When working any case, there will always be pieces of evidence that don't quite fit with the rest. Sometimes they are there to deceive deliberately, sometimes they are just odds and ends that seem no connection whatsoever. However, if enough attention is paid to the details, they do eventually tell a story. And the Yamagata Estate was slowly beginning to give up it's secrets to Anna.
When courier had arrived at their hotel room with the documents they had sent from Vienna, Anna had fairly pushed Robert into the shower. Getting him out of her way meant that she had the luxury of looking at everything in her own time, in her own order, and without any interruption or commentary.
She preferred this.
Being able to think on her own without outside interference was crucial for her baseline understanding and would help her prepare a mental list of questions to be discussed and talked over later. That would be the best time to involve Robert.
She slid the contents of a cardboard tube into her hand and unrolled schematic that included an aerial photo of the property. Her eyes flicked over the black and white image considering all that she had learned so far. The mansion was originally built in 1906 as a hunting lodge by the Von Matzloff family but had changed hands several times over the years until Yamagata took it possession in 1932. From the looks of it, the main house was a traditional Bavarian style residence with adjoining guest and staff house and lay on an extensive property with its own adjacent forest on an open plateau. The house, If you could call it that, was immense with approximately 15,000 square ft. of living space and twenty-five rooms. Anna was both dazzled and exhausted by the size of it.
She turned her attention to the points of access. Understanding how to get in or out of the building and grounds were as important as finding the Qin Jade Dragon. From the looks of it, there was a traditional and ornate covered entrance, but there was evidence of an underground garage with direct access to the house via the cellar. That could prove useful.
Anna studied the papers that she had sorted into neat piles in front of her. She reached for the one closest to her and chewed absentmindedly on her thumbnail while she read. Anna never did things by halves, so she was taking her time to understand every piece of evidence at her disposal. She stopped only to down another mouthful of mediocre coffee she had made in an ancient looking coffee maker that sat on the desk. Holding the papers in her hand, she smiled wryly as one of Sean's lessons echoed in her mind. No piece of evidence is ever insignificant. If it was worth writing down it is worth analyzing.
She set her cup down and scrutinized the paper in her hand. The first thing she noticed was that the permit for adding a climate control system to the wine cellar was for a system much larger than that space warranted. Anna was confident that the jade collection was displayed on that level, at least the items that were meant to be shown, she knew this by the quote for the installation of custom shelves and cabinetry. But something didn't add up. The amount of materials purchased did not match the square footage of the cellar space where they were supposed to be installed even if she calculated in extra lumber that the contractor might have included in the bid. There may be other explanations for this, but Anna knew that if it looked like a duck and sounded like a duck, then the duck was probably a hidden gallery space off the main one.
She picked up an article for a local newspaper reporting an attempted break-in at the estate two years prior. Anna wished she had applied herself to her linguistics classes better but from what she could translate the article mentioned that the estate had received security upgrades after the incident. Cameras and alarms were a given, but they would need to get inside to know the placement.
Finally, Anna reached for a folder and pulled out a sheaf of beautiful glossy paper with ARG monogrammed on the top. It had turned out beautifully. Printed on the expensive paper was the list of all of the Chinese jade artifacts in Ava and Roger Gemini's fictitious private collection. Undoubtedly, their presence had been requested at this event because her art broker friend from the MAK had hope of procuring some of those items for his client and, of course, the broker's fee that would come with them.
Anna had curated her fantasy collection carefully and enjoyed herself immensely in the process. The list included a description of the item, age, and dynasty, and it's provenance. And not everything listed was fabricated. Some of the items were very dear to her heart and tucked away safe in storage in New York City. Anna hoped to be someday reunited with them.
There were many reasons Anna had been fascinated by jade from a young age; the color, the shapes but above all jade was always a hands-on experience. Her father had a small collection, and as a child, she would push a stool up to the cabinet and climb up so she could touch and feel the cold weight of the pieces in her hand. He had told her that touching was the best reason to own a carving, no need to keep it locked behind glass and look at it ten feet away. She had fallen in love with jade's elegant, mystic qualities. Her most prized possession was a small bird from the Song Dynasty, white with black inclusions that had been expertly carved into delicate wings. It was exquisite and fitted neatly in the palm of her hand. It was the only thing she still owned that had belonged to her father, a man whose face she could hardly remember now but who had left her with a lifelong love of beautiful and ancient things.
Anna sighed heavily. She knew she had her work cut out for her. Robert had an affinity for the modern and new. She was going to have to drill him on the finer points of jade collecting if they were going to convince anyone that he was the competent collector he was pretending to be.
Anna slid the papers back into their sleeve and set it in the leather briefcase that was open on the bed. With the memory of a beautiful jade piece on her mind, and sentimentality in her heart she felt a sudden compulsion. She picked up the phone and began to dial. After a moment she heard the sound of ringing. 1...2.. And then she smiled widely when a cheerful familiar voice greeted her on the other end.
"Olin? It's Anna. Can I talk to Robin?"
"Of course chum! It's good to hear your voice! I know that Robin will want to talk to you right away. She has something important to tell you. Hold on."
She heard the rustle of the phone being set on the table and sound of Olin announcing her call to Robin. There was another muffled sound and then the voice that she had had been so sure in the snowy woods that she would never hear again was in her ear.
"Mom? Is that you? I'm so glad you called!"
"Yes darling, I'm here." The sound of Robin's cheerful voice brought tears to her eyes. Anna fought to keep her composure. Robin
"Mom, you'll never guess what happened. I turned in an article to the school newspaper about how students should have opportunities to make the school better, and I said that we should have one day a month where we can volunteer to help clean up the school, and they liked it so much they are going to print it, and the principal made me student of the quarter for coming up with the idea!"
Anna's heart swelled with pride. "That's wonderful! I love how you are always thinking about making the world a better place. Robin, I love you so much. I hope you always know how much." She couldn't quite stifle the half-sob that crept into her voice even though she tried to cover her mouth before it escaped.
"Mom, don't get all mushy. I love you too. I can't wait for you to come home and Daddy to too. I haven't heard from him yet. Do you know when your case will wrap up?"
"Soon darling. I'll be home soon. I'll call before I fly back so that you will know exactly ok."
"I wish dad would call."
"Sweetheart you know your father when he's on the job he can get very focused."
"That's true. Oh hold on mom, I have to get the door."
"Oh wait-" She heard the clatter of the phone as it was cast aside and could listen to the sound of the door opening and conversation that should couldn't quite make out.
"Ok, I'm back. It's from Kate. She is going to take me shopping for a new dress for the assembly on Friday. Since I am the student of the quarter, I get a certificate. I wish you could be there."
"I do too."
"Mom? Kate wants to talk to you. Hold on again."
"Wait! What?"
At that moment the bathroom door swung open abruptly and Robert emerged with a towel wrapped haphazardly around his waist. His skin was damp, and the fresh smell of his aftershave filled the room. He grinned widely at her and called out flirtatiously, "Hey you know what Annie? The water pressure is pretty good, but the shower would have been better if you had joined me."
Anna waved her hands and gestured frantically for him to be quiet. He stopped short and looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. "What?" he shrugged.
"Hello?"
"Oh, HI KATHERINE!" Anna said loudly into the receiver. She twisted the cord nervously in her hand and looked at him purposefully with her brown eyes wide and eyebrows raised for emphasis. Roberts face blanched, and he quickly turned on his heel, walked back into the bathroom and shut the door swiftly behind him. Anna's eyes narrowed at his hasty retreat. Coward.
"Hi Anna, how's Cleveland?" A sunny voice asked. Anna closed her eyes, and she could see Kate in her mind's eye, and the image threw ice water on any self-indulgent thoughts she had of her and Robert's last tryst. Anna's cheeks flamed when she realized she was talking to his fiance while clothed in the slip that he had pulled off her not an hour earlier.
"It's been full of surprises. Never a dull moment." Anna imagined him listening from the other side of the bathroom door the thought made her stare daggers at the wooden barrier. She brought her attention back to the woman on the other end of the phone line when she heard a question being posed.
"You don't mind me taking Robin shopping do you?" Kate asked brightly.
A stab of guilt hit Anna in the chest and almost took her breath away, but she regained her composure put as much false cheer as possible into her voice. "No, not at all. I think it's great that the two of you can spend time together."
"Good...um while I have you on the phone I was wondering have you heard from Robert?"
"Heard from Robert? No, can't say that I have." She worked hard to keep the edge out of her voice as her annoyance with him grew with each second he remained hidden from view. He could at least have had the decency to stay in the room while she lied to cover their deception.
"Oh, I've tried to call his hotel in Chicago, but they keep saying he's not taking any calls in his room."
"Oh well you know, Commissioner conference business is probably taking up all of his time."
"You're right he's probably spending all his time spending time reconnecting with old acquaintances. It's probably good that he is letting off some steam. He's been so uptight lately; he really needs to let loose and enjoy himself. All those pent up emotions he tries to keep in check need to be released, you know what I mean?"
"Uh, I definitely know what you mean."
"Hopefully he can get it all out of his system before he comes home to Port Charles."
"Oh, I'm sure he will. He'll have to."
"Well, I'd better let you get back to whatever I interrupted. Hopefully, you can have some fun too, have a little excitement."
" Excitement seems to find me no matter what I do."
"Alright, Anna. If you do talk to Robert, tell him to check in when he has a chance."
"You know I will."
"Ok, Bye."
"Goodbye, Kate."
As evidence that he had been eavesdropping, the bathroom door opened slowly, and Robert emerged, taking pains to avoid making eye contact. He set about getting dressed, and every article of clothing he donned seemed to take all of his concentration as he doggedly refused to meet her gaze.
Anna set the phone gently down and placed her head in her hands, then she brushed back her hair from her face and concentrated on the floor and her foot scuffed at a loose thread that was beginning to unravel.
"Kate would like you to give her a call when it's convenient." Her voice was cold and quiet. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, he still had trouble meeting her gaze, but he finally did. She stood up and squared her shoulders. They were both tense and motionless as they faced each other. "Anna…" he began, but she raised a hand to silence him.
"Don't. I can't right now." She was furious. Guilt had led to shame, which had given birth to anger. Robert looked at her warily, like a man on walkabout who found himself unexpectedly close to a saltwater crocodile. When it came to apex predators, none could be more dangerous than Anna Devane. Robert felt the best tack would be to appease her, as best he could.
He averted his eyes and cleared his throat. "Fine. Don't worry; I'll call Kate later. It would look suspicious if I called her now." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Anna bristled. "Look suspicious? How? Would it look like we are together? Like we were in a compromising situation?" she questioned with scorching sarcasm. "Well, newsflash Scorpio! Her suspicions, if she had any, would be correct!"
"I thought we had come to an understanding on this front. Kate's not going to be asking any questions."
"The question I have been avoiding but should be asking myself why we are doing this?"
"You know the answer. It's because of the mission."
"Is it? Is that it Robert."
"What do you want me to say, Anna?"
"Maybe I want to know what you're really thinking. I want to know what this means. Us! Here! WHAT IS THIS?!"
"I don't have an answer for you. I've never been able to answer that question."
"Well, you had better come up with one. What am I to you? A person that you can pick up and put down at a moments notice?"
"Pick up and put down?!" Her words have been received like a punch to the gut. "PICK UP AND PUT DOWN!" His anger flared and combusted to match her own. "Do you know how hard it was to quit you, Anna? To turn my back and walk out the door? Do you think you were the only one scarred by that? Losing you was like cutting off my arm, but instead of the wound healing, I could still feel it and all its phantom pain. And it is still there. It still hurts. It took years to become used to it. Then one day you waltz back into my life, and you are passing me a drink in a hotel bar as if you had any right to!"
"You're right. Maybe I didn't have any right. But what about you? You left for Australia to return to your wife and what do you do? You kissed me, Robert! You kissed me and then boarded that plane and left Port Charles! I had finally come to terms with our situation. I was letting you go. Why did you do that? Were you just trying to get me out of your system? Or could not decide between Holly and me. Is this your plan then? You want Katherine, but you still want me at your beck and call too. Selfish, that's what it is."
"I'm selfish? HA! That's rich coming from the biggest hypocrite in this room! You know if you could have figured out how to have both Duke and me you would have. Admit it! When I think about it, you did!"
"You leave Duke out of this. He has nothing to do with this. I loved him, and that love was different than what we shared."
"If you loved him so much then why did you show up on my doorstep cold and alone asking me to comfort you. You weren't asking him for help. It wasn't his body you were seeking out."
"Enough! You know the rules! We aren't supposed to talk about that night-"
"I don't give a damn about the protocol rules; we are going to talk about that night! I held you in my arms, and I was like an alcoholic having his first drink in ten years."
Robert walked slowly around her and stopped to stand close to her. There was a dark look in his eyes, and suddenly her anger was mixed with that familiar longing that had pulled at her since the moment she had locked her eyes on him the first time in Sean's office. Anna knew that she should fall back out of reach but she didn't, she craved the closeness as much as she knew he did. Robert's hands cupped her face, and his eyes looked haunted, his muscles as tense as a coiled spring. Anna inhaled sharply at the nearness of him.
Suddenly, He released her and turned away, running his hands through his hair. Anna noticed that they were shaking slightly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. "But you know what I don't regret it and that's what gets me. I know I should, but I don't."
He sat with a far off look in his eyes. Anna wondered what memories he was conjuring in this mind. Were they good, bad or bittersweet?
"That's the conundrum." he continued, more to himself than to her, " I'm an honorable man, I've prided myself on that, built myself into the person I am based on it, and then you come in an upset the apple cart every time. Holly, Duke, Cheryl, and now Katherine they are all collateral damage in whatever the hell this is. But I need you in my life, Anna. You have to be there. What I know is that I need you because of we...we…"
An unspoken word hangs between them, and it was Anna who dared to give voice to it.
"What Robert? We love each other?" At her words, some of the tension between them seemed to dissipate. The anger burned itself out as quickly as it had begun, like a candle when the wick burned too low. Anna took a step closer. "We can say it. God knows how many times we have said that to each other. I came to you on that Stille Nacht because I needed you. I knew you would understand what I needed and why I needed it. But you are right. It was selfish of me. I was thinking of myself and not how it would affect you. That's been the problem from the beginning, hasn't it? My impulsiveness, my recklessness. You don't know how much I wish I could be different sometimes."
"You shouldn't shoulder all the blame. I wish I could be different too. I was so scared Anna when you weren't at the train station. All I could think of what that you were in trouble and I wasn't there. You talk about risk, well I can't risk your life. We seem to have a genius for danger. I need you in my life, for our daughter's sake, and for mine." He didn't know if what he was saying made any sense, but he was trying to give voice to the torment he had faced. His inability to communicate his hurt pride and reach out to her all those years ago still clutched greedily at his mind and it left him emotionally bereft. It would be easier to shut her out of his heart, but he had just as well have stopped breathing air.
He turned to look at her, and Anna saw only tiredness and pain lining his rugged face, emotions which she is sure were reflected in her own. Her feet carried her to the bed, and she knelt down at his feet. She was desperate to touch his hair, his face, his whole body, desperate to throw her arms around him and hold him as long as she could.
"And I need you in mine. Always." She sat back on her heels for a moment and considered her next words carefully ."But I have to honest I can't guarantee that I won't make mistakes Robert, that you won't find yourself compromising your integrity for me again. I tend to leap before looking and have a knack for getting into scrapes, sometimes of my own making. And all I know is that I can't have you look at me the way you did in that Paris hospital room, or how you did when I first came to Port Charles. Cold and unfeeling, I hate to think about it. I won't risk that again. It killed me to have you look at me that way. But we have a choice this time, Robert. We can choose not to let our history sweep us away again."
She placed her hands over his. She felt a need to reassure him.
"You are an honorable man. That's why when you go back to Port Charles you will keep the promise you made to Katherine. You've found love, and I...I've had love that most people never get to experience in a lifetime. I'm grateful for that. Robert, I want you to have a chance at a normal life. Predictable, simple... something that I can never be." She knew this was the right path forward or she could convince herself of it, but it did little to assuage her aching heart.
Robert slid from the bed to join her on the ground, and she settled next to him. He offered the slightest smile of apology, and his eyes glimmered with a sadness that threatened to eviscerate her.
"A normal life...that's something I've tried to achieve, but the cards never seem to fall right. Katherine's a good woman, and she probably deserves better than me. But I do want to do right by her, after everything that I've put her through."
"I understand that." It hurt, but she understood. She had done the same, tried to start over with Duke.
"You want to know why I kissed you that day before I left for Australia? I asked myself that same question over and over on the plane. But today I think I found the answer. We ended so violently, Anna. One moment we were planning our future away from the WSB and then...then it was over. So yes, you are right, I do need to get you out of my system. I need closure for us. You don't know how much. We never said goodbye.
Anna's heart seemed to plummet from her chest to land in her stomach. The truth of his words washed over her. They had been separated unwillingly and unexpectedly and their lives had never fully recovered from the shock of it.
Anna placed her hand on his knee and rubbed it soothingly. "It's alright. Now we can. This caper is our goodbye, the one we needed, but the one we never got."
They sat on the faded carpet, side by side, leaning against the foot of the bed. The weight of the past 20 minutes, 24 hours and ten years was pressing down all around them. Their hands touched and then held fast. Despite the pain of their raw hearts being ripped open, they both knew they couldn't let go. They weren't ready. Anna wondered for a moment when she had become so dependant on him? When was the moment he had become such a fixture in her life?
They were silent for what seemed an eternity. Robert finally summoned the courage to look back at her; he found her smiling through tears.
"I do love you, Robert but you are an infuriating man sometimes." She said softly. He nodded, breathing easier. She understood, and he understood.
"You're no day at the beach yourself, luv." He thumbed away her tears and smiled at her.
She laughed, and his heart clenched. And then suddenly they were themselves again, beaming at each other, all emotions laid bear and out of the way. He leaned in to kiss her, and he realized the wetness he felt on her cheek were his own tears. Anna traced his shoulder blade and kissed his shoulder softly before laying her head against him. Robert kissed the top of her head inhaling the scent of her, doing his best to remember this moment. They were both crying but it was ok, they both felt the same and had come to an agreement. They would dance at the ball until the clock struck midnight and then it would be back to reality. It was not a fairytale ending, but they would finally have their goodbye.
At that moment that was all that mattered to either of them.