The Way Back: Chapter 38

Tea and her husband waited in Ray Martino's office as he gathered a cup of coffee and some files. He came into the room and sat at his usual perch.  "What can I do for you, Mr. and Mrs...Manning, is it?"  His face showed slight puzzlement, as he sipped his coffee.


"What do you make of these, Dr. Martino?"  Tea said, pushing her husband's sleeve up to reveal his burns.


Ray almost spit his coffee out.  "I am not at liberty to say where I've seen these before.  But yes, I recognize them."


The man spoke.  Ray put things together, and realized he was talking to 'The Impostor' that Todd had referred to, and that the female was Tea, the woman Todd had once paid to marry him.  "Blair sent us to you.  Her husband, your client, is missing.  Then, I disappeared for 24 hours, according to my wife.  I came back to her with these."


"Todd, is missing?"  Ray asked.

"Yes."

"You said, 'according to your wife.'  Don't you know you were missing?"

"Yes and no.  I'm confused. A lot of it is a blur.  I am not sure.  I know I was gone, but I lose time."

"And where did you get these marks?"  Ray asked.

"I don't know."

"Is this an honest answer?"

"Yes.  I don't know.  I can't remember."

Ray leaned forward, and his tone was pensive.  "Just who are you?  I can't repeat much of Todd's case, but I can tell you that I've been treating Todd Manning for almost two months, and I've known him since he was 24 years old.  So you see, I'll need to know who I am talking with.  Excuse me, Mrs. Manning, you might want to step outside?  I'm concerned that this might become...difficult."

"No," he said, "she stays.  Anything that you say or we learn or uncover, she can hear.  Don't misunderstand me, Dr. Martino, I'm not here to dupe you or Tea," his voice cracked, "I'm not trying to prove I am someone I'm not anymore.  I love my wife, more than life.  I need your help.  We need your help.  And I'm of the belief that you're the only one who can help us."

*** 


Baker showed up back in Todd's cell.  He carried a syringe in his hand.  "Hello, Sunshine," he greeted catatonic Todd, who's eyes were dead and fixed on the wall behind Baker.  There was no eye contact.  Baker took out his penlight.  Checking Todd's pupils, he returned it to his pocket.  "Are you playing games with me, Mr. Manning, or are you really out of it?  We're going to prove it, one way or the other.  And you know this."


He took the syringe and injected it fully into Todd's neck.  Nothing.


"So, you're either gone into that insidious head of yours to hide, or you're trying to pull a fast one.  Aren't you aware by now that the boss and all of us know about your faking a mental condition to escape prosecution?  We went through this last time, didn't we?  Now, Todd, you underestimate us.  I've read, or was it heard, that Kevin Buchanan once used a two-inch pin to test your catatonia,"  He leaned closer, "But a man who has been raped" he emphasized the 'r,' "and burned by his own father could easily withstand a simple pinprick.  In fact, you withstood much more than that.  The burns, the electric shocks, the solitude, the drugs, the hallucinations, the skinning, all of it.  The question is, can you withstand what our boss has planned next?"


Nothing.

"Well, fine, Mr. Manning.  You'll continue to be our guest.  I'm not going to lie to you.  If you're pretending, we'll know soon.  Each of your friends will be in to visit you.  One of them will certainly make you flinch.  Could be 'The Thin Man,' as you creatively named him?  Could be, oh what was it, 'The Slice and Dice?'  Who else, hmm.  'The Reaper,' I think you call him?  He seems to be the one who usually can get through right away."  Baker moved a hand in front of Todd's eyes.

"If you get my meaning, you're safer to reveal this as a trick now, if it is.  Why not allow me to be the one to unveil it with simple talk?  If you're faking, just tell me, and we move on to plan two.  If you're trying to hold on to pretense, you'll end up in those situations again, Todd, those painful situations.  Then, we move on to plan two.  If you're really catatonic, we move to plan two anyway, to try and bring you out of it.  Either way you look at it, the outcome is the same.  It's going to be plan two, you give us what we need, however, it has to be done, and we set you free."  he waited in silence.  "So, why not talk now and skip all that 'mess.'"

Nothing.  Todd was busy in his safe place.  He was in a white room, with violins and cellos playing in the near distance. One wall was a series of archways, each decorated with gold wall sconces, giving off a pale golden light.  In the center of the room, was a small table, covered in ivory satin, with a gold flower arrangement, and two ornate upholstered chairs in crimson.  In one of the chairs, she sat, beautiful.  Her hair was upswept, tendrils gracing her collarbone, dressed in a Vintage gown of ecru lace.  She put her hand out, without speaking.  He was wearing a black tuxedo, with a cream vest, adorned with gold-threaded patterns.  She shimmered.  The soft light flickered off her dress, her hair, her lips, her eyes.  

He had to be in her arms.  He needed her arms around him, and so he accepted her hand, pulling her to him.  They stood across from each other.  He moved closer to her, and she looked into his eyes.  His fear was fading, and the bands on his wrists and legs vanishing.  

She spoke in her airiness: "It's all right.  You're all right, Todd.  I'm here, your wife, past, present and future," and as always in this place, she wrapped her arms about him and held him as they swayed to the melodic string music.  The playing continued, and she kept him in her arms, never faltering, close, and no one got tired.  Nothing around them stopped, the music, the swaying, the embrace, he just stayed there and closed his eyes.  Golden balloons fell around them and continued falling, and the two of them kept standing there, moving in a slow deliberate circle.  All he could feel was her arms around him, cradling him, her heart close to his, and he would rest his head over her shoulder, safe.


***

By the time lunch rolled around, and Jack and Starr had been at the penthouse for two hours with the kids, the alarms started going off.

"Jack, something's wrong," Starr said, dialing the police station. "Hello, Detective McBain, please. It's urgent. Tell him, Starr Manning.  Hello, Lieutenant McBain, is my mother still there?"

"Still here?  No, she never got here."

Starr began shaking.  "We have a problem.  She left us a note over two hours ago that she was going to bring you something."

John signaled Brody to come into his office.  "Starr, remain calm, I'll get an APB out on her right away.  Stay put, in case she returns or calls.  I'll be in touch."

Hanging up, he looked to Brody.  "Blair Manning's missing.  Most likely, she's been abducted.  She's also pregnant.  Get an APB out on this woman and let's find her."  He got up, grabbing his badge and cell, "I'm off to Mountainview."

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