Dance with the Devil: Chapter 4

John made sure that Cord and Jack were given access to the room and got Cord back to the hospital, leaving Jack at the Metrocourt, before returning to the station. Walking in, he saw Sonny Corinthos staring at him from a chair. No handcuffs were on him as he waited. John decided to approach the mobster. “Just for the record, Corinthos, I don’t think you or anyone in your organization did this.”


“Then why was I dragged down here?” Sonny asked imperiously.


Before he had a chance to answer, Anna walked up. “Because, Mr. Corinthos, it was well known you had a number of run-ins with the victim since March. Those include him pointing a gun at you in the courthouse and a dropped charge of attempted murder against his daughter.” She tried to stem the tide of emotion that always came when thinking of her daughter. “Any parent would go to whatever lengths necessary to protect their children, wouldn’t you agree?’


Sonny nodded. Out of respect for his friend Robin’s memory, he would cooperate with Anna Devane. “What can I help you with, Commissioner Devane?” he asked.


As Anna led him into the interrogation room, John made a move to follow. But Anna stopped him. “With your history with Sonny and him a person of interest, not to mention your connection with Todd Manning, I’m going to ask you to stay here. I won’t take you off the investigation, but you need to hang back a little.” Anna then entered the room.


John turned to find Detective Dante Falconeri leading in Jason Morgan. Their eyes locked as Jason waited by the desk. John approached him. “How are Sam and the baby?”


Jason nodded his head. “They’re doing fine. Sam is just relieved the baby is alive.” He looked around at the activity in the room. “Is that what this is all about?”


“Possibly. Todd Manning was shot a little while ago. He’s in surgery at General Hospital as we speak,” John explained.


“I was with Sam the whole time since we left the hospital,” Jason stated.


“Of that, I have no doubt. I stated to Blair Cramer and to your boss, I don’t think it came from your organization.” As John paused, his cell went off. Natalie’s name appeared on the caller ID. He stepped away. “Hey, how’s it going back home?”


Despite the last few months apart, Natalie was glad to hear John’s voice. “Not good. Dad told us what happened. Is there any update?”


John let out a breath. “Three GSWs to the back. It took them a while to stabilize him enough to perform surgery which he was in when I last heard. Your mother, aunt and brother are still at the hospital waiting with Blair. Jack hung back at the hotel.”


Natalie gulped and nodded, writing a not to her sister and father. She felt helpless being back in Llanview. “Do we have any suspects or motive?”


“A few of both. Todd apparently switched Tea Delgado’s dead baby with another one. The truth came out and there was a blow-up at the hospital earlier today. Just as a standard operating procedure, their going to question Corinthos and Morgan, especially since Morgan is married to the other child’s mother. Tea also slapped him and nearly went after him after the truth came out, so I figure they’ll be questioning her as well. There may be other avenues I’m unaware of, but Commissioner Devane isn’t taking me off the case,” John told Natalie as Sonny returned and Anna beckoned Jason into the room. “Look, I gotta go. Things are still a little haywire here.”


“John, wait,” Natalie said. “I’m going to drive up first thing in the morning with Liam. Dad and Jess are fine here with Sam, but Liam misses his daddy.”


John smiled at the thought. “Call me when you leave. See you tomorrow.” With that, he ended the call.


Back in Llanview, Natalie turned to her father and sister. “According to John, Todd’s in surgery with multiple bullet wounds. Their looking into a number of things, but Todd apparently switched Tea’s baby with another woman’s…because Tea’s baby died.” At that, both Clint and Natalie looked over at Jessica.


The blonde’s eyes clouded over only momentarily, as a memory returned. Taking a deep breath, Jessica found her voice. “Oh, God, Tea,” she said. She would not let the memory of what her alters had done in the past to envelop her now. The door bell rang and Natalie left the library to answer it.


Clint turned to his daughter. “Are you alright?” he asked, worried for her.


She nodded her head as Natalie returned with Bo and Nora Buchanan. “You called me, Clint?” his sister-in-law asked.


“Nora, I need a big favor,” he began. “I need a dispensation from this anklet,” he said, gesturing downwards.


Nora turned to Bo then back to Clint. “Where do you need to go?” she asked.
“Port Charles, New York. Viki left here a few hours ago with Tina, Cord and Jack and I know she needs me,” he explained.


Nora knew that was where Todd Manning had gone to after his acquittal in the spring. Unable to keep from rolling her eyes at the thought of the man, she asked. “What trouble has he gotten himself into now that he needs both of his sisters?”


Usually the girls would be in agreement with Nora on the subject of their Uncle Todd. But having just gotten off the phone with John and hearing the tone in his voice, Natalie for once felt defensive of her uncle. “He was shot, multiple times and is in surgery with bad odds of survival.” She was unsure of the last part, but being raised by Roxy Balsom and knowing a poker face, she decided to gamble. By the looks on her aunt and uncle’s faces, the gamble paid off.


“What, who shot him?” Bo asked.


Jessica shrugged her shoulders. “They’re still looking into it.”


“Nora, is there anything you can do?” Clint persisted.


Nora walked away from the group, gathering her thoughts. When she turned back to them, she asked in a skeptical tone, “You really want to be there for Todd Manning? The man should be in jail for murder. He would be if that slick lawyer he found hadn’t gotten him off with PTSD.” It still rankled her that he had walked on the murder of his brother, not that Victor Lord, Jr. was any better.


“Not for Todd, but for Viki and for her family. That’s what you do for family, even those you may not like all the time,” he said, his eyes boring into her.


The memory of the incident with Bo, shortly after their marriage had blown up spectacularly, came to the forefront of her mind. She looked over at Bo, remembering him in the hospital after he had been shot and Clint coming to support his brother and Matthew and by extension, her This brought up fresh memories. She remembered Viki after the trial and how she could tell how torn the woman was over the acquittal of one brother in the murder of another. Putting her disgust and hatred of Todd Manning aside for a moment, she replied, “I won’t promise anything, but I will talk to a judge.” She reached for Bo’s hand as they prepared to leave. “For family.”


As Nora was preparing to find a judge to sign off on temporary release in Llanview, Jack Manning decided to go wandering around Port Charles. Grabbing his iPhone and slipping his earbuds in, he found himself down by the piers when his stomach let out a growl. He looked around and found what appeared to be a diner. Opening the door, he found only an older man behind the counter talking with a girl who appeared to be around his age. Sitting down at the counter, he attracted the attention of the guy behind the counter. “What can I get for you, son?” he asked jovially.


Glancing at the menu, he was trying to decided when the girl piped in cheerily, “The burgers here are the best. And the fries,” she said, smacking her lips, “they are a work of art,” she added in a faux French accent that reminded him of his Aunt Dorian.


“Yeah, I’ll have that and a soda,” he told the guy, putting the menu down


The man chuckled as he prepared the order. “Ya know, Miz Lansing-Davis, with your family being raised on the finer things in life, I’m surprised you like our down home cooking here.”
“I do still appreciate caviar and escargot, but one cannot live on the finer things alone,” the teenager replied.


“You eat snails?” Jack asked incredulously. She really was reminding him of Aunt Dorian.
The girl merely smiled as she moved down to sit next to him. “My mom’s family has been eating foods like that for generations. They’re Russian royalty.” She held out her hand. “My name’s Molly.”


Jack shook it warily. “Jack,” he replied.


“Are you new in town?” Molly asked


“I’m here under duress. My aunts made me come.” Molly was about to query him further but the food came out. He began stuffing his face, hoping the girl would stop being so nosy.
She merely sat there patiently waiting for him to finish. As he ate the last of the fries, the door to the diner opened and a wild-eye blonde woman came in. “Sorry I’m late, my love, but I had a errand to do."


Jack noticed the look on the man’s face as one of fear. The blonde woman came around the counter and began tying an apron around her waist. Molly also looked a little scared and threw some money on the counter. “Ah, Mr Spencer, it was nice talking with you. You know what, I‘ll pay for Jack‘s food.” She looked back at Jack, grabbing his arm. “You wanted to see that house in the harbor, right Jack?” she asked, nodding to the door.


Jack looked at her with bewilderment, but picked up on the other woman’s vibes. Getting off the stool, he followed Molly out, thanking Mr. Spencer as he left. Once outside, he pulled at Molly’s arm and jerked a finger back at the diner. “What was up with that?” he asked the girl.


Molly shook her head. “Trust me when I say, the woman is crazy,” Molly explained.
“Yeah, I got that,” Jack replied.


“The less time you spend around her, the better. My mom doesn’t want me or my sisters anywhere near her,” she continued. Molly’s demeanor changed the further away they got from the diner. As they walked down to the pier, Molly pointed out the house in the distance. “See that building. It’s called Wyndamere, on Spoon Island. My family owns it, but right now it’s abandoned.”


Jack could tell that from the look of it. It gave off a creepy aura that told him he wanted to stay as far away from it as possible. He looked over at Molly who was looking at it with dreamy eyes. “Look, thanks for getting me out of there with Crazy, but I should really be heading back to my hotel. I kind of wandered off without letting anyone know where I was going.”


“Wait, where are you staying?” Molly asked.


“Uh, the Metrocourt.” He decided then to use his dad being in the hospital as his cover to leave. “My mom has enough to worry about with my dad in the hospital and I told her I’d wait at the hotel.”


“You don’t want to go to the hospital to see him?” she asked. If she noticed the wincing expression on his face, she didn’t say anything. “I can direct you to the hospital, if you want. I know a quick way from here.”


Weighing his options he conceded to her point and allowed her to walk with him to the hospital. She seemed nice but was a little overly cheery for his tastes. They walked into the hospital and he spotted his mother and sister still sitting in the same chairs he had left them earlier. Viki noticed him come up and went to meet him.


“Jack, your father’s still in surgery,” she said, turning to see Blair. “I think she could use your support.” Jack rolled his eyes and meandered over to the chairs as Viki turned to the girl who came in with her nephew.


“Hi, I’m Molly, I just saw him at Kelly’s and he sort of told me what had happened, so I told him I could get him here. Though, he did seem a bit reluctant,” she explained, flashing an adorable, and for some reason familiar, smile.


Viki smiled at her. “I’m his aunt, Viki Banks. Well, whatever you said to him to get him here, I thank you.”


As Jack’s aunt moved away, Molly stepped forward a bit more. “Is Jack’s father your brother?” When Mrs. Banks nodded, Molly grew somber. “I hope your brother is alright.” With that she began to leave, only to nearly run into Michael Corinthos. “Michael, what are you doing here?” she asked her cousin.


“Starr Manning’s father was shot at the Metrocourt today. I wanted to check up on her.” He finally noticed who he was talking with, turning his attention to Molly and away from Starr and her family. “What are you doing here?”


“I just met, who I’m guessing is Starr’s brother, Jack. He was at Kelly’s eating when Heather Webber showed up. I thought it best to get out of there and I got him out too,” Molly explained.


He nodded and moved away from his younger cousin. He walked to where Starr was sitting and knelt down in front of her. “Is there any word yet?” he asked.


Starr was startled for a moment, but moved Michael away from her family. She rubbed her
neck with her hand and tried with all her might to stop the tears from falling. “He’s been in surgery for a while. The doctor said there was a lot of damage, so for the length of time they’ve been there, it’s not surprising.” She turned back to her family. “My Aunt Viki and Aunt Tina arrived just before they began surgery. Tina was needed for a transfusion.” She turned away again. “I’m so worried for my Mom. She’s had to live with the thought of loosing my dad before. If she hadn’t been pregnant with me, I don’t think she would have made it then.”


“Your parents have that kind of love, huh?” Michael replied, a small smile creeping on his face.


Starr was able, at least, to return it. “Despite everything, they are soul mates. Of that, I have no doubt.”


Michael nodded over in the direction of Jack. “Your brother?”


Again, Starr nodded. “We’re convinced he’s the exact same way dad was at that age.” When Michael shot her a questioning look, Starr elaborated. “My dad was adopted as a baby. He didn’t know who his parents were until he was twenty-five.”


They were about to continue the conversation when a surgeon approached them. Blair shot to her feet immediately, and Viki, Starr and Tina followed close behind. “Doctor, do you have any news on Todd Manning? Has he made it through surgery?” she cried, begging the man before her for answers.


The doctor looked around at the group, grim-faced.


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