The Devil You Know: Chapter 8

When Todd got home, he heard the cacophony of his family in the kitchen.  He made his way there and was attacked by Sam , who, as usual, attached himself to Todd’s leg.  “You’re home!  You’re home!  Now we can eat!”

Todd chuckled, remembering how much the kid loved Chinese food.  He caught Blair’s eye and saw her give him a moderately annoyed look.  “Hi, honey,” he said. 

“You’re going to need more than a ‘Hi Honey’ for what you did today,” came his sister’s voice.

“Hello, Tina,” came his cranky response.  He still hadn’t gotten use to her being so close to him, geographically or otherwise.  Turning his attention back to Blair, he asked, “Is everyone here?”

“No, Sarah’s on her way.  She had to pick up Dillon, but they should be here any minute,” Blair replied.  Then the doorbell rang.  “And that is probably Molly.”

“Hey dad,” Starr said as she walked into the kitchen with Michael.  “So, Mom told me you volunteered us for the Nurses’ Ball.”

“Oh, God, are you going to give me hell for it too?  I thought you’d enjoy performing at it, since you’ve decided to be a singer,” he said, as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. 

“No, I don’t have a problem with it, but I was thinking, maybe you can perform with us,” she responded.

“I’m sponsoring the whole thing.  Therefore, I don’t need to perform.  Beside, I can’t sing and have no real musical talents.”  With that, he left the kitchen, ending the conversation. 

Starr narrowed her eyes at her father’s back before letting out a sigh.  Michael looked at her as he asked, “What was that about?”

“Nothing,” she said.  “Just probably Todd Manning being Todd Manning,” she said as she followed him into the dining room.  Sitting down at the table already were her parents, her grandmother Addie, Jack, Sam, Molly Lansing-Davis and her Aunt Tina.  “Where’s Uncle Cord?” Starr asked. 

“Oh, he‘s in a meeting and will be here a little bit later if he can,” she replied.

“Oh, please God, let him not be,” Todd mumbled under his breath.  When he noticed the dirty look his sister was give him, he returned it before saying, “Okay, so, here’s what I was thinking about when we leave for Llanview,” he began as Sarah and Dillon came in and sat down. 

“Sorry we were late, but my mother was having a fit when she heard that I wasn’t going to be here for the annual Quartermaine Pizza Festival, or as you all call it, Thanksgiving,” Dillon said.

“As I was saying,” Todd continued,  “We’re going to leave right after school lets out on that Tuesday, so, Molly, be ready to go then.”

“Ah, Uncle Todd, Dillon and I talked about it and I’m going to drive down with him and Michael,” Sarah said. 

“Oh, then I’ll go with you three then,” Starr added at which Sarah smiled in agreement.

Todd rolled his eyes and was about to continue when Tina butted in.  “That works out perfectly.  Then Cord, CJ and I can come on the jet with you.”

“Is that really a good idea, Tina?  You know how much Todd can’t stand Cord and, well, you really,” Addie said innocently. 

All eyes fell on Blair’s mother as Todd let out a cross a snort and a guffaw.  Leave it to his mother-in-law to size up his problem with the whole scenario for him.  Then he saw the look both Blair and Tina were giving him and he stopped. 

“Momma, I think it’s a wonderful idea to have Cord and Tina join us for the flight,” Blair said, giving her sister-in-law a smile.  “And I know Todd won’t have a problem with it either.” 

“Fine, whatever, Dillon, Sarah, Michael and Starr will drive down.  Blair, Jack, Molly, Sam, Addie, Tina, Cord, CJ and I will fly down.  Now, Tina, you and your family will be staying at Llanfair, right?” Todd asked.

“Yes, and I think that Viki has offered the carriage house to Michael and Dillon, right?” she said.

At that, Sarah nodded.  “I thanked Aunt Viki for that.  We’ll be leaving early in the morning, since we don’t have to worry about school.” 

“And we’ll be staying at La Boulaie?” Molly asked.

“Yes.  You can stay in Langston’s room.  She’s my best friend who now lives in LA,” Starr said. 

The talk about the wedding weekend continued, but Todd took little interest in it.  He watched as Blair and the kids began cleaning up the dishes and when everyone had left the room (he had been saved from Cord joining them) he pulled Blair aside and laid a kiss on her.  When they came up for air, she said, “Just don’t pull another stunt like you did today again.”

“I’m forgiven then?” he asked, batting his eyes in his best innocent manner.

“Yes, you are,” she said as she stepped away.  Then she told him, “I was able to wheedle some information out of Tina tonight about her surprise.”

“Oh, God, what does she have planned?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“Well, it seems Tina has plans for the kids and for you and your family.  She was on the phone with John about arrangements for Rodi’s.  She told me that it’s a get together for all the grandkids, from Kevin on down.”

“That’s a relief,”  Todd sighed.  “One less night I’ll have to spend with Kevin.”  Then he caught Blair’s look.  “Where am I going to be?”

“Tina wants you and Victor to spend the night a Llanfair,” Bair informed him.  When he gave her a disgusted look, she held up her hands.  “In a way, I think it’s a good idea.  Hear me out.  You and Victor and Tina and Viki all have a lot of issues to work out as a family.  Abandonment, abuse, that sort of thing.  And you have never all confronted those issues together.  Say what you will about my family, but we faced those problems together, the Cramer women, and we were stronger for it.  I think the Lord siblings need that.”  Then she brought her arms around his neck.  “And you need it too.  You’re taking steps, like this trip to Chicago, but I think you need this as a family.”

“Fine,” Todd grumbled.  “I’ll stay over the night at Llanfair, and I promise, I won’t try and kill my evil twin that night either.  Or do any harm to Tina.”

They were about to kiss when they were interrupted by a throat clearing.  Both turned and saw Tina standing there.  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but what trip to Chicago?”

Todd rolled his eyes, but Blair left the room, saying something about checking on the kids.  When she left, Todd turned to his sister.  “After the wedding, I’m taking my family to Chicago.  The kids have been asking me about my childhood and I guess now is as good a time as any to tell them.  I’m also meeting with Bitsy’s husband, Harry Redding and I’m trying to look up Peter’s last girlfriend.”  He reached into his briefcase, pulling out papers.  “I plan to sue her for $1.4 million.”

“Why?” Tina asked.  “You’re a millionaire several times over.  To you, that would be pocket change.”

“That’s the amount Peter took from the Lord trustees for my upbringing, from the time I hit eighteen.  I never saw a dollar of it, so the way I see it, his estate owes me.”  Todd voice came out as a growl.  “When I get the money, I’m setting up a trust for Leo and Sam.  They’ll put the money to better use that old Peter ever did.”

“Todd, while it’s sweet you want to do this for the boys, just like you were thinking of leaving everything to my children, wouldn’t it be better to just let it go?” Tina asked.

“Looks who’s talking.  You’re the one who’s arranging the family sleepover,” Todd said derisively.

“Blair told you?”  At Todd’s look, Tina huffed out a sigh.  “Fine, I see your point.  But, just, be careful Todd.  You never know when the past can come and bite you in the behind,” she said as she cupped his cheek.  “That’s how I found my baby brother.”

As she walked away, Todd said under his breath, “You found your baby brother because you were trying to scam him and it didn’t work.”  He then went back and looked at the legal papers Ric Lansing had dropped off before he left the office.  He was concentrating on them when a memory overtook him.

He was sitting in the lawyer’s office hearing Connie crowing over the money she had just gotten out of Peter.  She was also gloating over the fact there was nothing for him.  But Bitsy had told him were was something for him.  And Peter had told him on his deathbed to go find who he was.  Now it was making no sense.  He was raging at the lawyer, insisting he look harder, that he had to have missed something.  But the man wasn’t finding anything.  And so, Todd went back to Llanview, with more questions than answers.

“Dad?” a voice called him out of his memory.  He looked over and saw Jack and Molly standing there. 

“Yeah, Jack?” came his reply.

“Is everything okay, Mr. Manning?” Molly asked, concern in her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just remembering something.  You needed to tell me something?”

“Just that, the morning we leave, I’ll bring my luggage to school with me and ask if you could keep it with you, since we’ll be leave right away,” came Molly’s question. 

“Ah, yeah, that’ll be fine,” Todd replied, then got up and left the room.

Molly turned to Jack.  “What just happened with your dad?”

Jack watched as he walked away.  He didn’t say anything, just shook his head.  The look he saw in his father’s eyes scared him.  Not as in fearing his father, but the look was more haunted then anything.  And it made him fear for his father.


*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.