The Fourth Life: Chapter 47

"Where is he?" Todd  asked.


"I assume the morgue.... Why?"  John  said, curious.


"Can you take me to him?"


John caught Nora's eye, and they connected looks for a moment.   John said, "It's a bit of  an unusual request, Manning."


"Please, I..."  he wasn't sure himself why he needed to see Hesser dead, but he did.   He  also knew John found it strange,  but couldn't help himself.  "Just, John, do this for me?   I'm not even sure why, but I just have to see him."


John said, "It's  not illegal, so I guess there's no reason you can't.  But, you have to admit..."


"It's strange, even for me.  Yeah, I know."  The compulsion to do this was beyond his control.  He looked at John, much like a small child, and waited.  John used his hand to direct Todd to the police car, and he walked ahead of them, hands in his pockets.  


John turned to Nora, and she said,  "Something's not right about this.  I've never seen Todd this way.  And I've seen him a lot of ways."


John said, "I'm going to humor him.  See what's up.  Meanwhile, I will call Zelenko.  He should hear this."


Nora said, "I'll take a rain check on that pie," and hailed a taxi.


***


Zeus hung up the phone and said, "That was McBain.  My father's dead."


Tea, propped up on her elbow, said, "Oh, I'm...sorry?"  She was unsure as of what to say.

"This certainly clears up that question of testifying."


"Zeus, you're acting like...it's nothing."


"It is nothing.  He's not my father, not in the real sense.  He deserves everything he has gotten."


"How did he die?"


"McBain did not say," he said, and then, "Whoever did it deserves a medal."


Tea ran her fingers through his bristly hair.  She loved it cut short.  She said, "He's gone.  Carlo Hesser is gone."


"Seems so."


"Why do I feel this has something to do with Todd?"


Zeus said, "I was thinking the same thing."


***


In the morgue, Todd got a chill that ran up his back and through him.  He shook it off, saying to himself, Manning, you've been through a hell of a lot worse.  John opened the door, and they entered a special room, with a series of metallic gurneys with human shells covered in white sheets.  There were three of them, waiting.  Todd looked at John, and John said, "Have you been to a morgue before?"


"No.  Is it something I should have made my business to do, like getting a tattoo or piercing my tongue?"


There it was.  The undeniable Manning snark.  John was beginning to know the man well enough to realize what he was doing.  Protecting himself.


"Not necessarily, but you sure were adamant about coming here today," John reminded, "Now, why are we here, Manning?"


Todd said, in a childlike manner that somehow pierced John's stoic demeanor, "I have to.  I have to see him dead.  I have to know it's true, do you understand?"


Somehow, John did.  They walked to one of the bodies, and John, checking the tag, said, "This is Hesser.  Do you want me to lift the sheet?"


"I can do that," Todd said, grabbing the crisp white material, and pulling it back.  Hesser's lips were blue; his nose was still swollen from the beating he took.  Other than those two things, Hesser just looked...rested.  Peaceful.  He turned back to John and said, "That's it?"


"What did you expect to see, Todd?"


"I expected suffering.  I expected to see some sign that he suffered even an ounce as much as he made me.  I expected to see something that let me know he was in pain, that he felt remorse, or agony, or fear, or something.  Not this."  He covered Carlo's face back up.  "This is too good for him.  He killed my daughter.  Aside from everything he's done to me, and to Blair, he took our baby."  John watched as Todd rested his hands on the gurney's edge, and slumped a bit, and his voice gave way to silence, his hands, white from gripping the edge.


John put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry about your loss."


He sniffed and tried to pull it together.  "Blair's not well.  She's not coping."  He looked up at John, and his eyes were pained.  "I have to get her out of here, get her home.  I have to do something, be strong for her, and for my kids."


"Give yourself a break, Manning, you're already strong.  Fuck, I can't think of one man who could endure what you did, and live to tell about it, never mind manage this whole family and the crises that you are facing."


He ignored what John said, and asked, "Did I kill him?"


John said, "No.  The coroner's report says that he was smothered.  Most likely with a pillow or something soft pushed down over his airways."


He nodded, thinking of Blair, "He has to die, Todd."  She couldn't have been strong enough to. . .


"Manning, let's get out of here.  It's a bit too cold for my liking."


"All right.  Thank you for bringing me here.  I had to see for myself that he was really gone."


"He's really gone."


"I'm going to Blair."


"Of course, as you should.  Remember to make those appointments with Ray Martino.  The courts take that seriously."


"That goes without saying," he said, "I could use to talk with him, at this point."


They left the morgue, and hit the elevator button.  When they got in, John hit L and Todd hit 5.   When the door opened at the lobby level, John said, "Take care of Blair, and yourself."


Todd watched John walk off, as the elevator doors closed.  Finding himself on the 5th floor and searching for Blair's room again in the twisting and turning hallways, he passed the door initially, then turned around and went back.  Peeking his head in, he was surprised to see her sitting up, thumbing through a magazine.  She looked up.  "Todd!"  she smiled, and he went to her.  


"Hey, are you all right, Babe?"  He kissed her forehead.


"I'm okay.  Larry said I can go home soon."


"Home.  That sounds good.  I haven't been to Unforgettable in days."


"It seems so weird, doesn't it, Todd?  We haven't been there for so long, it seems.  Since the morning of that day in court,"  her face twisted with regret and sadness.


"It does seem weird, I know.  But it will be good to be there."


"Are you all right, Todd?  What happened?"


"I got off.  I have to see Ray for 30 hours, according to the judge.  That's all.  Nora did it."


"Nora?  Are you kidding me?"  she smiled, and laughed through her words.  


She looks better.  Doesn't she?  "Yep, Nora.  The self-righteous Mrs. Buchanan came through for me.  I was shocked, but John asked her to do it.  The judge basically said Carlo deserved his face punched in, in a round about way."


"Well, he did.  And he deserved to die, too."


Todd stopped.  "How did you know he was dead?"


She paused a moment, and looked into his eyes.  "What do you mean?"


"You just said, he deserved to die, too, and Blair, Carlo is dead."


"He's dead?"  she said, unemotionally.  Her articulation was perfectly flat.


"Yeah.  John says he was most likely murdered.  How did you know that, Babe?"


"I didn't.  I just meant that he deserved to die.  He deserved whatever he got."  Her demeanor totally changed.  She was suddenly bitter, angry.  


He took his hand to the back of her head and smoothed her hair, and said, "It's over now.  You don't need to worry about him anymore."  He pulled her to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.


"Oh, I know that,"  she said.  "You, too.  You don't have to think about him ever again, Todd.  Everything he's done to us is gone."


***


Timothy took Starr, Jack, Hope, Sam and Little Ray to the hospital parking lot.  Turning in, the limo dropped them right in front of the hospital doors.  Jack took Ray, and the kids walked, one on each side of Starr, as they hit the long haul to the elevator.  Pushing 5, Hope smiled.  Starr said, "We're going to see Grandma."


Sam said, "Who's Grandma?  Addie's here?"


Starr said, "Now, Sam, I've explained this to you before.  I'm Hope's mommy, so your Mom is her Grandma."


"Oh yeah, I forgot."


The doors opened, and the kids traipsed to Blair's room, surprised to see their father as well.  "Dad!"  Sam ran to him.  They had caught Blair napping and Todd in the side chair, watching her sleep.  


With his little shout, Blair opened her eyes.  "Oh, I have company," she said.


After hugs and greetings, Todd noticed Blair staring at sleeping Ray in his carrier.  Sam said, "Dad, why were you sitting in the chair watching Mom sleep?  That's not much fun."


Todd smiled, ruffling his hair, "It is fun.  She's very pretty and I love to look at her."


"She is pretty," Sam said, "she's the prettiest."


"No argument here," Todd said, "Jack, what do you think?"


"I think she's pretty, Dad."


"Jack, you okay?"  Todd asked.


"Yeah, I'm fine."  He said, and Todd beckoned him with his hand.  The teen walked to his father.  "Come here, give me a hug, will ya?"


Jack bent down, obligatory in movement, and Todd embraced him, feeling a bit of tension run off the boy.  He said, quietly into Jack's ear, "It's okay.  We'll talk later."


Blair, fixated on the baby, said, "Starr, bring him to me."  She put her arms out.


Todd watched, hopeful.  Starr unstrapped Little Ray, and carefully brought him, now awake, over to Blair.  She looked into his face, and she said, "Hey, Little Man."


She put out her finger and he wrapped his hand around it.  She smiled through tears at her baby son, and Todd felt a lump in his throat.  Starr went to place him in her arms, and she folded them, saying, "I can't."


Todd looked at her, realizing she was on the verge of a breakdown of some kind, between her strange, joyous response to him when he first arrived, to the way she was avoiding touching her baby.  He looked at Jack, whose face was pained, and realized his son saw the same thing he did.  He's always perceptive.  He always sees things in people, like I do.  He heard himself say, "I'll take a shot at holding that little guy."


Starr turned and handed him to Todd, but looked back to her mother, and sitting on the bed, moved her mother's hair off her face, and said, "Mom, are you all right?"


"Yes, Starr, I'm fine, I just don't feel strong enough."


Timothy appeared at the door, just then.  "Hello, Mannings, nice to see the family together again!"


"Hey, Broderick, are you keeping my paper afloat?"  Todd said, kissing the cheek of his baby boy gently.


"Of course, Lad, what do you take me for?"


"Well, it had better be.  Circulation up?"


"12 percent this week.  You're getting to be a miser, Mr. Manning."


He smirked, "How do you think I keep this brood in flashy duds?"  He stood, with Ray in his arms, and walked to the doorway.  Timothy moved toward Blair, and sat beside her bed.  Starr followed her father out.


"Dad?" she whispered.  "What is going on with her?  She couldn't leave that baby for a minute when you were gone."


He pulled Little Ray closer to his chest and cradled his head, which sat like a small ball inside his palm.  Patting him quietly, he said, "I don't know, Starr, I have to get her out of here.  Maybe bringing her home will help."


"Dad, she's acting strange.  Do you know that she called us to come here?"


He stopped, "No.  What did she say?" 


"She was cheery, strange.  She said for us to come down here.  So we did.  Dad, what's the matter with her?"


"She's not well, Starr.  I know she's....she's just got to get home, that's all."


Starr was not convinced.  "I'm scared.  I am scared about how she's acting, toward all of us, and especially Ray."  She protectively put her hand on Ray's back.  


Todd said, "I'll take care of it.  I will, Starr."


She nodded.  Then she said, "She said something else."


"What else, Starr?"


"She said we had something to celebrate.  What was it, Dad?"


Todd swallowed, remembering her words:  He deserved to die, too.  "I don't know.  I'll find out.  Leave it alone, Starr,"  he said. "I'll help her, I'll keep the family together.  Trust me?"


"Of course, I'm just worried, Dad."


"It will be okay, Starr," he put his free arm around her and hugged her.  


Jack stepped into the hallway and said, "Dad, what the heck is wrong with Mom?"


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