Chapter 10
"I don't care if he is busy. You get me the warden," Dante yelled into the phone, pacing back and forth in the hospital corridor.
"Hold please," the dispatcher said, while Dante listened to elevator music. A few minutes passed and Dante grew more and more agitated each time he glanced at his watch. Fifty-five minutes, that's all he had to create a miracle and temporarily release Morgan from prison. Where the hell was that Warden Dante, thought, fearing for Lulu's safety.
"This better be good, Detective," the warden warned, answering the phone, "I was two under par with only the ninth hole to play."
"Listen, I don't have time to hear about your golf game, Warden. We have a situation here and I need your help," Dante told him, praying that the Warden saw the logic in releasing Morgan.
"We need you to release Jason Morgan into our custody," Dante explained, hearing the Warden's blasphemous response.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind," the Warden replied, continuing to curse into Dante's eardrums, "Release him? He ain't here for no detention. Shit, Detective, he is here for racketeering and now suspicion of murder. Christ, you must be mad," the Warden shouted in a voice loud enough for the FBI to hear next to Dante.
"Give me the phone, Detective," Agent Barrows demanded, as Dante handed him his police-issued Samsung, "What the hell is this? What did WalMart have a special on phone plans?" the agent responded, glancing at the archaic phone.
"Warden, this is Agent Barrows with the FBI. We have a police matter that requires Jason Morgan's cooperation," the agent said, expecting the Warden to comply.
"His cooperation? Last time I checked Agent Barrows, the FBI was dying to dismantle the Corrinthos organization. Now, we get his mob enforcer behind bars and you want to set him free. What the hell are you people drinking in Port Charles?" the Warden questioned, thinking that every one of them had lost their marbles.
"The release is only temporary. He will be released into the custody of Detective Falconeri. You should receive a fax from the Governor any minute now," Agent Barrows told the Warden, awaiting his response.
"Oh Hell," the Warden answered, shrieking to his secretary, "Maribelle, you get a fax?"
"Hold your horses, Warden. I'm checking," the woman said, taking her sweet time.
"Warden, we don't have all day," Agent Barrows said, as Dante grabbed the phone from him.
"I'm on my way over, Warden. I'll be there in ten minutes. I need Morgan processed and released by the time I get there," Dante ordered, handing the phone back to Agent Barrows.
"Ten minutes?" the Warden replied, looking down at the signed letter from the Governor of New York.
"Christ, it takes a few hours to get someone processed. Ten minutes? Dammit, there goes my golf game."
"Just do it, Warden. It's a matter of life and death," Agent Barrows reminded him, disconnecting the call. Forty minutes, he thought, looking down at his Omega watch. How the hell was the detective going to get across town in ten minutes.
"Outta my way," Dante shouted, as he barreled past the SWAT team that had made a perimeter around the hospital entrance and hijacked one of their motorcycles.
"Hey, that is police property," the officer yelled, as Dante swung his leg over the seat and started the engine. He shot forward, racing out of the hospital parking lot, as Mac started to chase after him, only to be flagged down by the FBI.
"What the hell is going on?" Mac demanded, not caring if the FBI superseded his jurisdiction.
"The FBI has everything under control," Agent Barrows told him, calmly, as Mac looked like he was ready to burst a gasket.
"Under Control? You just sent one of my own detectives off god knows where and didn't even consult me, Agent Barrows. Now, I am telling you, either you start explaining why my detective just shot out of here like a bat out of hell, or jurisdiction be damned, by God, I'll teach you whose controlling what here," Commishioner Mac Scorpio ordered.
"Commish," Ronnie said, as he walked up to Mac, "It looks like it's Franco. He is playing some kind of game and took a hostage."
"What hostage? What's he want?" Mac asked, not liking the sound of this one bit.
"Lulu Spencer. He wants Dante to get the Warden to release Jason Morgan in-" Ronnie said, glancing down at his watch, "thirty-five minutes, or else he is going to start killing again, starting with Dante's girlfriend. Look, I just thought that you would want an update, but I need to get back inside."
"Yeah, go," Mac told him, distracted by the fact that they had a serial killer on the loose. The longer they could keep this from the Mayor the better, he thought, knowing that the press was going to have a field day with this one.
"So what's it going to be this time, Franco?" Lulu asked as he moved her toward an access door on the sixth floor.
"Inside," he told her, leading her toward a supply closet, pushing her inside and closing the door on her. She stood alone, slowly canvassing the room for anything that she could use to defend herself. On one shelf were bed linens, pillows and hospital gowns. An additional shelf on the opposite side held miscellaneous items such as bandages, bottles of alcohol, trash bags, magazines and some cleaning supplies stored in the corner. Her eyes scanned the bottles, trying to find something that could be of use to her, as a conversation outside of the door, filtered through the doorway with lowered voices, barely above a whisper.
"Is everything set?" she heard Franco ask, as she pressed her ear to the door.
"Yeah, but this is it. No more favors. We are even, Franco," the man said in a muffled voice. Lulu tried to make out who it was, but he was speaking so softly that she was only catching a phrase here and a word there.
"No...too dangerous...he'll figure it out...Morgan...working on it now...soon." the man whispered in a vaguely familiar voice.
Lulu heard more voices in the hallway, moving closer and she was about to yell, as the supply closet door was opened and Franco jumped inside, silencing her with his hand over her mouth.
"I've already searched this area, boys. I'm afraid it's a dead end," Detective Domestico told them, leading them away from the supply closet, as a very shocked Lulu Spencer remained captive. She struggled, her hands flailing, trying to break free to alert the police outside the door. But, Franco's strength seemed inhuman, his stance rigid, as he calmly held her stationary.
He didn't say a word until several minutes had passed and the voices outside the door were silent. Only then did he release his hand from her mouth and ease his hold on her arms. He looked down at his watch, twenty minutes remaining.
He wanted so much to play with Jason Morgan again, hoping desperately that Detective Falconeri loved Lulu Spencer enough to get Morgan to him on time. Then, the real fun could begin, Franco thought, grinning, as he opened the supply closet door and peered cautiously up and down the corridor.
Feeling confident that the coast was clear, he ushered Lulu Spencer out into the corridor and toward her inevitable fate.
"This is complete bull shit. Where is he?" Dante demanded, pacing in the Warden's office, as he waited for Morgan to be released into his custody. Eighteen minutes, he noticed, worried that he wouldn't get to Lulu in time.
"He is on his way now," the Warden's secretary told him, giving him an annoyed look, "Didn't your mother ever teach you to be patient, Detective? That a little sweetness goes a long way."
What the hell, Dante thought, running his hands through his hair, as the clock continued to count down. He heard the door open and turned, seeing Jason Morgan standing before him in handcuffs.
"I need the cuffs removed," Dante told them, as the Warden reluctantly complied, releasing the catch, as the handcuffs broke away from Morgan's wrists.
"If he runs, Detective. It's on you," the Warden answered, knowing that all around this was a bad idea.
"Come on, Jason. We don't have much time," Dante told him, practically dragging Jason Morgan from the room.
"What the hell is going on, Dante? No one told me anything. Did something happen to Michael?" Jason asked, wondering why he was being released into Dante's custody.
"Franco has Lulu. I don't have time to explain. I only have ten minutes to get to GH," Dante replied, disparagingly as he looked down at his watch, running toward the bike.
"Get on," Dante told Morgan, as he hopped on the bike.
"Move. You'll never get there in time. I'll drive," Morgan told him, sliding on the bike, as Dante moved toward the back.
"Hold on," Jason said, as he gripped the handlebars and revved the motor, shooting out of the parking lot, as Dante held on for dear life. Just hang in there, Lulu, Dante thought, as Morgan darted in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed. Just a few minutes more, Dante said silently, praying that he got to Lulu on time.
Franco looked at the clock on the wall, two minutes, he sighed, feeling the slightest bit saddened by what he was about to do. He loved games and wanted so badly to play with Morgan and Falconeri again. He even enjoyed toying with Miss Spencer, loving how she became riled. He could see the wheels spinning in her brain now, as she noticed the clock as well and realized that her time had run out.
He pulled out a syringe and carefully unwrapped it from its casing, as Lulu looked on in horror.
"What are you doing?" she asked, as he gripped her arm, "It'll only hurt for a second. I promise," Franco told her, as she tried to break free from his grasp.
The needle was sharp and penetrated the skin of her shoulder quickly, the pain fleeting. Lulu's vision started to blur and she felt the ground rush up to her, as Franco caught her in his arms before she hit the floor.
"It took you long enough," Franco told Ronnie Domestico, as he carried Lulu to the wheelchair and sat her upon it, covering her with a blanket. Ronnie handed him the bag in his hand and Franco took it, pushing Lulu toward the elevator.
"I had to shake the Feds, Franco. They are crawling all over the place thanks to your little gift on the tenth floor," Ronnie told him, handing Franco the hospital scrubs.
"That couldn't be helped. She recognized me," Franco answered, saddened by the memory of Shirley Smith. It hurt him deeply that he had to take her life, she was so good to him as a child. Unfortunately for her, she recognized him immediately and he had no choice but to silence her.
"You're sticking to the deal right, Franco. Lulu Spencer is just your escape out of here," Ronnie questioned, trying to confirm his agreement with Franco.
"Lulu Spencer is a means to an end, Ronnie. Nothing more. As soon as Morgan plays my game, she will dispensed with," Franco promised.
"You assured me that she wouldn't be harmed, Franco. That was the deal. Dante is practically family. He would be devastated if anything happened to her," Ronnie told him, worried about Lulu's safety.
"I'm well aware of that, Ronnie. Believe me. Lulu Spencer is more valuable to me than you think," Franco told him, as he dressed himself in scrubs, "Now, my game players will be here any minute now. So, we are going to have to cut our conversation short. I am very eager to get the game started."
"What exactly are you planning, Franco?" Ronnie asked, inserting a key into the freight elevator and unlocking it for Franco's use.
"Just a friendly game, pal. I do love a great mystery, don't you?" Franco replied, smiling.
"A mystery? Are there more bodies involved in this plan?" Ronnie asked, dreading the game about to be played. He hated all of this, but was forced to play. He was indebted to Franco for serving time for him and for the secret that Franco held over his head. A secret that if revealed would end his career and dissolve his relationship with Dante.
"I need you close by, Ronnie. At a moment's notice. Or, this won't work," Franco told him, looking down at Lulu in the wheelchair, "I need him to find her."
Dante and Jason raced into the hospital with only seconds to spare, surrounded by Feds and officers of the PCPD. Dante waited for the call from Franco, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, as he feared for Lulu's safety.
"Why isn't he calling? Where the hell is he?" Dante said, scared that he was too late. The cell phone in his hand, started to ring and Dante answered it, waiting for the voice on the other end to speak, as Jason stood by trying to anticipate Franco's next move.
"Dante, it's Ronnie. I need you to come quick," he said, sounding frantic on the phone.
"What is it? Is it Franco? Did you find him? Tell me you got him, Ronnie," Dante said, wondering why his partner sounded a bit off.
"I didn't find Franco. Dante, they think that they found Lulu. You need to come, Dante. Room 606."
"Ronnie, is she-" Dante asked, not wanting to know the answer.
"Just get here, Dante," his partner answered, causing a feeling of dread to spiral through his body.
"Jason, they found Lulu," Dante explained, running for the stairs, as Jason followed behind him.
"But, that doesn't make sense. Franco loves the game. He would never give her up so easily. Not this early," Morgan said, wondering why Franco hadn't revealed himself yet.
"Why do you find it so hard to believe that he let her go?" Dante questioned Jason, as they neared Room 606.
"Dante, he waited until the last second to give us the address for Sam and Lulu. Why would he change his game now? It's not like him. He loves the chase," Jason told Dante, as they approached the officers in the corridor.
"You don't believe that it's Lulu, do you?" Dante said, realizing where Jason was going with this.
"I don't," Jason answered, truthfully, as Ronnie walked up to them and they entered the room together.
The body of the girl was strapped to a chair, duck-taped, her long blond hair hanging in front of her face, as the officers approached her. Beneath the chair was a kitchen timer, the counter set to zero. Taped to her nurse's uniform was a note with a number written upon it in Franco's handwriting.
Dante pulled out his cell phone and punched in the numbers, waiting for Franco to answer.
Franco pulled out the items from the brown sack that Ronnie gave him, removing a short, dark-haired wig and a large hat. He used the items to disguise Lulu, wheeling her toward the exit, past the distracted police officers speaking frantically on their phones and out toward the waiting car.
After he placed her in the vehicle, he waited for the call from Dante, eager to hear his response.
"Where the hell is she, Franco?" Dante yelled, wanting to reach through the phone and wring his neck.
"Morgan's with you?" Franco asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, I did what you asked, Franco. Now, I want Lulu," Dante told him, demanding her release.
"I'm not ready to part with her just yet, Dante. The game has just begun. But, don't worry. I left you a bread trail. If your as good a Detective, as you think you are, you'll follow soon enough. You and Morgan. See you soon, Detective." Franco told him, disconnecting the phone.
"Wait-" Dante yelled, as Franco hung up on him.
"Dante? You need to focus. What is his next move?" Morgan asked, watching Dante as he started canvassing every part of the room.
"He left a clue. He said it will lead us to Lulu," Dante answered, having no idea what he was looking for. Ronnie stood near the body and reached for a piece of paper that was crammed into the side of the timer.
"Dante, I think that I found something," Ronnie told him, pulling out a brochure.
"What is it?" Morgan asked, as Dante opened it carefully.
"It's a brochure for an art show at a gallery in New York," Dante answered, worried for Lulu. Franco was in control of the game and the next stop was New York City.