In His Corner-Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Starr begged off dinner at the Quartermaines.  She knew had to go back to Michael’s and collect her things.  It would be one of the hardest things she had ever done.  When she arrived, she sent up a silent prayer he wasn’t home.

“I packed your things,” a voice informed her coldly.  Starr frowned at the sight on Michael as he continued.  “Were you ever going to tell me about your dad?  That he was a rapist?  I told you what happened to me in prison and you never said anything about him.  So much for total honesty.  Must be a family trait.”

“I know what you’ve had to live with because I’ve been there myself,” she replied.  “You try living through high school with the whole town knowing about what your father did.  You try looking at the boy you were in love with and seeing the fear in his mother’s eyes around your father.”  When she caught Michael’s expression, she explained, “Cole Thornhart’s mother was Marty Saybrooke, the woman he raped in college, so you try listening to the comments about you and about your parents.”

“And now my mother is his victim.”

“If it’s true,” she said under her breath.

“What was that?”

Starr turned back to Michael, her bags between them.  “I know all about my father’s crimes.  I know where that sickness comes from.  But I also know my dad.  He would never go back to being that monster.”  Sticking her chin out to him in defiance, she told him about Victor and Marty.  “When my dad came back to us and learned about that, he was utterly horrified.  He couldn’t even believe anyone would do that to someone or that any of his family would think him capable of going there again.”  She let out a breath.  “That’s why I believe my dad.  When he was charged, I saw the look in his eyes, the very same look he had, when he heard what ‘he’ had done.”

Michael just stared at her, wordless. 

“I’m guessing all my stuff is here?”

He only nodded.  She turned around and walked out, leaving the door wide open.  Michael went to close it, but stepped outside to watch her retreating form.  His phone rang and he went to answer it.  When he saw the number, he considered not answering it, but he did so all the same.  “I have nothing to say to you!”

“Michael, wait, please…” came AJ’s plea from the other end.  When he realized his son was still on the line, he continued.  “I just want to talk to you.  Can you come over here?”

Michael’s voice faltered momentarily.  “No,” he answered, “not tonight.  Starr and I…”

“I kind of figured that out.  Okay, can you come over in the morning?  I just want to talk and you to listen.  Please, Michael, I think there are other things going on here.  I have a full file on Todd and I think you may want to see it.” AJ was practically begging.

“Fine, but you only have a half-hour.”  Michael ended the call abruptly.

AJ looked at the phone and let out a breath.  His son would give him a small window, but it was something.  The door rang and as AJ went to answer it, his mother beat him there.  Opening the door, she found Blair and Viki standing outside.  “Come in.  My son told me we were having company…” she said, turning to him, “rather late.  I can’t promise much, but I can assure you, I can give you information.”

Viki smiled warmly.  “Thank you, Viki Davidson and my former sister-in-law, Blair Cramer.”  Viki nodded to Monica Quartermaine as AJ showed them into the living room.  “I do want to extend my condolences on the loss of your father-in-law, Edward Quartermaine.  I saw The Sun’s coverage of his death.  It was quite frankly some of my brother’s best work.”

“It was certainly better than Victor’s headline when Asa died,” Blair commented with a chuckle.

Monica took a seat on the chaise as their guests sat on the couch while AJ fixed the drinks.  He offered a glass of wine to Viki but she turned it down.  “I had a heart transplant years ago, so no thank you.”

“A heart transplant?” Monica asked.  “I’m sorry, professional curiosity.  I’m a cardiologist.”  For a few minutes, the two women chatted about things medical.  When they finished, Monica turned back to Blair.  “Now, I know why you are both here.  I have had my fair share of run-ins with Carly.”

“And then there’s me,” a new voice intoned.  Everyone in the room turned and saw Skye standing in the doorway, Lila Rae with her.  The little girl ran up and greeted her grandmother, before wandering into the kitchen looking for her promised ice cream sundae.  “So, what havoc has Carly wrought now?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Blair asked, automatically suspicious. 

“AJ called me today for anything I knew about Todd.  I figured it was better to come back here to give it to him instead of in front of Tea,” Skye said, pouring herself a seltzer.  “By the way, she’s been looking for you.  You may want to get a cover story together.  When I left Llanview, the news hadn’t seemed to hit yet, but I doubt it will stay that way for very long.”

“So, what, you’re here to help Todd?”  She stood up, eying the redhead with even more suspicion.

Skye had decided to meet Blair head on.  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.  Look, I admit there is no love lost between Todd and me.  But, when I look back on it, as he was blowing his life apart a dozen years ago, he was putting my life on track.”  She turned to look at Viki.  “If he hadn’t exposed half a dozen of Llanview’s juiciest secrets at that show he called a wedding, I may never have had my daughter.”  Then she turned back to Blair.  “And you may have never gone through another half a dozen horrors, especially with your son.”

Blair’s features softened.  She remembered that wedding, so full of hope at a life with Todd.  She had not yet even learned she was pregnant with Jack.  Then Skye and Max had set her up in bed for Todd to find her and the next year and a half had been an absolute nightmare.  And the next eight years after that…

“I’m sorry,” Blair heard.  She came back to the present and saw Skye’s face.  The guilt was evident on her face.

“Thank you,” she responded in barely a whisper.

“This feels like one of those moments we should hug it out, right?” Skye asked.

“Yeah, it does,” Blair replied.

At that both women shook their heads, laughter bubbling to the surface.  The moment passed.

“So, moving on,” Skye continued as she took a seat, “I will tell you all, I really don’t believe Todd would do this.  I know his history, but given how he reacted when Carly and I told him about the resemblance of Tomas and Lorenzo—“

“What was his reaction?” Blair asked, her breath caught in her throat.

“He was doing his version of the Dance of Joy,” she said pointedly to Blair.  “Like when you announced to Max and me you two were getting remarried and you had just signed the divorce papers?  Yep, amp that up by a thousand.”

A smile quirked Blair’s lips.  She had found memories of that day, handing out invitations around town.  Then she remembered her conversation with Starr before Todd had come back to Llanview with the information of Lorenzo Alcazar.  She was kind surprised her usually intuitive daughter hadn’t picked up on the tears she had been shedding during their talk.  She could admit now that it had all been a cry for help, with her querying Starr about her father’s reactions to the news about her impending nuptials.  Yet, Starr had only said she knew her father loved her but made it sound like he would do anything to stop her.

Then a thought hit Blair.  “Skye, what was Todd’s interaction with Carly on the flight up?”

“What interaction?  He could barely stop talking about you. ‘Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on Blair’s face.’  ‘This couldn’t have worked out better if I planned it out myself.’  ‘I told Blair there was something wrong with this guy!’  Even before we left, he was going on with stuff like that.  Carly had to calm him down, not that it did much good.  He even had us playacting what he would say for our reactions.”  She took a sip of her drink.  “You even saw it when we got there.  When you opened the door, he practically barreled over Carly to get to you.”

“So, there were no indications that there was any relationship going on between them?” AJ asked.

Sky parsed through her memory.  “Well she did initially walk into his office like she owned the place.  And she pushed him out of the way to use his computer for a web search of Lorenzo, but other than that, no.”

“That’s basically what Starr has been saying since we got here.  There was no indication of anything between them for any of this,” Viki explained to the Quartermaines.  “And from my short interactions with her, I can’t see Todd telling her a lot about himself.”

“Carly lost my son Jason a few months ago,” Monica said, sadness tinged in her voice.  “He was always her rock, her biggest supporter, even sometimes over her ex-husbands Sonny Corinthos and Jasper Jacks.”  Taking a minute, she added, “I know I saw her talking to Todd in the hospital during the water crisis.”       

“So we have one conversation in a hospital, one long stretch of not pay much attention to her on an airplane and in Llanview, but not much else,” Blair said.  She was going to continue when her phone rang.  Looking at it, her face dropped.  “Excuse me, I have to take this.”  She walked into the hallway and hit receive.

“Tell me you are not in Port Charles right now,” a hiss demanded.

“Yes, Tea, as a matter of fact, I am here,” Blair said, her eyes rolling.  She could only picture the the expression on the other woman’s face.

“Is Viki with you?”

“How is that any of your business?” Blair asked.

“Nora called me.  She told me he’s been arrested for rape.  Please tell me you are not there to defend him.  That you both went up there to tell him he should burn in hell,” Tea practically shrieked. 

“Nora’s found out?”  Blair closed her eyes.  “Well, Tea, not to burst your bubble, but yes, I did come here to defend Todd.”

“How can you do that?!”  Her voice hadn’t come down in pitch and it was giving Blair a headache. 

She took a deep breath.  “Because I know Todd.  I know what kind of man he is.  He’s not perfect, but he’s not capable of doing what he’s accused of.”

“Victor was accused of the very same thing, by you, so don’t tell me Todd is incapable of doing it again!”

“Tea, I swear to God, if you even attempt to compare Todd to Victor, I will come back there and rip your head off.  I think we have enough evidence to prove Todd is not Victor!” She was so angry, she hung up the phone, not trusting herself to say any more.

AJ came out to check on her.  “I guess the news made it home?”

Blair offered a sad smile as she reentered the room.  “Viki, I think you should know, Nora is now aware of the case up here.”

“Oh dear god,” was all to Viki’s response.

“I’m guessing that’s not good?’ Monica asked.

“Nora Buchanan is the District Attorney down in Llanview.  But before that, she was Todd’s attorney in his trial in college.  When she learned he and his fraternity brothers had committed the crime, she threw the case.  She lost the murder case last year and I think she’s been itching for a rematch,” Viki said.  “Look, I need to get in touch with The Banner before it goes to press.  I won’t use it defend him completely, but, in the best attempt at journalistic ethics, I am going to try to report fairly.”

“I need to get in touch with Briggs.  Let him know what’s happening too.  Being that it’s a tabloid, I won’t say I’ll be fair, but I am going to try to paint Todd in the best light.”  Blair huffed out a breath.  “I’m gonna need a lot of light.”

With that, the women left.  Monica saw them out and returned to Skye and AJ.  “Truthfully, do you believe Todd Manning is innocent?”

“Monica, having been on the wrong side of this guy in the past, I can tell you, he is dangerous, a criminal, a lunatic at times.  But a rapist?  Anymore?  Something happened between Todd and Carly and she’s out for blood.”  Skye looked back at where Blair had been sitting.  “And with regard to him and sex, there has only ever been one woman, and that is Blair Cramer.”

In His Corner-Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Manning had been placed back in his jail cell for only a few minutes when John McBain came to see him.  Todd tried his best to ignore the cop who was staring at him, wordlessly.  At last, he said, “Gloat as much as you want.”

John shook his head.  “I’m not here to gloat at all.”

“Stare at the monster in his cage?”

“Is that what you think you are?”

Todd didn’t answer for a moment.  “Isn’t that what you think I am?”

John nodded, admitting the thought had passed through his mind.  He grabbed a chair and sat down.  “When you left my room the night of the premiere, when I found Baker tied up, he warned me that if I didn’t bring you back to his custody, the bodies would start to pile up.  Your behavior since that night has been…erratic, at best.”  John let out a deep breath.  “What was your relationship with Carly?”

Todd straightened up.  “Shouldn’t I have my lawyer present?”

John noticed the guard.  “Take a coffee break.  I’ll keep an eye on him.”  When the guard left, John turned back to Todd.  “Off the record, what was your relationship with her?”

Something about John’s demeanor brought down Todd’s well-deserved guard.  “She was my friend.”

“Your friend?”

“Yes, John, I found someone who I considered a friend.”  Todd stood up, playing over things in his head.  “I guess she found me charming and mysterious.  She helped me try to win back Blair and was there for me when it didn’t happen.  I listened to her tell me about how she had set up the father of her child and complimented her on her ingenuity.”  Then Todd looked at the floor, his head almost hung in shame.  “I lied to her…about a lot.  Not just the big things, like the baby or Johnny.  She asked me on New Year’s Eve if I was really over Blair.  She asked me what I would do it Blair walked in right there.  I told her I’d tell Blair I was with Carly.”  Todd face was contorted in pain as he added, “I’ve never had a friend, I never knew how to handle someone who said they were mine.”

John felt a flicker of sympathy for the man.  “What about Blair?”

Todd raised his head so quickly, he nearly gave himself whiplash.  “Blair was never my friend.”  John was shocked by that comment, until Todd added, “To have me call Blair my friend would be to…cheapen her.  She…saved me.  She gave me everything that was good in my life.”

“And you threw it away to attack Carly,” John said.

Todd let out a breath, turned back to the bunk and laid down.  “If that’s what you think…”

“I don’t know what to think, Manning.  Since that day on the docks, I’ve ping-ponged all over the place on you.  Victim, perpetrator.  Evil genius…” John cracked a smile, “complete dumbass.”  With that, the guard returned and John left the holding cells.  As he headed back up, he turned one thing Todd said over in his mind.  Seeing Anna, he walked over to her.  “Can I ask you a few questions in private?”

Anna, curious, led the way to her office.  “What do you want to know?”

“What do you know about Carly Jacks?”

Anna thought about her answer for a minute.  “Well, she’s the daughter of Bobbie Spencer, who had her when she was a teenage prostitute and gave her up for adoption.  When Carly was a young adult, she came to Port Charles looking for her and found that Bobbie had made a good life for herself, which Carly resent for a time.  She befriended Jason Morgan, who was dating my daughter then and had a one night stand with AJ Quartermaine that resulted in her son, Michael who she tried to pass off as Tony Jones, her boyfriend and her stepfather, and then tried to pass him off as Jason’s.”  She looked at John and then added, “Understand, most of this I learned from Robin, who wasn’t on the best of terms with her, to say the least.  In fact, if Robin where here, she would not hold back with her comments about Carly.”  Then she noticed the change in John’s face.  “Why do you want to know?  Has something else come up?”

 “I had a talk about Carly with Sam Morgan this morning after going over everything last night and I’ll tell you Anna, something in my gut is telling me this isn’t…”  John paused before coming out and saying it.  “I don’t think Todd raped her.”

Anna’s eyebrow’s shot up.  “That’s a very serious charge, John.”

“I know, but a part of me thinks she’s setting him up,” he replied.  “Hear me out.  They were friends, by Manning’s own admission to me today, off the record.  Also by his own admission, he lied to her about Daniel, about Johnny’s role in the accident, about his feeling for Blair.  I talked to Sam, who told me that Jason was a huge part of her life, to the point of interfering with him and any other woman he was with at the time, Sam included.  Sam also said that up until the accident on New Year’s, Carly totally believed Todd’s story about not knowing about the switch.  Hell, I saw that myself and called her on believing his lies.  And Todd also told me today that they had a conversation about Carly setting up the father of her son and Todd complimented her on it.”  He let out a breath.  “I also know Manning.  I’ve seen his reaction to rape.  Yes, he was convicted of it when he was younger, but last year, he learned his brother, as him, manipulated his victim into a similar scenario and he was shocked that his family would think he was capable of doing that.  Taking that into account…”

Anna held up her hand.  “I think I see where you’re going with this.  Pursue it, but do so with extreme caution.  There are a lot of variables here, not the least of which is Sonny Corinthos.  If he thinks you are going after Carly instead of Todd, he could go after you.”

John understood her tacit approval.  “You have my word, until I find anything definitive, I will be treating this as a rape.”  John left, determined to get to the bottom of all of this.

******

Blair unlocked the door to their new residence.  She was carrying a few shopping bags of groceries, as were Starr and Viki while AJ helped with the luggage.  Blair was impressed.  For a quick find, the place was actually very spacious, with an open living room and the two bedrooms on either side. 

Starr took the suitcases and put them in the bedrooms then came out and helped with the food.  Blair and Viki were bustling around and AJ was pitching in.  With all of them working together, it all got done fast.  Blair found a tea kettle and put it on.  As she was waiting for it to come to a boil, she turned to their guest.

“Tell me about Carly Jacks,” she stated immediately. 

Over the next hour or so, AJ laid out all his knowledge of and experiences with Carly.  He was basically repeating all that had been said in the report Rex had put together. 

Then, taking a deep breath, he told them, “I’m going to admit something to all of you.”  He slid his eyes to Starr then said, “There isn’t all altruism here for me.  I do believe that Carly is lying about being raped by Todd and I will defend him.  But I have lived with her how she has portrayed me to my son for his entire life.  I never got the chance to be a father to my son.  He was taken from me and I was bullied and threatened until I lost any rights I have to him.  She has shown time and again how she can manipulate anyone and everyone.  Knowing her, she probably tried to manipulate Todd against me since I came back to town.  I know how she can work and think and I want my son to see, for probably the first time in his life, what his mother is really like.”  He looked at them all.  “I have already tried to manipulate situations to that end.  I have probably just as much of a bad reputation in this town as Todd does in Llanview.  But I swear to you, I am positive that Carly is trying to him what she did do to me.”

Blair looked to Viki, but it was Starr who spoke up.  “I’ve seen how you work and I know what this is costing you right now.”  The image of Michael turning his back on AJ and the look of sorrow on the older man’s face at the courthouse flashed in her mind.  “Any help you can give us, thank you.  I know my mother and my aunt agree.”

There was a knock at the door, and Viki let in the court official for the inspection.  It was a short visit and he felt sure the judge would agree to Scott Baldwin’s recommendation.  When he left AJ was preparing to get his coat.  “I was wondering, I can see that you are still not set up here.  Why don’t you come over to my mother’s house?  You can talk to her, cause I know she has her opinions of Carly.  Maybe even my Aunt Tracy.  I think she had some hand in the payoff for the water toxin blackmail.  From what I heard, Todd spearheaded that action."

Viki turned to Blair and Starr, who both nodded.  “That is very generous.  Any other perspective on her can only help Todd.”

He opened the door, but before he left, he assured them he’d call as soon as he got back for a time for dinner.  He smiled and he was gone.

******

Michael had decided to go back to his apartment but Sonny felt someone needed to tell Carly about the developments at the courthouse.  He found her at the front desk reviewing something on the computer.  She caught sight of him, and came over.

“I just wanted to let you know, Manning is going to be making bail.  I’m sorry, but his lawyer felt that he could be in danger if he was sent to Pentonville for his trial.”  Sonny scratched the back of his head.  “My presence there may have had something to do with it.  From what Baldwin’s deal seems to be, he’ll be under house arrest.  He said that the ex, Blair, got them an apartment about a mile away from here.”

“Unbelievable,” Carly commented contemptuously.  “I can’t believe she’s standing up for him.”  Carly turned around and headed for the desk.  She grabbed a file and handed it to Sonny.  “You know, there are other victims of his.  Not just the woman in college, Marty Saybrooke.  There was another one, Carol Swift, I think and he was accused of raping his girlfriend, a Rebecca Lewis.  But, from what I read, he found an alibi for that one, the Saybrooke woman.  Kind of convenient, wouldn’t you say?”

Sonny flipped through the file.  “Does the DA know about this?”

“I went in to talk to him and he told me the DA down in Llanview has been all kinds of helpful.  She was his attorney from the gang rape.  He confessed to her and she ended up throwing the case.  She’s even trying to find the first victim, but she seems to have vanished,” Carly informed him.

Sonny looked up from the file and, for a minute, thought he saw something in her eyes.  He couldn’t put his finger on it.  He moved in to comfort her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder.  “You know, guys like this, they get off on it and they keep getting off on it.”

As those words were coming from her lips, Luke walked in and stopped for a minute.  He had heard what she said and his crime flashed before him.  He was about to approach her when she turned away from Sonny.  “I just want to get on with my life.  Part of me just wants it to be over.”

“Have you thought about going to counseling or talking to someone?  I know Liz Webber, it happened to her when she was still a kid—“

“No,” Carly said too harshly.  Then she composed herself.  “I don’t want any pity from her.”

“But she may be able to help.”

“I said no, Sonny.  Drop it.”  Then she turned back to Sonny and Luke saw the full force he knew as Carly Benson.  “I think AJ may be a problem.  He was here when Blair and Starr cleaned out Todd’s suite and he seems to have taken their side.”

“AJ is going to use them to manipulate Michael, but it won’t work.  He saw AJ after the arraignment and walked right past him,” Sonny told her.

“Are you sure?  We thought that about your little boxing match, but AJ copped to it.”

“This time, I’m sure,” Sonny assured her.  “Hey, you are one of the strongest women I know.  I will help you through this, okay?”

Carly nodded, a tear falling down her cheek.  Sonny kissed her on the cheek and left, never noticing Luke.  Neither did Carly, it seemed, because Luke saw that fiendish smile appear on his niece’s face.  He got on to the next elevator and made sure he was the only one on as he said, “Damn it, why did Baldwin have to be right!”

In His Corner-Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Skye Chandler-Quartermaine was still amazed at how much being a mother changed her.  She knew it sounded so clichéd, but she couldn’t help but look at her life before and after Lila Rae.  Before, she had been a selfish, self-absorbed, narcissistic alcoholic.  Now, she was a doting, caring, family oriented woman and that was all because of the precious little girl sitting at the table next to her in the Palace Hotel’s restaurant. 

She had made this her base of operations when Todd and Carly had left her there to go back to Port Charles.  Monica Quartermaine had flown Lila Rae down to her mother a day later after trying to convince Skye to let her stay with the family.  Skye was heartened by Monica’s offer, since relations between them had never been good.  However, she couldn’t bear to be separated from her little girl any longer.   They had moved into a suite and hung around waiting for any word on Tomas Delgado or Lorenzo Alcazar, whoever he may be. 

Lila Rae adapted well.  She had befriended Viki Davidson’s granddaughter, Bree Brennan and even Blair’s son, Sam Manning.  It was amusing to no end how her daughter got along with the offspring of these two women, looking back at all their histories.  She even found herself enjoying the presence of Blair, much more so than that of Tea Delgado. 

Skye could think of numerous things that irked her about the other woman.  But the one that stuck out most was how Blair reacted in her presence.  She had vague recollections of the Blair/Todd/Tea triangle, but the lawyer hadn’t been around for much of the time Skye had lived in Llanview.  Despite the fact that Blair was set to marry the woman’s brother, Skye could feel the underlying tension when they were in the room together.

It had only gotten worse once Todd had left.  Skye had felt the slap Blair had laid on her ex down her spine but when she looked back on it, even that felt staged.  It was obvious to Skye that Todd was getting to Blair, especially after Agent King had left Tea’s that day.  Was Blair starting to fold?  It seemed plausible, knowing their history.

It was a history that Skye felt no pride in now.  While she had been in Llanview, to give her daughter some free-wheeling time, she took her to the Buenos Dias Diner.  A few times, she had seen Jack Manning, Todd’s son by Blair.  A pang of regret rang in her ears every time she saw him.  Again, she had heard the stories about the shenanigans that had surrounded his birth.  Could they have been avoided, if not for her and Max Holden’s schemes against his parents?

If she had had Lila Rae back then, she probably wouldn’t have ever given Todd Manning or Blair Cramer a backwards thought.  Yet it was because of those actions that she had her daughter in the first place.  If not for the fact that Todd had caught Blair “in bed” with Max the night before their wedding, then Todd wouldn’t have blown up the ceremony and spun Skye on a quest for her birth father.  It was in that search that she had landed in Port Charles and, eventually, in the path of Lorenzo Alcazar.  In the grand schemes of things, Todd had given her her most precious possession.

She was still musing when her phone rang.  Finding it in her bag, she smiled when she saw AJ’s picture there.  Just another benefit Todd Manning had unwittingly given her years ago.  “How goes the palace coup?” she asked by way of answer.

AJ, standing outside one of the criminal court rooms, grimaced at Skye’s happy tone.  “Fought and lost, unfortunately.  Tracy’s still at the helm of ELQ.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  Sam voted her way?”

“No, actually, Sam split the shares between us.  It went to a tie-breaker and I lost,” AJ said, not wanting to get into this now on the phone.  “Look, when you get here, I’ll give you all the details but I have other concerns on my mind.”

“Is it Michael?” she asked.  She knew AJ was as devoted to his son as she was to her daughter.

AJ thought about it for a minute.  “In a way.  What do you know about Todd Manning?”

“Why do you want to know about him?”

“He’s about to be arraigned on the charge of raping Carly Jacks.”

If she had not been in a public establishment in Llanview, Pennsylvania, Skye response would have been different in words and tone.  She chose to just say, “Carly?” with all the incredulity she could muster.  She knew of Todd’s past.  Everyone in Llanview, hell, everyone in the state knew it.  And while he was still no Prince Charming to anyone not named Blair Cramer, even she couldn’t imagine him doing that again.  

Speaking of the third amigo, it just dawned on her she hadn’t seen Blair around in a day or so.  Come to think of it, neither had Viki been seen.  “AJ, you haven’t by chance seen a blonde-haired, green eyed woman in Port Charles around Starr Manning?  Also, maybe another woman, older, blonde, elegant?”

“Do you mean Blair Cramer and Viki Davidson?  I just saw them go into the courtroom.  I even drove Blair and her daughter here from the MetroCourt,” AJ replied.

Skye didn’t want to go any further as she caught sight of Tea.  She didn’t want to let on if in fact Todd was in trouble.  “So that vote is scheduled for tonight?  Is Tracy crazy?”

“Skye?” AJ asked, confused by the sudden shift in the conversation.

“I’ll be up there as soon as possible.  See you soon, AJ.”  With that, she ended the call as Tea approached.

“Skye.”  Tea’s voice was cautious.  She then noticed Lila Rae and smiled at the girl.  “Hola, senorita Alcazar.” 

Lila was a very perceptive child and had taken her cues from her mother, who didn’t seem to like this lady.  But she was also a polite child and smiled all the same.

“Skye, have you heard from Blair.  I’ve left her some messages, but she hasn’t called back,” Tea inquired.

“No, I haven’t,” she replied, as she got up out of the chair.  “Look, Tea, this is very short notice, I know, but I have to get back to Port Charles.  My Aunt Tracy has called a board meeting and since my brother AJ just told me she’s still in control of the company, I need to get back to help him out.”  Then she decided to add, “Have you heard anything more from Dorian?”

“No, I was hoping Blair may have,” she admitted.  The women had been going to Dorian a lot for any help she could give or influence she could use.  Dorian had been more than happy, as she did seem to like Tomas or at least, seem to like that he was keeping Blair away from Todd.  “When will you be back?”

“If I know Tracy, this may be a few days.  I’m sorry, but AJ has never had much support from within the family.  He really needs me there,” Skye said, playing on the affection she knew Tea had for the man who said he was her brother.

“Of course, I completely understand,” Tea told her, playing right into Skye’s hand.  With that, Skye took her daughter’s hand, promising her an ice cream sundae when they got back to Port Charles for not blowing Mommy’s cover.

****

Scott Baldwin had noted AJ Quartermaine in the hallway when he entered the court room.  He also noted the presence of Sonny and Michael Corinthos behind the prosecution’s side.  He smiled as he walked over and whispered encouragement to Blair, Viki and Starr on his side of the court.  Scotty took his place as his client was led in in a pricey suit accentuated by handcuffs.

“Your sister has good taste,” Scotty observed, attempting to lighten the mood.

“And she bought it from the right department,” Todd clucked back.  He turned and looked at Blair.  She offered him an encouraging smile as she placed her hand on his shoulder.  Starr did the same, sparing a glance towards Michael.  He boyfriend only offered a stony glare.

The judge arrived and read the charge sheet.  “How do you plead?”

“My client pleads not guilty, Your Honor,” Scotty informed the court.

“So noted,” the judge replied.  “From what I’m reading here, Mr. Manning has vast monetary resource available to him.  As such, bail is denied.  He will be remanded to Pentonville State Prison for the duration of his trial.”

“With all due respect your honor, I have an alternate solution,” Scotty said.  Looking over to Sonny, whose presence unwittingly helped Scott, he said, “If Mr. Manning is sent to Pentonville, I fear for his safety.  His accuser has a connection to a known mob boss, who is present here right now.  I have grave concerns that if Mr. Manning is sent to jail, he may never make it to trial.”

The judge looked over at Sonny then back at Scott.  “I’m guessing you have a solution, Mr. Baldwin?”

“As a part of his pardon deal over twenty years ago, Mr. Manning was made to wear an ankle monitor, so it is a situation that he is very familiar with.  His ex-wife, Blair Cramer, is willing to pay the bail and take responsibility for him if he were to be released.  She has set up a place for her, Mr. Manning and their daughter here in Port Charles.  I ask the court to release Mr. Manning into Ms. Cramer’s custody with an ankle monitor.”  He saw the judge wavering.  “There is already a restraining order out for the alleged victim’s protection and the residence is at least one mile from the MetroCourt Hotel.  I only ask this with concern for my client’s safety.”

 The judge looked back at Sonny, who was now staring daggers at Todd, not even trying to mask his contempt.  “After there is an evaluation of this residence, I would be amenable to that.  Until then, Mr. Manning will be taken back to the PCPD.  Court is adjourned.”

Scott asked the bailiff for a minute before they took Todd away.  While he was relieved to be getting out soon, he had to roll his eyes at the conditions.  “Now I’m the housebound lump, huh?” he asked his sister.

“Looks that way,” Viki said, a smirk on her face.

“I’ll see what kind if rush I can get on this evaluation.  Hopefully, we can have you home by tomorrow morning,” Scott said.  Everyone nodded and Todd was led away.  Then he turned to Blair.  “I looked over those papers you gave me.  Todd’s lawyers did well.  They have no means to throw ME out of the MetroCourt, so long as Todd doesn’t go there.”

“Well, when Todd gets out, he can still run the business from the apartment.  I’ll be the point woman at ME,” Blair said.  “Let us know when you hear anything.”

Scott left and the women followed.  Michael and his father walked out and right past Starr.  In the hallway, Michael paused when he saw AJ.  He then turned and followed his father. 

Starr saw the pain in AJ’s face.  It was a look she was all too familiar with.  It looked like because of her father, AJ may have lost his son.  “I’m sorry,” she said to him.

“I’ve hit rougher patches with Michael,” he assured her.  “What happened inside?”

“They’re going to do an evaluation of the place and if all goes well, Todd will be released on an ankle monitor,” Blair said.  “Back to the beginning, I guess.”  When AJ gave her a curious look, Blair said, “He was still wearing one the night I met him.”  She rolled her shoulders.  “Would you like to come back with us to the apartment?  I know you said you had things to talk to us about.”

“Yes, please.  I just want to know anything there was to Todd and Carly’s relationship.  I have a feeling it may sound familiar to me,” AJ said to them.     

In His Corner-Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“So you’re dumping me too?” Todd asked Scott as the lawyer sat down in from of him.

“What?” Baldwin asked, confused.  Then what Todd had said processed through his head and he shook it quickly.  “Hell, no.  This is the case I’ve been looking for for a while.  But at the same time, it brings up some of my own history.  If you’ll allow me?” At Todd’s begrudging nod, Scott continued.  “When I was fresh out of law school, I married a girl who wasn’t even out of high school.  She was beautiful and sweet and kind-hearted.  Well, I was working at my dad’s law firm, long hours, money was tight and Laura, my wife, offered to help with the bills by getting a job.  I didn’t like it and liked it even less when she went to work at a disco.  In fact, I expressly forbade her from working there.  But she was stubborn and insisted on doing it.”

“Her boss, he was connected to the local mob boss.  He also had begun to develop a crush on Laura.  Well, one night, his boss ordered him to kill someone.  The guy was wracked with guilt and after the club closed up, Laura saw the guy was not doing so good.  He was also drinking himself into doing the hit.  Laura asked what was wrong but the guy wouldn’t open up about it.  He did, though, confess that he had fallen in love with her and to stall what he had been ordered to do, he begged her to dance with him.”

“I’ve never been certain of how things escalated from there, but he kept trying to get closer and she started to get frightened, but he…wouldn’t stop.  She kept saying no and he still wouldn’t stop.”

Todd eyes closed, the image of the room in the KAD house beginning to overwhelm him.

“She never really admitted to me or her parents what he did to her.  I figured it out and went after him, but she defended him.  They eventually went on the run together and a few years later, ended up getting married.  They even have two kids.”

“IS THIS WOMAN SICK?” Todd roared.  “Getting involved in…marrying…”  He couldn’t even fathom the words.  For a minute, images of Victor and Marty danced in his head.

Scott wasn’t prepared for Todd’s reaction.  “I never understood it myself, but Laura, that was the type of person she was and still is,” he said, calmly.  “The point here Manning, isn’t the act, it’s the perpetrator.  Its Carly’s uncle, Luke Spencer.  It just so happens that I had a little chat with him before coming here.”

Todd truly didn’t know what to say about learning about Luke Spencer’s past.  But he did remember the man.  “He warned me about meeting the real Carly.”

“Well, he and she don’t have a great relationship.  When she first hit town, from what I’m told, he was the one who figured out she was his sister’s kid and held it over her head for a long time.  Bobbie, Luke’s sister, wasn’t too pleased with that secret being kept from her by the two of them.”  Then Scott smiled.  “Anyway, I started to plant seeds of doubt with him.  He’s already generally suspicious of her.  It can only help you.”

Todd sat back and crossed his arms.  He didn’t like the direction his lawyer was taking and he said so.  “Baldwin, while I absolutely deny…what I’m accused of…I don’t deny that I hurt her.  I think you need to back off this plan of attack.”

“What are you saying?”

Todd let out a sigh as he stood up.  “Maybe I led her on.  She was someone who was a friend.  She shared things with me…her concern when her son’s father came back, her sorrow over the dead hitman, even what she thought had happened to Sam’s kid.”

“And how did you react?”

“I did what I thought was right.  I listened.  I advised.  She told me so much about herself,” Todd said.  But in thinking about it, she hadn’t revealed much more about herself than he has about himself.

“And what did you tell her about yourself?”

“That I had a daughter and a son.  That my sister may forgive me for killing my brother eventually,” Todd recollected.  “Stuff about Blair.”

“Did you tell her about the rape?”

“She saw a good in me.  Why would I tell her that?”

“Did anyone else in town know about it?”

Todd thought for a minute.  “I’d guess Sam Morgan and her weirdo partner may have.  Especially after the births.  Sam almost brought in up in front of Carly right after Christmas.”

Scott wrote down a few notes.  “When you first met her, what did she know about you?”

Todd closed his eyes, remembering their first meeting.  He let out a short laugh.  “When we first met, I had skipped out of Llanview because my daughter had been in an accident.  I needed a hotel room and anonymity, so I paid in cash with no name and assurances of no trouble.”  He turned back to Scott.  “When I got back here after your magnificent job, she had read up on me.  She knew who my father was and what I was, a newspaper publisher.”

“Did she say anything about Victor Lord?”

“No, not until today, in fact.”  At Scott’s look, he expounded.  “She made a comment about the old man just as my sister heard it.  It was not a pleasant exchange, from what Blair told me.”

The shark smile appeared again on Scott’s face.  “Then that’s how we’ll go.”  He put his things back in his briefcase.  “I’ll see you in a bit.  I have some things to look into.”  He left before Todd could say other word.

******

Starr found her mother behind the desk at ME.  Subconsciously, she knew her mother was a businesswoman, but it had never been very evident in her lifetime.  She found it comforting, though, that Blair was looking out for her father’s interest despite everything.

“Mom,” she said as she walked in.  “They took the police tape down from around Dad’s room and I was told we can get his stuff now.”

Blair only nodded and headed for the suite.  After Starr slid the keycard into the door, the two women entered and looked around.  It was still a bit of a mess.  “Okay, I’ll go into the bedroom and pack up his suitcases.”  Blair walked in and couldn’t take a step further.  The bed was unmade, the sheets in a pile.  She didn’t want to think about anything Todd had done there.  She back up and turned to Starr.  “Um, why don’t you tackle the bedroom, I’ll look through here.”

Starr nodded and wrote something on a piece of paper.  “Here’s the code for the wall safe.  Knowing Dad, he’s got things in there.”  She headed past her mother and Blair walked around the room looking for the safe.  When she found it, she inputted the code and opened it up.  Inside were stacks of bills but it didn’t seem like much else.  Blair removed them but then found a small box behind them.  Her breath caught in her throat.

He still had the ring he had tried to give her in the summer.  She picked it up and opened it.  It truly was a magnificent piece.  Big without being gaudy.  Memories flooded back to her.  This is the ring that you deserve.  This is the ring you should be wearing.  Yes, because it is bigger!  And because it is mine! 

And what would have happened if she had taken that ring?  She knew he had a secret that night.  But just how many were there?

She must have been staring at the ring for a while, because Starr came back into the living area with the bags packed.  “Mom?” she asked cautiously.

“Yes, baby girl?”

Starr saw what her mother was holding.  “It really is beautiful.  Say this about Dad, he has excellent taste in jewelry.”

Blair couldn’t answer.  “You about ready?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Starr replied.

They did one more go around of the room and were leaving when, as they opened the door, Carly was standing there in front of it.

“What the hell are you doing here, Carly?” Blair demanded.  “Returning to the scene of the crime?”

“I was just making sure you cleared out of here,” she informed them, indignation in her eyes.

Blair noted the master keycard in her hand.  “Were you just gonna come in here unannounced?”

“It’s my hotel,” Carly stated.

“But Jax gave it to you,” a new voice said.  “Sorry, old argument in my family.  My dad gave my mom our house as a wedding present and she hasn’t let the Quartermaines forget it ever since.”  AJ shrugged and smirked.  “It just sounded familiar.”

Carly wheeled at AJ.  “Keep your nose out of this.  It has nothing to do with you.”

“In a direct sense,” AJ agreed.  “Ms. Cramer, Starr, I was wondering if we could talk?”

Blair looked at her watch.  “Actually, we have to get to the courthouse.  Todd’s arraignment is soon.”

“Allow me to drive you, please,” he pleaded gently.  “I was thinking about our conversation from last night and I have some questions.”

Blair looked to Starr for guidance.  She knew her daughter was wary of this man, but she herself wanted to talk to him.

Starr eyed AJ but then looked at Carly.  Something was making Michael’s mother nervous and she too wanted to know what it was.  Very slightly, she nodded to her mother.

Blair turned back and gave AJ a wide, bitchy smile.  “Thank you, Mr. Quartermaine, that is most generous,” she replied in her sweetest, most syrupy Southern tone.  The three left together but before turning the corner, Blair said to Carly, “I guess I’ll be seeing you shortly.  I’m sure you’ll want to look at the man you’ve falsely accused of rape in the face.”  Then, they disappeared from Carly’s sight.