My Brother's Keeper #13

Bo walked up the stairs to his apartment.  He was bone tired. You can’t pull these all-nighters anymore.  Nora’s going to read you the riot act.  He gingerly put his key in the door and prayed she was still asleep.  When he had gone out the previous night he had expected to be home within a couple of hours.   As always, when Manning was involved, that proved to be an impossible task.  Upon entering his apartment, he found himself checking out the time when he heard a noise behind him.

“Bo Buchanan, how dare you sneak into this house at 5:00 in the morning!  Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?  You leave and say you’re only going to be gone a short while, then nothing!”

“Now, Red, I have a good explanation,” Bo said as he turned to face his irate wife.  She stood angrily looking at him in her short light green silk robe, with her reading glasses perched in her auburn hair.  He figured she had kept herself awake by doing some work.  He knew from experience, she had thought the worst when he hadn’t come home.  He walked to her and drew her into his arms.  “I’m sorry.  Look I’m fine.  Let me explain.  Once you hear what I have to say you’ll understand.”

 Nora let him hold her for a minute and hugged him.  He was alive and she was grateful, but he had done this far too many times to just let him wiggle out with an ”I’m sorry”.  She pushed away and stared at him hard.  “Start explaining.  Where have you been and why are you all damp and dirty?”

“I got caught in that downpour we had last night.  That call I got last night, that took me out of here, was an anonymous tip that someone was digging up a body at the cemetery.  The caller indicated I would find the perpetrator interesting and then hung up.  After what happened with Gigi’s grave, I figured I’d better look into it.  I’ll give you one guess who we found.”

 

Nora remembered how upset Bo had been when Rex had been beside himself with grief after Gigi died.  She understood now why Bo went out, but his voice had gotten serious, and only one man generated that tone from him.  “You’re kidding.  Are you saying Todd Manning was digging up a grave?”

Bo nodded, “By the time we got there he had the coffin opened.”

 

“You had him dead to rights. I hope you didn’t waste any time arresting him,” she saw Bo frown.  “You did arrest him, didn’t you?”

“No.  You see, that’s when everything got weird.  He wasn’t alone.  Blair was with him.”

“Oh, now wait a minute, I thought Blair had more sense by now.  Was she helping him?  Who were they digging up?”

 

“Victor.  He didn’t try to deny anything.  I mean, how could he?  We caught him standing on top of the coffin.  Funny thing was, he claimed he wasn’t guilty of anything more than digging a hole in the ground.  I told him he was desecrating a grave and he said Victor wasn’t in the grave, so how could he have desecrated it.”

“Why that sociopath, I can’t wait to get him in the courtroom.  He was obviously trying to get rid of some evidence we missed when Victor was killed.  But I still don’t understand, you said he was standing on Victor’s coffin.  You had all the proof you needed.  Why didn’t you arrest him?”

Bo sighed and pulled Nora to the couch.  “What I have to tell you right now stays in this room.  Manning was right.  Victor wasn’t in the grave.”

Nora sat down abruptly, “Do you mean the coffin was empty?  Did Victor trick us all?”

Bo ran a hand through his hair and leaned back wearily against the back of the sofa.  “That would have been something normal, but that’s not what we found.  From the moment I walked into that cemetery, this night has turned into some kind of science fiction horror movie all rolled into one.  The coffin wasn’t empty.  What we found in there only raised more questions.  On top of everything else, Manning declared that his brother is still alive, but that he’s being held hostage somewhere.”

“Bo, this is Todd Manning you’re talking about.  Surely you don’t believe him.” Nora was stunned when Bo met her gaze and she realized he believed exactly that.  She shook her head. “No, I must be dreaming.  There’s no way you would believe him.”

Bo reached over and took her hand.  “You’re not dreaming and neither am I.  Tonight someone killed the coroner who declared Victor dead.  We’re also trying to locate Tomas Delgado.  He’s in this up to his ears.”

“But what about Todd and Blair?  If you didn’t arrest them, where are they?”

“According to my men, they’re both at the Manning building.  We’re keeping an eye on them, don’t worry. There’s a lot more to tell you, but frankly, I’m too tired right now.  Come on, honey, there are still a few hours of dark left, take pity on me and I promise I’ll fill you in on the rest of the story in the cold light of morning.”  He pushed himself slowly up and off the couch, every one of his muscles protesting.  Man, I’m getting old.  He extended a hand to his wife, helping her up and together they made their way to bed.

****

Tomas rolled over in his bed as his cell phone woke him.  Recognizing the number he answered.  “You better have a good reason for calling me at this ungodly hour.”

“We encountered a problem.  You need to get here, immediately!  There’s a new task for you.”

“What do you mean?  What happened, Claude?”

“Victor’s grave was dug up last night.  Our man, at the cemetery, got there too late to stop the perpetrators from opening the casket.  They found the duplicate.”

”What did he see?”

“Nothing much.  He said there were two of them, but he couldn’t see the man’s face who did the digging because he was covered in mud.  The second person could have been a woman but with the rain coming down so hard, he couldn’t tell for sure.  He didn’t get a chance to find out anymore because the police showed up and he took the opportunity to disappear in the downpour.  He didn’t want to get waylaid by them and figured he better report in.  As he was slipping away, he heard the Commissioner say something but he couldn’t make it out.

“So you want me to come in.  What about the people here who covered Victor’s death?”

“They‘ve already been taken care of.  We have to assume the Commissioner will have checked out the remains by now.  I want you here, we need to discuss our next options.”

Tomas was already out of bed and throwing things into his backpack.  If the police had the replica, it wouldn’t be long before they tied it to him.  “I’m out of here.  I’ll be at the compound by noon.”  He quickly closed the bag and grabbed his papers and money.  Dani and Tea were still asleep, and he stopped long enough to write a quick note to Tea.

Sorry Pajarito, but I have to make a trip to Paris concerning my son Baz.  I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.  I promise, when I return, to up my investigation into Victor’s murder.

Love

Tomas

He signed Tea’s name on the outside of the note and left it on the entryway table for her to find.  With one last look around, he opened the door and found himself face to face with John McBain.  Stunned he said nothing.

“Good Morning.  Going out of town?” asked John nonchalantly.

“Yes, I just got an urgent call from my son.  I need to fly to Paris.  Now if you’re here to see Tea, might I suggest you make it a little later in the day,   She’s not sleeping too well.”

“Actually, I’m here to see you, and I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to postpone your trip.  I need to ask you some questions about the night Victor died.  Something new has come to light, and I think you’re just the man who can straighten things out.  I need you to come down to the station.  It shouldn’t take too long.”

Tomas took a long look at John.  It’s early in the morning, if I kill him now, no one would even know he was here.  “Of course John, after you.”  John turned and started to walk away.  Tomas had his weapon halfway out of his pocket when he felt a gun in his back.

“Take it out slowly, any attempt to fire, and you‘ll be dead before you pull the trigger.” Officer Fish nudged his gun against Tomas’ back to prove he meant business.

John turned back around, “Tsk, Tsk, that wasn’t very bright.  I thought all CIA assassins were trained to know their surroundings. Something must have really rattled you, for you to get so careless.”  He reached and relieved Tomas of his gun making sure not to touch the grip.  “Interesting, a nine millimeter.  I’m wondering if this is the weapon we’ve been looking for all along,”  he looked at Fish as he proceeded to place the gun in an evidence bag. “Cuff him and let’s get him and this down to the station.” 

  Tomas hadn't said a word the whole time John had talked. Now he just glared as Fish pulled his arms behind his back and bound him. "You won't be able to hold me. My superiors will have me out before lunchtime."  

John turned back and stood directly in front of Tomas. “I knew there was something about you that bothered me from the beginning, but I let everything slide when you turned on Victor at the Premier.  Tea believes you’ve changed, but you’re still the same cold-blooded assassin who turned over an innocent man to his deranged mother and just walked away. Get him out of here.  I’ll be down to the station shortly."  

 He watched as Fish took Tomas to the car. "Hey.  Find out who his last call came from.  I'm betting it wasn’t his son." John went back to the front door.   He wasn’t looking forward to his next task.

My Brother's Keeper #12

Todd and Blair arrived back at The Sun and went straight to Todd’s office.

“What are you going to do now?” Blair asked as she took a seat on his couch.  She curled up comfortably, tucking her feet under her, then she watched as Todd proceeded to the wall behind his desk and prepared to open the safe. “You’re not getting a gun out are you?”

Todd paused, puzzled by the question and looked at Blair. “Why would I be getting a gun?”

“I thought you might try and go after Tomas even though Bo asked you not to.”

She looked so adorable curled up on his couch and he remembered all the times she used to do it when The Sun was just getting started.   He smiled across the room at her and responded. “Well, when we left Bo and John, I did entertain thoughts of getting to Tomas and wringing the truth out of him.   Then you told me about Calmar.  I decided it was time to find out just what is so special about that damn microchip.”

“How can you do that?  You threw it away into the Lantano River right before your mother shot you.”

Todd turned back to his safe and reached inside then closed it back up. He walked over to Blair. “That’s what I told you and the police, but the truth is the ring is the only thing that went into the water.  I kept the chip.  I’ve had it all along, now I need to find out why everyone wants it so bad.”  He opened his palm and showed Blair the small delicate chip lying in his hand.”Not much to look at, is it?  I held onto it because I figured it could prove useful.  I had no idea Victor was being held for “it” until he was tortured the same way I was.  Since I had no way of giving it to whoever held him, I’ve kept it locked up.”

“Why didn’t the group that took Victor just take you instead?”

“Tomas, I guess.  It’s clear he’s mixed up in this somehow.  He must have told his superiors that I didn’t remember “it” and that Irene had had no luck getting it out of me.  He probably suggested Victor to them, thinking that Victor lied to Irene all these years and was keeping it for reasons of his own.  No one but Irene knew I finally remembered where it was, and that was the day she shot me and I killed her.  Remember, Tomas wasn’t at Victor’s when I took the ring from Tina.”

Blair looked at the tiny chip in Todd’s hand.  It was amazing to think that something so little had taken Todd from her for eight years.  “How are you going to find out what’s on it?”

“I have my means, but you don’t need to stay here.   This could take me the rest of the night.”  He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you home.  You should get some sleep, and you’re way too distracting to keep around right now.”

Blair grinned mischievously, then she stretched slowly, displaying her body and letting Todd get a good look at what he was about to send home. “Um, you know I could just sleep here and you wouldn’t have to lose time taking me home.” She watched as his jawline twitched and his stare got intense.  His nostrils flared and she knew she had him hooked.  She licked her lips and saw his eyes follow the movement.  Uncurling her legs, she took his hand and stood up, then moved in close and rubbed against him suggestively. Whispering in his ear she said. ”Or we could finish what we started this afternoon before we were interrupted.”  She nibbled his earlobe and heard his intake of breath.

Todd had been trying to resist her but knew it was a lost cause when she caressed his ear.   Dropping her hand, he pulled her into his embrace and nuzzled her neck.  “God, Woman, you’re driving me crazy,” he paused long enough to get her attention.

Blair was frustrated, why was he stopping. “What are you waiting for?  I’m here for the taking. Stop wasting time.” She couldn’t help herself, his kisses were already stirring her and she wanted to continue.

Todd heard the huskiness in her voice signaling she was already turned on.  He smiled and slipped the chip into his slacks' pocket.  The chip would just have to wait.  His woman was in need. “Who could resist an invitation like that.” In seconds, he had nimbly removed her blouse and was working on releasing her luscious breasts. Blair, too, was working on getting him out of his clothes. Soon there was nothing between them.   He ran his hands lightly over her body and then lowered her to the couch. She was everything he remembered and more. He joined her on the couch and began to explore every part of her.  It had been so long, but he had never forgotten how much he loved to touch her.  

Blair loved the feel of his hands as they began their exploration.  God, how could I forget his touch? Todd had always been an excellent lover.  He had always taken care to make her feel cherished and now was no different.  

Todd’s hand kneaded her breasts gently and then he covered her nipple with his full lips sucking at it while his tongue flicked the tip.   She quivered at the exquisite sensation and arch her back in desire, wanting more.  Todd slowly savored her.  Blair tasted like strawberries, and he fought the urge to take a bite.  Instead, he ran his tongue down her midriff and heard her soft moan as she shivered with delight.  His hand traced her taut body, loving the feel of her silky skin through his fingertips.  With each stroke, her body responded with a slight ripple.  Soon she began to elicit sounds of pleasure and was urging Todd to continue what he was doing. The sounds of her moans were all he needed, as his body responded in kind.

Blair gasped as Todd entered her, her fingers digging into his shoulders as they moved in sync.  Lost in the moment, they eagerly sought to make up for lost time. Todd clung to her as the years apart heightened all his senses. Her inner core molded around him as he delved deeper into her center.  The room was silent but for the cries of pleasure as they peaked together.  He collapsed into her arms spent but satisfied. He eased out of her and gathered her close beside him, listening to her contented sighs. She snuggled closer and her hand lightly touch his chest in slow circles.

Blair felt loved and fulfilled at that moment but also knew she was losing the battle to stay awake.  Tell him. Tell him now, he deserves to hear you say it.  So much had happened since he had declared his love the previous afternoon.  It was time.  She gently kissed his chest. “I love you, Todd.  I wanted to tell you yesterday, but everything got compli...” her voice slurred, “..got...compli.. ca..ted… “ It trailed off.  Her eyes fluttered shut and sleep took her.

Todd held her and listened to her soft breathing.  She had said the words he had thought he would never hear again.  He was finally home. Really home.  But he couldn’t be truly happy with her until he proved to everyone else in the town that he hadn’t killed his brother.  Bo, John, and Natalie knew the truth, but they wouldn’t fully believe it until they saw Victor alive and well. Todd slipped out from under Blair and made her comfortable on the couch.  He covered her sleeping form with a soft throw and watched amused as she wrapped it around herself without waking up. She had no idea just how dear she was to him, but she would soon.

He reached and moved a strand of hair off her face and thought back to all the times he had denied himself those kinds of touches after he had gotten back from Ireland. No more, Blair. No more anger, no more self-loathing.  Too much time has already been lost, we deserve to be happy too.  He gathered his clothes and got dressed, then walked to his desk and removed the chip from his pocket.  Pulling open his desk drawer, he took out a small toolbox and went to work opening the back of his computer.

A short time later he started up his computer, watching for the data that would tell him the chip was functioning.  There it was.  With a double-click of his mouse, the file opened.  As he read, it became blatantly clear why the chip had been so valuable to his mother and why the organization that had Victor wanted it.  Todd hooked up an external drive and quickly copied everything on the chip to it.  Then he wiped out the memory of it from his hard drive and removed the chip.  He opened a jewel case and carefully stowed the chip.  That finished, he unhooked the external drive and headed down to the morgue, and entered the safe that held all The Sun’s data files.  Stashing the drive, he exited and locked the safe.

Todd had ordered all new locks and security measures in place after gaining back control of The Sun.  Only a select few had access to the morgue, and he was the only one who could get into the safe.  Even his office safe had been engineered with several measures to ensure no one could access the contents.  He had even borrowed from his mother’s organization and installed a print recognition device. It would only accept his thumbprint.  He knew he had gone overboard on the security but after years under his mother’s thumb, he had found himself a little paranoid.  Not trusting his memory, he had decided technology would protect his secret and now he knew it had been a wise choice.

He made his way back to his office and sat down to think about everything he had just read.  The chip was a powder keg.  His mother had used it to her advantage and the loss of it had been tremendous.  Victor was in a very precarious position.  Tonight the people, who were holding him, probably knew their deception had been found out.  The coroner, who had declared Victor dead, had been killed.  There was only one way to save Victor’s life now.  He had to find a way to make contact with the captors.  Tomas was the key, but even now John and Bo were tracking him down.  If they found him, he would deny everything.  After all, Tomas had gone out of his way to appear innocent of any wrongdoing, he would simply explain away his fingerprints on Victor’s body, by saying he had gotten into an argument with him earlier that day or something.

Todd rubbed his eyes and the back of his neck as his head started pounding again.  The headache was back.  He looked around half expecting to see Irene standing behind him but there was nothing.  He hadn’t killed Victor, but Irene had somehow convinced him he had.  He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair trying to remember his last conversation with his mother.

Irene’s last words to him had been that she would always be with him in his mind and in his soul.  Had there been more to that statement?  When she had shown up in the cabin and tormented him before Blair showed up, he had been convinced he was just in shock from the bullet.   Her words, what if they were said deliberately?  Could everything he had experienced after that moment, have been an implanted suggestion?  Todd drifted off to sleep while still questioning the actions of his mother.

Todd found himself walking down the hallway that led to the cells of the LPD.  He paused and watched the scene taking place in front of him.  He saw himself sitting in the cell with his back to his mother.  She was in the opposite cell and talking nonstop about “it” again and that all he had to do was tell her where it was.  She began praising him for completing his mission.

“What do you mean?  What mission?”  his other self, responded.

“Why killing your brother of course?”

“You’re wrong, I didn’t kill Victor?  I have proof, all they have to do is find my friend.  He’ll give them the gun and it’ll all be cleared up.”

Todd watched as his other self, became agitated and upset.  He wanted to tell himself that Irene was lying, but all he could do was watch.  Irene came back from her visit with Bo and started in again.  Todd was helpless as he listened to her droning on and on about what a disaster he was as a son and how he had proven it by killing his brother.   The Todd in the cell seemed to be ignoring her and trying to block out her voice like a child might by covering his ears.  Then Todd noticed something strange.  Irene began repeating the same phrase over and over again.   “Todd, I want you to listen to me. “  

He watched as his other self, stopped trying to cover his ears and slowly lowered his hands, and just sat there.  The next words out of his other self’s mouth shocked him to his core.

“I’m listening, Mother.”

“That’s my good boy.  Mother has something to tell you.  I want you to listen carefully.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Good.  You will continue to believe you didn’t kill your brother, but deep down you’ll know you did.  You killed your brother, Todd.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, I killed my brother.”

“Excellent! It was raining and you went to confront your brother.  Are you listening?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Todd watched in horror as his mother planted the suggestion into his hypnotized other-self.  He tried to call out to wake the other Todd up but found he had no voice. Not just no voice, but no mouth either.  He started to scream, but there was only silence.

Blair woke up to a crash and saw Todd thrashing about on the floor, his eyes wide open filled with horror, and struggling to scream, but all that could be heard was a muffled moan.  She raced to his side.  “Todd, what is it?”  She was terrified, something was incredibly wrong, and he didn’t seem to see her.  Suddenly the thrashing stopped and he became deathly still. Todd’s eyes closed and then he began to cry softly.  Blair pulled him into her arms and just held him. “Todd, it’s alright, you’re safe.  I’m here.  Shh, it’s okay.”  

Todd became aware that Blair was holding him and wrapped his arms about her tightly. To be so helpless and unable to speak had terrified him.  Was it true?  Had he dreamed what had really transpired in that cell?  God, had she hated him so much she made him believe he killed his brother?   He had to know if he still had a voice.  “Blair.”  It wasn’t much more than a whisper but he heard it.  The relief he felt was enormous. Feeling stronger, he loosened his stranglehold on her.  He always hated it, when he let someone see his weaknesses, but strangely for the first time, it didn’t bother him that Blair had seen it.  Years of torture had finally made him aware he wasn’t Superman and he had realized that Blair of all the people in his life wouldn’t judge him for his weakness. “Blair, I’m okay now.”  Even as he said it, he became aware that Blair had come to his aid straight from the couch and was holding him without any clothes on.  He also noted they were both on the floor.  

Blair felt his arms release and heard his words.  She let go and sat back from him.   “Todd, are you sure?  I was so worried.  Do you want to talk about it?”

Todd smiled ruefully and stood up, offering his hand to her as he spoke.   “I’ll tell you everything, but first I need you to get dressed.  My mind is muddled enough as it is.”

Blair blushed at his words, flattered but she knew it wasn’t the time for a sexual escapade.  Something had happened and Todd needed to talk about it.  She walked back to her clothes and carried them into the bathroom as Todd proceeded to lift his chair back up off the floor.  Coming back out dressed, she noted his hands trembling a little bit as they folded the throw that had covered her.  She watched as he gently sniffed the covering, and hugged it close for a moment.  Walking to him, she wrapped her arms around him from the back.  “I feel the same way about you.  Talk to me, do you remember the nightmare?”

Todd turned in her arms and gently kissed her forehead.  “Unfortunately, I remember every bit of it.  I dreamed of my mother.  Blair, I know what happened, and if I could, I’d kill her all over again.”

My Brother's Keeper #11

Bo was standing looking down at the remains.  Manning was right.  Someone with deep pockets and connections had engineered the thing.  He kicked himself because he had had blinders on when Manning had reappeared in their lives.  When John brought in Manning the night of the premiere, all the memories of his actions against Nora resurfaced.  Everything, that had gone on with the other Todd, paled when confronted with the real devil from the past.  He had let his bias toward the man color his actions from that moment on.  He should have insisted on following up on Manning’s imprisonment.  Instead, he had taken a back seat, and when John brought in Irene Manning and the whole sordid story came out, he was still unable to find sympathy for Nora’s old nemesis.  You owe the guy an apology.   If not for him, you would still have him as your top suspect in a murder that obviously never happened.  “Manning, I just wanted to tell you....” He stopped and looked around.  Todd and Blair had disappeared. “Damn it, Manning, can’t you ever do what you’re told?  John, did you see them leave?”

John had been talking to the coroner and turned around suddenly,  “Who?  Shit, I’m sorry Bo, I thought they were right here.  They can’t really go anywhere, I’ve got his keys.”

“Go find them.  If I know Manning, he’ll be looking for some way to get back to Llanview and start looking for Tomas.  We have to stop him before he tries to kill the guy.  This case has gotten complicated enough with all the recent revelations and Llanview’s own Coroner just killed.  The last thing we need is for Manning to go on a rampage.”

John nodded and headed to search the building.  He reached into his pocket and was relieved that the keys to Todd’s car were still there.  The search soon revealed they were nowhere in the building.  Could they have found an alternate ride?  I know you, Manning, there’s no way you would hotwire your own car.  You have to be around here somewhere but just to be on the safe side.  John walked out of the building.  Damn it!

Bo looked around when he heard the footsteps.  Only one set.  His suspicions were confirmed when John walked back in alone.  “They’re gone, aren’t they?”

“Manning’s car is missing.”

“It’s water under the bridge now.  We’re out of here, anyway.  They’ll keep the remains and casket here until we need them in Llanview. Let’s go. Call Fish and tell him to put an APB out on Manning’s vehicle.  I want to know where it ends up.”

****

They were about twenty minutes into the hour drive back to Llanview when Todd broke the silence in the car.   “Tell me how you met Calmar?”

Blair swallowed, this was the first time Todd had asked anything about the time he had been gone.  “Okay, first you need to know about my last husband.  Eli Clark was Ross Rayburn’s brother and a psychotic killer.  Of course, I didn’t know about the second part until my honeymoon night in Tahiti.  Kelly got a call through to me and I ended up fighting Eli for my life.  I thought I killed him.  After Tea’s death, Ross showed up and we realized Eli had changed Tea’s will.  She had inadvertently given custody to Ross. Dani was supposed to leave with Ross but ran away and a lot happened.  Eli killed Ross and then kidnapped Starr, Hope and Dani, that was how we found out he hadn’t died in Tahiti.

Todd looked over at Blair in alarm.  “He kidnapped the girls.”

“He wanted your money and was going to bargain Dani for it.  He also wanted me.  He ended up in a warehouse with Dani and in a standoff with Bo and the Police.  That was when we found out that Tea wasn’t dead but also being held in the warehouse.”

“Wait a minute, go back.  Tea died?”

“Not really, Eli was poisoning her and she thought she had terminal cancer.  She didn’t want Victor and Dani to watch her die so she went to an island that her doctor found.  He was in the whole thing with Eli and told us she died.  He couldn’t go through with killing her and brought her back to the Cherryvale Clinic.  That was where Eli found her.”

Todd’s thoughts were all over the place.  He had thought he had heard everything when he found out about Victor and Marty, but it was obvious he had missed so much more.  “My God, you’re telling me Tea almost died at the hands of that maniac and you married him.  Were you crazy?” Todd's hands clenched around the wheel.  His mind was so lost in images of Tea dying and Blair fighting for her life that he didn’t even notice where his car was headed.  

Blair looked at Todd is exasperation. “No, I wasn’t crazy.” He didn’t seem to hear her and then the car began moving into the other lane. “Todd, look out!”

Todd came out of his reverie and jerked the car back into the proper lane as an oncoming car barely missed them.  He slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road and stopped.  He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. Get your act together, you just about killed yourself and Blair.

Blair laid a hand on Todd’s arm. “Todd, are you alright?” Damn it Blair. He wasn’t ready to hear all that.  You talk too much.   “I’m sorry.  I should have had you stop.  It’s a lot to take in.  Listen, I’m okay and so are Tea and the girls. Eli’s dead and can’t hurt any of us anymore.”

He took another big breath and let it out slowly.   “You’re right.  He’s dead and I hope, rotting in hell.” He turned in his seat to face her better.  He took her hand into his and just rubbed it.  It soothed him to be able to touch her.  He looked into her eyes,  gulped and ran his tongue on the inside of his mouth. Spit it out Todd, you owe her.  “ I’m sorry, too.  I’ve been so wrapped up in my issues, I didn’t consider what all of you have been through these past eight years.  It’s becoming painfully clear, I’m not the only one who suffered.”

Blair was shocked.  Todd was just one surprise after the other these days.  It was just another sign of the changes in him.  “I...You didn’t know.  How could you?  It’s in the past.”  She covered his hand with her free one.  “I for one don’t want to dwell on what’s past.  You asked how I met Calmar.  Eli left me this lockbox and I opened it right after Christmas.  Inside the box was a portrait of me.  The problem I had was there was no signature.  There was a date on it and it had been painted the year you disappeared.  I took it to Victor and he said he knew nothing about it but Christian Vega found a watermark on it and it gave us someplace to look.  Paris.”

“That’s where you met Calmar?”

“Yes, Christian had been given his name by a colleague and we went there to find out if he knew who might be the artist.  When we arrived he recognized my portrait.  It was he who sent me to Tomas.”

“So who is this Calmar?”

           “Well at first I just thought he was an art dealer but it turns out he’s Tomas’ CIA contact.  You have to understand.   Tomas said he was out of the game.  He seemed so sincere.  I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to admit I was wrong.”

Todd smiled slightly and let go of her hand and started driving again. “It’s not like I was very forthcoming about everything.  I don’t blame you for your reluctance where I’m concerned.  Let’s get back to Calmar.  He’s French and he’s involved with the CIA.  Blair, what if his group is as rogue as Irene’s?  Maybe it’s a rival agency looking for Irene’s information to use the same way Irene used it?”

“So you think they figured since you didn’t have the information, they would grab Victor.  But why did they set it up to look like he was dead?”

“They’ve been hiding under the guise of being a legitimate CIA branch.  They wanted what was on the chip but they didn’t want to have to turn it over to the government.  They must have decided taking Victor and making it appear he was dead would keep the government from looking any further for the chip.  I’m being framed to draw all eyes away from what’s really going on.”

“Todd, that explains Victor, but how do you explain the visions you've had of your mother.”

“I don’t know, nor do I know why I keep seeing myself shooting him.  He said that never happened.  What’s important right now is finding Victor.  Irene will wait.”

My Brother's Keeper #10

The silence in the autopsy room, after Bo’s announcement, was deafening.  John handed the paper to Todd and Blair.  Todd grabbed the paper from Blair’s hand, his eyes reading the damning evidence.  Rage flooded through him.  He crumbled it into a small ball and threw it with all his might at the body on the table screaming.

“THE BASTARD!  He’s been lying to all of us.  Saint Tomas, Tea’s oh-so-good brother, was there.  He touched the body.  Hell, he probably placed it in the house for Tea to find.”

“Hold it, Todd, that’s a pretty big accusation,” Bo said. He wasn’t happy with the fax, but he wasn’t ready to believe the worst.
 

“Come on, Bo, how else did his fingerprints get on the body?  The man has been running around town looking to find evidence against me.  He’s determined to prove I killed Victor.”

“You need to calm down.  We’re all curious as to how his prints ended up on the body, but you need to stay out of it and let us handle it.”

“I know how you handle things.  You go after the most likely suspect, and in your book that’s me. “

Bo bristled at the suggestion and then swallowed the angry words he had been about to speak, as it suddenly struck him that Todd was right.  From the moment Todd had resurfaced, he had been waiting for the guy to do something wrong.  Bo thought back to another time he had jumped the gun and accused Todd of something.  He had ridden Todd hard over the hospital rapes and Todd had let the police force down easy when it turned out to be Powell Lord.

“You have a right to be angry, but you don’t make it easy for us, Manning.  After all, you did kill your mother.  Tomas was even going to take that rap for you.  How do you explain that?”

“Easy, he knew I had killed her in self-defense.  He played the percentages and figured I’d step forward since I was ready to let you guys take me on the dock right after it happened.  I only ran because he said he would handle it.  I had no idea he was going to plead guilty.  Besides, it made him look good in Blair’s eyes.”  It still hit him in the gut when he thought about the friendship between Blair and Tomas, especially when she knew what Tomas did to him.

Blair heard the bitterness in Todd’s voice and realized in that moment how deeply she had hurt him when she had backed Tomas in the courthouse.  She slipped a hand into his and refused to let go when he tried to pull free.  Moving close to him, she reached up and turned to his face, meeting his angry eyes.  “I’m sorry, forgive me.  I was a fool,” she whispered.

Todd’s anger fizzled as he saw the truth behind her words and the unshed tears in her eyes. “Yeah, you were.  But that’s behind us, right?” After what had occurred earlier, she’d better still be in his corner.

Blair smiled tremulously. “Right.”  She kissed him softly and then turned to Bo.  “I think Tomas owes all of us an explanation and now I want proof of his activities the night Victor supposedly died.”

Bo had to concede that because of Tomas’ connections to the CIA, the LPD had taken his word, and the word of Calmar, that he had been on assignment.  Now it was clear there was more to the story. “I can certainly agree with that.  John, you talked to Tomas after the murder. Didn’t you say his story was backed up by his handler?”

“Yes, supposedly Tomas had a meeting with him and then was delayed getting home because of a flat tire.” replied John.

 Blair began tugging on Todd’s sleeve.  She leaned close to his ear.  “Todd, Tomas’ handler is French.  It’s a man by the name of Calmar.”

Todd grinned following Blair’s thoughts.  The Frenchman Victor had talked about.  Could it be?  He put his fingers to his lips indicating Blair should be quiet and while John was occupied with Bo, he quietly led Blair out of the room.  As soon as he was certain John wasn’t following, they headed to his car where he retrieved his extra keys and they headed back to Llanview.

Blair turned to him as the car pulled away.  “What about John?”

“What about him? "

“How’s he getting back to Llanview?”

“He can ride with Bo or thumb a ride, I don’t care.  I want to get back to my office and see what I can find out about Calmar.”

“Todd, it’s just a hunch.  We still have nothing for certain.”

“Not true, Blair.  Thanks to you we found out Victor’s not in the grave and we know Tomas was near that body or thing resembling him.  You were with me when Victor was telling me the conversation he overheard.  I know you only heard my half of the conversation, but I swear to you, I never even heard or knew about this Calmar until a few minutes ago.”  He glanced over at her. “Do you believe me?”

“Yes, I do.   Finding that thing in the grave was definitely an eye-opener.  Do you think you can reach Victor?”

“I don’t know.  Even if I can’t, I can still work on finding Calmar.  This night is just getting longer.  I’m going to take you home and I’ll call you when I find out anything.”

“Oh no, you don’t, we started this evening digging up that grave.  We’re partners, remember?  I’m going back to the office with you.  I know about Calmar.  He’s the one who got me in touch with Tomas, to begin with.  You need me.” She settled her hand atop his on the gear shift and Todd’s fingers moved apart so hers could drop between.  She smiled in the dark and sat back as his fingers squeezed shut.

“Whatever you say, Blair.”   The feel of her hand entwined with his felt right.  His One True Babe was back where she belonged.