Written 76 minutes. I got distracted by the Phillies game and my king Cristopher Sanchez setting a new franchise record, let’s goooooo.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Temporary FBI Headquarters: Conference Room

Reynolds slammed the door so hard that the frame and wall shook. Unfazed, Gia removed her reading glasses and rose to her feet. “Noah. You seem upset.”

“You have no authority to order the arrest of someone in my case. Pack your bags, you conniving bitch—”

Gia crossed her arms, arched a brow. “You’ll want to watch your tone when you speak to me, Noah. You’re not the one with the leverage in the room.”

“What the hell are you talking about—you lied your way into my case, sabotaged it—”

“Did I? Check the record, Noah. I told you that I lived here. I told you that I knew the players. My connection to Carly Corinthos and Nikolas Cassadine was a matter of public record. You knew my brother worked here for a time, that his family was here. You’re going to have hard time arguing that I’ve done anything wrong—”

“You know the goddamn suspect—”

“Still not an ethical violation. Diane Miller could have made it an issue. She chose not. I imagine she tucked it in her back pocket if she thought things were going south, but she chose to sit back and watch how I played it—”

“Because you were on her damn side—”

“I’m on the side of the truth. Where are you?” she demanded. She strode out from behind the table. “A detective from the PCPD suggested I go back over the case file — the one that they put together. And all the problems I’ve put on record with you were in their notes. They eliminated Morgan the day of the murder, and Elizabeth Webber was never a suspect. They investigated the tip, determined it was a red herring meant to distract them — and you and Caldwell leapt on it like a dog with a bone because you thought you could get back at Jason Morgan—”

“Everything I’ve done has been strictly by the book—”

“You were willing to walk into that court and argue a theory of the crime you knew was bullshit. You knew Elizabeth didn’t have enough time to get to the murder scene. You knew that her alibi was rock solid because why would someone with Michael Corinthos’s background ever call the police so close to the time of the crime—and you never bothered to investigate him. At all. You went after a woman and a pair of teenagers because you thought they’d break under the pressure and hand you Jason Morgan.”

“You think you have all the answers—”

“I think I’ve got Sonny’s daughter on camera planting the gun in Webber’s car.” She picked up the folder, flipped it open and sent it flying across the table. “You know what I found when I looked through the files from Cates’ computer? Records of a wiretap you filed for.” Gia lifted her brows. “Isn’t that strange? You have Sonny’s restaurant under surveillance, cameras and audio inside the building. And a federal judge signed off. Caldwell was stunned that you hadn’t turned any of that over. Because guess what I found?”

She tossed another photo — Kristina in Sonny’s office removing the gun and putting it in the safe. “That’s the gun from Sonny’s safe. She took it two days before Cates was murdered. That’s the same box the gun was found in. The same box in Elizabeth’s car.”

Reynolds faltered at this, picked up the photos, stared at the timestamps. “I didn’t—I didn’t know—”

“Because you didn’t turn over the wiretap to Caldwell. Who was supposed to take on Cates’ case after the fact.” Gia went back to her paperwork. “I had questions about that, but that would have been enough to get him on my side. He looked at it, and he’s the one that ordered Kristina to be placed under arrest. The PCPD filed suit with their own charges. Do you know what I’ve been doing this entire time, Noah?”

“Gia—” His tone had shifted completely, and he set the photos down. “All right, let’s have a conversation—”

“The warrants you filed with the court for this surveillance.” She tossed it at him. “Informant statements filled with garbage. Jason Morgan was never Cates’ informant. Not after Pikeman. It was just one more thing he lied about. All of that was on his computer.”

“I didn’t—” Now he looked ashen and had to sit down, staring at the photo of Kristina with the gun in Sonny’s office. “I didn’t know that.”

“I’ll concede you probably trusted him enough to file on his say so,” Gia said. “But you dropped those charges against Kristina fast, didn’t you? And turned back to the murder case. You started talking about going after Morgan harder. Revoking Elizabeth’s bail, which you were sure would break her or those boys. Maybe make her desperate enough to say anything against Jason to get out, right? Because you knew the murder case was never getting past a jury.”

Noah scrubbed his hands down his face. “You need to understand—”

“You dragged that poor boy’s mistakes in court, and you did it even after you saw him sitting in the gallery. You can’t prove Elizabeth had anything to do with that incident other than be the owner of the home. But you wanted to put more and more pressure on her.” Gia leaned in, standing over him. “Here’s something I didn’t tell you, Noah, something that you might already picked up. Elizabeth Webber stays loyal until the bitter end. She was never, ever going to turn on Jason Morgan. And that’s why I thought she was covering for him. That’s why I got involved. Because I remember being a hypocritical bitch who loves to point fingers at people for their crimes, but she won’t look at the man in her bed, no matter who he is at the time. And I would have happily prosecuted her for that — if she did it.” Gia straightened. “But she didn’t. And neither did he.” She stabbed a finger at the photo. “And if you’d turned over that wiretap, you’d have known that weeks ago.”

“We can’t use those photos,” Noah said. He looked up at her. “Cates lied—”

“We can’t use them against Sonny, no. But we can use them against his daughter.” Gia pulled out a chair, sat down, and leaned back. “This is what is going to happen. Caldwell is eager to move on from this — he’ll admit he had tunnel vision and should have seen the red flags. He’ll keep his mouth shut about you keeping crucial information about his case to himself. He’s already started his part by arranging the arrest and the guard at the hospital.” She arched a brow. “You’ll keep your mouth shut about my lack of candor about the connection I had to Elizabeth, and I’ll do the same about what I found in the files. As far as anyone knows, we only just dug into the surveillance files on Cates’ computer and we’re going to inform Diane Miller that our evidence matches hers. You’ll drop the charges against Elizabeth and upgrade Kristina to murder.”

“It’s not that simple—”

“It is. Kristina doesn’t have an expectation of privacy in her father’s office. The wiretap being bullshit won’t matter. You can’t use it against Sonny, and Cates really screwed you there, didn’t he? He didn’t get anything you could use on Morgan, Elizabeth — but he got Sonny on tape talking about so many things—such a shame you’ll never be able to use them. That’s your punishment, Noah. For caring about your vendetta more than the truth.”

Noah glared at her. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

“Being right? Of course. And you won’t have to worry about seeing me around the office. I’ll submit my letter of resignation.” She sat back. “I have other plans for my future employment.”

Quartermaine Estate: Foyer

“We can’t put it off any longer,” Willow said, folding her arms. “Drew, half the people in this house already know. She might overhear it—”

Drew was saved from having to respond by the doorbell. And then he saw who was on the other side. His expression immediately went blank. “Alexis.”

“I want to see my granddaughter.” Alexis strode past him, barely acknowledging his presence. “Willow? Where is she—”

“Alexis. I’m so sorry,” Willow said. She held out her hands, but Alexis ignored them, shook her head. “We were just talking about how to talk to Scout.”

“She doesn’t know yet—” Alexis whipped his head around, looked at Drew still at the entrance, the door now closed. “It’s been hours.”

“It’s not an easy piece of news to share,” Drew said. “I haven’t even said it outloud for myself—”

“Don’t pretend you give a damn now,” Alexis retorted. “You made a difficult situation nearly unbearable—” She stabbed a finger at him. “If you’d left Scout in her mother’s custody, all of this would be different—”

“I had no choice—”

“Danny was out of the home, damn it. And so was Rocco. In fact, Rocco lives in this house now, doesn’t he?” Alexis bit out. “But no one is trying to take your child away, are they? You wanted the optics of being a good parent, and you didn’t care about actually being one.”

“Alexis—”

“Don’t try to defend him,” Alexis snapped at Willow who closed her mouth immediately. “If Sam had had her daughter in the home, she would have been home with her—”

“You mean, if Sam hadn’t lost custody of both her children, Kristina might not have felt it necessary to try to screw with Elizabeth’s bail,” Drew interrupted coldly, and Alexis pressed her lips together. “Let’s rewind here, Alexis. I didn’t kidnap my daughter away in the middle of the night. I put the facts in front of a judge, just like Jason did. A judge determined that Sam was acting irrationally and that the children weren’t safe with her. Now, I’m not going to pretend I couldn’t have done things differently,” Drew added. “I was too harsh. Too unforgiving. And Sam deserved better than that. But I didn’t do this alone, Alexis. And Kristina still chose to interfere.”

“You could debate who bears the burden of guilt until the sun sets,” Willow said before Alexis could respond. “But it doesn’t change anything, Alexis. There’s a little girl upstairs who has had her entire world upended in the last few weeks, and she doesn’t even know that she’ll never see her mother again. That needs to be the priority here. Not pointing the finger.”

“I can’t turn back time, Alexis,” Drew said, his tone gentled, and Alexis closed her eyes. “Neither can you. How many choices are you going over in your head, all the little things you said or did that put you on the road to this day? Willow’s right. Scout comes first. Danny comes first.”

“They need to be together. Scout is going to want her brother,” Willow said, looking at Drew. “So you’re done forbidding him access. He needs his family around him, Drew. And so does she.”

“Of course.” Drew touched Willow’s shoulder, then looked at Alexis. “Absolutely. Whatever Scout needs. Whatever you need to get through this. I’m glad you’re here with me. Scout will find a great deal of comfort in your presence.”

“I find everything you say to be so incredibly condescending and obsequious—” Alexis put out  her hands. “I actually feel nauseous being in the same room with you. Let’s just get this over with.”

General Hospital: ICU

Kristina turned her head slightly, her lashes fluttering against her pale skin. They opened, her dark eyes unfocused as Sonny came into view. “D-Dad.”

“Hey, sweetie. Just relax. You were in an accident.” Sonny stroked her forehead. “Rest. Don’t worry about anything.”

Kristina closed her eyes, her mouth going slack, indicating she’d drifted back into sleep, and Sonny exhaled slowly, rubbing his chest.

“Don’t worry about anything. What a joke.”

The words, delivered in a tone so acidic that he half-expected the floor to dissolve beneath his  feet, came from behind him, and Sonny turned to find Molly in the doorway, her arms tightly folded, her eyes swollen and bloodshot.

“Molly—”

She put out a hand, and Sonny stopped. Hesitated. “Molly—”

“I’m on my way to the morgue,” Molly said flatly, and Sonny went still. “They pulled my sister’s dead body from the river, and they need an official identification.”

“I’m so sorry—”

“Kristina has never had to worry about anything, has she? Not really. Not without you or Mom to bail her out. Not without Jason or—” Molly’s voice faltered and she looked away,  her eyes glittering with tears. “Not without one of us to clean it up. Well, she should worry. Because she’s going to jail for the rest of her life. And if there’s any justice in this world, Sam will haunt her every waking moment. So you can hire her a lawyer, you can do whatever you want, Sonny, but I promise you this — I’ll be on the other side of the aisle, doing everything I can to make sure she pays for what she’s done.”

“I didn’t know—”

“I don’t believe you. I just don’t. You tell my mother if she participates in Kristina’s defense, if she lifts a finger to help the bitch who murdered my sister, I will never speak to her again.”

Sonny let Molly leave — there was nothing that could be said to her in this moment, no words of comfort or reassurance. Molly’s world had already been shattered with the death of her daughter, and all of this had cracked what little she’d attempted to rebuild.

He looked back at his daughter, at his little girl, and exhaled slowly. No easy answers. No clear way forward.

Webber House: Kitchen

“Thank you.” Michael accepted the coffee Jason handed him. “I think I have more caffeine than blood right now. I, uh, wanted to say—hey,” he said to Elizabeth who rejoined them in the kitchen, followed by Jake and Aiden. “How’s Danny?”

“Still in his room. I’m hoping Dante will be a comfort to him.” She touched Michael’s shoulder then started to make her own cup of coffee. “Have you slept?”

“No. I don’t really think anyone has.” Michael set the cup aside. “Look, I just wanted to apologize. Dante and I—on Tuesday, after the hearing, after he’d talked to Sam, we went over the whole thing, and he started to piece together that maybe Kristina was involved—with the email to the court,” he added hastily when Jason straightened, his expression turning cold. “Not the murder. I didn’t know Dante was suspecting that. He never said a word to me.”

“If he had?” Jake wanted to know. “Would you have still kept quiet?”

“Jake,” Jason began, but his son wasn’t interested in whatever Jason had to say.

“No, I want to know how many people knew Kristina was completely insane and said nothing,” Jake retorted.

Michael grimaced. “If I knew what Dante was thinking, I would have said so — maybe I would have asked Diane first—no, you asked a question, Jake. At least have the respect to listen to my answer. How easy it would it be to turn your brother in for murder?” he demanded. “If you knew he was up to bullshit—”

“You couldn’t even tell on Danny when you caught him with a vape,” Elizabeth reminded Jake gently. “It’s not easy—”

“Danny was being an asshole, sure, but he wasn’t hurting anyone but himself, was he? As soon as I realized how bad it was, I did say something–”

“You’re talking about the murder of an FBI agent,” Michael said. “Do you think it’s so easy to think something so terrible of my sister?”

Jake started to shake his head, but Aiden bumped his lightly. “What?”

“If someone came home and told you I killed someone,” Aiden said, “you gonna believe it? And hell, what if you did suspect it, if Cam suspected it, what are we doing first? I’m calling Cam. I’m going for help—”

“This wouldn’t happen to us,” Jake snapped, then leveled a glare at Michael. “Because yeah, my dad’s a criminal—sorry,” he added as aside to Jason, “—but no one ever raised us to think of murder as goddamn solution—”

“Jake.” Jason stepped forward, between the cousins. “That’s not fair—”

“No, he’s right,” Michael said, holding up a hand. “This wouldn’t happen to you or your brothers,” he said. “Your mother’s not perfect, no, but Elizabeth always made sure you three were the priority.”

“Michael—”

“My parents didn’t do that,” Michael said, cutting off Elizabeth’s protest. “Why do you think Jason had to practically raise me from over their shoulder? You think that I got any sense of morality  growing up with Sonny or Carly Corinthos? The first time I really started to fuck up and think that I was untouchable, your dad practically ripped my head off and told me I was acting like a little bitch. So, no, Jake, this wouldn’t happen to you or your brothers. But it happened to me. And my sister did this to your family. She did this to—” He looked at Jason who was already shaking his head. “She did this to my family. She did this to you, Jason. I’m so sorry I didn’t see it. That I didn’t stop it—”

“I’m not blaming you,” Jason said. “I’m not blaming anyone but Kristina,” he added, looking at his son. “And neither should you. No matter what you think they’re doing, it’s not easy to turn on family. Or to think the worst of them, Jake.”

“Also—” Aiden coughed lightly. “Cam did sort of think of murder as a solution that one time—” Jake whacked him in the stomach. “Right, right. Never mind.”

“Okay, I think we change the subject.” Elizabeth went to Jake, touched his shoulder. “Being angry is okay. This is an awful situation that just seems to get worse no matter we do, but we’re family, Jake. And Michael’s doing his best. Dante did his best. I’m not interested in vengeance.”

“I am—” Jake muttered, but lowered his gaze when Jason sent him an exasperated glance. “Okay. Fine. As long as your charges are dropped, and Kristina rots in hell, I guess we can let that be enough. But if she gets away with it—”

“We’ll deal with it as it comes. All I care about is that this nightmare is over, that my charges will go away, and we do everything we can to support your brother and Scout.”

+34

Written in 60 minutes.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

General Hospital: ICU Hallway

“Taking a break?”

Alexis turned, frowned slightly when she saw Sonny striding towards her, his coat over one arm, and a disposable cup holder in the other hand, two cups emblazoned with his coffee logo tucked inside. “What?”

“You’re out here, I thought you’d be in with Kristina.” Sonny held out the tray, then peered over Alexis’s shoulder to see their daughter still lying prone in her hospital bed, the tube of her ventilator snaking across the hospital bed.

“I can’t sit still. Probably the caffeine—” The liquid scalded her tongue, but Alexis drank it anyway, grateful for any feeling in her body. She’d been awake for more than twenty-four hours, and by now was fueled by little more than anxious worry. “It’s nearly ten, someone should have an update. Dante or Michael should have called—you know what? You need to go rent a helicopter and I’ll find my daughter damn it—”

“Okay.” Sonny set his things on the small sofa that was tucked in the corner, then put his hands in mock surrender. “I can see that the plan to ignore all of that until we knew something—”

“Ignore all of that? That? You mean my daughter caught in a flash flood and missing, presumed dead?” Alexis hissed. “That was your plan?”

Sonny exhaled slowly, the corners of his mouth drooping slightly. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he repeated when she shot him a nasty look. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. We can’t go out there and help, I can barely get Dante on the phone, I’m avoiding Jason, you’re avoiding Diane—I don’t have any answers.”

Alexis sat down on the sofa, hunched over, her arms crossd in her lap as she rocked back and forth. “I can’t sit next to her, Sonny. I can’t sit next to our daughter, waiting for her to wake up when the reason she and Sam were in that car was because I didn’t believe Sam. I didn’t—” She closed her eyes. “And I can’t begin to think about Molly because I’ve been completely absent to what she needed — it’s falling apart. Everything. And I started it.”

“Alexis—” Sonny sat next to her, touched her shoulder. “No—”

“I started it,” Alexis murmured. “When Kristina wanted me to draw up custody papers, and I didn’t tell her no. I argued, but I gave in. I always give in. That was the first domino.”

“I went after Ava for custody, didn’t I?” Sonny reminded her. “Is Kristina even in that room if I don’t do that? If that little girl makes it—” He rubbed his mouth. “But it’s not a game of dominos, Alexis. We all played a role in what happened, but it’s not as simple as pulling out one part and changing it all—”

“I just want that moment back. I want it back. I want to shake Kristina the first time she calls that baby Adela, and I want to shake Sam until her teeth rattles when she started playing games with Danny’s custody — if I had been a better mother—”

“And if I’d told them about the gun weeks ago?” Sonny asked quietly. Alexis looked at him, her eyes bloodshot. “If I’d handled Ava a decade ago when she killed Connie like I should I have. Do we sit here and keep making a list of all the ways we missed the signs?”

“What else is there? Wait for Kristina to wake up so we can demand answers, wait for someone to come through those doors and tell me they’ve found my daughter’s body—” Her voice broke and she dipped her head down. “What else can I do but retrace every horrible step that brought me here?”

Sonny started to answer, but the phone in his discarded jacket vibrated. He reached for it, and accepted the call from Michael, Alexis’s head snapping up when he greeted his son. “Hey. Do you got something?”

“Yeah. We’re, uh, on our way to Elizabeth’s to meet Jason there. Dad, they found Sam’s car about thirty minutes ago. It was snagged under a bridge with some other debris.” There was a heavy pause. “It took some time, but they…they got a look inside. She’s in there.”

Sonny closed his eyes, and Alexis pressed her fists to her mouth. “She didn’t make it, did she?”

“No. She didn’t.”

He’d known, of course, the possibility of finding her was slim, almost zero. She’d been trapped, the car had been swept away — injuries in the accident, dark, debris filled waters — the odds had been against her, but the odds had been against him, hadn’t they? And Sonny had found himself alive in Nixon Falls.

But a body changed the hope. Sam wouldn’t return in days, weeks, months, or years. Her story had ended that night, on a dark and stormy night, behind the wheel of the car — and, if the evidence was correct, at the hands of the sister Sam had spent most of her life protecting.

“When—when are they—”

“They have to do a few things before they can recover her, but it’s—it’s happening. We’re telling Danny. Drew is going to tell Scout. I don’t know what Alexis wants to do.”

“I don’t know either,” Sonny said, taking Alexis’s hand, holding it tight, tears falling quietly down her cheeks. “I’ll call you back.” He set the phone aside, then looked at her. “They’re telling Danny. Drew is handling Scout. They’re recovering the…they’re going to get her out of the car, but it’ll take some time before we know what happened. How it happened.”

Alexis closed her eyes, squeezed tight bit down hard, and Sonny just waited. Then she opened her eyes, exhaled a long, shaky breath. “I should be with Scout. Danny has support. He has his brother, but Scout—she doesn’t—she needs me. I need to see her. I need to see them both. I can’t—” She stopped. “You should stay here in case Kristina wakes up—”

“I—” Sonny stopped what he was about to say when he saw a familiar figure turn down the hallway. He got to his feet. “You’ve got no business here—”

Caldwell, flanked by Anna and Gia, stopped a few feet away. “You don’t make—”

Gia put a hand up to stop the abrasive agent from continuing to speak. “I’m here on behalf  of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office. We’re filing federal charges against your daughter.”

“And we’ll be filing locally,” Anna said coolly when Gia flicked her an irritating glance.

“What’s changed since last night?” Sonny said, and Anna held out a manila folder. He snatched it from her, flipped it open, then his face drained of emotion. Wordlessly, he handed the folder to Alexis, who glanced down, and sighed at the security footage of Kristina standing by a car, a metal box in her hand. “Elizabeth’s car,” she said, lifting her eyes to Gia. “I presume?”

“Yes. Kristina Corinthos-Davis is under arrest, charged with aiding and abetting the murder of a federal agent.”

“Aiding?” Sonny retorted. “What the hell—”

“Well, I’m arresting her for the murder, but I suppose the FBI will have to catch up with what we already know—”

“Don’t you have an international fugitive to sleep with?” Caldwell demanded. Anna scowled at him.

“I don’t have the time and energy for whatever the hell this is,” Alexis snapped. She looked at Sonny. “Handle this. Get her a lawyer. I don’t give a damn. I have somewhere else to be.” She slapped the folder at Sonny and stalked off.

“This couldn’t have waited?” Sonny asked. “Even an hour? I expected better of you, Anna. You know that we just found out Sam’s body was just found. Or are you even more incompetent than I thought?”

Gia pursed her lips, looked oddly at the commissioner. “What?”

“The accident,” Anna said, keeping her tone even. “The suspect’s sister was missing, presumed dead. It wasn’t pertinent to the case, and well, I assumed it was only a matter of time, Sonny, before you got your wits about you and we lost our chance to secure Kristina’s custody.”

“Yeah, you know all about absconding from justice and evading arrest, don’t ya, Anna?” Sonny smiled, his teeth slightly bared. “Your time is coming, you know.”

“Right after yours, I’m sure.”

“Are we done with the games?” Gia demanded. “Caldwell, put a guard on the door and read the suspect her rights as soon as she’s conscious. Sonny—”

“Oh, we’re done pretending you don’t know any of us?” Sonny retorted. “How’s your boss like it that you and Elizabeth were enemies back in the day?”

Gia tipped her head to the side, her lips curved in a smile. She didn’t answer him right away, and the silence sent a chill down his spine. “That might have worried me yesterday, but I spent all night pouring over this case file. Over the Pikeman investigation. I have everything I need to make sure I come out smelling like a daisy. Can’t say the same for your daughter.” She looked towards the door, then back to Sonny. “When did you suspect her, Sonny? Before or after Elizabeth was put in federal custody, strip searched, and kept from her kids?”

Sonny furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Elizabeth’s defense team secured this footage, Sonny, but I spent the night looking at all the files John Cates put together. Verifying the information, of course, because well, he wasn’t entirely above board.” Gia took a step towards him. “He had surveillance on the restaurant, did you know that? A warrant for inside and out. Cameras. He didn’t tell anyone that. He and Reynolds kept that to themselves all this time.”

Sonny lifted his chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“No? You didn’t look in the folder. The charges we’re filing are preliminary, Sonny. I’m going to upgrade them to murder in the next few days. Because I’ve got your little girl on camera taking the gun from your safe. And I’ve got you looking for that gun twenty-four hours after Cates was killed.” She smirked. “I’ve got your daughter on first degree murder, Sonny. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Should have covered up for her sooner.”

Webber House: Living Room

He knew, of course. Before his father even opened his mouth, Danny knew.

He sat on the sofa, staring hard at the wood grain pattern on the coffee table, words slipping in and out, no real awareness of how they fit together. Recovery, hours, quick…

When he heard nothing, when he realized there was no more sounds, no more voices, he lifted his head to find his father sitting next to him, and he had to look away quickly — because the pain in his father’s eyes hit like a laser, searing his flesh, the grief bubbling up in his throat, and Danny could get through this if he just didn’t look at anyone.

“When—” He stopped, surprised by the crack in his voice, the effort it took to start again. “When will we know?”

Jason frowned, tilted his head. “Know?” he echoed.

“If she…” Danny licked his lips. “If it hurt.”

“Danny, man—” Jake sat on his other side, a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You can’t think like that—”

“I just wanna know if she knew. Or if it was quick. Or if we had a chance. If I’d answered the phone—” He looked his father, averting his eyes quickly again. “I didn’t. I didn’t pick up the first time, but maybe if I had—”

“I don’t know if it would have helped,” Jason told him gently. “And your mother wouldn’t want you to think about that—”

“Well, we don’t know that, do we?” Danny said, lunging to his feet. “We don’t know anything, because she’s dead!”

He darted for the stairs, and Jason slowly rose, looking after him with tired eyes. Behind the sofa, standing in front of the book shelf, Elizabeth met his eyes, her own filled with worry. “I can call Fletcher. Get him into see Danny as soon as possible.”

“Yeah. Yeah. That’s—” Jason scrubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah, okay.”

As she reached for her phone, it rang, startling all of them. She answered it, turning away to begin the conversation.

“I don’t know if there was any way to tell him without it going bad,” Jake said, trying to lift his father’s spirits. “There’s not really much we can say to make it better, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Jason stopped, cutting off whatever he was going to say next as Elizabeth came back over, her phone clutched against her chest. “What is it?”

“Diane. She—she sent the report over like we talked about, but apparently it was—it was extra. Because the FBI had something else. They’ve put a guard on her room and they’re putting her under arrest—”

“What?” Jake asked. “What does that mean? What’s going on?”

“Are they dropping the charges?” Jason demanded.

“Not yet. It’s—it’s complicated. But it’s…” Elizabeth looked at their son. “They know who put the gun in my trunk, Jake. They have proof now. It was Sam’s sister.”

“Kristina?” Jake said, bewildered. “She framed you? Wasn’t she the one who got brainwashed into a cult? Didn’t you save her from that?” he asked his father. “Why did she want to hurt Mom?”

“I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out when she wakes up.”

+35

Written in 51 minutes.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Port Charles Temporary FBI Offices

For the first time in days, the skies over Port Charles were blue, the remnants of the tropical storm had finally moved out of the region, tormenting Ontario to their north or just fading out of memory altogether, but relentless downpour had left temporary scars across the city making Gia Campbell’s trip even more frustrating as she navigated road closures and detours until she was able to reach her destination.

At her entrance, Caldwell straightened from his position leaning over a different agent, his expression stone-faced. “Reynolds said you’d stepped back from the case—”

“Noah Reynolds is going to be lucky to keep his job by the time this case is over,” Gia said flatly. “If you don’t want to be on the chopping block right along side him, I suggest you listen to what I have to say.”

Caldwell exchanged a glance with the agent he’d been speaking with, then nodded towards the nearby conference room. “All right. You’ve got my attention.”

Quartermaine Estate: Foyer

Chase lifted his brows when he saw who was waiting for him by the front door. “I thought you’d still be at the hospital — or with Danny—”

Molly folded her arms, shook her head. “I can’t.” When Chase just looked quizzical, she let out a low huff. “I can’t look at my mother right now, and if Kristina were to wake up — well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be friendly. And Danny—” Her throat tightened. “I can’t look at him right now. Not when he might still think there’s a chance his mother might come home.”

“There’s always—”

“Chase.” Molly closed her eyes. “Don’t. You were at the scene last night. You said yourself the car was gone. And Sam—we should have found her by now. It’s nearly nine in the morning—I’m not here to debate that—” She opened her eyes, focused on him again. “I need to know where you are in the case. And if there’s a chance we can make sure Kristina doesn’t get away with causing that accident.”

“Molly, why don’t you sit down—take a minute—”

“I can’t. I can’t. You were following them, you said so yourself. The car swerved of the road, and Spinelli said it sounded like Kristina found the phone. If Kristina tried to grab the wheel or distracted Sam  while she was driving, she’s responsible. Reckless endangerment—Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped, holding up a finger when Chase’s expression softened. “I’m not crazy. We need to find something to charge her with. Everyone knows what you were doing there. Sonny is going to have her on the first plane—”

“We don’t have a lot to work with. Anything could have happened in that car—”

“But you can charge her—”

“That’s a question for Robert,” Chase told her, and Molly sighed. “All I can tell you is that we don’t have more evidence than we did last night. Everything we know is circumstantial. Our techs are looking at footage around Elizabeth’s house, Spinelli is looking at the same things right now. We also subpoenaed Kristina’s cell phone records, and we’re going to try to get your sister’s too. We’re circling the wagons—”

“Yeah, well, it won’t be a lot of help if she’s lifted out of trouble just like she always is. Sonny will find a way to make this someone else’s fault. My mother will make excuses, and Kristina will get away with it—”

“All I can do is follow the law and where the evidence takes me. I get why you don’t want to be with your mother right now, but Danny and Scout are going to need you—”

Molly’s eyes shifted and she looked towards the stairs. “Scout. Where is she?”

“Drew’s keeping her at home today — Scout doesn’t know yet. She’s still asleep. And he didn’t want to say anything until they knew for sure. Danny’s probably coming out of his skin. He knows too much, and he’ll have questions. You should be with him.”

Miller & Davis: Diane’s Office

It had scarcely been twenty-four hours since she’d learned Kristina might be the real killer, and while Elizabeth had trusted Spinelli and Diane’s convictions, she realized there was part of her that was sure, somehow, there’d be an explanation. A reason for all the things they’d learned.

She stood in Diane’s office, staring at the television screen as security footage played across four quadrants — Spinelli had organized four views from three of her neighbors and Elizabeth’s own — syncing up the time, depicting the day the horror had begun.

Kristina walked out of Elizabeth’s house, went to her car, and pulled away. Then a few minutes, Jason’s motorcycle parked at the curb, and Elizabeth came out her door, turned the lock to check it, and then left with him.

Then — Kristina returned, parking behind Elizabeth’s car. The trunk opened, she put the metal box inside, and then disappeared out of view, until she returned on Elizabeth’s camera, stooping down at the door, then leaving.

“I rewatched the footage for the rest of that day,” Spinelli said, and she looked at him. “Aiden came home, and just before the door closes and we lose him, he bends down. I don’t know for sure — but I think he might have picked up your key fob. I think Kristina dropped it at the door.”

“Doesn’t really matter, does it?” Jason said roughly, and Elizabeth looked at him, her whole body physically aching for him. What was it like to watch the young woman he’d protected her whole life repay him with betrayal? Had Kristina intended for Elizabeth to be the target? Or for the FBI to go straight for Jason? After all, the false tip had tied Jason to the crime as well.

“Spinelli has put together this exhibit, but we also have prepared a report of the raw footage,” Diane said. “It ties Kristina to the gun, and we have the tech reports — Elizabeth never opened that trunk again. It’s the only trunk pop after the murder. Their case is dead. The gun is the only link and they cannot put it in Elizabeth’s hands or tie her to knowledge that it even existed.”

There should have been relief, a sweet sense of victory, or just something at those words, but the last month of her life — of all their lives — had been so draining that Elizabeth didn’t know what to feel. And to get this news today of all days when they were waiting for even more grave news to arrive — she just looked at Jason, reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. “I’m so sorry.” Then to Diane, who appeared to have aged a decade overnight. “To both of you. I know how long you’ve known her. How much you’ve cared and looked after her.”

Then to Spinelli, who never looked less like the silly boy with his nicknames he’d been when they met, as he stood by the monitor, staring at the results of his long, sleepless night. She didn’t know what to say to him, to any of them beyond what she’d already expressed. “What’s next? What are you doing with the report?”

“We’ll send a copy to Chase and the PCPD, and then to Agent Caldwell and Reynolds. I’ve appealed my motion to exclude the gun with a request to dismiss the charges. What happens next largely depends on them. They might immediately drop the charges — I expect Robert will file charges locally.”

“You don’t seem convinced that will happen,” Jason said, getting to his feet. “Do you think the FBI will ignore this?”

“Not ignore. Explain it away. It seems clear to me you were always their target,” Diane told him. “And everything they’ve done to Elizabeth and the boys was a means to turn them against you, to testify to your knowledge. They may just shift their theory of the crime — Kristina was helping you, and framing Elizabeth to throw off the scent from you both. It’s not going to work, a jury would never believe it. I think a judge will dismiss Elizabeth’s charges, but they might come after you next, Jason.”

“That’s fine,” Jason said, and Elizabeth made a face. “I’d rather they do that,” Jason told her with a shake of his head. “They can’t convict me any more than they could convict you. But you deserve to have your name cleared.”

“Kristina’s made it clear she doesn’t care about the truth. She could turn state’s witness, pretend you gave her the gun to get rid of—”

“She could,” Jason admitted. “But I’m prepared to deal with that. You have what you need to get the case against Elizabeth dismissed,” he told Diane. “Do what you have to do. We’ll face what happens next.”

“Keep us in the loop. We’ll be sticking close to home,” Elizabeth said. “We should—” She stopped when she heard the ring of Jason’s phone. He fished it from his pocket. “It’s Michael.”

Belle Forest Drive: Command Center

Michael put his phone back in his pocket, then made his way over to Dante, still standing in the same place, in the same position he’d been when the lieutenant from the rescue squad had given him the news. “Jason’s on his way back to the house. He was with Diane at the office. I told him we’d meet him there.”

“You should go. They—they might still need me—”

“Dante.”

His brother turned to look at him, his dark eyes glimmering with unshed tears, his mouth bracketed with lines, the day’s growth of stubble telling the story of the exhaustion he must feel. “I should be here when they get her out—”

“It will take hours,” Michael said gently. “They have to stabilize the car before they can send out divers. And you know Sam wouldn’t want it this way. She wouldn’t want you here. She’d want you with Danny. Drew and Willow are at the house. They’re going to tell Scout, and I think the kids are going to need all of us to get them through it.”

“Do you think she knew?” Dante asked, his voice rough. “Could she feel the car moving, but she couldn’t get to the surface? Was she still alive when it got stuck at that damn bridge? And she just couldn’t get out? Or was she already gone? Did she—” He faltered, bent over at the knees, bracing his hands on his thighs. “There’s almost no worse way to go. She would have fought so hard to get out. She would have known she was going to die—”

“We might never know the answers to that,” Michael said. “And maybe it won’t bring us comfort now, but knowing how bad things with Danny were — she was able to talk to him one more time, Dante. And she died knowing he still loved her. It’s not enough,” he added when Dante straightened, looked at him. “It won’t ever be enough. But it’s something to hold on to. He’s going to blame himself, you know that. Sam wouldn’t want that.”

“No, she wouldn’t. Okay. Okay.” Dante scrubbed his face, dragging his hands back and forth, forcing color back into his skin. “Okay. You’re right. I need to be the one to tell Danny. I need to—I need to be with him. And then the kids need to be together. We need to make sure they have each other.”

+35

Written in 62 minutes.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Miller & Davis: Lobby

The sun had just begun to peek over horizon when Maxie knocked on the glass door of the law offices. The security guard on the night shift sat behind a desk, scrolling lazily on his phone, glancing up when he saw her there. He made a face, then got to his feet, lumbered over. “Not open until nine,” he told her, the words muffled behind the glass door.

Maxie flicked through her phone, then held up a photo of herself and Spinelli. “He’s here, isn’t he? Let me in. I’m his—” She grimaced. “Partner.” Because girlfriend seemed too silly. And honestly, how could he work here and not know who she was?

The guard rolled his eyes, but then punched something into the pad beside the door, then unlocked and pulled it open. “He’s in the back. Next time, have him tell me you’re coming.”

“He doesn’t know,” Maxie said, sliding her phone back in her tote, then started down the hallway leading to the support offices. She knew exactly where to find Spinelli, and would have even if the app on the phone hadn’t told her.

The office he’d been assigned was towards the back, near Diane’s office, the door open just enough for a sliver of light to fall onto the carpet. Maxie pushed it open and found her target scrunched over a desk, skimming through papers, then looking at his computer screen. “Spinelli.”

He jolted at her words — which meant he hadn’t heard her approach or noticed her standing in the doorway. When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, his disheveled hair standing on end from running his hands through it over and over, his eyes rimmed with red, exhaustion etched into every line of his beloved face.

“Maximista—” He blinked, looked around. “What—” He licked his lips. “What time is it?”

“Almost six-thirty.” She reached inside her tote, removed the large insulted jug of coffee and set it on the desk, then followed it with a wrapped sandwich. “Because I doubt you’ve bothered to eat since last night or that I could talk you into going home to sleep.”

Spinelli blinked again, then rubbed his hands over his face. “I didn’t—I should have called—”

“You did. A text just before midnight.” Maxie tipped her head to the side. “And Mac came by after they shut down the search for the night. He thought I might need to leave, so he and my mom are with the kids. I guess I was surprised to see you here and not at the hospital or out…” She pressed her lips together. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“I don’t—” Spinelli stared blankly at the papers, then at her. “What do you already know?”

“Drink some coffee, take two bites, and then I’ll tell you.”

He grimaced, but followed directions and accepted the water she also fished from her bag. “Well?”

“I know that Sam and Kristina were an accident last night. That Kristina was found, that Sam is still…” Maxie shifted with a sigh. “That she’s still missing, and that her car was caught in the flash floods out by her mother’s place. I also know that the police are investigating one or both of them for something because Mac was talking about Chase being out on scene because he was following someone.” She paused. “I also think it’s related to the case because Jason was there last night, too. And seeing you here — I know it now. What’s going on?”

“It’s a long story—”

“Sum it up, and we can talk details later. What has you pouring over the investigation files all night? You can trust me, Spinelli. You know that.”

Spinelli slid a piece of paper across the desk at her. “You see this? The line I highlighted?”

“Looks like gibberish to me,” Maxie told him with a wrinkle of her nose. “But I think it says something about something on September 3.”

“That’s the records from Elizabeth’s car the day after John Cates was murdered. Her trunk was opened with her remote key fob at 1:13 in the afternoon on September 3.” Spinelli turned the computer screen, tapped a key, then gestured at the bottom. “That time stamp —”

“Matches this time and date—” Maxie stopped, taking in the still image of a car parked on a curb in a neighborhood she knew very well. She’d grown up nearby, had played with her cousin hundreds of times. “That’s Elizabeth’s house. That’s—” She looked at Spinelli. “That’s Kristina.”

“Footage from her neighbor’s Ring Camera. Kristina opens the trunk, places a metal box inside, then closes it. She goes towards Elizabeth’s house — crouches down by the door, then leaves. We think she was dropping the fob in front of the house, hoping they’d think it fell off Elizabeth’s keys or something.”

Tears stung Maxie’s eyes — she didn’t know why. She hadn’t known the murder victim, didn’t know Kristina that well. And she certainly didn’t care much about Elizabeth. But she knew Spinelli had been working tirelessly for weeks to find evidence exonerating Elizabeth, to prove her innocence. And now he had.

“This is connected to last night, isn’t it? That’s why you came here and spent all this time going through files that could have waited until we knew about Sam.” Maxie looked at him again, her throat tight. “What happened, Spinelli?”

“Kristina framed Elizabeth for the murder, or was trying to set up Stone Cold. I don’t know. And she emailed the prosecution for the case to get Elizabeth’s bail revoked. We all thought—” Spinelli rubbed his face. “We thought it was Sam. Trying to get rid of Elizabeth, or help her custody case. But it was Kristina. Sam found out and she was in the car last night. She called me.”

He held out his phone, stared at it. “I don’t talk on the phone much anymore. The calls I’ve made recently have been about the case, so I installed an app to automatically record them.”

He pressed play.

“…I just don’t…why…her bail…important…”

“…told you…I…to help…you said…no one…know.”

“We’ve been over this, Sam. And if Mom can’t make this go away, I’m not admitting to anything.”

“You have to tell them, Kristina. You have to tell them I didn’t know. Danny believes I did this to him—do you really think your feelings are more important?”

“He’ll get over it. He’s done worse to you.”

“I just wish you’d tell me why you did this. Why you really did this. You had to know there was a chance people would think it was me—why did you take the risk? Why not try to get Mom to use it in the custody papers? Why go to the same lawyers who tried to put you in jail?”

“You needed Elizabeth out of the picture—”

“No, no! I didn’t—not like that! Damn it, Krissy, it wouldn’t have solved anything! She’d be a goddamn martyr and everyone would be trying to get her out—you really think it would make Danny’s life better that way?”

“But Jason wouldn’t be able to say he’s got a stable home—”

“No, no, I still think there’s another reason. You were ready to blame me and gaslight everyone else into blaming me, too, until I asked you why you wanted Elizabeth’s bail revoked.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Don’t play stupid, Kristina. You’ve never had a negative thing to say about Elizabeth in all these years, and now suddenly you’re trying to help by putting her in jail. I don’t believe you. Just tell me what you did, and we can talk to Mom. We’ll fix it. But you have to tell me what you did.”

“What do you want me to say? That I finally see Elizabeth as a manipulative bitch like you always said—”

“But you’re doing it now not when it would have made a difference. I mean, when she lied about Jake Doe, you weren’t talking like this, but she’s accused of murder, and you want her in jail over it. Kristina, did you put that gun in her trunk?”

“Why are you asking me that? How can you even—”

“What is that? Is that your phone?”

“Damn it—let go—”

The recording stopped, and Maxie lifted her gaze to Spinelli’s. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my god. Kristina — she caused the accident. Sam was driving, and Kristina must have tried to get the phone—she heard that beep — what was it?”

“Flash Flood advisory. Came through her phone, and all the phones around mine.” Spinelli exhaled slowly. “Sam called Danny from her car. She was trapped, terrified, couldn’t get out.”

Maxie pressed a fist to her mouth. “Oh, God. Spinelli. She killed her own sister. She killed—” The horror of it silenced her, and she couldn’t form another word. She’d lost her own sister to unspeakable violence. Georgie’s murder had broken Maxie’s world in ways that couldn’t be articulated, and for twenty years, she’d tried so hard to push it down. But to listen to the sisters argue on the phone, to know where they’d ended up — Tears spilled down her cheeks. “She caused the accident.”

“I couldn’t do anything to help. Couldn’t look for Sam. Couldn’t do anything for her kids, for Stone Cold — but this—” Spinelli  stared at the mess of paperwork. “I could do this. Find the answers. So I came here.” He scrubbed his face over his hands. “I knew she did it. I knew it, somewhere deep inside. But I’m watching her plant that gun, Maximista. And now I know everything that happens because of it.”

They both looked at the frozen image of Kristina at Elizabeth’s car, trunk still open, a box in her hands. “She did it in broad daylight,” Maxie murmured. “There’s something obscene about that, isn’t there? Almost evil.”

Belle Forest Drive: Accident Scene

The blood coursing through his veins must be pure caffeine by now, but Dante tossed back the last of the coffee Michael had delivered. They’d stayed out by command center all night, listening for any sign of news — good or bad. But there’d been nothing.

Now, with the sun rising in the sky, the dusky reds and pinks fading into a soft blue, the quiet scene began to pick up. More trucks arrived, specialized in rescue and recovery. Dante watched them from the car Chase had abandoned by the side of the road. There’d been no sight of the car or of Sam almost from the moment Chase had lost sight of the headlights in the floods. They were attempting to ping her phone, knowing she’d had it to call Danny, but they hadn’t been able to locate it beyond a general area which meant it was probably dead.

A sedan pulled up from the direction of Port Charles, the road having been reopened. Anna stepped out, her face bare of makeup, her hair pulled back into a tail at the nape of her neck. She didn’t look she had slept much either.

“They’re beginning the search again,” she told Dante when she reached him. “They’re starting closer to the lake, hoping that nothing has been swept out with the current—”

“Don’t talk to me like I don’t know what they’re planning,” Dante bit out. He met her cool eyes. “I’m not a moron. I’ve done these before. They’ll check the culverts, the bends, anywhere the car could have been caught. You know I know that, so why are you even here?”

Anna opened her mouth, then closed it when Michael approached, another tray of coffee and a brown paper bag in his hands. “I’m sorry. Am I interrupting?” he asked.

“No. I was just telling Dante that we should know something in a few hours. I also—” Anna paused. “I’d like to offer you another chance to tell me why you and Detective Chase were so quick on the scene. If you know why half of your family seemed to find themselves at the accident scene—”

“Sure. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know as soon as you tell me how Valentin was able to escape custody,” Dante said, lifting his brows.

“Dante—”

“You stopped me. Five minutes. Do you know what would have happened if I’d been just five minutes quicker?” Dante demanded. “I’d have been across the creek, I’d have been here when the accident happened. Chase and I could have gotten them both out of the damn car. But you decided you knew best. You decided you came first. Just like you did this summer.”

Anna folded her arms, took a moment to collect herself. “I know you’re upset—”

“The FBI wanted Pikeman. You knew who Pikeman was. You and Jason made sure Cates didn’t have that information in time to do anything about it. Jason’s a criminal who has his own priorities. I don’t expect better from him. But you, Anna? You had a responsibility to this city. To your officers. Valentin is the reason I was shot on those docks,” he bit out. “I nearly died because he ordered Sonny’s murder, and sent a team of mercenaries to carry it out. But you didn’t think about that, did you? Whatever happens here today, Anna, I can’t change it. I can promise you this — no one in your department will ever respect you again. I’m not the only one who knows what happened.”

He snatched a coffee from Michael, then walked away.

Webber House: Kitchen

No one had really slept in the house, though they’d tried. Elizabeth had come downstairs around three to make herself a cup of a tea and found all three boys in the living room — Aiden in the arm chair, Danny stretched on the sofa and Jake on the floor, the television screen autoplaying YouTube videos quietly. She’d thought they were asleep, but Aiden had looked at her, and she’d realized they just didn’t want to be alone or cooped up in their rooms.

Now, day had broken across the city, and she was making another pot of coffee, listening to Jason talking on the phone to Michael, and the plans for the search. There was no question of sending the boys to school, and she’d already sent emails indicating they wouldn’t be back for the rest of the week. But she’d insisted they go upstairs, shower, and change if only to give she and Jason some time to figure out what they were going to do — if that were even possible.

The shower above their heads clicked off, and Elizabeth looked at Jason, lifting a brow. “What does he say? Are they letting volunteers help or—”

“No, uh—” Jason set the phone down carefully, stared at the counter for a beat, then met her eyes. “They’re not saying anything, but Michael doesn’t think they expect to find…they’re not expecting much. But the longer she’s missing—” He shook his head, looked towards the window overlooking Elm Street. “No body means something, I know. They didn’t find Sonny’s. He came back. And in Greece—”

“And if it weren’t for that phone call, I think we could all hold on to that,” Elizabeth said. Jason sighed. “But—”

“But it changes something that she was trapped or pinned in the car. There’s no guarantee that she didn’t—before the car was moved—” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. But they don’t want family members out there. Especially not her son. Michael says they can’t make Dante or him leave, but I think maybe he’s right. I don’t want—Sam wouldn’t want Danny to see her—” He stopped. He didn’t need to finish the thought, and she didn’t follow up or respond. There wasn’t a need to.

His phone vibrated and Jason reached for it. “It’s Spinelli—” he told her, pressing the accept button. “Yeah?” He straightened, looking at Elizabeth. “Okay. Yeah. I’ll tell her, and I’ll let you know what—I’ll let you know.”

“What’s going on?” Elizabeth demanded as Jason set the phone down. “What did Spinelli say?”

“He, uh—” Jason shook his head slightly, then looked at her again. “He said they found something, but he doesn’t want to say it over the phone. Just that he’s meeting with the FBI later today to turn it over, and he and Diane want to show it to us first.”

+31