Disclaimer: I don't own the Tracys or the Thunderbirds. Nor do I own Shark (sorry, CC), er, Emily or her mother but Criminally Charmed has given me permission to use her characters with the sole purpose of offing Emily's mom just because she's a nasty piece of humanity.
A/N: This particular plot bunny bit me after CC told me for the (actually, I don't remember how many times to be honest) umpteenth that I could not kill Emily because in her world John loves her. In my world, she's shark bait. Since Emily and her mother are CC's characters, I decided that it was more fitting to put this story under Crimsam. Then CC got involved and, well... It belongs under Crimsam.
Not all that Glitters is Gold
by Crimsam
Susan Haas was in her element and flowed through the crowd with practiced ease. High society had never glittered more than it had on this evening. Socialites gathered to show their one-of-a-kind designer gowns and jewelry while husbands spoke of business and expensive hobbies. But it was the gossip that filtered down from the hostess that had everyone trying to edge closer to the source of the gossip. Gossip that she found was very much the truth when she caught a glimpse of the richest man in the United States, one of the richest men in the world. The man who just happened to be her daughter's father-in-law. That she renounced her own biological daughter was irrelevant. What was relevant was that she rectified the problem before too much time elapsed. The main attraction at tonight's gala affair would hopefully give her a chance to get in her daughter's good graces. Purposefully and determined, she made her way to the three tuxedoed men standing side-by-side. She saw the matching bored expressions and knew that she'd have to make this fast before they made their excuses and left.
"And why is it that we had to come, Dad?" Smiling blankly at the self-absorbed debutantes and their social elite parents, Virgil tugged at his collar. "It's not like we're really part of this group."
Taking a fortifying drink from the glass of Scotch in his hand, Jeff rolled his eyes. It was true that this wasn't a part of high society that he liked to engage in but to keep others from nosing too much into his personal life and by extension his sons' lives; they had to make the odd appearances. "No, we're not but it gives Julie and Sarah a chance to dress up and see more than the Island. Plus, with Julie so close to her due date, Emily doesn't even want her to leave the Island to go to work."
Muttering, "I would have had her stop a lot sooner," Gordon let his gaze follow his wife, when he became the first to notice the woman approaching them. "That woman coming towards us, she looks familiar."
Jeff looked in the direction that Gordon was looking and cursed. "That's because she is Emily's mother. Had I known she'd be here, I'd never have bothered coming."
"That's the woman who denied her own daughter? Our sister? Or in John's case, the love of his life?" Glaring hard at the woman, Gordon turned his back on the woman just as she reached them. "I think I need a breath of fresh air. Something has suddenly turned my stomach." He walked away, ignoring the dark expression that flitted across Susan's face before settling back into a small smile.
Biting the inside of his mouth, Virgil struggled to maintain his indifferent expression. His younger brother never bothered to play by high society's rules. He said what he thought and if you didn't like it then that was just too bad. Family was everything to the Tracys and Susan Haas had disowned her own daughter for no reason other than she married a "native". Well, actually, Emily had phrased it as she had "married a man whose family lived on an island north of Auckland." It wasn't until she realized that the "native" was none other than John Glenn Tracy, son of Jeff Tracy that she tried to repair the damage. It had been a case of too little, too late and Emily had walked away leaving her mother in the middle of a Manhattan restaurant. And into a life that had given her the challenges she needed and the love of a family she had longed for. Mentally shrugging, he thought, "Her loss is definitely our gain."
He grinned as he thought of his petite sister-in-law and his second oldest brother and how right they were for each other. Alan had done them all a great service though none of them realized it until they had each heard, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Through a series of illnesses, abductions, murder attempts, and whatnot, Alan had somehow managed to introduce his four older brothers to their wives. Scott and Kate met when Alan was abducted and found in the basement of their father's office building. John and Emily met when Alan had flown Emily to Tracy Island to deliver Scott and Kate's baby boy. Virgil and Sarah knew each other from Kansas but again, Alan brought them together when Sarah had rescued him from a burning hotel room in Boston. Well, maybe not Gordon. Julie and Gordon had met when she rescued the red-headed son during a rescue that the Thunderbirds had been called out on. Then again, Julie had gone after Gordon in the water off of France because the other Thunderbirds had been distracted by Alan's injuries and had missed Gordon falling into the water. Later, Gordon's guilt over Alan being nearly killed when trying to protect Julie and Gordon had split the couple up for a time. Kate had more to do with them reuniting. That and Julie's pregnancy. "Of course," Virgil thought wryly, "if Gordon hadn't come back from New York with Julie as his wife, Kate probably would have killed him. Or Parker would have." Kate had become somewhat protective of the younger woman but Parker was down right fiercely protective of his long-lost child. But all was well now, even if like John, they had missed out on the nuptials. Gordon and Julie had also eloped. "But John and Emily had a tasteful elopement held at the American Consulate in Auckland. Gordon and Julie were married in Vegas by an Elvis impersonator." Virgil did his best not to chuckle at that memory and focus on the battle-ax, um, woman in front of them.
"Jefferson Tracy, this is such a welcome surprise to see you here." Susan failed to take note of Jeff's grimace; he really did hate being called Jefferson. Making a show of looking around the room, she breathed a small sigh, "Did Emily not come? I was so looking forward to meeting her husband, John isn't it?"
Galled by such blatant bull, Virgil politely smiled, "I'm sorry to say Emily and her "native" husband had more pressing and engaging commitments to attend to."
Outwardly she appeared unfazed by his obvious barb but inwardly she was seething. "Arrogant ass. Like Emily and her husband could possibly have much to do in that clinic Jeff set up for her to run. Think of the money they have…think of the money they have…the power…the clout…"
"Excuse me, Mrs. Haas, but it seems that Virgil and I are needed elsewhere." With a polite nod of his head, he prodded Virgil towards Sarah, Gordon, and Julie.
The two women openly glared at their sister-in-law's mother. "If this is how high society is, I'm really relieved that Dad doesn't expect the same behaviors from us." Sarah shuddered at the thought. "And I'm glad we don't have to come to these shindigs that often."
"Dad only came because he wanted to give you and Julie a chance to get away from the Island and dress up," Gordon admitted.
"Hell, take me to a nice restaurant with the family and I'm happy," Sarah said. "I'd much rather be with our family than with these snobby as—"
"Sarah." Virgil cut his wife off before she could say exactly what she thought of those around them.
"Just saying what I think, Virg," she said. "You never had a problem with me doing that before."
"And I still don't," he said, nuzzling her neck. "Later, you can tell me everything you think and feel."
"Get a room." Gordon rolled his eyes at his brother and sister-in-law.
"Trust me as soon as I can get one, you won't see us for a while." Clearing his throat, Jeff directed a fatherly look at his sons. Virgil and Gordon just grinned.
"Gordon." Gordon turned at his wife's soft voice. "Gordon, I really must use the facilities. Your sons are playing football again."
Virgil, Sarah and Jeff laughed at Julie's comment. Gordon had been truly alarmed when Julie had first made the joking comment to her frequent rushes to the bathroom. It wasn't until he realized that she meant soccer players and not a place kicker for American Football that he understood her humor. Julie had been raised in France, still spoke with a slight accent and many of her references were with a European outlook. Gordon raised an auburn eyebrow at his family as he almost ran with Julie to the alcove he had noted earlier – Gordon had made a quick study of all exits and restrooms when they entered. As his wife waddled – you really couldn't call it anything else at this point – into the ladies room, Gordon sat down on a nearby padded bench.
"May I sit here?" Gordon looked up to see an older man with a neat mustache and graying blonde hair standing nearby. Gesturing to the seat beside him, Gordon nodded a welcome before refocusing his attention on the door.
"She'll be fine." Looking at his companion once more, Gordon's confusion showed. "Your wife. She'll be fine. She looks healthy. My wife gave birth twice, two healthy, beautiful children. Giving birth is old hat these days."
Sighing, Gordon smiled slightly. "I sure hope so. Julie's having twins. They are due in six weeks so this will be the last trip until they come. My other sister-in-laws, well, Kate gave birth twice, two boys, with no complications at all. Tin-Tin, well she was under a lot of stress at the time. Samantha came a bit early but she was fine. Tin's already pregnant again – she and Alan didn't plan on another so soon, but they are happy enough, if a bit freaked. Sarah," he motioned back to the ballroom at his sister-in-law, "went from first contraction to delivering her son in less than two hours. She and Virg are hoping for another baby soon enough. The way they are flirting in there, well, maybe the next baby will be conceived in New York."
The man chuckled, and then asked, "So your father has a granddaughter and three grandsons, with three more grandchildren on the way?"
Looking a bit more serious, Gordon asked, "You're not a reporter are you?"
Shaking his head, the man whispered, "No, worse. A lawyer."
Chuckling at the safe defacing humor, Gordon continued with his story. "Well, I left out Emily, my brother John's wife. She is a doctor. She delivered all the babies, well, except her own two. Em went into labor at Virgil and Sarah's wedding. Emergency c-section, But Elizabeth, who, by the way was the first girl born to our family in eight generations, was healthy and beautiful. It took a lot of talking of Emily's part, but she and John eventually tried for a second one." Gordon became somber as he softly said, "We almost lost her. Eclampsia – pregnancy induced hypertension. Her heart even stopped at one point. But she and Keith pulled through." Gordon pulled out his I-Phone 87. Pulling up photos, he flipped through the pictures, until he found the one he wanted. "There. John, Em, Elizabeth and Keith."
The man reached out with a trembling hand and looked at the smiling family. "Elizabeth. A lovely name. I wanted to call my daughter that."
Gordon smiled at the family picture. "Yeah, no Lizzie or Beth. She insists on Elizabeth. Only John gets to use a nickname for his little princess. Calls her Little Bit. Our mom's name was Lucille Elizabeth and her granddaughter just has the names reversed. Keith was mom's maiden name and David is from Em's family. Her grandfather's name, I think. Man, Keith is looking more like Johnny every day."
"Elizabeth looks like her mother as a child."
Ignoring the oddness of the statement, Gordon continued. "Yeah, she does. A mini-Emily right down to the stubbornness." As Julie began to exit the ladies' room, Gordon stood, retrieving his phone and slipping it in his pocket. Before he joined his wife, he said quietly, "And she has your eyes, Mr. Haas."
Gerald Haas sat in the shadowed alcove for a moment longer, watching his daughter's family from across the room. It was only as his wife approached that he stood. "Gerald? Were you speaking with one of Jeff Tracy's sons?" Nodding, he ignored the pleased look on his wife's face. "Excellent. Maybe we can begin to make headway with them now…"
Grabbing his wife's arm he shook her. "No, Susan. I said nothing as you drove our daughter further and further from us. I said nothing when you mocked her brilliance and I said nothing when I watched as you became more and more enviousness of your own child. Emily is beautiful, intelligence and accomplished. We should have been proud of her. Instead you drove her away. And I let you. We have two grandchildren, Susan. A little girl named Elizabeth and a boy named Keith. And they will never know us. You made sure of that. Maybe our son and daughter-in-law being unable to conceive was our punishment. The child you found acceptable is barren and the child you drove away has been blessed with two perfect, healthy children." Releasing her arm, he moved to the entrance of the alcove before turning back to his wife.
"Leave it alone Susan. You burned the bridges and God help me, I held the matches. Emily belongs to the Tracy family now. Their grandfather is Jeff Tracy. No one in that family will ever give you another chance to hurt Emily again." Sighing, he ran his hand over his face. "I'm going home, Susan. Stay as long as you like, but stay away from Emily's family."
Gordon and Julie had rejoined the others, with Gordon quickly revealing his conversation with Emily's father. "He seems like a nice enough guy, Dad. And he seemed to like he really wants to know about Em and the kids. Maybe we should tell her, give her the choice of contacting her father."
Sarah and Julie shook their heads. "Non." Julie firmly stated. "Emily has mentioned her father a few times but…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Sarah for support. Taking up the lead, Sarah shook her head once more, her soft red hair catching the lights in the ballroom.
"Em's father may have never hurt her the way her mother did, but he let that b…witch tear Emily apart over and over and never said a word. Susan Haas ruled that household with a iron hand and her husband never wanted to fuss. Conspiracy is considered as bad as the crime, remember?"
The family had glanced over at the alcove to see Gerald Haas confronting his wife. "Maybe," Jeff thought wryly, "he finally is standing up to the battle-ax. If he had done that years ago…Well, we came out better for it. Emily makes John so happy and their babies are such a joy." Jeff was pulled from his thoughts as the Tracys watched Emily's father walk off, lost in his own thoughts, leaving his wife in the alcove. With the drama ended, the Tracys made to leave. The party had lost its flavor and suddenly their rooms and a late night dinner from service sounded great. The Tracys left as Gordon began to laugh at Julie whispered request for a chicken soft taco with guacamole and black olives.
None of them saw the young man follow Emily's mother to the shadowy entry to the restrooms. And she didn't realize that she was being followed until the door shut and a quiet snick of the lock caught her attention.
Stepping back, she stared at him. "Blake, what are you doing? Get out of here before someone tries to come in."
"You ruined my chance to marry Emily with your snobbish expectations." His words were full of hate. "I could have had her inheritance and put her brilliance to better use than that of a simple outback clinic doctor."
Susan snorted in an unladylike manner, "I ruined your chance? Blake, Emily would never have married you. You were exactly what she ran from. Not you per se but what you represented. High society and all the trappings. She was always happiest when she went against what I expected. Exposing herself to germ-infested dregs of society." Shuddering in disgust, Susan turned her attention to the large mirror above the sink and carefully reapplied her lipstick.
"I could have forced her into doing what was right, Susan."
"If I couldn't, then you had no chance." Searching through her designer handbag, she didn't see him slide up behind her with a knife in his hand. With a quick motion, he sliced her throat. And to ensure that she wouldn't crawl out to the crowd for help, he slammed her head down on the marble countertop rendering her unconscious.
"And now, you'll never have the chance to weasel your way into the Tracys' good graces." Wiping Susan's blood from the knife onto her dress, he smirked. "Cliché as it may be, tell Satan hello you cold-hearted heifer." Nobody paid a bit of attention to the nondescript man walking out of the gala's ballroom.
Two days after the party
Katherine "Kate" Eppes Tracy set down yet another report on her desk as the figures seemed to dance across the paper, making her eyes cross. With Julie now officially on maternity leave, more Tracy Enterprise paperwork seemed to be crossing her desk. "She's only been on leave three days. I don't know if I can handle three months! I really miss something simple…Like a flood, a collapsed building, an earthquake…" Kate thought crossly. She could see why the brothers let her and Julie handle a lot of Tracy Enterprises while they handled International Rescue. You could see immediate results as a Thunderbird. An executive of the recognized family business saw the culmination of hard work months or years after you began. It was with a sense of relief to Kate when the intercom on her desk buzzed.
"Yes, Paula?" Kate asked.
"Mrs. Tracy, um, there are a couple of FBI agents here. They say they need to talk with you." Kate frowned but then told the secretary to let them in. She missed her own secretary, but Abby went on maternity leave a week ago. Kate was regretting simply using Julie's - the girl was terrified of Kate. Taking a deep breath, she looked up from her reports as the agents entered the office.
Standing up from her desk, Kate smiled as she recognized one of the two agents. "Carol Chang, as I live and breathe! It's been, what – seven years?"
The former co-worker held out a hand in greeting. "'Bout that, Kate. It was after the Jack Mitchell trial."
The other agent spoke up at that. "Yes, that was when you killed Jackson Mitchell."
Kate's outstretched hand fell to her side and she returned to her seat behind the desk even as she gestured to the agents to sit in the two seats in front of the desk. "Yes," she nodded. "I did. I shot the man after he had grabbed my sixteen-year-old brother-in-law and stole a gun to take the kid hostage. The same teenager that he had kidnapped the December prior to the trial, which was the case he was being tried for. That bastard was about to shoot my husband, who was in the courtroom as well. But I was armed, and yes, I have a concealed carry permit."
The second agent looked down at his note pad. "And you recently shot another man."
Scoffing, Kate shook her head. "Man? Try monster. The Hood was an escaped criminal who had come to Tracy Island to kidnap our children. He was holding my pregnant sister-in-law, Julie, hostage. He was about to throw a knife at me when I shot him. The man was considered extremely dangerous." Looking at Agent Chang, she raised an eyebrow. "What are you teaching junior G-men these days? The little twerp hasn't even introduced himself to me. I'll have to chat with Colby. He prides himself on running as tight a ship as Dad did with the Bureau."
Agent Chang looked as if she was trying not to laugh. "I apologize Kate. This is agent Gideon Reid. I think you knew his father."
Looking thoughtful, Kate nodded. "I believe so. He was a great profiler. How is he enjoying retirement?"
Agent Reid looked annoyed. "Fine. Now, as to our business. Do you know a Mrs. Susan Haas?"
Kate's face took on a look as if she had stepped in something distasteful. "Yes," she said her words abrupt and measured. "I have had the dubious honor twice. Once was more than enough." Glancing at Chang quickly, Kate raised an eyebrow as she asked. "Why, did some burn the witch at a stake?"
Chang cleared her throat while Reid looked intrigued. "So, have you ever threatened Mrs. Haas?"
"Is she claiming I did?"
Agent Chang shook her head. "No, she isn't. In fact, she's dead."
Now both of Kate's eyebrows shot upwards, although she managed to school the rest of her face into revealing nothing. "Dead, you say? My brother-in-law, Gordon, mentioned they had seen her at a function two days ago."
"And did they speak with her?" Reid pressed.
Leaning back slightly, Kate pursed her lips. "As I recall the conversation, Gordon said he had avoided speaking with her by moving over to where Julie – that's his wife – and Sarah –Virgil's wife – were standing near the patio. Virgil and Dad spoke with her as little as possible before joining the other three. Julie then had to run to the ladies room – she's pregnant with twins and sees more of the bathroom than any other room of the house." Kate gave a light chuckle. "That was probably my least favorite part of pregnancy myself." At Chang's questioning look, she pulled a picture of her credenza to hand to her former co-worker. "My boys, Jason and DJ. Jason is seven now and DJ is almost four." Chang handed the picture back with a smile. Kate gently touched the photo. "There are certain things that have to be handled here in New York or another office, but for the most part I work from home. Jason is young enough to be home schooled for the time being, but when he hits middle school…" Kate worried her lower lip. "Well, I'll worry about boarding school when I have to." Drawing herself from her musings, Kate leaned forward. "What kind of evidence of foul play do you have?"
Reid shook his head. "We really can't discuss that, Mrs. Tracy. But can you prove where you were two nights ago? And if we can document where your family members were as well would help."
Raising her head back, Kate answered. "Well, I can prove where I wasn't. I filed a flight plan with the FAA to arrive early this morning. I came straight from the airport to here in a helijet. The penthouse we use is across the street in Millennium Towers. I haven't even been there yet. Security can confirm what time the helijet landed and when I accessed the elevator that leads from the roof to the executive suites. As for the family, I am sure security cameras at the Tempest Ballroom will show that the family all left when I said they did. I can pull security footage and access cards documentation to show when they returned to the penthouse and that they didn't leave until the next morning. Their flight plan will show that they left Manhattan about ten in the morning and few straight to Tracy Island. I doubt they were even aware she was missing." Pressing a button on the phone, she gave instructions to Paula in order to gather the security information before returning her attention to the agents.
Chang made some notes before asking, "Did they go straight from the party to the penthouse?"
Kate responded, "Dad, Virgil and Sarah did. Gordon and Julie made a run for the border." At the confused look she was given, Kate laughed. "Like I said, Julie's pregnant. She wanted a chicken soft taco with guacamole and black olives. She ate three. Good thing the girl is an athlete, those twins are giving her a killer appetite. But I am also sure the security footage will show them returning to penthouse within a half hour of the others."
"Did you ever have any dealings with Mrs. Haas?" Reid asked sharply.
"As I said, twice. Once in California, when Emily was dating my cousin Edward."
"The heart surgeon?" Chang asked.
Nodding once more, Kate said, "Yes. When her mother started giving her grief over dating someone with "mixed blood" – our paternal grandfather was Jewish – Emily found she cared deeply for Edward, but didn't love him enough to fight with her mother over him. To ease the break-up as well as put more space between herself and her mother, Emily took a job in Auckland. That was where she was working when Alan "appropriated" her to deliver Jason." Smiling at the memory, she explained, "I was accidentally left by myself and Alan was the first family member I could reach. He was in Auckland getting his arm examined after breaking it at school and he couldn't get my OB. Emily was there and when she heard it was Edward's little cousin in labor, well, she came right away. She's delivered all the Tracy babies except her own two."
"A very nice story Mrs. Tracy," Reid sniped, "But a friend of Mrs. Haas says you had a fight with her in the middle of a five star restaurant here in New York."
Kate shrugged. "A fight? No. A confrontation? Hell yes." Becoming reflective, Kate recalled. "It was about four months after Jason was born. I accompanied Dad and Emily here to New York. Dad and I had meetings here for Tracy Enterprises and Emily wanted to see if she could make peace with her mother."
Seven Years Ago:
As Emily approached the table, Susan Belmont Haas raised her eyes to examine her only daughter. A fissure of resentment ran through the older woman, whom, through a personal trainer and discreet plastic surgery, did not look old enough to be Emily's mother, forget the fact that her son was six years older than his sister. Thinking of Roderick, Susan allowed herself the satisfaction that at least her son had turned out right.
Roderick was a junior partner at his father's law firm and was engaged to marry the daughter of the other senior partner. Claudia Beckett had been the debutante of the year when she had made her society bow and had received a degree in Romantic Languages from Bryn Mawr. The younger woman had already joined her mother and Susan in their charitable committees. Her future daughter-in-law was the ideal young woman in Susan's eyes. Her own daughter, with her blue eyes sparkling with emotion, her bright blond hair pulled back, yet falling in waves down her back and a slight tan making her glow with vibrancy, looked like her father's family but Gerald had never been able to comprehend his daughter either. Emily's sharp mind, academic achievement, her dedication to her chosen profession would e understandable, even praiseworthy in a son. But in a daughter? What had Susan done to deserve this?
"Mother?"
"Sit."
Well, Emily had never received a warm welcome from her mother in her life. Why should now be any different? Dutifully sitting across from her mother, Emily waited with expectation and a small sense of dread at the inevitable. Would this be the day her parent pushed her too far, the day Emily would cut all ties to the family of her birth? Somehow the thought was no longer as frightening as it had once been. Marrying John had brought her more than a husband. Now she had a father, brothers, a sister, a nephew, dear friends and happiest of all, the miracle that now grew beneath her heart. Feeling the love of the entire Tracy clan behind her, Emily instantly straightened and faced her mother head on.
"Thank you for meeting with me, Mother. We need to talk."
Susan's well made up face revealed nothing but her eyes were cold with disdain. She suspected what her greatest mistake wanted from her and she had come prepared. Instructing a hovering waiter to simply bring two martinis – no menus required – Susan barely noticed when Emily had her order changed to a mineral water. Never having bothered to learn her daughter's likes or dislikes, she was unsure of Emily's reasoning and frankly, could not care less.
"Well," Susan asked impatiently, "I have to assume you have come to your senses." That said, she handed her daughter a legal folder with annulment papers.
Emily sighed. "Mother, an annulment simply isn't possible." At her parent's glare, Emily took a strengthening sip of the just delivered water. "I am having a baby. You are going to be a Grandmother."
Susan was incensed. "I will have no mongrels in this family. Our position will not allow it." That said, she handed Emily two business cards. Reading them, Emily raised horrified eyes to her mother's. The divorce attorney's card was bad enough but the other…
"Emily, if you expect to be welcomed back into the family, you will need to get rid of all your mistakes first."
Furious beyond belief, Emily spat "My baby is not a mistake Mother, nor is my marriage. My husband, his family and I are all thrilled about the baby. And welcomed back? I have never been welcomed or wanted in your family. Why should I have hoped you would have changed? I was a fool for that, but only that."
"Keep your voice down Emily, you are embarrassing us both."
"Good," Emily snarled. "Maybe some people will know you had a daughter."
Perfectly sculpted eyes rose at the past tense her daughter had used but Susan gave away no other emotion. Pulling out another legal folder, she pushed it across the table. "Fine. Then sign this if you want to live with your mistakes. This family certainly won't."
"Hold it."
Puzzled at the new voice, both women turned to it. Katherine Eppes Tracy had walked up to the table, eyes daggers at Susan Haas.
"Agent Eppes, wasn't it?"
"Oh, I left the Bureau more than a year ago. I work in the private sector now."
"Fine, Miss Eppes, I merely need Emily to sign this, then we can all leave."
"How do you know Em and I weren't planning to have lunch here?"
Susan raised her eyebrows once more. "As if you could afford to. Miss Eppes this is a five star French Restaurant in Manhattan. I doubt a former civil servant and a doctor who has chosen to work for a charitable trust could even afford the valet parking."
Kate was ignoring the woman, instead perusing the cards and documents in front of Emily. Turning her disgusted face to the society matron, she growled, "You sick bitch." Touching Emily's cold hand, Kate had gently asked, "Are you OK?" At Emily's tight nod, Kate handed her the papers that would disinherit and disavow Emily if she did not agree to terminate her pregnancy and divorce her husband. "Sign, baby. You don't need them; you have a real family now." Turning back to Susan, Kate bashed "And you sign these." Susan blinked, and then took the documents Kate had pulled from her briefcase. "These documents state that you will make no claims on the former Emily Haas, her husband or her husband's family. You will also not try to claim any children of that marriage in the event of either Emily or her spouse's demise." No where on either form was that name Tracy until Kate signed as witness on both documents. After she had finished witnessing both forms, Kate handed one form to Mrs. Haas and stored away the one she had brought from the Tracy Family lawyers. She also pocketed the cards Susan had shoved at her daughter. "I'll have copies of this forwarded to your attorneys. Tell them to have copies of your forms ready to go back with the messenger."
Kate stood, placing her hand supportively under Emily's arm. "Now if you don't mind, our father-in-law is here to join us for lunch. Nursing and expectant mothers shouldn't skip meals, should we Dr. Tracy?"
Susan Haas, who had been turning from her daughter and her companion, froze at the name. Pale, she turned to the younger women. "Tracy?" she whispered, horrified. No, she thought, it couldn't be.
Kate smiled coldly at her. "Yes, Tracy. Mrs. Katherine Tracy and Dr. Emily Tracy, wives of Scott and John Tracy, the eldest two sons of Jeff Tracy. Yes, THE Jeff Tracy."
Realizing her error, Susan tried to reclaim lost ground. "Emily, my dear…"
Emily actually took a step back in disgust from her mother. "No. You never gave me your love, you never gave me your approval, and you never gave me a thought if you could. Well, now you won't have to because I will be walking away and I will never think of you again. Be happy Mrs. Haas, or at least as happy as you ever could be."
Before Susan Haas could say anything more, she heard a man call out "Kate, Emily!" A smiling Jeff Tracy came across the restaurant, followed by a couple Susan recognized as a current U.S. Senator and her husband. "Carol, Bill, I'd like you to meet my two lovely daughter-in-laws, Katherine Tracy and Dr. Emily Tracy. Emily," Jeff declared with pride "is the young doctor I was telling you about, the one who has not only agreed to run the Tracy Charitable Trust Clinic in Akaroa, but has set up a remarkable program for visiting specialists to rural New Zealand." Smiling at the two young women, he went on. "Both my daughters-in-law are as bright as they are beautiful."
"Well, Jeff," the Senator's husband declared. "Your boys sure know how to pick them. Kate, my girl, Jeff has been showing off pictures of young Jason. And I hear that by next year, he'll be having another grandchild to be bragging about?"
Emily gave a becoming blush as the conversation, not unnoticed by many in the upscale establishment, moved to a private alcove. The one who watched it the most was the one who suddenly realized how much she had lost. A bright, beautiful, accomplished daughter who had made a social match most society matrons could only drool over.
Kate came back from the past after telling the tale to the agents, a troubled look on her face. "Emily has not had anything to do with the Haas' since. I can't even recall the last time she was in New York. She does travel back and fourth to New Zealand and makes the trips several times a year to LA as there is a cooperative agreement between Cedar Sinai and the Tracy Charitable Trust Clinic." Kate shook her head. "As far as Em is considered, her family is made up of Dad, her brothers-in-law, their wives and the grands – Dad's nickname for his grandchildren," Kate grinned before turning serious once more. "Emily meant what she said that day. She never wanted to think of her mother again. For the most part she hasn't. My parents have really taken my sisters – especially Emily and Sarah, who is an orphan – to their hearts. They treat the girls like they are their own. And Dad considers his daughters-in-law to be as much his children as his sons. She has a husband who adores her and two beautiful children. So, if you are trying to figure out if Emily had it in for her mother or if anyone in my family wanted that bitch out of the way, you are barking up the wrong tree."
"What would you not do to protect your family, Mrs. Tracy?" Agent Reid asked.
Looking over at Reid, Kate shrugged. Focusing on Chang, Kate gave a small smile. "Probably not much. But in this case, I don't need to lie and I certainly wouldn't be so messy as to do something that would draw attention to me or mine. Killing Mrs. Haas would be…wrong. Destroying her socially? That would be so much more satisfying." Using a thumb print lock, Kate unlocked a drawer. Pulling out a file, she handed it to Chang. "As you can see, I have a copy of both legal documents that were signed that day in the restaurant. In addition, there are the cards Mrs. Haas tried to give Emily." Kate once again called to Paula, asking her to make copies of the contents of the file. Once the secretary had left again, Kate continued. "All any of us had to do to take down Susan Haas was to let everyone know that the Tracys despised her and wanted nothing to do with her. She would be socially ruined; the family law practice may have even been put at risk. Society values wealth and influence, something the Tracys have. They don't want to offend Jeff Tracy. The society matrons who put together that look-at-me festival the other night must have been gloating at getting Jeff Tracy and two of his sons, plus their wives, there. Dad agrees to the occasional appearances like that so that people leave us alone. We value our privacy. But still, it does leave little doubt as to the influence factor, does it?"
Paula returned with the documents, handing the original to Kate, who promptly locked the file back up. Agent Chang stood up, clutching the other file. "Well, thank you for your time, Kate. If we have any other questions…"
Kate stood up and handed Chang another card. "You'll contact our attorney." Standing firmly behind the desk, Kate remained there, with her chin raised as the agents walked out the door. As soon as she was once more alone, Kate let out the breath she was holding in a "woof" and fell back into her chair. "Glad to know I can still play hardball with the best of them. Frankly, being an executive here was probably better training for that than Quantico." Looking at the other pictures on her desk, Kate picked up one taken a few weeks ago, with all the residents of Tracy Island. Picking up the phone, she sighed deeply. Kate needed to call Dad and Scott and give them the 411. She needed to know what steps the family wanted her to take. But they would handle it as the united front that was so clearly the base of the Tracy family.
"And in other news, socialite, Susan Haas, was found murdered in the restroom at a gala. No arrests have been made and details are being held while the murder is being investigated. Her husband, attorney Gerald Haas, and their son, Reginald Haas,, survives Mrs. Haas."
Standing in front of the television, the petite blonde tried to hold back her tears. True, her mother had never shown a bit of love to her. And granted, her father was emotionally distant. But the woman was her mother and a part of her longed for the love she'd been denied. A love that would never have a chance due to actions set in motion the moment she was born.
"Honey, I'm so sorry." Warm arms pulled her against a solid body. John could feel the tremors in Emily's body as she tried to keep her cries quiet so as to not wake their children.
"It's silly to cry over this. She made her decision," Emily sniffled.
"But somewhere in my beautiful wife is the little girl who wanted and needed a mother," John said.
"Yes, but what I lost with my biological family, I've definitely gained with you, Star Man, our children, and your family."
"Our family, Em. They're our family and you'll never lack love from us. From me because I'd do anything for you, Emmy. I love you."
"I love you, too, Star Man. How could I not when you'd hang the stars and moon just for me?"
Emily leaned into her husband's embrace. John kissed her. "I promise you, Emily. There will be justice, and I will be with you every step of the way. Tracys take care of their own."
Across from John and Emily's villa, Kate stood at the window gazing through their open window. Their silhouettes outlined by the glow of the television.
"I should have told her, Scott. She should never have found out by watching the news."
"Katie, the fact that you know who did this and that you have set forth the motions of getting the case solved is better left unsaid. It's not going to make this any easier on Em."
"I know, Scott, but I feel so useless that I can't protect her from what is going to happen next. It's going to be splashed all over the news in New York and the social elite circles."
Kate had been an FBI agent prior to their marriage. A very good agent. She often applied that same deductive reasoning to her work for Tracy Enterprises. And she held the file in her hand, the file that solved Susan Haas' murder. A file that she had ready to forward to Agent Chang.
"That jerk – a guy Emily refused to date, but who still saw them as a couple. I won't let Emily be dragged into this. The media would humiliate her. When the kids go to school in the States, Elizabeth and Keith will be asked about Mommy's old boyfriend killing Grandma. Scott…I-I have to do this."
Scott frowned. "Do what, Kate? You solved the case. Blake Sinclair murdered Susan Haas. You have the means, motive and opportunity. Better yet, you even have proof of the weapon and where he hid it. Have I ever mentioned that you are totally hot when you are being all Nancy Drew?"
Kate smirked. "Yeah. Now, how hot am I when I falsify information and hide evidence?"
"Kate? What are you going to do?"
Not answering her husband, Kate picked up the phone. "Ann-Marie? I need you to forward File SH-version B to Agent Chang with the FBI. Her card is in my rolodex. Thanks. No, I am not coming back to New York any time soon. But give Agent Chang my cell phone if she needs me."
"Katie? What did you do?"
Kate gave a sad smile. "Took a page out of Uncle Charlie's book. Blake Sheridan is an accountant. As of now, he is guilty of fraud and embezzlement. Susan Haas found out and threatened to expose him. That's why he killed her." Closing her eyes, Kate bowed her head. "I have to Scott. Otherwise, it will hurt Emily. And you know she would blame herself."
The next day…
Agent Chang watched as Blake Sheridan was led away. Greed was the motive and a desire to protect himself from exposure was the reason he killed Susan Haas. There was even a possibility that he was sleeping with her and that was how she had discovered his fraud. Sheridan was denying the theft although he admitted to killing Mrs. Haas. But the reason he claimed was far different than the one that would be presented in court. No one would believe it; the computer records were too detailed and very damming.
Standing alone as the suspect was ushered into the car. Sighing, Chang wondered if anyone would know the real story. She had her suspicions. Katherine Eppes Tracy had been a good an agent as her father but very talented with computers. Was it possible that the information had been manufactured? Maybe. But the anonymous tip that led to the safety deposit box with the knife wrapped in a silk handkerchief…the handkerchief had Sheridan's monogram and the weapon had his fingerprints. There was some of his blood on the blade as well, and a small cut on his right hand, typical of a knifing murder.
But if Kate Tracy had changed the motive, the killer was still apprehended. Agent Chang decided that sometimes you had to accept things the way they were. Or, she mused, the way they should be. Walking towards the car where the suspect was now encased, she allowed herself a small smile. Chang always disliked dealing with the rich, people who seemed to think their money put them beyond the law. But, as her grandma use to say, Not all that glitters is gold.
A/N - Always liked Chang. She suspects that Blake killed Susan for another reason. But she won't say anything. And the witch is dead. wahh. Let us know what you think. - CC and Sam1, aka Crimsam.