering the fact that just a couple years ago I almost had a relationship with your husband. Any other woman would hold that against me."
"Oh stop! That's ancient history! Besides, my Nedly wouldn't have been tempted if I'd been more willing to compromise. But none of that matters now."
Ned comes up behind Lois and kisses her on the neck. "What are you two talking about? It sure looks serious."
Lois lifts her head to kiss him on the mouth. "Just girl talk, sweetheart. Shall we call it a night?"
