Author's note: This chapter gave me more fits than I can describe. Kinda loathing it still, but I don't think we'll be reconciled any time soon, so I'm posting anyway. Thank you to everyone who's still reading this story no matter how frustrated with it I am.
"You're sure he's coming," Natalie asked Adriana for the third time as she paced across the office.
"I told him there was an issue with Craze that I absolutely could not solve without his help," she said, "if there's any guaranteed way to get to David it's feeding his ego. Now could you… could you sit down please, you're making me nervous."
"I'm sorry," Natalie said flopping down in a chair. "I'm just worried."
"About John?" Adriana said sympathetically.
Natalie looked at her uneasily. "Adriana we didn't talk about... John and I we… I know Cristian's your cousin. I know the two of you are close-"
"I want Cristian to be happy," she said, "and no matter what he thinks he won't be happy with someone who's in love with someone else. And I know you can't force your heart to feel one way or another. Believe me, I've tried."
"Thanks for understanding," Natalie said with a weak smile. She was about to say more when the door burst open and David Vickers walked in.
"So what is this crisis that could only be handled by my-" seeing Natalie sitting there he stopped short, "Natalie Buchanan. Following family tradition and getting into journalism, are we?"
"Investigative reporting," she said.
"Okay," he said uneasily.
"Sit down David," Adriana said, "we need to talk to you."
David raised an eyebrow. "Adriana Cramer, did you lure me here under false pretenses?"
"Yes," she said simply.
"I am so proud of you," he said, making a point of bringing his right hand to his chest, "you're more like your mother every day."
"Whatever," she said rolling her eyes, "just sit down."
"So," he said turning to Natalie, "to what do I owe the honor."
"There's nothing honorific about it," she said, "I need to ask you some questions."
"About what?" he asked not moving to sit down.
"Twenty-five years ago you were charged with the assault of a Doctor Snyder," she said.
"The charges were dropped," he said without flinching.
"And about a month later the doctor wound up dead," Natalie continued.
"I heard he committed suicide," David shrugged.
"Who did you hear that from?" she asked.
David's nervousness was beginning to show. "I don't remember. I mean word about something like that gets around."
"You and your brother don't seem to get along," she said thoughtfully, and she could see from David's expression that he realized this wasn't a random subject change.
"That's hardly a secret," he said leaning back against a desk.
"What about back then?" she asked, "were you closer back then?"
"I lived with him back then," he sighed.
"I didn't know that," Adriana said.
"I don't like to talk about it," he explained. "Dad was in prison for not taking my advice about avoiding a certain mark so Spencer offered to take me in. I was a kid, hadn't developed the refined taste I have now so of course I thought my big brother was the coolest thing since crepes with nutella."
"So you lived with Spencer and Paige?" Natalie clarified.
"Yes," he said, "They weren't your typical newlyweds. Is there some direction to this interrogation?"
"Dr. Snyder worked with your brother and Paige," she explained.
He shrugged. "Funny how doctors tend to work with other doctors."
Natalie could tell from the way he answered her questions that he knew something, but she tried not to let her frustration show. "A nurse who worked with them said Spencer and Snyder didn't get along."
"Even funnier how people don't tend to get along with Spencer," he said rolling his eyes.
"What's funny," Natalie said, "is how someone who your brother didn't get along with identified you as the person who assaulted him. How did he even know who you were?"
"Did it occur to you maybe he was trying to get to Spencer by using his prepubescent little brother?" David asked.
"It did," Natalie said evenly, "but it also occurred to me that it's just as likely Spencer would use his prepubescent little brother to get to an enemy."
David looked at her in surprise. "How did you get to know Spencer so well?"
"David," Adriana said speaking up, "after you left my mom at the altar you said it was Spencer's fault. That he was holding something over you. Was this it? Did you really assault Dr. Snyder?"
David snorted. "Adriana I wouldn't have left your mother over a mere assault charge. Besides, the statute of limitations on assault would have been long over."
"But not on murder," Natalie pointed out. "There is no statute of limitations on murder."
"Whoa!" David said holding up his hands, "Who said anything about murder?"
Natalie gave him a look of feigned innocence. "I was just thinking, if assault wasn't enough leverage to make you leave Dorian what would be?" She thought for a moment. "Another woman?" she shook her head, "can't imagine there being two women in the world willing to put up with you."
"Hey!" David said looking very offended, "I made my living as a conartist for years. I can be plenty charming when I choose to."
"Another man?" Natalie pondered.
"Oh please!" he said, "be a little creative at least. Not even in Llanview would that happen twice in a year."
"I give up," Natalie said, "what is it?"
"First of all," he said, "why do you think for a minute I would actually tell you? Second why do you care why I left Dorian? It's not like she's exactly a family friend."
"I don't care about Dorian," she assured him, "I'm interested in Dr. Snyder."
David looked genuinely confused. "Okay that makes even less sense."
Natalie leaned forward a little as she explained. "A few weeks after you assaulted him-"
"Allegedly!" David pointed out.
She nodded to indicate that she conceded that point while she continued. "-he apparently showed up at work drunk and botched a procedure causing the death of a gunshot victim."
"Still waiting for the part where this becomes relevant to a Buchanan heiress," he said.
"The gunshot victim's name was Thomas McBain," Natalie said.
David blanched. "McBain? As in John 'I brood deeply, have an unpredictable temper and carry a loaded gun' McBain?"
"His father," she explained. "Michael's too. So why don't you tell us what you aren't telling us? Were you the one who beat up Snyder?"
"One isn't an accurate term," he said hesitantly.
"So you're telling me you did it but not alone?" she said to clarify.
It was clear David realized he'd said something he shouldn't have. "I think you've worked around cops too long," he stammered, "You're twisting my words."
"Then give me a clear answer," she said, "Did you assault Dr. Snyder?"
"No," he said, though by the way he averted his eyes Natalie suspected he was still lying.
"Did you kill him?"
"It was a suicide," he insisted, "how could I be responsible for that?"
"Recent evidence suggests it might not have been," Natalie said.
"And what evidence would that be?" he asked skeptically.
Natalie hesitated a moment, not sure if she wanted to reveal what they knew about John's supposed suicide attempt, but it was clear she wasn't going to get any information out of him unless she could surprise him with something. "John McBain was investigating Dr. Snyder or or more specifically his father's death. Three days ago he was injured in an apparent suicide attempt that mirrored Snyder's exactly."
The smarmy expression on David's face faltered. "I didn't realize."
"What do you figure are the odds of that?" she asked folding her arms across her chest and fixing him with and inquisitive stare.
"I don't know," he said, "somewhere between those of DID showing up twice in one family and the same person being kidnapped by two different serial killers."
"David!" Adriana scolded rising to her feet.
"We know that John didn't try to kill himself," Natalie said, too determined to get rattled, "so it stands to reason that if the attempt on his life was a set up the first one might have been also."
"And why do you think I know anything about all this?" he asked.
"Because there are too many strange intersections between your family and Snyder," she said, "there's the assault charge, Spencer's argument with him, the fact that nurses who were supposedly in the operating room with Snyder when Thomas McBain died were actually with your sister-in-law."
"What?" David asked clearly genuinely surprised by this final revelation.
"You have to know about that," Natalie said, "Paige apparently had a problem with prescription painkillers."
"I might have known something about that," he said.
"She overdosed that night on pills and alcohol."
"I didn't know that," David said honestly, "does Paige know that?"
"How could she not know that?" Natalie asked.
"I don't know," David said, "but Spencer has a very different version of that night and he's been holding it over her head for a long time."
"What does Spencer say happened that night?" Natalie said leaning forward anxiously.
"You're gonna have to ask him," David said standing up suddenly.
"No, no, no," Natalie said moving to block the door, "what does Spencer say? Does it have to do with Thomas McBain's death?"
"I didn't even know that guy was Thomas McBain until you told me today!" he insisted.
"So what did you know about him?" she demanded taking a step towards him.
"Nothing," he stammered, "I was a kid I-"
"David, please!" Adriana pleaded stepping forward suddenly. "Just tell her what you know."
"David," Natalie warned through gritted teeth, "you have no idea how desperate I am right now. If you don't tell me everything you know-"
"Well Natalie," David said trying to restore his typically jovial demeanor, "I know that ketchup was originally made from anchovies and that Governor Brooks has a penchant for women's underwear and-"
"This is serious David!" Adriana reminded him raising her voice.
"So is that!" David said, "Do you think that the voters of Pennsylvania would-"
Natalie took another step towards him balling up her fist as Adriana snapped, "¡No seas putamadre!"
"Have I ever told you that you're hot when you curse in Spanish?" a voice asked from the door that no one had heard open.
"Rex!" Adriana said startled.
"What are you doing here?" Natalie asked without taking her eyes off David.
"I was driving back into town and saw your car in the parking lot," he said, "I figured the only reason for you to be at the Craze offices would be that you decided not to listen to me and enlist Adriana's help with Vickers."
"I wanted to help," Adriana said.
"Yeah, we'll talk about that later," Rex said rolling his eyes. "In the meantime, you looked like you were trying to go somewhere," he said to David.
"But not before he tells us everything he knows about the deaths of Dr. Snyder and Thomas McBain," Natalie said.
"Oh good," Rex said folding his arms across his chest, "Because I have enough evidence to show that you and your brother were involved somehow, I would sure love it if you could just connect the dots and show me how."
"I wasn't involved!" David protested.
"David," Adriana said in a gentle voice, "I've defended you to other people. Told them that despite all the evidence to the contrary you were a decent guy. Please don't prove me wrong."
David looked a bit like a cornered animal caught between Adriana's pleas and Natalie's still clenched fists. Finally he sighed. "Spencer and Snyder got into it because Snyder found out that Spencer and Paige and a couple of other hospital staff were using the hospital supplies to traffic prescription drugs for recreational use."
"And that's why your brother sent you after Snyder?" Rex asked.
"The first time," he said. "He didn't tell me what it was really about, of course. Just that there as this guy after our family and I might be able to persuade him otherwise."
"And the second time?" Natalie asked.
David shook his head. "All I did was make a phone call."
At that instant Natalie's cell phone rang.
"Now that's just freaking creepy," Rex said under his breath as Natalie answered it.
"Natalie," she heard a shaky voice say on the other end of the phone.
"Evangeline?" she asked, "What's up?"
"Can you come down to the police station?" she asked, "it's about what happened to John."
"Dr. Miller?" Michael asked knocking on her open office door.
"Yes Michael," she said, "come in."
"Mind if I close the door?" he asked.
Paige seemed slightly concerned by this request but nodded in agreement. "What can I help you with?"
"I just found out that you worked in the hospital where my Dad died," he explained sitting down across from her.
"I didn't realize that," she said.
"I know it was a long time ago," he said, "but I was wondering if you remembered anything about the doctor who worked on him. His name was Snyder."
What color she had drained completely from Paige's face as she stammered, "I don't remember him very well."
"Oh but you must have heard about him," Michael insisted, "A nurse who worked there said this guy Snyder had some sort of feud with your husband."
"Well that's part of why he's now my ex-husband," she said, "he didn't get along with many people."
"Yeah, but I think Spencer had his younger brother attack this guy," Michael said, "or at least that's how it looked. He charged David Vickers with assault, but he dropped the charges almost immediately. Almost like he'd been threatened or something."
"Interesting," Paige said, clearly struggling to maintain her composure.
"That was a little bit before Snyder operated drunk on my dad and killed him," Michael said, his anger starting to show through, not so much at Paige, but at the situation in general.
"I don't know anything about that," she said defensively.
"Well I guess you wouldn't," Michael nodded, "you were brought in that night with an overdose of stolen prescription meds."
"What?" she asked sounding confused.
"I have a nurse who says she worked on you that night," Michael said, "don't deny it."
"I'm not denying it," she said sounding dazed, "I just don't remember. I don't remember a whole lot from back then."
He fought against the sluggishness in his brain. He needed to finish this conversation he needed to make her understand. "Caitlyn," he said, "if you came to bring me with you. I can't go. I'm sorry, but I can't. I have people who need me. Natalie needs me, we-"
"Shh," Caitlyn said bringing a finger to his lips, "don't jump to conclusions."
"But you said-"
"I had something to do here." She turned a sad gaze to him and said, "You misunderstood. I didn't come here for you. I came here for her."
To be continued.