Todd Manning, Enigma Chapter 22

Chapter 22

       It had been several days since the incident at The Sun. Todd entered the station looking for John. His sources had reported that the police had picked up the saboteur on his way out of the country. He opened John’s door, “John, when can I talk to this guy who injured my employee?”

       “You can’t.”

         “Why the hell not? It was my paper, I think I have the right to know why he went after it. Come on, just let me have a few minutes with him.”

         “You didn’t let me finish. You can’t talk to him because the man is dead.”

         “What did you say?” Todd was stunned.

         “The man is dead, he was found an hour ago when they took his breakfast to him.”

          “But how?”

          “We’re not sure. He was booked yesterday and wouldn’t say anything without his lawyer. I know his lawyer made an appearance last night.”

         “How the hell did the guy die? Did he hang himself, slice his wrists, what the hell happened?”

          “He was found dead on the floor, no visible sign of violence. We’re going to have to wait on the coroner’s report.”

           Todd suddenly remembered that Kym had a similar thing happen to her. “John, someone tried to kill Kym when she was in the hospital down in Savannah. According to her doctors, the last visit she had was from a lawyer. Someone poisoned her.”

         John looked up from his paperwork at Todd. He recalled Todd telling him about the attempt.“What are you getting at?”

          “Was this lawyer legit? How do we know he wasn’t sent to kill the guy?”
  
           “Hold on Todd, that’s a pretty big leap. Who would want the guy dead?”

           “How about the one who hired him?”

           “Okay, let me guess. You think all this might have something to do with Daimler?”

        “I don’t know. He contacted me before I left the hospital in Savannah. He hinted I should watch out. I was hoping this guy might be the link to him, but that’s been shot to hell now.”

        “Whoa, you’re talking murder here in the police station. We don’t know what occurred yet. You need to wait. I’ll get word to the coroner to check for poison, but it could be he died of a heart attack.”

        “Oh come on, you don’t seriously believe that, do you?”

         John raised an eyebrow and said. “I can’t rule anything out right now.”

         “What’s it going to take? You know this wasn’t merely some simple heart attack. Tell me this. How old was the guy? Did he look in pretty good health? You said there was no sign of violence or struggle, but he just keeled over. Give me a break.”

          John understood Todd’s frustration, he had felt it himself when he had been informed of the death. “You’re right Todd, but we still have to wait for the findings. “You might be interested to know the guy had a sizable amount of money deposited in his account the same day as the incidence.”

         Todd stopped pacing “Any idea where it came from?”

         “Not as yet, but we’re working on it.”

          “How about letting me see what you have?”

           “No can do, Todd. This is police business and the man died in our jail, you need to stay out of this”

            “Damn it, I can help. Let me put my sources to work on the money trail. It might lead back to Daimler or someone else who does business with him. I promise to keep it between us, I need to be doing something.”

           “I’ve got to go talk to the coroner, you stay here and stay out of trouble.” John looked down at his desk and moved a file to the top of the stack he was working on and left.

            Todd waited until John was out of sight and closed the wooden blinds to mask what he was about to do. He moved to John’s desk and checked out the top file, it proved to be another case. I thought you were helping me, John, but I guess I was wrong. Hold it, what’s this? Oh, good file misplaced in the wrong file. Clever John. Todd took the paper from the wrong file and scanned and copied it real quick, then pocketing the copy he replaced the original back in John’s file. He reopened John’s blinds and pulled out his phone to call Blair.

         “Hi, hope your day is better than mine. I’m too late, the guy is dead. ...Yes, I said dead. No, they don’t know how he died. I‘m going to wait and see if John can tell me anymore. Have you heard from Addie or Kym since we got home?... I don’t know, I’m just feeling a little uneasy. Give your Mom a call, I just want to be sure everything is alright.” Todd hung up, he knew he had just upset Blair, but better safe than sorry. Hopefully, his fears would prove groundless.
…
          Blair hung up and flung her phone across the room. She had been trying all morning to forget the argument she and Todd had been engaged in since the accident at The Sun. Now it all came flooding back with a vengeance.

         “Todd, how could you?”

         “What did I do?”

          “Not one word all day long from you and I get to hear about the accident and fire on the news. Damn it, you just got back into town and I hear that. I thought the victim might have been you.”

         “Blair, I...”

“Let me guess, you thought I wouldn’t hear about it, and you could tell me when you were ready to.  Stop trying to protect me.  I’m your wife, and that makes us partners.  After all that we’ve been through, it’s time you trusted me.”

         “But I do trust you.” He had known she was going to be upset, but he hadn’t expected furious. “Blair I wasn’t trying to protect you, I was just trying to follow up on some leads before coming home. Just call me stupid, Vicki said I should call. I’m sorry.”
         That should have done the trick. He had apologized. He had taken her into his arms and they had kissed. Then he had begun explaining how he thought Gregor was involved. It was irrational on her part, but as soon as he had said the name, her anger had resurfaced. “You’re doing it again, just like your obsession with Carlo, you’re starting all over with Gregor. Why can’t you just let this go?”

          “Blair, I’m not the one who won’t let it go.” He couldn’t believe her. She thought he had started this. “All I’ve been doing since the day I got shot was to try and stop this whole thing. God, I almost killed Carlo with my bare hands. You know what that did to me. How can you stand there and believe I want to go after Gregor?” Todd felt like he had been kicked in the gut. At that moment, he just wanted a drink. He poured himself a big one and took a huge gulp, letting the liquor burn its way down his throat. He needed the distraction before his anger got the better of him.

           She stood there mortified. His reaction hit her like a ton of bricks, and she couldn’t take back her words. Of course, he didn’t want this fight. “Todd ….” She could tell, from the way he downed his drink, that he was close to losing it and she had started it. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what made me say that. If I even hear his name I get crazy. You almost died and I keep hoping this whole thing with him will go away.” She walked over and took the drink from his hand. “ Can you forgive me?”

          She still recalled the look in his eyes, his monster had stared back at her. Blair had taken a step back. His eyes were cold, remote and unfeeling, his whole body rigid with barely controlled anger. She made an effort to reach him. “Todd, Please!” Her plea hung in the air.

        “What’s the matter Blair aren’t you glad to see me? You stood right here a moment ago accusing him of keeping the fight with Gregor going. Surely you realized you were stirring up trouble. Of course, I want to keep this fight going. It’s what I live for. People like him and Carlo deserve everything I can give them and more, but you’d almost succeeded in emasculating me. I’m here and he’s doing everything in his power to keep me contained. The thing is Blair, I’m not a simple alter he can let come and go at his discretion. I’m him unchained.” the coldness left Todd’s eyes and the voice filled with passion. “If he would only realize it he would know. I love you the way he wants to but is afraid to face. I need your help to get through to him. I’m not sure exactly why we’re even having this conversation, but I think I’m out right now because his hold over his emotions is so tenuous. Help me Blair, help us both.”

           There was silence and Blair held her breath, she was trying to make sense of Todd’s whole speech. She had never envisioned Todd’s monster as anything other than his anger out of control. Then she had met Pete and had thought Pete and Todd’s anger were one and the same but now she knew differently. “Todd, you meant it when you said Pete wasn’t the one who tried to kill Carlo in that van, it really was you that moment?”

         Todd looked at Blair and sighed. He was so tired. “Yes, Blair.” He knew what had just transpired and he really couldn’t explain how it had happened. His monster wasn’t another personality, it had been like having too much to drink and all his inhibitions had dropped and he had just started talking, only the monster had been doing the talking. “I know he wants me to release him, he feels I’m handicapping myself. I don’t want to go where he takes me. I’m not ready and I think eventually I’ll have to face him. When the time is right I will. Blair, do you understand?”

          Blair nodded.
          No more was said about what had happened, they had finished their second night home trying to pretend there wasn’t an elephant in the room with them. Now Blair wanted to scream because Todd’s call had brought it back into their faces. Her so-called father had decided to escalate the game and in doing so he might have just unleashed his worse nightmare. She was going to do everything in her power to help Todd and if that meant getting him to accept his rage fully then so be it. She believed Todd was stronger then he knew, he was trapped in the past, too wrapped up in what his anger had done to Marty to realize that was only one facet of his rage. He only saw the pain he caused. Justified, his rage could be the weapon they needed to defeat Gregor.


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