Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 32
The next day.
"Dad, you gotta believe me. I love Chloe, I would never do anything to hurt her." Phillip pleaded from behind the cold steel bars of his cell.
"Except for when you yell at her, call her names, and let's not forget - PUT HER IN THE HOSPITAL!" Victor said firmly.
"I can never be sorry enough for that. But these phone calls? threatening notes? her locker? I didn't do it - any of it. You believe me right?"
Victor looked in the eyes of his son. His son, who was so precious to him. His son, who he almost lost last summer and promised to be a better father to. Victor flushed with guilt and shame for having failed Phillip.
"Yes, I believe you son. Which is all the more reason for you to leave town. If you didn't do this, than someone else did. Someone else is after Chloe, and as long as you remain here, nothing will get done about it. Because you'll be blamed for everything that happens, giving the real culprit plenty of freedom to act. But if you remove yourself from the equation, when the harrassment continues, then they'll know it wasn't you and they'll look for the true source. Your presence here in Salem puts Chloe in danger. Besides," Victor added with a small smile, "Brady is going to come after you soon, and I doubt even I could stop him from ripping your head off." Victor said with an attempt at humor.
"Okay, fine. Send me away. That is how you like to handle things. Problem gets too big - get rid of it." Phillip accused, turning away from his father.
"I'm not sending you away. I'm coming with you. Your mother and I, we're both coming with you." Victor said gently.
Phillip spun around in surprise. "what?"
"When we almost lost you this summer, Kate and I promised to be there for you - to be a family again. We failed and now you're paying the price. We weren't there for you before, but we're here now. The three of us are going to take an extended vacation, in Greece, and work on being a family again."
This was too much to believe. "What about Titan?"
"I trust Nicole and Austin to keep things running here. Right now, you are the most important thing in my life - nothing else matters. I've hired the best therapists - we're going to get you through this."
Phillip was too moved to speak. He hugged his father from behind the bars of his cell and let his tears flow down his cheek.
A short time later…
"They did WHAT?!" Brady's angry voice exploded in the penthouse.
John tried to calm his son, even as he understood Brady's anger, his frustration. "They had no choice, son. They had to release Phillip. There just wasn't any evidence."
"No evidence?!"
"None to connect Phillip with the crimes."
"Well, who ELSE would do this?"
"I agree he has the motive, but it isn't enough to convict. Plain and simple, we can't prove that Phillip did any of it." John explained.
"What about the phone calls?"
"They were traced to pay phones around town."
"Ok. Wait, the flowers. Who ordered them?" Brady asked, desperate to find anything to pin on Phillip.
"They were ordered anonymously and the person paid in cash. And no one at the shop remembered seeing Phillip, although they do admit that it had been busy that day."
"What about the note with the flowers - Surely a note like that would have gotten SOMEONE'S attention?"
"Apparently, he asked for a blank card, and typed it himself. And no, there are no fingerprints on the card, or on her locker, or on anything in it. Face it, Phillip thought of everything." John exhaled slowly.
Brady laughed harshly. "Yeah, that's the part that makes the least sense. We're talking about Phillip 'I'm a dumbass' Kiriakis here. When did he become a criminal mastermind?"
"I'm guessing about the same time he became a crazed, obsessive, abusive lunatic. Look, I've seen it enough times with Marlena's patients to know that that kind of insane, out of control obsession changes people. It makes them think and do things they normally wouldn't. Hell, we could be dealing with a split personality or something."
"All the more reason to keep him locked up, don't you think?!" Brady sighed deeply. "So that's it? Victor flashes his money once again and the son of a bitch walks. And Chloe's what - sh*t out of luck?......No. He is NOT going to get away with this." Brady moved toward the door, a hard set to his jaw.
John swiftly blocked him. "I understand you're angry.."
"You understand?! No. I DON'T think you do. Do you KNOW what was in her locker, what that bastard promised to do to her?"
"Brady.."
"Tell me, Dad. Tell me that if our positions were reversed, that you wouldn't go after the man responsible. Tell me, that if it was Marlena being threatened, that you wouldn't do everything in your power to stop it, to protect her."
John was silent, unable to answer.
"I thought so." Brady said quietly and left.
John sighed inwardly. {Thank God they've already left.}
Chapter 32
The next day.
"Dad, you gotta believe me. I love Chloe, I would never do anything to hurt her." Phillip pleaded from behind the cold steel bars of his cell.
"Except for when you yell at her, call her names, and let's not forget - PUT HER IN THE HOSPITAL!" Victor said firmly.
"I can never be sorry enough for that. But these phone calls? threatening notes? her locker? I didn't do it - any of it. You believe me right?"
Victor looked in the eyes of his son. His son, who was so precious to him. His son, who he almost lost last summer and promised to be a better father to. Victor flushed with guilt and shame for having failed Phillip.
"Yes, I believe you son. Which is all the more reason for you to leave town. If you didn't do this, than someone else did. Someone else is after Chloe, and as long as you remain here, nothing will get done about it. Because you'll be blamed for everything that happens, giving the real culprit plenty of freedom to act. But if you remove yourself from the equation, when the harrassment continues, then they'll know it wasn't you and they'll look for the true source. Your presence here in Salem puts Chloe in danger. Besides," Victor added with a small smile, "Brady is going to come after you soon, and I doubt even I could stop him from ripping your head off." Victor said with an attempt at humor.
"Okay, fine. Send me away. That is how you like to handle things. Problem gets too big - get rid of it." Phillip accused, turning away from his father.
"I'm not sending you away. I'm coming with you. Your mother and I, we're both coming with you." Victor said gently.
Phillip spun around in surprise. "what?"
"When we almost lost you this summer, Kate and I promised to be there for you - to be a family again. We failed and now you're paying the price. We weren't there for you before, but we're here now. The three of us are going to take an extended vacation, in Greece, and work on being a family again."
This was too much to believe. "What about Titan?"
"I trust Nicole and Austin to keep things running here. Right now, you are the most important thing in my life - nothing else matters. I've hired the best therapists - we're going to get you through this."
Phillip was too moved to speak. He hugged his father from behind the bars of his cell and let his tears flow down his cheek.
A short time later…
"They did WHAT?!" Brady's angry voice exploded in the penthouse.
John tried to calm his son, even as he understood Brady's anger, his frustration. "They had no choice, son. They had to release Phillip. There just wasn't any evidence."
"No evidence?!"
"None to connect Phillip with the crimes."
"Well, who ELSE would do this?"
"I agree he has the motive, but it isn't enough to convict. Plain and simple, we can't prove that Phillip did any of it." John explained.
"What about the phone calls?"
"They were traced to pay phones around town."
"Ok. Wait, the flowers. Who ordered them?" Brady asked, desperate to find anything to pin on Phillip.
"They were ordered anonymously and the person paid in cash. And no one at the shop remembered seeing Phillip, although they do admit that it had been busy that day."
"What about the note with the flowers - Surely a note like that would have gotten SOMEONE'S attention?"
"Apparently, he asked for a blank card, and typed it himself. And no, there are no fingerprints on the card, or on her locker, or on anything in it. Face it, Phillip thought of everything." John exhaled slowly.
Brady laughed harshly. "Yeah, that's the part that makes the least sense. We're talking about Phillip 'I'm a dumbass' Kiriakis here. When did he become a criminal mastermind?"
"I'm guessing about the same time he became a crazed, obsessive, abusive lunatic. Look, I've seen it enough times with Marlena's patients to know that that kind of insane, out of control obsession changes people. It makes them think and do things they normally wouldn't. Hell, we could be dealing with a split personality or something."
"All the more reason to keep him locked up, don't you think?!" Brady sighed deeply. "So that's it? Victor flashes his money once again and the son of a bitch walks. And Chloe's what - sh*t out of luck?......No. He is NOT going to get away with this." Brady moved toward the door, a hard set to his jaw.
John swiftly blocked him. "I understand you're angry.."
"You understand?! No. I DON'T think you do. Do you KNOW what was in her locker, what that bastard promised to do to her?"
"Brady.."
"Tell me, Dad. Tell me that if our positions were reversed, that you wouldn't go after the man responsible. Tell me, that if it was Marlena being threatened, that you wouldn't do everything in your power to stop it, to protect her."
John was silent, unable to answer.
"I thought so." Brady said quietly and left.
John sighed inwardly. {Thank God they've already left.}