Lucy scheduled appointments for herself and Caroline the next day. She couldn't wait to spend time alone with Ian. Victor and Mary had agreed to take Danny for the weekend, and Christina and Serena were going to be with Scott. She purchased some gourmet baskets, and called the caretaker to air out the cabin. As soon as Ian got home from work, she was planning a romantic weekend—just the three of them, as Caroline was too small to leave behind. With the likelihood of houseguests through the holiday season, she wanted to make sure that she and Ian had some quality time together—and she had missed his touch dreadfully.
Lucy was playing with Caroline when the doorbell rang. She picked up the baby, walked over to the door, and said, "Can I help you?" to a man and woman she had never seen before.
"Mrs. Ian Thornhart?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I'm Lucy Thornhart. And you are…?"Lucy asked. The woman pulled out a badge identifying herself as an agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "My name is Eileen Heckart and this is George Limm."
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Lucy asked them.
"We are here to investigate your husband's application for citizenship," Eileen said. "May we come in and speak with you?"
"My husband isn't home right now," Lucy said, as she opened the door and led the way into the living room.
After being seated on the sofa, Eileen continued, "After reviewing his file and other public records, we have found some anomalies that need to be cleared up."
Lucy's hands shook as she put Caroline in her crib. She said, "I'm sure everything can be explained to your satisfaction. Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, thank you. When do you expect your husband to return?" George replied.
"Not for another hour or so. We were planning to go away for the weekend. Can we maybe make an appointment for next week?" Lucy answered.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. We'll need to speak with your husband as soon as he returns. In the meantime, we'd like you to answer a few questions for us," Eileen replied.
Lucy wanted to run into the other room and call Ian to warn him about the INS agents' visit. She knew that was a bad idea, so she sat on a chair next to Caroline's crib. When had Ian applied for citizenship? Why hadn't he mentioned it to her? What could possibly be the reason for this visit?
Agent Heckart said, "We found records indicating that you are the third Mrs. Thornhart in as many years. Were you aware of your husband's prior marriages?"
"Yes, I knew both of his previous wives. Of course, one of them doesn't count since the marriage was annulled," Lucy replied. "Why do you want to know?"
"Now Mrs. Thornhart…Lucy…may I call you Lucy?" said Agent Limm.
"Mrs. Thornhart is fine," Lucy answered him coolly.
"Alright, then—Mrs. Thornhart—we find it disturbing that a foreign national, a guest of this country, might be taking advantage of his position here. There are notes in his file that question the validity of his marriage to Arianna Shapur, and an annulment tends to confirm those suspicions. Also, he married his second wife almost immediately after Ms. Shapur disappeared, and you were married out of the country several months ago," the agent replied. "Aren't you concerned about your husband's penchant for marriage?"
"Why should I be? I have known my husband since he came to Port Charles four years ago. We were very good friends—the best of friends—even before he married Arianna. SHE chose to leave him and annul their marriage. I believe it was because people like you…" she paused for effect, "made it unbearable for her."
"That still doesn't explain why he married Evelyn Lambert so soon after the annulment," Agent Limm answered.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to ask my husband about that, but I do know that they were happily married—and very much in love—until she died in a tragic accident. She left behind a beautiful son who I've recently adopted."
"That leads us to your marriage—and children," Agent Heckart said as she leaned forward in her seat. "Tell us how you married, adopted his son, and had a child all in less than a year."
Lucy laughed humorlessly, "Well, I'm sure you know that babies do not schedule their arrival to make government agencies comfortable. Obviously, I became pregnant with Caroline soon after our marriage—do you consider that a crime?"
"It is if you did it to provide your husband with the opportunity to become an American citizen. That makes us very… uncomfortable," the female agent said with a frown. "I can't imagine how anyone could dismiss a marriage record like your husband's."
"Since he's my SIXTH husband, I don't believe that I have any right to judge him in that way! Dr. Thornhart and I are deeply committed to each other and our children. This entire conversation is ridiculous, and unless you are charging us with something, I think you had better leave," Lucy said sternly as she rose.
Meanwhile, Ian had gotten Lucy's message about a weekend at the cabin and decided to leave the hospital early. When he pulled into the driveway and noticed the strange car with government plates, his first thought was that something had happened to Lucy or one of the children. He raced to the front door and was calling her name before it was even open all the way, "Lucy! What's the mat…?"
"Ian, you're home early!" Lucy said. She was annoyed that she hadn't been able to get rid of the INS agents before his arrival. "These agents are here to talk to you—from the INS."
"The INS? Huh? What are they doing…I mean you doing here? What can I do for you?" Ian answered with a look of confusion on his face.
"Ah, Mr. Thornhart, we've been waiting to speak with you," Agent Limm said, purposely giving him the wrong title.
Ian strode forward and held out his hand, hoping that a friendly gesture might make the meeting go more pleasantly. He still remembered the hard time they had given him and Arianna when he tried to protect her. He knew that losing his temper would only make things worse—but damn if he hadn't been expecting something to happen, his life had never beenallowed to go smoothly for more than a short time before fate stepped in and stirred up trouble.
The agent pointedly refused to take Ian's hand and sat back on the sofa, "Why don't you have a seat so that we can clear up a few things."
Ian walked over to Lucy and put his arm around her waist, "I'd like to greet my wife and daughter if you don't mind." He kissed Lucy softly and reached down to pick up Caroline. She smiled and cooed at him before he kissed her and returned her to the crib. Ian felt that she would be better off in her bed until this interview was ended.
"Now, what's so important that you need to ask me about?" Ian asked the agents politely.
"We've been discussing your marriage with your wife, and she has not been very forthcoming. Perhaps you would like to enlighten us about your most recent marriage."
"What's there to enlighten you about?" He asked, looking at Lucy with a question in his eyes. "We got married and we had a baby—I think that's pretty obvious, isn't it?"
Agent Heckart said, "Yes, we know that. But you were married twice in the same year, and have another child—by another woman. You seem to like being married to American women, don't you MISTER Thornhart?"
"Now see here, my husband is a fine physician, and I won't have you insulting him in his own home. If you're going to insist on this absurd interrogation, the least you can do is call him by his title—DOCTOR Thornhart!" Lucy exclaimed in outrage.
Ian put his hand over Lucy's and said, "Shh… shh… Lucy. It'll be alright. They're just doing their job." Ian was seething inside, but was doing his best to keep his temper. Unfortunately, he recognized that Lucy was about to lose hers completely. "Why don't you take Caroline up to her room while I finish answering their questions? Then we'll have our nice weekend."
"No, Ian, I won't leave you. I'm staying right here and so is OUR daughter. I've had quite enough of their insinuations, and if they don't change their attitude I'll be having a word with their superiors!" Lucy said indignantly.
Ian sighed loudly, knowing that they were in for it now. Once Lucy got her teeth into something it was hard to make her let go. This was going to be a rough ride for the both of them.
Misinterpreting Ian's discomfort, the agents decided it was time to question them separately. Agent Heckart and Lucy stayed in the living room, while Agent Limm and Ian went out to the back patio. Although Ian offered the kitchen, the agent wanted no risk of Lucy or Ian overhearing the other's answers to their questions. He knew they were up to something, and he was going to find out what it was.