The MST, Firestorm, Ch. 53

As usual, Todd's night proved to be fitful. Without Blair to keep him from spiraling, he found himself fighting nightmares. After waking in a cold sweat for the second time, Todd gave up trying to sleep. Instead. he looked into everything Interpol had gotten on Carlo. They still hadn't figured out he was in the Caymans which was a plus for Todd. He decided to put in a call to Tomas and find out how things were going on his end and if Carlo was still bidding on paintings. Because of the time difference, Todd pulled out his cell phone and called the Gallery. Luckily Tomas picked up.

"Tomas, I’m glad I caught you. This is Samuel... No, things haven't gone as smoothly as I would have liked, I ran into a bit of a health obstacle. I'm currently recovering from a heart attack and my doctor informs me I need to keep my stress level down. That is why I've called. Please tell me that everything there is still the same…. So am I to assume that Mr. Hesser is still bidding on my paintings…. Both Mr. Manning and Mr. Hesser were bidding and then Mr. Manning stopped. Yes well, I know why that might have happened. Mr. Manning was recently shot. I'm concerned that whoever shot Mr. Manning might be involved with the ones who've been watching me. You must be extremely careful, Tomas. Tell me Tomas, which of Blair's portraits did you offer for sale. The sunset on the beach. Yes, she is indeed beautiful. Mr. Hesser has no idea I'm not in Paris is that correct….. Sell the painting to Mr. Hesser and I need to know when it'll be shipped out….. In three days. Excellent. I think you should wait a couple weeks before putting another picture up. It can't appear like you have a supply of my paintings hanging around. Again, I caution you to be careful, these men are dangerous my friend, and I don't want you in harm's way. If all goes as planned I hope to have the ones responsible for my memory loss caught soon. Thank you, Tomas, you are a good friend." with that Todd cut the connection.

He had tried to sound nonchalant when discussing the sale of Blair's portrait to Hesser. He had to allow the portrait to be shipped because they needed it to track down Carlo's whereabouts. But it made him mad as hell that Carlo was getting that portrait. That portrait had shown Blair standing on the beach in Key West the day of their first wedding. Blair had looked incredibly beautiful with a flower tucked over her ear and the breeze teasing her hair. He had felt so weird that day. Once he had made the decision to marry her, he knew he had to go through with it. He thought she was carrying his child at the time.

He tried hard most days to not think of the child they lost in the early days of their marriage, or of the lies told. Those days were long past, now he pictured her in his mind as she lay on the bed of flowers yesterday. "Why not." Todd got off the bed and headed down to Samuel's Studio. "Ok, Samuel, give me a little help here. I want to do this one myself, so I'll draw her and you can instruct me how to paint it then Ok?”

“It'll be a piece of cake Todd.”

“Right, so I'll need an empty canvas. Ok, Here we go." Todd reached into his mind and found the picture he was looking for and he began to draw. In his mind, the bed became a meadow of wildflowers. He drew her body on the canvas the way he had memorized it that afternoon. Stroke by stroke she appeared until she lay in that meadow surrounded by the flowers. Then with Samuel's voice in his head, Todd picked out the paints to use to bring her to life. Once again he marveled that he could actually be doing this. He knew Samuel would have just started painting and the portrait would have appeared but Todd actually liked doing the drawing first and then applying the color, it was as if he got to caress her body not once but twice doing the portrait his way.

As the painting took on color Todd found himself actually having fun. It was amazing and sensual at the same time. He wanted to get the expression that Blair had beamed up at him. If she had been a cat she would have purred, but been asking for more at the same time, then he realized that it came from her eyes. Those sultry eyes looking at him like he was her prey then the very tip of her tongue just peeking out from her beautiful lips. There she was. His beautiful sex kitten just lying there ready for the taking. He stood back to look at his handiwork." What do you think Samuel? Up to your standards?" In his head, he heard a chuckle.

“Oh yes Todd, definitely up to my standards, although I think you even outshine me. It's obvious to anyone looking that you really know Blair,” replied Samuel.

"I've got to admit Samuel, I understand why this is you, or maybe I should say me. This allows us to show feelings I've never been able to express verbally. I haven't felt this good in a long time." Todd started cleaning Samuel's brushes and sealing the paint tubes. Then he carefully covered the painting so it wouldn't shock Starr. There was only one place where that painting was going to be hung, and it definitely wasn't going to be in the living room.  After getting everything back in their proper places, Todd closed the gate and went to the kitchen. He started a pot of coffee then headed upstairs to shower and change for the day.

Starr woke to the smell of coffee and knew her dad was already up. She got up and got Hope dressed for the day. Placing Hope in her bed with a couple of toys, Starr took the opportunity to shower also and get ready for her day. Starr was going to try and check on Walker after her morning class, she also wanted to spend some time with her boyfriend James. She hadn't figured out how to introduce James to her real dad yet, so she hadn't invited him over to the penthouse.  That was something she needed to talk to her dad about.  Hopefully, he was in a good mood this morning.  As she carried Hope down the stairs, she caught the scent of the oil paints.  She wondered why Samuel had come out. Had something happened during the night?

Starr placed Hope in her playpen, she wondered what Samuel had painted and moreover why had Samuel covered it. Curiosity got the better of her and she went into Samuel's little studio and decided to take a peek at his latest painting. When she lifted the cover, she felt herself blushing down to her toes. My God, it’s mom!  But there was nothing motherly about the woman in that painting. Starr had thought the painting on the wall above the fireplace was quite sexy but this was hot and beautiful and she felt like a peeping tom just looking at it. She didn't think Samuel and her mom were more than friends, why had he painted this? Then she saw the signature. Wow, her dad had painted this. "Ahem." Starr jumped, turned and saw her dad looking at her with a smile on his face. To hide her blush she reached up and carefully covered the painting again.

"Sorry Dad, I smelled the paint and thought Samuel had come out, I was curious because he doesn't usually cover his paintings." Starr could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Yes, well I was trying to avoid this, so I covered it. Uh, forgetting who the subject is, what do you think of my first attempt?" asked Todd

Starr looked at her Dad, he was looking at her begging for her approval like a kid who's just finished his first drawing for his mother. She saw Tom beaming out at her just waiting for a response. It was easy to answer her father. The painting was beautiful. "Dad, I think it's fantastic, I thought Samuel had painted it, but you know what Dad, your style is a little different, it's sharper. When I looked at Mom she seemed so real. I look at Samuel's picture and Mom seems real but it's like you’re viewing her through a cloud. It's softer. Do you understand what I'm saying, Dad?"

Todd looked up at the wall and realized Starr was right, Samuel's pictures had a softness about them, a gentleness, like love seen from a distance. He walked over and removed the picture from the wall and headed over to the studio. Starr opened the gate and joined him at the painting he had completed that morning. She carefully uncovered it and with Todd holding Samuel's painting, they studied the two of them. At first glance they could have been looking at pictures by the same artist then the differences started standing out. Todd's strokes were bolder and sharper much like his temperament and Samuel's were smoother and calmer. That was what Samuel had meant. Todd had infused his own feelings into his artwork and had his own style. He looked at his daughter and smiled. "Thank you.  I thought that if I was integrating Samuel, I was going to start being him but you just showed me that Samuel is enhancing me not taking me over. I love you, Starr." He set the portrait down and gathered his daughter in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. "I will always be grateful you were born."

"I'm pretty grateful you and Mom had me too. What do you say we get some breakfast? Then I have a couple of errands to run before going to my class today. Have you got plans Dad," asked Starr? She wanted to make sure he had something to keep him busy while she was out. She still couldn't get over the feeling she had let him down but she wasn't sure she could correct the problem. In fact, she felt extra guilty because one of her errands was to go check on Walker and see how Tea was doing.

Todd looked at his daughter and read between the lines. He could tell she was concerned for him and was afraid he might do something if he was left alone too long. He also knew she felt guilty about something. If he were to venture a guess it probably had to do with Manning. "Actually, Bo is coming over this morning. Your mom and I found out some interesting information yesterday and I'm turning it over to Bo. "

"Dad, you and Mom got home a lot later than I thought you would yesterday. Neither one of you said anything about the session. Didn't it go alright?" asked Starr.

"Let's just say things definitely didn't go as planned. There were a few scary moments for everyone but it's over and I'm still here. I have another appointment scheduled for tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll begin making some progress. Things are breaking open around here. I think Manning's shooting is linked to all of this, and someone is trying to cover their tracks as quick as possible. When you go visit Manning keep an eye out for strangers that might be watching his room. There's a good chance they might want to finish the job. And Starr, I know you're seeing someone. I promise I won't try to take his head off at the first meeting. You can bring him over to meet Samuel if you want, this is your home too." Todd looked at his daughter and grinned at the look on her face. "I may be a dragon but I don't eat people. Now we better get some breakfast or you're going to run out of time before your class."

Things got a little hectic as they fixed a quick breakfast and then cleaned up. Then Starr took Hope down to daycare so her dad and Bo could talk uninterrupted. She stopped back up at the penthouse to tell her dad goodbye and headed out to do her errands before class. After Starr left, Todd went up to his room and gathered all the copies of his health records from his stay in Philadelphia General. He also grabbed the list of patrons that Samuel had received from Tomas. That seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since Samuel first arrived back in Llanview. He was grateful to Samuel for doing all the legwork up to this point. He still couldn't get over how severely hurt he was that night eight years before. The doctors had been right, somehow he had survived another near-death experience.

Todd reached and picked up the laptop, with it and his paperwork in hand, he made his way back down to the living room. With everything ready for Bo's visit, Todd perused the room. Something seemed off and then he realized he had forgotten to put Blair's picture back on the wall. He walked over and picked it up, looking again at Samuel's work. Todd admired the way Samuel had depicted one of Todd's favorite memories. Samuel and Rodd had something in common, they were both lovers of beauty. He hung Blair's portrait back in place, then he heard the doorbell.  Walking to the door, he opened it and let Bo in. " Welcome to our humble home Commissioner."

Bo was struck by the different feeling the room conveyed as he stepped into Todd's living room. He had always felt like Todd's house was a little cold. But there was a warmth to this room that hadn't been there before. Maybe it was the way the furniture had been rearranged or maybe it was the Gallery on the wall but altogether the effect was much more inviting. Bo recalled his conversation with Nora after the phone call from Todd. Nora had told him of her visit to Todd the morning after Manning's shooting. She told Bo how she had thought Todd was playing him for a fool until she met Samuel. Yet even after a reasonable conversation, it wasn't until Todd appeared that Nora became convinced he was telling the truth.

She said Todd had been honest and straightforward, and it had shocked her, but there had been something in his tone that had told her he meant every word he spoke. She had agreed to do her part to help and she told Bo that. To say he had been surprised had been an understatement. So Todd had gotten Nora on his side, Bo was glad his instinct about Todd in the hospital had so far been proven right. Now he was going to find out if Todd really was going to allow him to do his job.

“I must say, Todd... You are Todd, Right?" Todd nodded. "This is different from the last time I was in this penthouse. Are you aware of what took place in this penthouse several years back? It was a massacre and this is where Marty was staying when Manning found her. I'm surprised you purchased it again." said Bo.

"Well it's like this, I didn't purchase it. Samuel did. He had no idea that this place had previously been mine. He bought it sight unseen before he left Paris. It wasn't until he arrived here that he remembered it. As for what happened several years back, it's in the past. I had nothing to do with it and my first view of this penthouse since 2003 is the same view you're seeing. But you’re right, this is Samuel's set up, but I like it, so why change it? This is Starr's and Hope's home now too and that what it feels like, a home. I'm not going to rock that boat. Have a seat, Bo, let me get you some coffee. I've got a number of things to show you." Todd left Bo and went to the kitchen and made a tray of coffee and a couple of pastries and rejoined Bo in the living room. He found Bo studying the portraits on the wall. "Samuel's work is remarkable. He told you he made a living at it. In fact, thanks to Samuel's artwork I think we might be able to find Hesser. Help yourself Commish. I'll explain." Todd set the tray down and headed over to where he had laid out the paperwork. He picked up everything and sat down opposite Bo. He set the paperwork down and the laptop and poured a coffee for himself. Then he began.

"You know that Samuel lived in Paris and sold a number of his paintings to make a living. This is a list of his patrons. You'll note two interesting names on that list." Todd handed Bo the list showing Manning and Hesser as purchasers of Samuel's art.

"Are you telling me that Hesser has been buying Samuel's painting all this time? It doesn't mean a whole lot other than the fact that he likes Blair. This is no proof that Hesser is responsible for your circumstances." said Bo.

"You're right Bo. His purchases don't indicate his involvement with me unless you look at some of the other things I found out about him. Remember, Hesser has a vested interest in the Kipling Facility. I just found out that Hesser's brother Mortimer was admitted for severe trauma on the night of March 14th. 2003 to the Cherryvale Clinic. We both know that Mortimer's been dead longer than that." Todd handed his medical records to Bo. "Here are my records from Philadelphia General. Note the number of injuries listed including a laceration to the cheek. Now, look at this. " Todd opened his laptop and brought up Mortimer's records at the Cherryvale Clinic. "As you can see, Mortimer's injuries and mine match."

"Todd I told you we had to do this by the book, it's illegal to view someone else's hospital records without permission." said Bo, looking exceedingly upset.

"Relax Bo, all I've been doing is looking and besides I'm Mortimer, remember. Since they're a match, I was hoping you could get a copy of the records than they could be compared to mine by a reliable witness, say a doctor. Once we prove that Mortimer and I are the same, then we can start tracking down Hesser. One more thing, the gentleman in the records office told us that Mortimer was transferred to the Kipling Neuroscience Research Facility on family orders. Don't you see it's all coming together? If you can get the tangible proof, I know a way to find Hesser. What do you say, Bo?" Todd looked over at Bo. He knew Bo wanted to get that information as much as he did.

"If what you're saying is true. I think I can go to the judge and explain the situation and receive permission to get copies of Mortimer's records. Once we have the records, how does that put us closer to Hesser? He's been off the grid for quite a while. Even Interpol can't find him. How do you propose we locate him?" asked Bo. He looked over at Todd. It was apparent that Todd had been doing his homework since getting out of the hospital. He was looking like a man who had an ace up his sleeve.

Todd smiled, he knew he had Bo's attention now. It was time to show him where to look for Hesser.  “If you look at the list of patrons, you'll see the address of the Gallery where Hesser's been picking up Samuel's portraits. I know for a fact that Hesser just purchased another painting and it is due to be shipped from Paris to that Gallery in three days. With a little bit of help from Interpol, I believe you'll be able to track that portrait right to Hesser. This is the address of my friend, Tomas. He is the Gallery owner who is sending the portrait out. Hesser still believes that Samuel is in Paris, thanks to some precautions Samuel put in place before leaving. I think we can catch Carlo unaware and get him extradited home before he can completely fold up shop here. I think he might have ordered the hit on Manning which means he's getting antsy. Well, what do you think?" Todd had laid everything he had out on the table. Was it enough?

Bo was impressed. Todd had managed to come up with a way to find Hesser, when half a dozen countries and Interpol hadn't. He smiled, Todd was a very intelligent man but had always gone about things his own way and it had led him into more trouble. For the first time, he was actually trying to do things right, although he had used a little bit of hacking to help his cause. Bo had to admit, that maybe after everything Todd had been through, he finally had learned that there were others you could trust in this world besides yourself. "Actually Todd, I'm amazed. This is brilliant. Hesser won't see us coming. You realize, though, that this is only the first step to finding out about you and Manning. We've found a possible link to you but now we have to find a link to Manning too."

"Your detectives need to find that shooter before he disappears. He's the only link we might have to Hesser, Bo. From what you just said, I guess that means you'll get the records and get Interpol involved. Say the word and I'll alert Tomas." Todd said.

"That's a definite yes Todd, I'll get the records and we'll get our link to you and Mortimer. You alert Tomas that he'll be receiving a visit from Interpol. Instruct him that no one and I mean no one in his organization should be made aware of Interpol's involvement. One loose tongue and we'll lose Hesser. This is great and I think it's going to work. Todd, I have to ask you to continue to keep a low profile around town until Hesser is in custody, all it would take is a stray reporter getting another look at you and this could all fall apart. Oh, by the way, how are you doing? I know you haven't been home from the hospital too long." inquired Bo.

It was Todd's turn to be amazed, Bo actually sounded like he cared about Todd's health. That felt strange, to hear concern for him coming from a man who had despised him for a long time. " Uh, I'm doing alright. I guess. I need to get out of here Bo, this stress will kill me. At least, that's what the doctors are telling me. I probably could be better but only time is going to tell...Thanks for asking?" Todd got up and moved away, a little embarrassed by the feelings churning inside him because of Bo's concern. "Um, I guess that's all I've got Bo. I do have to make an appearance at the hospital tomorrow, I have a follow-up with my doctor, but I'll try and make it a quick in and out especially since Manning is there. Ok?"

"Ok Todd but you're right, try and make it a quick and definitely steer clear of the area where Manning is. I'll be in touch as soon as we get the records from Cherryvale." With that, Bo gathered the information in front of him and said his goodbyes.

As Todd watched him leave, he pondered the strange way fate had of bringing people into his life. His relationship with Bo had certainly taken a new path and Todd wondered where this one would lead.