Family
"Lulu, go home." Lucky instructs when she takes a seat at his desk.
She nervously tucks a hair behind her ear. "I just need to see him for five minutes Lucky, please. He couldn't have done this. I know he couldn't."
"Do you know where he was on the night in question?" He throws his pen on the desk. "No, you don't. He wasn't working and he wasn't at home. He won't say where he was even though he claims he didn't do it."
Lulu stares at him wide eyed as she shakes her head. "That doesn't mean he did something to Carly. He wouldn't. He couldn't. That's not Dante. You know him Lucky. He's an honest to god good guy."
"He threatened her at the Metro Court earlier that day. I've had several witnesses come in and give statements to that fact. Hell you were there. I've seen the tape. He shook her." Lucky lists off the facts. "Sam saw him running away from the house just before it exploded. I know you get tunnel vision when it comes to whoever you're with at the time but this is different Lulu. I never really got to know Carly but at one point in time weren't the two of you tight? You're really going to side with the person who killed her?"
Her head drops to her chest and she takes a shaky breath as tears start to run down her face. "I just need five minutes."
Lucky shakes his head in disgust. "County visiting hours start at noon. I suggest you get in line early."
Lulu looks around nervously at the other people in the visiting room. When Dante's name is called she makes her way quickly through the gate and takes a seat at the table.
Dante looks worn down. He keeps looking over his shoulder as inmates pass back and forth. "I didn't have anything to do with what happened."
"Then where were you?" Lulu asks the question plaguing her. "When you left you said you got called in for a shift. Lucky says that never happened. What's going on? Why would you lie?"
He gives her a pleading look. "It doesn't matter. Do you really think I could have done this? That I would deliberately hurt a woman and her children? My brothers?"
"I don't know what to think!" She screeches as she throws up her hands. The guard looks over at them and she lowers her voice. "If you have an alibi why won't you use it? What could be worse than what they already think you did? Sam claims she saw you running from the house."
Dante is silent for a long time then he finally sighs, "It wasn't me. I went to see Brenda. I needed to warn her that the truth was going to come out. If I tell them I was with her then it opens the door to everything we've been trying to keep quiet."
Lulu grows quiet as she studies his face. "You left at midnight. What happened to Carly and the kids…that didn't happen until after four. You would have had plenty of time unless…"
"Lulu." He looks away guiltily.
Her eyes fill with tears. "You were there the entire time? Oh my god you…you were sleeping with her weren't you?"
"Lulu please listen…" He pleads.
She pushes away from the table. "Oh my god. You were sleeping with her. I was a fool. All this time…I was a fool. Carly was right. You really are just like your father." She rushes to the gate and out of the visitor center ignoring his cries to come back.
"I can't believe she'd do this." Bobbie stares at the piece of paper sitting in her lap.
Luke takes out one of his cigars. "Me neither. I never figured her for the type to have a will. Hell she's a Spencer. We don't think in terms of what to give; only what we can get."
"She left everything to me and Lucas. The hotel, her life insurance, everything." Bobbie eyes fill with tears. "Oh Caroline." She sobs.
Luke sits forward and snags the letter from her lap. "Hmmmm." His eyes narrow slightly as his Spencer sense tingles.
"What?" Bobbie swipes at her eyes.
He shakes his head. "Just never figured Sweet Car-o-line as the pragmatic type. I mean it's a stretch she has a will but okay she wants to make sure the rugrats are taken care of. But a will in case something happens to her and the kids?"
"She was changing." Bobbie defends her daughter. "You never got to know the woman she'd become since marrying Jax. I was finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel for my girl then…" She breaks off into another sob. Luke hugs her and rubs her back soothingly.
"You've been awfully quiet." Carly slips behind him and rests her chin on top of his head. "Did something happen on your trip?"
He tilts his head back to look up at her. "Nothing I couldn't handle but I um may have done something you're not going to like." He pulls her to sit on the desk in front of him.
She folds one leg under and sets the other to swinging. "What happened?"
"The reason I left so quick is because I got a call that Jason had taken out Sonny."
Her jaw drops. "What? Jason? Why?"
"Why do you think?" He gives her a look.
She shakes her head in denial. "Jason loves Sonny no matter what crap he pulls. He wouldn't kill him when he was screwing around with Emily. Why would he do it now? Especially over something he had nothing to do with?"
"Jason finally got his head from Sonny's ass and did what should've been done years ago." Johnny growls. He studies her. "Does it…bother you that he's dead?"
She chews her lip as her face scrunches. "Of course not. I knew you were going to do it and after he bargained Michael to save Dante he deserved it. I just never thought…" She shakes it off and tosses her hair back. "But that's not it is it? You said YOU did something I'm not going to like."
"I killed Jax." He states.
Carly eyes grow large and she yells, "You did WHAT?!" as she hops from the desk. "He was never on the table! How could you!" Her eyes fill with angry tears as she paces.
Johnny just stares at her. "He was in bed with Kate Howard when I did it. You hadn't been dead a week and he was already screwing her."
Carly pauses mid pace. "He what?"
"Was in bed with your mortal enemy before your funeral had even taken place. Before his daughter's funeral had taken place." He emphasizes. "He was a piece of shit and I flushed him. I'm not sorry and I would do it again." He walks over and cups her cheek in his hand. "I told you. Nobody who hurts you gets a pass. I mean it."
She leans into his touch and absorbs comfort from it for a moment as she tries to regain her composure. "Well…at least tell me you dealt with Ric on your farewell tour."
"Oh you're going to love this one." He grin evilly as he fills her in on Ric.
Carly nods in approval. "Couldn't have happened to a slimier guy."
"I saw Jason while I was there." He reveals casually.
She blinks rapidly. "You what? How?"
"I guess he swung by Kate's." He shrugs. "He showed up on my doorstep. I think he wanted me to sympathize with him. It didn't go very well."
Carly gives him a look. "I know you're pissed at him but give the guy a break."
"I gave the guy a break. I ended up with a bullet in my chest and you lost your mind." He growls.
She shakes her head. "I can't let you put that on him. I lost my mind because of the choices I made. It wasn't Jason's job to keep me sane."
"It was his job to keep you safe. The biggest threat to you was Sonny and he knew it. How many women can the man drive insane before people realize it's HIM?" Johnny starts to pace. "Jason knew what Sonny was capable of. He'd cleaned up after him for years and he saw firsthand what he did to Brenda."
She snorts. "I'm no Brenda."
"I know you're not Brenda. My point is that he saw how Sonny treated the women he claimed to love. He hated you on sight so what did Jason think was going to happen? You were whore and slut before he ever called you Caroline. I know if anyone had dared utter the word slut to Steffy I would've taken their balls. It wouldn't have mattered who it was. But he wants me to believe he thought Sonny would take care of you and Michael?"
Carly steps into his path. "Calm down, Johnny." She rubs his arm in a soothing gesture. "We all made mistakes. Some of us worse than others but there's enough blame to go around. What Sonny did to me is only because I let him. I should've left him after I lost the baby. If I had none of this would've happened. Michael wouldn't have lost a year of his life in a coma. He wouldn't have gone to prison for killing Claudia. But would've should've could've is counterproductive." She winks at him. "Learned that in therapy."
"I know. I know." He runs a hand through his hair. "It just pisses me off."
She takes a seat on the edge of the desk. "Yeah me too but we're handling it. Speaking of handling it…what happened with the Mayor?"
"His wife got the pictures this morning. She kicked him out. I'm going to have the videos sent to the press in another hour. Right in time for the six o'clock news." Johnny shakes his head. "How'd you know?"
Carly shrugs. "He's supposed to despise everything Jase stands for but I could see the lust in his eyes every time he looked at him. Where there's smoke there's fire my mama always said."
"Well lucky for us his boyfriend wasn't happy being his dirty little secret anymore and set up those cameras." Johnny shakes his head. He'd wanted to kill him but Carly wanted to destroy him. First his marriage then his reputation. Not only was the good Mayor screwing around behind his wife's back; they'd also caught him admitting to taking bribes and fixing cases. The Mayor was looking at serious prison time.
Carly pushes off the desk. "I'm going to the beach for a while."
"I figured." He looks pointedly at her black bikini and wrap. "I'll let Julio know to meet you at the gate. Are the kids going with you?" He asks so he can arrange for their security.
She chews her lip. "Joss is sleeping. The nanny is going to look after her. Michael and Bella went to some club she told him about. Morgan is wrapped up with his tutor for the next hour."
"So the answer is no." Johnny chuckles. "Carly, its okay if you need time to yourself. You don't have to explain. The only 'rule' I have is that you take a guard with you. What you do with your time…that's up to you."
"Sorry." She shakes her head. "I'm used to people judging everything I do. It's going to take a while to get used to the fact nobody here cares."
He corrects her. "I care. I care that you're safe and happy. That the kids are safe and happy. You don't need to spend every single second with the kids to prove you're a good mom. You are a good mom."
"Thank you." She leans up on her toes to kiss his cheek then grabs her beach bag and flounces out the door.
As they walk along the graveled road down to the beach area, Carly is once again struck at the beauty of the island, the warmness of the weather and the friendliness of the people. Once they hit the beach, she's drawn to the different merchant booths set-up. She's immediately bitten by the shop bug. Julio arranges for all her purchases to be picked up by another guard while they continue on their path. A booth with fresh fruit catches her eye. She practically drools when she thinks of biting into a fresh ripe juicy mango. She stops suddenly and detours towards the shop unintentionally plowing into the man exiting. She unceremoniously lands on her butt.
"I'm sorry Miss." He reaches down to help her up.
She pushes her hair out of her eyes with one hand as she takes the extended hand with her other. "It was my fault."
"Carly?" He whispers her name as though he's seen a ghost.
She freezes then slowly looks up at his face. "AJ?"