Port Charles Chronicles: Chapter 63

        Nora walked into her husband’s office.  “Hey, I got your message.  What’s up?”

“You’re not going to believe what I just heard.  John just called.  Blair Cramer’s son Sam was kidnapped a day ago.”

“That’s horrible.  Blair must be devastated.  But why are we just now hearing about it?”

“Because he was taken in Port Charles.  There’s something else.  You’ll never guess who took him.  Come on, guess.”

Nora looked at Bo bewildered. “Don’t be silly.  I haven’t the vaguest idea who would take Sam.” she paused, and then added sarcastically, “but I’m thinking it probably has to do with Todd Manning.” 

        Bo glanced at his wife.  She still hadn’t gotten over losing in court against Todd Manning.  She was convinced he deserved to be put away in jail where he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.   After what he had just heard, his wife was in for a rude awakening.  “You won’t let that go will you?”

        “Bo, you know he was guilty.  PTSD my foot.  The man is a pathological liar.”

        “No, he’s not, Nora.” 

        She was stunned. “Did you really just say that?  What’s gotten into you?  Of course, he’s a liar.”

        Bo shook his head. “He didn’t lie about Victor, and he didn’t lie about the PTSD.  You’d better sit down.  I just had a very long talk with John McBain and what he had to tell me is going to change everything.”

        Nora sat down looking skeptical. “I doubt John could have told you anything that would make me change my view of Todd Manning.”

        “To start with, John told me Todd’s PTSD is very real. He witnessed it first hand.  He also talked to Manning’s doctors in Port Charles after someone attempted to kill him.  The diagnosis by Hallie’s witnesses were correct.”

        “Wait a minute, go back.  Someone attempted to kill Todd?”

        “Yes, but you know Todd, he pulled through.  A third attempt was made this afternoon.  That too failed, this time, the police got the perpetrator.”

         “So who is the guy?  Some mobster that Todd made angry?  I wonder what he’s done now?”

        “Nora, that’s harsh. The only thing he’s done recently is to try and stay alive.  I know you’ve never been able to forgive the man, but don’t you think it’s time to let it go?  It’s been almost twenty years.   Did you hear what I told you?  The PTSD is real, the man was held and tortured for eight years, isn’t that punishment enough for you?” Bo was disappointed.  Nora had a high sense of justice, except where Todd Manning was concerned.

        Nora flinched when she heard the censure in Bo’s voice.  She stopped and reconsidered everything Bo had just told her. Maybe she was being harsh, but something about Todd just set her teeth on edge.  “I can’t Bo.  Okay, I believe the man was tortured, but in my book, it doesn’t give you license to kill, and he still killed Victor.”

        Bo looked down at his desk and frowned.  He was still trying to process the second piece of information John had shared with him.  “Umm, remember when I told you first off that Sam Manning was kidnapped?  It’s not a ransom situation.   Sam was taken by his father.”

        For the second time in the space of minutes, Nora was speechless.  She stared at Bo.

        "Yes, Nora, his father.  The same man Todd Manning was supposed to have killed, Victor Lord Jr.  But there’s a twist.  Victor is really Walker Laurence, also known as Walker Flynn.”  Bo got up from behind his desk and got a glass of water for Nora.  He handed it to her and continued.  “I had the same reaction when John told me.  Not only is he not dead, but he and Tomas Delgado have been working together this whole time.  They set Manning up to take the fall.  No one knows how they made him believe it, but John’s guessing it had something to do with his mother’s organization.”

        Nora held up a hand, “Stop. One thing at a time.  Victor’s not dead, but he’s also not Victor, he’s Walker Flynn?  How is that possible?  The DNA test said Todd and Victor were brothers.”

        “I haven’t the foggiest, but we’ll know soon.  The Feds are getting ready to strike at Flynn and get Sam.  You should also know, that Manning and his family will probably be arriving soon.  John told me they left Port Charles a couple of hours ago.  Oh, and that shooter who tried to take out Todd.  It was Tomas.  He’s dead.”

        Nora had been taking a drink of water, but she almost choked on Bo’s last words.  She began coughing, and Bo patted her back. “Red, are you okay?”

        She got her coughing under control, “Heck no, I’m not okay, I feel like I walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone.  Suddenly Todd Manning is the innocent, and his victims are the villains.  You have got to be kidding me.”

        At that moment, there was a commotion in the squad room.  Bo opened his blinds and saw Todd and his family arguing with Oliver Fish.  He looked back at his wife.  “I understand how you feel, but now it’s time for me to do my job.  Would you do me a favor?  Call Tea and ask her to come down to the station.  I don’t want to tell her about Tomas over the phone.”  Nora nodded, and Bo exited his office to face the Mannings.

****

  Sam heard his father coming down the hall and quickly closed the computer.  He just made it back to the bed where his Spiderman toys were spread out when his father opened the door.

“Sam, I’ve finished my business and thought you might like to have a look around the property with me and then take in a swim.  We have our very own indoor pool down in the lower level of this house.” 

        He looked up from his toys. “A real pool inside? Wow!  Dad?”

        “Yes.”

        “Can I please call Mom?  She’s going to be worried.  If I talk to her, I can let her know I’m okay and find out how Grandma Addie is.”

        Walker frowned, and he saw Sam shrink back away from him a little bit.  It brought him up short.  Damn it, the kid was beginning to get comfortable.  What can it hurt?  Everything is going as planned.  Let him make the call.  There’s nothing Blair can do.  He smiled, and Sam relaxed.  “Sure, but you have to do something for me.  You can tell her you’re okay and ask about Addie, but don’t tell her you’re with me.  If you promise that, we’ll do it.”

        “I promise.” Sam was excited.

        “Fine.  We’ll take our walk and have a swim and then you can call your mom.  Let’s go.”

        Sam hopped off the bed and followed his dad out of the room.  He was going to get to call his mom soon.  Everything was going to be all right.

****

Tea sat alone in the nursery.  She hugged the small stuffed bear in her arms and started to sing a lullaby but stopped after a few lines, screaming in anguish. “You son of a bitch!  You left me without so much as a goodbye.  He died!  Our baby died, and you couldn’t have cared less.”  She angrily threw the bear to the ground and walked back into the bedroom she had shared with Victor.  Heading straight to the closet, she found the few remaining clothes, she had kept as a reminder of her husband, and began ripping them to shreds. “You lied to me! You let me believe you loved me and all the time you were just playing me for a fool!”  She collapsed to the floor crying and saw the small gun lying on the floor of the closet.  She began to laugh as she picked up the gun and saw that it was a nine-millimeter exactly like the one that had supposedly been used to kill Victor.  Her laughter started quietly and then she found she couldn’t stop.  The sound echoed through the empty house.

         She sat there fondling the gun and thinking about how alone she really was.  Right before Starr’s call, she had had a full-blown argument with Dani. 

          Dani had been cleaning and starting to pack up the baby belongings in an effort to get them out of her mother’s sight.  Tea had walked in, she suddenly felt her heartbeat go out of sync.  She shouldn’t be in here, this is his room.  

       “What are you doing?  Stop it! Stop it this instant!  My Baby! You’re throwing my baby away!”

        Dani stopped what she was doing immediately and eyed her mother warily. “Mom, calm down.  I’m not throwing away the baby.  I just thought I’d put some of this stuff away so you wouldn’t have to be reminded of the loss.”

         In her warped reality, Tea suddenly saw Dani as an interloper. “You’re lying! You’re jealous of him.  You know he has a special place in my heart.  A place you never could!  I should have left you with your father.  It was a mistake to bring you into my life.”

        Stunned, Dani asked. “What do you mean?  Todd is my father, how could you leave me with him?”

        Tea laughed. “Todd isn’t your father any more than Ross Rayburn was.  You’re the product of a one-night stand I had with my cousin’s husband.  I left you with him, and when Ross and I were in Tahiti, I demanded that he send you to me.  Ross loved you like a daughter and things were fine until he started taking out his frustrations on me.  That’s when I made up my mind to find Todd.  Don‘t you understand?  I faked the DNA test.”  Even as she said it, she saw the comprehension and horror on Dani’s face and realized she had said too much.  Dani turned and walked to her room, packed a bag, and left without saying anything more to her.

        Cradling the gun, Tea turned it towards her heart.  Do it. You’ve lost your daughter and your son. Her hand shook as she put her finger on the trigger.  Wait, you still have Tomas.  He’ll help you get through this.  You can get Dani back.  What did Blair say?  Victor or Walker has Sam, and the Feds are getting ready to close in on him.  Don’t let him know he almost drove you to kill yourself.  You owe him.  Face him and let him know what he really threw away.  Just then she was startled from her reverie by the phone.  She got off the floor and put the gun in her pocket and answered it.

        “Hello.  Yes, all right, Nora.  I’ll come down to the station.”  She hung up, the gun was forgotten.  She moved as in a fog, grabbed her purse, and walked out of the door.

****

The Feds surrounded the property, and they were slowly making their way to the main house.  John and Anna were leading the main group, and as they neared the house, they saw Walker and Sam re-enter it.  There were a number of guards milling about.  Anna made a decision.

“Listen up.  The boy is with his father.  We’re going to do this slowly.  No mistakes.  John, you take half the group and silence the guards.  The rest of us will locate the alarms and turn them off.  When all of that is secure, we’ll enter the house. Thanks to the team here in Philadelphia, we have a layout of the house.  Once inside, we’ll split up again and search for the boy.”

John took his men and proceeded to fan out around the house.  All the men were trained in silent tactics.   On John’s signal, they took out the guards one by one and left them covered by a few men.  Then they joined Anna back at the front entrance.

John looked around.   “I don’t trust Flynn.  The front and back are covered, but something tells me there’s another way in and out of here.  Give me ten minutes to search the outside before entering.”  Anna nodded.

Inside the house, Sam and Walker were enjoying their swim.  Walker was in a great mood.  Sam had gotten a big kick out of walking the grounds with his dad and had happily greeted the men stationed around the house.  Walker had explained that they were a precaution because he was afraid someone might try to harm him again.   After some roughhousing, in the pool, Walker decided he had had enough.  He climbed out of the pool and pulled a t-shirt over his head.  “Sam, that’s enough swimming.  Get out now, if you want to talk to your mother.”

Sam climbed quickly out of the pool and like his father, slipped a T-shirt on.  “Can I really talk to her now?”

“I’ll let you talk to her, but remember, you promised not to tell her you’re with me.”  Walker dialed Blair’s cell number.

Todd and Bo were arguing in the squad room when Blair’s phone went off.  Blair pulled it out of her purse. “Hey, stop fighting.  This is a Philadelphia area code.  Maybe it’s John.  Hello?”

“Hi Mom, it’s me.”

“Sam!  Are you okay?  Where are you?  Who’s with you?”

“I can’t tell you where I am or who I’m with, but I’m okay.  I just got done swimming.  Mom, the swimming pool is inside the house, it’s neat.”

“That’s good, Little Man.  Why can’t you tell me who you’re with?”

         “Because he wouldn’t let me call if I tell you.”

Just then, Walker heard the alarm over his head go off.  Someone had entered the lower level without a password.  He grabbed the phone.  “Blair, I don’t know how you found me, but it doesn’t matter.  Sam and I will be gone before they find the pool.”  He hung up. 

“Come on Sam, it’s time to leave.  Someone’s gotten past my men.”  He took Sam’s hand and led him out of the pool room and down the hall where he pressed a button and a panel opened up.  He stepped into the tunnel with Sam and jammed the panel shut.  “They won’t be able to follow, they don’t know about these tunnels.  Once we’re out of here, I have a car not too far away.  We’ll be fine Sam, don’t worry.  We’ll head back to Port Charles.  Everything there is waiting for me.”

Anna and her men burst into the swimming pool area to find it empty.  Once they had hit the lower floor the alarm had sounded and she had known they missed one of the security measures and had given themselves away.  The underground level was bigger than anticipated, and Flynn had already left.  She spotted the wet prints, and they followed them down the hall to a dead end.  “John, come in.  We‘ve lost them.  There must be some sort of a hidden tunnel.  I hope you found that exit you were looking for.”

“It's okay Anna, I found it.  Don’t worry, he won’t get past me.”  Even as he said it, he saw the hidden door begin to open.   He stepped back against the shrubs and waited for Flynn and Sam to walk into the clearing.  Snatching Sam away, he put his gun between Flynn’s shoulder blades. “It’s all over Flynn.”  Even as he said it, more agents came from around the corner of the house.  

Seeing he was surrounded, Flynn surrendered.  “So John, you finally wised up.  I have to know.  How did you guys find me?”

John put a gentle hand on the top of Sam’s head.  “He told us.  You’re under arrest for kidnapping, murder, trafficking guns, and I’m sure the feds have a much longer list.  You have the right to remain silent....”

         Flynn said nothing but stared in shock at his son.  

         John proceeded to give Flynn his Miranda rights. Then turned to check on Sam.  “How  are you doing?”

“I’m okay, but I’m worried about my mom.  I was talking to her when Dad took the phone and told her she would never see me again.  Are we going home?”

“Yes Sam, we’re headed back to Llanview, then these men will have to take your father back to Philadelphia.  You understand your father was wrong to take you, don’t you?” 

Sam nodded, “But don’t hurt him, he’s been acting weird.  Okay?” Sam looked at the men holding his father, and they assured him they would take good care of him.  He glanced back to John.  “Can we go now?  I miss Mom.”   A short time later they headed for Llanview.

****

Everyone had stopped talking when Sam’s call came through, but no one was prepared for Blair’s anguished cry. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Don’t take my son, Walker!”  She dropped into a chair and began to cry.

Todd ran to her side and sank down on his haunches to get to her level. “Blair, what happened?  What did Walker say?”

“He said the cops made a mistake, and he was gone and Sam with him.”  She cried and grabbed Todd’s jacket.  “Now, we’ll never find him.”

        Todd put his hands on hers. “Don’t do that, Babe.  You’re letting him get to you. There are Feds surrounding that property.  There’s no way Flynn can elude them for long.  John will get them, I know it.”

        She stopped crying as he continued to rub her hands under his.  “I just got so scared when he took over the phone.   I was suddenly afraid he might hurt Sam because he was angry at me.  You don’t think he would do that, do you?”

       “I don’t know, but I think he’ll be too busy trying to get away from the authorities.  Hurting Sam will be the last thing on his mind, right now.”

       They both jumped when her phone rang again.  This time, it was John.  “John, tell me you got him.  Tell me my son is okay.”

        “It’s me, Mom.  I’m coming home.  John is letting me use the siren!”

         Blair hugged Todd so hard he almost fell over.  “Oh, that’s great, Little Man.  We can’t wait to see you.  Put Detective McBain on, okay?”  She beamed at Todd.  “He’s safe.”  She waited and then John was on the phone.  “John, thank you.  Where’s Flynn?  Did you get him?”

“We’ve got him.  They’re bringing him to Llanview first.  You’ll get your chance to confront him.”  The call ended.  Blair looked around at her family.  “Sam’s coming home and they’re bringing in Walker, too.”  A movement at the door caught Blair’s eye, and she saw Tea enter the room.

 Tea was confused, had she heard right?  “They’re bringing Victor here?”

         Bo moved to her side.  “Tea, I’ll explain everything.  Come into my office.” 

         Nora held the door open as Bo led Tea into the room.  Nora’s eyes were caught by Todd who stared at her for a moment, then he said. “I told you I didn’t kill my brother.”  For the first time in a long time, she felt ashamed.  She had pushed the man from the moment he had gotten home and had never given him a chance.  Now everything she had believed had been disproved and Todd Manning had turned out to be innocent all along.  Her eyes dropped and she followed Bo into the office.

        Todd and Blair, along with Starr, Jack, and Addie, wandered around the squad room.   They were anxiously awaiting John and Sam’s return.  “I hate this.  You would think with the siren running, John could get here in no time.” Todd said to no one in particular.  Suddenly a scream was heard from Bo’s office.  

         Bo rushed out. “Fish, call the paramedics, Tea‘s going into shock.”

        “What the hell did you say to her, Bo?  My God, she just lost her baby.  You shouldn’t have brought her into this.” Todd said.

        “Stay out of it, Manning.  I didn’t know she already knew about Victor, but she had to be told about Tomas.”

        Todd glanced around at his family.  He knew Blair had told Starr to call Tea, but now it seemed like a bad idea.  They had forgotten about Tomas when they made the decision to call.  They should have realized she was too fragile.

        “Mom!” came the joyous cry from the other side of the room and Blair turned in time to catch Sam before he bowled her over.

        She hugged him, and the family gathered around to see if he was all right. 

        “What, no joyous celebration for me?  I’m newly returned from the dead. Jack how about a hug.”  Walker smirked as he looked around the room.   Everyone was staring at him with looks of disgust and anger.  “Oh the love,  I can feel it from here.”  Before he could say anything else, a shot rang out.

        “Feel that, you bastard!  You said you loved me, but you don’t love anyone, but yourself.”  Tea stood outside Bo’s office, the gun held up, pointed at Victor.  She watched dispassionately as the blood blossomed across Victor’s chest.

        Walker looked across the room at his wife.  “Tea???”  His eyes dropped to his chest in surprise and he collapsed. 

         All eyes were on Tea and what she would do next.  Blair hugged Sam to her and covered his eyes.  Guns were drawn around the room, all of them aimed at Tea.   

        “Hold your fire.  Tea, give me the gun,”  Bo said quietly, his eyes never left her face.  She didn’t move except to let the gun drop to her side.  She was just standing there, staring at the place Walker had been occupying only moments before.  He walked toward her slowly and removed the gun from her hand.  Tea’s eyes were now unfocused, and he barely caught her as she crumpled to the ground.  He laid her down and glanced back across the room where Fish and John were working on Flynn.   Seeing Blair struggling with Sam, he spoke up.  “Todd, take Blair and your family into my office.  We’ll handle this.”

        Todd didn’t need any more encouragement.  He quickly took his family out of the main room and closed the blinds to Bo’s office.   He moved to enclose Blair and Sam in his arms.  Sam was already asking questions.  “Is Dad going to be okay?  Why did Aunt Tea do that?”

        Todd took Sam from Blair and stood him on Bo’s desk, where they could talk face to face.  “Sam, you know Aunt Tea just lost your little brother, right?”

        Sam nodded.

         “Well, Aunt Tea really loved that baby and she’s not thinking too clearly since she lost him.  She isn’t feeling right and she also just found out she lost Uncle Tomas, too.  I don’t think Aunt Tea really knew what she was doing, but we’re going to get her help.”

         Sam looked over Todd’s shoulder towards the door.  “What about Dad?”

         “I don’t know Sam.  They’re working on him.”  Todd turned to Starr.  “Could you go check and see what’s happening?  You’re the only one of us with any medical training.  I know it might be hard, but for Sam’s sake.” 

        Starr agreed and walked out the door to see what she could find out.  A short while later she came back, followed by Nora and Bo.

        “Sam, your dad’s still alive and they’ve taken both him and Aunt Tea to the hospital,” Starr reported walking over to her little brother.

         Sam had been sitting quietly in his mother’s arms waiting for his sister to come back.  He let out a big breath.  “I hope he’s going to make it.  I’ve missed him.”

        Blair pulled him tighter into her arms.  “I know Sam.  But now all we can do is wait. Right now I want to get you home.  Bo, do you need us for anything else tonight?”

        Bo shook his head, no.  “John’s writing out a report about the events that took place at Walker’s house.  I also understand, that your presence, Manning, will be required back in Port Charles in the next few days, but Commissioner Scorpio said to take all the time you need before going back.  Sam is also going to be needed to identify Calmar.  This is a huge mess, and it will be a while until everything is made clear.  Go home for now.”

        Blair set Sam down and took one of his hands in hers, she held her other hand out to Todd. “Let’s take our family home.”

        Todd smiled warmly, wrapped her hand in his, nodded, and led them out.


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Port Charles Chronicles: Chapter 62

“Todd! My God, you’re hit!?” Blair was frantic.  She spotted the blood trickling down his face as he rolled over onto his back.

       He stared into her beautiful but terrified face.  “What?  No, it’s nothing, I think some glass must have nicked me.” He knew she was thinking of the last time he had been hit.  He felt something cutting into his neck and reached up to find a shattered piece of the window between his skin and the collar.  “I’m alright, see.” He showed Blair the glass as he removed it and that was when she lost it.  She collapsed onto him, crying.

Todd held her to him, “Shh, Babe, you know me, the guy with nine lives.  Tomas is going to have to do a whole lot better if he wants to take me out.”  He held her, rubbing the small of her back as her sobs lessened.  He looked around and saw Starr, Jack, and Addie standing shocked in the doorway. John had moved to the shattered window and was peering out carefully.

 

“If you’re looking for the shooter, the shot came from out in the lake.  Is he gone?” Todd said as he began to sit up.  Blair quickly separated herself and sat back on her heels to give him room, her hand going to his forehead, which was still bleeding profusely.  Todd caught it before she touched him. “Wait, Babe.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and put it to his temple. Blair smiled gently and took it from him and began to tenderly wipe away the blood. 

With those simple movements, everyone came back to life. Starr moved to the bathroom.

“Mom, keep the pressure on, and I’ll get a wet cloth.”

Jack walked toward John. “What shooter?  Are we talking about the same guy that shot at Dad last night?  What’s Tomas have to do with all this?” 

Blair and Todd looked at each other. “Jack, stay away from the window.  We have no idea if he’s still out there,” ordered Todd.   He wanted to go look for himself, but now his headache had taken on a whole new dimension.  The pounding inside had increased, and the discomfort on the outside was making him a little dizzy.  He was sure if he tried to stand at that moment, he’d fall flat on his face.  

Starr joined her mother and father, handing the cool cloth to her mother.  “Come on Dad, let’s get you off the floor.” 

 With Blair and Starr helping, Todd got to his feet and as he suspected the change in altitude, made the room tilt precipitously.  To keep from going down, he stopped and gripped Blair’s hand tightly, swaying slightly until the room righted itself.  Blair moved in imperceptibly and gave Todd the added support of her body the instant he clutched her hand.  Todd moved to a chair and sat down, letting them tend to the wound.  

Jack had hesitated when his father had told him to stop, but when he observed John move directly in front of the window, he figured the danger was over.  He crossed to the window and looked out to see what had grabbed the detective’s attention.  His eyes widened as he saw what was taking place out on the lake.  “Whoa, there’s a Coast Guard Cruiser out there and a smaller boat. It looks like someone’s hurt or dead.” As he watched, he saw men scurrying around the person lying still in the smaller boat.”

Blair looked over in alarm, “Jack, get away from the window!”

“Aww, Mom.  It’s safe.  I think that’s where the shot came from.  Wow, they must have shot him.  That’s why he’s not moving.”

John had been watching quietly and turned to Blair.  “It’s alright.  Jack’s in no danger.”  He looked up at the ceiling where the bullet had plugged.  “Manning, you have the luck of the devil.  He wasn’t taking any chances this time, he aimed for your head.  What gave him away?”

“I caught a flash of something just as I was turning and figured it wasn’t good.  Instinct, preservation, I don’t know, I just dove for cover.” 

 “How are you doing?  You should be checked out by a doctor. The glass that cut you could have come in contact with the bullet.  I’m betting that bullet is coated the same as the last two.”

“Forget it, I’m not going to the hospital, and that’s final.  Glass flew everywhere.  The odds of a piece that came in contact with the bullet hitting me are probably astronomical.”  Todd winced as Blair applied more pressure to his forehead.  “Hey, not so hard.”

Blair frowned at him.  “John’s right and you’re being stubborn.  That little piece you showed me didn’t do this.  The cut’s too deep, and it needs stitches.”  They watched as John moved to the area Todd had fallen.  They saw him lean over and pull a plastic bag from his pocket.  He gingerly picked up a bigger shard with the bag and sealed it. Blair felt queasy as she spotted blood on the edge.

“You guys make a habit of carrying baggies, or is that for your dog?” Todd remarked snarkily.  

John ignored the comment and looked him straight in the eyes. “You won’t go to the hospital.  I figured we could get the glass tested.”  

Todd was shocked. John was actually trying to help. There was only one thing he could say, so he said it quickly. “Thanks.” Before he could say anything else, Addie led in a paramedic.  Todd panicked.  “I don’t know who called you, but stop right there, turn around, and leave.  I’m fine, and we don’t need your services.”  He paled and began to break out into a cold sweat.  

“Todd, I told you.  You need stitches.  This doesn’t want to stop bleeding, let the man do his job or else I’m going to take you to the emergency room myself.”  Blair made the statement then saw the look of terror in Todd’s eyes.  She turned to see the paramedic opening his bag and realized her mistake.  “On second thought, maybe you’re right.  Sir, my fiance is correct, we don’t need your help.”  

For his part, Todd was struggling to keep it together.  The paramedic in front of him kept changing from a paramedic to an orderly and back again. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, but in doing so the pounding increased.  Think Todd, Dr. Collins said to use the mantra.  Concentrate on it.   He began to whisper to himself. “I have a daughter, her name is Starr. Starr has a mother, her name is Blair.  Blair was my wife.  I have a son, his name is Jack.  I have a daughter, her name is Starr...”  He began trembling.  In his mind's eye, the orderly continued to move toward him.

As soon as her father started whispering, Starr moved.  “Yes, my grandmother was wrong.  We can handle this ourselves.  It just looked bad to start with.” She hustled the paramedic out of the room, followed anxiously by Addie.

“Starr, I don’t understand.”

“Grandma, I’ll explain shortly.” 

Blair was watching Todd, her fears were confirmed when he started his chant. As she watched he seemed to withdraw into himself and was leaning back in the chair, as if he were trying to get away from someone or something only he could see.  She reached for him only to have him flail his arms. 

“No, get back! Leave me alone!” he curled away from her and started chanting again. 

 John frowned, he knew from the reports he had gotten at the hospital what had just happened. The shooting along with the sight of the medical technician was causing Todd to experience another PTSD hallucination.  

Jack was confused.  He had been so engrossed with what was taking place out in the lake, he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary when the paramedic arrived.  Then his father started to chant.  He looked over to see what was going on.  He saw his father with his eyes closed, whispering.  His mother was clearly upset as she began trying to get his father’s attention.   He jumped when his father yelled and turned from her.  “Mom, what’s going on?” 

John caught Jack as he started to head over to his parents.  “Hold on, Jack.  Let your mother handle this.”

Jack shook off the arm.  “Why? Something’s wrong.  Mom’s scared, I can see it in her face.  What’s going on with my father?  Is it the injury?”

“No, this is the result of eight years of captivity.  Your father was put through a lot during those years, and now he’s fighting a battle with his own mind.  It’s one of the side effects of post-traumatic stress.  His mother did a real number on him, and the man out there on the boat tried to finish the job.”

Jack walked back to the window.  He thought back to the day he spotted Tomas in town.  He had thought the guy was stalking his mom, but he had really been after his dad.  “That’s him, isn’t it?  That’s Tomas out there.”

John stood next to him as they watched a body being removed to the Coastguard Cruiser.  “I believe so, yes.  I’ll be able to find out soon.  He won’t be bothering anyone again.”

Jack looked over at his parents.  His mother was carefully and soothingly talking to his father.  She made no further move to touch him . She was crying.  His father stopped chanting and appeared to be breathing heavily.  He watched as his dad lifted a very shaky hand to his mother’s face and wiped away her tears.  He felt like he was intruding, as his mom responded with a weak smile, and took his father’s hand and hugged it to her chest.  His own eyes teared up, and he turned back to stare out over the lake.  “I hope Tomas burns in hell!”  A tear dropped on his cheek, followed by several more, as he wept for his father. 

John put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and then turned his attention to the doorway where one of the federal agents was entering.  The agent made his way to John’s side. 

 “Sir, there’s a  call from Agent Devane.”

John glanced over at Todd and Blair and decided to give them some time before bringing up Tomas.  He paused to let Starr and Addie back into the room, before following the agent out to take the call.

 Starr had procured the necessary items from the paramedic.  He had only given them to her after she had explained the situation to him.  Now she needed to fix her father’s wound.  She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her father was okay.  In minutes, she and Addie managed to get him stitched up.  Then all three women insisted he lay down and rest.  His reaction to the paramedic after nearly being shot had scared them all.  Todd was too drained from the episode to put up a fight.

  Blair was beside herself, she wanted to rage and kill Irene all over again not to mention the monster who had almost succeeded in killing Todd a third time.  She didn’t even want to think about Sam, because it made her even more furious.  She had held Todd’s hand as Starr had worked on him.  It had taken everything in her to keep control of her emotions, in order to give Todd time to regain his own composure.  Having decided to let him rest. Blair reached deep into her core, letting the anger turn cold. Enough was enough. This is your family Blair, no one messes with your family and lives to tell the tale.  She swept the comforter off the bed and the glass with it, then let Todd lie down.  “Okay, everyone, listen up. I’ve had it, this family has cowered in this room long enough.  Mannings don’t hide, we get even. Todd, you rest.  I’ll get you some aspirin for the head.  Jack, make yourself useful.  Try and get Sam back up on the computer.  We need to know what’s going on.  Starr, I want you and Addie to get Tea on the phone.  It’s time she found out about her not-so-dead lying husband.”

Laying back on the pillows, Todd couldn’t help smiling a little bit.  Blair had gone into her Mama Bear mode.   It was one of the things he loved about her.  She was right.  It was time for action.

Blair saw his smile and rounded on him.  “What are you grinning like a fool for?  You were almost killed again, and Sam still hasn’t talked to us since this morning.  It’s not funny!”  She grabbed up the spare pillow that had fallen to the floor with the comforter and swung it at Todd. 

Todd reacted quickly.  He caught the pillow and tugged, causing Blair to lose her balance and fall beside him on the bed. “Temper, wounded man here.”  He grabbed her arms as she tried to get off the bed and made her sit next to him.  “I don’t think any of this was funny.  I was smiling because I love it when you get all fierce.  Walker Flynn is a fool to think he can just take Sam, and you won’t retaliate.  He obviously never really got to know you the way I do.”  Todd saw Jack still standing by the window and just looking at them.  “Jack, you heard your mother. Go try and get your brother back online.”

 He and Blair watched as Jack nodded and headed to the other room.  Then he drew Blair’s attention back to him by reaching to move a strand of hair out of her face. “If I heard Jack correctly, right before the paramedic got here, I don’t think we need to worry about Tomas any longer.” 

Blair looked at the broken window.  One of the federal officers was standing there, looking out, talking on his cell, and seemed to be having a conversation with someone about the event. “You think he’s dead, don’t you?  I still don’t understand why he was trying to kill you.” 

“Blair, it’s obvious.  He considered me a threat to his being with you.  He knew we shared a bond, and he wanted you all to himself.  I don’t want to talk about him, I won.   Let John and Detective Falconeri tie up the loose ends.   All we need to concentrate on now is finding out where Flynn has Sam.”

“Todd, I’m just so worried about Sam.  The Feds almost had a location when he suddenly signed off.  If Walker found out he was in contact with us, he could take Sam and leave and we’d never find them.”

“Not going to happen.  Sam seems to know he can’t let his dad find out what he’s doing.  I’m pretty sure he signed off to keep Flynn in the dark.  Look, we know they’re in the Philadelphia area.  I think it’s time we headed back to Llanview.”

Blair nodded, she had an overwhelming need to get somewhere closer to her son.  “I agree, but will the police here let us go.  You were just shot at for the third time.  They’re going to want to talk to you.”

“There’s not a whole lot I can tell them.  Until today I didn’t even know Tomas was in town.   I’m the victim, remember.  Besides, if that was him out on that lake.  He’s gone.  They caught him in the act, I’m guessing.  They don’t need me.  They can’t stop us from going home.  Hand me my phone and I’ll get Vince and the plane ready.  You tell Starr, Addie, and Jack.  I’ll handle John.”

****

A few blocks away from the Metro-Court, Calmar stood waiting for his cab.  He had just successfully reinforced Zacchara’s programming and had sent the young man to turn himself in to the police.  It was time to head back to Philadelphia.  Getting into his cab, he gave his instructions. “Take me to the airport.”

Anna Devane walked out of Corinthos’ warehouse.  Several ambulances were lined up to aid the officers injured in the gunfight.  It had been over pretty quickly as Zacchara’s men soon realized they were outnumbered.  Once inside the warehouse, it had become clear what the men had been doing.  The crates from the truck stood open, and it was apparent the men had begun hiding the guns in the coffee shipment. Dante Falconeri was right.  They had been setting  Corinthos up.  She managed to get the name of the man Carlson had seen with Alcazar.  Anna took her phone out and made a call.

“This is Anna Devane.  Let me speak to John McBain.”  A minute later John answered.  “John, we’ve got the guns and the name of the man who delivered them to Alcazar.  It was  Calmar.  I’ve notified the CIA, they’re stunned.  They say he’s not working on anything for them at this time.  Mac and his officers are checking all avenues out of the city.  We’ll get him if he decides to leave Port Charles.  I haven’t heard from Detective Falconeri, has he gotten Alcazar or Delgado, whoever he is, yet.  I want to talk to both of them.” 

John had listened quietly as Anna told her story.  “You’ll be able to talk to Calmar, but no one’s going to be talking to Delgado.  I believe he’s dead and I’m just waiting for confirmation from Detective Falconeri.”

“Wait.  Detective Falconeri was supposed to bring him in for questioning, what happened?”

“I’ll explain as soon as I hear from the detective.  Someone made a third attempt on Todd Manning just a short time ago.  The shooter missed but was taken down himself.  I just don’t know if it was Delgado yet.”

“You don’t know, but you think it was him, don’t you?  Why?”

“It’s a long story and goes back a lot of years.  Let’s just say Tomas Delgado and Todd Manning have a turbulent history.  The man was also an assassin at one time for the CIA, I think that and his hatred for Manning qualifies him as a suspect.  Hold on, I’ve got another call coming in.  It’s Falconeri.”  

Anna waited impatiently on the other end of the call.  John had suspected Delgado was the shooter.  That meant he was the one responsible for the murder of Carly Jacks, and John neglected to mention that fact.  She hated it when he went off on his own, and it looked like he was doing it again.

“Anna, are you still there?  I was right, Delgado is dead.  Falconeri and the Coast Guard were forced to shoot him down when he tried to turn his gun on them.”

“I see.   When were you going to tell me you thought he killed Carly Jacks?”

 "When I talked with him this morning, all I had were suspicions.   I knew from his reaction to her death that he was involved and I had to let him think we didn’t suspect him.  That’s why Dante just shadowed him.  If he had brought him in, Delgado would have used his contacts to prove he was on assignment and left town.   I stirred the pot when I told him about Carly and that the second attempt on Manning had failed.  I needed him to make a move while we were watching.  He moved faster than I thought and still got a shot off before Dante took him down. Once again Manning is lucky to be alive.” 

“Okay, so Delgado was the shooter.  Was he just playing at being Alcazar?”

“I don’t think so.  Calmar has been his supervisor for a lot of years.  If we get him, we can get the answers to all of this.”

****

Calmar arrived at the airport and stepped out of the cab.  A short time later he heard his plane being called and headed for the gate.  He was about to board the plane when he found himself surrounded by several officers.  “Messieurs, to what do I owe this honor?”

“Claude Calmar, you are under arrest for trafficking in guns and the attempted framing of one Michael Corinthos.  You’ll have to come with us.”

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Port Charles Chronicles: Chapter 61

Tomas sat back in the Limo and looked at his good friend.  “Is Flynn ready to take full control?”

Claude met his friend’s eyes and shrugged. “Oui.  He’s looking forward to it.  I trust all is going well with you, my friend.”

“It’s going as planned,” replied Tomas with a confident voice.  He knew better than to tell Claude about his side activity concerning Manning.  

“You appeared to have everything set up.  I’ve been sent to reinforce the programming of our young friend, Monsieur Zacchara.  It is time for him to come clean about his part in the deaths of his grandfather and the two unfortunates that were in the wrong place the night you attempted to take out Anthony on the road.  I’m trusting that his guilt over the death of the child will be the defining push.”

“I’m surprised.  From what I saw, Zacchara is already filled with a great deal of guilt.  Isn’t it a bit dangerous to get involved with him in the middle of our takedown of Sonny?”

“Monsieur Flynn felt a little reinforcement was needed.  According to Monsieur, Mademoiselle Perkins was beginning to remember seeing Victor.  He doesn’t want anything like that to occur with Monsieur Zacchara.  There are a few things I must finish attending too.  If you would be so kind as to drop me off at his apartment, I will wish you adieu.  By tomorrow, all will be resolved.”

They soon pulled up to the brownstone where Johnny Zacchara lived.  Tomas turned to Calmar before letting him out.  “Claude, you’ve been ordered to reinforce Zacchara’s programming.   What about Ms. Perkins’?”

“Ahh, such a tragedy.  It seems Mademoiselle Perkins was leaving the country last night when her plane experienced trouble and crashed into the ocean.  All on board perished.”  The two men looked at each other for a moment, then Claude gave a slight bow and headed up the steps.

Tomas was thoughtful as he watched Claude enter Zacchara’s building.  Flynn was taking no chances that anything would change his plan.  With Alison Perkins’ death, he had already begun tying up loose ends.  You were wise to keep your plans to yourself.  Flynn’s a loose cannon, you don’t need to be on his bad side.  “Driver, take me home.”  It was time to finish things with Manning.

****

Todd looked around the room.  Blair was having a conversation with Starr and Addie and was obviously upset.  He knew why.  Sam had stopped posting and Blair was fearing the worst.  He didn’t blame her. When Sam had stopped writing, he had pictured Walker coming upon his son and the computer.  His mind went back to the times he had done something that would infuriate Peter and he would then get punished for it.  He didn’t want to think of Sam being punished that way.  Lost in his thoughts, he was startled by a voice.

“We need to talk.”

John was standing right beside him and Todd suddenly felt a little claustrophobic. Todd backed away to put more space between them. “What about?”  

“Let’s go into the other room.   I don’t want to upset Blair or your kids.”

The only other rooms in the suite were bedrooms and Todd couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a rise from the man. “John, I told you before I’m not that easy.  I usually expect more before letting someone into my bedroom.”  He smiled.

“I remember, and I repeat, you’re not my type.  This is about Tomas Delgado.”  John watched Todd’s smile fade.  He had his attention.  “Now will you go with me into the other room?”

Todd scowled but followed John into the bedroom where they could talk more privately. “Why the hell would you bring up Delgado right now?”

“Didn’t Starr and Jack tell you?”

“We’ve been a little distracted by other things if you hadn’t noticed.   There hasn’t exactly been time for normal family chats.  What do they know about Delgado?”  

“He‘s in town and Dante informed me, he just received a shipment delivered by Calmar.”

“You mean the guns are here in Port Charles?  What are you waiting for?  Arrest the bastard and get him to tell us where Flynn has Sam.”

“We can’t, there is nothing to prove he’s doing anything wrong.  According to Calmar, he’s here on assignment.”

“You really believe that after what Sam told us about the guns?  Seriously, what the hell does Tomas need with assault rifles?  You and I both know there’s more to it.  The guy is dirty. He’s up to his neck in this thing with Flynn, and that guy sure as hell doesn’t work for the government.”

“I agree, but he’s already separated from the shipment.  Right now, there’s nothing to tie him to it except the people who are taking it where he ordered.  The Feds are getting ready to move in on the truck and its load.  They’ll handle that, but we’re after Tomas, and not just for running the guns.”

“Who’s we?”

“Dante Falconeri and I.  Dante is currently keeping a watch on Tomas as we wait for his next move.  It’s a move I think will happen soon and it concerns you.”

“Why?  I haven’t seen him since I left Llanview.”

“That’s right.  He never meant for you to see him.   He claims he’s in town on assignment.  But according to Jack, he was seen watching you and Blair.  He was pretty cozy with her until you were found not guilty.  It wasn’t long after that, that you were shot.  It’s not too much of a stretch to think he might want you out of the way.”

“You think he’s the one who took those shots at me down at the dock?” Todd stood there for a moment, not saying anything.  He felt only white-hot anger roaring up through him.

John watched Todd carefully, he had heard stories of his temper but had never been privy to any of it.  Todd moved so fast, that John was shocked and barely got out of the way as a glass missed him and exploded into a million pieces against the far bedroom wall.

“That son of a bitch!  Yesterday...” Todd was putting it all together. He turned his anger on John. “You suspected him last night.  My God, he could have killed Blair or the kids.  I’ll kill him!”  His head began to pound again, but Todd ignored it, all he could think of was leaving that room and getting his hands on Tomas.  He started to leave, shaking off John’s hand as the man tried to stop him.  He was so furious, that he almost bowled over Blair as she stepped into the doorway.  He just managed to stop himself from colliding with her.

Blair had heard the crash of the glass and had immediately looked around for Todd.  Then, she saw a look on his face she had only seen one other time, the night he had almost raped her.  Something had set him off, she frowned   “Todd, what is it?  What happened?”

“Blair, get out of my way I need to go out for a while.”

She put her hand on his chest. “No way, Mister.  You forget, I know you and you’re not going anywhere this angry.  I don’t know what John told you to get you into this state, but you’ll have to walk over me to get out of this room.”

Todd took a deep breath, looking into Blair’s understanding eyes. He knew she would fight him all the way across the room if she had to.  Suddenly the anger dropped away as if her touch took it from him.  His hand went to her face.  “You could have been the one he killed last night, and I’d be lost without you.  Don’t you see, he deserves to die?”

“Who?” Blair could see the fear in Todd’s eyes and knew he had reacted because of the fear.  “The shooter?  But we don’t know who that is?  How can you go after someone you don’t know?”

Todd’s eyes flashed angrily, as he frowned down into her face.  “We know who it is.  Tell her, John.  Tell her who you suspect.”  He turned his head and challenged John.

****

Tomas walked to the hidden panel and opened it.  He took out his gun case and a box of shells and moved to a table to prepare his rifle.  Donning a pair of gloves he proceeded to load it with the tainted ammunition.  His thoughts swirled in his head.  The conversation with McBain rising to the top.  Damn it, Carly, why did you have to be so nosy?  You weren’t supposed to be anywhere near that suite.  “Her death is on your head, Todd.  You just don’t know when to give it up and die.  But that’s okay, it will all be over soon.”  He set the safety and put the gun back in its case.  “Come tomorrow, I’ll make an appearance, and Blair will run to me for comfort.”  He smiled to himself as he thought of her slim body against his.  There was no way she would turn him away once Todd was dead.  A short time later, he walked out of the building and entered his Limo.  He settled back into his seat and opened the second bag he was carrying. “Take me to the pier.”

Dante sat in his car and slowly pulled out to follow the Limo.  His man had managed to tag the car with a tracking device.  He was going to hang back, they didn’t want to alert Alcazar.   It was important to catch him in the act.  It soon became obvious that the car was headed to the docks.  Dante continued to follow the Limo, but his mind wandered back to his conversation with the Feds about the truck’s final destination.  The truck had been followed to his father’s coffee warehouse.  According to Carlson, no one met it.  Dante had given instructions to Carlson to stay put and wait for backup.  Before heading out to follow Delgado, Dante had argued with Anna Devane about the warehouse.

“Agent Devane, Sonny has never dealt in guns.  Why would he start now?  McBain swears this guy Delgado is Lorenzo Alcazar.  He’s the one who met the truck and Johnny Zacchara’s men are doing the delivery.  It’s obvious that he and Zacchara intend to frame my father.”

“It might be obvious to you but I’m not so sure.  We’re going to go see just what is taking place at that warehouse.  We’ll see whether it’s just a delivery or whether it’s a setup.  I assure you, we’ll do everything by the book. You do your part, Detective, if Mr. Delgado is Lorenzo Alcazar, prove it.  Bring him in and we’ll find out who he really is.”  Anna had left him with that statement and had gone to see to the raid on Sonny’s warehouse.  

Dante reached for the radio and called his officer. “Carlson, give me an update.  What’s going on at the warehouse?”

“Carlson here, the Feds are getting ready to go in.  Zacchara’s men are up to no good.   They broke into the warehouse and have started unloading the crates.  But something is definitely going on, they seem to be spending an awful lot of time in there.   It’s not just a drop.  The Feds are moving in now.  SHIT!  We have automatic gunfire coming from the warehouse.  Got to go!”

Dante’s hands clenched the wheel.  Things had just escalated.  He couldn’t help his man or the Feds.  “Damn!”  He was frustrated and more determined than ever to get Alcazar.  The man had set this up, and now he was probably headed to finish off the other job he had started.  There could only be one place Alcazar was headed, the boat rental.   The man had shot at Manning the first time from the lake.  If McBain was right, he would seek that avenue to take out Manning for the final time.  

Dante parked and walked into the Coast Guard office.  “I need your help in apprehending a possible assassin.”  Within minutes, Dante and the Coast Guard Cruiser were headed out into the lake where they stopped and observed the activity at the rental docks.  Now they waited for Alcazar’s next move.

Tomas exited the Limo and walked down the dock to rent another boat. Dressed now in jeans, a t-shirt, and a cap, to the average onlooker, he looked like a man headed out to fish for the day.   He picked a different rental than the first time.  As an assassin, he knew better than to go to the same place twice.  Getting onto his boat, he set his rifle case down and the fishing rod he carried.   He then pulled away from the dock and took off.  His eyes were on his destination, he never saw the cruiser sitting out in the lake.  

Tomas got to his vantage point and picked up the fishing rod.   Unscrewing the handle, he took his long-range scope out of the hollowed-out interior and set it down on the bench next to him.  He then opened another part of the rod and pulled the three legs from the compartment.  A few adjustments later and he had his tripod in place.  He set his rifle in place and sat down, counting the windows at the Metro-Court until he found the room he was looking for.

****

Inside Todd’s Suite, Blair was in John’s face.  “Are you kidding me?  You‘re standing there telling Todd you want him to be a target again.  You know what he’s been through.  Tomas almost killed him the first time.  Why should he make your job easy for you?  You have evidence, find a way to tie it to him, go arrest Tomas,”

“Blair, we don’t have enough to arrest him.  It was you who told me he was an assassin for the CIA.  He’s not going to make too many mistakes.  The only thing that gave him away this morning was his reaction to Carly Jacks' killing.  He has to try for Todd again, and I hate to say this but we have to let him make the attempt.  Don’t worry, Todd’s in no danger.  I brought along a bulletproof vest, and if Dante is doing his job, Tomas won’t even be able to fire off a shot.”  

Todd had been listening to Blair and couldn’t help but love the fire he heard in her voice.  Not even thinking, he moved to the window and stared out over the water.  He had liked this suite because of the view, and after what had happened in the boys' room, he was glad there were no buildings for Tomas to hide in.  He noted several boats out on the lake;  a couple of speedboats zooming out into the lake, a fisherman, and the Coast Guard Cruiser sitting farther out. Blair was getting angrier, and it was time to step in and calm her down.  He started to turn back to the conversation when out of the corner of his eyes something flashed from the boat holding the fisherman.  Todd’s survival instincts kicked in, and he dove away from the window just as a shot broke through the window right where his head had been.

Blair screamed when Todd fell as the window exploded.   Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she moved to check on him.

Out on the lake, the Coast Guard, and Dante had watched as Delgado had set up the rifle. Before they could get underway, they saw the gun flash and knew he had gotten a shot off.  Immediately they were racing for the boat.   Dante and a Coast Guard sharpshooter were both on deck as the bullhorn on the cruiser addressed Tomas’ boat.  “Step away from the gun and stand down.”

Tomas had seen Todd fall and was just removing the gun from its perch when he heard the cruiser coming up fast.  Not even thinking, he swung the rifle around, causing both Dante and the Coast Guard officer to open fire. Tomas was hit and collapsed to the deck of the boat.  The cruiser pulled alongside, and Dante leaped onto the boat.  He kicked the gun away from Delgado’s body and bent to check him.   One of the bullets had ripped through his heart, and the second one had hit his lower chest.  He would have probably survived the second hit, but not the first.  Dante couldn’t find a pulse. Tomas stared up at him with a blank look in his eyes.  It didn’t matter anymore if he was Alcazar or Delgado, he was dead.   

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