Chapter 13
Jason kissed Elizabeth goodbye as he drove to GH, knowing that this party tonight was not where she wanted to be. But Jax had asked them to come; they were going to sign the paperwork giving him control of the land under his hotel. But only control, Elizabeth would still own it.
When he arrived at her office, he listened as some woman was shrieking about her daughter. Entering, he saw Sarah Webber holding the side of her face and Monica just looking annoyed.
"Is there anything I can do? He asked while admiring the bruise someone had given to the acidic blond.
Sarah hadn't looked up, not wanting anyone to see her like this, but Carolyn had smiled. He was a little rough around the edges but if he was at GH, there was good chance he was either a doctor or related to one. "I was just telling Monica, I am going to press charges against her daughter for slapping my poor little girl." She said pointing at Sarah.
"Good luck with that." He said then turning he asked "Elizabeth said you needed help with something?"
"Yes, you have the keys to the wine closet and Tracy is furious." She said.
Thinking back, Jason grinned then said "Tell her I said she could have them back when she asks nicely."
Going outside with him, she told him the truth. "I need your help with Carly. She wants that experimental surgery for Mikey, but it isn't for his type of injury and she is not listening to us."
"I don't think I can reach her. I don't want to go tonight. Let alone deal with her after that. I will talk to Jax about it though. We have a meeting about the hotel."
"Another thing Edward is griping about. Jax filed suit, he has to repay the money Jax paid for the land."
Leaving, Jason walked towards lobby where he saw a rather extraordinary sight. Alexis was standing on a bench, arguing with Julian Jerome. Seeing Johnny standing nearby with Nik, he walked over and asked what was going on?
"You would not believe me if I told you." Said Nik astonished at the unusual scene playing out in front of his eyes. "They have been like this since their meeting with Jeff Webber. You will not believe his excuses for abandoning Elizabeth."
"I heard. He stopped over to see Elizabeth, gave her the same lines. Carolyn miscarried, Elizabeth's parentage, did I miss anything."
"Not about that. By the way, do you know why Rebecca hit Sarah?"
Getting the story, Jason called over and let Jax know he would appreciate his kicking them out of the hotel in return for Elizabeth and his coming to Carly's party.
Arriving at the spa, Elizabeth saw her friends getting mud treatments and declined to join them. Rebecca took off her cucumbers and said "We all can't be born with flawless skin, some of us have to work on it."
"I don't object to mud baths, I take them all the time, with Jake and Cameron." She retorted. Then added. "I hear you hit my sister."
"Shem deserred it." Was her reply as the masseuse worked out the tension of her body.
When Elizabeth went to have her hair done, she saw Carly talking to one of the hairdressers and asked to speak to her alone for a minute. "I am going to drop the suit, but I want us to come to legal understanding at that meeting tomorrow. You, our attorneys and me. Okay?"
Nodding, Carly said "We can try and find a way to peacefully co-exist in Jason's life."
"Carly, Jason's life isn't on the table. It's not either of ours to bargain with. This is about you and me." She replied walking away angry that Carly was still trying to run Jason's life.
Heading back, Elizabeth was once again struck by how much alike Emily and Rebecca were superficially and occasionally in the way they moved. Hearing Kelly and Robin joking about Diamonds being a girls best friend, she couldn't help thinking of Helena and her nice shiny rock.
At the bizarre thought going through her brain, Elizabeth couldn't resist asking Rebecca if she had a thing for nice shiny oversized rocks with names.
"No, they are really not my style." She said giving Elizabeth a weird look as the nurse laughed at herself.
"Just checking, when Helena brainwashed Lucky, she used this very ugly oversized diamond."
"Sorry, not brainwashed, either. What is up with you today?" She asked walking over to get her hair done.
Not wanting to tell her that she was imagining her as Emily. Elizabeth just blamed it on dealing with her biological parents.
"They were arguing or maybe flirting is the better word, the entire time I was taking her blood pressure, I had to ask your dad to leave." Chimed in Nadine. Looking at her watch, she said "I have got to go, Matt is my date for this thing and he needs my help getting dressed."
Anna was reading the papers again, then when Julian finally showed up, she said "Where have you been?"
"With Lexie, if it is possible she has grown more stubborn the older she has gotten."
Sitting her pencil down, she asked "They don't have much in common, Cheryl and Alexis."
"Alexis was a wild child. Cheryl, was different, it was more I was an adult and it was time to find love." He replied. "Lexie and I, I never told her about my family business but there was this attorney, who worked for my uncle. He knew about us and made it plain that it was not going to be allowed. Then her family found out about the baby and that was it."
"Trevor Lansing." She asked. You know he was the one who made it look like Sam was Alexis' daughter."
"That was his name. From what Raynor said, he died recently. As for Sam, my guess is that it was a diversionary tactic, there had to be something here he wanted. I just don't get his interest though. "
"Whatever it was his son Ric was here first. He was married to Elizabeth, then went after Alexis to get to Sonny."
"One more item of tension between Elizabeth and Lexie." He sighed as he added that to the list of things to talk to Alexis about.
"Not really, Elizabeth made a mistake, one that almost cost her, her life. Ric was a lot like his father. They are connected to this mess, but I just can't figure out why or how?" She said.
As they went through things, Julian looked up. "This place on Martha's Vineyard, that belonged to Olivia when we were younger. How did Lansing end up with it?"
Calling her contact, she found out that he had bought it years ago. "Wait, what was that date again?"
Getting the answer, Anna hung up, then turned to Julian. "Trevor bought that house, days after your supposed death. What can you tell me about it?"
"Dad bought it for Olivia when she got married. When her husband died she stopped using it. He had pneumonia but didn't listen to his doctors."
Anna trusted her instinct and called Morgan. "What can you tell me about Martha's Vineyard and Trevor Lansing?"
Hanging up, she called back her contact to confirm Jason's story and said to Julian "Why would anyone own two very large houses on the same small Island?"
"I think that is something we need to check out." He replied getting what she was saying.
"I will check it out, you look at Zachara finances, Trevor has been sticking his hand in the till for years." She informed him. "But first I have to get ready for this party tonight."
"I was invited as well. Not so sure I want to go, most parties when I lived here before ended up in someone getting slapped and or a spouse being found with someone else's spouse."
Sarah and her mother went to change for the party. Carolyn had arranged for a someone from the spa to come help her daughter cover the bruising. Fifteen minutes before they were to be downstairs the makeup artist hadn't shown. Calling down, Marty assured her someone would be right up.
Jax knocked on the door, when he was let in, he explained. "You must find yourself a new hotel."
"All for complaining about not getting a spa treatment? Isn't that a little extreme?" Asked Carolyn.
"No, you are getting kicked out because I don't want your business."
"You can't do that. He can't do that, can he mom?" Asked Sarah.
"Yes I can. Elizabeth is a friend of mine. A doorman will be here to take your luggage down then."
Lulu got on the plane with Laura, she had said goodbye to those she cared about, but as of the end of the week, she was going to be Leslie Lu Spencer adventure girl.
Thinking on the last few years, she had few regrets. The baby and not living her life to the fullest was the other. She was too young to settle down, she wanted to live a life before becoming like Carly or Elizabeth. Saddled with kids and stuck in a small town.
She could not help grinning, knowing that Maxie was even now on her own way to New York to work as a drudge for Fredrico, no matter how she tried to spin it, she had lost out as well.
Jason grabbed his tie and went in to talk to Jake and Cameron who were already wearing their pajamas as they wrestled with Alice. The big maid was letting them win, but when Cam realized Jason was there, he broke off his battle to give him a hug and say "I am sorry, daddy. Did mommy make you dress up?"
Seeing the look on Cam's face, he knelt down and said "sometimes you do what you have to do for the woman in your life. Even wearing ties." He said before kissing them goodnight. Thanking Alice for coming over to watch the boys he went to see what was taking Elizabeth so long.
Arriving in their bedroom, he saw she was standing there in her dark red dress and searching through her jewelry box. "Elizabeth?" He called out.
"Just a minute, my necklace is gone again." She said looking around, then stopping she went in to see the boys. Jason heard the squeals and soon saw his wife exiting carrying something.
"Why would your necklace be in the boys' room?" He asked.
"Jake was playing with it a few days before they left." She said. "Can you help me?"
When Jason came behind her, she held up the chain and after he had moved her hair, settled her necklace down.
Jason couldn't help wondering why she wore a necklace that slid into her dress, but after a few minutes got that it was meant to drive him crazy.
Hearing him groan Elizabeth saw his eyes following the chain down between her breasts. She wondered what he would do if she pulled out the chain and showed him the pendant. Would their red glass make things even harder for him?
Johnny arrived at the party wishing he was anyplace else, but seeing Rebecca standing alone, asked if she wanted to some company. After commending her right hook, he asked if she knew where Elizabeth and Jason were?
"No, but Elizabeth was acting bit strange earlier." She said shrugging her shoulders when Patrick and Robin came over as well. "Robin, you look very nice."
Starting to return the compliment she noticed that Rebecca other than the makeup and hair, was dressed a lot like Emily would have. So she just said "Thank you." Then excused herself to go and find Elizabeth.
Seeing the arriving couple she pulled the younger woman off and said "What does Rebecca's dress remind you of?"
Stunned Elizabeth looked at Robin and said "I saw, the thing is she keeps reminding me of Emily, then that slap earlier. Emily used to say she wanted to pop Sarah one, some day."
Grabbing Anna as she joined them with Julian, Elizabeth accepted the awkward complement from her father while watching Jason avoiding Carly. "I have to go, but let me know what Anna thinks. Julian, would you please escort me over to Jason?"
Julian tried to control the grin on his face as he escorted his beautiful daughter to her husband but he couldn't have been too successful from the little dig that Robert Scorpio got in when he arrived to where the man was standing with his brother and Lexie.
"Hello, Lex." He said ignoring the death glare.
"My name is Alexis, or even better Miss Davis." She said as he drew her onto the dance floor.
"I like Lexie, or Lex better." He said. "Besides, since I have had you flat on your back screaming my name as you came, don't you think Miss Davis is a little formal?"
Alexis went out onto the terrace and gave a muffled scream. She hadn't seen this man in almost thirty years yet he had the ability to not only irritate her faster than any other person on earth did, but also make her wish they were alone in a secluded spot. What the hack was wrong with her? She thought to herself.
Carly wandered around her party, talking to her guests and avoiding Jason. He had made it plain that the only reason he was here was to solidify some deal with Jax. Seeing her husband up ahead talking to Marty, she approached and said "What deal did you make with Jason?"
"Nothing important, it was about Elizabeth's parents. They are no longer guests at this hotel."
Getting the sick feeling that had been done in exchange for attending the party, she went off to find some quiet time, only to hear Alexis screaming in frustration. "What is your problem, are you still upset about Sam?"
"Nothing of the sort." She said. "I received that package; Elizabeth forwarded it to me. Diane brought it over and we are going to add it to the auction for the hospital memorial. Neither one of us wants it."
"I don't either. I can't believe that Sonny did that." She started to rant as Alexis found herself feeling sorry for the blond. When she finished and mentioned that Elizabeth and she had a meeting the next morning about the lawsuit, Alexis grimaced.
Anna took Robert off to the side and invited him on the trip the next day to Martha's Vineyard. While he agreed to go, they saw Sarah Webber slipping into the party then Jason and Elizabeth pulling her off to the side.
"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Said Elizabeth.
"They have kicked us out of the hotel; grams won't let us stay at her house. But dad decided we are leaving so I just wanted you to know you make me sick, you ALWAYS get what you want, now you are married to some rich guy and have rich parents. It's not fair.' she said stomping her feet.
"Why don't you head back to Russia?" Elizabeth said. "There no one can care what I am doing and to who. Frankly Sarah, I could care less what you think or feel."
Sarah was on her way out when Jason stopped her and said "Sarah, if you and that mother of yours doesn't want to face time in a Russian prison, you might want to go away and never come back. Otherwise a certain deal your mother made while in Kosovo will become public knowledge; do we understand each other?"
Storming out, she ran straight into her brother who grabbed her by her arm and took her to the waiting taxi. "I think it is time for you to leave."
When the party ended several hours later, few important things had changed but several small steps had been taken.
Carly was her own worst enemy; she confronted Jason and her about only coming because of the deal with Jax. Jason had simply agreed with her assessment then suggested to Elizabeth that they head out. The blond was still standing behind them with a dazed expression on her face when Jax walked over.
Robin was convinced that Rebecca was Emily. Either way, they wanted to find the truth and since her mother was looking into the supposed murders, she had added that to the list.
Julian had offered to escort Alexis home, knowing it would set her off again. Instead of taking her home, he stopped at the old Quartermaine boathouse, then carrying her in a fireman's hold down the dock ignoring her protests; he tossed her into the water.
"What the heck?" She shouted when she started to swim to shore. "What if I can't swim did you ever thing of that."
"Lexie, we used to skinny dip, remember?" He added with a grin.
Growling she said "You have just ruined a five thousand dollar original."
"I will buy you a new sackcloth in the morning." He said as he saw the girl he once knew coming out in the buttoned down woman she had become.
Arriving at the dock, she snarled, "Help me out."
"I don't think so." With that he dived in and then swam up and dunked her.
"Are you insane?" She whispered when he suggested racing to the edge of the outer buoy.
"No, but frankly, you worry me. You are acting like an old woman." He said as he swam away hoping that the cold water would cool him down some.
Frustrated, annoyed and a little excited, she found herself reaching out intending on dunking him like he had her. Instead she found herself in full body contact with an obviously aroused body.
Julian knew it was wrong, they had so many issues, but seeing her again, had him feeling like the seventeen-year-old who fell in love with an outrageously wild and smart young girl. Pulling her closer, he leaned down and kissed her while swimming out to a spot when he could stand but that her feet wouldn't reach the bottom.
Harper took the call, then went out to the Quartermaines. Arriving he saw the car and wondered if the kids had stolen a car along with trespassing. He knew that Edward Quartermaine himself was up at the house, waiting to hear that he had arrested the rule breakers.
Walking over, he saw the dress floating in the water and started to get worried that he was interrupting something other than a couple of kids and then the sounds coming from the dock, confirmed it.
When he realized he recognized the voice of the soon to be DA, he groaned then took out his phone and called Mac back. "Sir, we have a problem. Alexis Davis is one of the trespassers."
"Let me call Monica." He said sighing before calling and waking up the woman. When she heard the situation, she went down stairs and dragged Edward upstairs, suggesting he go to bed after explaining it was only Alexis.
"What?" He asked still confused as to why the DA was swimming in the middle of the night in the cold freezing water of the river, when she had a perfectly good lake in her own backyard.
Harper tried not to smile, the DA looked a little bit worse for wear as she stood on the dock wearing nothing more than a mens dress shirt and coat as she ordered the man with her to retrieve her now floating dress. Harper tried to look any place else than at the legs that were exposed underneath. "Harper, can you give me a ride to my house?"
"Sorry Miss Davis, but I can't." He said just getting in his car and fleeing after apologizing for the interruption.
"I guess you are stuck with me." Said the man with the grin as he told her to just wear his coat.
"Are you insane, what if we have an accident, how I am supposed to explain this to my daughters?"
"Tell them the truth, you went for a swim and your dress was ruined."
The next morning, Johnny heard his cousin's whistling as he went through the Zachara family finances. "Do you have to be so happy this morning?"
"I shouldn't be, your attorney ripped you off, I would say around fifty million dollars worth."
"We never trusted him, but with my father incapacitated he had control."
"The thing is, I can replace the money, but you have to decide a few things."
"I don't need the money. We are unfortunately fine so far as money." He replied.
"Okay, then, make some decisions; do you want to live here?"
"No, and since Morgan now has the business as part of his, I don't have to worry about that."
"Well what do you want to do with your life, John Anthony Zachara?" He asked sitting back in the black leather chair.
Sitting down, Johnny said "I don't know."
"Then why don't you help us figure out what your attorney did and what is his connection to the deaths of Emily Quartermaine and Georgie Jones.'
"It wasn't that Alcazar kid?" He asked thinking of how proud Spinelli and Maxie had been at ending his so-called rein of terror.
"No, he did kill this Heather Webber and did come back to town, but the timing precludes the murders."
"What do you need to know?"
"Walk me though how things were when Trevor was running things."
Robert and Anna came to the first house and found a woman with a young child inside. "Who are you?"
"We are private investigators, hired to look into Trevor Lansing's holdings and those of his son. Now who are you?"
"Marianna. My daughter is Ric's as well." She said. Anna looked at the little girl and said "You might be required to prove that."
"Fine, I have nothing to hide. I own the local diner, but I visit here so that Adella can be closer to her father since Ric doesn't know about her. I want to tell him, but..."
Anna sat the woman down, and then said "Ric is dead."
"What?" She asked stunned. "How?"
After explaining, Anna asked about the house and saw that all Jason had told her was true, then leaving Robert with the woman, she went to explore the second house that had once belonged to Olivia Jerome.
She soon saw that there was nothing there, just some clothes and a few toiletries for a woman. Walking back down the beach, she asked Marianna about the house.
"Mr. Lansing hired a couple of young girls to house sit it a couple of years back. He would come down and stay here to keep an eye on things. He said he bought it as an investment property but he never rented it out. Do you want to talk to one of the girls? She is still here; she works for me at the diner now. Right now she is in Boston but she will be home this week."
Letting her know that as soon as this young woman returned for her to get in contact, Anna drove back home, certain that they were missing something.
Steven and Mac finished up in his office as he gave him all the information on this Peter Taylor, including what they had learned about his real name.
"So, Heather didn't do this. It was pretty much Alice, right?" He asked.
"From the looks of things she stole him from this foster home, it answered another question for us."
"What did you find out about Sam McCall's real parents?"
"Nothing. It looks like she was simply another unwanted child." He explained. "Did you talk to your father and find out any answers?"
"Turns out there was a DNA test done. But this Peter was convinced that my stepmother altered the tests when she found out. The funny thing is she would have, if she had known about them before hand." He said. "Dad took Sarah and her home, they won't be returning."
"Good, my daughter has enough to deal with." Said an entering Julian. Shaking hands with Steven, he eased the younger man out the door and turned to Mac and said "Trevor Lansing paid someone a million dollars on two different dates. One the date of Emily's death and the other on the day after your daughters."
Carly entered the law firm with her attorney as they were escorted into a room with a man sitting next to Elizabeth. When she greeted Elizabeth, the man stopped her from responding. "Mrs. Jacks, please have a seat."
Once seated, he went through a list of the items that Carly had tried to sue Elizabeth over. "I dropped that." Carly protested.
"True, but I think this is a symptom of a much larger problem."
Carly listened as the man detailed every single confrontation with Elizabeth, even a few she couldn't recall. When they were finished, he asked Carly to explain her relationship with Jason at each point in the list.
"So, you were never more than casual lovers with the man in question, correct."
"We are best friends." She protested hotly.
"Yet, that isn't how Mr. Morgan defines you. His wording was good friend, close friend, but never best friend; though he does concede that you frequently refer to yourself that way. Even going so far as to declare that you are soul mates."
"We are." She said then explained about the day the cannery exploded.
"Interesting, but Mr. Morgan said under oath that it was more like he was concerned because with Michael missing and Sonny being a loose cannon, that had him worried. But once again, you made it to be all about you."
"Sorry I am late." Announced Diane as she joined them. "Are we ready, Elizabeth."
"Yes. Carly, there are only two things I want from you. If you do this, I will drop this suit."
"Then what was all of this about?" She said hotly.
"Mr. Montgomery wanted to question you; I could care less about your answers, because frankly you will never get it. Jason is his own man, not your personal possession. So here is what I want. I want a public apology from you for calling Jake and Cameron bastards and then I want you to admit that you deliberately sabotaged Jason and my relationship in 2002. I don't just want an agreement; I want you to admit to Jason and I all that you did."
"No way in hell." She protested.
"Then we go to trial, where I bring up every single sleazy thing you have done in this town. I will have Robin up there, Jason up there, and I will even put Bobbie on the stand. I will put every single person you have ever insulted or harmed, and we both know that is quite a list. Then I will have Mike Corbin's friends testify. See Mike was pretty chatty, Carly."
Carly looked down, damn that man. "Fine I will apologize for calling the boys those names."
"Carly this isn't a negotiation; it is an all or nothing kind of deal. So that you know, the private detective has about seven pages of information on what you pulled. You can either do this in private with Jason and I, or you can have this done in front of the press and everyone in this town."
"You know, you are a bit-"
Carly's attorney calmed her down, then looked at the top page that Jackson Montgomery offered. Carly read it then realized that they did seem to know all. Either way her time in Jason's life was more than likely finished.
"Fine, but I know that Jason will understand. He knows how I am." She said smugly hoping for one last reprieve.
Entering after Elizabeth had called him, Jason saw the standoff and waited for the attorneys to leave. "Carly, we are ready."
Carly started to talk, explaining about guards following Elizabeth on her orders and letting her know when Jason was with the petite brunette, then explained about helping Courtney, setting things up for her blond by making digs about Courtney and Jason to Elizabeth. When she admitted that she had helped Courtney with setting up AJ, Jason just looked at the woman he had thought was his friend.
"Why do that, AJ wasn't a threat?"
"She was trying to kill him."
"No, she just got him drunk. That was all." The final excuse was the one that made Jason's skin crawl as she explained that she had tried to get Bobbie to fire Elizabeth, but had instead sent Ric to try his hand with the younger woman to keep her away.
"Carly, that public apology, tomorrow with Monica and your mother in attendance along with my grams. Then I will drop the suit." Said Elizabeth sick to her stomach, turns out there were things that Aidan hadn't dug up about the mess in the past.
Jason looked at her and said "Carly you know there is nothing I can say nothing I want to say. But understand one thing, our so-called friendship, its over."
Calling Bobbie, Elizabeth explained that she needed her to be at the mansion the next day, that it was about Carly.
Hanging up, she was holding onto Jason as they walked out of the courthouse. "I am sorry."
"God, Elizabeth. This wasn't you fault. She systemically set out to destroy us; you are not responsible for this. She is." He said pulling her into his arms right in the hallway.
Spinelli went looking for Jason; he had to apologize to his friend. The older man had left town, making it plain that things were going to be changing. Spinelli just wanted to know that he had a place in Stone Cold's plans.
Seeing Maxie as she before she went home to begin packing for her trip, he sighed but kept walking. She had to move on and he had to find a way to do so himself.
Entering the coffee shop, he sat down and waited for Jason. When he finally arrived holding onto Elizabeth's hands, Spinelli apologized then asked to speak to Stone Cold alone.
"What is it Spinelli?" He asked watching as Elizabeth left to go see their boys.
"They are burying fair Sam, today. I know you don't care, but I have to attend the service to honor the friend she once was to me."
Counting to ten, Jason knew that Spinelli was as blind to Sam as he had once been to Carly. "That is up to you."
Spinelli had been hoping that Jason would want to honor his past, but saw that he truly didn't care as he left to go and change for the services. Arriving at the church, he entered and saw no one there, walking around back he saw Father Mateo talking to two men. "Father, I am looking for Sam McCall's funeral."
The priest looked at him astonished then explained that they had already given her last rites. "I am sorry, Mr. Spinelli, but we rarely have anyone attend services for the pauper graves."
Spinelli walked over and saw that they were putting a coffin in the ground and asked for a minute.
"Sir, that is a John Doe." Said the priest.
"Why is he here with Sam?"
"We do the pauper graves all at once to save on money."
"This is wrong; someone should have paid for her burial. I will." He said protesting as he saw them unloading another coffin from the van. No one should be buried on an assembly line, he thought to himself, especially not his friend.
"Spinelli, once a body is in the ground it take a court order for us to remove it. Your friend can't be removed without permission from her family."
"Sam doesn't have any family." He cried out.
"Then I am sorry, there is nothing I can do." He said as he ordered the diggers to bring out the next body.
As Spinelli was walking away, he saw a young girl standing off to the side. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I just needed to see that." She said pointing towards the burials. "The woman who is responsible for my father's death is being buried."
"What happened to your dad?" He asked when he saw the very young girl's hand trembling.
"He went on a business trip to California. There was this woman, she found out he was single and rich, the next thing I knew she came back as his new wife. My mom died when I was five and I thought I had a new mom, I was just twelve at the time." She said sadly.
"What happened?" He asked not wanting to face that it had to have been Sam.
"Things were fine when dad was around, but when he wasn't, she ignored me, belittled me. When I was thirteen, I was called to the principal's office. They told me that my dad was dead. But what they wanted to talk about was the abuse. She told them my dad hit her and me. That she was defending herself and me when she killed him. But my dad had never ever laid a hand on me."
"Did you tell them that?" He asked feeling sick.
"Yes, but they didn't believe me. The next thing I knew, I was in a foster home, with a man telling me to call him daddy and wandering hands. I ran away from home and ended up on the streets. Since I was so small, I pretended I was a boy. A couple of years ago, I ended up in a group home after they caught me stealing. I had no choice; I had nothing to eat." She said tears flowing down her face.
"Why didn't you go home? Or to someone from your old life?" He asked.
"I tried, but there was no home to go to. The people at the group home were nice; they helped me get straightened out. They wanted me to contact my family. I told them the truth and they tried to reach someone or even Delta. That was the name she was using, Delta. Instead they found she had cleaned out my trust fund, sold my house. My dad had left everything to me but I have nothing. Nothing at all. While she lived in the lap of luxury, I was eating what I could steal from garbage cans."
Spinelli felt sick, but said "Sam did it so that she could take care of her brother, I know that it isn't a very good excuse, but she didn't do it for herself."
Laughing harshly, the girl stopped the tears flowing down her face by wiping it then said "Let me guess you are another one of her cons. She LIED; my new family looked into it. Just what kind of care could her brother have needed that required the twenty-five million dollars she stole from my dad, or the similar sums of money she took from all those other men."
"Look, let me take you someplace, you shouldn't be wandering the streets." He said trying to herd her towards the other end of the graveyard.
"No thank you." She said scornfully. "I spent five years on the streets of San Diego because of the whore you were just defending. I would rather walk through glass than go ANYPLACE with you." She said.
"What is your name?" He asked helplessly.
"Doreen, Doreen Freeman."
Spinelli watched her leave and went to Kelly's. There he opened his trusty computer and ran her name. The files that came up, sickened him as he read what Sam's lies and theft had left her to deal with, and knew. He knew that he had been conned.
Now he just had to tell Jason the truth and hope that he didn't blame him. Because the story that Sam had told him wasn't hers, it was the story of the young girl he had just met and the only way Sam could have known all of it was if she had been keeping tabs on the girl she had ruined.
"Morgan."
"Jason, I need to see you. It's important."
Looking at his sons as Elizabeth and he were finishing getting them ready for bed, he replied. "Tomorrow Spinelli. Meet me at the office."
Hanging up, Spinelli took out the file and tossed it down. Taking out a pen he wrote what he knew then went to pack his things. At least this way he would have saved someone the trouble of helping him pack, because he was well aware that Jason was going to want to kill him.
TBC