Chapter 27- Help

"Shh, shh… it's okay, Ace." Maxie rocked him as he cried.

Spencer cleared his throat. "I can get him to stop crying."

Maxie bit her lip. "I believe you, but I'm kind of in an awkward position here. Esme made it clear she doesn't want him to go with you." She sighed.

"But I can tell you don't trust Esme either," Spencer said. "This isn't about Esme. This is about Ace."

"It is. But I said I would get him to my mom, so I'll do that, then I guess it's up to her if she gives him to you guys or keeps him." She walked to the edge of the pool. "Hey Spinelli. I'm sure you heard most of that. I'm going to take Ace over to my parent's house. Can you stay with the kids and bring them back home in an hour."

"Yes, of course, Maximista."

Maxie walked back over to the lounge chairs. "There, it's settled."

"Maxie," Spencer said. "Ace keeps reaching for me. At least let me calm him before you go."

"Um…." Maxie looked at Ace. "I don't know. Things are shaky in my family right now. I don't think I should."

"I'm the closest thing he has to a father," Spencer said softly. "You don't know Esme like I do. You heard what she's being arrested for. Does that sound like someone who is in the right state of mind to demand what is best for my baby brother? You and Felicia are great, but he doesn't know you. Esme can't just demand that you take him to Felicia when he belongs with me."

"Spencer, move away from my daughter and my grandson." Felicia walked up to them. She bent over and dug through Esme's backpack, then handed Ace his stuffed horse. His cries dissipated into whimpers. Felicia took him into her arms and glared at Spencer. "You're the one giving out demands when you have no place doing so. If Esme wants Ace to come with us, then he's coming with us."

"But I'm his big brother," Spencer said firmly.

"Spencer, you may leave now," Felicia said.

Spencer groaned and touched Ace's hand. "Don't worry, buddy. I will figure this out." He moved over to Joss and Trina.

Felicia shook her head and turned to Maxie. "So, I'm too late. Esme was arrested?"

Maxie nodded.

"Maxie, I know things are shaky between us," Felicia said. "And I really want to talk to you about it again. But right now, I need your help."

Maxie sighed. "Help with what?"

"Ace will definitely stay with me and Mac." Felicia rubbed his back. "But I need you to take him home with you while I go to the police station."

"Mom, I—"

"Maxie, please trust me on this."

"But the charges against her…. Mom, she's done horrible things." Maxie looked into her mother's teary eyes. "Okay, I'll do it for you."

"Thank you." Felicia kissed Ace's cheek and handed him to Maxie. She lifted the backpack and pulled the straps over Maxie's shoulders. "Please take him home now. Get him away from Spencer."

Maxie closed her eyes. "Spencer just cares…." She cleared her throat. "But okay, I'll take him now. I already asked Spinelli to stay with my kids."

"Thank you, Maxie. I'll walk you out." She wrapped her arm around Maxie and they headed for the exit.

GHGHGH

After Amanda left, Janet fled to her room in tears. She stopped in front of her full-length mirror and stared back at the reflection of herself with black hair and glasses.

"Are you really going to allow Heather to one-up you with her daughter?" Mirror Janet asked.

Janet's lip trembled. "Heather is my friend."

"Do friends act like they're a better mother than you are? I should think not. The way she strokes Esme's hair in front of you."

"Well, I could do that with my Amanda too," Janet said.

"But Amanda only stops by for an hour every other week," Mirror Janet argued. "Heather has Esme 24/7."

"My-my-my Amanda loves me," Janet cried.

"But Esme could love you too, you know," Mirror Janet said. "All you have to do is get rid of Heather."

Janet shook her head. "I could never do that to my best friend."

"We've been over this. Best friends don't act the way Heather has been."

Janet cradled her head in her hands.

"All you have to do is clock her over the head with the TV," Janet Mirror said. "Or lock her in the freezer like you did big Trevor. Or throw her over the balcony."

"No, I couldn't," Janet said.

"Yes, you could."

Janet glanced up and her reflection went back to normal. She composed herself and went back out to the living room.

Heather had her arms wrapped around Willow on the couch and she leaned on her, then kissed the top of her head. Willow looked horrified.

Janet pursed her lips. "Heather, I'd like a word with you, please."

Heather sat up a bit. "What is it?"

"I'd rather speak to you alone."

Willow bit her lip hoping for a chance to be on her own.

"But I don't want to leave my Esme," Heather said.

"It won't take long," Janet said. "It's actually a surprise for Esme. You wanted her to enjoy the balcony. I want your opinion on how to decorate it for her, since you know her best."

Willow smiled. "That's a great idea. I trust your judgment… um… Mother."

Heather stroked Willow's cheek. "Okay, sweetheart. You stay right here. Mommy will be right back."

She got up and followed Janet to the balcony.

Once they were out of view, Willow made for the door.

"Just lean over here, Heather dear," Janet said, stepping closer to the railing. "I thought we could hang flowers here."

Heather stepped closer to her. "Why did you really ask me to come out here?"

"To get your advice on decorating," Janet said. "Why else would I ask you out here?"

Heather eyed her suspiciously. "I don't know."

Janet wrapped her arm around her and led her closer to the railing. "What is Esme's favourite colour?"

Heather shrugged. "Maybe orange, like me."

Janet reached for a potted plant. "Then maybe we can get some orange chrysanthemums."

"Or maybe…." Heather whipped around and grabbed the other end of the pot. "Maybe you can leave me and my Esme alone!"

GHGHGH

Kendall was sitting at her desk at Fusion, then headed out to the lobby to find Greenlee and Amanda.

"Hello ladies," Kendall said. "Guess who I met this morning?"

"Who?" Greenlee asked.

"Nina Reeves," Kendall said. "Editor in chief of Crimson magazine. My mom knows her. I'm hoping she'll do a story for us since we have the same demographics."

"Oh, I've heard of her," Greenlee said.

Kendall sighed. "We'll have to wait though. Her daughter was kidnapped."

Amanda scrunched her face.

"Oh, that's awful," Greenlee said.

"Yeah, she thinks they're in Pine Valley." Kendall pulled out her phone. "Here's an article right here. Willow Corinthos abducted by Heather Webber."

Amanda gasped when she saw the pictures. "I know where they are."

"You do?" Kendall asked.

Amanda nodded. "At my mom's. I thought something was off. They called her Esme though. She was mouthing something to me, but I couldn't make out what."

GHGHGH

Felicia arrived at the PCPD out of breath and found Mac at the desk. "Mac, how is she?"

Mac sighed. "Pretty emotional. Jordan asked me to arrest her, but I said I couldn't. I didn't want to hurt you. They've tried questioning her but she's staying quiet. Her bail hearing is scheduled in a couple of days."

"Thank you. It also would make Esme even more afraid of you if you did arrest her. I'm glad she's staying quiet. I want to talk to her first, and we need to find her a lawyer."

Mac nodded. "Who do you want to call?"

Felicia frowned. "I don't know. Robert would be my go-to, but as D.A. he can't defend someone. Diane Miller is in Sonny and Carly's pocket. Martin is Laura's brother. Molly Lansing is Spencer's cousin. Esme has a lot of enemies…."

"She does," Mac agreed. "What about Nora Buchanan? Remember she defended Kevin and won the case."

"That's right," Felicia said. "She'd be a good choice. Mac, would you mind calling her? I want to see Esme."

"Of course," Mac said. He walked over to another officer. "Can you bring Esme Prince to the interrogation room? Felicia wants to see her." When the officer went back to the holding cells, Mac turned back to Felicia. "I thought you'd prefer the interrogation room over seeing her in her cell."

Felicia smiled a little. "Thank you."

She made her way into the interrogation room and sat at the table. She fidgeted nervously until Esme walked in, still in her bathing suit, with the guard. The guard handcuffed her to the table.

"Is that really necessary?" Felicia asked.

"It's our protocol." The guard stepped out of the room.

Esme's eyes were red and blotchy, and she avoided looking at Felicia.

Felicia took off her coat and moved over to her to wrap it around Esme's shoulders. "I didn't realize you were still in your bathing suit, sweetie. I will bring you some clothes." She sat across from her again and reached for her hand. "Are you okay?"

Esme shrugged, then finally looked at her with wide eyes. "Where's Ace? Spence didn't take him, did he?"

"He didn't," Felicia assured. "Ace will stay with me. We will honour your wishes. But I needed to see you, so Maxie took him home with her. Other than missing his mommy, he's okay." Felicia cleared her throat. "Esme, I need to have a hard conversation with you."

"A—about what?"

"About the charges against you," Felicia said. "I know this is still new, our relationship. And I thought we'd have more time so I can earn your trust and you would feel comfortable talking to me. But unfortunately, honey, you need someone to help you right now. We don't have time. And I really want to be that person for you. The only way I can help you is if you tell me what happened."

Esme pulled her hand back and lowered her gaze.

"I will not judge you and I will stand by you no matter what," Felicia continued. "I know some of the things you've been through and I'm pretty sure you've been through more that I don't know about. I am a P.I. and I'm skilled in investigating these things. But I need all of the information so I can help you. Can you please tell me, did you do the things they're accusing you of?"

Esme's eyes welled with tears, but she didn't respond.

"I know you're scared," Felicia said. "But things are different now. You're not alone anymore. You have me. If you're innocent of these things, then wonderful, I want to prove your innocence. But if you did do these things, I can't help you if you don't tell me. I know it's not fair considering where we live. This town is full of criminals who get away with everything. And many of them are older than you who repeat their crimes over and over without taking responsibility for what they do, but they expect others too. But I believe in you, Esme."

Esme looked up at her again.

"I believe in you no matter your past," Felicia said. "You can be a better person than the hypocrites in town. If you are guilty, it will make you feel so much better if you confess."

"You want me to go to prison?" Esme asked.

Felicia shook her head. "Absolutely not. No, sweetie, I don't. Whether you did these things or not, I know you've paid for it already. You did time in Spring Ridge on top of the hand you were dealt with in life. I've seen so many people in town who go to prison and get off early too for way worse. So, no matter what anyone says, you have paid. But I'm thinking about your conscience and your future. If you hold all this in, it's going to eat you up. And if they find you guilty before you come forward, you will face prison time again. That's how the law works. But if you admit it, we can get you a plea bargain and the punishment will be way less severe. Hopefully we'll have a judge that will sympathize with you. But they won't be able to sympathize with you if they don't know the full story. Plus, if you come forward, you can be an example to Ace.

"Also, if this is true, it would give a peace of mind and some closure to the people you might have hurt, so all of you can move forward," Felicia continued. "I know you feel like a lot of people hate you. This could be a step forward to making peace with them, even if it's from a distance. Then you can live more freely and not feel like everyone is judging your sincerity and waiting for you to make a wrong move. And if they are still giving you trouble after you admit it, then that's on them, not you. I don't care about Nikolas or Spencer. Even just the little time I've spent with you, I know they're not innocent in all this. They have and still are hurting you and Ace. I don't know if Trina, Cameron, or Josslyn are completely innocent or not, but I would like you to tell me. I want to know your side of the story, Esme. And if there is more to this, which I believe there is, I want you to tell me. And I will believe you because I'm on your side."

Felicia sighed when Esme still didn't respond. "Esme, do you want my help?"

Esme nodded.

"Then please, talk to me," Felicia said. "Okay, why don't we start with others if you need more time to tell me if you did those things or not. How did Nikolas, Spencer, and your other friends treat you?"

"Um, well, Spence kept going off with Trina when he said he loved me," she finally said.

"Okay, and that made you jealous?" Felicia asked.

"He kept flirting with her. And I found out even before I met her Spence was pretending to be someone else and didn't tell Trina about me."

"This was while he was dating you?" Felicia asked.

"Yeah."

"How did you meet Spencer?"

Esme shifted uncomfortably. "At boarding school."

"Okay," Felicia said. "And what was your first meeting like?"

"I—I approached him and we hit it off."

Felicia tilted her head. "I feel like there's something you're not telling me about meeting him."

"We just met, okay?" Esme said. "We just met, then I came here after him."

"All right," Felicia said. "And what about his friends? What was your dynamic with them?"

"Cameron was nice, but Josslyn was nasty to me from day one and I did nothing to her," Esme said.

Felicia nodded. "I could see her being that way with you. Josslyn can be very brass like her mother."

"And after the night at the cabin, Spence started playing me," Esme said. "He pretended he still loved me. All to get Trina exonerated."

"Because he wanted to prove that you framed her?" Felicia asked.

"I didn't!"

"You didn't frame her?" Felicia repeated. "Okay, that's a good start. Are you guilty for any of the things you're being accused of?"

Esme stared at the wall.

"Esme, it's okay," Felicia said. "You can tell me." When Esme wouldn't respond, Felicia asked, "And what about your relationship with Nikolas?"

"I love Ace and that's all that matters," Esme said barely above a whisper.

Felicia smiled a little. "Of course you do. Esme, during these events, what was your relationship with Ryan like?"

Esme's eyes welled with fresh tears.

"I know it's hard for you to talk about, sweetie," Felicia said. "But I think it's an important part of your testimony."

Esme wrapped Felicia's coat tighter around herself.

"Another thing," Felicia moved on. "Before I found out you're my daughter, Laura had asked me to investigate the break-in at Wyndemere on Christmas Eve. They had found a red mitten there. When Ace was in the hospital, I grabbed a stray hair off your coat for our DNA test. The matching red mitten fell from your coat. You broke into Wyndemere, right?"

Esme's mouth dropped slightly.

"Nothing was stolen and Kevin said he started noticing a change in you around then," Felicia said. "Is that when you got your memory back?"

Esme nodded. "I broke in because I wanted to remember."

"I thought so," Felicia said. "That must've been very scary for you and hard keeping that all in. And I imagine you didn't know who to talk to about it."

"Y—y—you're not mad?" Esme asked.

"No. But I think this is a good opportunity for you. If you tell the police today about the break-in, they will see you taking responsibility and being honest. You might get community service or something. If you come forward with anything you actually did do, then any of the charges you're innocent of, they should believe you." Felicia reached for her hand again. "I will be with you every step of the way and we can fight this together."

Esme's lip trembled.

"Time's up." The guard stepped into the room again.

Felicia nodded at Esme. "You can do this. Stay strong. You can take my coat with you. I'm going to figure this out."

GHGHGH

Willow pulled the doorknob as hard as she could, but the door was locked from the inside too. She huffed and scanned the room. Then she reached for her earrings and tried them in the lock. She groaned. If only she'd learned how to pick a lock.

She jerked when she heard a commotion and shouting from the balcony. She had to get out of there while she had a chance. She couldn't even find a phone.

A scream came from the balcony and her heart sped up. Moments later, Janet returned to the living room, beaming.

"Oh, sweet girl, come to Mommy." She held her arms out to her. "The monster is gone now and won't hurt you anymore."

GHGHGH

Esme lay on the bed in her cell, crying. She held tightly to Felicia's coat.

"Ms. Prince," the guard said. "You have a visitor."

She pushed away her tears and slowly looked up.

"Hello, Esme," said Dex Heller.