Chapter XII
E il bambino
Con occhi chiusi
Lui non si muove
Perso e gia
And the boy
Eyes closed
He doesn't move
He's already lost
Wildwind Estate, Pine Valley, PA
Dimitri Marick stared out the window of the master bedroom, from the second floor of Wildwind Estate. Multiple vans belonging to several news stations were parked just outside the gates of the estate. More than a dozen reporters and cameramen stood nearby, waiting for the latest developments from the police and for some word from the grief stricken parents.
It had been barely a day since Erica Kane had made her 911 call to report the kidnapping and already it was well on its way to becoming the story of the year in Pine Valley. Apparently it had all the necessary ingredients for good, juicy news. There was mystery: Who had taken Max and Bianca? Why? Suspense: Would there be a ransom demand? Would the children of two of Pine Valley's most powerful survive the ordeal? Drama and human interest: How were the parents coping? Were they somehow involved? Why take both children? And where exactly had little Max been all these years before coming to Pine Valley?
Everyone in Pine Valley knew Erica Kane and Dimitri Marick. But few had ever seen them so frightened. So powerless.
In short, it was a great story.
Dimitri picked up the newspaper that lay in front of him and glanced at the headline, 'Brutal double kidnapping shocks Pine Valley.' There were photos of him and Max, Erica and Bianca. He was almost grateful that Alex wasn't a local celebrity, like himself and Erica. She hadn't merited a photo and thankfully no one yet had dug deep enough to make mention of Charlotte Devane. Dimitri had managed to convince Derek Frye that the media was better left in the dark in regards to Alex's mother, even if he himself believed she was their prime suspect. At the same time, Dimitri wasn't naïve enough to doubt that the kidnapping would eventually lead into investigations into Alex's nearly seven-year long disappearance from his life.
When Dimitri had brought his presumed dead wife back to Wildwind, the media had taken a mild interest in his life again. At that time, he had told them a story that was far simpler than the truth. He had spun an uninteresting tale of an accident and an unfortunate case of amnesia, rather than the true story of a woman blackmailing her own daughter to work for her as a hired killer. But now, the media would take a second look at his story and probably find inconsistencies that would have held little importance seven months ago.
"Staring at them isn't going to make them go away…" a familiar voice broke his thoughts and Dimitri turned around to see Edmund standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Both Edmund and Brooke had cut short a Tempo business meeting in Los Angeles and flown home as soon as they heard the news.
Dimitri sighed. "Want to tell me what will make them disappear?" He pointed down to the news vans parked outside.
"Sooner or later, you're going to have to talk to the press. The longer you hold it off, the crazier their stories and speculations will become. Rumours will start to sound like the truth only because you don't deny them." Edmund knew better than most how the press operated, and because he was also a part of it, he knew he could do his part to protect Dimitri from them.
"What do you suggest I tell them?"
"Tell them the truth. Tell them what happened, tell them how you feel, tell them anything that's real and genuine. People don't want to see you recite a speech. They want to see an ordinary parent dealing with an unthinkable situation. People appreciate honest emotion because they can relate."
Dimitri bit his lips to stave off the bitterness he felt. "So you want me to stand in front of a dozen cameras and tell them how upset I am to have lost my son, and how guilt ridden I feel that it happened under my nose and at the hands of my own bodyguard? All that, so I can look sympathetic to the public eye? You know what, Edmund? I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of me right now. If the public want s to make me the prime suspect, they can go right ahead!"
"Hey…" Edmund put an arm around his shoulder, "I know you're upset right now…"
Dimitri raised his brows, "Upset?"
"The public knows you, they care about you and they have a right to know."
"I swear if I hear one more person say, 'I'm so sorry about what happened Mr. Marick,' I think I'll lose it. Everyone is acting as though my son is already dead…"
"That's not true, Dimi," Edmund tried to console him, but Dimitri knew he wasn't making it easy.
Dimitri sat down on the bed, his lack of sleep finally catching up to him. He knew he needed to get some rest if he didn't want to let his nerves get the better of him. "Alex is coming home any moment now, and when she does we'll figure out what to do together. Until then the press can wait."
Edmund agreed, "Fair enough. In the meantime, if there is anything you need, anything at all, you let me know."
"I will," he told his brother, knowing he wouldn't.
Downstairs
When Alex and David walked through the front doors of Wildwind and entered the sitting room, the first thing they noticed was a flurry of activity, as dozens of policemen, FBI agents and private security had set up a command centre in the middle of the room. Thankfully, the tinted windows of their town car had saved them any scrutiny from the media stationed out by the gates, however, Alex had a feeling they wouldn't be so lucky now that they were inside the Estate.
The officers barely noticed the two of them entering the room, but Erica Kane did and she rushed towards them.
Erica gave Alex a look that only barely concealed her anger, "I see you finally made it home," she said icily. "I told the FBI of your connection to Charlotte Devane and they're waiting to speak to you."
"Erica," David pulled her aside when he saw Alex's shocked expression, "Let her talk to Dimitri first."
Tears welled up in Erica's eyes and that alone made Alex bite her tongue. She knew that Erica Kane couldn't stand her. Knew that she held her responsible for ruining her future with Dimitri. In fact, she probably blamed her for a whole host of other things she wasn't even aware of. Alex also knew that whatever civility they might have maintained during the last few months would be tossed out the window now. Erica Kane obviously blamed her connection to Charlotte for whatever had happened to Bianca and Max, and she'd let her know it whenever she could.
"We don't have time to waste, David," Erica said indignantly, brushing away her tears angrily, as annoyed with them as she was with Alex. "My daughter's life could be hanging in the balance as we speak."
Alex took a deep breath as she felt her own anger rising in her throat. "I believe this is still my home, and no matter what the circumstances, Erica, I'm not about to take orders from you. Before I do anything else, I'm going to see my husband." She turned on her heels and made her way up the staircase, not caring to see Erica's reaction.
Erica couldn't stop the tears that now flowed freely again, "I can't believe her, David. Our children are missing, and she's still the same arrogant…"
"She has a point, Erica. This is her home…I'm sure she'll co-operate with the FBI once she's seen Dimitri. He wouldn't have it any other way."
"Just whose side are you on anyway?"
David couldn't remember ever having seen her this upset and he took no personal offense at her anger. "Come, let's sit down, somewhere, and tell me what the latest developments are. You know, I'm on your side, and right now it looks like you could use a friend."
She nodded, as if suddenly aware of the sting of her words, "I'm sorry, David. It's just the she has this way…this arrogance that just makes my blood boil. I still don't understand Dimitri and how he could…"
He led her away from the staircase, "Come on Erica, now's not the time for this. Let me get you a cup of tea."
Master Bedroom, Upstairs
Alex saw Edmund walking down the hallway upstairs. He turned around when he heard her steps and offered her a smile of relief when he recognized her, "I thought you might be a reporter…"
She frowned. "There certainly are enough of them out there."
Edmund put one of his hands on her shoulder, "Normally, I would say 'welcome back home' but…"
"Is Dimitri…?" she asked, glancing towards the bedroom door.
"He's in the bedroom," he replied, knowing exactly what she meant.
"Is he…alright?" she asked him, hesitantly.
Edmund shook his head, "I'd be lying if I said yes." He saw her pause before turning towards the bedroom door. "Go, be with him. I doubt there was ever a time you needed each other as much as you do now."
She managed a smile, "You always know what so say."
He kissed her lightly, on the cheek, "I wish."
When Alex opened the bedroom door, she saw Dimitri standing next to the window, staring at the news vans outside. He barely heard her enter.
"Dimitri…"
As soon as he saw her, he went to her, wordlessly, and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her body against his own. As he did, Alex felt the wetness of his tears against her face.
"I'm so sorry, darling," he whispered, "I'm so sorry…"
She stroked his head, noticing the bandage fastened to the back of it, "This is not your fault…please don't blame yourself for this."
"I should never have let this happen…I could have prevented this."
His arms wouldn't let go of her and his tears stirred up her own raw emotions. Alex felt her eyes water as she tried to comfort him, "It's okay, darling, it's going to be okay. We're going to find him."
He kissed her forehead, "I know, we will, we have to."
There was a loud knock on the door, and it forced Dimitri to let go of her. He went to answer it, and saw O'Malley standing in the hallway.
He acknowledged Alex's return before telling them both the latest developments. "The PVPD, the FBI and my men have made some progress in regards to the possible location of Charlotte Devane and we're holding a briefing downstairs. I've also made some unfortunate discoveries in regards to Trevor Molina and what could have made him do what he did."
