The Shadows Fall: Chapter 24

That evening, Todd prepared to go out on his investigation, and after an early dinner with the kids, he headed to The Break Bar.  Pulling the matchbook from his pocket, he flashed it at the manager, who, luckily not reacting to having seen him before, opened the curtained door to him without reservation.  Collecting a fee of $500 from Todd, he walked off after a smarmy wink.  Todd entered the sitting area and sat on a sofa, waiting.  He'd told the manager, "I want Tess," and waited to see how things would play out.  

Jessica, or Tess, came through one of the side doors and since there were no other johns in the sitting area, they fortunately did not have to put on much of a show.  She lead him to another door, clearly to her 'room,' and they went inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Did you get anywhere today?"  He wrote on a pad of paper and handed it to her.

She played along.  "Oh, so you don't want talk, huh?  All right, I'll play the game."  

She wrote back, "Yes, I was able to connect with one of the girls here, Tiffany.  She and I are clearly friends when I am Tess.  She agreed to go to lunch with me tomorrow."

He took the note from her and smiled, trying to leer at her, and wrote back, "Any news?"

She verbally responded, "Oh I love this game.  I love to read the dirty things you're going to do to me."  In writing, she answered, "No.  Nothing yet.  The only thing is that I saw the principal of my old high school."

He widened his eyes and lifted an eyebrow.  Todd looked about the room quickly, and within minutes, he located a hidden camera.  Taking a piece of paper from his pad, he stuffed it into the eyehole, so the camera would not film them.  After about thirty-five minutes, he removed the paper, and exited, with Jessica on his arm, feigning illness.  She continued her sick act as he made his way out to the brown hallway and to the exit.  

Once outside, he sighed.  He'd gotten inside and made his first connection.  He also knew he had to get Jessica out of there, and since tapes were being made, it meant that someone could possibly be recorded engaged in sex with his niece.  That was his next job when he completed this investigation.  He would find a way to obtain the tapes and destroy them, protecting her from further embarrassment.  Things were moving along nicely; he'd gained the knowledge that these men were powerful, they were being taped, and Jessica had a meeting the next day.  He vowed that she would not return to The Break Bar again, unless absolutely necessary, and headed home.


***


The following day, Todd received a call from Jessica regarding her lunch date.  "Uncle Todd, it's me."


"Hey Jess, what's up?"


"Tiffany and I just had lunch.  I was able to get something for you.  Do you want me to tell you on the phone, or head over?"


"Why don't you come by tonight, then Blair and the kids can see you, and you can have dinner with us, then we can talk."


Turning to Blair, he said, "Jessica is coming over this evening."


"Yes, I heard.  I hope it helps with this story.  You've really got your teeth into this one.  What's holding you to it, Mr. Manning?"


"I guess it's those young girls.  The first day I went in, I thought of Starr, how she's so close to them in age, and I just got pissed.  Besides, there's more to it, I can tell."


"You have a good sense about that stuff."


"Let's talk over what we know."


"Sure, let me get a pad.  I'll write it down."  She got a pad and pen from the desk, and returned, sitting next to him on the couch.  He was spending a great deal of time at home, away from The Sun, working from home.  She was grateful for his presence and company.  He made her feel very safe.


He began talking, and she began recording.  "Matt Hardy, Ben Crawford (Managing Editor of The Banner), Clarence Majors (Assistant District Attorney). What do they have in common?"


"Penises."


"Other than that."


"Rich.  Powerful maybe."


"More specific."


"One is a writer, one is an officer of the court, one is a...what is Matt Hardy anyway?"


"Vice President of PP."


"Prospect Park?"


He rolled his eyes.  "No, Pettigrew Pharmaceuticals."


"All right.  That one seems misplaced.  I'll put a question mark."


"There are a few others."  The continued making the list, including everyone that he could recognize the night he watched them come out of the Loading Zone door.


Blair summarized, "It seems like there are men from almost all aspects of Llanview's business world and government."


"That's what it seems like.  The question is, who's behind it?"


"Maybe what Jessica shares with us will explain it, or at least clarify a few things."


"We're a good team, Mrs. Manning."


"I know, Mr. Manning."


"I love working with you.  It's like the old days."


"The best of times."  He kissed her, stroking her arm.  Sam interrupted them.


"Hey Mom?"


"Yes, Little Man."


"If the baby is Moonbeam, can I be Mercury?  It's the fastest."


She looked at Todd, who shrugged.  "It's your question, Mommy."


"It's your nickname, Daddy."  She turned back to her son.  "Sure.  Why not?  And who is Jack going to be?"


Todd chimed in, under his breath, "For the way that kid's been acting, he ought to be Uranus."


"TAWD!"  Blair called out, and looked back to Sam.  "I don't know.  What do you think he should be?"


"I think he should be Neptune.  It's named after the God of the Sea, Poseidon."


Todd interrupted, "No, I don't think that name is going to work either."


Blair shot him a look.  "You can let Jack pick his own name."


"Okay," he said.  "And you have to be the Milky Way, Mom.  Mostly because you're the mother of all of them."


"Hmm, The Milky Way, I like that."  Todd said, eyeing his wife's form.


"All right, what about Todd then?  What is he?"


"That's easy.  He's The Sun.  The strong one who is the center of it."


Todd chuckled, impressed.  "I like it, Sam.  But what about Hope?"


"She can be Pluto, the littlest."


Both Todd and Blair laughed.  Todd got up, scooping Sam into his arms.  "Hey, buddy, let's go do that homework."  He carried him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  Blair watched them go, and laughed to herself.  Just then, she felt a quickening in her tummy, and put her hand on it.  "You hear that, Moonbeam?  This is your nutty family."


As the sun set, Blair carefully set the table with Starr's help.  Dinner was coming closer and Jessica was due to arrive any time.  Todd had taken care of ordering something from the local market.  They were serving roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables with key lime pie for dessert.


Soon, the doorbell rang, signaling Jessica's arrival.  Sam ran to the door, excitedly.  "Hi, Jessica, it's me, Sam!"  he announced.


"Hi Sam!"  Jessica said, walking in.  "Hi, everyone."


Various greetings were exchanged.  Blair was already seated at the table, and Starr was serving with Todd's help and the kids were all seated and ready.  Jack was pouring drinks for everyone.  Jessica said, "Blair, you look great, how are you feeling?"


The conversation went to the pregnancy, as the two women compared notes.  "I hope I look as fabulous as you do when I'm your age."


"I hope so, too,"  Blair said, "and thank you for the compliment."


The family ate, sharing the day's stories of school and adventures in the playground.  After the meal was over, Jessica helped everyone clean up, and Todd banished Blair to the living room, to get her pad ready to take notes for him.  She parked herself on the sofa, and Jack made a small fire.  The kids retired to their rooms, and Starr left, saying she was going out with friends.  Todd and Blair were permanent babysitters; they loved having Hope all to themselves, and helping to raise her.


Jessica and Todd joined Blair in the living room, and began chatting about the meeting Jessica had.  "I don't have all that much," she began, "Tiffany told me everything she knew.  It's sad, because the girls seem to be being blackmailed, too.  She is under the impression that even though she gets paid quite well for her work, if she decides to give it up, something may happen to her daughter, Zoey."


They listened closely to Jessica's report, and Blair was frantically recording whatever she heard.  "She also told me that the girls are required to bring in as many powerful or connected men, wealthy ones, and make connections with them, getting them to become regulars.  Like, Tiffany, her client is always the Assistant DA."


Todd looked at Blair, who stopped a moment, and then continued writing.


Jessica went on.  "Here's the catch.  Periodically, the girls are required to bring the guys into the 'cinema room,' they call it, and those are equipped with special camera equipment..."


Todd interrupted, "and let me guess, they catch the men on tape and then have something to hold over them."


"You guessed it.  There are even male prostitutes in case the clients swing that way."


"Jessica, it's time for you to go out there and care for yourself.  I don't want you going back there.  You've opened a door for me.  I'll find another way to work this.  I really appreciate your help."


"Is it really going to help you, what I found out?"


"Sure.  Of course, I'm going to need to get one of those tapes.  Once I have that, I have evidence that this is really happening.  Which door is the 'cinema room?'"


Jessica described a purplish door to the left of the sitting room.  Todd remembered it and Blair scribbled it down.  "But Uncle Todd, I really think the easiest way for you to get that tape is to let me.  Seriously, to them, I belong there right now.  They don't expect you to be in the cinema room, nor are you even a regular yet.  I promise that will be my last time going there."


Blair spoke up, "she's right, Todd.  Let her get it.  It will be her last part in this."


Todd agreed, though not thoroughly convinced that he could not have done it himself.  The plan was for Jessica to return there the following day, confiscate a tape, and then leave without the staff noticing her.  She planned to go in before Happy Hour even started to make it simpler.  With the evidence in hand, Todd would start to interview some of the men and try and uncover the mastermind.  He looked at Blair, "This will be a heck of a story."


She nodded.  Jessica stood up, and Todd also did, walking her to the door.  "Goodbye, Blair," she called.


Blair waved, and Jessica gave Todd a hug, and he closed the door after her.  Blair said, "not bad.  Juicy."


"Nope.  Sounds a little weird, even for me. But, definitely juicy."


She nodded.  Her man was so hard at work, she loved how he intense he was, especially when he had his mind set on something.

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