Chapter 6: Saving Spinelli
Later that afternoon, the three of them walked into the penthouse. After tugging irritably at his tie during the entirety of the elevator ride up, Jason finally managed to unknot it and with a sigh of relief he removed the hated piece of attire from around his neck and flung it carelessly away. It landed on the edge of the desk chair and slithered down to finish in a crumpled heap on the floor. Spinelli bent over to retrieve the abandoned piece of blue silk and coiling it up placed it carefully on the desktop.
"So," Jason was talking as though he and the other two had all been in the midst of a conversation rather than realizing he was continuing aloud the internal dialogue he'd been carrying on since leaving the Metro Court after that interminable lunch, "Once I get changed, I'll go directly to Sonny and tell him that you regretfully won't be marrying Laura Maretti."
Jason was already climbing the stairs, followed closely by Sam, when Spinelli spoke, his tone clearly indicating that he was bemused, "The Jackal has no memory of making any such absolute statement of matrimonial refusal, Stone Cold."
Jason paused and looked back at him, his brow furrowed, "No, but I know you can't want to marry that…woman Spinelli," he controlled himself and managed to avoid employing the epithet which he felt much better fit his opinion of Laura Maretti.
Spinelli shrugged indifferently as he began to work at loosening his own tie, "She might not be enamored of the Jackal at the moment. Yet, hopefully as we get to know one another better that attitude will change and she will be more kindly disposed toward him."
This time it was Sam who couldn't resist jumping in, "Kindly disposed, that's all you want from you wife, your life partner, Spinelli, that she feel kindly toward you?" She stepped down from the lowest step and moved back toward him. Reaching out, Sam placed a gentle hand on his arm, "Spinelli, Jason and I want better than that bleached blonde harpy for you. You should want better for you." She looked up at him, her brown eyes beseeching, "I know you think that you've struck out at love so many times that all that is left for you to do is to settle. That's not right, Spinelli, it's not," She reached up with other hand and stroked his cheek while he listened intently to her every word, his eyes glinting with some unspecified emotion, "Any woman would be lucky to have you and you need to believe that. Please don't throw your happiness away on someone who doesn't deserve your loyal and loving heart." Sam didn't have anything else to say, she'd pleaded her case to the best of her ability. She waited in apprehensive silence for Spinelli's response.
Spinelli enigmatically regarded at Sam for long beat of time before replying, "Fair Samantha's concern for the Jackal is touching but misplaced. He wishes to enter upon this contractual arrangement more now than ever."
Jason retraced his own steps back down to the foyer so as to be in close proximity with Sam and Spinelli, "Why, Spinelli?" He uttered the words in a hopeless growl.
Spinelli lips quirked upward as he answered his friend and mentor and for the briefest of moments, it was as though it was just the two of them in the penthouse, "As always, Stone Cold, to be of assistance to you."
Those simple but cryptic words signaled the end of the discussion. Jason sighed in apparent unhappy acceptance as he and Sam returned to their interrupted trek upstairs. Yet, that wasn't close to the end of the matter as far as Jason was concerned. Instead, he was simply forced to go underground. When his conscience felt twinges of remorse about the things he was doing behind his friend's back, he quelled it by rationalizing that it was all for the idiotic kid's own good.
A little over a week later Spinelli burst exuberantly through the front door of the penthouse. His arms were wrapped around a large and cumbersome paper sack while his laptop bag hung haphazardly across his chest. "Greetings all," he called out cheerfully as he turned and with a sigh of relief deposited the heavy bag on the top of the desk. "The Jackal has bought sustenance for all and sundry and then he promises to retreat to his pink domicile in order that Stone Cold and Fair Samantha may have an evening of peace and quiet sans his irksome presence. After all, it is Fair Samantha's first night back from her mysterious trip about which she has been most uncharacteristically enigmatic." Spinelli smiled at Sam, sitting on the couch next to Jason, his expression showing nothing but unfeigned pleasure at her return. He pulled his messenger bag over his head and placed it carefully on the chair in front of the desk. Once his prized cyber companion was safely stowed he then turned his attention to the bag. Spinelli reached into the depths of the sack and quickly retrieved container after container of small cardboard boxes which were warm to the touch and emitted enticingly fragrant odors. "I even side stepped my own natural impulse to go to Kelly's for takeout and instead visited our local Chinese eatery. I believe that Fair Samantha patronage is responsible for a fair share of their increase in profits now that she is once again residing with us at Casa de Stone Cold."
Finally, it permeated Spinelli's consciousness that his endless stream of chatter was going uncontested by either an appreciative Sam or an irritated Jason. He paused in the act of removing a final box of rice and turned to look at the silent couple sitting awkwardly on the couch, wearing matching somber expressions, as they stared back at him.
Spinelli cocked his head, a vertical frown line forming between his eyes. "The Jackal senses that all is not right. Has something untoward transpired of which he ought to be made aware?"
Jason spoke for the first time since Spinelli entered the penthouse, "Come sit down, we have something to show you."
Leaving the food behind on the desk, Spinelli did as he was bid and walked warily over to where the others were seated. He lowered himself into a chair which was angled toward the sofa and once he was settled he turned to face Jason and Sam, his face creased with anxiety.
Without preamble, Jason thrust a manila file folder toward his roommate, "Here, read this."
Spinelli took the proffered folder and sent a curious stare toward Sam who just bit her lip and looked away from him. He opened it and began perusing the contents. At first he read intently, carefully scanning each individual page. Then, as he slowly began to realize the implications of the information contained within the innocuous cardboard confines of the file, he started to flip rapidly through the different documents and pictures contained within it, only glancing briefly at any one item before hastily moving onto the next.
Finally, Spinelli was finished with his examination and with a moue of disgust he threw the offending dossier onto the coffee table. The folder lay inertly where it landed while damaging pages of text documents and glossy photographs spilled haphazardly out onto the ribbed metal surface of the table. Spinelli dry scrubbed at his face and then ran his fingers through his hair completely disarranging what little styling of the unruly mop had managed to survive a long and eventful day.
"I'm sorry, Spinelli," Sam was the first to break the silence, her voice low and timid.
"Sorry?" Spinelli stared at her stupefied, "That's the sum total of expiation I can expect to receive from you as recompense for this most foul and unsolicited violation of privacy?" His words crackled with anger and Sam stared at him in astonishment. She couldn't remember ever seeing her mild mannered partner so furious before and it was most disconcerting to have his rage directed at her.
"That's enough, Spinelli!" Jason's voice was sharp as he reprimanded the younger man. "You're wrong, it wasn't an unsolicited act on Sam's part. I asked her to do it," His voice softened as he attempted to reason with his friend. He was as taken aback at Spinelli's uncharacteristic loss of temper as Sam was. "I…we were worried about you and rightly so it seems."
Spinelli stared at Jason, his eyes cold and unfriendly, "I see, you embarked upon this intrusive pathway because you were convinced that the Jackal once again needed saving from his own incompetence. I suppose next I should be expressing my gratitude that my partner and my best friend went not only behind my back in garnering this…this," he gestured at the file in disgust, "Explicit material but that it happened against my express wishes as well."
"We did it to protect you, Spinelli," Sam joined in the argument, "We didn't want you to get hurt and we thought if we showed you what type of person Laura is that she's even worse than…"
Spinelli gave a sharp bark of bitter laughter as Sam realized what she had almost said, really might as well have finished saying since everyone in the room knew the single word needed to complete the sentence. "Worse than Maxie," Spinelli did it for her, his voice devoid of inflection. He rubbed at his cheek with the palm of his hand as he contemplated the papers lying in mute and irrefutable accusation upon the low lying coffee table. Then he gave a sharp shake of his head as though he had reached a decision, "I know you both are concerned for me and because I understand that, I shan't hold this trespass into Laura's personal life against you." Jason started to speak but Spinelli imperiously held up a hand to forestall him. "Yet, mark my words now. I fully comprehend what you wished for me to know about her past transgressions and lifestyle choices but it makes no difference to my ultimate decision. I fully intend to marry Laura Maretti and so let that be an end to the matter." He stood up, his face lined with fatigue and something that Jason feared might be disillusionment, "The Jackal is weary and thinks he shall forego supper. He bids you a good night."
When they were once again alone in the living room Sam turned to Jason, "Well, that went well." She was aiming for a light sardonic tone but only managed to sound like a little girl who has just fought with her best friend over something inconsequential. She stood up with a sigh and headed over to the desk, "I guess it makes me a horrible person but that food smells so damn good and I for one am not going to let it go to waste."
Sam came back with two of the containers, she handed one to Jason who accepted it and desultorily placed it next to the papers on the coffee table. Sam sighed at his rejection of the food. Splitting open a pair of wooden chopsticks, she used the simple utensils to expertly extract a few pieces of chicken and noodles from the box and levered them into her mouth. Jason paid no attention to either the food or to Sam as she rejoined him on the couch. His eyes were unfocused and it was clear he was planning something new.
"Jason," Sam elbowed him, "You heard Spinelli, he's made his decision and we have to respect it. Anyway, what else can you do? We showed him all the evidence of how she lives her life and if that doesn't faze him nothing will."
Jason just grunted in response and Sam continued to eat. She thought back to all the effort involved in digging up every piece of dirt she could find on Laura Maretti. The girl hadn't lied at the disastrous luncheon, her favorite thing to do was absolutely something which couldn't be mentioned in polite society. All the pictures and reports in the file were of a recent origin, each occasion documented having occurred since the original encounter between the future bride and groom.
The very next day, after the meeting between the two families, Jason had hired Sam to commit all her time to investigating Laura. Sam left Spinelli in charge of the Port Charles office while she spent all her days and nights down south in New York, or, more precisely, Manhattan. She found herself endlessly tailing Laura from one club opening to another and from one sexual assignation to another but never once had they involved the same man or men. She effortlessly captured picture after picture of Laura drinking copious amounts of liquor, performing lewd acts in public and disappearing into hotels for a few hours at a time. After which brief interlude she would reappear, her clothes, hair and makeup slightly disheveled, to go right back over to some anonymous club where she would pick up a new man, a total stranger, and replay the whole scenario over again, night after night.
By the tenth day, Sam was finished. She felt numb and dirty by association and there was no need for further documentation. When she brought the crisp photographs and clear cut timelines and list of names to Jason it appeared to be an open and shut case. Show this incontrovertible material of Laura's licentious ways to Spinelli, console him for being a dupe and the nightmare would be over. Then the three of them would go back to how it was before Giovanni Maretti and Sonny Corinthos cooked up their bizarre attempt at playing matchmaker. Yet, now it appeared that those eternal hours on stakeout, during which she drank too much bad coffee and grew tired of the rotation of songs on her MP3 player, were all in vain. Spinelli clearly now realized what Laura was, he wasn't in denial, and yet, for some obscure reason, he still intended to marry the slut.
Sam tried once more, "Jason what exactly do you think you can do now that Spinelli knows everything and he still plans to marry her? If you try to sabotage the wedding or go behind his back again, he might react in an unpredictable way. Spinelli might even cut you or us out of his life altogether." Sam didn't want that unfathomable outcome and neither did Jason, she was sure of it.
Jason stared vaguely at her, it was clear his mind was still somewhere else. He leaned over and absentmindedly kissed Sam's forehead. "I'm going to protect him." He said with simple finality.
A/N Reviews are appreciated