Chapter Ten (by Mary)

Erica looked across the table at Bianca and smiled. Even though her mind was racing with thoughts about what Mariele had told her, she was happy to see Bianca and thrilled that her daughter wanted to talk to her.

After Enrique brought their coffees, Erica sipped hers and said to Bianca, "So, what did you want to talk about, honey?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," Bianca replied. "About you and me, about Miranda . . . and about Grandma." Bianca's eyes filled with tears as they always did when she talked about Mona.

"What about her?" Erica asked gently, reaching over and squeezing Bianca's hand.

"I've been thinking about what she would always tell us," Bianca said softly, "That we were a legacy of strong women–Kane women–and now Miranda is the littlest Kane woman."

"Yes, she is," Erica smiled in agreement.

"I miss Grandma," Bianca said sadly.

"I know, honey," Erica said. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. She's still with us, though. You know that."

Bianca nodded. "I do. I've been thinking about what she would have wanted for us and I don't think this is it."

Erica looked at her questioningly and Bianca continued. "Ever since you came home, I've been keeping you at a distance. I kept telling myself that it was because I wasn't sure that you could really accept Miranda but, to be honest, I was punishing you for leaving."

"I don't blame you for feeling that way," Erica told her daughter. "I let you down, Bianca. I should have been there for you. I should have been supportive but I just couldn't do it. But I'm stronger now. Thanks to Jack, and you and Kendall and everyone else in our strange but wonderful family, I'm stronger than I've ever been before."

"I want us to be close again, Mom," Bianca said tearfully. "I want Miranda to know her grandmother. I want the two of you to spend time together. Time is too precious for us to waste it."

"I would love to spend time with Miranda," Erica replied joyfully. "You don't know how much I've wanted that. Oh, honey," she reached over and took Bianca's hand again. "I love you and I love that little girl of yours."

"Then it's settled," Bianca said, smiling through her tears. "The legacy of strong Kane woman will continue."

"I can feel your grandmother watching us right now," Erica said, "And I just know she's smiling." She walked over to Bianca and hugged her, feeling as if the final piece of her homecoming had finally fallen into place.

———

Jack tried to digest everything that Mariele had just told him but his head was spinning. Whatever he had been expecting to hear, this wasn't it.

"So you're telling me that your father went into a partnership with Olaf Thorquist and then was betrayed by both him and Alexander Cambias Sr.?" he asked Mariele.

"Precisely. Olaf had no real interest in refurbishing the fishery. But after both he and Alex put their heads together, they knew that approaching my father in that manner would garner the results both men were after."

"Verkaat?" Jack interjected.

Mariele looked surprised. "When did you–?"

"This morning. You planted that little bit of information, didn't you?"

"I wanted to make sure the truth would come out, no matter what the cost."

"Uh, huh, I can tell" Jack replied derisively.

"Please, Jack, let me finish. Once you hear the whole story, you'll understand."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you, Mariele. After what just happened at the Valley Inn, my patience with you and this entire situation is wearing more than a little thin." Jack considered the dejected look washing over Mariele's face and softened. "Fine, go on."

"Three months after the irrigation system was completed, Cambias gave the order to start diverting massive amounts of toxic waste from their more costly cylinder transport system into the new irrigation unit. As soon as my father became aware of Verkaat's misuse, he tried to stop them–turn them in, as you say–but they were just too powerful. Instead they fabricated documents to make it appear as though he orchestrated the change for his own personal gain and in the process, they destroyed the reputation he worked all his life to build. But my father's a stubborn man–"

"Like his daughter?" Jack offered.

Mariele smiled faintly and continued . "He refused to back down. He knew there had to be some way of linking Cambias and Thorquist to the dumping. He was collecting the final soil sample he needed to expose them when Alex and Olaf discovered his plan and panicked. Thirty minutes later there was an explosion at Verkaat's central filtering system which all but destroyed any hope my father had of clearing his reputation and bringing the true culprits to justice. That's when my father went underground." She looked at Jack pleadingly, hoping for some glimmer of understanding.

"But your father returned," Jack pointed out. "Two years later."

"Yes, he did. They made sure he got word that my mother was very ill, which, unfortunately was true and when he came home, he was arrested," Mariele paced back and forth in front of Jack's desk. "Their attorneys notified my father that, unless he pleaded guilty to the charges, they'd make sure my mother's access to some very costly medical treatment would be blocked."

"That's quite a story," Jack said, leaning back in his chair.

"And it's all true," Mariele said passionately. "My father is a good man–an honest man–and that's what I've been trying to prove."

"How is embezzling money from Cambias Industries going to prove your father's innocence?" Jack asked wryly.

Mariele stopped pacing and stared. "What?"

"You heard me. The missing money, Mariele. Explain that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mariele stated.

They both turned as the door opened and Erica came in. Jack could tell immediately that things had gone well with Bianca. Relieved that he apparently didn't have to worry about Erica and his niece anymore, he turned to the matter at hand.

"Mariele was just bringing me up to speed on what she told you earlier today," Jack got up and walked around his desk.

"Yes, that was very…interesting," Erica said somewhat suspiciously.

"It's all true, Erica," Mariele insisted. She stepped closer to Jack. "I wanted to tell you all of this, Jack, really I did. I knew you would understand…" She reached up to touch his face and Erica stepped forward.

"We'll have to check all this out," Erica said, moving Mariele firmly toward the door. "I hope for your sake that you're not lying to us."

"I'm not," Mariele said, looking back. "I don't know anything about the embezzlement, Jack. I swear I had nothing to do with it." She turned and left.

Erica glared at the door for a long moment after Mariele left. "That woman is a thief and a liar," she declared emphatically, turning back to Jack.

"I'm not so sure," Jack replied.

Erica stared at him in amazement. "Don't tell me you believe her about the money?"

"Calm down, sweetheart, I'll check out everything she told me," Jack said. "If she's lying, we'll find out."

"I have no idea how that woman always manages to twist you around her little finger," Erica sniped.

"The only finger I want to be twisted around, as you well know, is yours," said Jack, walking over and pulling her closer. He bent to kiss her softly. "Now, tell me, what happened with you and Bianca?"

Erica's face lit up. "She wants us to be close again, Jack," she said happily. "It did work out, just like you said it would."

"I knew it would," Jack replied, smiling down at her. "The two of you have a very special relationship. It may have its rocky patches, but it can never be destroyed."

"Everything I've wanted since I came home is finally happening," Erica said happily, laying her head against his chest with a contented sigh.

"Not to mention that this whole mess is coming to an end," Jack added, kissing the top of her head. "Speaking of which, I need to talk to Ryan." He walked back around his desk and picked up the phone. "What the hell was he thinking when he hired Thorquist? It's pretty obvious he didn't do his homework."

"Ryan didn't exactly excel as head of Cambias Industries, Jack," Erica reminded him. "That's why we're here."

"He's on his way." Jack put down the phone and walked back over to her. "It's probably better if you're not here. We should play it safe for a little longer."

Erica pouted and wound her arms around his neck. "Well, Mariele knows we're still together, you called Peggy looking for me earlier today and you should have seen Dot's face when I walked by her on my way in here. Do we really need to keep pretending?" She ran her fingers through his hair as she spoke and moved closer. "I want the whole world to know we're engaged again."

"Uh, sweetheart, this really isn't a good idea right now," Jack stammered as her lips moved along his jaw line.

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack, of course it is," she responded, her breath fanning his cheek. "I've missed you since this morning." He gave in as her lips reached his, pulling her back against the desk with him as they kissed passionately.

"Jack, I–oh, sorry–again," Kendall's voice brought them back down to earth.

Jack placed his hands on Erica's shoulders and moved her determinedly away from him. "It's alright, Kendall, come on in. Your mother was just leaving."

"So I see," Kendall observed. "I just wondered if there was any progress on the spreadsheet."

"Actually, there is," Jack replied. "Ryan is on his way here now." He looked at Erica insistently. "Which is why you're leaving, remember?"

Erica sighed and headed toward the door. "Fine, just remember to check out that little sob story you were fed earlier," she said to Jack. She hugged Kendall quickly on her way out the door. "Call me, honey. We need to do lunch again soon."

"What does Ryan have to do with this?" Kendall asked Jack when they were alone. "You don't mean–"

"Relax, Ryan doesn't have anything to do with the missing money," Jack reassured her. "But if he was paying more attention on his watch, this probably wouldn't have happened."

Jack noted the little smile that Kendall tried and failed to suppress. "I guess Ryan wasn't as brilliant at business as he thought he was going to be."

"I'll fill you in later," Jack said as the door opened and Ryan strolled in.

"Hey, Jack, what's going on?"

"I'll leave you two alone," Kendall headed toward the door, the self-satisfied smile still in place as she walked past Ryan.

"What's she so happy about?" Ryan asked as the door closed behind Kendall.

"Some idea for the new marketing campaign," Jack said smoothly. "I need to talk to you about when Thorquist came on board."

"What about it?" Ryan asked uneasily.

"How much research did you do before hiring them?"

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Maybe," Jack acknowledged vaguely. "What about the research?"

"Uh, well, I requested the background info," Ryan said, stammering slightly. "Then I put it aside to look at later."

"And?" Jack's eyebrow went up.

"And–I got busy and I guess I didn't really look at it," Ryan finished, sinking into a chair opposite Jack's desk. "You don't know how hard it was, Jack, trying to stay on top of everything." He looked at Jack pleadingly.

Jack sighed and massaged his temples. "I just wish you had read the information, Ryan. It could have saved all of us a lot of time–money."

"Are things so bad that now that they can't be fixed?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "I hope not."

Ryan waited to be filled in on the particulars but when it became clear that Jack had no intention of sharing any details of the situation with him, he stood up to leave. "I'm really sorry, Jack. Uh, you won't mention this to anyone, will you?" Taken aback, Jack simply stared back at him. "On second thought, forget I said that."

Ryan hurried out of the office and Jack picked up the phone. He knew Beppe and Dino would be able to check out Mariele's story fairly quickly and get back to him. They already knew about Girtz's involvement with Thorquist and Cambias. But that business about his being set up was still a question mark. Despite Erica's skepticism, he had a gut instinct that Mariele was telling the truth. But if she is, he thought wearily, what the hell happened to that missing money?

———

Mariele crossed the Valley Inn dining room and sat down opposite John. He waved the waiter away impatiently and looked at her with narrowed eyes before he spoke.

"What took you so long?" he finally asked.

"I was busy," Mariele replied. "I can't just drop everything and come running every time you call." Her gaze fell on the large manila envelope on the table. "What's that?"

"See for yourself," he answered, pushing the envelope over to her. Mariele opened the envelope and looked at the pictures of Jack and Erica without speaking. "Well, what do you think?" John asked her, leaning across the table. When she didn't answer, he continued. "I'll tell you what I think. I think we're both being played–you by the former district attorney and me by the fair Erica. The question is why."

Mariele put the pictures aside. "I have a question of my own," she said. "How did us trying to get information to clear my father result in a large sum of money being missing from Cambias Industries?"

"What are you talking about?" John asked with a frown.

"I'm talking about the fact that since Thorquist came on board at Cambias, someone has apparently managed to help themselves to money that doesn't belong to them and I don't mean just a few dollars here and there" Mariele stated.

"How do you know about this?" John asked, seemingly at a loss.

"How I know doesn't matter," Mariele replied. "What do you know about it?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," said John, sitting back in his chair. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Although he sounded completely genuine, John was having difficulty maintaining eye contact.

"What about Brett?" Mariele forged ahead. "It was your idea to bring him on board and he is the one that tapped into the computer system at Cambias."

"We needed him," John reminded her. "Without him, we never would have gotten the information to clear your father."

"But who's to say what he did once he was in," Mariele pointed out. "How well do you really know him these days, John?"

"Maybe we haven't seen a lot of each other since college," John said heatedly, "but he's not a criminal, if that's what you're implying." He got up to leave.

"I hope you're right," Mariele stood also. "We don't need anything to go wrong when we're this close."

"It won't," John assured her. He looked at his watch. "I'm late. I'll be in touch." He left the dining room and Mariele stared after him thoughtfully. She hoped he was right but she couldn't erase the nagging suspicion in her mind.

———

Jack glanced at the clock on the dash one last time as he drove home to the loft. He was still rattled by the afternoon's events. He kept reliving the moment when he was sure that Erica had disappeared with Andrews and was in grave danger. As he passed the penthouse, Jack fought the urge to check in on her. He knew she was fine but still… What the hell, he thought, pulling into the underground garage before he could change his mind. It would put his mind at ease just to see her for a minute. If he used his key and took the back elevator, no one would see him.

Jack reached the penthouse and rang the bell. After a few moments, he heard footsteps and was reassured to see that Erica kept the security chain on and only opened the door a crack.

"Jack–what on earth?" To say that Erica was surprised was an understatement. She quickly unlocked the door and let him in.

"I know I'm being foolish but I just had to make sure you were alright," he told her. "Ever since this afternoon–well, I feel better just seeing you." Looking at her closely, he could see that she appeared slightly flustered. She looked gorgeous, of course, but her cheeks were flushed and wisps of hair had come undone from the knot on her head. He bent to kiss her but before their lips met, an ear-piercing shriek came from the direction of the kitchen.

"What the–" Jack was at a loss as Erica rushed into the kitchen but was pleasantly surprised when she came back with Miranda in her arms.

"Well, this is an unexpected treat," Jack said, smiling at his goddaughter. Miranda reciprocated with another shriek and Erica shoved her unceremoniously into Jack's arms.

"Just hold her, Jack, while I get her bottle," Erica disappeared again and Jack sat down on the sofa with Miranda. By the time Erica returned, the baby was staring up at Jack and smiling happily. Erica stared in disbelief. "Apparently, you have the magic touch," Erica observed, handing him the bottle.

"Of course–she is a Kane woman, after all," Jack responded with a twinkle in his eye.

Erica sank down next to him. "Honestly, Jack, she's such a joy and I'm so happy to spend time with her." She took a deep breath. "But when she doesn't get her own way, I swear, she's a handful." She stopped as Jack barely suppressed a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Uh, nothing, sweetheart, nothing at all," Jack said quickly. "So how did this come about?"

"Bianca called and said that she and Kendall wanted to go out for the evening and I jumped at the chance," Erica said, taking Miranda from Jack as she finished the bottle. Miranda yawned sleepily and snuggled in against Erica's shoulder. "It was going really well until I took too long getting her bottle ready."

"It looks like everything is under control now," Jack said, smiling at the picture the two of them made.

"She certainly has kept me busy," said Erica. "I'm exhausted–but in a good way." She looked down at her granddaughter asleep in her arms. "She reminds me so much of Bianca at this age," she said softly.

"Looking at the two of you is like stepping back in time," Jack told her. "I can remember you holding Bianca like this so many times, and you know what? Nothing has changed. I loved you then and I love you now–even more so if possible." He kissed Miranda on the top of her head and leaned over to give Erica a tender kiss.

Making sure that Miranda was asleep, Erica tiptoed over to the portable crib and put her down. Jack followed and put his arm around her as they both looked at the miracle that had changed all of their lives.

"I have to go or the kids will send out a search party," Jack said eventually. "Lock the door behind me."

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Erica followed him to the door regretfully.

"I know, but just think, in another day or two, everything will be out in the open and you'll be back at the loft with me where you belong." Jack bent to kiss her one last time, lingering slightly as her lips immediately parted under his.

"OK, now I really have to go," he confirmed, moving away from her. "I love you."

"I love you."

He listened for the click of the lock and made his way to the elevator. As he waited for it to arrive, he thought that his life couldn't possibly be any more complete. At long last, the woman that he had loved for what seemed like forever and the family that he had always wanted were going to be his.

———

John walked into the bar and squinted in the smoky darkness. He finally spotted Brett sitting in a high-backed corner booth, his back to the door. John made his way to the booth and slid into the seat across from his old college friend. As always, when John hadn't seen him in a while, he was struck by Brett's appearance. Gone was the carefree youth from their college days. In his place was a large, brutish-looking man with a permanent scowl on his face. John noted that the glass in front of Brett was empty, as were several others on the table.

"What's this about, Johnny Boy?" Brett asked belligerently. "I think I was pretty clear about not wanting us seen together."

"Yeah, I know," John said, "But something's come up."

"Your girlfriend's not happy with the job I did?"

"She's not my girlfriend," John replied. "But Mariele's more than happy with the info we got."

"So?"

"So, it's been brought to my attention that there's a large sum of money missing from Cambias Industries," John stated bluntly. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Brett leaned across the table. "What exactly are you accusing me of, Johnny?"

"Look, I know you and I agreed that skimming a couple of grand out of Cambias's coffers would be no big deal. A company that big isn't going to miss twenty thou. But I just came from Mariele's place. Somehow she got wise to it. Call me crazy but I doubt any red flags would have gone off with anybody over there, least of all that idiot Lavery if we stuck to our deal. You didn't happen to get a little too greedy, Brett, now did you?

Totally engrossed in their conversation, neither one of them noticed the man in the grey suit sit down in the booth behind them. Quietly ordering a drink, he listened attentively to their conversation, his face darkening as he grasped the urgency of the situation.