In His Corner Chapter 3

Starr was more relieved than she realized when she saw her aunt come through the entrance of the MetroCourt Hotel.  But she was stunned to see her mother following behind.  Starr’s posture grew rigid.  She was ready to defend her father for once.

She never got the chance.  “He couldn’t…” was all Blair was able to say before Starr launched herself at her mother.  “Tell us everything.”

Starr had gone ahead and booked a suite for her and Viki but after seeing her mother, decided that she could just sleep on the couch and let her mother have the other room.  She couldn’t go back to Michael’s apartment, not with the accusation hanging between them.  They made their way up and and once settled, she began to tell them the whole sordid story.  The baby switch, the devil’s bargain with Johnny about Hope and Cole’s death and how, without even realizing it, Todd and Carly had grown close…until all of her father’s secrets had come out. 

Carly had erupted, Starr explained, because the baby was her best friend, Jason’s and how Jason had died not even knowing Daniel was his because of the action of Todd and Heather Webber.  Then Carly had begun to realize how much of a fool Todd had played her for.  He had befriended her, been her confidant, and all along, he was holding all these terrible secrets.

Starr did not have much information on the rape accusation itself.  But she had been there when John had Mirandized him for it.  “Mom, Aunt Viki, he had this look of…disbelief as they were cuffing him.  I had only seen that look once before.”  Both Viki and Blair knew what she was talking about.  “That’s why I don’t think he did it.”

“Okay, well, it’s late now.  In the morning I think I’m going to go talk to Todd.  I want to hear his side of the story,” Viki declared.

“I’m going with you.  I need to see him myself,” Blair said.

“I think it may be best if you talk to John McBain.  You were friends with him and with everything that is going on with Natalie and him, I think it best that I keep my distance for a little bit.”  With that, Viki headed off to bed.

Blair turned to her daughter.  “How are you handling this?” she asked.

“Well, I haven’t spoken to Michael since the charge was made.  I had to sneak back to the apartment to get a few things.”  She pointed to a bag in the corner.        

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry.  I know you were falling for him.”  She hugged her daughter and she leaned against Blair.  “I just can’t believe your father would…”

A tear slid down Starr’s eye.  “Neither can I, Mom.  Neither can I.”

******

 Viki got up early and headed to the police station, determined to see Todd as soon as was possible.  She was thankful that she didn’t see John there when she walked in.  Instead, she saw an attractive older woman with a lilting British accent and an authoritative air.  “Excuse me, who would I see about seeing my brother?  He’s locked up here.”

“And your brother would be?” the woman asked.

She took a deep breath before she answered.  “Todd Manning.  I’m Victoria Lord Davidson.”  As much as she never liked using her name, she would do so in this instance.

“Mrs. Davidson, if you’ll come this way, I’ll have a guard fetch him for you.  You can wait in here.”  She was led to the interrogation room. 

Viki walked around as she waited, trying to collect her thoughts.  She had no idea of how to even approach Todd at this moment.  Then the door opened again and she was met with someone who was a stranger, and someone who was not. 

It was rare when Viki thought that Todd physically resembled their father.  But she knew that there were times that he looked like just a little lost boy.  That was the amalgamation that faced her right now.

“What are you doing here?” came his brusque question.

“Starr called and asked me for help.”

“Shouldn’t have done that.”  Viki wasn’t sure if he meant her or his daughter.

“Well, she did.  Did you do what they are accusing you of?” she asked him.

There was a flash in his eyes and Viki knew what Starr had been talking about the night before.  He didn’t need to answer, but he did.  “No.”

“I believe you.  What happened, then?”

“What always happens.  I screwed up.”  He turned his back to her.  “I thought new town, new me.  I thought I could get away from all the misery I carried in Llanview.  I thought I could escape my past,” he said.  “I’ve told you this before, but you never believed me.  I’m cursed.”

“Todd…” Viki began, her heart breaking.

“Carly was my friend.  She didn’t look at me and see a monster, even though I warned her countless times.”  He let out a hideous laugh.  “After Blair left me for her assassin, Carly tried to set me up with women she knew.  I told her ‘Anyone who would have me, doesn’t know me.  I’ve done a lot of things that make me unqualified for romance, although some of it can be blamed on genetic’.”  He turned back to her.  “She never heeded my warnings.”

Viki didn’t know what to say.

“Have you told Kevin?  I’m sure he’s laughing his ass off about this,” Todd snarked.

“The only people who know I’m here are Starr and Blair,” Viki informed him.

Todd’s head whipped up to look at her.  “Why the hell is Blair here?”

Viki was about to open her mouth to answer, but she decided instead to say, “When she comes here, ask her yourself.”

Todd shook his head.  “I don’t want to see her.  Tell her to go back to my kidnapper.”

“Even when she still loves you?” Viki asked.

A smile crossed his face briefly as he sank into a chair.  “I know she still loves me.  But we are too corrosive to each other.  I would just keep blowing it all to hell.”

Viki saw the set way his face was and decided to move on.  “Do you have a lawyer?”

“No.  My brilliant, if strange, new lawyer dumped me with these new charges,” Todd told her.

“The lawyer who represented you this spring, do you want me to call him?”

“Ah, give it a try.  I doubt he’d want to defend an already convicted sex offender.”

 Viki walked up to Todd and kissed the top of his head.  He closed his eyes, not wanting to feel the love he knew was coming from her.  She knocked on the door and was let out.

******

Blair knew where to look to find John McBain.  She found him in a little diner, coffee in hand, bent over something.  When she came closer, she saw an adorable baby that was going to be her nephew.  Then she saw the woman she figured was the mother.  She guessed it two ways: One was from the description Tea had given her when she had returned to Llanview without her son.  The other was, this was the woman John was kissing in the picture Natalie had been sent.

Natalie Buchanan may not have ever been her favorite person, but she felt righteous indignation on her behalf when she saw John with this woman.  That was also because, she had been where Nat was with John.

Blair cleared her throat louder than was strictly necessary.  It worked at getting John’s attention.  “Blair, what are you doing here?”  Blair raised an eyebrow at him.  “Todd.”

“Starr called Viki last night and I happened to be there.  I need to talk to you…in private please.” Blair turned on her heels and left.

John turned back to Sam.  She, too, raised an eyebrow at him.  “There’s a story there, I can tell.”

“Ex-wife.”  John was still a man of few words.  “Mine and Todd’s, actually.”

“And she’s here for him?”

“Looks that way.”  He got up out of the chair.  “It’s never smart to keep her waiting.  Bye, Sam.”  With that, he headed out.  He then led Blair to the Spoon Island Pier.  “This is pretty private.  What do you want to know?” 

“What does this case look like against Todd?” she asked directly.

“I can’t divulge anything and you know that,” John replied.

Blair figured that would be his answer.  “He’s not guilty.”

“He’s done it before,” he replied.

“Oh, I know that.  And that is why I know, he didn’t do this.”

“Blair…”  John didn’t know what to say.

“I know just how cruel Todd can be.  But I also know, he has too much self-awareness, too much history, to do what he’s been accused of.”  She walked closer to him.  “And you know that too.”

“What do you mean?”  John got a sinking feeling in his stomach.  He thought he knew what she meant.

“That night at Victor’s house, when you had the first round of DNA results, you saw his reaction to the thought of ‘Todd’ and Marty.  That should be enough for you to doubt,” Blair said.

“I also thought he didn’t kill Victor, initially.  Then I found the evidence that showed he did that and kidnap Tomas,” John replied.

Blair stuck out her jaw defiantly.  “This is an entirely different matter.  If you really knew Todd, you’d see that.”

Blair turned to leave, but John grabbed her arm.  “Don’t let him fool you.  It’ll only hurt you in the end.”  Blair shrugged him off and walked up the stairs.  John shook his head as he thought to himself, “Still is a lot there between them.”