It was ten years since we finished construction on the Love Center. Ten years since I had been back in Llanview. I disappeared after the disaster that was Daniel Colson. I figured that the further away from Llanview I got the better. And it was better for a while. I managed to get a job writing for the San Francisco Herald. Nothing big, but it paid the bills.
I really hoped that my life would get back to some sort of normal. Even jumped back into the dating game. It was good for a while. I dated an architect for about a year before I found him in bed with our neighbor. That ended that relationship.
It was pretty hard not to follow the lives of the old crew. I didn't know all of the details, but I knew enough. Marcie had made it big, had a few books on the best seller's list. I always meant to catch up with her on one of her book signing tours, but we always seemed to just miss eachother. According to her bio on the back cover, she still lived in Llanview with her husband, and at last count, her three kids.
Riley and I hadn't spoken since his father's swearing in. I did know that Riley had gone into a rehab program. I lost track of him after that. I often wondered if that old saying was true. Time heals all wounds. I never thought Riley would see it that way. Especially after Jen's death.
Rumor had it that Shannon settled down. Well as far settled down as Shannon could get. I heard that she was dating Rex Balsom, that they moved into an apartment above one of the casinos in Atlantic City.
Out of everyone in Llanview, I followed Nick the closest. It was kind of hard not to. He was famous. He had made it big after the center was completed. He still hurt from losing Julie. We all knew how her death had struck him. Newspapers all over the country fought for an interview with the quarterback for the Harrisburg team but very few were ever lucky. Surprisingly, Nick never became one to hog the media spotlight.
That was the reason my editor gave me for why I had to go all the way back to Llanview. He called me into his office late the night before and sat me down.
"I didn't know that you knew Nick Messina," he said to me. Charlie Marshal could be intimidating if he wanted to, and most of the time, he wanted to. He reminded me a lot of my father, minus the law degree. Same gray hair, same brown eyes. He even shared some of the same obscure phrases that my father used. That was a real blessing, especially after my Dad passed unexpectedly two years earlier.
My first instinct of a response had been, "Well doesn't everybody, sir?"
"Don't be a smart ass, son," Charlie said. "I just got a call from an attorney over in that old home town of yours. Says your old buddy Messina wants to talk to you."
"Me?" I was shocked. After ten years, Nick had tracked me down. Why? "I haven't even spoken to Nick in years. Why all of a sudden, out of the blue?.."
"I'm getting to that, kid. Johnson just ran me in news from the ticker about three minutes ago. Seems Nick Messina just got himself arrested."
Needless to say that I was in shock. "Nick?"
"Police opened up a ten year old murder case. Serial killer back in '05. Umm... Barber?"
"Hayes Barber." I told him. "What does Barber have to do with Nick?"
Charlie sighed, almost like he was upset that I hadn't caught on yet. "PA's finest dropped the charges on one of the murders. Imagine that? Ten years later and now they're establishing a timeline.
I knew right away what Charlie was going to say next. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew it was coming. "Which murder?"
"Tanaka?" Charlie dug out the archived copy from 2005. "Yeah. Julie Tanaka. Pretty girl."
"Nick didn't kill her," I defended immediately.
That's the other reason why I'm sending you East." I assumed that the first reason was because Nick had asked for me. "You're the best investigative reporter this side of the Mississippi. Hell, This entire hemisphere."
I felt a somewhat uncharacteristic smirk cross my face. At the risk of sounding conceited, I was a pretty decent reporter. But working for a newspaper like the San Francisco Herald didn't do much to further my career. We always got the top stories last. We got scooped by every major newspaper, even some of the minor ones, but even when the bigger opportunities came along, I stayed at the Herald. Poor career choice, sure, but I was happy there.
"This could be the story that puts you on the map, Marky. The story that gives this paper the credibility that it deserves."
"So... you want me to go to Llanview."
"Pack your bags, Kid and rent yourself a room in the ole inn."
That's how I ended up on my way to Llanview. Ten years later. I couldn't imagine how much had changed, who was where, if old alliances and friendships remained or if they had been broken. But even as I pulled into Angel Square I felt this strange feeling of belonging.
I parked the beat up jalopy of a rental car and got out. The square looked the same. The diner was still there, the community center, and I smiled. Sure I was in the mood for feeling nostalgic, so I left my bags in the car trunk and headed over to the center.
The years hadn't changed the place too much. There were classes going on inside. A small basketball game was being coached by a kid, probably from LU, and I heard a melody coming from the music room. The tune being played by the beginner was tellingly haunting and somewhat sad. It reminded me of the song played at the end of the old Incredible Hulk series.
I walked further into the center, towards the room where the melody was coming from. Sitting in the middle of the room was a small boy who was no more than six, plucking away at the notes. The instructor's back faced the entrance way so I couldn't see his face, but I heard his voice. The familiar tone brought me back to the days of construction on this place.
"Way to go, Danny," he praised the child. "That's great. You're getting better and better with each lesson."
"I practiced," the boy said, proudly.
"I can really tell." the instructor bent down to place his acoustic guitar back in the case. "You keep practicing, buddy, OK?"
"OK," the boy's guitar went away as the both stood to face the doorway. It was then that I realized why the voice was so familiar.
"And don't forget to remind your Mom and Dad... about the recital on Thursday."
"OK" Danny practically beamed. "Thanks, Riley."
I watched the small child leave the music room and step up to man not too much older than myself. He wore wire rimmed glasses and a business suit. It wasn't designer, but it was pretty close. Close enough. "How's he doing?" he asked Riley. I simply watched.
"Good" Riley smiled. "It night and day from when he started."
"Hey that's great, buddy," he looked at Riley again. "We've been meaning to invite you to dinner."
"So your wife is back from Toronto?" Riley asked.
"Back today. So what do you say about... tomorrow night about seven?"
"Sounds great" Riley said.
"Maybe you can preview your music for us, sport, huh?"
Danny looked up at the man. "The recital is on Thursday," he pointed out, as if hearing him play before that would jinx it.
The man laughed. "Oh... OK. I guess we're going to have to wait until Thursday then." He reached out and shook Riley's hand. "Thanks again, Riley."
"Anytime, Hugh. You tell Marcie I'll be there by seven tomorrow night."
I was more than a bit shocked by the news. I had always thought that Marcie would marry Michael. I wasn't one to judge though, I didn't even know this man, Hugh. I watched Riley step back into the music room, considering for a long time whether or not I should try to break the ice after all these years. I could feel my self confidence plummeting like it had that first week of construction. I couldn't face him yet. I wanted to, but I couldn't, so I turned away, going out of the center and heading over to the hotel. For now, I would get settled, plan what I would do next.