Chris put down the phone and started packing. He couldn't believe that Blair had found Samuel. He had managed to get both he and Blair on the last flight out of Paris. Layla and he had said their goodbyes yesterday so there was nothing keeping him in Paris and he needed to get back to the university before he lost his job. Blair had promised to tell him everything, but it could wait till he saw her later. Chris decided to head to the restaurant downstairs for some lunch. As he reached the door, his phone went off in his pocket. Figuring it was Blair calling, Chris flipped it open and said hello.
Carlo spoke one word into the phone "Poseidon" and waited for the acknowledging reply.
Chris stopped in mid-stride, suddenly stilled "21 men", he responded to the voice on the other end.
Carlo smiled to himself, it was time to put his sleeper back to work. "I have work for you. You are to eliminate Todd Manning. His usefulness is at an end. I don't want to know the details. The job must be finished by the end of the month. Do you understand?"
"Yes Sir. Do you want him permanently gone, or just out of the picture, Sir?" asked Chris. "I see. No sir, no more questions? I understand perfectly. I will complete the task as scheduled."
It was done. Carlo turned back to his window looking down on the beautiful ocean. He felt relaxed knowing all the dominoes were now in place, one by one they were going to fall, and nothing was going to point to him at all. He had known that one day he would have to use Vega again. Everyone believed that Vega had gotten free of his conditioning and Carlo had let him live his life as if he had. No one but he knew that secondary measures had been used on Vega to insure his use at a later date. He had Mr. Toddman to thank for that. The experiments on him helped complete the research that had given Carlo his sleeping assassin. Indeed the beauty of it all, was that Mr. Vega would have no memory of the task after he completed it.
Closing his phone, Chris turned and walked to his window. It was imperative he make that flight tonight. He had his orders. Chris smiled, he felt a perverse pleasure at knowing he was going to be the one who would free Llanview of the Blight known as Todd Manning. He had hated the man for quite a while. For everything Todd had done to Blair and Tea, Natalie and Jessica, he deserved to die many times. Yeah, he was going to enjoy this. But for now, lunch, and he left his room.
***
In Suite 240, Alex finished putting down the phone. "Okay, now I'm scared." She had never known Carlo to change a plan that quickly, but she understood why he had. Last night at dinner with Samuel, Alex had felt there had been moments when she thought Todd had been looking at her instead of Samuel. It had been very unnerving. She was very much aware of Todd's take on betrayal and she wanted nothing to do with being accused of that by him. "I've got to get out of here tonight." She picked up the phone again and called to see what flights she could get. "Thank you, yes I'll take that." Excellent she had gotten on the last flight out of Paris. She'd better pack. Alex realized she had no way to let Samuel know she couldn't do dinner. She would just have to leave him a message at the desk. There was the slight feeling of regret that she wasn't going to be able to have a relationship with Samuel but it was swallowed up by a big sense of relief at having escaped a bullet named Todd Manning.
***
Samuel woke up abruptly. He wondered about the dream he had just had. The dream seemed almost real. Samuel thought back to the other morning, remembering that dark unusual place he had found himself in. He remembered the voices and the woman coming to him. Why had he dreamed of that place. More importantly, why had he encountered a different version of himself in his dream. He had been following Blair and she had led him to another Samuel, but the Samuel that had faced him in his dream was not quite a duplicate. That Samuel had only one scar, the one that ran along his cheekbone. It had felt weird to see himself. It hadn't only been the look of him that had struck Samuel. The man he had faced had felt whole to Samuel, more complete. The other man had made him feel like only a shadow. If he was to get to the bottom of all this mystery beginning to surround him, he would need to start with Blair. He would show her the list from Tomas. She needed to know that her ex had been buying his paintings. She also might know other names on the list.
Samuel got up and headed to the kitchen for a bite of lunch. His mind was still trying to figure out his dream but his stomach was telling him he hadn't had breakfast. There was a knock on his door. Samuel stopped and debated opening it. "No, no more fear, remember." He walked to the door and opened it.
A messenger was standing there holding a package. "Are you Monsieur Toddman?" he inquired.
"Yes," replied Samuel. The messenger handed the package to him and left. The return address on the package read ”Philadelphia General, Philadelphia Pa.” He had forgotten about this. It was the information about his stay there eight years ago. "Good," he thought, "I’ll have something to look at while I eat. Maybe there will be a clue or two in here to explain what happened to me." Samuel set the package on the table, made himself a sandwich and sat down next to the package. He grabbed his carving knife and opened the package. As he ate, he looked over the paperwork in front of him. Wow, he had truly been a mess when he had arrived at that hospital. There was a report from Dr. Truman stating that he had arrived there in serious but stable condition, all injuries appeared to be several months old. What the heck, why were his injuries several months old? Where had he been for several months before coming to Philadelphia General? The report went on to say they had had to rebreak several of the injuries to insure that he would be able to move normally again. Dr. Truman wrote that his coma state actually made it easier to treat him because if he had been conscious the pain would have been excruciating and might easily have been more than his body could have taken.
Samuel put the papers down. The rest of the papers appeared to be about his subsequent recovery. He found himself drawn to the fact that his injuries had been several months old. That could only mean one thing. He hadn't been brought to Philadelphia General immediately following his accident. Where had he gone first? Samuel shuffled through the papers there had to be something here. Then he saw it. It was only one line in the report. The night he was brought in to the ER an attending physician had made a note of him being brought to them from a clinic outside of Philadelphia. He had been dropped off by ambulance as a John Doe and only the barest information regarding his care had been provided. Ok. One more puzzle to be figured out. Just where was this Clinic? Why had they had him for several months and not repaired all of his injuries? And why had they then left him in Philadelphia? As mysteries went, this one was turning into a doozy.
Samuel got up and went to his phone. He had two things to do. First he had to call off his dinner with Alex, then he would call Blair.
"Hello, yes please connect me to suite 240, thank you. Alex, this is Samuel... How is your head today?... That's marvelous, I'm so glad you are feeling better. Unfortunately ,I have called to tell you I must cancel our dinner date tonight...You can't either....I see, well, that is too bad. You say you're leaving tonight... you're flying back to the States... Well I regret that our new found friendship has to end so abruptly. If I'm ever in the States maybe we'll run into each other again. Au revoir my dear Alex." Samuel hung up. He realized that something had spooked Alex. He was afraid something like this might happen after she had cut the evening short last night. Well that avenue to his enemy might have closed, but he had found another that might work out instead.
Samuel called Blair's hotel, You're my best hope now Blair, he thought. The hotel answered and Samuel had them ring Blair Cramer's room. After a couple of rings, she answered.
"Hello," said Blair. She was trying to think who might be calling her on the hotel phone. It was way past the time she would have been with Tomas, and she figured Chris was out completing his business, before they left. To her delight a very familiar voice answered.
"Blair, this is Samuel. I hope I didn't wake you. After the hours we spent last night and early this morning, I find I can't get you out of my mind. I was hoping you would be able to see me this afternoon. I obtained some information that I think you might find very interesting." Samuel's senses had come alive just hearing her voice.
"Samuel I'm very glad you called. I would be very pleased to see you this afternoon. In fact, I was just thinking of you. When would you like to meet?” asked Blair.
Samuel was elated. Blair wanted to see him and she sounded like it was a good thing. "Shall we say within the next hour...great I'll be there soon." Samuel went back to the table and picked up the paperwork from the hospital and put it away. He paused and looked around at his girls. In particular he found himself looking at Blair’s portraits.. As he looked at them, he started seeing more detail, they were more than just images, they were memories. But there was still something wrong. More and more he had been getting this feeling that they weren't his memories, not really. His thoughts went back to his dream, maybe he felt that way because it was the truth. Maybe the memories belonged to the other Samuel. The one who had felt whole. Suddenly he felt temporary. God, was that even possible. How could he be temporary. He was here, he was flesh and blood. It didn’t make any sense. Shake it off Samuel, you’re letting this whole mystery get to you. Samuel shook his head trying to get his thoughts back on the matter at hand. He picked up the list from the gallery grabbed his coat and headed out. Blair was waiting.
Samuel's cab reached Blair's hotel in record time. He entered and went to the front desk. "Excuse me, Could you please ring Madame Cramer's room and tell her Monsieur Toddman is here."
The clerk made the call and after a minute he turned to Samuel, "Madame says to go up. She is in Suite 25."
"Merci," replied Samuel and he headed for the elevator. Arriving on the floor of suites he walked until he found 25 then he knocked. The door opened quickly and she stood there beaming at him. "Good afternoon , I hope you are fully rested, you look enchanting." said Samuel.
" Please come in, Samuel. Yes between the ride in the cab and the hours of sleep I just got, I'm quite refreshed." Blair moved out of the way to let Samuel enter. She looked him up and down. She would have loved to put her arms around him and never let him go, but she knew it wasn't time for that yet. Todd had always been uncomfortable with her displays of affection and she had loved that about him. It was those times when he was the most endearing. "Please take you coat off and have a seat. When you called me you spoke of getting some information. Perhaps you would like a drink and we can talk." Blair moved to the bar and reached for a bottle of wine. Suddenly a hand encompassed hers. He was standing directly behind her.
"Allow me Blair." Samuel gripped the bottle and moved from behind her.
Blair smiled and gathered her wits as she moved out of his way. For just a moment she had been tempted to lean against him. She couldn't do it right now, it wasn't fair to Samuel. She wanted Todd. It had been so long. All those years had faded last night when she had seen Samuel standing in the doorway. She knew that the man pouring drinks was her Todd, she had known for certain when they had kissed. What she didn't know was how to get Todd back. She understood how Tea must have felt all those years ago when Todd had disappeared. She hadn't believed in Tom or Rodd but she couldn't deny Samuel. He was so different from Todd. He was a gentleman in every way. Even after her rants last night, he had calmly and graciously accepted her apologies and had done anything he could to make her comfortable in his presence. She recalled one other man who had always treated her like a lady. Todd's friend and mentor Sam Rappaport had been good to her until his life had been suddenly snuffed out. Of course, she looked at Samuel, he was Todd's version, his subconscious take on a man who Todd had admired and loved. Samuel was the man that Todd had always wanted to be. She accepted the glass of wine and made room next to her on the couch. "Come sit down and tell me what happened after you dropped me off this morning."
Samuel handed her the wine and joined her on the couch. She really was lovely and from her expression when she had opened the door, he could tell she liked him. Still he sensed a reticence about her and he was pretty sure it was because he reminded her of her ex., Todd. "Very well, several things have occurred since I left you this morning. After we said our goodbyes this morning, I headed over to Tomas' Gallery. I felt it was time to let Tomas know more about me and I wanted to get some information concerning the buyers of my work. I told Tomas of our meeting and let him know some of what you and I talked about last night. I then received a list of purchasers and the paintings they bought. Then I left Tomas's Gallery and went home to also get a little sleep. You, my dear, are memorable. I confess, I dreamt of you this morning. When I awoke it was lunch and I received a package I had been waiting for from the States."
Samuel paused in his explanation and took another sip of his wine. Blair had been listening attentively to every word. She had blushed when he told her he had been dreaming of her. It was comfortable to sit and chat with her. He realized all the chats he had had with his Muses had made it easier to open up to the real person. Then he continued his explanation. " You asked me last night if the doctors had been able to help me with my memory problems and I told you no. That was true at the time, but I decided a couple of days ago to find out everything they had on me. I asked the hospital to send me anything they could find and the package I received contained my complete file. Much of what was in the file pertained to my recovery. One unusual item did come to my attention. When I awoke from my coma I had always thought I had been at Philadelphia General from the moment of my accident. But I found out today that I spent approximately 3 months in some clinic outside of Philadelphia before being transferred to Philadelphia General."
Blair put up a hand and halted Samuel's explanation. "You're telling me you spent your recovery time at Philadelphia General." she asked.
"Yes, is there a problem?" asked Samuel
Blair shook her head. "Let me explain." Blair could feel the tears start to well up. He had been in Philadelphia the whole time she had been looking for him and she hadn't realized it. "You see Samuel, my ex husband Todd was missing for a number of months in early 2003, and as I told you last night I believe you and he are connected. I live in a small town not far from Philadelphia. It is possible that you might have met him and not realized it at the time. Do you have a name for that clinic by any chance?"
Samuel said regretfully, "No, the records don't list a name, but I'm planning on looking into it as soon as I can. I must tell you Blair. I think I might have discovered another connection between myself and your ex. I told you I had a list of buyers of my artwork. One of the names on that list is a Todd Manning. Is he your ex-husband?"
" Yes, Todd Manning is my ex-husband, but what you're saying isn't possible. Samuel, I showed him your picture of me and he said he knew absolutely nothing about it or you. Why would he lie to me? Did you bring the list with you?" Blair asked anxiously.
Samuel removed the list from an inner pocket. "Yes, I brought it, I was hoping you might look at it and tell me if you recognize any other names on the list. Please forgive me, I never meant to hurt you."
Blair held out her hand and Samuel gave her the paper. Although her hands were shaking, Blair managed to peruse the list. She saw several names on the list she knew and a couple she didn't. Two names didn't bother her. One was Tomas, he had purchased the Fireworks painting and the other was Eli's name, the purchaser of the Wedding portrait. Then a chill went down her spine when she read Carlo Hesser's name. Carlo had four of her paintings. Why was he so interested in Samuel and his paintings? If Carlo was somehow involved with Samuel, there definitely was more going on then there had first appeared. She had thought Mitch was behind Samuel troubles. Carlo's involvement made everything much more dangerous.
"Samuel I do know a few others on this list, one of them is a very dangerous man. If you decide to look into this further then I must warn you to be careful. The man's name is Carlo Hesser and I assure you, if he is involved then you're looking at trouble." Finally, she saw that Walker purchased four of Samuel's paintings over a number of years. Why had he hidden the purchases from her? Did Tea know of them? If he hadn't told Tea then he was hiding something from his own wife, as well as her. It was getting stranger and stranger. Were there more things about Walker that she just hadn't seen. She really needed to get home. She looked at Samuel. "If you can find a way, I think you need to come to Llanview Pa. I think the answers to your memories can be found there. I'm leaving on the last flight out tonight. If you decide to come, look me up. I'll help you any way I can Samuel." To herself she thought, I'm going to find out about you too, Walker. That's a promise.
***
Todd sat at his desk at the Sun, but his mind was a million miles away from work. He had just gotten off the phone with Starr. Blair was still in Paris trying to find the artist of her painting. Damn Eli for leaving it to her. He sure as hell hadn't been happy to see that portrait. He had recognized the style immediately. Todd got up and headed for the elevator. He pushed the button of the floor where the tombs were located. Exiting the elevator, he walked to the Tombs and entered the archives. He headed for the back where the climate controlled rooms were. Most of the rooms along the back held sensitive micro film of past stories except for one. Todd reached the room he was looking for, he passed all the security necessary to enter and went inside. The soft light automatically came on. There she was. He owned four portraits of his Blair and he had already made a bid for the latest portrait at Tomas' gallery. He had to beat out his opponent for that picture. Tomas' Assistant had faxed a copy of the portrait. It was one of the most stunning that Monsieur Anonymous had produced to date. Todd didn't know where the artist knew Blair from, but he captured her essence perfectly.
He recalled a summer evening in July, when he and Blair had decided to celebrate a missed New Years. She had been dressed in a long red gown that night and had belonged solely to him. Todd was determined to have that portrait no matter what. Todd looked at his portraits. He had been looking for art to purchase as an investment when he had first come across Tomas' Gallery. The painting that was for sale at the time, was of Blair sitting on a park bench crying in the moonlight. He remember thinking how beautiful and vulnerable she was. So he had made the purchase. He had inquired if any other portraits of the same subject were available for purchase and was informed that the artist was producing only several a year but he would be kept alerted if any more came up for purchase. In late 2004 he received an alert that two more paintings were available . One was of Blair sitting in front of a Christmas tree with her hand extended, the second had been of her laughing in the snow. Although he had tried to get both he only managed to purchase the one of her with the Christmas tree. That was when he discovered a rival for her paintings.
2005 and 2006 had been miserable years, he had been kidnapped, raped, accused of murder and even executed, but the worst had been when Blair had lost a baby because of something he did. It had been his little boy and he had been heartbroken. Blair had sent him away. His relationship with Starr had been strained ever since she had learned of his role in the rape of one Marty Saybrooke. He was losing control of his family. A call had come in from Tomas in the middle of all the chaos just after Blair's loss. Tomas had informed him that a painting that had sold previously was up for sale. He had bought it sight unseen. As long as it was of Blair, he wanted it. Todd walked toward the portrait of Blair and the empty cradle. He still remembered the night it arrived at the Sun. Evangeline had just left him. Rex had told him the son he had made with Margaret was dead. He had been filled with such emptiness, but Evangeline had helped. As he was trying to pull himself together, the messenger arrived carrying what he knew was the painting, he paid the messenger and brought the painting to the vault. When he got the crate off he had been stunned to see his purchase. Everything that had happened in the past two years came crashing down on him that night and he had collapsed crying shamelessly over the losses. When he could grieve no more he had managed to set the portrait in a safe place and had gone home to his empty penthouse. Todd couldn't remember how he had ended up in bed, he only remembered waking up. Everything changed that night.
The next day, Todd set about making life for his friend Evangeline better and tried to get on with his life, but it wasn't long before turmoil had struck again. He almost died again when he went in search of his undead son with Margaret. The boy was found and he and Blair reconciled once more and remarried on order to get custody of him. Yet once again, he would lose his happy family.
His fourth purchase was the portrait of Blair holding a tiny gold star. Todd purchased that right after Blair divorced him and took the children from him including Margaret's son. She proved he was an unfit father, because he had accidentally pushed Starr while she was pregnant down some stairs and then he had ended up in a wreck with his son in the front seat. The judge had taken his rights away. He bought that painting of Blair and the Star as a reminder to himself, that he would never be vulnerable again, and that he would never ever let Blair go again. Even if they never were together, she belonged to him. He would see that no one would be able to keep her for long. Todd left the room and secured it behind him. It was getting late and Tea would be wondering where he was. That was another problem he would have to take care of. Tea had scared him the other night when she had found the wedding album with Blair's pictures. He had managed to divert her by telling her Starr and Dani had been using the album. She would never have understood his need for it. He had to be more careful. He wasn't going to lose her or Blair. He'd die first.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
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