"What do you mean she isn't here?" Carly knows Bobbie's work schedule like the back of her hand. It hasn't changed in years.

Amy rolls her eyes in an exaggerated motion. She really never liked Carly and isn't interested in talking to her unless she can get some juicy information from her. Carly never obliges.

"Just what I said. She is on leave of absence until further notice. We don't know when that will be or what's going on. Someone else called in for her."

Carly is nervous and it shows. This makes Amy back off. Laura being gone again was more than she could handle and she knew she shouldn't take it out on Carly. It wasn't the first time she and Luke pulled up stakes and took off but these last few years spoiled her. She thought all the running was over since Frank Smith was dead. Now she doesn't know if she'll ever see Laura again. Secretly, Amy wondered if Bobbie's leave had anything to do with her sister.

"Someone called in for her? Who?" Carly did not like what she was starting to think.

"No one knows. She didn't give her name. That was about...an hour ago."

Amy watches the color drain from Carly's face even as she down plays her thoughts. Didn't matter, Amy knew. They were related to Spencers. This was not a good sign. She opts to give all the information she knows.

"A process server came yesterday just before her shift ended and handed her a pretty thick envelope. She didn't open it and left a few minutes later. When I got in I heard she was taking personal leave."

Carly's heart is racing. A process server? She wonders if its connected to Luke but dismisses that because it would have been a Fed. Then she thinks it could have been anyone posing as a process server. Between the various Spencer and Morgan family businesses, there are more than enough enemies to go around.

"Are you sure it was a process server? What did the person look like?"

"He used her full name, said consider yourself served, handed her the packet and left." Amy gives a pretty good description of the man and is quick to catch Carly writing it down.

Audry watched the scene quietly and after observing Carly's reaction decides to step in.

"Carly, the two events might not even be related. She's out of town but we can all understand her needing a break. She hasn't taken time off in..."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I better check my messages. She probably called a million times already and I didn't get it. Thanks."

Dazed and a bit confused, Carly walks away before Audry can respond.

Once in the limo she instructs the driver to take her to the Brownstone. Using her key, she steps in cautiously. Carly pushes Michael's stroller into the center of the living room and looks around carefully. She's made more than a few quick get aways in the past and knows exactly what to look for. Carly worked Bobbie's house like a pro. Even an FBI forensics team couldn't have been more meticulous or careful not to disturb anything in their search. An hour later she's beyond concerned. Nothing was packed. Nothing was shut down or turned off. Unopened mail on the table and the newspaper was still on the front steps. Food in the frig was a dead give away. The bed was made but all her makeup was on the bathroom counter in its usual spot. The house looked like she just went to the store and would be back in a few minutes. Pulling Michael onto her lap she takes out her cell phone.

"Hey, Jase. When you get a minute can you and a few of the guys come to the Brownstone?"

Instantly on alert.

"What's wrong?"

"Bobbie's gone."

After Carly gave her report Reinaldo and Jason made eye contact. Surprised wasn't the word for it. Neither says anything. Jason knows Carly is stand up. Aside from the psycho nutty she pulled with Tony after coming to town and the 'plan' she works like a player. Reinaldo doesn't say a word about the way Carly went through the house but stops short when he hears her next words.

"Can you have someone pull the security tape from the 6th floor nurses station? Yesterday about 4:00 for an hour and a half. Bobbie's busy, he might have been hanging around for awhile. It might show us which elevator he used and then hopefully we can pick him up in the parking garage and get at least a partial plate."

Jason just nodded. He wasn't even going to bother asking how she knew he had hospital staff on his payroll.

"Sure. I'll get Francis to make contact."

"Thanks. I don't know if its possible but I'd really appreciate it if you could send a guard to Lucas' summer camp. Luke's already got one on him but I'd like someone I can touch. I'll work things out with the staff. I don't want to pull him out until I have to. No sense getting him scared by finding out mama is missing yet."

It sounds reasonable. It is the right thing to do considering the growing number of missing Spencers but something about that statement didn't sound right.

"No problem."

Jason pulls out his cell phone and makes the call. Then he starts checking in with his people.

One thing that really took both men by surprise is that Carly didn't suggest calling the cops. They know she doesn't like cops and is sensitive to Jason's work but this is her mother. Finally, Jason has to ask. When he gets her answer he isn't sure what to think about that.

"She's a Spencer. There are too many bodies buried in all our backyards. No cops."

Then she walks away and starts sorting the mail. She looks up after a minute.

"Do you have a program where I can monitor her credit card and bank account activity quietly? I don't want Benny or anyone else tracking her."

Jason stares at her for a long minute wondering just what Carly knows or how she knows it.

"Yeah. You can do it from home."

"Thanks."

That's all she said.

Carly has had time to reflect on her life since Bobbie went missing. She knows it isn't connected to Jason's business. There was something else going on. This close on the heels of Luke having to take a powder. She didn't see that one coming. Or at least didn't see it being so bad that he'd have to send Laura and the kids into hiding. She and Bobbie worked things out pretty quickly once Michael went missing and she came clean about who she really was and why she did what she did. Pissed was not the word for Bobbie's reaction. Luke, well that was another story for both of them. But, he eventually realized he wasn't in the best position to judge considering his role in the whole thing.

Whatever he is, Luke Spencer is about family so with the youngest missing he towed the line and all the Spencers came together. Finding out it was Tony was bad with a capital B. It really was a toss up who would kill him first. Bobbie said she deserved the honors. Luke yammered on and on about being the patriarch. Laura reminded them that she was his aunt and had just as much right. Carly pointed out Michael was her son. Jason got there first. End of story. Luke was ticked about that and Bobbie narrowed her eyes but finally conceded that at least the end result was what they all wanted. Jason seemed nervous being around that many Spencers and practically ran from the room saying something about them all being crazy.

Bobbie never said who her father was. Her mother was only fourteen years old when she gave birth so that meant only one of three things could have happened. Carly figured it was best not to ask or find out. There was a lot neither Luke nor Bobbie would comment on. Then she started thinking about the Spencer history she knew. Whatever was going down was Spencer drama for sure. Old or new, she wasn't certain. A few more things started clicking into place, though she didn't have all the pieces. After a few more minutes of brain strain she gets an idea.

"Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Did you say something?"

Jason was getting worried because of Carly's behavior over the past few days. She continued to monitor the accounts, checked in with him for updates, and spent a considerable amount of time at the Brownstone during the day. Jason figured Carly was going through some of Bobbie's papers. He can tell Carly is very concerned but this is nothing like when Michael was missing. His understanding of certain things—emotional reactions is limited. At first he wondered if it was the difference between when a child or an adult is missing. He knows that Carly's relationship with Bobbie is good and that they do love each other so that can't be the reason. For the past hour she's been standing in front of the window by the dining room table looking out onto the harbor. It's the first thing she's said in hours and he doesn't know what she's talking about.

"Just thinking out loud."

He has to accept it because he has nothing else. He's not a mind reader though he's always been really good at reading Carly's. Just as good as she is with him.

The next day, Johnny checked in to tell Jason that Carly was at the club. Why she went to Luke's was a mystery.

"What's she doing?"

"No clue. She and Michael are in the office. She told me to stay out and not come in unless I heard gun shots."

"That's not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be. She was serious."

"Ok. Let me know what she's up to next."

Jason stared at the phone for a full minute before putting it down. Something in Johnny's voice wasn't sitting so well with him. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was definitely connected to Carly and Bobbie.

"Reinaldo?"

"Yeah boss."

"What's going on with Carly?"

He wasn't sure how to answer that question. He had his suspicions but it didn't make much sense considering the woman they'd all come to know over the last couple of years.

"What do you mean?"

Jason looked through him. Yeah, his guys were all picking up on something and it was time they came clean.

"You know what I mean."

Reinaldo took a deep breath and sat down. Jason followed him to the couch and waited. He really wasn't sure he was liking this.

"I don't think its Carly."

"Huh?"

"I don't think what or who we're seeing is Carly."

This made no sense and he tossed Reinaldo the blank look followed by the death glare to explain more.

"Carly Roberts is dead and has been for a few years. Nobody ever met Caroline Benson."

"So you're saying she's been lying or faking?"

"Um, let's see. Carly lying or faking. Possibility of that, 100%. Her whole identity when she came to this town was a lie. We all know that."

"So she's been pretending with me?"

He's not sure how he feels about that.

"No. Its like going undercover. Some times people get caught up in the role. Some times they forget they aren't their cover. How many times did Sonny actually stand in this room full of righteous indignation because someone called him a criminal. He actually started buying that legitimate businessman routine."

Jason smirks at that and nods.

"Ok. I get it. You're saying the person we've been seeing over the last week is the real Caroline Benson?"

"Yeah. But I'd take it a step farther than that."

"Impress me."

"Hah. I think we're looking at Caroline Spencer. The real woman. And, I think there's a hell of a lot more to her than we ever imagined."

Jason waits for confirmation of his fears.

"Some people take to this life better than others. Some women. They love their boyfriends or husbands and find a way to deal. Make a place for themselves because they love the guy."

"Yeah, so? Brenda obviously didn't. But Lily did."

"Uh huh. But you're forgetting something important. They were dating or married to Sonny. You and Carly or Caroline are just friends. Raising a kid together, yeah. But no matter what the two of you want others on the to outside think, you guys are just friends. There's no reason...."

Then he scrunches up his face and starts thinking back on other things.

"What?"

"Long before she showed up here pregnant, she accepted the business. Didn't ask questions. Wasn't interested in anything you did. Didn't pry. Wasn't the least bit surprised or shocked about anything. If memory serves me correct, and it does, didn't she hide you out the second time you met without even knowing your name? Didn't she warn you of the set up and that hit? Didn't she dump a kilo of heroine no questions asked?"

Jason sits back nodding his agreement to all these things. Carly was solid. That was never a question in his mind. He didn't understand exactly where Reinaldo was going with this though.

"Yeah, she did all those things. So?"

"So, some of it should have freaked her out. It was nothing to her. And nothing that's happened since she moved in here has phased her in the least. There were times when she was all over the place. The more I think about it, those times were rare. And they ended when she left Tony. Except when Michael was kidnaped, she's been so solid she could be running the business."

That wasn't a good thing to say to the boss and Jason's look let him know that.

"Get to the point."

"What do you know about Caroline Benson?"

Good question because the answer was nothing. The reason behind the question was another story.

"Why?"

"She's been dead on since Bobbie disappeared. She worked the Brownstone like a pro. She knew the right information to get and she did everything she could before calling you. And all that stuff about not wanting Benny tracking Bobbie. No dramatics, no plans, no cops."

Sitting forward and frowning a bit, Reinaldo starts thinking about something else that escaped him earlier.

"And that's another thing."

"What?"

"What she said about Spencers having too many bodies buried in their backyards."

"Hell, it's the truth. Her uncle was as connected as it gets to the old school and let's face it, Luke's still tied in. I don't know how and neither did Sonny but he's got his hands in something and still walks around free and clear. This shit that's going down with him now doesn't have anything to do with it. But he's been in for a long time, there's bound to be a lot of dirt."

"Uh huh. But she didn't say they. She said 'there are a lot of bodies buried in all our backyards.' There's the difference."

"Say it."

Reinaldo didn't want to because he had no proof, just a gut feeling. Things were just too strange lately. But he was starting to realize that with Spencers one had to expect and be prepared for strange. Jason was hard to read on this one. Usually he could tell what the man was thinking.

"I got no proof."

Jason shook his head. Reinaldo is his right hand and number one. Whatever he was thinking, Jason had to know.

"Say it."

"I think Caroline is as dirty as the rest of us."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."