Thanks for the continued support it means a lot.
Dancing on the Axis
Chapter 6
Hospital
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?"
Sonny's angrily delivered question stilled both Jason and Carly who looked at him then back at each other. Neither one seemed to be very eager to tell Sonny all that had happened during the day. In their vastly different ways both were trying to protect him and by extension others, because there was no way to predict how Sonny would react to the news. Sonny's behavior of the last several months could best be defined as erratic or worst borderline Kamikaze.
Carly started to answer then hesitated waiting for Jason to explain things but Jason remained stubbornly silent. It took her a second of curious observation to realize that Jason wasn't just being silent he had withdrawn. The move surprised her. She knew Sonny and him hadn't been getting along but she hadn't realized, until that moment, how bad things had truly gotten between the two best friends.
"I'm waiting."
"We already told you Elizabeth was the one who shot Ric." Carly finally offered a brief explanation that she knew wouldn't satisfy her volatile husband.
"Why would she do that?" Sonny demanded more.
"Because he was coming after me with a knife," she finished and braced for an explosion.
"What the hell do you mean?" Sonny snapped angrily when no one answered him he went on. "Do you mean he had a knife on you?" His anger only spiked when he saw his wife and Jason share another telling look. "Stop doing that and tell me what is going on."
Jason reluctantly faced his partner and was as terse as he could be with his reply. "Elizabeth said Ric had a knife and was going after Carly so she shot him." He turned back to his friend. "She's desperate to see you. Will you come?"
Unsure of Sonny's response Carly hesitated until she saw the please in Jason's eyes, a please Jason couldn't say to her in front of Sonny and her mind was made up. "I'll come."
Surprised by her answer Sonny went to interject. Carly needed to go home and rest the last thing she needed was to have to deal with the police. But the words died unspoken when he saw the expression of relief on Jason's face. First he had recognized the tiredness his friend was obviously feeling and now concern and relief. Either Jason was showing his emotions a lot more easily, or he was finally seeing him through clear eyes. Either way he couldn't help responding to it and to his best friend.
"We better go." Sonny could see the surprise reflected back at him from both their faces and couldn't help feeling a little smug. Apparently they didn't know him as well as they thought they did.
"Right," Jason agreed and led the way to the elevator. "There's a new cop on this case and I want to get her in and out while he's not there."
"What's he like?"
"I don't know other then he's good and I don't trust that." Jason admitted. He never thought he would miss seeing Taggert, but he'd much rather deal with Taggert's in your face attitude then an unknown in a situation like this. Things could possibly turn very bad for Elizabeth and he wanted to have every edge he could to get her through this.
"Does the cop believe Ric's claim that Elizabeth was trying to kill me and he took the bullet to save me?" Carly asked as the elevator doors began to close.
"What?" Sonny's smugness vanished in an instant. Apparently there was a lot he didn't know and he didn't like that.
Jail
"Mr. Krianos I don't care what time it is where you are. I expect you to provide me with the information I need as soon as possible if not before." Nikolas spoke briskly into the cell. His tone expressed the fact he expected to be obeyed, not questioned, and even though the man he was addressing was more then 30 years his senior he knew he would be.
"Mr. Cassadine we are trying to locate the premiere defense counsel on the East Coast, but the name that keeps coming up is Alexis Davis." Uncomfortable Krianos paused to clear his throat before going on. "With your aunt currently in the hospital our search continues."
"I don't want to hear excuses," Nikolas returned mildly. "I engaged you to find someone for my aunt days ago so this process should have been completed by now. If you had done what you were supposed to I would be speaking with that attorney at the moment instead of you, now wouldn't I?"
"Mr. Cassadine."
"I expect you to provide me with a name within the hour and have that person here at the police station within two hours. Am I making myself clear Mr. Krianos?" His voice never rose, no anger entered his tone, yet he knew the whip of his words were devastating to the older man.
"Yes Mr. Cassadine."
The sputtered reply fell on deaf ears because Nikolas had already hung up. The phone vanished inside his pocket, his face remained expressionless, giving no chance for anyone in the squad room to pick up on his true feelings of anger. Image was something he learned at an early age and once bred inside someone you couldn't turn it off. So though his focus remained on the interrogation room that housed his friend his calmness gave nothing away.
For the first time in months his focus had been on someone else and because of that his thinking was much clearer. The last year had been unsettling, to say the least, and he hadn't handled the upheaval very well. He did well when it came to rules, guidelines, but there had been no rules of etiquette for him to follow when his long dead father returned from the grave to cause further murder and mayhem. If there was one ironclad fact about Nikolas Cassadine it was that he knew the proper etiquette for every situation but the ones he faced in the last year defied logic and explanation.
In the last year, thanks to his father and Grandmother, he'd had his control stripped from him, and as a result of that, when he got it back he was determined never to have his control taken from him again. Because of that vow he had lost everything else in his life. Gia was gone, Elizabeth had ceased speaking to him, Lucky and his relationship had deteriorated to the fractious days of when they first knew each other. Even Stefan, Alexis and Emily, his oldest friend, had been shunted to the side. He lost the people he loved, the people he cared for but he had held onto his control and wasn't that the most important thing? After all image was everything especially in the Cassadine world. Well that and power and he had both, he just didn't have anything or anyone else in his life anymore.
Helena would have been very proud of the man he'd turned into over the last year, and even though that thought made him physically ill he couldn't seem to pull himself out of the downward spiral he had succumbed to.
The afternoon had changed things, however. The rumble of gunfire on a nearly abandoned dock changed his insular world the instant the sound faded. Since realizing Elizabeth's role in the shooting he had new focus, a new resolve to cling to. His desire was to help Elizabeth and perhaps in a small way himself as well. Perhaps he would be able to stop turning into the Cassadine leader he always feared he would. Perhaps that part of the Cassadine heritage could be locked inside of him again. Perhaps the darkness would fade while he concentrated on helping a friend. Perhaps.
Was it selfish to look at her trouble as something that could help him? Perhaps. But it wouldn't change his actions in any respect. He would have helped Elizabeth regardless, but now there was an additional sense of urgency driving him. And that urgency was only heightened because of the current quietness of the police station. He may not be an expert on police stations or proper procedures but he had a feeling that when one was trying to have a clandestine meeting it was advisable to have it when there were fewer potential witnesses around. The fact Jason had yet to return with Carly for said illicit meeting annoyed him in a way that was similar to the annoyance he felt over everything Jason did.
Kelly's
"That was a very interesting recitation Mrs. Quartermaine." Lt. Ross murmured when the blonde finally fell quiet.
"I merely answered your questions." Courtney was coy in her response. It wouldn't do to appear too eager to tell what she knew. She knew that the reason people got caught in a lie was because they didn't maintain the same image with everyone. There was no way she was going to make that mistake. She needed to be consistent and appear reluctant to answer questions with everyone.
"Like I said it's an interesting story." Lt. Ross remained firm in his opinion. "If you'll wait downstairs for me I'll take you back to the station so you can give a formal statement for the record."
"Do I have to?" Courtney feigned reluctance.
"Yes," he smiled suddenly and the move lightened his whole expression. "Just continue to tell the truth and we won't have any problems. Now please wait downstairs."
Nodding Courtney headed for the stairs. By the time she was finished Elizabeth would be looking at serious jail time and she couldn't be happier. She would teach Elizabeth what happened, when someone tried to come between her and the man she'd decided to love. If she played her cards right Jason would see the truth about Elizabeth as well, and when he came crawling around begging her to take him back, she would, after he crawled enough.
"Do you buy her story?" A loitering officer asked the Lieutenant once the blonde disappeared from view.
"I don't know. Some of it sounded truthful but I have the feeling she has an agenda," Ross responded with a thoughtful look.
"The evidence we've found so far corroborates what Eliz-Ms. Webber stated." The officer hoped he caught himself in time. It wouldn't do for the new Lieutenant to realize he knew the accused, if Ross found out he might get yanked from the case. There were rumors already swirling about the new arrival to the Port Charles Police force and those rumors weren't the pleasant kind.
"The evidence can also be construed to corroborate what Mrs. Quartermaine just told us." Ross reminded the officer and headed from the room.
Officer Johnson studied the room and hoped that Elizabeth's story was the truth and not the other waitress's. He had known Elizabeth, at least peripherally, for years now due to his continued patronage of Kelly's and he couldn't help but hope she would get out of this fix.
Jail
By the 119th circuit of the 8x10 room Elizabeth was nothing but nerves. Impatience practically shimmered around her, as one thought after another raced through her mind. Of those thoughts two were the most recurring. One was about Ric, and wondering if he was okay or if she would be charged with his murder. The other was her desire to speak with Carly before the cops did. Both needs were of equal importance if for different reasons.
Of primary importance was the fact she didn't want to be a murderer. It was simply something she never thought she would ever be and wasn't sure she could handle it if in fact Ric died and she became one. Even though she knew she had only fired the gun to save Carly, she would still be a killer if he died. The law might excuse what she did, people might even forgive her, but that didn't mean she would ever be able to forgive herself. No matter what Ric had done in the past and what he had been intending to do he was still a human being and it wasn't right for her to take his life from him.
Once there had been a time that she had considered killing someone. A time she had dreamed of killing a man. She had even lashed out once in an attempt to cause death and had ended up hurting a person she loved instead. Eventually when she found herself holding a gun on the man she'd dreamed of murdering, her rapist, she hadn't been able to pull the trigger. She hadn't been able to take the life of the monster that had robbed her of a dream of how life could be and left her with wounds that would never fully heal. If she had pulled the trigger then it would have been cold-blooded murder and she wasn't capable of that.
Circuit 125 was much like every one before it, the only change was the subject matter racing through her head. Every time she passed the window she could see Nikolas sitting in one of the rusted out metal chairs that normally held handcuffed prisoners. The sight wasn't comical yet at times it brought a slight smile to her face. He looked so out of place out there among the cops, hookers and junkies and yet at the same time he seemed to fit in.
It surprised her that he continued to wait around when there was no clear indication of when or if she might be released from her "voluntary" custody, but she wasn't about to ask him to leave. She had missed Nikolas and the friendship that once existed between them. There had been times during the nightmarish day that's she'd thought she'd seen glimpses of her friend coming from those dark eyes of his, that had been so cold as of late, and she appreciated the sight.
Besides if things continued on the way they had started she was going to need all the friends she could get. In a lot of respects it still seemed unreal to her. The fact she'd shot someone hadn't yet sunk in, it still felt like she was in a dream and all she needed to do was open her eyes and she'd find herself in her own bed. But no matter how many times she pinched her arm she wouldn't wake up, so she guessed that was an answer in itself.
If she wasn't careful her mind would get bogged down in the fact that not only had she shot a person, she had shot him in defense of Carly. She tried to comfort herself by reasoning that she was also protecting Carly's unborn child, but still the concept was still hard for her to swallow.
Outside
"I don't know." Officer Haggerty hedged and cursed the fact he'd ever answered his cell when it rang. "I don't mind helping you guys out at times."
"For which you are handsomely paid." Sonny pointed out coolly and couldn't help the distaste that colored his voice. It was bad enough talking to a cop, but talking to a dirty one was something he really didn't like to do.
"I know that." Shifting on his feet Haggerty looked around to make sure no one was witnessing his illicit meeting with the two notorious crime lords of Port Charles. "What your asking me to do now is different then anything else I've done for you. If I do what you want and let Mrs. Corinthos into the room, I'll be risking exposing my," he hesitated over the word, "allegiance to you."
"It wasn't a request." Jason informed him coldly.
Shaking his head at the threat and the predicament he found himself in Haggerty took a step back and gauged the distance from where he was to the relative safety of the station across the street.
Sonny interceded before Jason lost it entirely. "Haggerty you'll do what your told when you're told to do it. You might have thought you called the shots in this deal but you don't. You crossed a line when you became our snitch and there is no going back now. The only way you back out of this arrangement is when we tell you to go not before."
Chastised and fearful Haggerty nodded in agreement. The mobster had just defined his role and it rammed the truth home to him. His work for Sonny Corinthos was no longer merely freelance for some extra money on the side it had become a full-time job. "We better go. Shift change is coming up and we need to have her out by the time the new Lieutenant gets back."
"That reminds me I want everything you can find out about this Lieutenant Ross," Jason ordered before following the others.
One way or another Haggerty was sure his easy money venture was going to end up costing him his job, and possibly his freedom, the dour realization accompanied him across the street.
Squad Room
Even though the room was mostly deserted due to the approaching shift change the buzz that surrounded the unexpected entry of two local crime bosses was loud enough to fill the half-full room. It wasn't often that Sonny Corinthos or Jason Morgan voluntarily walked inside the police station. It was even rarer when they came in at the same time and without handcuffs around their wrists.
Word of the unusual happening spread quickly and soon the room began filling with interested observers that normally kept to themselves in other parts of the station. There were several among them that remembered another time Morgan and Corinthos had come in voluntarily. That time had ended with a breakout by murder suspect Brenda Barrett and a fight between Jason Morgan and the former commissioner Mac Scorpio. There had been numerous changes in procedure and policies made since that time to insure a breakdown in security wouldn't happen again. But was any system foolproof?
Rumor had it there was another woman about to be put into custody this one charged with attempted murder. She also had ties to Morgan and Corinthos. Of course there were also rumors that the intended victim of the murder attempt had been Corinthos's wife. In that case the reason to be alert for a breakout was two-fold, both to keep their case intact and also to protect the accused from retribution. So a healthy hum of anticipation hung heavy over the squad as no one was quite sure what would happen next.
It was better then even money that what did happen next was the last thing they could have imagined. The idea of an angry Corinthos or Morgan confrontation had been expected but the general consensus was that confrontation would also involve the police, so when it didn't there was a healthy dose of surprise in the room. However that surprise paled in comparison to the surprise of the onlookers when the confrontation was centered between the two loyal partners as they turned on one another like two rabid dogs.
"This is all your fault. You realize that don't you?" A surprisingly bitter sounding Jason Morgan fired the first shot.
"You're the one who brought Elizabeth around not me." Sonny didn't miss a beat.
"And you're the reason she left me and now look where she is." Jason countered sharply.
Sonny blinked in surprise at the unexpected venom. The hostility he felt coming from Jason seemed very real and it prompted a similar sounding response. "You weren't complaining about me running Elizabeth off when you started fooling around with my sister."
The cops listening in began to murmur at that point.
"Nothing would have ever happened with Courtney if you hadn't ruined my relationship with Elizabeth," Jason spat back while Nikolas began to smirk in enjoyment.
"Well so much for your love for my sister. I guess that tells us how you really feel about her now doesn't it?" Sonny asked. "You should have listened to me and left her the hell alone."
"Listen?" Jason snorted. "Like you give people choices. You're need to control everything and everyone around you until they suffocate have helped to destroy any relationship I try to have before it even starts." The fight that was supposed to be a staged distraction was quickly becoming more. For once Jason was supposed to confront Sonny, to say things he normally ignored, and given the current state of their relationship that could be deadly.
"If your relationship with Courtney fizzled its because of your feelings for Elizabeth not me." Sonny shot back even while his mind raced with the unexpected revelation that Jason and Courtney seemed to be over. "It's not my fault that women don't seem to stay with you."
"Don't give me that. You seem to like it when I have no one in my life but you and Carly so I can do whatever you need done whenever you need it done." Jason leveled another blow at his friend.
"Are you a man Jason or a boy that needs to be told what to do?" Sonny challenged. "You never spoke up and told me what you wanted."
"I did too, but as usual you didn't listen. The only person you ever listen to is yourself and that's why you're in trouble all the time and dragging the people who care about you down with you." Sonny's dart had hit home so Jason responded in kind.
The rapidly escalating fight was interesting enough to watch that Officer Haggerty almost missed the opportunity it provided. At the last second he remembered his role and gestured to the blonde hiding near the door.
Carly had the urge to ignore the call and break up the ugly fight between Sonny and Jason instead. She knew them well enough to know that the words spilling out of them were ones that had been locked inside of them for months. The fight could become brutal and perhaps irreparable if it went on to long. But in the end she followed the plan and headed through the interrogation room door. If they were willing to rip layers of skin from one another she could speak with Elizabeth.
"This better be good." Carly snapped when the door closed behind her.
"I'll make it quick." Elizabeth tore her eyes from the argument in the next room to focus on Carly. "If you have to leave quickly you can go through that door," she gestured to her left. "There's another door that leads to the outside hall. No one will see you go, just turn on the tape recorder as you go by."
Carly let out a snort of disbelief. It figured. Here they put Miss Muffin in an interrogation room and don't even bother to lock her in meaning she could leave anytime she wanted. If she had been the one in the room she was sure that not only would the other door have been locked the room with the tape recorder would have been manned as well. As usual it all came down to people's perception of you. Even though she had shot someone, Elizabeth Webber was still viewed as a goody-goody, while she would always be thought of as a troublemaker, and even though it wasn't Elizabeth's fault she was still angry with her.
"First off I didn't try to kill you. Ric had a knife that he was going to use on you." Elizabeth was oblivious to Carly's less then pleasant realization over how each was viewed by the outside world.
"How could you possibly know that?" Carly wanted to move closer, to demand answers, to treat this like any other confrontation but she was forced to stay where she was. She had to stay in front of the door so the cops in the other room couldn't see her. She didn't like not being able to prowl around it made her feel like she was holding a weaker hand.
"I was at Kelly's in Ric's room, I heard everything." Taking a seat Elizabeth kept her back to the window so no one could see she was speaking.
"What do you mean you heard everything?" Suddenly nervous Carly's need to prowl grew.
"I was tied up in the closet when you confronted Ric in his room. I made the noise you heard." Elizabeth darted a look in Carly's direction and could see the look of disbelief on the blonde's face.
"What do you mean?" Carly tried to sound snotty but was jarred by the unexpected revelation.
"I overheard your fight with Ric and once you left I saw Ric retrieve a knife, I think he would have gotten the gun if it hadn't been in the closet with me," Elizabeth realized uneasily and shook the thought away. "When he left he made reference to the fact he was going to shut you up so you wouldn't mess up his plan."
"I don't believe you." Forgetting herself Carly stepped forward only to stop when she saw the bruising and bandage on Elizabeth's face. "What the hell happened to you?"
Confused by the question it took a minute for Elizabeth to figure out what it meant, touching her face she felt the crisp bandage under her fingers and knew. "Ric caught me eavesdropping and threw me through the door, I hit my head on something and blacked out, that's when he put me in the closet."
Carly tried to make sense of what Elizabeth was saying. She could normally spot a liar or a con, even if she didn't want to admit it, and she wasn't getting that vibe from Elizabeth. She was coming to believe that what Elizabeth was saying was the truth and that only made her more uneasy. "What did you overhear that made him snap like that?"
"We don't have time to get into this." Elizabeth shifted to look in the other room to see if they were being watched but most everyone's attention remained on a still arguing Jason and Sonny. "All I can say is that Ric has an agenda where Sonny and Jason are concerned and he was using you to further his plan."
"What kind of plan?" Unwilling to bend, to give an inkling of her unease, Carly crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Elizabeth.
"Carly we don't have time for this." Patience gone Elizabeth met the glare with one of her own. "We need to talk about what you should and shouldn't tell the police, and what I've told them. I know what he did to you, I probably know better then most what he did, but I'm not going to say a word."
Puzzled by the cryptic remark Carly forgot herself entirely and sat in the chair next to Elizabeth. "What do you think he did to me?"
"One drink and your out does that sound normal to you?" Elizabeth asked. "Is that normally what happens when you drink alcohol? Do you always black out with absolutely no memories of what happened?"
Unsettled Carly didn't know how to reply. Elizabeth didn't understand the war that had been raging inside of her ever since that morning she woke up next to Ric. From the beginning she knew that something bad had happened, but at the same time she couldn't be positive. Her track record when it came to men wasn't exactly something to brag about. And it only got worse when she was in pain. When she was in pain or hurt she'd do something destructive to lash out at others. Who was to say she hadn't gotten bombed and decided to sleep with Ric in an effort to punish Sonny?
Elizabeth could see that Carly was lost in an unpleasant memory but had to move her along. She didn't know how much time they had left and there was still so much to say. "I wanted you to know that all I told the police was I overheard an argument between you and Ric but couldn't make out what you were saying and then you stormed out. Then I moved closer and heard Ric on the phone where he threatened you and he caught me and tied me up while he went after you."
"Why are you telling me this?" Carly was suspicious of any sort of unasked for favor.
"I wanted you to know what I told the police so you would have time to think up a legitimate sounding reason why Ric would try to kill you. I wanted to give you time since we can't use the real reason why he was after you."
Though the actual words, Ric's claim of sleeping with an inebriated Carly, remained unsaid both women were well aware they lay just under the surface.
"Are you going to be the one blackmailing me now?" In a defensive move she stood and glared down at the other woman.
"No." Insulted Elizabeth got to her feet and met Carly's attack. "I just wanted to give you the heads up but now I don't know why I even bothered."
"Why should I believe you?" Carly hissed. "You don't like me, I don't like you, why would you want to help me?"
"Your baby." Elizabeth offered simply. "Your baby deserves to have two parents who love each other and love the child with no reservations."
"Sonny loves my baby." Carly was vehement. Ric claimed they had slept together and who was to say they hadn't after all it had happened before. Michael had been conceived in one drunken night with AJ when she'd thought she'd lost Tony for good. Was it possible that this child had also been conceived in a drunken night when she thought she'd lost Sonny to Brenda? She didn't want to believe it was true, wouldn't let herself believe it was true, but the doubt still lingered.
"Good he'll make an excellent father." Carly's desperate anger made Elizabeth feel calmer then she'd felt in hours.
Before Carly could respond a soft knock sounded on the door and she knew her time was up. Her time may have been up but she hadn't made up her mind if she believed Elizabeth and could trust her not to say anything. She wasn't a person that trusted easily, especially not a woman, and a formal rival to boot, and that was exactly what she was being asked to do.
"You better go." Elizabeth urged and looked back through the slats of the blinds in the window looking for trouble, there seemed to be more cops outside then there had been. "We can talk more once I'm out, either you believe me or you don't. The next move is yours."
A crash coming from the squad room startled them both and propelled Carly towards the door Elizabeth had pointed out to her earlier. In the doorway she hesitated then turned back. "Bobbie told me Ric is going to make a full recovery so don't let the cops play any head games with you." Before Elizabeth had a chance to reply she disappeared inside the other room.
Squad Room
Officer Haggerty sighed in relief when Mrs. Corinthos finally disappeared from view. As far as he could tell no one had noticed that Elizabeth Webber had even had a visitor, maybe his career wasn't over with yet.
Nikolas's seat provided him a ringside view of both the entertaining argument as well as the meeting occurring inside the interrogation room. He let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding when Carly disappeared from sight. Jason might have been late but it appeared his plan had worked and had some amusing side benefits as well.
"What is going on here?" Lt. Ross didn't raise his voice but the question traveled the room like a bullet and brought the din of noise to a screeching halt.
Unreasonably angry it took Jason a moment to realize who was speaking. The last several minutes had been strange for him. He had been forced to behave in a way he didn't normally behave. He'd been forced to deliberately argue and find fault with Sonny and pick at him the way Sonny and Carly normally picked at each other. The experience had been strangely liberating. Like some sort of weight had been lifted from him because he'd finally said things instead of just ignoring them until they went away. One instance of lashing out would hardly change who he was, but perhaps if he didn't continually ignore how he really felt about things he could let some of his anger out without using his fists.
Sonny was pissed. It was an ugly word to use to describe how he was feeling but it was an accurate one. The distraction had obviously worked since he couldn't see Carly with Elizabeth and no officer had intervened in their fight, but that knowledge wasn't satisfying. Fighting with Jason when Jason was willing to fight back left a bitter taste in his mouth. They hadn't been getting along for weeks, even months now, but none of their mini-confrontations had been anything like the last several minutes. He knew Jason didn't like to lie or to make up things on the spot that meant the words Jason had shouted at him were words and accusations he had been wanting to say for a long time now, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"Would anyone like to tell me what is going on here? You, talk." Ross picked the detective who was the only one in the room not to jump and pretend to be busy.
Detective Alex Garcia took the time to stretch, to work the kinks out of his neck, before finally standing and giving a lazy reply. "Morgan and Corinthos here were having a disagreement. We were doing our civic duty by listening to them in case one of them let it slip where Jimmy Hoffa is buried."
The cops in the room began to laugh only to stop when the Lieutenant glared at them.
Garcia's blatant demeanor of dislike surprised Ross. He was used to people jumping when he glared at them but so far Garcia hadn't jumped or tried to suck up. There was an ongoing test of wills between the men to see which one would be the first to blink.
"Sonny I'm tired of waiting in the car. I want to go home." Carly decided it was time to make her presence known and interrupt the pissing contest of the two alpha males at the same time.
"Mrs. Corinthos," Ross turned to look her over. "I thought you were giving your statement tomorrow."
"I am." Carly responded flatly. "The only reason we stopped was so Sonny could get an update on what happened. You won't be hearing from me until tomorrow."
"I see." Ross refused to give more of a response then that and signaled to an officer that was waiting in the hall. "Bring her in."
"Courtney." Sonny was the first to spot the new arrival. "What are you doing here?"
Swallowing hard Courtney stepped forward and knew the sudden paleness of her complexion hadn't been planned on her part. She hadn't expected to find Sonny, Carly and worse Jason at the police station. Their presence meant her act was going to have to be perfect and since she'd only thought up her story less then an hour ago, she wasn't sure she could pull it off.
"Why are you arresting my sister?" Sonny demanded answers from the unfamiliar cop. He might be at odds with Courtney at the moment but any threat to his family, perceived or otherwise, wouldn't be tolerated.
"Do you see handcuffs on her Mr. Corinthos?" Ross tsked with a raised brow.
With that sarcastic remark Sonny took an instant dislike to the man that had more to do then just him being a cop.
In a calculated move designed to irritate and infuriate Ross turned his back on the mobster and addressed Courtney. "Take a seat Mrs. Quartermaine and Officer Johnson will take your statement. Just tell him what you told me."
Nodding Courtney trailed the officer to the desk.
"What statement could Courtney give that would have anything to do with this?" Jason wanted to know. For some reason he felt uneasy. He wasn't sure what Courtney had to offer about the shooting but his instincts were telling him that whatever she had to say wouldn't be good. Elizabeth's accusations about Courtney's true character were coming back to him along with the memory of her vindictiveness earlier that day.
Ross sidestepped the question by turning to Carly. "We'll see you tomorrow Mrs. Corinthos." Ignoring the mob bosses he walked past them and into the interrogation room.
"Where the hell is Taggert?" Carly spoke the words no one else seemed willing to say and didn't notice how Nikolas flinched at her question.
"I take it the show is over?" Nikolas joined the tight little group beside the railing that separated the doorway from the main room.
"What are you still doing here?" Jason's distaste at seeing him was evident.
"I could ask you the same thing. You delivered Carly like Elizabeth asked you to, there's no reason for you to hang around." Nikolas's tone was cool and meant to provoke a response.
"Will you two knock it off." Carly snapped. "The person I'm curious about is Courtney. Why is she here?" She headed for her sister-in-law only to be waylaid by Garcia. "Move."
"Sorry until you've given your statement you can't be a witness to another statement." Garcia smiled when she glared at him and stalked off. It had taken considerable effort on his part but he had managed to appear unaffected by what had transpired during the day shift. When he heard Elizabeth Webber had been brought in under suspicion of attempted murder he'd almost laughed out loud. Ross certainly missed the boat on that decision.
The new Lieutenant and him hadn't gotten along from the start. Part of the reason for the dislike probably stemmed from the fact that he hadn't been promoted when Taggert returned to New York City. Instead of promoting from within they had went out and hired a supposed hotshot from Philadelphia. So far he hadn't been impressed by what Ross had to offer, but he was smart enough to tell that Ross sure knew how to play the game. He been in town less then a month and already knew which ass's to kiss in order to secure his next step up the success ladder.
That step was going to get blown apart by this case. Arresting Elizabeth Webber, if in fact it came to that, would be one pitfall that Ross wouldn't be able to avoid. He knew Elizabeth and there was no way she'd try to kill someone, especially not Carly. He knew they didn't get along. He'd witnessed some of their arguments and it seemed to him that the two women got off on the confrontations. So the idea of Elizabeth snapping and trying to kill her was ludicrous.
Another thing that was stupid would be to buy the staged fight between Corinthos and Morgan. The taunts the men were tossing at each other might have been true but they were already huddled up and acting buddy, buddy, so the idea of a serious rift between the two was laughable. He had a feeling Ross was in the process of being played and as far as he was concerned it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
Interrogation Room
"I just have a few more questions Ms. Webber." Ross made a show of looking at his notebook. "You said you were involved with Mr. Lansing is that correct?"
"We went out a few times but I wouldn't call us involved." Elizabeth corrected him.
"Oh come now Ms. Webber you visited daily when he was in the hospital then helped him care for his wounds when he checked out early. Do you expect me to believe you would make that sort of effort for a stranger?"
"I didn't say I considered Ric a stranger I just said we went out a few times, it was nothing serious." Elizabeth explained their lack of relationship for the 5th time.
"Was it serious enough for you to react badly when you found out he was seeing someone else on the side?" Ross dropped his first bombshell and caught her off-guard.
Squad Room
"I accidentally let it slip to Elizabeth that I had seen Ric out with another woman. Some blonde I didn't even recognize. Elizabeth didn't take the news very well. In fact she got angry even violent." Courtney gestured to the mark on her cheek.
"Ms. Webber hit you?" Officer Johnson asked for clarification.
"Yes."
"When was this?"
"Right before she stormed up the stairs to confront Ric." Courtney affected a brilliant shiver of unease.
Room
"I wasn't jealous, merely surprised." Elizabeth corrected the cop.
"Do you mean you didn't stomp upstairs to confront Ric after hearing he'd been out with some blonde?"
"Well, yes I did." Elizabeth admitted then immediately tried to clarify her answer. "It wasn't like you're making it sound. I just wanted to hear the truth from him."
"Did that truth you wanted to hear also include slapping Courtney Quartermaine?" Ross dropped the next bomb.
"Yes. I mean no," she began to get tripped up. "I mean that wasn't why I hit her."
"So you admit to striking Mrs. Quartermaine?" Ross pounced.
"Yes I hit her but the reason why was..."
"Do you consider yourself a violent person?"
"What?" Jarred by the rapidly shifting questions she could only stare.
Squad
"Be quiet Elizabeth." Nikolas urged from his spot in the other room. "She's talking again, she promised me she wouldn't do that."
"What the hell could Courtney know?" Carly wondered aloud.
"Does it matter?" Jason asked sharply. "She hates Elizabeth so whatever she says won't be good."
"I hate Elizabeth and I haven't done any damage." Carly reminded him tartly. "Courtney has no reason to say anything negative about Elizabeth. You and her are over, and you and Courtney are together now."
"She has a reason now," Jason admitted. "I broke up with Courtney today and my continued feelings for Elizabeth were a factor and she knows that."
"Shit." Carly snarled for more then one reason.
Curiosity aroused by the by-play Sonny drifted across the room until he was in earshot of Courtney. What he heard surprised him.
"After Elizabeth hit me she went upstairs. A few minutes later Carly came down and left, not long after that Ric followed." Courtney hesitated to make sure her story was the same it had been the hour before and also to feign reluctance.
"Go on." Johnson urged.
"I heard some crashing coming from upstairs then Elizabeth hurried down the stairs. I saw her tucking a gun in her sweater."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"She said where did that bitch go?" Courtney mimicked Elizabeth. "She didn't wait for an answer just left. After that I realized that when I told her I'd seen Ric with a blonde she must have thought that blonde was Carly. Which is totally ridiculous since Carly is happily married and her and Ric only worked together for a few weeks. Somehow Elizabeth must have gotten the wrong idea when she saw them speaking upstairs."
"What happened next?"
"I tried calling Jason. I couldn't get the thought of the gun out of my head and I figured he would tell me I was crazy to be worried, but I couldn't reach him." Courtney forced a tear to her eye. "I never dreamed Elizabeth would snap like that. It's all my fault. If I hadn't told her about seeing Ric with another woman she never would have tired to murder Carly in cold blood."
Room
"You don't like Carly Corinthos do you?"
Again he had changed tracks and again she lost her rhythm. "We're not friends if that's what you mean."
"I'd say that's an understatement." Ross flipped to another page in his notebook. "You've had several loud arguments with Mrs. Corinthos for years now. The most recent of which was at a wake a little over a week ago isn't that correct?"
"Yes."
"So I'm correct in saying that if something happened to Carly Corinthos you wouldn't be broken up over it now would you?"
"No you're not correct. I may not like Carly but I certainly wouldn't want her injured or dead." Elizabeth huffed angrily.
"Not even when you found out Ric had a blonde on the side and you believed it was Carly?"
Elizabeth could only sputter in shock.
Squad
"We may have a problem." Sonny joined the others and kept his voice low. "With what Courtney is saying it doesn't look good for Elizabeth." He quickly filled them in on what he'd overheard.
Carly sent a speculative look in Courtney's direction.
"Why am I not surprised?" Nikolas asked when Sonny finished then checked his watch. Krianos's deadline was fast approaching.
"Get Elizabeth a lawyer and tell her to shut the hell up." Carly turned back to the others with a purpose and earned surprised looks from the men.
"Too bad Alexis is in the hospital." Nikolas commented while glaring at Sonny.
Carly rolled her eyes in disgust. "A lawyer who isn't nuts would be a good start. Elizabeth is going to need help and not from the straightjacketed. What?" She snapped at her husband when he continued to stare at her.
"I'm surprised you want to help her." Sonny answered.
"I'm not a monster or stupid. Elizabeth didn't try to kill me." Carly retorted. "But if she doesn't shut her trap she'll soon be arrested for it."
Room
"I've had enough of this. I've answered all of your questions and tolerated your insults." Elizabeth got to her feet. "Either arrest me or let me go."
Ross rose as well pointed to her seat and waited for her to sit before turning to go into the back room where an assistant district attorney was waiting. "Well what do you think?"
Duncan "The Rattler" Attler continued to study the woman through the mirror. Her wholesome look would play well with a jury but she seemed to have a temper. If he could trick her into letting it out that should counter her appearance. Besides there were her dubious friendships to consider. "Are you sure the information is solid?"
"Yes. And if I had any doubts before they're gone now. Did you notice she never once asked how Lansing is? He could be dead and she doesn't seem to care. That type of coldness is necessary when you want to commit a murder of this type." Ross waited another minute. "Do I arrest her or not?"
Squad
Carly waited for Courtney to sign her statement and step away from the officer before grabbing her arm and pulling her to the side. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Telling the truth."
"Don't give me that crap." Carly was anything but nice. "Sonny told me what you said to the cops. What were you thinking?"
"Relax I'm taking care of things in fact I'm protecting you." Courtney's answer was smug.
"How do you figure that?"
"I told her I saw Ric with a blonde but didn't say it was you." Courtney explained. "Don't you see if Elizabeth clings to her story that she shot Ric when he was trying to kill you, you'll be in trouble. The cops as well as Sonny and probably Jason will dig into the past to try to figure out why Ric was trying to kill you. That won't be good for you or for the baby. By telling the cops that Elizabeth was jealous of a blonde and lashed out because she thought you were the other woman the cops won't dig. No one will dig and the truth of what Ric did to you won't come out. The cops believe Elizabeth shot Ric while aiming for you in a jealous rage. Now do you see how I'm helping you?"
Carly could only stare at her in shock.
"Something's happening." Nikolas's voice was loud and it carried through the squad room.
The interrogation room door swung open, Ross led Elizabeth outside and flagged down a female officer. "Book her on one count attempted murder, one count reckless endangerment, and one count assault with a deadly weapon."
Courtney turned to Carly with a smug look on her face. It had worked.