Chapter Eleven
"Hey, Adriana, come take a look at this," Claudia called from the living room of their suite. Adriana made her way out of her room, still the in the sweatpants that she had worn to bed the previous night, and walked over to the couch, where her mother was sitting, staring at the television.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Shh," said Claudia, pointing at the television. "Listen."
Adriana faced the television, where the local news was showing a female reporter standing outside a house that she recognized. "Is that Sonny's house?"
"Shh," Claudia said again.
"An APB has been put out for Mr. Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos, Jr., the lead suspect in the murder of Thomas and Cassandra Brown, who were found dead two nights ago." Adriana felt a pang of sadness jolt through her body. No matter how many times people told her that her parents were dead, the pain that she felt for them didn't grow any number. In fact, the more times it was stated, the more it hurt to think about. Adriana tried to shake the thoughts from her mind to listen to the news.
"When authorities arrived at Mr. Corinthos's home this morning to arrest him, they discovered him not there and are under the assumption that he had run to escape prosecution. We'll now cut to a press conference where Police Commissioner Malcolm Scorpio is providing more information about the case."
The scene cut quickly to Mac, who was standing at a podium, other members of his force behind him, and microphones surrounding him.
"The Port Charles Police Department is doing everything in its power to find Mr. Corinthos and bring him to justice. While we have no leads on his whereabouts, we are confident that he won't stay hidden for long."
After this statement, the news flashed back to the reporter standing outside Sonny's house. "We would also like to report that Mr. Corinthos's wife, Claudia Corinthos, and her daughter, Adriana Brown, who was the adopted daughter of Thomas and Cassandra Brown, the couple murdered two nights ago, are also missing. Police are not yet sure if this disappearance is related to that of Mr. Corinthos's. Back to you, Steve."
Claudia picked up the remote and clicked off the television, not particularly interested in the day's weather. Adriana, however, was almost jumping out of her skin with nerves.
"Wait, they think we're missing? Shouldn't we call the police or something, tell them we're alright?"
Claudia shook her head. "Not yet. Let's wait another day. Either they'll catch Sonny, or he'll be in another country. We don't need him knowing we've been in contact with the police."
"But what if they waste time and energy looking for us, when we're fine? It's Sonny they should be trying to find, not us."
Why was she so smart? As much as Claudia hated to admit when she was wrong, this was a serious situation. Maybe calling the police would be the best idea. "Okay, you're right," she admitted, a little sullenly. "I'll call." But before she could even take out her phone to dial, it started ringing.
Claudia looked at the screen, but didn't recognize the number. It was the Port Charles area code, so she answered. "Hello?"
"Is this Claudia Corinthos?" asked a man's voice that she had never heard before.
"Uh, yeah," she answered nervously. Was she in trouble for taking Adriana? She hoped not; she didn't think she could deal with hiding from Sonny and the cops at the same time.
"I'm calling from General Hospital," said the voice.
Claudia's worry was gone, now replaced with confusion. "Okay. What can I help you with?"
"Your brother, John, was just in a car accident." Claudia's stomach dropped to the floor. Johnny? Her baby brother? How could this have happened, now of all times? It was because he was always driving so damn fast. He never went the speed limit, ever. He could have hit a guard rail and gone off an overpass. He could have been talking on the phone with Olivia, not paying attention to the road, and hit another vehicle. He could have hit a patch of ice, and spun out of control into God knows what. And if they were calling her about it, it had to be serious. He could be injured, or permanently paralyzed.
He could be dying.
"I'll be right there," Claudia said hurriedly into the phone hanging up.
Adriana saw the worry on her mother's face, and immediately expected the worst. "What's wrong?"
"My brother was just in a car accident," said Claudia, grabbing her purse from the coffee table.
It wasn't the answer that Adriana was expecting, but it was just as bad. "That's awful! Are you going to the hospital?"
"Yeah," said Claudia. "I don't know when I'll be back, so just sit tight here, okay?"
Adriana frowned. "Can't I come with you?"
Claudia shook her head. "No, it's easier if I go alone. I don't know how long I'll be there, and I don't want you to have to sit in a hospital waiting room for an entire day."
"Oh," said Adriana. She was a little scared to be staying here by herself, with Sonny still on the loose, but the circumstances were out of her control.
"Here," said Claudia giving her phone to Adriana. "Put your number in, and I'll put mine in yours. Call me if you need me, okay?"
"Sure," said Adriana, handing her phone to Claudia. They each put their numbers in, then switched back.
"If you get hungry, just order room service, okay?" said Claudia on her way out the door.
"Okay," said Adriana, but Claudia didn't hear her response as she practically sprinted to her car.
*
"So, did you do it?" Sonny asked his soldier as he came back into the warehouse, Sonny's temporary hiding spot. It was perfect; he hadn't actually used this warehouse in years. The police would never look for him here.
"Yes, sir," answered the soldier. Sonny smiled. Everything was falling into place. Or, that's the way that Sonny saw it. The soldier wasn't as confident.
"Sir?" he asked, knowing full well where his questioning could get him. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Sonny blinked. No one had ever questioned him to his face, except Jason, and maybe Max or Milo. And Bernie. And Carly. But his soldiers? They kept their opinions to themselves and each other. Maybe this was a bad idea, if someone was finally speaking up about it. But it was his only option. "Look, do I like it? No," he said. "I hate it. If I was Claudia, and someone did this to me, they'd be dead, no doubt about it. But it's the only option I have. The police have me in a corner, so I gotta do something."
"But, is Mrs. Corinthos really your only alibi? What about Mr. Morgan? Why does it have to be your wife?"
Sonny had asked himself the same question, and always came to the same conclusion. "I've been lying to cops for as long as I can remember. Sometimes they buy it. Sometimes they don't. But I've learned that you have a better chance of convincing someone of a lie if you stick to the same story. If I start switching things up, like sayin' I was with Jason instead of Claudia, they'll know I was lying, and I won't get away with it. But," he said, realizing something, "I don't think an alibi is gonna work anymore. This is more of an escape plan."
"But to go to such measures as to—"
"Nothing else will work!" shouted Sonny, and his soldier cringed. Sonny took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Look, I already killed her parents. Nothing that I do could be worse than that."
The soldier nodded. "I guess your right. I'm sorry for questioning you."
Sonny ignored his apology. "Who are we sending?"
"Ritchie Mancuso, sir."
"Perfect," said Sonny. He checked his watch. "Tell him to get going. We don't gotta lotta time."
*
Claudia ran as fast as two-inch heels would allow into the hospital, almost plowing down sick patients with canes and wheelchairs. She ran to the desk, where Epiphany was going through some files.
"How can I help you, Mrs. Corinthos?" she asked without even looking up.
"What room is my brother in?" asked Claudia impatiently.
Epiphany didn't understand. "I'm sorry?"
"My brother," explained Claudia. She didn't have time for this. Johnny could be seriously hurt, or worse. "He was in a car accident. The hospital called me. What room is he in?"
Epiphany laughed, a short, quick grunt. "I think I would remember if John Zacchara was in my hospital."
Claudia didn't get it. For starters, what was so funny about a car accident, especially one that seemed so serious? And what did she mean when she said she would remember if Johnny was here? The man on the phone had said he was at General Hospital.
"Look, I don't have time for whatever joke you're telling!" yelled Claudia. "My brother is here and I need to see him! Where is he?"
"Mrs. Corinthos, I will check my records, but I can promise you that Mr. Zacchara has not stepped foot into this hospital since it's been remodeled. So, when I prove to you that I'm right, kindly leave my hospital. I have real patients to worry about."
Claudia folded her arms over her chest as Epiphany logged into the hospital's records, to see if Johnny had come in that day. As usual, she was right.
"See?" she said, turning to computer on its stand so that Claudia could look with her own eyes. "Your brother was not in a car accident, and he did not come here today."
Claudia was totally lost. The man on the phone had said that Johnny was in an accident, and that she needed to come to General Hospital. Maybe she had heard wrong? Maybe Johnny was at Mercy? But she didn't have time to go to every single hospital in the area.
"Hello?" he asked when Claudia stepped over to a corner to call her brother. He sounded perfectly healthy, if not a little annoyed. She assumed Olivia was over, and she had just interrupted something very important.
"Johnny," she said, and relief swept over her. He wasn't in an accident; he sounded fine. "Johnny, are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah," he said, confused. "Why?"
"Someone just called me and told me you were in a car crash."
"That's ridiculous," said Johnny with a chuckle. "I've been with Olivia all morning.
Claudia felt herself almost throw up in her mouth. "Okay, too much information. But, you weren't in an accident?"
"No," said Johnny. "Who did you hear that from?"
"I don't know, someone just called and—" Claudia stopped, realizing something. The phone almost dropped out of her hand.
"Claudia? Hello?" Johnny's voice was saying, but Claudia didn't hear him. She couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out before.
"I gotta go," she said into the phone quickly. She snapped her phone closed, then ran out of the hospital even faster than she had run in.
Because this time, her daughter's life depended on it.
*
Claudia hadn't even been gone half an hour when the knock at the door came. Adriana had been flipping channels ever since she left, hoping that her uncle would be okay. She hadn't even met him, but she felt bad for Claudia. She had so much going on right now. This was the last thing that she needed.
The knock at the door broke her out of her reverie. She hadn't been expecting anyone; she hadn't ordered room service, and the maid had already come. Maybe Claudia was back already, and had just forgotten the key. Adriana stood up and headed for the door. When she opened it, no one was there. She stepped out into the hallway a little and looked both ways, like she was about to cross a street, but still didn't see anyone. As she was about to head back inside, assuming that whoever it was had just gotten the wrong room, she felt a hand cover her mouth. Before she could even scream, everything went black.