August 2027: Priests and Dancers.
There was no opportunity for introductions at that point, however, as it was time for the mass to commence, and Brother Atticus Flynn was conducting it. He had a calming aura as he spoke, his voice soothing as he intoned the words of the familiar service. He had a presence too, giving those assembled a sense of warmth that touched you wherever you happened to be sitting in the historic church. Drew looked at him in awe; the man of God before him, who seemed to embody kindness, love and self-sacrifice to him had no idea that he had a younger sister, and no idea that she was about to be placed on trial for murder. The woman that had killed one man and left three other men damaged in some way by her dark and violent nature was the polar opposite of the man that was now preaching God's messages of love, humility and forgiveness. He glanced across at Ethel who seemed to be every bit as captivated by the service and the man conducting it as he was, and knew that the thoughts that he still entertained in the back of his head of introducing the Brother to his long-lost grandmother for the first time had to be dismissed…
Brother Flynn was a clear example of the fact that it was nurture, not nature, that shaped a human being. His genetic make-up was exactly the same as Lucy's, as from what the detective had discovered, they definitely shared the same parents. He had not been raised by them though, and that was the crucial difference. He had been raised by an older couple, unable to have children of their own; he was surrounded by love and affection, and it showed in his persona. He had dedicated his entire life to other people; he guessed that some might claim that by becoming a brilliant paediatric surgeon, Lucy had done the same, but beneath her façade their lurked a monster. She might save children, but she had no qualms whatsoever about destroying men. In any case, her motivation now was not saving lives but earning the most money possible, as illustrated by her decision to abandon Great Ormond Street and the NHS for more lucrative private work…
He knew that as much as Ethel longed to make contact with the grandson that her daughter had given away for adoption, he could not let that happen. To meet Atticus and know who he was would bring Ethel delight, but it would expose the Brother to all that came with it; nobody needed to know that they were related to a murderer…
When the mass came to an end, they did not rush for the door, and they were not alone in that. As they watched, a queue began to form beside the confessional, and that sight made Ethan's heart sink like a stone. Then he saw two other Dominican Brothers making their way to the priest's side of the two booths, obviously being the ones that would now hear the confessions of the congregation. He rose to his feet, and the rest of the party followed him in the direction of Brother Flynn, who was in conversation with an elderly couple. As they walked, he observed their faces and saw that Drew now looked worried about where they were heading, a clear indication to him that having seen how gentle and happy the Brother was, he had changed allegiance and was now a paid up member of the don't tell team…
The older couple moved off, and Brother Flynn looked up, spotting Ethan straight away, which made him smile even more. "Mr Mackenzie, I thought that I saw you arrive just as mass was about to commence, but I wasn't sure. What brings you to St Joseph's this sunny Sunday morning?"
"I am afraid to say that it is not a sudden blossoming of faith in myself; we have a visitor here from England, and it was important for her to be able to attend a mass. We came here because, as she herself put it, St Patrick's is full of tourists…"
Brother Flynn did not laugh, but it was clear he was close to it; instead, he said, "I couldn't possibly comment on the veracity of that statement…"
Ethan chuckled, and then continued, "I must apologise, I am forgetting my manners and not making introductions. This is my best friend and roommate Drew Symons, and his daughter Evie; his wife is no longer around."
"It is good to finally meet you both; Ethan did mention both of you to me in passing during our first meeting to see how the Mackenzie Trust could possibly help out with our mission work here in the city."
"And this is Ethel Prescott, our visitor," Ethan continued. "She is the grandmother of Drew's wife, and this is her first visit to our city, and indeed to the United States."
Brother Flynn smiled at her, and then, as he had done with both Drew and Evie, he shook her hand. As Drew would later remark to Ethan, that was the moment where in novels and television dramas they would both have experienced a shock as related skin touched for the first time, but nothing of that sort took place. Instead, Ethel complimented him on his sermon and the way he had conducted the mass, before praising the beauty of the church itself.
"I am lucky to have been given the chance to serve in this community, but to be honest my real work is not in this neighborhood, but elsewhere in the city, serving those less fortunate, helping them with the myriad of problems life throws at them. I was fortunate to have a good upbringing, never to feel want or discomfort; I vowed when I became a Dominican that I would dedicate my life to trying to ensure that as many people as possible have that same good start in their lives as well…."
They would talk for a few minutes more, Ethan making arrangements to meet Brother Flynn during the week to finalise the arrangements for the money that the Mackenzie Trust would be donating to the Order's project works. That done, Brother Flynn found himself called away, and after saying their goodbyes, the little group of four headed out of the cool church into the heat of an August afternoon…
Ethel was silent as they walked the short distance from the church to the nearest subway station, from where they would catch the 'A' train north to Columbus Circle for a quick lunch, before heading the short distance northwards to the Lincoln Center and the City Ballet. It was only as they arrived on the platform and were waiting for the train that she finally spoke again. "I have to admit that I have never actually met a Christian Brother before; indeed, all the priests that I have encountered in my last few years of regular church going have been much older as well. His parents must be so proud to have raised such a good and kind-hearted young man, yet I guess a little sad that they will not be blessed with grandchildren, unless of course he has siblings…"
Ethan looked at Drew, then said quietly, "From what I know about him from all of the checks that the Trust has to do before handing over cash, he does have a sister, but they are not currently in touch with each other. I do know that his parents have passed away now, but that they were extremely proud of him and supportive of his decision to dedicate his life to his faith. Reading between the lines, I am guessing that the estrangement with his sister would indicate that she did not agree with them on that subject…"
Before Ethel could question him further on the topic, the train they had been awaiting came roaring into the station and the subject was dropped. As they boarded the train, Drew looked straight at Ethan and shook his head just enough to let him know that there should be no more remarks of that sort. As they sat down on the train, the conversation moved on to other topics, mainly the ballet performance that they were about to see. Evie declared that whilst she liked watching the ballet, she did not want to dance it, which had Drew mentally crossing off ballet lessons as a future activity for her. "I think that Olivia is a very good dancer; she has been going to the summer school, so we should see her today," she added, and Ethel nodded, having met the girl that lived upstairs. She knew a little bit about her background from Drew and could only sympathise with a child who had lost her mother at an early age, even if the woman in question had been nobody's idea of a good mother…
That thought was still in her head as they left the subway and headed for a highly recommended Thai restaurant that Ethan had been to for a business lunch a few weeks before his father had been taken ill. They had a table reserved and after ordering, sat back in the exquisite surroundings of the venue, soaking in the atmosphere. Ethan pointed out the fish tank to Evie, and she immediately wanted to go and see what creatures were within; he was only too happy to escort her over, leaving Drew on his own with Ethel. As soon as they were out of earshot, Ethel turned to him and spoke.
"Something has been worrying me since we met Brother Flynn earlier; a little thing but nonetheless… I felt as if I had met him before. There was something familiar about him that helped me to like him all the more. Do you know if he has ever spent any time in England, perhaps studying at Oxford as you did?"
Drew was startled by the question, and he had to take a moment to compose himself before he felt able to answer her. Had he still wanted to reveal the true identity of Brother Flynn to his grandmother, then this would have been the perfect opportunity, as she had just unwittingly given him his opening. He could easily say that she had met him before, in a hospital delivery room many years ago. However, he had now decided against that course of action, so instead he said, "I have no idea, I'm afraid; I only know what little Ethan has told me. He is a good man though, the kind of person we could do with more of in this world of ours…"
Ethel nodded, resolving that she would try and find out more from Ethan if she had the chance later…
Meanwhile at the City Ballet, Mike was making the final preparations for the show that would be the culmination of the first Summer School that he had been solely responsible for; he had run them in conjunction with other people before now, but this had been entirely his baby, and he knew that a lot of the people that had been invited to watch the show that afternoon would be passing judgement on him as well as on the young people involved. He was confident though, as those that had been enrolled this year had all shown great promise from day one, even the late addition to the programme, Beats' niece Olivia. In fact, she had excelled and was a complete revelation to him, her natural talents as a dancer flourishing in a supportive environment.
For that reason, he had no qualms in selecting her to be one of his lead dancers in the final piece of the show, something that she had asked him not to mention to her uncle so that it would be a surprise for him. This morning Olivia had informed him that her grandmother and her two siblings Zach and Allie would definitely be coming that afternoon, a show of support that she had not really expected for such a minor thing in her life. Mike had been happy to hear that, as he wanted to have a conversation with Beats about his niece's future, and the presence of her grandmother would make the conversation even easier. In his opinion, Olivia had a talent that needed to be nurtured and cherished, and the City Ballet would do just that…
There was a ballet school run by the company, one that offered a full high school program as well as the dance classes, so that she would still be able to sit all of the usual exams and gain her SATs, vital if her future direction in life eventually did not involve being a full-time dancer. He had seen the wistful looks on her face when she had been talking to some of the student helpers that had assisted him in running the summer school, which made him suspect that she would only be too happy to attend. They in there turn had all come to him and told him that Olivia deserved a spot at the school, that her light had to be allowed to shine on the stage she needed. Of course, her father would be the one with the final say, but given that Mike would be able to offer, with the full blessing of the director of the school, a full scholarship to Olivia, then the main consideration would not be a financial one, but the happiness of his youngest child…
With an hour to go before the curtain was raised on the show, Mike heard a familiar voice from the corridor that ran behind the stage area and linked it to the dressing rooms, and he sighed and rolled his eyes. Much as he loved Santana and was glad to have her as a friend and not an enemy, there were limits, particularly when he knew that her presence in the building was not down to a love of dance or the urge to support him… No, she would be present on a mission from NYADA, her aim to recruit some of the attendees at the summer school into the future student program of her employer.
Mike had been expecting her, however, and he quickly strode out into the corridor, shutting the stage door firmly behind him. He walked up to Santana and wrapped an arm around her, before walking her back to the public area with great speed. "Much as I love you, you really do need to pay full attention to the signage that says the area is restricted to City Ballet staff and participants only," he said firmly. "I even requested that they be multilingual this year so as to avoid any confusion and also to prevent anyone claiming that they did not understand what the signs said…"
"I was merely looking for you Chang, as a friend, to wish you all the best on such an important day of your career," she replied, in a tone that implied she was hurt be his assertion that she had been there for any other reason.
Mike shook his head, then replied, "No, you were sent here to spy on behalf of Carmen, trying to catch the most promising students and wave the advantages of attending NYADA under their noses. Don't try and deny it; I know Carmen, and I know you all too well! To that end, and only because I value your friendship, I have prepared this for you…"
Santana looked at him curiously as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "In here is a list of the students on the program that have good dance skills but are also equally talented as actors and vocalists. I think we both know that they are the people that you would want to target for a place at your old college…"
Santana looked stunned, but that did not stop her from opening the envelope and taking out the list of names, which was attached to a series of individual profiles, complete with photographs of the youngsters concerned. "Well, what else can I say, Mike, but thank you… I am assuming that the best ballet dancers are not on this list, and that is exactly what I would do too if I was in your position. I shall go and find a quiet spot in the café, take a seat with a coffee and peruse this list at my leisure. However, I must make one request; can I ask that…"
"…This stays between the two of us? Not an issue at all, given that my superiors here would not appreciate me handing out all of this information to anyone that was not a staff member of the City Ballet."
"Carmen would not be impressed at all either if she discovered that the spying mission she sent me on was quite as easy as you have just made it," Santana replied. She then nodded at Mike with a broad smile and headed off to get herself a cappuccino.
Mike smiled to himself too, knowing that she would be grabbing a copy of the program for the show and would spend her time in the café annotating it with the names of those that she most wanted to go up to after the show and present her card to and he didn't blame her for it. He also knew however that she would be even more interested in marking out those that were NOT on the list so that she could study them closely, and yes, she might even make an approach towards some of them, if she was feeling brave enough. He resolved therefore to have a quick word with those that were chaperoning the people in question to ensure that they kept his students of interest away from her. That was not exactly fair play on his part, but as they said, all was fair in love and war…
As he walked back towards the backstage area, he decided that he should send a quick text message to Beats and advise him firstly that he wanted to talk to him after the show, and secondly that a certain NYADA staff member was to be avoided if at all possible that day, even if they were an honorary Warbler. His reply came as Mike was approaching the door of the rehearsal room, a space that he would no doubt need to enter and calm all of the jitters that would have started to hit as the time to perform approached. Beats said that he would do his level best to steer clear of Santana and would try to see that his mother did the same. He went on to say that he would happily meet him after the show, but that he would not tell his mother in advance that they had arranged the liaison so that Mike could speak to them both; that would only make her nervous and thus spoil her enjoyment of the show…
As luck would have it, Beats and the rest of his party would arrive at the doors of the City Ballet, having walked down from the Lincoln Center stop on the subway at the same moment that Ethan, Drew, Evie and Ethel arrived on their walk up from the restaurant near Columbus Circle. Introductions were made, and then they headed in, collecting their playbills before taking their reserved seats in the auditorium. Dante and Lachlan were already there, and they joined them. Mike had ensured when he was handing out the tickets that all of his friends and neighbours from the West Village were seated together, the three empty seats soon filled by Nick, Jeff and Wes.
"Tina travelled up with us, but she went backstage to be with Mike right now; she will be taking a seat in the front row alongside the directors of the City Ballet just before the show starts," said Nick, then with a broad smile went on, "Artie and Kitty arrived back from London last night and they are babysitting for her, which is not something I envy them, given that they came back on a late flight last night and must be jetlagged."
"I take it that his scouting trip for filming locations was a success?" asked Drew. Nick nodded, and then Drew realised he needed to take a moment to explain to Ethel exactly who Artie was and what his next project was going to be.
Around them the auditorium was now filling up, with every seat due to be occupied by either relatives and friends of the performers or those in the city that had an interest in the arts and the development of new talent. Mike appeared, and nodded in their direction before he headed down to the front to greet some of the most important guests that had been invited to watch the performance.
"It is a big day for Mike too, of course," remarked Jeff quietly to those closest to him. "It is his first time running the Summer School programme as a solo affair, so there will be a lot of people judging him on the way this turns out today." Then he noticed something and smiled widely. "I see that his parents did manage to make it today after all; that will be a big boost to him."
They all watched as Mr and Mrs Chang greeted their son, and Mike introduced them to the same important people he had been speaking to, before directing them down to the front row, where there were two vacant seats beside Tina.
"Well, I also see Santana sitting a few rows back," Elliott remarked in as hushed a voice as Jeff had used. "I am going to hazard a guess that she is here on a spying mission for Carmen and NYADA. Stuff like that is only to be expected in the cutthroat world of performing arts schools…" All those that knew Santana nodded in agreement, but had to admit that it was no bad thing if her presence helped one of the young people performing achieve their dreams…
Santana had deliberately requested a seat some way from all those that she knew so that she could work in peace, but she fully intended to go down and talk to them all at some point during the interval of the show, in particular to start a conversation with the older lady sitting beside Evie. She had been as shocked as everyone else to discover that Drew was going to be hosting the grandmother of the woman that had made his life a living hell; a woman that she felt had got off much too lightly when Ethan rescued Drew from her clutches. If she had been in London with Ethan at that time, then a certain doctor would have discovered the full effect of someone going all 'Lima Heights' on them…
She had still been surprised when the phone call had come from Trent but had been extremely flattered when he had told her that he felt she was a better judge of character than even he was. She would not make an immediate beeline for the lady in question when the interval began; no, she would make a much more subtle approach than that. The interval was only scheduled to last for 15 minutes, but she would be able to make up her mind on the woman in much less time than that. In fact, she would be able to send a message back to Trent before the second half of the show even started; by that time, his flight home from Dublin with Rory and the children would be over, and he would be at Dulles airport in Washington DC…
Olivia would not appear in her own section of the show until well after the interval, but she would appear in the opening dance, a group one in which Mike had tried his best to showcase every talent that he had in his group. With that done, it was the turn of Mike himself to dance for the audience, which most of them regarded as a bonus, such was his reputation. Of course, what people did not realise in the main was that it was a device to allow his young students to change into their costumes for their own individual segments; he would dance again just before the group finale to facilitate another change of costumes. He performed at the start of the show one of his solo pieces from Swan Lake, although not in the full feathered costume he had worn when he performed it first. It was still every bit as breathtaking to the audience as he danced it in his well-tailored suit, his body every bit as supple and fluid as it had been then…
For Ethel, it was a moment of magic to have the opportunity to see one of the greatest names in ballet in recent times performing, all the more so given that he had stepped away from performing to concentrate on his work as a choreographer and advisor at the City Ballet. He was rewarded with a thunderous round of applause, many of the audience getting to their feet to do so; Mike acknowledged them with a dignified bow before he headed offstage to allow the first of the students to step into the individual limelight, under the watchful eye of the student assistants that had aided Mike throughout the summer months.
As the music began, Ethel would quite happily have headed for home, having witnessed Mike dance, but the children showed great talent too, and it was obvious that they had all blossomed under the tutelage of Mike and his assistants. Every group of dancers that appeared performed as flawlessly as the last. By the time that the interval came, everyone was thinking the same thing, namely that Mike Chang was not only one of the best dancers ever to have graced the stage at the City Ballet, but he was also one of the best choreographers that they had ever employed too…
No sooner had the interval began than Santana was up on her feet, and she casually made her way down the aisle to the spot where Drew was sitting next to Evie. She asked them how they were enjoying the show after they had exchanged the usual pleasantries, and the conversation carried on from there. Of course, it did mean that Drew had to introduce Santana to Ethel, which brought her into the conversation as well. After a few moments, the latter apologised and stated that she needed to avail herself of the restroom, and of course, Santana was only too happy to offer to show her the way…
As they left, Ethan, who had been observing the scene from his spot next to Ethel, quickly put two and two together and realised that the first female honorary Warbler had not just been present to spy for NYADA; she had also in all likelihood been sent to spy on Ethel by one of the bird brotherhood as well…
Both ladies would return with smiles on their faces just before the second half of the show commenced, parting at the top of the aisle. As Ethel headed down to her seat, Santana suddenly realised that she was being watched, and turned to see Ethan standing there. He smiled at her, and told her they needed to have a quick chat…
"Okay, spill – which one of the others put you up to that little stunt? Don't deny it, because there is no way that you would be that interested in Ethel in the ordinary run of things…"
Santana looked offended for a moment, then said, "I was actually extremely interested on a personal level to meet the grandmother of the woman that half of the bird brotherhood would cheerfully have slaughtered, as it happens; a slaughter that I would have participated in without hesitation. However, I will admit that it was Trent that asked me to try and get her on her own and ask a few pertinent and probing questions…"
Ethan looked at her, then laughed out loud, as he could see that she was genuine in what she had just said. "I quite believe that you would have helped us to dispose of Lucy had we been inclined and able to; I also realise that it was always going to be Trent that asked you to be here. He would want to make his own judgement on the lady, but when he was unable to be here in person to do so…"
"…He chose the next best person for the role of inquisitor. I can tell you here and now that you all have no reason for concern; that lady is as harmful to her fellow man as Brittany would in all reality be. She was a victim for many years, but like your best friend, she would never have snapped and lashed out at her husband herself. She is also a brave woman; not many would reject their entire family at the age she is now. She has her circle of friends at church, but they will not live forever, so I would urge you to ask Drew to keep in touch with her…"
Ethan nodded, but then Santana continued, "She did say one thing that intrigued me though. Tell me, who is Dr Fergus MacAndrew? She mentioned that she had been surprised to see him here in the United States, but she was glad that he was close by, as he and Drew had so much in common…"
Ethan sighed and knew that he had no choice but to tell her, or Trent would be calling up to ask the same thing later that day. "He was Lucy's next victim, but unlike Drew, she left him with physical as well as mental scars. Look, I can't talk now, as the show is about to start up any moment. I will call you later this afternoon, once I am home, and fill you in so that you can fill Trent in…"
"That would be ideal, and by the way, now that I am involved in all of this, I will be asking for a few more details, starting with why the demonic doctor Lucy is currently in custody in the Middle East…"
Ethan nodded, then hastened back to his seat, sitting down just as the light dimmed. He had seen the way that Drew looked at him as he had done so, and he realised that he must have seen him talking to Santana; he did not need to know what was happening at once, because it would make no difference, but the conversation would need to be had in the days that followed. For now, there was the second half of the show to enjoy…
The highlight for all of those that had come from the West Village was right at the end when it was time for Olivia to dance her sole piece. She managed to engage and enchant them all from the moment that she appeared, her dancing that of a much more experienced performer than she was. Santana chuckled in her spot further back, knowing now why the name of Beats' niece had been missing from the list that Mike had given her. She also knew that she would not try and lure her to NYADA, as her old friend would never forgive her, and she would incur the wrath of both Tina and her own wife if she did. The young lady deserved the opportunity to be a prima ballerina, and with Mike guiding her, she would easily achieve that…
She did know where the competition for Olivia would lie, and that was with the woman that sat in the row in front of her, the representative of Tisch; there was no threat from Julliard, as they and the City Ballet had an excellent relationship. She resolved to thank Mike for the list be ensuring that the woman from Tisch was kept engaged elsewhere when the show ended; somewhere like a locked closet for example, at least until Mike had been given the chance to chat to Mrs Harper. Of course, locking the woman in a closet would make her own tasks much simpler too….
She now knew exactly who she wanted to attract to NYADA, and with a major rival off the radar, she would stand a much better chance of landing them. All she had to ensure was that her actions were not witnessed by anyone else in the audience; she did not want to have some fool intervene after all. For that reason she also needed to lure her victim to either a closet in a lonely corridor, or a room that was soundproofed…
Mike would perform again before the show came to a close, once again performing one of the iconic solo pieces that he had done during his career and again receiving an ovation when he finished. At the end of the show, there was traditionally a moment when a trophy would be presented to the best student, along with some medals for merit, but this year that was not taking place. Mike had decided to axe it as he felt that such things often created resentment and ill-feeling amongst those that might just have missed out. His thinking was also based on the premise that the Summer School was not actually a competition, but an opportunity to inspire young people and nurture in them a love of dance.
Thus there were no presentations as the entire school reassembled on the stage; instead Mike gave a brief speech explaining his decision, then thanked all the people that had been involved and praised all of the students that he had taught collectively. He encouraged them to take one last collective bow, and the audience applauded them all. Then they were dismissed by him, and as they left, he noticed that Santana was slipping back into the room. He wondered where she had been, but he decided that it might be for the best if he did not know. She remained close to the exit doors, no doubt so that she could pounce on the participants that she wanted to attract to NYADA and their guardians…
He had a plan of his own that had anticipated such moves by the competition; he had briefed his student assistants on the others that he wanted to bring to the City Ballet and assigned them to remain with them at all times to keep the competition away and to also speak to the parent or guardian of each one about the possibility of them attending the school full-time. As for Olivia, he had already asked her to wait for him in the dressing room when she was finished, and she had readily agreed to do so, trusting him entirely as he was not just a teacher, but her next-door neighbour…
He changed out of the ballet shoes that he had put on for the two performances and back into his street shoes, then headed for the backstage area, which was still busy with students, most of them now being talked to by someone that represented one of the many arts schools that existed in the city. He was surprised to see that the woman that he knew had been sent by Tisch was absent now, which struck him as odd. They had exchanged pleasantries earlier, both before the show and during the interval. Then he looked in Santana's direction, and she smiled at him with such innocence that his blood ran cold. He prayed that there were no crack houses in the district, recalling the stunt pulled by Rachel all of those years ago. He put those thoughts to the back of his mind for now though as he saw Beats and the rest of his party nearby; he beckoned them over, as he was going to escort him and his mother to his office for a private chat…