Chapter 5

January 23, 2009

Villa Scorpio

Robert sat at the foot of the bed putting on his shoes. Anna sat at the dresser putting on her makeup. It was six in the morning and neither felt ready to face the day after the tumultuous evening.

"No amount of makeup is going to make me look any less wretched than I feel. I don't know why I bother," said Anna. "Habit probably."

Robert stood up and kissed the top of her head. "You're a natural beauty just like our-" He caught himself and stopped.

"Like our daughter," finished Anna.

"She's not my daughter, not my Robin."

"She was our daughter forty-eight hours ago. Eve is still our daughter." Anna turned around and faced Robert. "I know it's hard to-"

"It's not. She is not Robin. Period." Robert crossed his arms and looked at Anna defiantly.

The previous night had been emotionally wrenching as each of them grappled with the revelation that Robin was not who they'd always thought she was. The demons of their past which they had thought dealt with came roaring back with a vengeance. It seemed that they were staying on through the rest of the day.

Robert announced, "Our daughter is out there. I won't rest until I find her."

"And Eve? We owe her something."

"As her parents we would but-" Robert began to say.

"It's the compassionate thing to do," Anna held his face in her hands. "She is not nameless or rootless, Robert. I will not tolerate this attitude you have towards her. Her name is Eve and she is someone's daughter, sister, niece, cousin or granddaughter. Somewhere out there is someone who cares for her. I KNOW what it's like to wonder if there's someone out there who cared for me, who wanted to be with me. So do you I might add."

"I'm wrung out, Anna. I don't want to argue. We have so much to do."

Anna let her hands rest on Robert's chest. "Then allow yourself to see my point."

"I do but I can't ignore my own feelings. This ... this woman took our daughter's place. This was no accident. She as much admitted to us that it was a conscious decision for her," said Robert. "God knows how long she's been at it. How can you expect me to have sympathy for someone like that?"

Anna realized the truth behind Robert's anger and inflexibility. "You're not being disloyal to our daughter if you're kind to Eve. Robin would never think you were."

"Thanks to her, I may never get to see my daughter again. I can't forgive that. I can't. Don't keep asking me to, Anna," said Robert. "Be kind to her all you want. Leave me out of it."

"Caring about someone doesn't replace or supersede loyalty to another," said Anna. "You loved this person. How can you turn it off and on like a light switch?"

Robert bristled. "I loved my daughter, Robin. This is not her. I don't know who she is and I don't care to know her."

"Who is she? She's the daughter you walked down the aisle. The daughter who sat with me hour after hour waiting to see if you'd emerge from your coma. The daughter who gave us a wonderful grandchild. The daughter who forgave the both of us for abandoning her to grow up too fast and bear too much in her life. That's who Eve is to us," Anna pleaded. "Please, don't close your heart off, not now. She needs us, too."

Robert sat back at the foot of the bed. "I can't believe you're swallowing this lie, Anna. Where's the anger to match my own?"

"It's there but banked for now," admitted Anna. "Eve is not a target."

"She's the only one available."

"She's dying. What is the point of blaming her now?" Anna sat down next to Robert facing him. "She's made her confession. What more could she have done?"

"She should have told us a long time ago."

"She told me that she didn't remember who she was until the maze. Whatever happened in there forced her to return to her own self."

"And you believe her?"

"Deathbed confessions are usually truthful," said Anna. "Even if she'd told us earlier I would still believe her."

"Why?"

"Because telling the truth, that kind of truth, takes enormous courage. She had nothing to gain and everything to lose. She had to have had a good reason to confess," Anna said. "In order to fool as many people as she did and for so long, it had to be real for her. She WAS Robin inside and out."

Robert shook his head. "Be rational. That's not possible. She fooled us because, let's face it, we came back to a grown daughter far removed from the teenager we left behind. If she looked like Robin on the outside, she could have had any personality on the inside. We would still have accepted her as ours."

"It was Robin that met me in Pine Valley. I'm convinced of that."

"How can you be sure?"

Anna smiled sadly. "She ... she felt right. Her hugs, her smiles, the feel of her skin and hair. That WAS our daughter. The love shining out of her eyes for me was ... was blinding. I've never forgotten that."

"And afterwards?"

"When I divorced David and went to live with her in Paris, she seemed a little closed off. I attributed it to our time apart and a bit of resentment that I hadn't come to live with her earlier as we had talked about. Over time, we got reacquainted all over again."

"You didn't detect anything different? Something tangible?"

"Maybe a fact here and there. We would reminisce and in some rare cases our memories didn't match," said Anna. "I always assumed her memory was correct and mine was faulty due to the amnesia. How about you? Did you notice anything when you met her again face to face?"

Robert looked down on his hands then said, "When I was in prison, I used to imagine the homecoming. She'd run into my arms and say 'Daddy, you're home'. I'd have her in one arm and you in the other. We'd all talk and hold each other through the night because we couldn't sleep and we had so much to say."

"Oh, Robert, I'm sorry."

"Instead, she saw me. I saw her then she let me have it with both barrels. The hostility was palpable to say the least. It was a veritable wall between us," Robert said. "Maybe, if it had really been Robin, it would have been different."

"Can you forgive Eve, Robert?" asked Anna. "I want her to know that we have. It's important to her to know. It would give her a measure of peace."

"I'm not like you. I can't forgive easily," said Robert. "Every time I hear her name I'm reminded of Robin. I imagine where she could be and if she's still alive."

"She is, Robert. Eve said they wouldn't kill her, whoever they are." Anna gripped Robert's hand. "The first thing we can do for our daughter is to hope."

"Do you really believe that? Or are you grasping at straws like I am?"

"Are you hoping to find her dead or alive just so that you can exact vengeance on whoever they are?" asked Anna sharply. "It's not wrong to admit to … to hoping, is it?"

"Hope is the only thing we have right now," said Robert.

Villa Scorpio - The Barn

The gathering room was halfway full of people. A few lay dozing on the long couches catching a bit of sleep while they could. Mac and Maxie pored over the contents of several boxes of Robin's things that they had taken from Mac and Robin's homes. Dianara watched over a sleeping Emma while tapping away on her laptop. Tiffany and Nestor arranged a small breakfast buffet. This was going to be a working meeting.

Robert, Anna, Alex and Dimitri walked in together. As they took their seats, Andrew stood up and called everyone to attention.

"Edgar and I have been collecting data on the only starting point we have - Eve Montrose," explained Andrew. He clicked the large monitor on. "Cross checking the records of the Sorbonne, we did find an Eve Montrose registered there at the same time as Robin. And, in the same medical program. Perhaps, they knew each other. Eve Montrose was born in London to Douglas and Catherine Montrose of Aberdeen, Scotland. Her birthday is two days after Robin's."

On the screen were displayed pictures of Eve's parents. One picture of Eve circa age fifteen did show a marked resemblance to Robin with the same eye and hair color, bone structure and petite build. Alex's physician eyes dissected the face mentally. She could see that only minimal cosmetic surgery would have been necessary to match Eve closer to Robin.

"Douglas Montrose was a high-level executive for Ferrari with an engineering background. Catherine Montrose was a nurse. They married later in life and only had one child." The screen changed again to an older picture of the Montroses. They seemed to be a happy family. "He died just before Eve was admitted to the university. Her mother became increasingly distraught. According to obituaries, she committed suicide."

"Poor Eve," whispered Anna. Robert put an arm around her. "That's why she wanted ... craved something real."

Andrew continued, "The university police reported a fatal accident. Eve's car was found burnt at the bottom of a ravine. Police reports indicated it was an accident. Remains were not found but they were not looked for either." He looked down on his notes. "A relative arrived to take possession of her things and settle her affairs. The history of Eve Montrose ends there. We can assume that she ... became Robin a little before or after the accident."

"That all we have?" asked Robert.

"Eve is a cipher, Father. Died too young to have a records trail." Andrew turned the monitor off. "We're too far in distance and time to the event we're investigating. We have to get closer."

"Agreed," said Robert getting to his feet. "Here's what we're doing. Effective immediately, Anna has complete charge over the Villa taking over Jacques and Salim's roles respectively. I will head the operation to find my ... Robin. I'm going to split the teams up a little and ... draw on everyone's expertise."

"We're ready for some excitement, Robert," said Lars laconically.

This was greeted with laughter. More than one team member in the room still sported bandages and other souvenirs from the last operation.

"Here are the assignments. Edgar and Raine, you're off to Scotland. Trace the Montrose family as best you can. Find out who collected her remains. Then check with your contacts in New Scotland Yard, MI5 and MI6. Nyssa, go ahead to Paris. You have your contacts with the Paris police, use them. I'll be following you shortly. Together, we'll trace both Robin and Eve's student years at the Sorbonne," said Robert.

"I would be the best choice for Paris, Robert," said Giles.

"I would agree if your injuries were better healed. I've got something for you but it's not in Paris," replied Robert. "Shane and Nestor, you're going to be roving so pack appropriately. Check in with Interpol and the Legion for me. From the WSB surveillance on Robin, I know that she traveled extensively all over Europe. I'll get a list together and you two will investigate each site. Nestor, can you do me a favor and inquire among your family connections?"

Nestor nodded, "I will."

Robert continued, "Dianara, scour the WSB records for anything that could be relevant. I know there are some records that are not in SIMON. They were either too old or were deemed irrelevant. I don't even know if they still exist."

"For that I'll have to find an excuse to go to the New York office. Ross will not be pleased to see me," said Dianara.

"It's either you or Frisco. Ross can take his pick."

"You were able to get a hold of Frisco?" asked Sean.

"I've left messages for both Frisco and Felicia. SIMON has no record of a new assignment. They might be in deep, deep cover," answered Robert. "I'm sure we'll hear from them soon."

"Question, Robert," said Edgar. "We are basing our assumptions of the timeline for the ... replacement on one common point - their attendance at the Sorbonne. Do we have knowledge or suspicions of an earlier plan or why it was done at all? Neither Ms. Montrose or Robin are credible targets."

"The whys of this case has been driving me batty." Robert looked at Anna. She answered, "Eve has not been able to provide further information beyond that she was hired for ... a job that was supposed to be temporary but became ... permanent. She kept mentioning 'they' but did not say a name. She was most emphatic that Robin was valuable to them. Why, we don't know."

"Is it possible that Robin's capture is intended to have consequences for the two of you?" asked Salim.

"Robert and I have made our share of enemies, Salim. It's possible that Robin IS being used against us but it's also possible that ... that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or she knows something that someone wanted. We simply do not have enough information to go on," replied Anna. "Eve is rarely conscious. When she is conscious, it's only for short periods. We'll have to ferret out what information we can on our own."

The meeting ended and people prepared for their assignments. Mac pulled Robert to the side.

Mac leaned in close and said for Robert's ears only. "Judge Schultze came through, Robby. I've got the warrant."

Robert smiled. "Good old, Schultze. Let's take the Kestrel out there."

"And if Luke's still there?" asked Mac.

"He better not be," replied Robert.

"Could he be helping Helena?"

"There was a time I could look into his eyes and know what he was thinking. Those days are past," said Robert. "He's always played both sides. But he's had the sense to know when to jump over to the good side."

"But, if he is helping her then ... I want to deal with him," Mac said. "He's your friend even now. You can't be objective where he's concerned?"

"And you can?" asked Robert. "He took your wife away."

"I made peace with Felicia's affair with Luke a long time ago. But I want to nail Helena and if nabbing Luke is going to get us closer to that, then I'm all for it."

"Mac, I told you about plausible deniability-" began Robert.

"I know and I don't care anymore. You need to go find Robin. I wish I could go with you but I can't," said Mac. "Anna has her hands full with ... with Eve. Most of the team is going with you. Salim is leaving permanently for Paris today. I doubt I'll be seeing much of Dia for a while. That leaves me twiddling my thumbs at work. So, let me help how I can will you?"

"You could be putting your badge on the line."

"It's never fit me as well as it does you," said Mac. "Besides, my kid has left home and I'm getting a wife that isn't marrying me for money. The badge is no big loss to me. I've only ever wanted to not disgrace the family name."

Robert clapped Mac on his shoulders. "You haven't. Dad would have been proud of everything you've done."

"Well, then, let's get to that island and muck about," said Mac. "I would dearly love to get my hands around the neck of the person responsible for that damned death trap."