"Parting the Shade"(Chapter Three)
by Ennon
Disclaimer: 'Degrassi:The Next Generation and all its characters are the properties of Epitome Pictures and I make no profit whatsoever from this fanfic.
At a small Toronto TV studio in Summer, 2014. ..
"Emma, I need to talk to you!" Angela Jeremiah sighed.
" Can't it wait?" Emma Nelson Strong explained.
"I've already waited ten years and I'm no closer to the truth about Craig and Manny. . ." Angela pleaded.
" I can understand wanting to get answers but I've gotta be getting home to Rupert before Travis tries to get him to chant through teething," Emma groaned.
"Emma, I know that Daddy, Caitlin and everyone else want to protect me but I'm not a child any more and . .." Angela insisted.
" Yep, I all know about being crushed by the shields the adults use to try to protect," Emma groaned.
"Like when you met your real dad in that institute. Craig showed me that picture he took of you two," Angela explained.
"You remember that! Funny thing is every time we go to see him, Shane still thinks Craig's going to pop in at any moment to take another picture,"Emma sighed as she sniffed hard.
" I envy him that,"Angela groaned.
"Me,too!" Emma whispered before taking a deep breath.
"So will you help me?" Angela asked.
"Yeah, I'll tell you all I can about Craig and those times," Emma insisted as she clasped Angela's hand.
"He's almost as much of an enigma as our mother. I can think only a few images and flashes of him before he came to live with Daddy and me. Then it was like a part of Mommy returned for those two years before he disappeared again," Angela pondered.
"I'll help you find the truth and I don't know any more than you do at this moment but if I'm going to help us find out, I must have you promise me something in return," Emma as she stood up from her anchor desk.
"I'll promise anything. What is it?" Angela asked.
"We may find out some very unpleasant news and I'll do my best to help you deal with them but whoever or whatever is behind Craig and Manny's disappearance, I want you to promise not to flinch but hold onto the truth," Emma insisted as Angela nodded silently.
"So what can you tell me about Mr. Cameron?" Angela asked.
"Do you think he. .. did something bad to Craig?"Emma asked.
"Well, I know he saved Craig's life that day after Daddy stopped Craig from taking me to BC and Craig barely escaped another beating from his rotten father, "Angela insisted.
"Angie, how did you know about. .. ?" Emma gulped.
"Craig told me!" Angela beamed with a mischievous gleam seldom seen since she was seven.
Still later that evening in a a maximum-security prison housing Ontario's most dangerous convicts on the outskirts of Toronto- Toby gets his briefcase handed back after he has undergone a full body scan.
"Mr. Isaacs, as you are visiting the prisoner on at a time not previously agreed to- and since the prisoner has had another altercation , please be aware that this visitation may be terminated at Corrections' discretion for any reason," the beefy 20-ish guard with the name tag of Madiera droned to Toby as he let Toby in the last checkpoint before the 30-ish female guard with the name tag of Mazrabi buzzed their counterparts on the other side of the bullet-proof glass.
Toby could see Sean on the other side in his lime-green prison coveralls walking towards the telephone table- shackled just above his prison-issued scuffs. At the last second, a guard snatched off Sean's head bandana, revealing his head shaven in the pattern of a prison-gang emblem before Sean was ready to sit down. Sean swung at the guards and it took three of them to forcibly sit Sean down as he resisted. Toby could hear a few choice profanities somehow filtering through the bulletproof glass before he and Sean picked up the telephones- at the guards' commands.
"What the f--- is it, Isaacs?" Sean snarled.
"Sean, J.T. found out about Craig's camera and tried to jog Angela Jeremiah's memory," Toby gulped.
"You interrupt my workout for that? These here punks have to use clubs and stun guns to be fake being real men but I still outgun all of them any day!" Sean growled as he sneered at all the guards present and flexed his biceps.
One guard banged Sean in the back with a billy club causing Sean to grit his teeth.
"Guard! Your collegue's brutalizing my client," Toby gulped.
" His billy club slipped. That often happens when inmates don't have respect!" the burly guard on Toby's side tagged Madiera exclaimed.
"Did you come here just to give these punks an excuse for a cheap thrill?" Sean exclaimed as he spat at the glass immediately afterwards.
"No, Sean. Judge Van Zandt went down hard on J.T and our firm for that one. The Province is going to try to pin kidnapping and murder charges against you. You could get the Death Penealty!" Toby pleaded.
"What's life ever done for me?" Sean sneered.
"Sean, no! Think of your brother and. .. " Toby pleaded.
"I wouldn't give these punks that satisfaction- even though Tracker told me to stay away from his family even before I got sent here," Sean boiled.
"Tracker loves you or else he. . ." Toby insisted.
" He wouldn't have hired a couple of geek shysters who feel sorry for him cos he can't afford any REAL lawyer. If you and Kendra think I'm so innocent of kidnapping and killing Craig and Manny- prove it!" Sean growled.
"Sean, you're not helping any. Fine. I'm sick of you dumping on me. You once told that thug Jay to quit picking on because I was your friend. Be mine and tell me if you have any info about Craig and Manny," Toby growled.
"Nice try but you don't have what it takes to be a bad muh-," Sean started to taunt.
"WHATEVER! I'm going to give you the best defense you could possibly have even if you don't think you deserve it. Whatever else you've done, show everyone else who dissed you that there once was something worthwhile in you- like Tracker, Emma. .. and Mr. Simpson once believed," Toby insisted.
Sean took a deep breath and opened his mouth then closed it again and sighed.
Toby waited a few seconds.
"What are you staring at, punk? Go to a dog pound if you wanna stare at caged, mad whelps!" Sean snarled as he slammed down the phone hard enough to break it and Toby could see that he had provoked yet another fight with the guards who led him out of his side of the bulletproof glass.
The next morning, Angela met Emma outside Spike's Hair Haven.
"I switched shifts at the Dot today. Hopefully, Daddy, Mama and Archie won't impulsively decide to drop by there. Are you sure this will work?"Angela asked.
"Yeah, but we must be as tight as possible and not give away anything," Emma cautioned as they went inside.
"Hi Mom!" Emma exclaimed.
"Emma, I'm glad to see you brought Angela. Is Rupert still teething?" the 40-year-old Christine 'Spike' Nelson Simpson (with necklength hair complete with a jagged red streak)asked.
"Yeah but Travis is giving me a break- and I got him to promise to use conventional methods for the gums while I'm here. Speaking of break. You look like you could use one, Mom!" Emma insisted.
" Can you believe both my assistants got called for jury duty this week?" Spike groaned.
"That's what we're here for! You take the rest of the morning off and we'll take care of your clients," Emma proclaimed.
"Em. .you haven't done any hairdressing since that summer seven years ago. ."Spike started to recall.
"When you and Mama were pregnant," Angela recalled.
"And you were brilliant to point out that Linda means 'snake' in Old German and 'pretty' in Spanish!" Spike recalled.
"Thanks! I just wish Uncle Archie could have seen her,"Angela sighed.
"Three months before her birth that cancer showed up again and killed him,"Spike cried as all three took deep breaths.
"Come on! You need this break. It won't be too long before it's time to pick up Jack and Linda. We'll manage fine here!" Emma insisted.
"But Angie doesn't have. .." Spike tried to say.
"She can sweep up and clean the sinks, curlers and dryers! Now go!" Emma pleaded as Spike took her purse and left the salon.
"Emma, why didn't you just ask her about. ..?" Angela asked.
"She wouldn't give me her number. 'Client-Hairdresser Privilage'" Emma recalled while rolling her eyes and imitating Spike's voice at the end.
"She's due her in five minutes!" Angela gulped as she looked at the schedule.
"Oh no! She must have rescheduled. We'll have to get you ready now! Put your this towel over your hair and get under this dryer hood.
"It feels damp!" Angela protested.
"No time! Here she comes!" Emma gulped.
"Emma, what are you doing here? Where's Spike?" asked 26-year-old Ashley Kerwin with purple-streaked hair- and a black leather minidress.
"She's taking a Personal Day but I have experience. I see by her notes you want the streaks retouched. Let me give the hair a rinse,"Emma insisted.
"But. .." Ashley insisted.
"Just relax and take a load off your mind. Leave your troubles behind," Emma insisted as she put Ashley's head into the hair washing sink.
"What's she doing here?" Ashley asked as she suddenly saw Angela under the nearby dryer hood.
"You can't leave now!" Emma insisted as she held Ashley down while Ashley struggled to get up.
"Please, Ashley! I need to find out what happened. .." Angela pleaded as she held onto her towel while walking over to the hairwashing sink.
"The cops cleared me of any involvement long ago. Now could you just leave me alone," Ashley boiled.
"Ashley, I know Craig and Manny did you wrong and you were very angry at them but I also know that you love my brother. I always liked you and I'd like us to be friends," Angela pleaded as she held Ashley's right hand.
"I know. I'm sorry but that was the worst summer between Craig, Manny. .and Jimmy," Ashley groaned.
"Yeah, it would be good to solve that , too!" Emma sighed.
"But they disappeared weeks before. .. that happened- and the authorities don't see any connection," Ashley groaned.
" It seems everyone holds a piece to the puzzle. Maybe if we get enough pieces, we can see the whole picture," Angela pondered.
"What's that smell?" Ashley asked.
"YOUR HAIR!" Emma screamed- as she abruptly unwrapped the towel around Angela's head as Angela screamed.
"Oh, Angela! I didn't realize that the towel had permanent solution on it. I'll try to rinse it out! I'm so sorry!"Emma groaned as she put Angela's head in the sink.
To Be Continued. ..