Chapter Seven – Ghosts from the Past

Jeff stopped in mid-step and frowned in confusion as a woman he hadn't seen in a long time silently sneaked out of Dex' hospital room. He shook his head as if trying to clear the haze from his mind. It had been a long day and, considering everything that had happened lately, he doubted it would end soon. Having come from recovery, to try and make sure Blake was okay, and then stopped by the cafeteria, he was now standing in the corridor on his way to Monica, balancing two cups of steaming hot coffee.

"Amanda?" he questioned curiously.

She had the look of a child caught with the fingers in a cookie jar as she turned to face him. "Jeff Colby?" she acknowledged and then broke into a sheepish grin.

Jeff nodded toward the room she'd just vacated. "How did you manage to get into Dex' room?" he asked suspiciously. "No one was allowed entrance the last time I tried."

"I told the nurse I was his wife," Amanda let on as she raised her left hand and wiggled her fingers to show a golden ring richly decorated by shining diamonds.

Jeff arched an eyebrow, not sure whether to laugh or cry at her ingenuity. "Where have you been? How did you know?" he began.

"It's a long and complicated story," she explained wearily as something somber crossed her handsome features for a moment. "Is Fallon around or have you started drinking for two?"

Jeff chuckled. "No, Fallon is at home, she's been through quite an ordeal; we all have. Help yourself," he suggested and nodded toward one of the cups. "It seems my vigil friend has abandoned me."

They walked over to a sofa at the back of the waiting room and sat down next to each other.

Amanda stared into the cup, her eyes unseeing.

"You look troubled," Jeff said in a friendly manner.

She broke into a faint wry smile. "You'd be too if you'd seen Dex," she mused hollowly.

"Forgive me for not understanding, Amanda. You obviously had a thing for Dex that caused Alexis to throw him out a little over a year ago, then you hooked up with that creep, Michael Culhane, and then you disappeared," Jeff deduced.

Amanda shot him a glare.

"Just like that," Jeff added. "I wonder, what brings you back here all of a sudden?"

Amanda suddenly looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown as a tear gently spilled on her cheek. "Everyone I care about is severely hurt. Isn't that enough?" she questioned indignantly.

"How much did you care about them when you left?" Jeff pushed with an accusing undertone.

"I thought you'd understand that being rich and spoiled complicates things," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Jeff snorted and shook his head.

"Please, Jeff. You have to fill me in. Fallon only told Rosalind so much," she said.

He stared deep into his cup as if caught up in something. "How much time do you have?" he countered kindly.

"What would Fallon say if she'd seen you sharing your coffee with a blond stranger?" Monica Colby drawled sarcastically as she walked up to the pair.

Amanda turned to her with a frosty expression on her face.

"Somehow I don't think she'd mind me talking to her little sister," Jeff replied sourly. "Where's your mother?"

Monica arched a curious eyebrow at them as she sat down next to Jeff in the sofa. "I took her home, managed to convince her to take a sleeping pill and confronted the manager about mother being disturbed at a time like this. He promised me it wouldn't happen again," she explained. "I can't believe they'd try and nail her for the accident."

Jeff shook his head at the superior attitude of his cousin and then nodded toward her. "Amanda Carrington meet Monica Colby, my first cousin," he said by way of introduction.

"A pleasure," Amanda murmured unconvincingly as she emptied the last of contents of her coffee cup and got out of the sofa. "If you'd excuse me I'd like to go and see my father."

"Charming woman," Monica noted dryly as she stared after her.

"She used to be, maybe a bit naïve. I think you rubbed her the wrong way," Jeff quipped with a smirk. "Now, I think it's time for you to tell me what really happened at the hotel."

"What do you mean?" Monica deadpanned.

"I know Adam pushed Dex and Alexis off the balcony but I don't know why?" he said curiously.

Monica hesitated. "I think that's something between my mother, Alexis and Dex," she pointed out.

He chuckled. "No, no Monica. Don't give me that," he said.

"You seem to have one foot in each camp," she deduced slyly. "The question is; where do you stand?"

"Keep in mind that Alexis inherited ColbyCo from Cecil Colby and that Blake Carrington's been like a father to me for as long as I can remember," he replied deadpan. "As for where I stand at the moment – I was thinking of helping Dex."

"He's an interesting man, Dex Dexter. Powerful, clever and stubborn to a fault. Everyone seems to want him – my mother, her assistant director, Alexis and perhaps even her youngest daughter," Monica mused coyly. "It's unfortunate you can't help with his love life. He'd need that."

"That's one thing I don't understand about Dex and that's what he actually sees in Alexis," Jeff returned.

Monica shrugged innocently. "She challenges him, plays hard to get, he likes that. When he's hurt he goes to bed with other women but they probably don't mean anything to him. That's why I've told mother to have an abortion," she let on dismissively.

Jeff coughed on his coffee eliciting a laugh from his companion as she gently started to pat him on the back. "Did I shock you my dear cousin?" she asked amusedly.

"It takes two to tango," Jeff replied.

Monica nodded. "Mother is no saint and she was far from unwilling," she admitted mischievously. "She probably wanted to ride her cousin's stallion and see what he could do. I have to admit he's a fine example. I might have been drawn to him as well."

"Monica, please," Jeff begged.

She turned serious. "Mother and Alexis met in a truce. I was there on Sable's behalf and Adam on Alexis' as Dex showed up. Alexis taunted him, which didn't make matters any better since he was already angry, when he arrived. He felt left out. He accused mother and Alexis of being cold-hearted bitches with no room for anyone or anything else than their own egos," she explained.

Jeff let out a low whistle. "Right on the spot," he mused with a smirk.

Monica ignored the remark as she continued. "Adam seemed to enjoy the altercation and decided to join in but got his share of the bargain. Dex finally had it and threw a punch at him, leaving poor Adam to bite the dirt in a very expensive flowerpot," Monica laughed. "That's when Adam saw red and told Dex that's the last time he'd mock him and attacked him from behind. Enraged, he showed Dex into Alexis with such force that the railing broke apart and the pair of them tumbled off and fell down."

"Where is Adam now?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Apparently he was arrested at the airport a short while ago, courtesy of a young curly haired woman who appeared to know him well," Monica answered. "Virginia Metheny. Never heard of her, must be one of Adam's old girlfriends."

Jeff didn't know if he should laugh or cry at the mention of Krystle's cousin but then again Monica couldn't know her since she'd left just days before Monica had arrived to join her mother.

His cousin frowned at his enigmatic smile. "What?" she questioned.

"Blake told me recently that everyone he held dear, both family and friends, seemed to be spread around the world. He admitted he'd love for them to come back," Jeff let on and chuckled sarcastically. "First Steven, then Amanda and now Virginia."

"What are you talking about?" Monica all but cried in annoyance.

"Virginia is not Adam's girlfriend. She's someone he used as a toy thing to try and forget his own pain of losing Dana and his baby. The only problem with that was that Virginia is, as he very well knew, Krystle's cousin."

Monica nearly choked on the water.

"Did I shock you my dear cousin?" Jeff asked amusedly. "Sable took quite a shine on her."

OOOOOO

Detective John Zorelli was weary and tired as he parked the car outside the precinct. He kept seeing the odd look on Fallon's face before him at the mention of the doctor's name. Strangely there was something at the back of his mind telling him the name was familiar to him as well but he couldn't for the word understand why it should be.

"Zorelli!" A sharp voice shouted as he made for his desk.

The policeman jumped slightly as he glanced around the room only to find a stern looking man in a dark suit waiting for him at the coffee machine. With a deep sigh he slandered up to the somewhat familiar man and ran a hand through his thick hair. "Yes, captain," he said.

Thomas seized him up and leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Where have you been, Zorelli?" he asked suspiciously as he narrowed his eyes. "You weren't at the hospital and not at the site where the treasure has been hidden."

Something in the accusatory tone made the tired officer snap. "What's it to you, sir," he said testily.

"In case you've somehow forgotten, your superior officer, Captain Handler, was shot to death earlier today by the hands of Blake Carrington. I'm here to lead the investigation," he explained curtly. "I was at the hospital earlier to have a chat with Carrington but he wasn't up for any visitors. I did however, speak to his ex-wife Alexis Colby who gave me some nonsense about her son being some kind of innocent bystander to all this crap-"

Zorelli frowned. "Do you think it's connected?" he asked carefully.

"Of course it's connected, Zorelli," he said dryly.

Unconvinced the younger officer nodded toward an empty room further down the corridor. Without a word the two men walked inside.

"Sir," Zorelli began as he closed the door behind them. "I have reason to believe that Handler was involved with Grimes – that they were blackmailing Carrington."

Thomas held up his hand to stall him. "Hold your horses, Zorelli. Where have you heard that bullshit?"

"Grimes kidnapped Carrington's daughter and he-"

"I don't want to hear it," Thomas interrupted. "Handler was a fine officer and a friend. If I hear you cast doubt on him or accusing him of being corrupt I'll throw you out. Is that clear?"

"You're making a mistake, sir-" Zorelli argued.

"Is that clear, detective?" he pushed.

Zorelli balled his hands into fists in frustration. "Yes," he managed through clenched teeth.

"Good, now I want you to talk with Carrington as soon as you can and press him for information about the treasure and how the hell it got down there in the first place. Then I want him locked up for shooting a fellow officer."

Zorelli hesitated for a moment and then nervously ran a hand though his hair. "There is something you should now. Someone has been trying to reach Handler from a payphone near Carrington's place several times since the shooting. I held Carrington responsible too before I got to know his daughter-

"Get to the point Zorelli," Thomas pushed impatiently.

"Bottom line is, there is something going on here that we don't know about. Carrington refused to open up but his daughter hinted he was put under pressure. I decided to play a hunch so I placed the payphone next to the residence under surveillance. Tonight, my guy reported that the man trying to phone Handler also tried to reach Grimes the minute later."

Thomas sighed. "That doesn't have to mean anything," he pointed out.

"No, sir, but it's a hell of a coincidence," Zorelli countered.

Thomas pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure. "Fine, I can't resist looking into it. You'll do the digging and you'll report directly to me. If it is, as you believe, some kind of inside job then I'd say we're in trouble."

OOOOOO

To be continued