Chasing the Monsters: 68

"Good afternoon, Blair, are you alone?"  Dorian asked, coming into the foyer at Unforgettable.

"No, Todd's in the office, Dorian, Jack and Sam are at school, the kids are playing with Bitsy upstairs.  Why?"

"I just stopped by to . . . well, to . . . Blair, how are things here?"

"They're fine, Dorian," Blair said, not offering to take her jacket.

"I . . . came by to . . . see if things have settled down since Todd ran off half-cocked to deal with Zeus."

"Yes, things are settled.  He's fine, I'm fine, we're fine."  Her niece took the stance of arms folded over her chest.  "Is there something you wanted?"

"I'm sure by now you know that Timothy and I are on our way back to each other."

"Yes, I've heard.  Todd told me.  Of course, I didn't hear it from you, but . . ."

"Yes, well, I've been thinking a lot of coming by, or calling.  The truth is . . ." she hesitated.  "The truth is, I'd like to see Todd, please."

"You want to see Todd?  Dorian, let it be, will you?"

"I don't think I can, will you call him or shall I go up?" she said, pushing by Blair a bit to get to the staircase.  She ascended, with Blair on her heels.

She went to the door of the office that was open, to let the kids come in and out as they wanted.  He looked up.  "Oh great, first a letter, then this," he muttered.  "Hello, Auntie Dorian," he said, standing and walking toward her.  He shoved his hands into his front pants pockets, and stood in front of her.

"Todd, hello," she said, and Blair stood, leaning against the door frame, arms still crossed.

"Dorian, let's go, will you?  Todd's working, and I'm sure he doesn't have time for twenty questions."  Blair said.

"Now, Blair, I haven't got twenty questions, actually.  Just one."

Todd said, "Shoot," and shrugged casually.  Blair rolled her eyes, but wasn't budging.

Dorian placed her purse down on the desk, and turned.  "Are you all right?"

Todd laughed.  Blair squinted, and stood up from the door frame, dropping her arms.  Todd said, "That's the question?"

"Yes, indirectly.  Of course, I'd like more details, but I came by to check on you, Todd.  Is it true what Timothy said?  This might be over, for you, at last?"

Todd squinted himself at her, with a slightly crooked smile sneaking through his expression.  

Blair said, "Dorian, please.  We're fine, nothing's going to hurt us that Todd's dealing with."

Todd spoke up.  "Wait, Blair, she's not checking to see if you're in danger, or the kids."  He turned back to Dorian.  "You're asking . . . if I'm past what's happened, to me.  Me, personally.  Aren't you?"

She flushed.  "Yes.  And if Blair would let me speak, you'd understand."

Blair walked into the room, and sat herself on the couch, crossing her legs, and sitting silently to listen.  Even though it may have been a good idea to give them privacy, she felt a protective need to stay with her man.

Dorian said, "I . . . came to see if you're all right, Todd.  If it's true that this all is behind you."

He smiled, openly.  "Yes.  Yes, I'm all right, Auntie Dorian.  It's over."

She looked directly into his face, and smiled.  "I'm glad, Todd.  Sincerely.  You know, I heard you, at your father's apartment a short while ago, and I . . . can't say how sorry I am that most of the caregivers in your life never stood up for you and helped.  It took my niece, and her love, to rescue you, it seems."

Todd attempted to deflect the power her statement had on his emotions, "Yeah, she's okay, that one," he nodded his head toward Blair, who was stunned, and her eyes were glistening with tears.

"I suppose I wanted to make sure," Dorian said, fondling her necklace, nervously.  "And all I've wanted is for it to be over, and for you to be . . . well, done with it, I suppose."

"I am.  Finally.  Facing all of it worked.  Your niece being there was what made it easier, though."  He shot a look at his wife.  Then he said, "She's my one true babe, and it will never change.  So, thanks for raising her, at least part of the way."

Blair's tears slightly spilled over, and she wiped under her eye with her fingertip.

Dorian said, "Todd, it's always been clear to me, even when things weren't right, you were deeply and utterly in love with her, and everyone could see it.  But, what I really wanted to say was. . .that, I'm sorry for all the things you've been through Todd.  It must have been very painful."

He shrugged again, and said, "It is what it is, or at least, what it was.  So to answer your question, I'm okay, Dorian, thanks."

She smiled, and said, "And, Todd, I wanted to tell you, also, that . . . well, I . . .What I am trying to say, is . . ." she stuttered and then stopped.  She stepped closer and kissed his cheek softly.  "I may not show it, or agree with you, but I do care very much what happens to you."  She rubbed the lipstick off his face, with water in her eyes.

Todd looked away, and then to the floor, before looking up, and smiling.  "Auntie Dorian."  He looked back to Blair, who was a total mess, but smiled through her tears.  "If I'd only learned how to say what had to be said, some twenty years go, we could have avoided a lot of the wasted time," his voice cracked and he looked back to his wife's aunt, "but, here we are.  And I love you, too."

She smiled.  "Yes, here we are.  Well," she picked up her purse, "I've got to be going.  I really just wanted to . . . well, to tell you that."

She turned to go, and he said, "Oh, uh, Auntie Dorian?  Would you like to stay and have lunch with us?  I mean, I was planning on cooking up something.  You know your girl there can't cook to save her life."

"You seem to take care of the cooking and other things for her," she said.  "Yes, I'd love to."

He walked to her and put out his elbow, and she took it, and they both left the office together, with Blair, in tears, behind them.  She stood up, and went to his desk, taking Kleenex from the box there, and wiping her eyes, careful not to smudge her make-up all over her face.

Leaning over to put the tissue into the wastebasket, she spied a piece of paper, crumpled on the floor, with a corner of the envelope poking out, legible.  It read "Statesville Prison" and she felt her heart leap.  She unwrinkled the paper carefully, and read it.  "Mitch.  God," she said aloud, softly, "Blair Manning, your man can't catch a break," she took it and brought it to the bedroom, before turning and descending the stairs to join them.

***

Cord sorted through his mail, and came upon a postcard from Arkansas:

Road trip!  Nice here, but I'll be there soon!  Make sure you're home to meet me!

Love, Tina

P.S. I'll be there next Thursday, sometime between 9 am and noon.

He looked at the date.  "Next Thursday, Girl, you're . . . that was yesterday!"  he said aloud, and raced to the main house.

Finding his way into the foyer, he called for the head cleaning woman, and said, "Genny, have you seen anyone around here, who might, well, look lost?  Strawberry blonde, about so high" he said, putting his hand near his chest.  "Pretty little thing?"

"No, sir.  No one like her around here," she said.

 "I want you to ask the rest of the staff if they saw anyone like that," he said, but he knew she hadn't been around, because Tina, of all people, would have made her presence known.

He took the postcard back out of his vest pocket and read it over.  "Girl, you sure know how to time things.  If it's not walking into my wedding to another woman with my newborn son, it's deciding to come across country right when my latest romance falls apart," he said to no one.  "But where the Hell are you, Tina?"

He went to the phone to call Viki.

***

Later, Todd and Blair got into bed, the house was quiet, and the only light was coming from the skylight above them.  She took her place against him in the dark, and he wrapped his arm around her.  He said, "What a day."

"Yeah.  Dorian was the shocking part.  She basically said she loves you."

"The shocking part is that I said it back."

She playfully slapped his belly.  "Oh, stop.  Anything else happen today?"

"Well, I don't know, the kids, that was fun tonight playing that game, that HuckleBuckle something."

"Yeah, that was fun.  Your mother loves those kids so much."

"I know.  They love her, too.  Jack was so moody.  He's almost a man."

"Yeah, I guess so, huh?  Hard to believe.  Remember what a beautiful baby he was?"

"I can't forget that.  Ever.  That face."

"Yes," she said snuggling, and sliding her hand under the pillow, she said, "Anything else?"

"No, why?"

She pushed up on her elbow and turned on the lamp next to the bed.  "What would you call this, Todd Manning?"

He looked and realized she was holding the letter from Mitch that he'd opened earlier that day.  He said, "Oh that?"

"Yeah, that."

"It's nothing, really, come on."

"It's dated right before we went to Greece, and you just opened it."

"So?  He's a psycho."

"Exactly.  Why didn't you tell me this?"

"To be honest, your aunt's declaration sort of wiped my slate clean."

She rolled her eyes at him.  "He's almost threatening us here."

"No, he's full of hot air.  Now heed my message and kiss me here," he said, pointing to his treasure trail.

"Todd!  I'm serious!"

"And I'm not?"

She folded her arms.  "Stop playing around, this is not a joke.  Mitch Laurence is dangerous."

"Yeah, when he's not behind iron bars."

"He got out before."

"Yeah but that was then, this is now."

"What does he want with your mother?"

"I don't want to know," he said, cringing.  "I just ignore him.  He'll go away."

"Well, I guess."  She leaned back against the pillows.

He said, "Now back to that heeding . . ." and his phone rang.  "It's late," he said, leaning over to get it.  "Hello?  Sis?" he covered the receiver, "It's Viki."  He went back to the call, "Yeah?  What's up?  Huh?  What do you mean?  How does he know?  Shit.  Yeah, I'm on it, first thing in the morning.  Yeah, don't worry."  He hung up and stared at the ceiling.

"Well, what is it?" she asked, still holding Mitch's letter.

"Tina's missing."

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