Don't Shoot the "Messenger", Ch. 43

         Todd awoke to find Blair wrapped around him, he laid there stroking her blonde tresses. She stirred, and then just snuggled closer into his shoulder and continued to sleep. Herm chose that moment to give a kick and Todd marveled at the sensation of the little foot pushing into his side. After all these years, he was finally where he belonged. He had missed out on the growth and birth of Starr in her mother’s womb and had had little contact with Blair while she was carrying Jack. Now he was being given a third chance to do it all. His hand moved down to his child and he relished the little movements going on. The baby was obviously wide awake and appeared to be doing gymnastics in her mother’s tummy. Easy little one you’ll wake mommy. He began to soothingly rub circles and the baby settled down. Something tells me you’re going to take after your mother. After calming his child, his hand moved along Blair’s smoothed tanned body to her lower back and continued its lazy circles there.

            Blair lay on his chest comfortable in his arms, and loving the feel of his hand circling the side of her tummy. She felt her child settling back down at the touch of her father and then his hand moved. She had never thought of her lower back as an erogenous zone but under Todd’s masterful touch she lay there trying to will him to drop that hand just a little lower. Unable to stop herself she gave a little moan and quivered in anticipation, then her tongue flicked out and began to play with the nipple in front of her.

Todd gasped as her tongue set him on fire and he looked down into two sparkling emerald eyes. There was no question his tigress wanted to play. As his hand lowered to her firm buttocks she pushed at it as if begging him to continue and he obliged and found she was all ready for him. He could swear she began to purr as his fingers worked their way into her center. Her little sounds were working wonders on him and he stopped his touches and watched as she slinked on top of him like a cat and settled on him, letting him fill her. Her hands traced down the fine muscles of his chest coming to rest on his abs as she began to slowly move on him. Todd positioned his hands at her hips and watched as Blair gave herself over to the passion consuming her. She was beautiful above him, her eyes half-lidded and her hands leaving his body to begin fondling her breasts as she rode him. As she worked and caressed them, he watched fascinated as they began leaking an early milky liquid as she got nearer to her due date. She gathered it on her fingertips and offered it to him and smiled at him as he licked her fingers clean, his breath was now as ragged as hers. He drove himself deeper into her and rose up to capture her breasts first one and then the other with his mouth. He drank that sweet early offering and she grabbed tight to his shoulders as they climaxed together, then she clung to him as he continued to caress and enjoy her more bountiful breasts in the afterglow.

A short time later as they lay side by side his hand once again found his child. As if knowing her father was reaching out to her, the baby kicked. Blair watched his face and loved the look of joy that washed across it as the baby responded to his touch. It was going to be a good day.

Todd leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his daughter and then smiled. He quickly gave Blair a kiss and a pat on her beautiful backside and exited the bed. There was a lot to do that morning. Listening to her weak protest as he went to take his shower, he thought back to the days leading up to this moment.

Four weeks had passed since it was discovered that Natalie and Liam had been abducted. Initially, he had worked side by side with Bo and John trying every avenue to ascertain where they and the other missing girls were. He had used the picture from Vicki’s phone and with the help of Larry had figured out that Natalie was drugged when the picture was taken. One more text was sent to both Vicki and John and it had sent chills through all of them. The simple text read “Heed the Messenger.” They tracked the GPS signal to a flat in London, but all they found was Natalie’s phone. The place had been wiped clean leaving no trace whatsoever of the person or persons who had resided there

Two weeks later Bo had called off the search. The trails were cold, no one else had been reported missing and unless something new popped up, the police were stymied. He and Vicki both had investigators trying to track down the woman and boy who had boarded the plane. Thanks to John, he had secured footage from the airport and Shaun was working overtime trying to put a name to the woman. So far they hadn’t been able to identify her.

Todd had started back with his therapy, and with Ray’s help, the nightmares were beginning to get bearable. He began working in earnest to get Vicki elected Mayor and he finally had begun procedures to adopt Sam. Today was the day all of that came to fruition. He walked from the bathroom with the towel around his waist and admired his wife still residing in bed. “Hey Babe, we’re supposed to be in court in a couple of hours.”

Blair suddenly remembered what was going on. “Oh my God, why did you let me sleep so late? I have a million things to do before that. The caterer will be calling any minute wanting to know when they can come set up for the party.”

“Relax Blair, go take your shower and I’ll handle the caterer. I haven’t heard anything from the kids either. I think everyone slept in this morning. I better go rouse the household.”

Blair waited to get out of bed, instead, she laid there admiring her husband’s gorgeous body as he dressed. His mind was so occupied with the rest of the day’s activity that he didn’t realize she was watching him. Usually, he was a little self-conscious about being on display even with her. She loved that about him. It was a little quirk that she found very endearing.

Todd turned around looking for his belt and realized his wife hadn’t gone into the bathroom. “Damn it, Blair, you’re wasting time,” he said to cover his embarrassment. He always was uncomfortable when she looked at him like that.

Blair walked up and gave him her own quick kiss and patted his behind before taking herself into the bathroom laughing lightly.

Todd smiled quietly to himself, grabbed his belt, and headed to get the rest of the family up. He was about to knock on the boys’ door when it was flung open. Sam stood there already dressed in his best suit.

“Today’s the day, today’s the day!” Sam said as he barreled out of the room and wrapped himself around Todd’s legs.

Todd felt a lump in his throat as he realized Sam had been looking forward to the day as much as he had. “You got that right pal.” he reached down and lifted Sam into his arms. “ I guess you’re happy about this then.”

“You bet. You’re my best friend and now you’re going to be my dad all nice and legal. I can call you Dad just like Starr and Jack, and no one will be able to say you’re not. I love you.” Sam hugged him.

Todd blinked to keep the tears from gathering. Sam might have been Jake’s biological son, but Todd loved him deeply, his heart was overflowing knowing Sam loved him back. He looked into the room and saw Jack staring at him with serious eyes. Todd shifted Sam to one arm and opened the other one silently urging Jack to also give him a hug. For a moment Jack hesitated then he walked into his father’s embrace. Todd clasped both boys close. “I love you both very much. Always remember that.” He released Jack and set Sam back on the ground. “Come on, let’s see what’s holding up your sister and your niece.”

They made their way across the hall and knocked on Starr’s suite. She answered it still in her robe. “Well, it looks like all of you are ready.  Dad, I’ve got Hope all dressed.  Would you take her downstairs and keep her occupied so I can finish?”

Todd smiled and looked past Starr to his granddaughter all dressed in pink.  For a brief moment he pictured Starr in his arms talking about her favorite color, it had been one of those rare moments following the DID trial that he had actually found himself back out. He had been ordered by the judge to get counseling and Starr had been removed from his custody. That motion had brought him to the front and he had gone with Vicki to say goodbye. Shortly after that, he had again regained control over his alters, but the damage had already been done. He shook his head. All of that was in the past now. The truth about his alters was out there for everyone to know, and now his little daughter had a daughter of her own. He held out his arms. “Come to Dragon.”

Hope squealed happily and ran into his arms and the four of them headed for the stairs.

They met Cole coming from the other hallway. He took Hope, and they headed down to breakfast, knowing the women would make it down by the time it was ready.

           Family Court proved to be a big hit for Sam. He felt so proud when the Judge asked him if he wanted to become Todd’s son. He stood there and solemnly looked at the Judge. “He’s my best friend and now he’s going to be my Dad all legal like. Right?”

           “That’s what we’re here to decide. I just want to make sure you really want this.”

           Sam looked at the tall man who played with him and told great stories. In his eyes, Sir Dragon was the best dad. He looked directly at the judge. “After my daddy died, I was really sad,” he walked over and took Todd’s hand, “He said that Daddy would watch over me from heaven and that he would take care of me down here. I love him. I want him to be my dad.” He looked up at Todd and smiled.

          Todd’s eyes started to fill with tears and he reached down and lifted Sam up in his arms. “Thank you, Sam.” Together they looked at the judge. “What do you say, Your Honor?”

          “As court proceedings go, this is always my favorite. I hereby declare that Samuel Manning, son of Jacques Boudreau and Margaret Cochrane, both deceased, is now legally, in the eyes of the law, the son of Thomas Todd Manning. Court is adjourned.”

          Todd looked at Sam. “We’re all legal now, Sam.”

           “Yeah!” Sam gave his dad a big hug. They were suddenly surrounded by the rest of the family, all of them talking at once and hugging Sam.

          Later that afternoon, the celebration continued. Vicki and Jessica along with Bree and Ryder came over. Todd had spared no expense and a small carnival was set up on the grounds in front of Dragonheart. Sam’s school friends had been invited and soon the grounds were full of families and children enjoying the summer treat. Ray had come and was standing with Vicki watching the activities.

          Vicki spoke. “He seems a little more rested. I’ve been very worried about him since Natalie’s been missing. I got the impression he blamed himself for it.”

          “He did and I’m not sure he doesn’t still, but he’s working on it. What about you, Vicki? If you’ll forgive the professional observation. I think you’re struggling too.”

           “I can’t afford to let it overtake me. Jessica, the children, and Clint all need me, and I need them just as bad. We’re helping each other through this, but Todd never lets himself readily accept help. For so long he had only himself to trust, he considers it a weakness in himself if people find out he’s hurting. When my brother loves you, he loves all the way. One thing for sure, "family” is all-important to him, and Natalie and Liam are a part of his family. I don’t think he’ll find any peace until they’re back home safe. Still, a day like today is a welcome relief. Look at him and Sam. It warms my heart just watching them.”

          Todd had grabbed up Sam and was now teaching him how to throw a football into the outstretched hands of a cardboard receiver. The hands actually had a hole you had to throw the ball through to get points. Todd had managed to throw every one of his balls through and Sam and several other kids were in awe. Now, it was Sam’s turn. He listened patiently as Todd explained how to hold the ball and then how to throw it. His first two attempts came up a little short because he didn’t have the same strength as Todd, and couldn’t throw as far. The situation was swiftly corrected as the carny man moved the target in a little bit to accommodate the children and the next ball Sam threw went in. All the children cheered, Todd the loudest. Soon he was instructing all of them, and each of them managed to make it through the hole at least once.

           The sun was beginning to set as the children and their parents took their leave. Throughout the afternoon, the children had been entertained by a man performing magic tricks, and now that same man found his way over to Todd. Todd looked at him and smiled. “Thank you. I couldn’t believe it when I found out you owned this little carnival. You seem happy.”

            Zeus took off his magician’s hat and cape, throwing the cape across his arm. “I’m marvelous. I must admit after we parted company all those years ago, I kept hoping you would finally find what you were looking for. I’m glad things worked out for you and Blair. I ran into your daughter Starr earlier, it’s hard to imagine her with a child of her own.”

Todd remembered how Zeus had helped him during those first awful days back from Ireland. At one point he, Zeus, and Starr were going to take off together, but in the end, he couldn’t separate Starr from Blair and had gone home. Instead, he had parted ways with Zeus and now he felt remorse for using Zeus all those years ago. “Listen, about all those years ago, I’m sorry. If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Maestro, like I said, I’m marvelous. I hope my little carnival brought you and your friends some joy, it’s events like this that make my day. Even my crusty old carnies love a day like this. We’ll be packed up and gone by morning. Have to be in Pittsburg by Father’s Day. Thanks again for hiring us, it was fun.”

The two men looked at each other and solemnly shook hands. Friendship had always been a hard thing for Todd, but he realized Zeus had always considered him a friend and had never blamed him for going back to Blair. It was a little humbling, to know that Zeus had put Todd’s happiness above his own. He wasn’t sure he would have been so generous. He had used Zeus for his own purposes but it was all water under the bridge now. Todd watched the man head back to his trailer and then turned and made his way inside to his family.

Don't Shoot the "Messenger", Ch. 42

             Vicki and Todd were in Bo’s office when John called saying Natalie’s car was parked at the airport and according to the flight manifest, Natalie Banks, and Liam McBain boarded the flight to London. Vicki looked at both Bo and Todd. “I don’t understand? John just said Natalie and Liam boarded that flight. Why do you two both look skeptical?”

             Bo sat down. “All that tells me, is that someone, and it could have been anyone using their names, got on that plane. Natalie texted you she had gotten into a forensic conference at the last minute. The text I received asked me for permission to go to London because Roxy was sick. John’s text merely said she was going to see Rex and she had my permission. All three were bogus.”

Vicki started to interrupt, but Bo held up his hand to stop her.

“Let me finish. There never was a conference, I checked. Rex confirmed earlier that he hadn’t seen Natalie. After Todd left, he called back and wanted more information. I told him Natalie had said Roxy was ill. He told me Roxy was in Paris and doing marvelously. If you believe Natalie and Liam got on that plane, then you must believe she deliberately deceived us.”

            Vicki was outraged. “Of course not, Natalie wouldn’t do that.”

            “Exactly, so we have to figure that someone else sent the messages. That being the case, it means that the woman and child that flew to London are probably decoys. Natalie isn’t in London and hasn’t been. She was likely taken that first day.”

             “But the pictures?” Vicki looked at her brother. She could see from his stormy expression, he didn’t like the fact that there were pictures, to him it meant something else entirely.

             “Someone sent those along with all the messages to keep you off guard. We think she’s missing and has been for a week. We’re going to start searching for her, but she could be clear across the country by now. Vicki, I just want you to realize this isn’t going to be easy. Now, there is a chance the missing girls might have been taken by the same person or persons. It that’s true then they all might still be in our area. All I can do right now is begin the search.”

             Todd hadn’t said anything, standing behind his sister, he now reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. He could feel her trembling, but she sat there determined to be strong and just find out what was ahead. “Bo any idea where to start?” he asked.

            “If we’re lucky, hopefully, we’ll get another text or two from Natalie, one we can trace quickly. Someone went to a lot of trouble to keep us thinking she was in London. They might not know we’ve found out differently. I can now put a few extra men on the missing girls since they won’t be looking for the escapees.”

            Vicki’s asked sharply. “What do you mean you’re not looking for the escapees?”

            “I forgot to tell you, sis, our estimable mayor decided to call off the search for the convicts, but she did allow Bo to start searching for Briggs’ granddaughter. If Mitch has anything to do with Natalie’s disappearance, the mayor might as well start packing her desk now. He, Kipling, and Perkins should have been found long ago.” In his anger, he accidentally increased his pressure on Vicki’s shoulder.

           “Todd,” Vicki winced and reached up putting her hand over his.

            At his sister’s touch, Todd realized what he had done and immediately released his grip. “Sorry, are you alright?” he looked at her with concern.

            “I’m fine, getting angry at the mayor right now isn’t going to do Natalie or those other girls any good. I’m upset by the mayor”s latest stunt, but if we’re correct and Mitch has Natalie, then Bo can use the search for them to continue looking for Mitch too.”

            Todd nodded, he knew she was right. God, I hate feeling helpless. “Vicki, I need to get out of here. Do you want a ride back to The Banner?”

            “No, I want to wait and talk to John when he gets back. Are you alright?”

             “I just can’t stand this helpless feeling right now, I need some space. I need... Hell. Look I’ll see you later.” With a nod to Bo, Todd left. He reached his car and sank into his seat, the day had been one big bad revelation. It was pretty obvious now that Natalie and Liam were indeed missing and very likely in Mitch’s hands. The man was a freaking monster and Kipling was his mad scientist. He was trying hard not to think about what they could be doing to her. Todd beat his fists on his steering wheel. Damn you, Mitch.

            “Todd, breathe. I know you’re angry. We need a clear head and right now you’re all over the place.”

             At Samuel’s voice, Todd leaned his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Slowing his breathing, he dropped into his mind. He found himself in Samuel’s loft. He walked toward Samuel who was sitting in his kitchen. “You’re right. How do you do it? How can you stay so calm? Right now all I want to do is get my hands around Mitch’s neck.”

             “Years of having to pace myself, I guess. It wasn’t easy for that first couple of years. I felt like I was constantly being watched, and every time I tried to figure out why I ended up in agony from the headaches. It was a question of backing off or dying. You know the choice I made. Now it’s your turn, you keep having dreams about the events of that night. I know you’re wishing you had killed him all those years ago. Wishing that hasn’t stopped the nightmares and it won’t get Natalie back. Neither will be wanting him in your grasp right now. Stop and think.”

“That’s all I have been doing. Thinking I want to kill him for what he did to me and hating him now more than ever. I’m afraid I’m going to lose it this time for sure.“

Todd, we’re not alone anymore. We have Blair and the kids, think of them. We can do this, Blair’s going to be having the baby soon. All you have to do is control the anger. You know what it is, don’t let it consume you and us.” Suddenly Todd and Samuel were interrupted by the sound of muffled pounding.

John had been alarmed when he arrived back at the station and seen what looked like a man apparently passed out in his car in front of the building. Reaching the car he realized it was Manning. “Hey Todd, you all right.” At first, there didn’t seem to be any response, and the door was locked. John was about to break the glass when he saw Todd stir.

It took a moment to get his bearings and he heard McBain outside his door. He raised his head and looked out the window. Was that concern on McBains face? Slumping back against his seat, he opened the window. “What do you want John?” He said wearily. He felt wiped out. His sleepless nights were starting to affect him.

“Todd, I was worried, you didn’t answer at first and you don‘t look so good. What happened?”

“Nothing John, I was having a chat with Samuel. Look, I’m fine, Vicki’s up there waiting to talk to you. I’ve got to get back to The Sun, articles to write, mayors to impeach.” He turned the car on.

John knew Todd was on the defensive when he got snarky. He hated to be perceived as weak. John studied his face and saw the lines and dark circles, the man was clearly exhausted, but he kept pushing himself. “I don’t think you’re fine. What happened earlier in my office happened because you’re too close to all this. You’re killing yourself, man. You didn’t take Natalie, but I can tell you’re blaming yourself anyway.” Before Todd could protest, John reached in and took the key out of the ignition. “I can’t let you drive in the shape you’re in. Call Williams or I’ll call Blair, but you’re not taking yourself home.”

Todd scowled but he knew better than to argue with McBain when he got all authoritative. He withdrew his cell and made the call. “ Williams, after you pick up Cole and Blair, come to the police station to get me.  Don’t dawdle, I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to. Satisfied Lieutenant? You better not let anything happen to this car.  I don’t think the police funds could take it right now.”

John walked around to the passenger side and got in. “I’ll wait till Williams arrives and then I’ll move the car to impound.”

“That’s not really necessary. Like I said a few minutes ago, Vicki’s up in Bo’s office waiting for you.   I think she wants to compare pictures.” Todd turned to look at his passenger. “Tell me something, you‘re a good detective, didn’t it bother you when you didn’t talk to Natalie directly. Even Vicki was bothered by that.”

“Sure it bothered me, that’s why Bo called Rex this morning. I should have done it sooner, but the messages were still coming and when the picture arrived yesterday, I pushed it to the back of my mind.”

“They’ve been gone a whole week John, do you think you can find them?”

John looked at him bleakly, “We’ll find them, but I’m afraid of what we’ll find.”

Todd closed his eyes, trying to keep his thoughts from going where John’s had already gone. Exhaustion took over and Todd drifted off.

John sat next to Todd keeping an eye on him, hoping he wouldn’t end up in the grip of a nightmare. He used the borrowed cell to call Bo and explained why he was running late. When Williams pulled up alongside Todd’s car, John exited. Blair quickly jumped out, alarmed because Todd hadn’t gotten out of the car with John. “Relax Blair, he‘s just asleep.”

***

The next couple of days brought more questions as everyone realized it wasn’t going to be easy to find Natalie and Liam. Todd had gone over to stop in and talk to Vicki trying to get a sense of where they took Natalie and when. While walking around outside the house, he stumbled on another wreath similar to the ones found at the compound and outside his own home. It told him that Alison had been at the house at some time in the past, but there was no way to pinpoint when, or how long ago, she had dropped the wreath. It was just more proof that Mitch was involved. The final proof that Mitch had them, came when Vicki and John received one final text. The message was loud and clear the “Messenger” was back.

Don't Shoot the "Messenger", Ch. 41

              Bo thought the day couldn’t get any worse. “How long has she been missing Fish?”

             “Parents say she’s been gone about forty-eight hours. They didn’t call right away because she has been known to party hard and not show up back home right away. They thought more about it when the article came out in The Sun this morning.”

             Bo turned to John. “You get someone to the airport and find out if Natalie’s car is there. Fish go get all the information you can from the parents. Find out exactly when they saw her last. Todd,“ he stopped, noticing Todd was lost in thought and not looking the greatest, he had to be thinking about Mitch. “Todd, sit down,” he motioned to Fish, who immediately grabbed a chair. Todd made no move for it. He wasn’t looking at them but seeing a different scene entirely.

           Starr was scared and trying to tell him something.

           “The bad guy left and he took mom with him. I understand that you did all those things so you could be with mom but I’m telling you, tonight the creepy guy came and he was going to take me, but mom told him to take her instead.”

          “What? What guy?” He had this sinking feeling.

          “The guy on the front of the paper, the guy you hate.”

            “Mitch Laurence was here?” Mitch had Blair!

            The scene shifted and he was powerless to stop it.

            He could see the sneer on his face as he told him about Sam. He struggled to get free, but he was bound head to foot; then they lifted him and dropped him into the crypt. The lid began to lower. Darkness.

“Rest in peace Todd Manning, rest in peace.”

Todd’s breathing escalated, then he seemed to be struggling for breath and turned pasty white. Bo reacted swiftly. He slammed the door as hard as he could and watched Todd drop into the chair. Bo turned to Fish “Get some water.”

The noise had been sufficient to break the vision’s hold on Todd. He collapsed and found a chair under him. He leaned forward noting his hands shaking and found himself still struggling a little for breaths. God, would it never stop! His hand covered his eyes as he tried to shake free of the image still clinging to the fringes of his mind. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he raised his eyes to see a glass of water in front of him. As he reached for it, he suddenly remembered everything that had occurred moments before the vision. Mitch! He had Natalie! “Bo, it’s got to be Mitch. He’s the reason Natalie’s missing.”

“Possibly, but we could be jumping the gun here. We have no proof she’s missing yet. All we know is that her message to me and John was wrong. John and Vicki both have been getting texts. Maybe we’re missing something. We’ll check into it, but you need to back off. You just lost us there. You’re showing all the signs of PTSD. You’re too close to this whole thing with Mitch.”

“Too close, is that what you call this? Don’t you know I’ve tried to back off? He’s a monkey on my back and he won’t let go. The only thing that will help is finding him and putting him away so deep he’ll never come back again.” Todd stood up and walked to the window. “If he has had Natalie all this time....,” he stopped not wanting to even think what that could mean. He looked back at the other two men in the room. 

John had been keeping a tight lid on his emotions from the moment he heard Rex say Natalie wasn’t in London with him. Now Todd’s statement just brought up images of Mitch about to rape Natalie on the floor in the church. “Don’t even go there. I swear if he’s hurt Natalie or my son,...” he stopped as Bo looked at him sadly. Ever since Mitch had disappeared, he had been worried the bastard would go after Natalie. Now there was a good chance he had done just that. “Bo, I need to do something. I’m headed to the airport myself to check on things there. You have my phone, I’ll take a spare one from the squad room and call you with what I find.”

Bo nodded as John left the room, leaving him with Todd. “We all know what Mitch is capable of, but I can’t start thinking the worst. First things first. We need to see if we can find out if Natalie’s messages were in fact sent from London. I need Vicki’s phone. Do you want to tell her why, or do you want me to do it?”

“I’ll do it. If Natalie and Liam are really missing. Vicki and Clint are going to need both our help.”

“Todd, what you’re going through right now will ease up. Trust me I know.”

“Whatever you say. Tell me, have you or anyone else managed to get a lead on where Mitch and Kipling might be hiding?”

“The trail is cold, and I have to tell you more bad news. Finn has ordered me to shut down LPD’s involvement in the search.”

“Damn! That woman is a fool.” Todd tried to rein in his anger at the current mayor. “Don’t worry. If my plan works out, we won’t have to worry about Finn after the election."

“She is letting me resume looking for the missing girl, and from what Fish said, we now have a second girl too. Adding Natalie and Liam in, it means we’ve got a bigger problem than the escapees.”

“You’re right, finding the missing girls are more important right now, especially if Natalie and Liam have also been taken. If you need any more funds to bring on extra manpower my checkbook’s at your disposal.” Todd saw surprise cross Bo’s face. “What? I’ve become very fond of Natalie and Liam since my return.  Besides, Vicki’s going to be devastated.  Anything I can do to get her and the baby back home, I will.”  All he could think of was the last time Mitch had gotten Natalie in his clutches. The bastard had been going to take her heart. Mitch had almost succeeded and it had been his fault.  He had to get Natalie back, he owed her. “I’ve got to go. I need to talk to Vicki. We’ll get her phone over to you after that.”

             Bo stopped him before he got out the door. “Todd?”

            Todd looked at him quizzically. “What?”

            “None of this is your fault. Natalie and Liam are going to be all right.”

            “I know. It doesn’t make it any easier though. I just need Mitch found. Then maybe my life can get back on track.”

            Bo watched Todd leave. He was still amazed at the changes in Todd since his return. Samuel’s influence and his deep love for Blair were keeping him on the straight and narrow for the most part. His help in capturing and testifying against Hesser and Kipling had proven to Bo he wanted to change, but he had almost killed Hesser in the process, and Todd could still be a pain in the ass sometimes. The way he was stirring up trouble for the mayor was one instance. Blair’s kidnapping and the resulting death of Gregor Daimler also showed that Todd for all his changes could still be lethal. Something tells me, we better find Mitch before you do. Bo walked back to his office to give Clint a call.

            ***

            Todd walked slowly to his sister’s office. He had been dragging his feet from the moment he left the police station. He was trying to figure out how to tell Vicki about Natalie’s possible abduction. Well, there was no easy way. “Hi, Sis.” He said.

            Vicki looked up to Todd standing in her doorway, He still looked haggard and she was sure he wasn’t getting enough sleep. “Hi, I was going to call you. I talked to Clint about your proposal. After the latest stuff the Mayor has pulled, I’m really thinking it’s time for a change in this town. So if you’re serious about The Sun backing me, I will toss my hat in the ring.”

            He stepped into the room. An hour earlier and he would have been buying drinks all around at Rodi’s at Vicki’s announcement, “Um That’s great Vicki. You know I was serious with the offer but I’ve got something to tell you that might change your mind.”

          “What did you do now?” Vicki could tell something wasn’t right. Todd was looking uncomfortable, he must have really put his foot in it with the mayor.

           He debated giving Vicki some sort of reply to her question but it would only put off the inevitable. Time was critical so he just asked. “Vicki, when did you hear from Natalie last?

           “I got a text message from her yesterday. Why do you ask?”

            “Have you personally talked to her since she left?”

           “No. Why are you asking about Natalie?”

           Todd stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away from his sister’s gaze. “You know, the mayor told Bo to stop looking for Mitch and Kipling. I’m just worried about Natalie since she was the one who shot Mitch the night of the blackout.  I was just trying to make sure you knew where she was.”

           “All I know is what she wrote to me.  Believe me, I wish we could talk.  I would love to hear her voice.“

           “So then you haven’t spoken to her. Vicki, do you have any idea where her conference is at?”

           “She didn’t give me any details. All she wrote was that it was in London. I’m betting she might have gotten in touch with Rex while he’s there, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Maybe I’ll call Rex.” She reached for her phone and started to dial.

           Todd reached over and stopped her. “Don’t, I can save you the trouble. Rex hasn’t seen her.”

           Vicki had been surprised when Todd stopped her and now she was getting worried. “How could you know that?”

           “I just came from seeing Bo and John. They were on the phone with Rex when I got there. I overheard him say he hasn’t seen Natalie since he left Llanview.”

          “Oh, I thought for sure she’d look him up. Maybe she saw Kevin.” She was going to try Kevin when Todd moved around the desk and stood directly in front of her.

          “Vicki, it won’t do any good. The message she left for Bo said she was going to see Rex. It said nothing about a conference. Why did she write two different texts? It’s not making sense.”

           “But, it was a Forensic Conference, surely Bo knew about it.” Vicki watched as Todd dropped down to eye level with her and looked directly into her eyes. She watched as he steeled himself. Whatever he was about to say, bothered him a great deal.

          Todd took his sister’s hands into his, they were trembling. “We’re not sure Natalie is even in London. We think she’s missing, Liam too.” He bore her gaze trying to let her see that what he said was true. He could see emotions racing across her face, first disbelief, then fear.

           Vicki heard the words Todd spoke and one look at his face told her he wasn’t kidding. She had been worried and now she knew her unspoken fears had come true. She had sensed something was off and should have checked into it sooner. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart. She looked at her brother and saw his fear. He was worried about her. She removed one of her hands from his and touched his face. “I’m all right. Talk to me. Bo believes they’re missing and I can see that you do too. You believe he has her, don’t you?”

           He nodded. His sister had more strength in her than all the rest of the Lords combined. “I’m sorry. It’s the only explanation as far as I’m concerned, although Bo isn’t ready to go there yet. He wants to see your phone. He’s trying to find out where the text messages to you and John might have come from.  McBain went to the airport to see if they can start figuring out where Natalie went from there. Even if I can’t prove Mitch has her, something strange definitely happened. Hopefully, another message might come in. One we’ll be able to track.”

Vicki pulled out her phone and brought up the picture of Natalie and Liam. “I don’t understand. They look so happy.” She handed the phone to Todd and he stared at the picture.

They did look happy, and it didn’t make sense. “Can I send this picture to my e-mail, it’ll give me a chance to enlarge it and get a really good look at it.”

“Certainly, but what are you looking for? You can see Natalie and Liam are fine.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I can at least bring up more of the background, it’s worth a shot. They appear to be okay and if she was with Mitch, I would have expected to see something in her eyes that would let us know she was being coerced. I can’t explain why I feel uneasy, but I do.” He transferred the picture electronically and then turned to Vicki. “I can take the phone to Bo, are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’ll come with you. If Natalie and Liam are missing, I won’t be able to just sit here waiting for news. I need to find out first hand what John discovers at the airport.” She stood up and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go.”

Don't Shoot the "Messenger", Ch. 40

               Mitch stared down at Natalie. All he had to do now was pretend to be truly concerned and give her hope. He reached down and gently lifted her up. “You are now released from your sins. Now you must make a choice. Do you continue your life alone or do you wish to belong and follow me? I can give you what you need. You have only to heed the Messenger.“

             Natalie had been overwhelmed when the pain had lifted and all she wanted to do was thank the man in front of her. Now under his spellbinding voice she heard the word ‘alone’ and shivered uncontrollably. She didn’t want to be alone. He was offering her something more. Her mind was locked into the hypnotic state as soon as he said the words heed the Messenger.

             “I must heed the Messenger. You are my saviour.”

“If you wish to join me, tell me.” He waited. Her eyes had shown her panic when he had said the word 'alone'. He was offering her a chance to be cared for and he knew she would seize at the idea. The whole purpose of the last two days had been to separate her from her family and friends. The constant conditioning had set in and she truly felt all alone in the world.

             Natalie had been so isolated, she really wasn’t aware of how long she had been there, but she had felt so bereft. No one wanted her, no one until now. The Messenger wanted her. All she had to do was tell him. She needed him. She had to be with him. “Please let me join you. I wish to belong. I don’t want to be alone.” She was almost begging, quivering with fear that he would turn her away. “I will do anything you ask.”

            Mitch opened his arms. “Come to me, my dear. Come join my flock.”

In her confused state, Natalie was desperate for comfort. She entered his arms and felt cared for. The Messenger had accepted her. She would do anything for him.

“To show your true commitment to me, you must give yourself fully to me. Do you understand Natalie? I will give you sons and daughters so that you’ll never be alone again. Do you heed the Messenger?”

Natalie nodded. “Whatever the Messenger commands I obey. What do you ask of me?”

He led her to the bed and she stood in front of him. “Disrobe, Natalie, and give me all of you.”

Natalie undid her dress and dropped it to the floor. “I heed the Messenger. I am yours.”

A short time later, Mitch departed the room and the conditioning tape resumed. Mitch rejoined Alison and they monitored Natalie as Alison fed commands through the speakers. Under the drugs, Natalie performed every task as if of her own free will, unaware she was no more than a puppet. When Mitch was satisfied that she was fully under control, he set the next stage of his plan in motion. Alison sent for Melanie. After an in-depth discussion, Melanie left to carry out her orders.

After the Messenger departed, Natalie lay on the bed. All she could think of was the Messenger. He had told her she pleased him and would be rewarded. He had taken her pain and given her hope. As she lay there, the tape began playing and her eyes glazed over as she fell under its spell. Under the control of the voice, Natalie arose and took a shower, dressed and made her bed. She repeated these actions three times, completely believing each time was the first time. The final instructions were given to her and Natalie was ready. Natalie was waiting as instructed by the Messenger. She had been told she was going to be in charge of taking care of something precious belonging to the Messenger and she wanted the Messenger to be proud of her. Natalie looked up as Melanie entered the room. She saw the beautiful baby boy and thought the baby was Melanie’s. “The Messenger told me to wait for you. I’m to care for something of his. Do you know what he commands of me?”

The baby held out his hands and Natalie instinctively offered to take the boy. Melanie allowed her to take the child, then sat her down. “You must heed the Messenger. You are to care for this child during the day. His mother has died, and the Messenger feels you can give him the love he needs. This is the first child the Messenger promised you.”

Natalie was overwhelmed. The Messenger must truly care for her, to allow her to take care of this little one. “What is his name?”

“His name is Liam.”

Mitch was satisfied as he watched the encounter take place. The drugs had completely taken her memory. Natalie had no idea she was holding her own son. He had her under his control and now it was time to start shoring up his flock. He had given instructions to several of his disciples. The Messenger needed funds and rich young women were the easiest targets. Once he had a few of them under his control, they would help him pull in the rich older men.

Over the next four days, Natalie was bombarded with subliminal commands designed to reinforce her complete surrender to The Messenger. During the daytime hours, she took care of Liam and slowly was introduced to her role as a member of the flock. She had no past that she remembered and she now lived in the present created by Mitch. The only thing driving her was her need to Heed the Messenger and give him whatever he asked of her. Two drugs were still being administered to keep her compliant, and the third drug for fertility was added after her visit with Kipling. At night, Liam was taken to a separate nursery and as she had been instructed, Natalie eagerly accepted the Messenger to her bed in the hope of giving him a child. While everyone in Llanview still believed Natalie was in London, it thrilled Mitch to know that Natalie and her son now belonged to him. Soon, she would be with child, and his revenge on Victoria Lord and John McBain would be complete.

              ***

             Vicki picked up a copy of The Sun. Todd’s relentless quest to oust the Mayor was gathering momentum. The front-page article was about a young co-ed from Llanview University who had disappeared seventy-two hours earlier. The young woman had gone on a date according to her sorority sisters but had failed to return. Vicki gasped when she read the name of the young woman. She was Charlie Briggs’ granddaughter. The police had questioned the young man who had taken her on the date. He informed the police that he had dropped her off in front of the sorority house right before midnight and hadn’t seen her since. No further inquiries had been made after that. It appeared the Mayor had ordered Bo and his men to let it go because it was probably just a young girl wanting some time alone. Todd had ripped into the Mayor, saying she didn’t want to waste the taxpayers' money because the young woman wasn’t a family member of one of her rich backers.

Vicki frowned, she would have to warn Todd to be careful. She knew he was upset because he had a warm spot for Briggs, but he had no proof of his accusations toward the Mayor. He was bordering on defamation of character and the Mayor might decide to sue. But that might be exactly what Todd was hoping for. Vicki was pretty sure Todd had something on the Mayor and he was just waiting for the right time to use it.   Perhaps it was time to let him know her decision.

Clint walked into the kitchen and poured himself a coffee. “From your expression, I’m guessing Todd’s still after our good Mayor.”

“You know Todd, he’s got the bit in his teeth and he’s running with it, but this time I can’t blame him. The girl that’s missing is Charlie Briggs’ granddaughter.”

“That can‘t be good for Charlie, his health hasn’t been great for a number of years. When your brother hired him out from under The Banner, I admit to being mad; Charlie was the best editor we had. I have to say, he and Todd made a good team and taught me not to get too complacent.”

“Yes, well it worked out for all of us in the end. The competition was good for The Banner, and thanks to Todd’s offer, Charlie was able to put all of his girls through college. I can’t believe his granddaughter has disappeared. Charlie must be frantic. I know I would be if Bree ever dropped out of sight.”

“Speaking of dropping out of sight, have you heard any more from Natalie?”

“Nothing since the picture she sent me of Liam and her. I hate that we keep playing this phone tag. I’d love to hear her voice. They both looked happy and okay in the picture, but I wish they were home.”

Clint reached over and took her hand. “She’s only been gone a week, I’m sure she’ll be heading home soon. On another note, did you talk to Todd?”

“No, I was going to give him a call later. Right now, I guess I better get into The Banner and find out why my reporters got scooped again.”

***

Bo walked into his office and found the mayor waiting for him. She looked like she wanted to kill someone and if Bo had to take a guess, it was probably Todd Manning.

“That insufferable rapist publisher had the nerve to print that I don’t care about that missing girl. Where does he get off, coming across as the protector of people’s rights in this town? If I recall, he trampled all over people’s rights years ago,” she fumed.

“I believe he’s just concerned for the girl and her family. Briggs worked for Todd until he retired. Besides you did ask us to let the investigation go.” He didn’t like the mayor all that much and thought Todd had every right to show her shortcomings. “If you don’t like his spin on things, you know what you have to do.”

Mayor Finn had been walking a carefully designed path, she had secretly been skimming money from the city budget to help finance her campaign and it was all going to come to light if she couldn’t get Manning off her back. As she couldn’t return said money to the city, she would have to find a way to make it look like the budget still had plenty of money, but that she was just protecting the city by being frugal. “Very well, you can resume investigating the disappearance, but the city’s police department will no longer partake in the statewide search for the missing convicts. We’ve done our part letting the federal authorities know they were here, but they’ve left. It’s up to the state and federal people to take it from there. Do you understand Bo?”

He understood all too well. “Damn it, Kathleen, those prisoners could still be in the area.”

“Really Bo, there’s been no sign of any of them for months now. I’m not going to argue about this.  No more manpower on the search for the escapees, but you can resume the search for the missing girl.” She walked out of his office before he could complain.

Bo stared after her as she left. The mayor must have a death wish. He was sure of it. Manning had already called her on the carpet for not searching hard enough for the escapees and now she was calling off the search altogether. Manning would surely go for the throat now. Bo shook his head and took the walk to John’s office.

“I’ve got bad news, John. I’ve been ordered to call off the search for the missing escapees.”

John had been looking out the window thinking about Natalie and turned at Bo’s words. “Are you kidding me?”

“I wish I were. The Mayor just left my office. Those are her orders. She got a bee in her bonnet because of Manning’s articles.”

“Well if the articles are bothering her, you would think she’d be going overboard to make sure both things were covered. I don’t get it. Since when has the budget gotten so tight? Maybe Manning’s onto something. You know he’s gonna blow a gasket when he finds out.”

“You could be right, but for now we do as she tells us. I want you to start looking into the missing girl. Hopefully, Manning won’t find out about the other.”

“Bo, you know as well as I, that Todd is close to the edge about those escapees and you know why. This could push him over.”

“I’m going to keep my fingers crossed, that Blair or Vicki can keep him from doing anything stupid. You might want to alert them, so they’ll be prepared for the fallout. By the way, have you heard anything from Natalie?”

“Just text messages and a picture. Have you by any chance talked to Rex?”

“No, I thought for sure Rex would call me by now. I’m just wondering about Roxy.”

“I can’t get a date from Natalie telling me when she’s headed home. I don’t suppose you could give me Rex’s number?”

“Better yet, I’ll give him a call right now. Hold on.” Bo made the call as John looked on. “Hey Rex, how are things going in London?”

“Bo, nice to hear from you. Things here are terrific, Shane’s really thriving here.”

“That’s great. Listen I called to ask about Roxy. I heard she wasn’t doing so well.”

“I don’t know where you got that, Roxy’s fine. Who did you hear that from?”

“Natalie told me when she called to ask for a leave to go see you? Put her on and we can get this straightened out.”

“Bo, Natalie isn’t here. I don’t understand what’s going on, but Roxy is fine, and I haven’t seen Natalie since I left Llanview.”

Bo looked at John. “Rex, I’m going to put the phone on speaker....You’re telling me you haven’t seen your sister at all in the last week.”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. What do you mean the last week? Are you saying Natalie is supposed to have been here for a whole week? Bo, I don’t like this. The last time I talked to Natalie, she was living at Vicki’s because Mitch Laurence was still alive. I thought she was home safe and sound. Bo, where’s Natalie?”

“I wish I knew Rex. We were all under the impression that Natalie was in London with you. Look, I’m going to find out what’s going on. I’ll keep in touch.” Bo hung up. “You heard. Natalie isn’t in London with Rex. I don’t like this. John, you say all you’ve had were text messages. Do you still have them?”

John handed Bo his phone. His thoughts were all over the place.  He had known something was off.  It wasn't like Natalie not to talk to him. 

“Where the hell is Natalie?” Todd said, having stopped in to see if there was any more news on Mitch and Kipling. He couldn’t believe what he had just overheard. Bo just said Natalie wasn’t in London.

Bo and John were startled to see Todd standing in the doorway. Bo replied, “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

“Vicki said she was in London for some conference. Why don’t you just contact the conference?” asked Todd, getting a little uneasy. God, if something happened to Natalie. He saw a look pass between John and Bo. “There is no conference is there?” In his gut, he knew who had Natalie. Why hadn’t he guessed it when the girl turned up missing?

“Todd, we’re not sure. Natalie told us she was going to see Rex. You say, she told Vicki about a conference. We need to find out why the stories differ,” replied Bo, trying to keep a lid on his emotions. He was worried sick and he knew John must be, too.

“I can tell you why they differ. They differ because he wants you to think she‘s in London, I’m betting you’re going to find her car at the airport and that she and Liam boarded a plane. Don’t you see? He’s got her. I’ll bet ten to one he’s also responsible for Briggs’ granddaughter’s disappearance.”

Just then Fish stuck his head in the door. “Commissioner, we’ve got another one.”

Bo looked over at his officer.”What do you mean, Fish?”

“We’ve got another missing girl.”

.