A Quality of Mercy
Prologue: EJ Wells has ascended as sole head of the DiMera Empire due to the death of Tony, Sami and EJ have discovered the children hidden from them, along with the details of betrayals that have depths never imagined. What is and what is not forgiveable? What is, and is not deserving of mercy?
Chapter I
"I am afraid I cannot ask you to go Harris, you need to be with Chandler and the new baby. By the way, Liam, it is a lovely name, but why didn't you go with Darrin?"
Harris hemmed a minute, then answered, "Chandler saw some old t.v rerun, and it had a witch named Samantha, and her husband was Darrin..I don't know, she just didn't like the sound of it after that!"
EJ gave a low chuckle, "Well if you knew how many times Samantha changed the twins names, you would know what they mean by a womans' prerogative.".
EJ was flipping through the transcript of what Matthew had taped of Lexies conversations with Kate, and his face grew grim at what he was having reconfirmed by this bit of evidence too. His private investigators were at this moment getting court orders to examine all the Zurich hospital records as well. When this all came out, Marlena, John, Kate, Carrie and Austin would not know what hit them.
Cameron had done her job well, putting together all the legal information they would need to demand a hearing and an immediate DNA test. The girl was still in the hospital, so time was of the essence. The investigators had learned that John was staying with the boy, but it seemed Doctor Evans was now staying with Carrie Reed at her hotel near the hospital. All was now ready, and EJ and Sami were to fly out the next morning on the Mythic Company Jet. Cameron would accompany them, along with Matthew and a couple of other security men. Cameron had the legal contacts for both Switzerland and Italy, with a dossier compiled that was going to knock the socks off any legal team the other side managed to knock together in the short time they would be allowed.
Nanny and Lorene were helping Sami pack. She would need clothes for the children, and they had spent all morning going through and getting some of Jessica and Justins old things together. Even after knowing she would be unable to bear more children, there were so many things that Sami had been unable to get rid of.
"Oh Nanny, now you have to stay! We are going to need you more than ever!" Sami had hugged her, the joy of knowing that soon she would be seeing her children, children she had believed lost to her forever, bubbling over in her.
Katy Marie was sitting up, enjoying the sunshine with her mother, out on the patio terrace when Marlena came up to join them.
There was a light fuzz of brown now appearing on Katys head, her hair was beginning to sprout up, just like the shoots of the spring flowers that had recently begun to bloom as the snow finallymelted. Smiliing softy at her, Marlena had rubbed the childs head, holding her face up to look at the soft chocolate eyes that were fringed by the long lashes. It was hard to make herself say it, but these were the eyes of EJ Wells that were staring back at her.
"Has John come back yet? The doctor said it may be okay for Anton to come and visit..I think that would be nice don't you, I mean he is her twin brother..bet they would both like to meet each other?" Carrie was still living in a world unhindered by the knowledge of who Katy really was, and Marlena had yet to be able to tell her. John had left with Anton for Milan to make sure all the paper work there was legalized, and he was leaving it up to her to tell Carrie the truth before they returned. Knowing the Wells and DiMera organizations as he did, he knew the truth would come out anyway, and there would be hell to pay then.
Marlena was silent, as she tried to think of something to say. As of now, she just could not bring herself to tell the truth, it was better to wait, wait until Katy was stronger, and out of the hospital. That was going to be another week, a slight infection had showed up last week, and the treatment was going to delay her discharge for a few more days, but Carrie had been assured that she was fine. Katy had gained back all the weight she had lost, and a lively color had replaced the pallor that her face had taken on for so long.
The child looked about expectantly, "Nanny Kate?" her voice asked the question of where was her other grandmother. For some unexplained reason, she did not ask for Austin anymore. He had seen her once since the transplant, but Carrie had asked him not to return. It was best that he just make a clean break of it. He had agreed, getting out from under the weight of the guilt was hard enough without looking into the eyes of the little girl who had called him Daddy since she had learned the word.
Kate also wanted to be clear of any entanglements. Just as Claire was no longer her granddaughter, Katy Marie was not either, and it was best to sever ties that could no longer had a reason to be maintained. She had left days after the transplant to visit Lucas, and from there was going to London to visit Billie. Billie had settled there soon after Zach had been found.
The cell phone in Marlenas purse rang, when she looked at the number she saw it was Sami calling. Her hand trembled a bit when she decided she may as well answer, or Sami would call again, Sami always called again.
"Mother, I am so glad I caught you"Sami was indeed glad.
"Why Sami, how nice to hear from you, I meant to call you, but you beat me to it".
"Yes, well, I wanted to let you know, EJ and I will be out of the country for a couple of weeks, some business things to take care of..how is the baby doing?"Sami was trying hard not to sound nervous, and EJ was listening in to every word.
"She is doing great, but has to stay another week in the hospital, a slight cold got her down a bit, but she will be fine in a day or so."her voice almost trembled, but Marlena was getting through this conversation.
"Wonderful, so you say she is still in the hospital?" Sami was glad to hear that, as was EJ since it would make things easier on the child. All the tests necessary could be completed without having her taken from her home again.
"So is John there with you?" Sami continued asking the questions that EJ wanted answered. "Has he gotten the paperwork finished on Anton, did he find the birth documents on him?"
The catch in Marlenas voice was evident, as she stalled for time to answer. "He is in Milan now, Anna DiMera is helping him I think. She has more contacts there in the legal field that he does. But we think everything is going to be fine."Marlena desperately wanted off this conversation, but Sami pressed on.
"When do you think John will return, I would like the chance to speak with him about some research information for my next book..by the way, I have sent off my manuscript to Mildred for editing advice, but we should go to print in the next three months. I want to let you read it Mother, I think you will find it really is a good story."
"Yes, well, I look forward to it..look I have to go now, but I will see you soon..love you Sami, "and the line went dead as she hung up.
"Yes you shall see the both of us very soon" EJs' words held both a promise and a threat.
Chapter II
Lucas had been back for several days, before Hana had been able to confess what she had done. His face had gone white, as he had taken the computer to see if there was any chance there had been a way it had not gone.
"Your message to: Samantha Wells has been read...and the date and time stamp showed he was as good as dead. For he had no illusions about the power and vengeance of EJ Wells if he felt he was betrayed. He had been the recipient of that vengeance once before, but for the sake of their dead son, EJ had not wished to hurt Sami by letting Lucas die, instead he now lived with the specter of HIV positive status, knowing it was only the medical care provided by the Mythic Labs that kept him alive and relatively healthy.
Added to that bad news, he was expected to drive into Lilongwe, check into a hotel with Kate, and sit and listen to her harp about how he was wasting himself here and how he needed to get out of Africa..back to the States and on and on..He never had any warning when she was coming, just a call the night before she arrived, or an email. This time he had both. As unhappy as she had been for him to have considered marrying Nabila, she even refused to come to meet Hana. She need not have worried, with Hana there would never be children, the brutality of the rape she had endured, along with the beatings had made child bearing an impossiblilty for her. In a way, he was glad. No child would have to endure the possibility of being HIV positive, for Hana had the same status as Lucas did now, and enjoyed the blessing of the same medical breakthrough he was allowed.
Kate was running through her financial situation as she waited on Lucas to arrive. The next payment to Lexie was going to seriously compromise her situation with money. The fact was, she was not going to be able to do it again after this one, and she knew Lexie was not going to stop. Philip was going to have to help. He had been given a Council position, and that meant money. The least he could do is help her out of this, until a more permanent solution could be found. That damned adoption had been so expensive, given all the people she had to pay off, what was it about Carrie that she could not make her sons happy?
"When?" Lexie had her hands on her hips, demanding Matthew tell her, when was Theo coming. Matthew was there to tell her she would have to wait a couple more weeks, and that he had been intending to bring him this weekend, but something had come up, and he was going to be leaving with EJ for Europe.
"Be patient, Lexie, you know EJ has a lot to take care of, and he has to have a good story for Abe and Celeste..let him do this in his own time, and you will get Theo forever, not just for a weekend.' Matt was soothing and believable, and Lexie knew she would have to trust them. She was not about to tip her hand until she had the money from Kate, and Theo, then she would run., and this time no one would ever find her again! It was not going to be on Theo, no one was going to make him into a DiMera!
Matthew read her mind as easily as a fast food menu. Theo would never come, EJ had decided that would be Lexies punishment. As a DiMera he could not do her bodily harm, but what she had kept from him was unforgivable, and she was going to suffer for it for the rest of her life. Her life would be lived out in comfort, but she was never going to leave this house, or see her son ever again. That was what she had brought on herself by letting his daughter be kept from him. The money that Kate was sending would be diverted to an account to be used for Theos' education. In time, Theo would find himself under the roof of EJ Wells, for it was not in the interest of any DiMera to be raised by people not of the lineage. Both Abe Carver and Celeste were too old to be raising a boy of that age, that was not the will of Stefano.
Anna sat across from John, eyeing him as one would a prime piece of meat. It occurred to her that he was not really cut from the same cloth as Marlena Evans. She recalled how it had been all those years ago, when Roman had married the "Doc". Anna did not love him then, and it had not hurt, but seeing Carrie think of Marlena as her mother, that had been an emotional ache that had taken years to heal.
"So why did you let Tony put the boy under your care? You don't really seem the maternal type?"John was sipping his drink, while the eyebrow raised. For some reason that made Anna laugh, it was such a comical expression.
"There is nothing I would not do for Tony, I have been in love with him from the moment I saw him, we just could not live together." Anna sipped her wine, and leaned back in the chair, crossing her long legs and smiling again as she saw his eyes drop down in appreciation of the view.
"Why do you think Tony has not returned to pick him up, after all, this is his meal ticket in the DiMera organization, his piece of the lineage so to speak.?"
Her eyebrows raised in puzzlement, she had wondered this herself, as he had not contacted her, Bart had been called back, and she knew that she was free of his influence. So why did she feel compelled to meet with John, and answer his questions.
"Did you know that the boy is the biological child of Samantha and EJ Wells" his eyes bored into hers, and she could do not but tell the truth.
"Not until Kate informed me, and when I knew there was a chance he could save Carries daughter, excuse me, adopted daughter, I was willing to help. I wanted them to tell the truth to Sami, but Marlena and Kate told me that Sami would take Katy Marie away from Carrie..I did not want Carrie hurt. I have not been much of a mother to her all these years, this was something I could do to make it up, but I am sorry for Sami, I wish it could have been different.
"Anna, when EJ finds out about all of this, we will all wish it had been different!"
Chapter III
Sami was sleeping about four hours into the flight, and EJ was happy to see it. Her excitement had been so profound since she had found out about the children, she had barely slept for days. He found a light blanket and tucked it about her, then slipped a pillow beneath her head. She murmured a light thanks, then was quickly back to sleep, exhaustion had finally taken over. EJ turned out the light and closed the cabin door.
Matthew and Cameron were sitting in the center cabin, and EJ came in, and opened up his briefcase to bring out the documents he wanted review. To convince the Swiss authorities to let them take custody of the child they were now calling 'Little Wells Girl', it was going to be first necessary to have a full DNA profile done on all her, as well as EJ and Sami. Cameron had already made those arrangements for the two of them, and was planning on petitioning the British Consulate on EJ's behalf, and the American Consulate on Samis behalf. It would probably take four or five days to get the order through the red tape in both agencies, but EJ was also pulling strings. Being a DiMera had other advantages in that many people owed favors to them. He was calling in every favor owed now.
They did not anticipate any legal problems in gaining custody of the boy. EJ knew John was a reasonable man, and had come to the conclusion that John would never have done this to Samantha. Marlena was a little more warped in the way she was willing to view her daughter, she had proven that from the first days back from being imprisoned by Stefano, in allowing herself to be separated from Eric and Samantha. EJ knew what it would take to get Jessica and Justin away from Samantha. God help the person who ever attempted it.
The plan was to demand that John and Marlena turn over the boy immediately, without putting the child through any more trauma. EJ and Sami had agonized over what life must have been like for the boy. The records they had been able to obtain said the boy was called Anton, but the notes said he had protested that name, asking instead to be called Stephon..and it had not taken too much second guessing to figure out he had meant Stefan. They had not yet chosen new names for the children, that was something Sami wanted to wait and see for themselves what they thought would fit. EJ was adamant about the girl though, girl, she would not remain Katy Marie for more than ten minutes after he first met her!
"Well, EJ as long as we prove biologically that they are your and Samis' progeny, and with the past evidence of her abduction by Tony, along with these medical records of her ordeal, this should be a slam dunk". Cameron was confident, almost too confident, and that had EJ worried.
"What does the Swiss law say about adoption? Is the child considered a Swiss citizen or an American citizen?" EJ did not want to find out that the country of citizenship would be Swiss, he feared that would give too much protection to Carrie and Austins rights as the parents of an adopted citizen.
"Well, actually, Kate brought the child in illegally from Egypt..these papers drawn up by the agency have never been certified, there were too many questions left unanswered, so this adoption is not legal anyway under Swiss law. I think the best thing to do is wait until my Swiss co counsel has a chance to review with us..so..since we need to wait for that, is there anything to drink on this plane? I could use a shot of brandy, oh God, this flying, I never did like it!"
Matthew poured her a healthy measure, and added one for himself and EJ. They all needed a little shot of relaxation. He had been picked up at Ontario, and was giving EJ the information on Lexies bank transactions. EJ looked them over, then flicked the key on his lap top that gave the command for any money landing in her accounts to be traced to the original source, then transferred to a holding account of his. Lexie had no way to access her accounts to check if the money was there, and EJ planned on keeping it that way. He would keep her in line, and her vote when needed by the promise of Theo.
"Hmm, wish I could make money that easily EJ, just push a button, and from one account to yours..you have the Midas touch!" Matthew laughed as he saw the graphic of the flying dollar signs migrate from Kates account to the one EJ was collecting it in. The poor woman was looking a little skinny in the asset portion of her balance sheet.
"Learn from the master, dear boy, I will teach you all you need to know..and now, I am going to join Samantha in a bit of sleep, you should get some rest too..the time zone change can be hard for the first couple of days!"EJ closed the laptop, and locked it with the security code. He had learned that even Samantha could not be completely trusted, and he did not want her endangering herself again with information she did not need to know.
Taking off his shirt and tie, he stripped down to his boxers, and lay down next to Samantha. Even in her sleep, she spread the blanket to cover him also, feeling his presence next to her without waking. He appreciated the warmth, and pulled her to fit against him, as his arms encircled her, and he threw one leg possessively across her thigh. She sighed in contentment, an burrowed her head into the hollow space beneath his chin. His hand stroked her hair, and he kissed the top of her head as he inhaled the perfume of her, a scent he had known and loved now for almost eight years. He did not look forward to the justice he would have to mete out, but it had to be done. Mercy was not something that could be given under these circumstances. His eyes closed as he prayed that Samantha would understand and give him full backing as she always had.
It was a tired Harris that tiptoed back to bed after settling Liam in his crib again. He never dreamed that one little baby could disrupt a life so, but he was fast wondering how they had lived a life without the little guy around. He saw that Chandler had already fallen asleep after the nursing, and he decided he might have a chance to get a bit of work done on his other assignment before heading back to bed.
EJ needed to find out who was responsible for Tonys death, and that meant he had to find Joel, the young man who had been the one helping Matthew and him with the security tape clean up. The problem they had was, if there was a clip of Sami going into the room with Tony and they had one, chances are the real killers had a copy. Joel had made the mistake of crossing over, that would prove to be the most costly mistake, and possibly the last one he would ever make. EJ had a creed..once you buy someone, they have to stay bought, that is rule number one.
The baby began to cry again, and Harris put the dossier away, there were more important things to tend to now.
Chapter IV
Philip took the call, and gave his secretary a polite nod, which was her clue to close his door, and find something else to keep her busy. It was his mother on the line, and he never was in a good frame of mind after speaking with her.
"Philip, what took you so long?" Kate had a tone of impatience, and if he could have seen her through the phone he would have seen by the way she waved her black polished nail around in the manicurists face that he was right.
"So sorry mother, I guess I should have pushed the client out the door, and ran right in, I mean, he was only worth a hundred million in business for Titan, talking with my mother should always rate higher!"
"Oh, sounds like you are doing well then, I am so glad to hear that." And she was.
"Yes, well it is putting a lot of money in EJ Wells pocket, so I guess he will be happy too." Philip was using his calculator to figure out the gross profit EJ would realize, and hoped the trickle down effect would wet his beak also. Knowing EJ, it would be a small bead of moisture, not enough to matter. Philip grinned as he imagined how he could bring about a change in the attitude of EJ in sharing the wealth.
"How is Victor doing? I may be coming back to Salem soon, for a visit after I see Billie in London, I look forward to seeing him. ". Kate figured a good long visit would help her cash flow situation.
"He will be thrilled Mother" Philip said flatly. This should be good, he smiled to himself, Father was always happy to see Kate, he equated it with pulling the wings off of flies. Then again, it was a mutually pleasurable torture they engaged in.
"Uh, um, Philip, I am waiting on an investment I made to pay off, is there a chance I might get a loan from you for six months..I think a hundred thousand should be plenty" Kate always figured make the kill quick and painless when asking for money.
"Good one Mother!, What do you think I make here, I haven't even made my 401K contribution this year. Why don't you get rid of a fur, or pawn some jewelry?"
"Philip, I cannot do that, appearances matter you know..besides, you are now a Council Member, where is that money going to?"
Philip sat straighter in his chair, wondering how in hell she would have gotten that information! As a member of the Council he did get cash distributions quarterly, but he had a lot of expenses that had eaten his first share up. It was probably best not to answer any of her questions, and the fastest way to get her off the phone was to give in.
"Look, I can get you fifty thou in a few days, where do you want it wired to?"
Kate smiled in triumph, it was not all she wanted, but there was no sense fishing the pond dry the first day..she could always come back. She gave him the bank information, and said goodbye with an affectionate, "I love you honey".
John opened the door to the suite, leading Anton in by the hand. He could see the sleeping figure of Marlena in the bedroom, turning some cartoons on for Anton, he went in to sit by her on the bed. Tear stain tracks were visible on her face, and he found himself touching one with his finger. At his touch her eyes opened and she looked up at him with such profound sadness, he could tell she was filled with regret.
"John, God, I am so very sorry, I mean I am glad Katy is going to be ok, but I am so sorry for what I have done to Sami..but I can't tell her..she will never forgive me..never."
"Doc, I don't know if she will or not, but the truth is all you have left..if you don't tell her, I guarantee EJ Wells will find out, and he will tell her..he does not have a lot of love for you Doc..Sami may be the only reason he has for not killing us both outright!"
"God, John, you don't think he would do that..I'm Samis mother, he wouldn't dare!"
"Marlena, EJ has power that is not equaled by most heads of State! As the head of the DiMera Organization, I would say he has been rather benevolent most of the time, and I have to give him respect for that, but if he loses his temper over this, you and I may be on an endangered species list. Roman made EJ lose his temper..Bo..Abe...and nothing they did compares to this!".
"John, I did what I had to do, Sami has to understand, it was to save Katy Marie" Marlena was desperately trying to make him understand.
He handed the phone to her, "Call her now, tell her the truth..it is the only way Doc".
Marlena took the phone and dialed the cell phone number she had for Sami. The voice mail answered, as Sami was at that moment sleeping soundly in EJ's arms, as they were about one hour from landing at Zurich International.
A tap on the door woke EJ, "Mr. Wells, you and your wife need to prepare for landing" the steward woke them, and let them know coffee was at the door.
EJ rose, and headed to the bathroom to shower. It barely had room for him, but Sami decided she did not want to wait, and squeezed in with him.
"Well, this is cozy, if you are going to invade my space, how about scrubbing my back" EJ handed her the loofa, and sighed in contentment as she worked it over his muscled shoulders. Sami smiled as she had devilish thoughts, and followed the loofas tracks with her lips, then nipping him hard enough to make him yelp! He turned around, which was no easy feat in the small confines, and brought his mouth down on hers in a kiss that demanded. The water had turned cold when they finished showering.
Chapter V
Lucas parked the Range Rover in the street in front of the Hilton, squared his shoulders, and went in to meet dragon lady. His mother was in full dominance mode when he walked into the lounge area. Her mouth was pursed in disapproval as she looked at his dress, and even more so when she saw Hana coming in with him. This boy and his tendency to go native was driving her to drink..more martinis than she should.
Kissing him in greeting on each cheek, she pointed to a chair for him to sit, and as an after thought gestured for Hana to sit too. Lucas ordered a coffee for himself and Hana, smiling at the irony of it, when Kate seemed to ignore the bill when it came. The hint to him was unmistakable, so he reached for it and his wallet at the same time.
"I plan on being in London for a month or two with Billie, so I wanted to fly down here and see if I can make you change your mind about living here. I know Philip can find something for you at Titan."
"I take it you have not spoken with Marlena, or Sami.."Lucas questioned. Turning to Hana he pointed to a gift shop, gave her some money, and told her to go buy herself a new hijab scarf, she had been wanting one for awhile. Kate waited until she was gone to freeze Lucas with her glare.
"Marlena and I have spoken, yes, but why on earth would I talk to Sami?" Kate looked at him warily, something was not right here.
"Sami knows everything, and if I know her, she is probably heading to Zurich right now to claim her daughter. Besides that, there is probably a price on my head and yours from EJ and the DiMera organization. I made a big mistake listening to you Mother, but I seem to have done that all my life now". Lucas had the manner of someone who was just waiting patiently for the other shoe to drop.
Her face lost several shades of color under the perfect makeup, "How would she ever know..what did you do Lucas? What in hell did you do?"
The real truth would have taken too much explanation, so Lucas opted for half of it. "I told her, it was too much for me to take anymore, it was either tell her, or get drunk so I could live with myself..and as you see, I am drinking coffee!"
Kate stood up in fury, and reached across to slap his face, but found her arm caught instead by his hand.
"Don't think about it mother, in fact, when Hana comes back in, I am going to leave you here, and please don't come back again. I never want to see you or hear your voice again, I want to forget you are my mother, please forget I am your son. If only I had kept my promises to you all those years ago to cut you out of my life, and Wills' life, everything might have been different. You are a selfish, hateful, vile excuse for a mother, and I do not want to live another day as your son." Lucas stood, deciding to just get Hana and leave. Just looking at Kate made him sick!
Kate coolly sipped the martini, he didn't mean that..he never did. Of course things were a little strained with her and Austin now, but that would change, Lucas would eventually forgive her, he always did..but EJ Wells, that might take a little more persuasion.
Theo saw his Grandmothers car in the school lot. He was walking with a group of his friends, and when he saw her car, he was both chagrined, and relieved. It was not considered cool to be picked up your Grandmother, but it was a relief not to have to walk the two miles home either. The car door opened for him, and he piled into the front seat, that was when he noticed it was not his Grandmother driving, but a woman who looked similar, and wearing one of the fashionably hats on her head. Before he knew what had happened, his face was being covered with a cloth drenched in a smell of chlorophyll, and he began to lose consciousness as he saw out the door his friends walking with their backs to him.
Abe came home to find the door to his house open, but Celeste car was not in the drive. He entered into the living room calling out to Theo, then Celeste, but there was no answer. He made his way through the rooms, not understanding, but with a growing feeling of dread. The door to the basement was open, and he could hear a load of laundry spinning in the dryer. He flipped on the light, and made his way down the basement, and he could hear a sound of something thumping against the back wall. The shadow cast made him scream in agony! Celeste was hanging from a rafter in the basement, twirling three feet off the ground, and banging against the wall. That was the thumping noise he had heard!
He cut her down, and tried to find a pulse, but it was obvious from the purple and red marks about her neck, and the horrible swelling, she had been dead for a couple of hours. The thought finally made its way into his mind..Theo!
Lexie had barely thought of Abe the past couple of years. When she had learned he married her mother, her disgust had been so great she had pushed him completely from her mind. He could have married anyone, but to do that made her feel he had never valued her or their marriage. So many times, he had thrown her overboard since as a DiMera, she would never be good enough for him, never pure enough, never respectable enough.
Now, she would have Theo with her again, EJ had promised. It was just a matter of time. The long boring days in this house would soon pay off, and when the money Kate owed her was in the bank, she would take Theo and run away. There were places in South America she could go, and she had spent time learning to speak the Spanish language proficiently.She would go, she would hide with Theo, and never look back. Even a DiMera had a right to choose the life they want to lead.
The plane had landed in Zurich, but it was taking an inordinate amount of time to clear customs. EJs dubious reputation had preceded him, and every inch of the plane and all the luggage was being inspected before they were granted entry. He was a respected business man, but with some interests and acquaintances carried extra baggage, and the ISA had triggered all the alerts they could. It was obvious to EJ and Matt that John had worked some of his magic in order to stall them, but also to insure he would have plenty of warning before they got here. Both EJ and Matt had to give John credit for this move, something that they had not planned for.
Chapter VI
Matthew had finally gotten the paper work processed, and everyone on board was now free to leave the plane. Conversing in three different languages, he had finally gotten through to all authorities that EJ was not affiliated with any illegal organizations, and had in fact come here specifically to meet with the Global Warming World Conference people, and had the blessings of former Vice President Al Gore. This was the story, and they were sticking to it.
EJ put a protective arm about Samantha as flashbulbs from paparazzi went off all around them through the airport. She had been recognized, as well as him, and the secret arrival was now going to be splashed all over European news papers. Looking at his watch, EJ decided the first stop would be to the offices of Mythic with Cameron, while Matthew escorted Samantha to check in at the hotel.
The offices at Mythic were a buzz of activity, news was on the station twenty four hours a day, and EJ was pleased to note no one paid him much mind as he walked in. This meant Austin had no idea he was in for a surprise visit. As he walked past the receptionist, she had looked up in alarm, recognizing who was on the way in unannounced to Mr. Reeds office. Immediately, she was buzzing him, but it took a moment for him to register the fact that his phone was ringing, and another moment for him to release Annaliese from his embrace as EJ and Cameron walked in.
"Hello Austin, so glad to see you have not lost the touch..uhh miss, can you excuse us..Annaliese I believe? I thought I recognized you from when I was here a couple of years before..so nice to see you again..but if I may.."EJ pointed towards the door, and she hurried out it, leaving Austin looking slightly embarrassed.
"How is your daughter doing?" EJ looked at Austin, trying to hide his disgust at the fact that while she was in hospital, here he was, with his mistress while his wife was by the bedside of the child they had sworn to care for and protect. "And how about Carrie, how is she coping?, " EJ was watching as Austin squirmed.
When Austin finally found his voice, he managed to let EJ know that Katy Marie was doing quite well, and as for Carrie, well that was a personal matter.
"Don't bother Austin, do you really think I am totally in the dark on what is going on? I pay a great deal of money to people to make sure my information is always up to date..now as to why I am here, I am sorry to inform you that you are dismissed, effective immediately! Security will be here in a few minutes, you may want to start clearing out your desk..here is your final check, along with three months severance pay. I may be inclined to increase the package, if I am assured of your cooperation in another matter..so shall we talk?" EJ looked at Austins stunned visage, and knew this was the result he wanted, it would be easier if Austin was worried about his future, and how he was going to pay for his now expanded lifestyle. He now both Carrie to support,along with Katy Marie as well as another woman and child. And had just lost his job.
Cameron took her place next to EJ, as EJ brought out the pictures of Katy Marie, showing the heart shaped birthmark on her chin, then the picture of Justin with the identical mark. There was a complete dossier on Kate, the email sent from Lucas computer, and complete set of transcripts detailing all recorded conversations statement between Lexie and Kate. All the information was spread out, and explained piece by piece to Austin. It took a bit, but the light finally went on.
"She is your daughter?" Austin faltered, but when EJ nodded, he wanted to know who the mother was. EJ looked at him in disbelief.
"I have been faithful to Samantha from the day I married her..and she has been the same to me. That is a concept you seem to have trouble with, both you and your wife. The explanation on how this happened is complicated, but your mother had a big part in it, and Tony DiMera another part. The point is, she is our daughter, and we are going to do whatever it takes to see that she is fully cured..and that she is returned to us, where she belongs!"
Austin realized that his severance package was depending on how he either helped EJ, or stood by Carrie.
John was heading for the phone, wanting to get to it before it woke Anton from his nap. Getting that child to sleep was an exercise in manipulation that would test the patience of a saint, and when the phone began its incessant ring he ran to catch it on the third ring.
"Hello John, how are you?" Sami was on the other line, and John, though not surprised, was annoyed that he had not been warned by his people at the airport.
"Oh Sami, I am fine..it did not take you long..I thought you might be another day or so." John was not going to beat around the bush, he preferred head on to coyness.
"Well, you know EJ, if it is going to be something unpleasant, he wants to get it over with..John? Is it going to be unpleasant?" Sami was feeling him out.
"Not unless you try and hurt your mother..I have to protect her." His voice was firm, but he was going to side with Marlena.
"I just want my children, she had no right to keep this from me, she had no right to use Jessica and Justin that way..that was wrong John, and you know it!"
"I understand, but you have to know she thought she was acting in Katy Maries best interest!"
"And Carries best interest..but John, what about my best interest? Just once, it would be nice to know my own mother wanted what was best for me.."Sami felt the pain of this acutely, and John did understand.
"Would you like to see Anton, the boy? I can bring him to you, but understand he has been through a lot too.."John was protective of Anton, and wondered how this would affect him, he had gone through many changes in his young life, and had just adjusted to life with him.
"EJ and I are at the Dolder Grande at Zurich Center..please bring him at four this afternoon..John, be prepared to leave him with us..EJ may not want you to leave with him, understood?" Sami was no longer the insecure woman he had known, and he knew the law would be on their side eventually. His heart was heavy as he pulled the worn suitcase that Anton had traveled with. He began to put a few changes of clothing, and the well worn Teddy bear that Anton sometimes looked for when he was especially distressed.
Chapter VII
The reporters at Mythics' Salem station were all crowding around Police Commander Jefferson Gordon. He had been on the job for exactly one year, and this would be the biggest case that had ever happened on his watch. The murder of Abe Carvers wife was big news and Commander Gordon was going to make sure it was solved the right way! No mistakes would hinder his investigations like the past ones the Salem Police Department was noted for. He stepped forward to answer the questions from the reporters in the most evasive ways he could think of.
"Sir..is it possible for this to be a 'hit' considering Mrs. Carvers ties to the DiMera organization and her husbands involvement in so many of those investigations?"
"We have no evidence to suggest any thing of the sort."
"Has the child of Mr. Carver been located yet? Was it possible he has been kidnapped?"
"We are looking into that possibility, but there is no evidence to suggest that at this time?"
"So then where is he?" Chelsea had been recently promoted, and this was her first press conference. After she had checked her hair and lipstick, she had pushed forward in the crush to ask a question, her notebook poised to take down the answer.
"We are in the process now of checking with all his friends and teachers to see if any of them have anything to add..now, I ask you all to excuse me, since this is an ongoing investigation, involving Department personnel, we must get back to work on the case. Believe me, we will let you know if anything is discovered. "
To Chelsea this seemed like the biggest cover up she had ever heard of! This was the wife of Abe Carver, the mother of a DiMera ! Who did they think they were kidding? Lexie Carver was a wanted fugitive as well..wasn't it just possible she had come back to get Theo and in the process take revenge against her mother? This was the theory that Chelsea was going to work on..this could be an award winning piece if she was able to prove her theory!
She looked about the station, and finally she saw who she was looking for! "Uncle Abe!" hearing that strange greeting, Abe Carver had turned around to see who was calling him that..and seeing it was Chelsea, he had stopped in surprise as well as annoyance.
"Sorry, I always hear Sami call you that, and since Bo is my Dad, I just thought you were like a brother to him, and of course that makes me like a niece to you..and Theo, well I guess that would make him my cousin..I am just so worried about him, and you too..since you are like my uncle and all...'Chelsea finally stopped when Abe cut her off with a look, and a shout.
"Shut Up, Damnit..I am not your uncle..what do you want? For Gods sake, my wife is dead, my son is missing, I can't even help because I am still not above suspicion.!"
"Oh, Abe, believe me I am so sorry, but I just thought I might be able to ask you a few questions, and then I would help you find him..It would just be such a great story to help find him, can't you just see it? "Mythic Reporter, from the newsgroup owned by EJ Wells, who has been reported to be the DiMera Organization kingpin., is involved in recovering the son of Sargeant Abe Carver, the retired former police commander of Salem P.D." Chelseas' hand was sweeping the air for emphasis as she wrote the headline, and the story.
Abe shook his head in disbelief, and walked away. "Oh well," Chelsea muttered under her breath, "I can't let a little discouragement stop me from the big story!"
Theo woke from his drugged sleep and felt an overpowering thirst. He felt that his hands were bound with duct tape, his feet as well at the ankles. Lying on his side, he could see out a crack in the bottom of the door the sliver of light coming from down a hall way. He tried to get his face flat enough and close enough to see out, when the feet suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
The door opened wide, and the flash of the lights brilliance made him squint in discomfort, and his shoulders hunched in a defensive posture. He was hauled to his feet, and when he turned to look, all he saw was a black hooded figure who quickly put a blindfold on him, before letting him turn around fully.
"Keep it on, kid, if you want to stay alive."the voice had a slight accent, but Theo had no idea who had him or why.
"Give him some water, he will need to stay hydrated..then some food" a female voice, again, he did not recognize it.
"Kid, after you are fed and watered, we need you to record a little message to your mom, you think you can do that for us? It is important that she knows you are safe..you want her to know that too don't you" again, the female voice was soft and persuasive.
"What about my Dad? And my Grandmere?" As brave as he could be for a frightened 11 year old, Theo was trying not to let his fear show.
"You can worry about them when I say you can worry about them, right now, we want your Mama calm for us..now drink this!" The male voice was harsher, but when Theo felt the moisture of the water touch his lips, he drank greedily.
Matthew placed the call to Salem, checking his watch to see if she would still be at work, but Chelsea answered her phone after spilling the contents of her purse to find it. She looked at the caller i.d. with a grin..Matt!
"Hi Babe! I am so glad you called..there is such big news here!" Chelsea was gushing as she clutched the phone.
"Hi yourself beautiful..what's up?" Matthew was tired after the long day, but he was happy to hear her voice.
"Well...Celeste Carver was found hanging from her basement rafter..she is toast! Abe Carver found her when he came home from work! Plus...Theo is missing! It looks like someone stole his Grandmothers car and went and got him from school! Of course the Salem Police are as stupid as they have ever been..honestly! But I think I may have a lead! I interviewed his friends, and they said his Grandmother picked him up from school! Of course that is impossible since she was dead already..hello! And the kids said the police had not been around to even talk with them...I swear..I bet the dry erase clue board is empty or has the complete wrong stuff on it.."
Matt had grown silent, until he finally got her to slow down, and repeat it all slowly. EJ was going to be furious! Theo was missing, and Celeste was dead! It was becoming obvious that someone was trying to undermine the authority of EJ within the family, and was choosing this time to attempt acts of insubordination.
Chapter VIII
EJ made his way to the hotel suite just before four in the afternoon. He was on the verge of exhaustion, due to short sleep and a long jet lagged day. His talk with Austin had been fruitful, and he had given Austin several contacts for possible new positions, with the promise of a good recommendation. The thought nearly gagged him, but in order to make the situation easier for the child and Samantha he was willing to be accommodating
Samantha came out from the bedroom, struggling with the zipper on her dress, and turned impatiently for him to help her with it.
"God, where have you been, and why wasn't your phone on? I have been trying to reach you for hours! He is on his way, you just have enough time to get changed, wear something casual, no need to frighten him by looking too formal..hurry now!" Sami was rushing her words, trying to get everything out while rushing about, picking up papers, and smoothing down her hair and dress at the same time.
"Whoa, hang about now..who is coming?"EJ stopped her in mid stride and turned her to face him, cupping her chin as he brought his lips down to brush hers.
"John is bringing our son here..to meet us!" Sami found the sound of that strange..the idea of meeting their son, like he was a stranger. Then she had to think to herself, he is a stranger to us, but worse than that we are strangers to him
"EJ, what if he is afraid of us..what if he does not like us?"
"Samantha, from the information that I have, apparently he does not like anyone really, so we will have to win him over, slowly, and with patience and love. We can do it, no one is a better parent than you, and I am not so bad either if I do say so myself!"
"EJ, you are a wonderful father..you have been from the day you found out I was pregnant! Remember how you brought all those tests to me? You must have spent a hundred dollars that night on those..and how afraid I was to see the positive..but you, EJ you wanted our babies so much you took my fears away!
I remember you held my hair back while I got sick, and brought me tea and biscuits..You are the best father in the world, Jessica and Justin are so very lucky..and so am I.
And of course, you are right EJ, he will learn that we love him, and he will learn to love us back..I just hate thinking of what it must have been like for him with Tony! He would not have loved him, he would not have rocked him when he had earaches.
My God, who has he had to love him EJ? Who has given him any affection? No wonder he may not trust anyone. We have to change all that for him EJ, from now on, he will know love..from you, from me, from his brother and sister. Nanny is so looking forward to another little one to be in the nursery!" Sami finished, and embraced EJ in a hug so tight, he loosened it by lifting her up, and twirling her about making her explode in laughter.
The buzzer rang, and the doorman announced they had visitors. Within seconds, Sami had okay the access to their private elevator, much to the relief of the doorman who had kept a wary eye on the young child and his attempts to scale the four foot porcelain Yang dynasty replica vase. John had momentarily let go of his hand in order to tie his shoe, and the escape mode had clicked on in Anton's brain cells.
John knocked at the door, EJ opened it and looked down at the young child looking up at him with a pair of solemn corn flower blue eyes. With the tangle of blonde ringlets, and the mischievous pout of a mouth, EJ recognized the child as the image of young Eric as a child, or Jessica. Tears sprang unheeded to his eyes as he looked at the blended images of Samantha, Jessica and Eric. Anton was not one to let an unguarded moment pass, so with all the power within his twenty eight pound body, he let go one of his finest kicks to EJ's shin, then gleefully escaped Johns grip to run away back down the hall!
John took off in quick pursuit, EJ limping along closely behind, then Sami bringing up the rear. Anton turned a corner, and ran smack into Matthew who was on his way to EJ and Samis' suite.
Matt caught him up, and the child began to kick and scream in earnest now, this was not fair! No one was supposed to sneak up from the other way, not how the game was played at all. John took him from Matt, EJ rubbed his shin, and Sami looked on, trying not to laugh at the way a small child had dominated this meeting so effectively!
When the pain subsided a bit, all EJ said was, "You have the potential to be a great soccer player young man.." Then he had stretched his hand out to John, saying"Good to see you again John, and thank you for bringing..uh..what is he called?"as he looked down at the boy. Again, it was so strange to be asking what to call your son.
"Near as we can figure, it sounds like Anton..he speaks Italian, sometimes French, once in a while English, an sometimes not a word..depends on his mood."
EJ bent down to the boy, "come si chiama?" he kept his voice even, and low. The boy looked at him, then at the floor, then up at John who nodded for him to answer.
"Mi chiamo Stefan Antonio!" At last someone would call him by his proper name, and had asked him for it! He let himself be led into the hotel room he had moments ago ran away from.
Samis face went chalk white when she heard him give the name, as she realized that Tony had named him for his father, a name hated by her family, and feared by so many still. EJ did not seem bothered by it, as he began a talk with the child. His amused expression was because he could not believe how expressive and conversant the child was for his age.
"ha figli?' the little guy demanded to know. He was asking if there were children. EJ answered that in America, he had two children. Two children who were waiting to meet him. Pointing to Sami, he wanted to know "Chi?' meaning who was she. EJ explained that she was his wife and the mother of the children in America.
"Aah." Stefan understood. She was to EJ as the Marlena woman was to John. "A bella". He gave her a compliment, even Sami understood that.
"Yes Stephen, she is beautiful". EJ eased into English to see how the boy would react. He gave no indication he had heard or understood. The name did not register, and he was not in the mood to speak the funny language anymore.
"Il fame," he had spotted the tray of fruit and cheeses, and was announcing he was hungry. That was something Sami could relate to, so she took his hand and led him to the tray. He waited politely for her to put a few items on a saucer, and took it from her as he began to nibble away.
Matt took that moment to whisper in EJ's ear, as John and Sami were hovering over the child. At that moment, the boy was calm as a still winter morning, not seeming to be bothered by any of these new surroundings. He was still the child who looked upon any change as the norm for him now, and to him one place was as good as the other. Even though the John man was good, he knew it was not good to depend on anyone too much. They might leave, then what was he to do?
Chapter IX
The hospital was quiet this time of evening, it was after the dinner hour, and most visitors had left, or the ones like Carrie who stayed in room with patients had settled down to watch television, or read.
Marlena made her way to the room, bringing Carrie a cup of tea, and like Carrie was dumbstruck at what was being shown on the Zurich news channel. Mythic Broadcasting was carrying film of the arrival of EJ Wells, along with his wife, well know authoress Samantha Brady Wells! The tea slipped from her grip, and splattered over the floor, as she found herself facing a nightmare of her own making.
"Marlena, look, Sami and EJ are here in Zurich..I wonder if Austin knew they were coming?" Carrie was confused, but since her and Austin had not a lot to say to each other, she was guessing the visit had to be related to Mythic in some way.
This would have been the time for Marlena to tell Carrie the truth, but looking at Carrie, and the way she was with her daughter, she could not do it. Was it so wrong to want her to be happy after all she had gone through? Was it wrong to want Katy Marie to live and grow up to be a happy and healthy young woman, not die in childhood? Wouldn't she have done the same for Sami in the same situation?
She knew the answer to that was no. Loving Sami had never been easy for Marlena, it seemed she never could behave in a way that earned her the love she gave so freely to Carrie and Belle. It made Marlena ashamed, but she could not help it. Just as it is not possible to make yourself fall in love with anyone, it was not possible to love someone more than you were capable of. As a psychiatrist Marlena often counseled patients on this very fact, but in her own life she had hidden it, denied, and covered up for it. There had been many times she should have stood by Sami, starting with a pregnancy when she was a teenager. Maybe life would have been better if she had helped out with the baby, helped Sami with staying in school..but Marlena had been embittered by some of Samis actions, holding them against her even now. These were the acts of a child now remembered in the person of the woman Sami had become.
"Marlena, are you ok"Carrie was using a towel to clean up the mess, but she intuitively knew that something was bothering her step mother. "You didn't know Sami was coming either did you..that is so unlike her not to call..I mean she calls you so much, remember how Belle and I used to laugh about it? You would see her caller i.d. and not want to talk to her..Sami always had some problem she wanted you to fix!"Carrie still found it funny, even though she had long since forgiven her sister for the problems she had caused.
"No, no, Carrie, I had no idea she would be here this soon.."Marlena slipped up, and Carrie caught it.
"So she had said she was going to come? That is so sweet of her, she probably wants to see how Katy is doing..you know she offered to give me the head job back at High Style? I had to let her know about Austin, and I am going to need a way to support us when we leave here. Just wish she had let us know, I wonder where she is staying?"
The answer to that came with the call that Marlena took. "Doc, I'm with Sami and EJ, so..uh have you told Carrie why they are here?"
"I was just talking to her about that..where are they staying?" Marlena covered quickly, but John was not taking any prisoners.
"Doc, listen, they are going to be at the hospital in the morning with a full compliment of lawyers, don't you think Carrie should be a little prepared for all of this?"
She took the phone, and left the room so Carrie would not hear any more. "John! You have to stop them! Do something!.she can't do this to Carrie while the baby is still sick!"
John was heartsick. For Doc, for Carrie and for Sami. EJ was sitting across from him, listening to every word, as he had told John it would be best if Marlena told Carrie the truth so that it would all go easier on the child. John shook his head at Sami and EJ, and the two of them reached for the others hand. They dreaded the morning, but it had to be done. John said a quick goodbye to her, then finished his drink.
Anton had been sitting on the floor playing with the toys that Sami had brought out from one of the cases. His little mind listened to all that was said, understanding a bit of the English, but really processing the tension in the room. His eyes warily went from one grown up face to the other, wondering just what they were all up to. Then he saw John stand up. Immediately,he dropped the toys and went to catch hold of his hand. If it was time to go, he wanted to know he was going too.
John picked him up, giving him a hug, which Anton wanted no part of as he wriggled to be set down. Now Anton knew what was really going on! And the protests began in earnest!
"No! No! bruttolo! Bad John! Bad John! " Letting John know he was bad and ugly to leave him.."Mi andiamo..tu!" I go too he screamed, the tears now flowing down his face in streams.
Sami ran to hold him, but he kicked at her, until she had to free him, unable to control his violent squirming. EJ then took him, and held him in a tight hold, not hurting him, but keeping his temper from hurting anyone else or himself. To Anton, this was absolutely the last act of betrayal he was going to stand for. John must take him now!
John did, not, though, and Anton saw him leaving through his tear stained eyes. Sami came to EJ, her eyes also brimming with tears as she saw the pain the child was in. It was pain, tinged with the anger of abandonment, and she knew what he was feeling so acutely. At last, he tired in EJ's arms, finding the effort to fight against the embrace too tiring to fight anymore, and he went limp. Sami took him then, and sat with him in a rocking chair, holding him against the warmth of her chest as he sobbed quietly. Against his will, he found himself listening to the soothing sounds of her shhs..shhs..and the beat of her heart. Finally, he slept..too exhausted to do anything else.
Chapter X
Sergeant Carver put his hat down upon his desk, it had been a long thirty hours since his son had gone missing, and he had found his wife hanging dead. It seemed like a bad dream, but when he looked at the picture of Theo on his desk he knew it was a waking nightmare, and he was living it now. Phone calls of sympathy and concern had been coming in all day, he had several messages from Bo and Hope asking him to call, and expressing concern. Of course they would want to know if there was anything they could do, but Abe knew that Bo was quite busy with his small fishing fleet, and did not feel like troubling him. Then he saw the message from Harris.
The whole town knew he was the right hand man of EJ Wells. Exactly what that entailed was a matter of speculation from many quarters. EJ was suspected of many things, as had been Stefano and Tony DiMera in their time, but for the most part, it seemed his enterprises were run in a legitimate way. For the most part. It just seemed that strange things had been going on in Salem for as long as EJ had lived there.
Abe was trying to put together some information himself, and he found himself looking at Theos cell phone bills. For all the time he and Celeste had been together, he had always let her handle the household bills and accounts. Now he saw Theos' bill, and there was a number circled that he did not recognize. It was over three months old, and he saw that Theo had called Seattle. There was only the minimum charge for the call, so it probably was one he had dialed by error, but Abe decided he would check it out anyway. It was only a matter of an hour, and he had the name of the person who had had the number previously, then he found out that the address it was billed to was a houseboat at a Lake Marina near Seattle.
"Hello!, Lakeland Marina" the man answering it sounded about eighty, and in a foul mood, "Make it quick, I got fish to catch!"
Abe introduced himself, then asked about who lived in the houseboat at this particular mooring address.
"Oh..you not kin are ya?" now the man sounded sympathetic.
"Well, now I don't know, first I need to know if the woman was called Alexandra Carver."
"Naw..that warn't what she called herself..Let me see..here she is..Lucie Carter, she was a pretty little thing as I recall..so tragic.. so young..and a nurse too!"
Abe interrupted him, raising his voice as he demanded to know " What do you mean tragic, what in hell happened to her?"
"Her boat blew up..firemen said it was a bad propane tank, and it leaked a bunch of gas..when she go home that night she flicked on a light they figure, and that caused the arc spark..blew up like a Fourth of July display..lucky we didn't lose two or three other of the boats that night!"
"Where is she buried?" Abe had not thought he was capable of crying over Lexie anymore, but he was wrong. This was Theos' mother, and he had loved her to distraction at one time.
Harris was standing there by the time Abe asked that question. Looking down at Abe, all he said was "I think I can help you, and you better let me if you want to see your son alive again".
Allowed out of the closet only long enough to eat, and use the bathroom, Theo was becoming disoriented finally. He tried so hard to listen to see if he could figure out anything about why these people were doing this to him, but the conversations the two men and the woman had only seemed to be related to the latest card game they were playing. He could hear a television playing in the background, and for some reason he was certain he made out the words 'Canadian Broadcasting'. Could he be in Canada?
He was almost certain he was hearing a phone ring, but he had to fight so hard the feeling that he was floating around, in order to center himself and concentrate to listen. Words would sound fuzzy, and run together but he did make out a few sentences.
"We will make EJ..."then the words faded, before he could make out a few more.."suspect council member".: but that was all he could discern.
Theo had been as brave as he could be, but finally a sense of despair overcame him, and he began to sob. He wanted his father, he wanted his Grandmother, and if it were only possible he wanted his Mother. It had been so long since he had spoken to her, and that had only been a quick message of her saying she was alright and she loved him. He had tried text messaging her once, but she had not picked it up, and he knew she worried about his Father finding them. His father never mentioned his mother anymore, and if he tried to bring the subject up, he had been cut off!. Abe Carver wanted no reminders of who his wife had been or the fact that she was his mother.
Hearing the sounds from the closet, the young woman had a bit of pity. This was just a kid after all, so she donned her hood, told the others to cover up, then opened up the closet door.
"I'm gonna let you out for awhile..gotta be boring as hell in there all day. Tell you what, I got a movie, I am gonna put it on the dvd player, you can watch it ok..better than lying down in that closet all night..sound ok? And you are gonna behave for me right?"
Theo nodded, and tried to get a sense of her face. She was pale skinned, he could see, and her hair was a light blonde. Her build was slim, and she was fairly tall, the hands long fingered. The ring on her finger was something he knew, somehow he felt he had seen it before. It was a gold ring, with a black square insignia, but when he looked at it directly he was what it was! A phoenix bird appeared and disappeared within the ring center. Theo knew enough of Salem history to know what it stood for, something his father and Brady members of the police force had fought against for decades.
His mother was a DiMera, and he had often felt a sense of shame about that, but he loved her, and still did. Now, he hoped that fact would help him out in this situation that had him so frightened and confused.
"Here, sit down kid, have some soda." The woman was trying to make her voice kind, as if trying to reassure him. Then the other one spoke.
"Don't be making a pet outa him, Willie, not a good idea!"
"And you don't be saying my name! You stupid piece of rat dung!" She hissed at him, angry that he should make such a dumb mistake.
"He ain't gonna identify nobody, and it ain't your name no how!" the voice that Theo heard had a lower class Southern accent, uneducated, and guttural. He filed that in his memory, he had learned some investigative techniques from listening to Abe and Uncle Bo. His mental dry erase clue board was filling up with many images to be saved and repeated in good time. This little exercise was helping him stay focused and calm.
'Look, she is right, do not say names, do not say nickee names, if you have to refer to us at all, do theese way..I am number one, you will be number two, she is number three..you got that?"
"Yes, I got it three, I am number two!" two repeated , but three collapsed in laughter as she pointed out:
"Like I said, rat dung, number two fits you perfectly!"
Being unable to help himself, Theo smiled at that, as he settled down to watch "Starsky and Hutch".
Chapter XI
John found Marlena asleep in the chair next to Carries. He gently shook her awake, and she looked at him with a fear and question in her eyes.
"Yes, Sami and EJ will probably be on their way here shortly. We better prepare Carrie for what is going down". As the words left his mouth, Marlena looked past him to the sight of Cameron walking in with two of the hospital security guards. Carrie then woke up and looked up wondering what was happening. John knew now, there would be no preparation time, and he felt sorrow and pity for Carrie, but he felt anger at Marlena for her part in this. It was hard for him to believe she had acted this way.
Cameron had a file folder in her hands, and a sheet of paper which she handed to Carrie. Not really understanding, Carrie took it from her and looked at it still not comprehending.
"Mrs. Reed, I am sorry to intrude on you this way, but this is a court order to allow a DNA test to be done on your child. There is a possibility of the biological parents having a claim, if parentage is established. You may have adopted the child illegally. Do you understand what I have just said to you?"
Carries confusion was evident on her face, as she looked around for support from Marlena or John. As Austin walked in, she ran to him, hoping he had some way of telling her what was going on as well. Katy Marie was still asleep, and the technician knelt by her bedside, and opened her mouth to swab her cheeks with a q-tip. It was quick and painless, but Katy Marie began wailing in distress, as she felt the tension in the room, and saw her mother crying.
"Daddy!" She smiled when she saw Austin, but he had his eyes closed tightly, not wanting to hear the accusation in Carries voice after she read the paper.
"My God! Austin, you signed for them to have permission to do this? You bastard! How could you have done this without talking to me or telling me what is going on? What does your mother have to do with this? Tell me or I swear to God..!" She was going to attack him, but John caught her up and held her against him. Her struggles ceased as she took hold of herself, there had to be some horrible mistake!
The names on the paper ordering the test had not registered yet with Carrie, then she took the paper again as John gently released her. She read, then re read, as she began to have more clarification in her mind.
"NOOO!! Sami? What is she trying to do to me now? Hasn't she done enough? Why does she want my baby? She is my babyeeeeeeee..."Carrie wailed her anguish, and both Marlena and John came forward to hold and comfort her, but all she wanted was to get to the side of Katy Marie and hold her tight against herself.
Katy Marie was a child who had been through a lot of painful treatments, and had been quite stoic throughout, but the sight of her mommy breaking down was something she was not used to, and she began to cry as she never had before. Her little hands patted the face of her mommy, trying in her own way to comfort her. Her mommy should not be crying like this..so she tried another way to comfort her.
"Daddy..kiss the mommy now!..She has boo-boo!" but Austin could not bear to look at the scene any longer. He ran from the room, tears in his eyes, he was failing as a man, he knew, but he could not do anything else.
EJ did not disturb Sami and Anton when he gave Cameron the instructions on how to proceed. She had lain with him on the bed, all night, and EJ had taken the sofa. The boy was still sleeping, every once in awhile his thumb finding his way to his mouth. EJ had to smile, as it reminded him of Jessica and her bad habit which had driven Nanny to distraction. His phone call with Cameron was carried on his low and calm voice, even though he had a raging undercurrent that had been present ever since he had come upon the email from Lucas.
Until it was established that the girl was his and Samanthas, he did not want any confrontations with Carrie or Austin. As for Marlena, he was still mulling exactly how he wanted her to pay for all of this, or how Samantha would.
A movement caught EJ's eye, and he saw it was Anton who had wriggled out from Samanthas embrace and left the bed. He was fiddling with the catch on his little well worn suitcase that John had left for him. EJ saw he was not able to open the catch, so walked over and bent down to assist him..
"Grazie" was all Anton said, as he opened it up and took out his clothing for the day. EJ was impressed at the independence being shown by his son, and smiled his approval. Then Anton reached under and found the teddy bear he had missed, tucking it under his arm. He looked up at EJ, then to the clothes, signaling the fact he was going to need at least a little help. EJ began the task of undoing the clothes that he had slept in, and helping him get fresh ones on. Anton then opened the part of the case that held his toothbrush and paste, also holding those up for EJ. It was hard for EJ to witness this from his son, as it brought back memories he also had from childhood.
"How many times have you moved around, sprout?" to EJ, the boy seemed too at ease living from a suitcase.
"I am afraid we probably don't want to know, EJ" Samantha had woke up and came in to witness the exchanges between the two. Her hand stole over to the top of Antons' mass of blonde curls, but he moved away. This lady was nice enough, but then so had the Unna been nice.
'Bart-man left me at the Unna, Unna left me with the John-man..Now I am here, where will they leave me?' this was what went on in the mind of the boy. His defenses were being set up, and he was determined to hold onto his own sense of himself. To depend on the grown ups was to set himself up for disappointment.
The days wore on for Lucas, but he knew he would be facing the consequences for his silence when EJ decided it was time. Hana was so guilt ridden for what she had done, but Lucas was not angry with her.
"I should have done what I knew was right Hana..why is it that I cannot stand up to my mother.? She does this to me everytime until I just want to scream at her!"
At this Hana decided it was time Lucas faced one more demon within himself.
"Lucas, you have capacity in you to be such good man! I know you loved your Will son, and the Sami woman, you loved Nabila and the child she die with. But Lucas, you do not love your self inside, that is why you the child still of the Mother Kate. You must go to the place of the hospital and tell all you know too. This for your soul Lucas, for the soul of your Will son too, make him proud with you. Remember how you talk he was never proud of his mother, he did not proud of her you think, do you want to die, knowing not worthy of him be proud of you in your life..know you what I mean?"
He had pretty much followed her attempts at English, and knew what she was trying to get across to him that even though the letter had not been sent because he wanted it sent, he could still do the right thing. His phone was lying on the table, and he picked it up to ask information for the Zurich Airline number. His intentions were to do the right thing, but the time for it had run out.
Lucas saw the Range Rover driving up the compound entrance before the airline had gotten him through the first set of phone tree frustrations. The two men had alighted from it, and walked to his door before he got the chance to even reach the first human voice on the line. They were in his house, and pushing him and Hana into chairs, not roughly, but with no doubt of their intent. EJ had sent them on business, and Lucas was more frightened than he had ever been in his life.
Chapter XII
Going for coffee with the likes of Harris McMurty, a known DiMera, and a grandson of Sean Brady was a mixed bag for Abe Carver. On the one hand, he needed to believe that he might, just might be able to help him get his son back, and on the other, he may be sharing a cup of joe with someone who may have information that could be considered guilty knowledge.
Stirring in the cream with the spoon Lisa had finally remembered, Abe stared at Harris and demanded to know, "Why do I need to talk to you to get my son back?"
Smiling at Abes bravado, Harris took a sip of his coffee, and shot back, "I guess maybe you could leave it up to the Salem Police Departments finest, if getting Theo back in the same condition as your wife is a viable option for you."
Abe grew angry at the way he was being played, and hissed across the table at Harris, "You tell me what you know right now, or you will be sorry you ever reared your head in this town!"
"Maybe you should have the decaffeinated next time Abe, and you listen to me.."Harris had the voice of a person dealing with a recalcitrant kindergartner normally, but at this moment he needed Abe to listen, concentrate, and understand who and what they were dealing with.
"EJ is being threatened from underneath, I do not have to explain to you what that means, now do I? You know what happened with Lexie, but you do not know what you think you know..Lexie is of the family lineage, no one is to harm her,..not our enemies, not our friends, and especially not some second rate police department that can't even keep the marker tops on for its dry erase clue boards..are we clear on what I am trying to say to you, Abe, old man?" Harris had taken the upper hand back, but Abe was furious.
"Mother! Why didn't you call me? How did you get here from the airport? Oh please, say it was not in a cab, that is so expensive, I would have picked you up if I had known you were getting in today!" Billie was trying not to seem as annoyed as she was at the unexpected visit from Kate, but it was not easy at all.
Kate brushed by her daughter in the door way, and motioned for the driver to bring in her baggage. Billie lived on the third floor, and the cabbie was exhausted with the three large cases he had lugged up. He stood for that awkward moment waiting for his tip, but Kate seemed intent on ignoring him, until finally Billie had counted the bags, and took two pound coins from her purse to give to him.
Thanking him, Billie had shut the door and turned to give Kate a glare, which demanded that she fill her in on this visit.
"I am at my wits end with my sons, you should see the situation Lucas has put himself in again, and Austin, my God, wait until you hear, you will not believe it!" Kate was settling down, and had opened up her purse to reveal the small flask.
"Have you any coffee on, I really need a pick me up!" Kate flopped back against the settee, and put her feet up on the coffee table.
"Sure, and will there be anything else I can get you before I hop on the underground to get to my job in the next half hour?"
"Don't be snide, I will make my own coffee, you go on and get to work, I need some rest anyway, when you get back, we can have a nice dinner and I will try and fill you in!"
Billie left, and Kate watched from the window to see her cross the street to head down the steps to the underground. Then she used her phone.
"Philip Kirakis here" his voice sounded so sure of himself, that Kate had to smile. At least one of her boys was solidly grounded and able to help her out.
"I got the money, thank you Philip, now I am going to need a bit more" Kate was nonchalant, again inspecting her manicure, and deciding it needed a refreshing as soon as possible.
"Mother, what in the hell are you doing with this cash? I just checked your joint accounts with me, and you are on empty again!"
"That is impossible, I have not even wired it to her..."Kate stumbled on the word, and Philip caught on immediately.
"You still involved with Lexie? Is that it? Tell me Mother, this is important for both of us, and if you don't come clean you will never see another dime..this has been the rumor going around within the Council..were you working with her?"
"How..how did you find that out?"stammering, Kate wondered how many others now knew, besides EJ.
"Mother, you better come inside, I am the only hope you now have, you and Lucas!"
"What do you mean..the only hope?"Kate felt her heart hammering.."What about Lucas?"
"I just heard, EJ has fired Austin, and Lucas, Billie and I may be the only ones with a job now, and Billie may be in trouble too..whatever you did Mom, he is showing no mercy at this moment."
"Lucas, I just saw him a couple of days ago in Lliownge, he was fine, when was he fired?" Kate was genuinely sorry for Lucas, he had been happy in his work for EJ.
"I hear EJ made him marry the woman, isn't that nice, Mother, you have a new daughter in law, and he is bringing him home this week. EJ said he will be back by next Monday, and he is dealing with Lucas then. Was Lucas in on this with you Mom?" Philip still was fishing, but he was pretty close to filling in all the details himself. He and his father were not without resources themselves.
Chapter XIII
The medications were beginning to wear off, and Carrie was waking up. The screams she had given way to when the child protective agents had come in to remove her from Katy Maries room had threatened to disturb everyone in the ward, so she had been given a shot to calm her down. Her eyes were burning from being closed so long, and the tears that had come like a watershed when she realized her daughter was going to be taken from her by her own sister.
Marlena was sitting next to her bedside, in her own hell. The day had not gone well when EJ and Sami had finally made their appearance. Cameron had preceded them in, and she had already procured the preliminary DNA tests. John had stood alongside Marlena, and had held her hand as Sami and EJ had only looked at her with contempt as they presented a united front with the three other attorneys they had with them.
Carrie was the only one who was still in the dark about everything, to her mind, Sami had filed some sort of ridiculous legal action that had nothing to do with Katy Marie, and was just a way to punish Kate for some imagined crime.
Then the voice of the lawyer had read the order "Mrs. Austin Reed, also known as Carrie Reed, it is the order of the Court System of both the Italian Jurisdiction, the Swiss Jurisdiction, and the American Consulate that you surrender custody of the child known as Katy Marie Reed until such time as the findings of the court determine the biological parentage of said child. Evidence now in our possession would suggest that the adoption of this child was done under illegal means, and also that the child is the biological issue of Edward James Wells, and Samantha Gene Brady Wells, having been taken from them under fraudulent and criminal methods."
Samantha had remained by EJ's side, not looking at Carrie, her eyes on the child lying in the bed, who looked so small and frightened. She had started to walk towards her, drawn by a force she could not describe, but could not hold against. EJ stopped her, and Carrie had moved to put herself in between Katy and her sister. Katy had reached up to her, both arms outstretched to the mother she knew, as her head turned away in fear from the mother she was a stranger to.
"How can you do this to her while she is still recovering?..What kind of monster are you Sami?" Carrie was in a painful rage that Sami understood too well.
"Carrie..please, I don't want to hurt you..just let the court order be served, we can work anything else out later, don't make it any harder on her or yourself". Sami was finding herself having pity for her sister, and concern for how this was taking a toll on the child.
"Sami, EJ, why don't you wait on all of this, what is the harm in giving Carrie some more time" Marlena had found her voice, but Sami was going to shut it for her.
"You are a bitch! This is your fault! Yours and Kates, and Annas..the truth was all it would have taken to stop all of this Mother! I swear, when we are all back in Salem, you are going to face charges with the medical board and we will have no mercy!"
Her face registered the shock of Samis' words, and Marlena was going to appeal for that mercy anyway.
"Please, Sami, I meant you no harm, it just seemed that it was better this way..you have Jessica and Justin..you stopped Austin and Carrie from being married..if you had let them, maybe they would have had time to find a way to have a child on their own.."
"Is that how you rationalized it Mother? This was you way of extracting a cosmic payback for my wrong deeds? I am sorry, it does not work that way..that is what it took me so long to learn Mother, and now you decide to even my scores this way? Those were my children you did a medical procedure on..and if I had known the truth in the first place, Katy would have been treated so much sooner! And what of the other child, Anton? You were planning on bringing him to Salem and letting him grow up under our noses..this is our son, our flesh and blood..we want to raise him..we want to love him, what right did you have to keep this from us? You threw Eric and me aside as children when you came back..do you think we would want a child of ours to ever think we would have done that?
Right now, he is a scared, insecure little guy, he literally screamed for hours when John left him last night! What else has he been through..and if John had not wanted him, would you have just thrown him back into the agencies arms like some used up garbage..he was not a match...so he was not useful to you..like I was not useful to you..that is what it is all about with you..everyone thinks you are the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect doctor, but you are not perfect at all, are you? How can you live with yourself after this?"
John came forward to hold Marlena against the tirade, but she shook free to stand up for herself at last.
"No, Sami, I am not perfect. If you had ever realized that, maybe all our lives could have been a bit different. I have never attained your forgiveness, and I finally just gave up trying. You find me closer to Belle, and you hate that, you find me close to Carrie, and it eats you up inside..when I fell in love with John, you hated me for that too..did it ever occur to you that I could have been hurt too by you?
That damn book you are writing..have you ever considered how I feel about that? Once again, I am going to have to live through something that is the fault of your husbands people.
.It was Stefano who caused all this pain you think I caused! And you turn around and marry someone who lives the life and the plans of that madman..how can you live with yourself for that? Is it the money? Do you like being able to thumb your noses at the people of Salem who suffered under that family? Answer me, damnit...how do you live with yourself?"
They had both drawn blood, and both were crying in the arms of their husbands when it was all done. The only thing that was different was that there was going to be a wall that would never come down, and there was a small child who had turned her face into her pillow to shut the shouting and the crying out, she only wanted it to stop, and for her mother to hold her.
Chapter XIV
It was Sami who stopped the shouting by telling Carrie in a soft voice, "Pick her up, Carrie, we have scared her, I am sorry, please, just let her know she is going to be alright now, "tears ran down Samis cheeks, but her protective instinct for the baby was stronger than her need to tear her mother apart. She also had to consider the effect this was possibly having on Anton who was in the outside waiting room with Matthew. She hoped he had heard none of the outbursts.
Carrie had picked up Katy, but the Child Services People did have their duty also. She had been allowed to hold the child for a few more minutes, and then they had insisted she leave, which was when she had completely broken down.
Sami had remained in the room to see if Katy was going to need comforting, but the child had stopped crying, and watched as her mother was taken out. Sami and EJ tried then to approach her, but she had turned her head away. She sensed they were the cause of her mothers distress, and she wanted nothing to do with either of them. It was hard to take, but both of them did understand how hard it was for the child. Then EJ decided to try a different tactic.
"Matthew, bring Anton in, we have someone we should like him to meet" EJ beckoned softly to Anton, and being in a more cooperative frame of mind, Anton walked into the room.
"Anton, please say hi to Kacie, this is your sister...do you know what sister means?" EJ had introduced her in Italian, and to Katy, he said "Kacie, we want you to meet your brother, his name is Ace, can you say hi to him?"
The children stared at each other, and to Sami it was so strange, she remembered this same type look that had passed between Justin and Jessica when they had been smaller. It was as though they had a sense of each other that was an undercurrent of familiarity. Immediately, Katy thought of him as Ace, and he thought of her as Kacie. She smiled slightly at him, and he cocked his head to look at her with a mischevious glint in his eye.
"Where is your hair?" he smiled the question at her. Her hand reached up to touch the little scarf that covered the fuzz that was now coming back in. When she looked sad, he quickly ran to her bedside to climb up beside her, and look closely at the fuzz.
"It is coming back, don't worry none! Do you want to play with some of my toys..why don't you have any toys here?" and he had turned to EJ and demanded that he bring in some of his autos..this time in French, so that Kacie would have toys!
EJ had complied, grinning. It seemed that Ace was going to be the catalyst for them to establish a bond with their daughter, and he and Sami felt their fears dissipating.
Kacie and Ace were not the names Sami had figured on, they were so unusual, but she was going to allow EJ the privilege this time. For Anton, she had to say the name fit, he was definitely a card to draw to! For Kacie, he seemed to be trying to find one that the little girl would find similar to her own.
John had seen what had gone on, and he approved. Now the answer as to why all this had happened seemed clear, karma had once again been proven, for if all of this had not happened as it did, no one would have ever have found out about the link with the child now known as Ace, and his sister Kacie.
Kat had thrown down the phone in disgust after speaking with Philip, immediately trying to call Lucas. When he could not be reached, she called the clinic in the village. What Philip had said was confirmed. Lucas and Hana had been married, and were on their way to Switzerland to visit his brother. Lucas was no longer working there, and they did not have any idea how to reach him. Kate felt fear in her throat, knowing that it was EJ who had him in his control, there would be no safe haven with Philip for Lucas.
It was a private charter jet that Lucas and Hana had found themselves on, and normally it would have been a distinctly luxurious event that would have been thoroughly enjoyed by Lucas, but this was different. He was traveling with a woman who he had been more or less forced to marry. He was being taken to face a man and woman who had been grievously wronged by him and his mother among others, and the ones taking him there would follow orders to kiss them or kill them , it made no difference which order was given. When the lights came on in the cabin to fasten belts and make ready for landing, Lucas felt the sweat pop out on his face, as he also noted neither he nor Hana had been given the dose of medications that meant the difference between life and death on a daily basis for them. He said a silent prayer that EJ and Sami would show mercy.
Lexie had not been using her time unwisely. She had scoped every weak point in the security at this safe house. Once a week a delivery truck came to drop off groceries, dry cleaning, linens..all the items needed to run a rather large household. It would have been the perfect get away plan, except for the security men working for EJ.
The security men kept her away from speaking with the household help, and she was not allowed out at all when the truck came round. She had finally managed to befriend the gardener from all her walks on the grounds. His name was Natal, and his English was as poor as her Spanish, but they found they both had a love for the rose bushes that were lined up in a courtyard. He was working to make sure they stayed alive to bloom during the hard Canadian winter, and she was bored enough that giving him a hand was enough to start a tentative friendship. Lexie soon saw the signs of someone who would accept more than her friendship, and she plotted to see how she could use that at some point.
He usually brought an assistant with him, but on this particular day, he came alone, and Lexie saw her chance to escape.
Natal had smiled as he saw the pretty senora coming down to help him in the garden again. He was hoping this would be they day they could find a chance to be totally alone. Jorge had called in sick, and Natal had eagerly told him it was fine..stay home..be well!
Lexie walked down the hill to the garden where he was working. She looked around to see where the guards were, and since they were used to her going to work among the roses they did not follow to see what was going on. It was too cold today to move. Lexie waved at Natal, and began to move her hips in a seductive sway as she came closer.
Chapter XV
Harris hung up from speaking with EJ. This latest development was a crisis that had been unforeseen. Theo was the key to controlling Lexie, and now someone had decided to take the key and use it to unlock a different pandoras box.
Whoever had been the hit squad on Tony in Las Vegas was now making another move in challenge to the authority of EJ Wells and the organization he had in place. It all seemed to be though out to occur while EJ had his main focus on reuniting with the missing children. To Harris this all seemed too evident of some other master plan, this did not just occur by happenstance. EJ agreed with him.
"Harris, first of all, how is the family? Are you all settled in the new house? And Chandler, and Liam, all well I hope?"
"We are all doing great EJ, but this Theo thing is all over the t.v. and newspapers here..Chandler has been letting Chelsea take over most of it, and she is doing a good job, you would be proud of her! "
"Chelsea? Great, always knew that girl had more to her than the Bradys gave her credit for!"
"But EJ, something is going down here that does not fit..Celeste being murdered, Theo gone, these are family members EJ, and when Lexie gets wind of this, she may not be quite so cooperative with her vote next time!"
"Yes, yes, well hopefully by the time we have the children settled back with us in Salem, we will be able to delve deeper and get this mess sorted out! I still have to make sure no one ever tries to tie Samantha to any of this!"
Harris understood all too well. Tony was dead, and if the link was ever made to her, the council might want the penance demanded by the code. Then the only alternative left to EJ would be to eliminate the council. With EJ, Harris, Philip, and Lexie, a strong and invincible voting block, they had only to sway one more vote to win..but the same was true for the other side. Holding Lexie and Philip was paramount.
Theo was a most cooperative hostage thought Willow. That made things so much easier on her. Now if only Jeremy was as good an accomplice! The guy was a pain. Nico at least was business like, but Jeremy was always whining when Theo was playing the video games, because he wanted to play them, he complained when Theo was given the last ice cream sandwich..it was just one thing after another with him. Now she had been cooped up with him for two straight days while Nico went back to Salem for a private meeting with the Boss.
Willow tried to walk by Jeremy to change the video to one more suited for Theo to watch, it was time to let him come out of the closet. Jeremy let her, then managed to entrap her within his legs as he leered at her.
"Come on girl, lets entertain ourselves for a little while with something besides videos or games, I'm bored, how about you?" His hand slid up her leg, but he found his hand impaled upon the sharpness of a fingernail that punctured the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
"You bitch!" Jeremy was not known for an even temper, and he struck out at her with his fist. Her head moved just in time, but she was now free from his legs and she ran across the room where she picked up one of the knives lying on the kitchen counter. Jeremy laughed then, as his hand went to his jacket and brought out his small caliber pistol.
"I love a fair fight bitch! Come on, come on now, put it down and let's play nice!" He was advancing on her, grinning out from his yellowed teeth. Willow smiled then, and put the knife down, as he did the same with the gun, pocketing it again, but he still kept advancing on her. She gauged the distance perfectly, and kicked up into his groin, grabbing the knife once again! It might have ended there, except he found the gun in his pocket with the one ounce of strength the kick had left him, and he pointed, squeezed off the round. It caught Willow just below her shoulder, but the bullet entered her lung, and she found herself gasping in pain searching for air. Her hand still gripped the knife, and as he came forward again, he felt the sting of the blade entering his body just below his rib.
He knew he was dying in an instant, it seemed he could feel the gushing of the livers arteries flowing into his stomach. His last words before giving in to the void, "nice work bitch!"
Theo had heard the whole exchange from the closet confines, and peering from the opening at the bottom he could see the man, whose name he did not know lying across the entrance to the kitchen. The woman he knew only as Willie from that one errant slip from a few days before was crawling out from the kitchen, trying to get to the closet door. He saw her hand reach up, and he heard the lock unclick, but she did not open it, as she was also now dead. The dead weight of her body was blocking the door, as he began to kick and kick in an effort to get the door open.
Natal, the gardener could not believe this was happening to him, the beautiful woman was kissing him, telling him how attractive he was to her, and how she wanted to run away to Mexico with him! He propped his shovel at the tree at her words, drawing her to him in an embrace that he only wanted to make closer and closer. He did not notice when her hand gripped the shovel, and with a look of regret on her face he was felled with the power of the shovel hitting his neck and head in asimultaneous motion. He still had the bemused smile of a surprised and happy lover as he slid to the ground. Then Lexie bent to the task of removing his clothing to exchange with her own. His hat, and his shovel, along with his keys in her possession and she was heading towards his truck.
