Chapter 4
May 22, 2003 – Pine Valley
When he arrived in his room, Zach turned on the television to watch MSNBC. There were some recycled blurbs from the day before about the press conference and arrest. They had added a side note about Zach and the opening of his newest casino in Rio. He was about to turn off the television and log onto his computer when he saw that Erica was going to be interviewed. He watched the interview, shaking his head over Ms. Kane's derisive remarks about Michael. She probably liked to poke sticks at cobras too. Hopefully Michael wasn't watching. No telling what he would do.
He finally turned it off and opened his laptop. He went to Google and typed in the name Maureen Gorman. He took a deep breath, and then hit Enter. He stared at the results for a moment. The very first hit was from the Pine Valley Bulletin website. He clicked on the link. It was an article from almost a year ago, announcing that Doctor Maria Grey, who had been presumed dead for five years, was back in town, alive and suffering from amnesia. Refusing to go into details, Dr. Grey would only state that she has suffered the memory loss the entire time since the airplane accident, and was choosing to go by the name Maureen Gorman for the time being. She also was not practicing medicine. Her husband gave the statement that he and their two children were ecstatic to know that she was alive and well, but would elaborate no further on their current living arrangements.
Zach absorbed the shocking information. She was a doctor with a husband and two children. She had been in an airplane crash that resulted in her loss of memory and separation from her family for five years. A doctor…a family… The whole time she had been with Zach, she unknowingly had a life, an identity – back here in Pine Valley. He wondered what all this had to do with the secret that Maureen…Maria…had kept from him? Why did she always seem to be looking over her shoulder? If she had no memory of her past, why had she said that it was catching up to her? He shook his head and paged back to the Google search.
He clicked on the second link, which was to a newspaper called The Sun. He quickly saw that it was a tabloid, based out of a town called Llanview. It held much of the same information, but with much less discretion or regard for the subjects' privacy. The article contained speculation that Maureen was separated from her husband and shacking up with another man, named Aidan Devane. It also implied that Maureen had some sort of connection with the notorious Dr. David Hayward, and that he may have had something to do with her memory loss – a possibility that was likely being covered up by his police chief wife, Anna Devane.
Zach shook his head. He had little respect for tabloids, but in this case he had received a lot more information than from the legitimate newspaper. He wondered what was going on with Maureen. Assuming for a moment that the article was true, why was she rejecting her old life? Her husband and children? Who was this Aidan person, and what was his agenda? Having the same last name, was he related to the police chief? Was he helping her to cover up whatever Dr. Hayward had done to Maureen?
Zach stood up and paced. He knew this would happen. He knew that the minute he went digging around in her life, he would want to do something to help her. But she had told him not to interfere. He sat back down. Before he started barreling back into her life, he needed to know more. The articles were old – from last year – so it was probably best that he at least get an update.
He took out his cell phone and called the private detective, who was still in town getting more detailed dirt on the constituents surrounding Michael's arrest. He gave the PI another assignment, suggesting that he call in his partner so they could give each investigation the attention they deserved. He told him he'd be e-mailing him the articles he just read as a jumping off point for the new assignment. He ended the call and then sent the promised e-mails. He powered down the laptop and got ready for bed. As he drifted off to sleep, he was confused over the fact that instead of a pair of chocolate brown eyes invading his thoughts, he was being assaulted by a pair of green ones.
Several hours later, he was roused by his cell phone ringing. It was the lawyer assigned to Michael. His brother was in the hospital. He was apparently hit on the head by Kendall Hart, and wanted to press charges for assault. She claimed that she had been defending her mother against Michael, and was now in the process of urging Erica to press charges for attempted rape. Zach's blood ran cold as he thought about Michael drinking heavily at the bar, and Erica's television interview. Zach thanked the lawyer and ended the call.
He leaped out of bed, dressed quickly and left the Inn. He called for a taxi and was taken to the hospital. On the way, he ran through scenarios in his head, trying to figure out what actually happened. He refused to believe his brother would have actually raped Erica Kane. The idea boggled his mind. It was common knowledge that Erica was raped as a teenager, and that Kendall was the resulting offspring. Maybe Michael got aggressive and she assumed the worst. It was still an ugly scenario, but the possibility that his brother could be capable of rape made him sick to his stomach.
He went to the check-in desk and asked where to find Michael. The nurse checked her computer, then announced that Michael had left. "He left? Was his doctor okay with this? I thought he had a head injury."
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see the lawyer standing there. "Mr. Slater, I apologize that you came all the way down here. When I came back in the building after calling you, everyone had left. His doctor did authorize his discharge. Mr. Cambias will be fine. He left without being arrested. I found out from a nurse that before Ms. Kane filed a formal complaint, she was given some distressing news about the death of a friend, and left the hospital. Maybe she'll be too preoccupied to follow through with her threat."
Zach tapped his finger on the counter. "Or else she realized that getting the charges to stick would be very difficult. Thank you for letting me know. It was good of you to call me. Now I have to try and find out where Michael went."
The lawyer opened his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here is the address to the condo where Michael currently lives."
Zach took the paper and nodded in appreciation. "Thank you for keeping me informed." He left the hospital and hopped in another taxi. He wondered if he should rent a car. He hadn't really expected to be making the grand tour of Pine Valley. When he was dropped off, he walked through the courtyard and found Michael's condo. There were no lights on, but he rang the doorbell anyway. As he waited, he glanced over at the condo across the way. He could see through the window, and was startled to discover that Michael was inside with Kendall Hart. They were arguing. He glanced at the paper again and verified that he was standing at the right door. Did Kendall live across from Michael? Shrugging, he started to walk across the patio, and paused in shock when he saw that Michael was advancing in a threatening manner, grabbing her roughly around the waist and pulling her towards him. Kendall's look of annoyance turned to terror.
Zach dashed forward and threw open the door. Michael whipped around, and his stormy expression turned into a sneer. "Well geez, big brother, you have lousy timing. Kendall and I were just about to renew our acquaintance."
Zach strode forward and grabbed Michael by the shoulders. "Are you out of your mind? Just how much tequila did you drink? Did you…did you really attack her mother, too?"
Michael knocked Zach's hands away, his expression cold and distant. "So you heard about Erica's theatrics. I was just telling Kendall that her mother is a lying slut. Erica was the one who came on to me. I knew she was just trying to play me, so I was giving her a taste of her own medicine…when this bitch clocked me over the head."
As Michael talked, Kendall was inching her way to the telephone. She had just picked up the receiver, when Michael advanced on her and ripped the phone out of her hand. "You're a liar, Michael! You were going to rape me because you didn't succeed with my mother!"
Before he could lay a hand on her, Zach grabbed him and hauled him against the wall. "What the hell is the matter with you? Where is this coming from? Our father is a ruthless, money-hungry bastard, but he never hurt women."
Michael laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, you think so? You left home at 17, you don't know a damn thing about our father. And you don't know a damn thing about me. What, you think I'm picking on poor, defenseless women now? Its not like that at all. Need I remind you that Kendall and I were lovers not so long ago? She likes it rough. And she likes to hurl insults and accusations. Its foreplay to the Kane women. Or at least, with Erica and Kendall. I don't know about Bianca."
Kendall took a step towards Michael. With Zach holding him against the wall, she didn't feel as frightened. "Don't you dare even say her name, Michael. You will not go near Bianca, do you understand me?"
Michael's eyes glowed with contempt. "You don't give me orders, bitch. You gave up any right to influence me the minute you sided with your treacherous mother."
Kendall shook her head. She looked at Zach. "You see what you unleashed? He was safely in jail until you showed up. You did what you came to do, now do us all a favor and take your brother and get the hell out of this town."
Zach blinked. Usually he didn't give a damn what anyone thought of him, but for some reason he wanted to set the record straight. "Kendall, I wasn't the one who posted bail for him."
She stared at him incredulously. "Why are you lying to me? What's the point? Are you playing games, like your brother?" He shook his head and she put up her hands. "No! I know you're lying! Who else in this town would set this freak free?"
Zach exhaled in frustration. "I don't know. When I left the police station, Michael was still in a holding cell." Michael started laughing uproariously at their exchange.
Kendall shook her head, and was about to speak, when they were interrupted by a new person entering the condo. She blinked in surprise, and then rushed over to give the newcomer a hug. "Aidan! I'm so glad you're here! I'm surrounded by Cambias men and haven't decided yet which is the bigger pig."
Aidan frowned. "Cambias men? The gent holding Michael against the wall is a Cambias?"
Zach spoke up. "Was a Cambias. The name's Slater now. Zach Slater."
Aidan tapped his finger to his chin. "Zach Slater? You're the bloke that owns a chain of casinos, right? A cousin of mine stayed at the one in Monte Carlo last year. She said it was a real class act. You're related to this filthy bugger?"
Zach glanced at Michael, who rolled his eyes. "He's my brother."
Aidan shook his head. "So you're a Cambias. A shame, really. I'm pretty sure Robin was planning on visiting the Seasons in Vegas with some friends. I guess I'll have to recommend she try the Bellagio instead."
Zach stared at him a moment. Aidan wasn't that common a name. Was this perhaps the Aidan Devane mentioned in the Sun article? If that was the case, why was Kendall hanging all over him? He wasn't prepared to ask questions now, and reveal his connection to Maureen.
Michael had a smirk on his face, as if he knew what was going on in Zach's mind. He probably did – they were brothers. Michael had to know that Zach wouldn't be able to resist doing research on Maureen. And he had to know that any research would probably result in Devane's name popping up sooner or later. Zach decided it was time to leave. "We've taken up enough of your time, Kendall. I'll take Michael home and keep an eye on him."
Kendall glared at him. "The best way to keep an eye on him is if the two of you are in an airplane together, heading out of town."
Zach didn't answer. Instead he grabbed Michael by the collar, like he used to do when they were boys, and half dragged him out the door and across the courtyard.
