The Shadows Fall: Chapter 33

Todd came through the door with a lift in his step.  Jack trudged behind, yawning.  Blair pushed herself up with her hands to get out of the armchair to greet them.  She hugged her son, who seemed to be in grumpy teen mode again, and then went to Todd's arms and kissed his neck and ear.  "Thank God, my men are home!"

"Why, what's wrong, Blair?"  Todd asked.

"Nothing.  Just missed you, that's all."

Sam came down the stairs.  "Hey Jack, wanna see my new fort?"

Jack walked as if protesting, but headed there just the same.  "All right, let me see."  They vanished into the upper level of the penthouse.

Todd held Blair very close, as close as he could with Moonbeam in the way, and lingered.  "I think the 'what's wrong' might go to you, Todd.  Are you all right?"

He pulled back from her a little.  "It's been a rough day.  Very emotional one.  I know it will sound strange for me, but I'm tired."

She smiled gently, "Okay.  Then, let's get you up to bed, or a nice, warm bath?"

He held her and didn't budge, putting his head back over her shoulder.  "I like it fine right here."  He closed his eyes, shutting out the images of the day.

She whispered against his collar.  "Do you want to talk about it?"

He pulled away again, and this time, took her hand and lead her to the couch.  They both sat, him helping her to her comfortable position, and him, facing her.  "I don't know why, but I do.  Usually, I try and run from talking about this stuff."

"You're changing.  You're seeing things differently.  There's no crime or shame in that, Todd."

"All right,"  he paused, "I guess seeing Zeus today, it really shook me up."

She took his hand and held it.  "I can imagine.  Do you want to tell me more about that?"

"Blair, it was...he was like a person without skin, like he was exposed and raw.  Here I was thinking that I needed to apologize for what I had done, back then, you know, after Ireland.  And he was just hoping I'd understand him somehow."

"So sad.  Is he going to be all right?"

"I don't know.  He seemed...I just don't know.  He's ruined.  Completely."

"And you're wondering why you aren't?" He nodded.  She always knew him, so well.  "Simple.  You're strong, Todd.  You're resilient.  Those terrible things you dealt with in your life have made you a tower of strength.  I don't think there is anything that could break you, at this point."

He stared into her face, and touched her hair with his index finger.  "Yes, there is."

She, knowing what he meant, remained quiet.  After a few moments, she said, "There had to be some good to this day."

"There was.  My son, he said he loves me."

She smiled, tilting her head and squeezing his hand.  "Oh, Todd.  That's beautiful."

"Yeah, it was pretty epic.  Just sayin.'"

"I knew he did.  But he was having so much trouble saying it."

"Exactly.  Then we ate at the barbecue there, and we headed to The Break."

"And what happened there?"

"I got the bartender, Hank, to work for me.  Spy around."

She laughed, "You did?  Briggsette was pretty sour that Vance couldn't get in there."

"Well, I have my ways.  Anyway, he's agreed.  I left him some instructions of what to do.  I told him that we would give him a job at Capricorn when it was all over."

"Oh, you did, did you?"

  

"Of course.  What's mine is yours, Mrs. Manning."

She sighed, "And what's yours is mine, Mr. Manning.  I just wish this backache and these swollen feet were yours right now."

He lifted one of her legs and held her foot in his lap.  Casting off the pink fluffy slipper, he started to massage one of her feet.  "I had him search the back rooms.  We should get something really definitive tomorrow."

"Great.  I was looking over these papers to try and find something.  Nothing yet.  But I won't give up.  Working on identifying the holders of financial interest.  There are three owners to this place.  They are three names I don't know, but I'm going to look into who they are."

He had switched feet.  "My little detective."

"I wish your detective was little at this point."  She tried again to lift herself off the couch with her own arms, but instead, he rose and helped her gently to stand.  She walked over and found her slippers, sliding her feet into them.

"Don't worry, you and Moonbeam are going to be just fine.  Want something to eat?"

"No, not really.  Do you?"

"No, I had a lot at the picnic at Mountainview."

"Let's go upstairs and watch a movie."

"Don't tell me?"

"Yes, I want to watch it again."

"All right, we'll watch 'Father's Little Dividend' again."  They ascended the stairs.  "But we already know the ending." 

***

Hank waited until the bar area was cleared to check the back.  It was about ten minutes after two, and things were very still in The Break Bar.  Having thrown out the last of the bar hounds with the help of Walnut, the bouncer, he finished polishing the bar top and drying out a few glasses.  Walnut left via the front door, and the manager had probably gone about an hour before closing, as expected.  Hank shut the lights in the store front and headed to the back.

Checking around him carefully, he headed to the curtain door, and stopped short.  He heard a voice.  The manager, Rudy, was on the telephone.  "Yes, I understand.  I'll bring over the 'proceeds' tomorrow some time.  What do you want me to do?  Remove them?  I promise you, he has not been around here in weeks.  All right, all right, whatever you say, the bugs come out.  Remove the cameras, too?  Just shut them?  All right, they stay off.  For now.  I'll get the bugs and bring the profits over tomorrow.  Yes, I understand.  No need to keep threatening me, I get it."  He hung up.  "That woman is nuts," he said aloud.  "My cut better be worth it all."

Hank worked to remain perfectly still.  In the silence, he was afraid he'd be heard and found, and then explaining why he was hiding behind a booth was not going to be easy.  He listened as Rudy worked his way through the rooms and then closed each door behind him.  "No locking sounds," he thought to himself.  "The cameras will be off.  Now's the best time to do this, if this is what I'm going to do."

He heard the Loading Zone door close.  Still, he waited, careful, for a while, until he heard no more sound for a long time.  Then, he ventured into the back and entered the sitting room.  The quiet was almost deafening as he made his way to each side room.  He searched through all of the entertainment cubicles, and found nothing to speak of.  On his way toward the Loading Zone door to make his exit, he spied a closet.  Wanting to cover everything, he opened it and peered inside.  Pulling the overhead chain to light the single bulb in the ceiling, he looked around.  

There were boxes, and more boxes, and some were ajar and others were closed.  Looking into two of them, he saw piles of tapes, appearing very disorganized.  He knew what they were, and took one of them as evidence to give to that Sam guy at the bar.  He wanted that money that Sam had offered him, and this was going to be the way to get it.  He looked through all of the boxes, making certain to return them to where they were, and not remove any other content.  Most of them were tapes, one box was filled with cleaning supplies, one had discarded clothing left in the bar, one had some receipts and ledgers.  He wrote it all down.  The last one he opened was full of costumes, or something like it.  He made a record on a notepad of what was inside:  a man's suit, fedora, dress shoes, a brown monk's robe, a silver lighter, and, to his surprise, a photo of Sam and a beautiful blonde.  The caption under the photo read, "Todd Manning, Publisher of The Sun, and his wife, Blair Manning."

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