Robert awoke in the morning with a renewed sense of purpose. While his heart still ached for Holly, a new seed of love had been planted for someone he hoped very much was his daughter. He and Holly had begun to think the time was right to have children before Anna entered the picture. He knew from past experiences though, that he must temper those feelings until he discovered the truth. He called Bert to let him know he was working from home this morning, and unless something urgent came up, he wouldn't be in until the afternoon. With Grant implementing the initial phase of their plan today, he was free to check out Anna's claims. As much as he wanted to speed up the process, he knew this would take up most of his morning, and he may only be able to accomplish one thing today...find the girl. He logged on to his computer and opened the telephone and address directories for New York City, and typed in Filomena Soltini. He also decided to expand his search to include F. Soltini and just Soltini, deciding if Anna was telling the truth about protecting her, they may use the name of Filomena's deceased husband's on leases. After discarding several possibilities, he chose to narrow his search to three likely choices. He figured Anna would be willing to keep her in an upper class neighborhood near her. He then placed a call to a reputable PI he had used in the past to check them out. He also requested that he fax a picture if he encounters viable prospects, and gave his house number for a return call. He wanted to avoid a possibility of being charged with misuse of his office. He knew he may not receive an answer for a day or two, but he was already planning his next moves. He had calls lined up with NYPD, CYS, Monica Quartermaine, and Jake Meyer, once Robin is located. He had a plan which would, indeed, determine if he was a father, and how to gain custody of his daughter. He was surprised when, later that day as he was preparing to leave for work, the phone rang. It was the PI who stated he thought he located them and was preparing to fax the picture. Robert quickly pulled the photo off the machine and looked at it. His eyes widened as he recognized Filomena, and standing next to her was a young girl about six years of age. Robert felt like he had been punched in the gut. The girl had long, dark hair and dark eyes, and a smile very similar to Anna's. "Damn," he said, "I have to go in to the office this afternoon. Hopefully, I can get away early enough to make these calls today. With any luck, Grant won't have any problems either, and we can focus on this case together."
Following his shift at General, Grant stepped off the elevator at ELQ, hating the almost certain gloating by Jimmy Lee for the reason Grant is using to gain access to his office. But he really wanted the best for Celia, so he had little choice. His secretary told him that Jimmy Lee stepped away from his desk to go down the hall, but he could wait in his office for him to return. Grant thanked her and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Great," he thought, "Maybe, I'll have enough time to place this device and leave before he gets back." He hurriedly removed a bug from his pocket and placed it near the middle of the underside of the drafting table sitting near the window. He didn't want the chance of its accidental discovery if someone casually ran their fingers under the edge of the table. He also didn't want it to place it somewhere where voices would be muffled. No sooner did he place it, than Jimmy Lee entered. "Grant. What a surprise! What are you doing here?" "Jimmy Lee, I'm sorry about losing my temper when you asked if I would join the wedding party train excursion. I'd like to go if the invitation is still open." "Why, sure, it wouldn't be the same without you. Besides, I figured if I invited you, I wouldn't have to worry about you showing up at the last minute trying to steal my girl." Grant pursed his lips and refused to take the bait. "OK, well that's settled. I'll see you on the 1st at the train station in costume. Noon?" he said, as he opened and closed the door behind him. A look of anger crossed his face as he said, "Good, now on to an easier site." Realizing that business such as he believed Jimmy Lee was doing probably wouldn't be conducted in the office, Grant headed to his house. He made his way around the back of the house, where it would be less likely he'd be seen, pulled out his kit, opened the door and went in. He went to Jimmy Lee's home office and placed a bug in his telephone receiver, making sure he tightened the cap well. For good measure, he looked through his desk drawers to see if he could discover any incriminating evidence. "No luck." He then placed one on the back side of the flower pot near the French doors to his patio. Feeling he had covered his tracks, he left to make his way to his final stop: the Quartermaines' mansion. Grant felt a great wave of sadness and guilt sweep over him at what he was about to do. The Quartermaines had almost always treated him fairly, especially Monica. When he first came to town they welcomed him into their home and family. When the town turned on him and Celia following the Prometheus Disk scandal, and later when he was on trial for murder, he still had a place he could call home. Shaking off the memories, he entered the house by way of the study door. After checking that the coast was clear, he locked the door, and placed a bug in their phone, as well. Satisfied he had set up the surveillance equipment properly; he unlocked the door and headed home to call Robert.
Robert opened the door to the townhouse, exhausted. His hopes of getting home early were dashed by mountains of paperwork and a drug bust. He was heading up the stairs to get a shower and changed, when the phone rang. "Robert, this is Grant." "Oh, hello mate," he said tiredly. "I'm just calling to let you know I got everything set up without any problems." "I knew I could count on you. Listen, mate, could you take first shift? I really need to get some rest tonight, and I have some personal business to attend to in the morning." "Anything I can help with?" "No. Thanks, anyway." "Sure, no problem. I pulled the late shift tomorrow, so I'd be happy to listen in first. Get some sleep. Sounds like you could use it. G'night." Robert was glad he told Ramsey he'd be in about an hour late in the morning before he left the office. He planned on making the necessary phone calls and getting Robin's paternity settled as soon as possible.
