Chapter 3
Pine Valley
Maddie Grey walked into ICU, carrying a bouquet of flowers. She saw Hayley come out of a room that she assumed was Lorenzo's. Maddie squared her shoulders and walked up to her. "Hello Hayley. I'm here representing Brooke and Edmund. They wanted to come visit Lorenzo, but had to fly out unexpectedly to see Laura. Would it be okay for me to see him?" Hayley smiled and nodded. "He's very much up to visitors. If he had nothing to do he would go stark raving mad." Maddie laughed and went into Lorenzo's room. Lorenzo smiled politely. He knew Maddie, but not very well. "These are from Brooke and Edmund. They felt bad that you were this year's victim of the annual Crystal Ball disaster." Lorenzo smiled ruefully. "Well, I'm glad that these upheavals don't deter them from throwing the ball. Its for such a good cause." Maddie nodded. "Edmund was very concerned that security wasn't tight enough. Do you know if it was just some random lunatic or was someone really after you, specifically?" Lorenzo looked at her speculatively. "I'm sure the people investigating the incident would know more than I." Maddie nonchalantly picked at a flower. "Not necessarily. Surely you would know if someone wanted to kill you." Lorenzo grinned. "Hey, don't call me Shirley." She looked up, bewildered. "Huh?" Lorenzo supressed a laugh. "You are always so serious, Maddie. You need to loosen up." She blinked. "I can be loose. This just happens to be a serious situation. Don't you want to know who did this to you?" Lorenzo tried to shrug, but thought better of it. "Of course I do. But I'm leaving it up to the authorities." Maddie hid her frustration. "I would have thought you'd be more like your parents." Lorenzo was surprised at this. "What do you mean?" Maddie stood up and paced the room. "Your parents have been in danger on a number of occasions and they never left it to the cops to try and figure things out." Lorenzo shook his head. "That's because they wanted to end the danger. I don't think I have anything to worry about." Maddie stared at him incredulously. Either he was incredibly naïve or he was lying through his teeth. She knew it had to be the latter. Which meant she wasn't getting anything more out of him. She smiled sweetly. "Well, I certainly hope that's true. I better get going. May you heal quickly."
Maddie walked out, almost running into her brother Sam. She looked at him in surprise. "Sam, what are you doing here?" He steered her to a more private location. "I'm here because I knew I'd find you here. You're starting the investigation of Lorenzo, aren't you?" She was puzzled. "Well, of course. We talked about it the other day." He glared at you. "Have you forgotten that you haven't turned in the expose on the Deception/Enchantment rivalry?" She rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. But this is way more important, I can feel it." Sam paced back and forth. "Be that as it may, you need to finish your other story first. I've got a big space for it reserved in the next issue." She protested. "But…" He shook his head. "No buts! You are not to start your new story until I have the article on my desk. Do you understand me?" She sighed in frustration. "Yes. You will get your precious article." Maddie made a mental note to pass it off to some flunkie to finish. There was no way she was delaying her investigation.
Pete entered the Glamorama and spotted his mother in the midst of cutting a young woman's hair. He paused a moment to admire her beauty, and then strolled over. "Hey mom!" Opal gave him a dazzling smile. "Hey, my sweetie! How you doin?" He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I am doing great." Opal indicated her client. "Lu, I'd like you to meet my son, Pete. Pete, this is one of my favorite clients, Lu Spencer. She has the most gorgeous naturally curly hair I have ever seen." Lu blushed and Pete winked at her. Pete turned back to his mother. "I have some great news. I'm going to audition for a band." Opal gasped. "That's wonderful! Oh, you'll knock their socks off, I just know it! So who are the other band members?" Pete sat down on a vacant chair. "Matt Rappaport is the lead singer, and Jack Manning is the drummer. They're still looking for a keyboard player and guitarist CC Collins is the one who referred them to me. She met them while she was organizing a party in Llanview." Lu's ears perked up at the mention of CC. Opal looked disappointed. "You mean they aren't locals? Are you going to Llanview for the audition?" Pete swiveled around in his chair. "Actually I'll be doing the audition in Port Charles, NY. That's where Jack goes to school, and also where the record company they want to sign with is located."
Lu spoke up. "I'm from Port Charles! I grew up there." Pete smiled at her. "Oh really? Small world. What brought you to Pine Valley?" Lu liked his smile. "I wanted to work for the best cosmetics company in the world. Enchantment!" Opal grinned. "This little gal's got great taste, doesn't she? And from what Erica's told me, she is quite an asset to the company." Pete gazed at Lu. "Well, I guess Port Charles's loss is Pine Valley's gain." Lu blushed again. "Same to you. In reverse, I guess. Good luck with your audition. I don't think you'll need it though. You were fantastic at the Crystal Ball." Pete beamed at the compliment. "Well, if I do make the band, I hope you'll arrange a trip back to your hometown to see me play." Lu nodded. "That would actually be an incentive for me. I'll have Opal keep me informed." Pete kissed his mother again. "I have to go pack, mom. I'll let you know how it goes." Opal gave him a hug. "You be careful now. Break a piano leg!" Pete laughed and then left. Lu gazed after him thoughtfully. She would definitely have to visit Port Charles again.
Port Charles
Mic Corinthos took the elevator down to human resources. He needed to talk to them concerning a complaint about one of his employees. He flashed a smile at the receptionist, who tried not to swoon. "Who handles the file for John Evans?" She looked it up on her chart. "That would be Janice Townsend." He nodded. "Is she available right now?" The receptionist shook her head. "She's interviewing somebody for the copy editor position. It shouldn't be too much longer, though." He thought it over. "I'll wait." He walked over to a chair and sat down. Most of HR was out to lunch, so he was able to hear the interview going on in Janice's cubicle. "Now, Jill, according to your resume, you haven't worked since you graduated college four years ago. Is that correct?" A strong, confident, yet feminine voice responded. "Yes, Ms. Townsend, that is correct. Not long after I graduated my grandmother became very ill, and I decided to stay home and care for her. Both of my parents had to work hard to pay the medical bills, and they couldn't afford a nurse to stay home and care for her. So I offered to care for her, in exchange for room and board. It took up all my time and energy." Mic heard some sympathetic noises. "So is your grandmother well now?" There was a short pause, and he thought he heard a little sniffling. "No, actually, she died a month ago." More sympathetic noises. "I'm so sorry, Jill." Another sniff. "She's in a better place now, no longer suffering. And now I have the opportunity to pursue a career in journalism." There was some shuffling of papers. "You do realize that I couldn't give you the type of position and salary that other journalists four years out of college usually make." "Oh of course! I understand that I have to start at the bottom and work my way up. Believe me, I am up to the task of proving myself." More paper shuffling. "Sounds good. We will get back to you one way or another about the position. Thank you for coming in today." The sounds of chairs scraping. "Thank you, Ms. Townsend, for taking the time to see me."
The two women emerged from the cubicle. Mic stood up to greet them. The interviewee, Jill, had shoulder-length shiny brown hair, twinkling brown eyes, and an expressive face. Her lips were full, and she was very lean, probably athletic. She wasn't what one would call strikingly beautiful, but she was definitely very attractive. Mic was amazed to realize that his body was responding to her. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, her eyes slightly widening before schooling her features into polite interest. Janice looked surprised. "Oh, Mr. Corinthos, I didn't know you were out here. He grinned at her. "Didn't I tell you to call me Mic?" She blushed slightly. "Of course. I know you want all your employees to be on a first name basis with you. Mic, this is Jill Hartman, who is here interviewing for the copy editor position. Jill, this is the owner and editor-in-chief of The Sentinel, Michael Corinthos." Mic smiled his most dazzling smile and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Jill."
Starr stared at his hand for a brief moment, surprised that she was meeting Mic Corinthos himself. So this was the man she had been bitching about for the last year. Certainly an unexpected development. Oh, who was she kidding? She hesitated because she had never met a more devastatingly attractive man in her entire life. Jack had apparently not been exaggerating. When she realized that she had hesitated too long, she took his hand, pretending that she had been intimidated by his position. "The owner and editor-in-chief? Wow! Gosh! Nice to meet you, sir!" Damn, he had the most amazing handshake. She felt like she had stuck her finger in a light socket. And she was very familiar with that sensation. She looked down, feigning shyness, so she wouldn't have to stare into his incredible eyes. She needed to end this now. "Thank you for the interview, Ms. Townsend." She pulled her hand out of Mic's and sidled towards the door. Janice smiled at her. "You're welcome. We'll be in touch!" Starr nodded and hurried out the door.
Mic gazed at her retreating form. There was something about her that didn't jive. She carried herself with confidence and self-assurance, but when they were introduced, she had acted all flustered. He turned back to Janice. "Well, is she a likely candidate for the job?" Janice nodded. "Sure. Most of our recruits don't become available until the summertime after graduation. She's actually our first real nibble." He'd like to nibble on her, Mic thought, and then tried to concentrate. "Splendid. Um..I came down to speak with you about an employee…"
Pine Valley
Maddie Grey walked into ICU, carrying a bouquet of flowers. She saw Hayley come out of a room that she assumed was Lorenzo's. Maddie squared her shoulders and walked up to her. "Hello Hayley. I'm here representing Brooke and Edmund. They wanted to come visit Lorenzo, but had to fly out unexpectedly to see Laura. Would it be okay for me to see him?" Hayley smiled and nodded. "He's very much up to visitors. If he had nothing to do he would go stark raving mad." Maddie laughed and went into Lorenzo's room. Lorenzo smiled politely. He knew Maddie, but not very well. "These are from Brooke and Edmund. They felt bad that you were this year's victim of the annual Crystal Ball disaster." Lorenzo smiled ruefully. "Well, I'm glad that these upheavals don't deter them from throwing the ball. Its for such a good cause." Maddie nodded. "Edmund was very concerned that security wasn't tight enough. Do you know if it was just some random lunatic or was someone really after you, specifically?" Lorenzo looked at her speculatively. "I'm sure the people investigating the incident would know more than I." Maddie nonchalantly picked at a flower. "Not necessarily. Surely you would know if someone wanted to kill you." Lorenzo grinned. "Hey, don't call me Shirley." She looked up, bewildered. "Huh?" Lorenzo supressed a laugh. "You are always so serious, Maddie. You need to loosen up." She blinked. "I can be loose. This just happens to be a serious situation. Don't you want to know who did this to you?" Lorenzo tried to shrug, but thought better of it. "Of course I do. But I'm leaving it up to the authorities." Maddie hid her frustration. "I would have thought you'd be more like your parents." Lorenzo was surprised at this. "What do you mean?" Maddie stood up and paced the room. "Your parents have been in danger on a number of occasions and they never left it to the cops to try and figure things out." Lorenzo shook his head. "That's because they wanted to end the danger. I don't think I have anything to worry about." Maddie stared at him incredulously. Either he was incredibly naïve or he was lying through his teeth. She knew it had to be the latter. Which meant she wasn't getting anything more out of him. She smiled sweetly. "Well, I certainly hope that's true. I better get going. May you heal quickly."
Maddie walked out, almost running into her brother Sam. She looked at him in surprise. "Sam, what are you doing here?" He steered her to a more private location. "I'm here because I knew I'd find you here. You're starting the investigation of Lorenzo, aren't you?" She was puzzled. "Well, of course. We talked about it the other day." He glared at you. "Have you forgotten that you haven't turned in the expose on the Deception/Enchantment rivalry?" She rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. But this is way more important, I can feel it." Sam paced back and forth. "Be that as it may, you need to finish your other story first. I've got a big space for it reserved in the next issue." She protested. "But…" He shook his head. "No buts! You are not to start your new story until I have the article on my desk. Do you understand me?" She sighed in frustration. "Yes. You will get your precious article." Maddie made a mental note to pass it off to some flunkie to finish. There was no way she was delaying her investigation.
Pete entered the Glamorama and spotted his mother in the midst of cutting a young woman's hair. He paused a moment to admire her beauty, and then strolled over. "Hey mom!" Opal gave him a dazzling smile. "Hey, my sweetie! How you doin?" He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I am doing great." Opal indicated her client. "Lu, I'd like you to meet my son, Pete. Pete, this is one of my favorite clients, Lu Spencer. She has the most gorgeous naturally curly hair I have ever seen." Lu blushed and Pete winked at her. Pete turned back to his mother. "I have some great news. I'm going to audition for a band." Opal gasped. "That's wonderful! Oh, you'll knock their socks off, I just know it! So who are the other band members?" Pete sat down on a vacant chair. "Matt Rappaport is the lead singer, and Jack Manning is the drummer. They're still looking for a keyboard player and guitarist CC Collins is the one who referred them to me. She met them while she was organizing a party in Llanview." Lu's ears perked up at the mention of CC. Opal looked disappointed. "You mean they aren't locals? Are you going to Llanview for the audition?" Pete swiveled around in his chair. "Actually I'll be doing the audition in Port Charles, NY. That's where Jack goes to school, and also where the record company they want to sign with is located."
Lu spoke up. "I'm from Port Charles! I grew up there." Pete smiled at her. "Oh really? Small world. What brought you to Pine Valley?" Lu liked his smile. "I wanted to work for the best cosmetics company in the world. Enchantment!" Opal grinned. "This little gal's got great taste, doesn't she? And from what Erica's told me, she is quite an asset to the company." Pete gazed at Lu. "Well, I guess Port Charles's loss is Pine Valley's gain." Lu blushed again. "Same to you. In reverse, I guess. Good luck with your audition. I don't think you'll need it though. You were fantastic at the Crystal Ball." Pete beamed at the compliment. "Well, if I do make the band, I hope you'll arrange a trip back to your hometown to see me play." Lu nodded. "That would actually be an incentive for me. I'll have Opal keep me informed." Pete kissed his mother again. "I have to go pack, mom. I'll let you know how it goes." Opal gave him a hug. "You be careful now. Break a piano leg!" Pete laughed and then left. Lu gazed after him thoughtfully. She would definitely have to visit Port Charles again.
Port Charles
Mic Corinthos took the elevator down to human resources. He needed to talk to them concerning a complaint about one of his employees. He flashed a smile at the receptionist, who tried not to swoon. "Who handles the file for John Evans?" She looked it up on her chart. "That would be Janice Townsend." He nodded. "Is she available right now?" The receptionist shook her head. "She's interviewing somebody for the copy editor position. It shouldn't be too much longer, though." He thought it over. "I'll wait." He walked over to a chair and sat down. Most of HR was out to lunch, so he was able to hear the interview going on in Janice's cubicle. "Now, Jill, according to your resume, you haven't worked since you graduated college four years ago. Is that correct?" A strong, confident, yet feminine voice responded. "Yes, Ms. Townsend, that is correct. Not long after I graduated my grandmother became very ill, and I decided to stay home and care for her. Both of my parents had to work hard to pay the medical bills, and they couldn't afford a nurse to stay home and care for her. So I offered to care for her, in exchange for room and board. It took up all my time and energy." Mic heard some sympathetic noises. "So is your grandmother well now?" There was a short pause, and he thought he heard a little sniffling. "No, actually, she died a month ago." More sympathetic noises. "I'm so sorry, Jill." Another sniff. "She's in a better place now, no longer suffering. And now I have the opportunity to pursue a career in journalism." There was some shuffling of papers. "You do realize that I couldn't give you the type of position and salary that other journalists four years out of college usually make." "Oh of course! I understand that I have to start at the bottom and work my way up. Believe me, I am up to the task of proving myself." More paper shuffling. "Sounds good. We will get back to you one way or another about the position. Thank you for coming in today." The sounds of chairs scraping. "Thank you, Ms. Townsend, for taking the time to see me."
The two women emerged from the cubicle. Mic stood up to greet them. The interviewee, Jill, had shoulder-length shiny brown hair, twinkling brown eyes, and an expressive face. Her lips were full, and she was very lean, probably athletic. She wasn't what one would call strikingly beautiful, but she was definitely very attractive. Mic was amazed to realize that his body was responding to her. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, her eyes slightly widening before schooling her features into polite interest. Janice looked surprised. "Oh, Mr. Corinthos, I didn't know you were out here. He grinned at her. "Didn't I tell you to call me Mic?" She blushed slightly. "Of course. I know you want all your employees to be on a first name basis with you. Mic, this is Jill Hartman, who is here interviewing for the copy editor position. Jill, this is the owner and editor-in-chief of The Sentinel, Michael Corinthos." Mic smiled his most dazzling smile and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Jill."
Starr stared at his hand for a brief moment, surprised that she was meeting Mic Corinthos himself. So this was the man she had been bitching about for the last year. Certainly an unexpected development. Oh, who was she kidding? She hesitated because she had never met a more devastatingly attractive man in her entire life. Jack had apparently not been exaggerating. When she realized that she had hesitated too long, she took his hand, pretending that she had been intimidated by his position. "The owner and editor-in-chief? Wow! Gosh! Nice to meet you, sir!" Damn, he had the most amazing handshake. She felt like she had stuck her finger in a light socket. And she was very familiar with that sensation. She looked down, feigning shyness, so she wouldn't have to stare into his incredible eyes. She needed to end this now. "Thank you for the interview, Ms. Townsend." She pulled her hand out of Mic's and sidled towards the door. Janice smiled at her. "You're welcome. We'll be in touch!" Starr nodded and hurried out the door.
Mic gazed at her retreating form. There was something about her that didn't jive. She carried herself with confidence and self-assurance, but when they were introduced, she had acted all flustered. He turned back to Janice. "Well, is she a likely candidate for the job?" Janice nodded. "Sure. Most of our recruits don't become available until the summertime after graduation. She's actually our first real nibble." He'd like to nibble on her, Mic thought, and then tried to concentrate. "Splendid. Um..I came down to speak with you about an employee…"