Dirty Dealings
Part 10
For a few minutes he held her in his arms and rocked her slowly. The door opened and one agent came cautiously inside, wanting to tell The President that Mrs. Landingham had called to say that the visiting dignitaries who were supposed to have lunch with him were being escorted to Blair House to freshen up after their flight. Jed gave him a stern look that warned him not to interrupt. The agent acknowledged him and left as silently as he had arrived. Abbey's crying had eased so Jed started talking to her. "Abbey?"
Abbey slowly freed herself from Jed, getting up and starting to get dressed. "It's nothing."
Jed sighed as he stood as well. "Abbey, it's me. You know you can tell me anything." He waited while she put on her panties and a pair of black slacks.
She fumbled slightly as she tried to buckle the strap on her shoe. "Lane wants to move to England and take the girls with him." She blurted it out, as she had wanted to do from the beginning, needing to talk with Jed about it. "He got a job offer there."
Jed was stunned. Had that man not done enough damage? "Who would offer him a job? Does someone know he's alive?"
"I don't care!" Abbey spat out as she put on a sweater and then turned to face him. "He is going to take my girls."
Jed took a step closer to her. "We will not let that happen. I'll do anything I can to prevent that."
Abbey tried to calm down. "No, you shouldn't be caught in the middle of this. What if he starts to drag you through the mud? It wouldn't be good for you. You have your presidency to think about, all the good you've done for people and all you still have to accomplish."
Even in crisis Abbey had a knack for looking out for others rather than herself. It was one of the qualities that had made him fall for her. "I don't care. I care about you and those two girls of yours."
Once again, she was deeply touched by his concern for her and her children. "Listen, I appreciate it, I really do, but this is my fight."
Jed put his hands on her shoulders. "No, Abbey, you have been fighting Lane alone long enough. You, Leo and Jenny. I will help you in any way I can."
"Jed, if..." Abbey had a hard time saying what she was about to say. She knew it would affect him deeply. "If he takes the girls I just can't let them go alone."
Jed blinked. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying if he takes the girls to England then I will go with them. I can't loose my girls, Jed." She hoped he would see that.
Jed tried to remain strong. He could see it was as hard for her to say it as it was for him to hear it but he did not want to loose her now.
"Jed, I...." She stopped abruptly when the phone rang. For just a moment she was afraid it would be Lane again, but soon she found herself walking over to the phone anyway.
As he watched the way her hand shook when she gripped the phone, he wished he could do something for her. He had not lied. He would do anything to make sure Lane did not take those girls anywhere. He briefly wondered if Leo knew about Lane's latest scheme.
"Hello?" Abbey was relieved to hear Jenny's voice on the other end. "Hey. No, I'm fine. Yeah, he's still here. I'll tell him. Jenny, I'm fine. OK, bye." She turned back to Jed. "Leo needed to go home for a little while, but things are under control in The White House." She looked at the alarm clock beside her bed. "You should go."
It was times like this when he hated being the busy man he was. He could see she was breaking apart in front of his very eyes and he could not do anything about it. "I don't want to leave you like this."
Abbey tried putting on a brave front. "I'll be OK."
He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Call me if there is anything, anything at all."
"I will." Came her subdued response.
He reluctantly drew back and looked into her beautiful hazel eyes. "We will stop him."
She found herself smiling a little in spite of it all. She knew very well the determination of Jed Bartlet.
He let her go and left, wishing with all his might he could stay. He decided not to go to The White House right away though, as he was sure Leo had taken care of everything pressing. He needed to make one stop first. He decided to call Charlie and see if there was anything that required his immediate attention. Hopefully, there was not.
------
Jenny opened the door. "Ron?" She greeted the President's secret service agent.
"President Bartlet wishes to come in, ma'am."
Jenny moved aside, used to having her house searched. She finished drying her hands on the dishrag she was carrying and waited.
After several minutes, agents took up posts outside the door with Ron taking a post inside and she saw Jed coming up the walk.
"Jenny." Jed greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Where's Leo?"
"He'll be right back. He ran over to the school to take Laurie's costume to her. Today is the dress rehearsal for her play and she forgot it. Leo came home for lunch so he took it while I make him a sandwich." Jenny stopped rambling, as she realized Jed was not listening anyway.
Jed moved toward the living room. "I need to talk to him about Lane..."
"What about me?"
Jed stopped in his tracks and stared at a man he truly hated sitting calmly in his best friend's living room reading the paper. "Abbey told me what you're planning."
"She should learn to keep her mouth shut." Lane stood, but remained eerily calm.
Jed moved a few steps closer to him, thinking how good it would feel to knock Lane to the floor, but quickly erased that thought from his mind when he remembered how Leo had flinched when he had raised his fist. Lane hit; he didn't. "You won't get away with it. The girl's lives are here. There's no way they're going with you."
Jenny hovered close to the door, watching to see that Ron Butterfield was on alert. What did Jed mean?
Lane laughed. "The girls will do whatever I tell them to do. I'm their father. And who knows, I may take my whole family with me. The girls...Leo...Jenny...Abbey...and what could you do about it?"
"I'll stop you." It was a threat and a promise rolled into one.
"Huh? You'll stop me. They'll do whatever I say. I have control, I've always had control."
Jed took another step. Ron tensed and moved beside Jenny.
"Just go, Lane, go now!" Jenny marched around the President and faced off with her brother-in-law.
"Damn, you've got nerve. I like that." Lane kissed his finger and pressed it to Jenny's lips before he strolled passed her and around Bartlet. "See you later, Mr. President. You can make all the plans you want with my little brother, tell yourself he's going to back you up, but when it comes right down to it, Leo will know who to obey." With that Lane grinned and winked at the President before disappearing out the door.
Jenny's hand covered her mouth as she stood there, still facing away from Jed. He moved to her and put his arm around her. "Don't you worry, Jen, that man is not going to hurt anyone again."
Jenny's eyes sparkled with tears. "I have to finish lunch." She abruptly bolted for the kitchen.
------
"Sir?" Leo came through the house, speaking before he even got to the kitchen door.
"In here, Leo," Jed said through a bite of sandwich.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
"Relax, Leo, you didn't even know I was coming. And I can't resist Jenny's cooking. She made me a grilled bologna and cheese sandwich. You know I haven't had that since we were at the farm last year."
"It's not something they make at The White House?" Jenny made a half hearted joke.
"What's wrong?" Leo moved to put an arm around Jenny, looking warily at both of them. He knew something was wrong and he bet that it involved his brother.
Losing his appetite, the President put down his sandwich and motioned for Leo to sit. "Lane called Abbey."
"He's going public with the story that she tried to kill him?" Leo searched for an explanation for the looks he was getting from Jed and Jenny.
"No, Leo." The President could not feel an ounce of relief even though he was getting to tell his friend that something they all feared was not happening yet, as what Lane was planning on doing was just as bad. "He told Abbey that he is thinking of taking a job in England and wants to take the girls there." Jed decided to leave out the part where Lane had threatened to take his whole family there.
"Aunt Ceira offered him a job?"
"Aunt Ceira?" The President searched his mind. He knew Leo's family well, but this was a new name or was it? He thought it might be vaguely familiar.
"My Dad's sister. You've never met her. She lives in Cambridge and owns a theater. She's getting older and must have asked Lane to manage things for her. It's frequented by a lot of people in high positions and Lane must think he can make some connections. I told her that Lane was alive and I know Lane also called her yesterday."
"So you think this job offer thing is legit and he's not just trying to torment Abbey?"
Leo nodded. "Aunt Ceira called and offered the job to Josie earlier this year, but Josie turned her down because it would mean giving up her position with the Atlanta schools."
"Jed, don't let this upset you. Abbey would never allow Lane to take the girls to the park, much less out of the country." Jenny patted Jed's arm. "They all love you and here is where they want to be."
Jed looked down, collecting his thoughts.
"You don't seem convinced." Jenny frowned at her observation.
"It's what Abbey said." Jed spoke like his heart could break. "She said she would go to England with him if that was what it took to be with her girls."
Jenny couldn't say a word. She had no doubt that Abbey would do that if that was what it took to be Laurie and Leah's mother.
"I'll talk with Aunt Ceira." Leo rose to go to the phone. "She loves Abbey and the girls. She would not want to be the cause of this."
"Lane won't be happy." Jenny couldn't stop herself from expressing her fear.
"I can't just do nothing, Jenny." Leo caressed her cheek and went down the hall to his home office.
After Leo left the room, Jed studied Jenny. "He'll be fine."
"How do you know that, Jed? You know what his brother is capable of. He's been hurt enough!"
Jed nodded in full agreement. "And I'm here to see that it doesn't happen again."
"How's Abbey taking all of this? I have no doubt that she will go to England if that's what it takes."
"No one is going anywhere, I promise you that."
"I think I'm going to go see Abbey. Will you tell Leo to call me later."
"Sure, Jen." Jed kissed her and gave her a long hug. "And you don't worry, not about Leo and certainly not about Lane."
"I'll try." Jenny gave him a weak smile before picking up her purse and jacket and going out the side door to the garage.
Jenny got out of her car, startled by the young boy's voice, as he rode up beside her. "Hey, Lady, do you know if Mrs. McGarry is home? I need to collect for the newspaper."
"How much does she owe?" Jenny knew Abbey would be upset and didn't want her to be disturbed.
"Ten dollars to finish out the month."
Jenny handed the boy a ten dollar bill and impatiently waited while he hunted for the ticket he was supposed to give her.
Finally he handed her the ticket and explained. "She's supposed to fill this out and give it back to me for the opportunity to win two dinners at The High Five Steakhouse."
"She'll get it to you later." Jenny ignored the boy who seemed to be going to say something further and approached Abbey's front door. Knocking, Jenny was surprised that the door simply slid open at her touch. "Abbey?" Jenny took a step into the foyer. She started to call out again when the livingroom caught her attention. She stood motionless and stared. The lamp was tipped back against the wall, its shade torn. The pillows on the couch were laying spread across the floor. The coffee table was overturned, the flowers it had held smashed underneath it. Another shelf to the right of the couch was leaning at a precarious angle, glass figurines in pieces all over it.
Jenny forced herself to move, walking through the livingroom, carefully avoiding the broken glass. "Abbey?" Jenny's voice got louder, shaking with apprehension. "Abbey, are you here?" When her calls went unanswered, Jenny began to search for the phone which was not on the table where it should be.
"Hello." Leo raced to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. He had been locking the front door to go back to The White House as he had heard it ring. When the caller spoke, he thought it was Jenny, but he wasn't sure. "Jen, is that you?" Leo listened carefully. "Are you okay?"
"Leo, Abbey's missing..."
"What do you mean missing?"
"I got here to talk with her. I found the door open and the house a mess. Abbey's not here, at least I can't find her. Leo, should I call the police?"
"They won't do anything until she's been missing for twenty-four hours. Call Jed and ask him to send Ron Butterfield over." Leo paused, considering what he was saying. "Jen, you looked all over the house for Abbey?"
"Yes, Leo...what do you think? Do you think something has happened to her?"
Leo could hear that his wife sounded scared. "Jen, I want you to go to your car and lock yourself in. Stay there until Ron or I get there, okay?"
"Leo?"
"Jen, please."
"Okay, Leo, hurry."
"I'm on my way. Everything will be fine, baby."
Jed tried to focus on the bill in front of him, but all he could think about was Lane's latest scheme. He threw his pen down and tried to concentrate, jumping slightly when the phone rang. Thinking it might be Abbey he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Jed."
He could tell right away something was not right. "Jenny? What's wrong?"
"Abbey is missing."
Jed froze.
"Her front door was open and the living room is a mess. It looks like there was a fight. I called Leo and he's on his way. Can you get Ron to come over here and take a look? God, I don't know what to do."
In spite of his own growing fear, he did his best to calm Jenny down. "I'll talk to Ron right now. Stay calm and wait for Leo."
"Yeah, OK."
He hung up the receiver. "CHARLIE!" He tried to remain calm. He had just seen Abbey this morning. She couldn't possibly be missing. There had to be a mistake.
In seconds Charlie burst through the door, startled by the President's tone of voice. "Yes, sir."
"I want Ron Butterfield in here, NOW!"
TBC....