Walker put the phone down and walked to his desk. He picked up the file on Tomas and read Calmar’s recent report. Calmar had his orders regarding Johnny Zacchara. They had already begun filling his head with the false memories and he hadn’t a clue. Calmar and his CIA contacts were masters at deception and targeting puppets to take falls for their endeavors. Zacchara was just one of many. He had no idea his liquor had been spiked. The drug entered the system quickly and anyone who imbibed was easily controlled. The night Tomas went after Anthony, Calmar and his men were prepared ahead of time. They had waited patiently as Sonny Corinthos had stormed in and almost killed Johnny. They had orders to keep Zacchara alive, but they knew Corinthos wouldn’t kill him with Mrs. Jacks on the premises.
They moved in not long after Corinthos left and found Zacchara and Carly Jacks lying on the floor in his apartment. It was a very simple feat to implant the suggestions into them and place them both strategically in his bedroom. Carly Jacks was instructed to remember that she had slept with Johnny and he was with her the entire night. Johnny’s memory had him leaving Carly and shooting out Anthony’s tires before returning to Carly. Thanks to the drug, neither had any idea their memories of the night were false. They had continued to tamper with Johnny Zacchara by using the drug to feed his anger over Anthony’s use of Claudia, thereby convincing him even more that he had shot out the tires and killed the little girl and her father.
Having received the call from Tomas, Walker put in the call to Calmar.
“You’re up again. Anthony’s dead. You know what to do next.”
“Yes sir, any changes?” Calmar asked.
“Go with the story we worked out. That is what Zacchara needs to believe. I suggest you get in touch with Tomas for details.”
Walker hung up. He had to hand it to his “pseudo” mother, Irene. She and her CIA pals had come up with some interesting techniques and drugs over the years. Now they would implant the memory of Anthony’s death and disposal of his body on the Quartermaine property. into Zacchara’s memory. The plan was running smoothly. Walker made a notation in the file. Soon he would offer to take Anthony’s territory off the beleaguered and confused Johnny Zacchara’s hands, who would immediately agree because he was being programmed to do just that. Then it would be a simple matter to drop an anonymous tip about Johnny to the police.
Walker left his office and headed down the hallway to the room his brother’s disciple occupied. She was a bit of a strange bird, but very resourceful. He had his reasons for keeping her around. She was very receptive to the protocol and soon she would be taking orders from him with as much fervor as she had given his brother. He slipped the mask on and entered her room.
Alison woke up feeling groggy, the last few days had been a blur. She had been informed she had been ill for several months and had just recently started responding to treatment. Her last clear memories were about shooting Viki Banks. She was uncertain how she got where she was, but it wasn’t a hospital. It was too fancy. She thought the place seemed familiar and kept getting images of walking through a passage. She had been looking for something. For one brief moment, she was sure she had found it, but then the elusive thought slipped away. As the afternoon wore on, her thoughts became clearer and she realized although the room was fancy she was still locked in. Someone didn’t want her going anywhere. She began to recall more, people coming to talk to her, food and drink provided, but the memories of how she ended up in the room were still out of reach. She was sitting on her bed looking out the window at the beautiful garden when she heard the door open behind her. She looked up startled.
“What do you want? Why the mask? Oh, never mind I’m not stupid, you don’t want me to know who you are. So I’ll ask again. What do you want?” Alison glared at the man in front of her.
Walker smiled behind his mask. She had spunk. Strange, he had always heard she was a bit of a sheep when it came to his brother.
“That’s my question? My men tell me you’re feeling better. I don’t understand your anger. You broke into my home. You held a gun on me, then collapsed. Don’t you remember?” Now he would find out just how many of the new memories were beginning to take.
Suddenly Alison saw herself looking for the entrance to the building. She was outside walking the perimeter. Then she found it, right where Mitch had said it was. She slipped her hand through the ivy and gave the metal ring a tug. Sticking the gun into her waistband she opened the stone door. Surprisingly it opened with ease and she found herself in a lit tunnel. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The place was supposed to be empty. She pulled her gun back out and proceeded down the corridor until she found another door. It wasn’t locked so she entered. The room she entered was very elegant and not what she expected from Mitch. It would be a great place to hide but not with people already occupying it. She made her way down another hallway and found what she thought might be a bedroom. As she opened the door she saw a figure sitting with his back to her. She walked quietly behind him and stuck the gun in his back. He turned slowly and ...Oh God, his face, the scars.
Alison’s memories flooded back .“I saw you....” She didn’t know what to say. She stared at the mask suddenly understanding his need to hide his face. “I’m sorry, I meant you no harm that night. I was just looking for a place to hide.” Just like that, she realized she was in Mitch’s hideout and obviously, it was far from empty.
“So you do remember. I must say, asking for shelter with a gun isn’t very nice.” Walker was pleased. Calmar had done a good job, she no longer remembered seeing him as Todd Manning. Now he would simply work on her and the sympathy he saw in her eyes. Yes, this was going to work. “You say you needed a place to hide. I can understand that.” He lifted a hand indicating his mask. He knew he could now remove it because she would see what they wanted her to see. Still, for now, he would play the recluse afraid to show his face. It would further cement the image of him in her mind. He needed her help and getting her to believe his story was paramount to his plan. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Miles, Miles Cochrane, and you are?”
Alison suddenly found herself at a loss. The guy was actually being polite. She answered before even realizing he might know her name. “Alison, Alison Perkins.” As soon as she said it she was alarmed. God, what had she done? He’s going to call the police and you’ll be right back in prison.
“Well, Ms. Perkins, perhaps you would like to tell me why you need to hide. I can assure you, I won’t throw you out without at least giving you a chance to explain.” He was curious about what sob story she would give him. He had no intentions of turning her over to the police. That was the last thing he would do. He loved a good story and he had a feeling Alison was going to be very amusing. He could see the gears spinning as she thought he was going to be an easy mark.
Okay, Alison play your cards right and you could end up with a nice cushy place to stay. “Mr. Cochrane, I don’t know where to begin. I recently escaped from a place worse than hell. My stepfather had me imprisoned there because he wanted my family’s estate. I was forced to sign over all that I owned in exchange for my life. Then he informed me that I was being committed for my own good and as long as I was a good girl, I could live out my life in the institution. No matter what I told the ones in charge they all believed my stepfather. You have to understand. When a blackout occurred, I took my chance to get free and came here. I remember hearing my uncle talk about an estate up here that had been abandoned.”
It was all he could do to stifle his laugh. She had clearly read a great deal of romantic fiction. He kept up his facade and played the understanding host. “Ah yes, my men said you mentioned someone named Mitch Laurence, and as you can see this estate is occupied. However, I wonder how you happened upon a gun in your escape from, excuse me, where did you say ?”
Alison’s mind was working hard. She remembered a high-security mental hospital for the criminally insane in New York State. Come on Alison, think. Yes, that’s it. “It was called the Sitwell Institute and I got the gun out of an orderly’s desk. You have to understand, I didn’t intend to use it. I just wanted to make sure no one took me back.”
She was not above lying. He knew the gun had been fired and Tomas had reported she was the one who shot Victoria. He had had a moment of concern when he had heard that news. Although Viki wasn’t really his sister and was as self-righteous and uptight as they came, she had always seemed to care for him. Still, he was grateful he’d never have to listen to another lecture. Bringing his mind back to the woman in front of him. “Well, it seems you’re highly resourceful. As you were sick when you first arrived, it would be ungentlemanly of me to just turn you out on the street. So you may stay here for a while if you wish. I would ask that you not interfere with my men and their duties. I trust you’ll also understand that I like my privacy, but perhaps you might join me for dinner occasionally. I’m not averse to a conversation if you can stand to be in my presence. You will be allowed the run of the estate except for my private quarters. Is that acceptable?” He watched her face and knew she was going to take his offer.
Alison couldn’t believe her luck. The guy must really be lonely to allow a perfect stranger access to his home. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.” She was now free to find out what had happened to Mitch, then she could make her next move. She looked at her host wondering how he had become so scarred and what his story was. Well, maybe she could work on getting him to talk at those occasional dinners. Mitch had taught her how to find a person’s weakness and use it. There had to be something here she could use to her advantage.
Walker nodded and turned to leave her. He counted silently in his head as he walked away. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..
“Excuse me, Mr. Cochrane?”
Excellent she was falling deeper into his trap.
“I don’t want to impose further but it’s been a while since I’ve had someone to talk to at dinner. Perhaps you would let me join you, just for tonight?” Alison crossed her fingers. If she was going to make the most of this place, she knew she would have to get on the good side of Miles Cochrane.
Affecting a long-suffering sigh, “Oh, I suppose since I’m allowing you to stay it might be nice to have someone to talk to. Ms. Perkins, would you join me for dinner?” He smirked behind his mask. Now he understood why Mitch used her. She might be smart, but she was also easily manipulated. “As you’ve obviously been on the run, I will see that you get some clothes to wear. I’m afraid your outfit leaves a lot to be desired.”
Alison looked down at her clothes and had to agree. She had swiped them at a thrift store that night in Llanview. At least her host hadn’t seen her prison garb. It was obvious he hadn’t kept up on the news. “Thank you. I do apologize for my appearance and would be grateful for a change of clothes. Also, I’m looking forward to our dinner.”
“Very well, one of my men will bring you to my quarters at the proper time. One more thing. If you’re to be my guest, you must understand there will be no phone calls allowed. As I stated before, I prefer my privacy. Have a good afternoon. I’ll see you at dinner.” Walker turned around and exited the room, removing the mask and smoothing his hair back into place. He pulled out his wire-rimmed glasses and adjusted his jacket again. Yes, having Alison in his pocket was going to make the task that much easier, Blair would never know what hit her.
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