Written in 65 minutes. For those of you worried about Thursday and Liason’s plans, listen — you can do a lot with a free morning and kids in school.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

PCPD: Conference Room

“Nothing surprising with the re-interviews,” Chase said, peering at their whiteboard. They’d written the original statement information with black marker, and added any extra notes in red.

There was very little of that.

“Other than Jake thinking there was a pause between the first shot and the rest, it didn’t give us anything. I mean, that’s not a bad thing. Their stories didn’t change.”

“But they didn’t recite them,” Chase added. He tapped Jake’s interview. “Dex sent me his recording of Danny’s interview, and Danny doesn’t really remember a pause, but he does remember they both thought it was fireworks until they heard more shots, so there’s an argument that there had to be some sort of break.”

“Like someone who wasn’t planning to shoot, but once they had—” Dante folded his arms, walked over to the new board they’d added, detailing the victim and his ties to the various suspects. “I don’t know what to do with Cates manufacturing evidence against Jason. Or the computer evidence suggesting he was planning his own assault.”

“And it was all recent — created that day. So it’s not like anyone had time to find out. But it does tell us our vic wasn’t a shining beacon of truth and integrity.” Chase furrowed his brows. “He could have gone to the boathouse to bait Jason into taking a swing. It’s difficult but not impossible. But no one puts Jason anywhere near the lake until after the shots. So was Cates interrupted—”

“The Quartermaine barbecue was common knowledge, and anyone who’s keeping track of Jason’s movements would know he was there,” Dante pointed out. “What if Cates was planning to leave some evidence that he’d been hurt there. You know, cut himself and leave some blood or something. He’d have that voicemail to go with it — it’d be enough to pull Jason in for questioning, probably an arrest.”

“Automatic federal jurisdiction. Probably run the same playbook Caldwell did — get him moved somewhere away from family and support. Try to get bail denied. Maybe  Cates wanted to force him into the deal.” Chase blew out an exasperated breath. “But this doesn’t get us any closer to who killed him.”

“Just makes the list of suspects longer,” Dante muttered. He stroked his chin. “Okay. Let’s take another look at the reports. There has to be something we’re missing.”

Penthouse: Living Room

“I’m guessing this isn’t a social visit,” Sam said dryly, accepting her mother’s kiss on the cheek. She met Kristina’s worried gaze. “What happened?”

“Nothing yet—” Alexis removed her jacket and set her briefcase on the desk. “But Diane gave me a heads up. Some paperwork is getting filed in family court tomorrow.” She hesitated. “Jason’s filing an emergency petition to make medical decisions for Danny — and a more straightforward request for full custody.”

She’d half-expected that news, but even as Sam absorbed her mother’s words, she realized now there was a piece of her that had expected Jason to back down. He always did when it came to Danny — always deferred to her decisions.

But that was before Elizabeth had come roaring back into their lives, determined to meddle in Danny’s life.

“Well, he’ll lose on both, so—” Sam stopped when she saw her mother’s expression. “Mom. They can’t seriously think a judge will give him custody. He’s living with a woman suspected of murder—”

“She’s out on bail and hasn’t been convicted yet. And you’ve allowed that situation to continue,” Alexis pointed out. “Because you haven’t exactly dragged Danny home.”

Sam grimaced, looked at Kristina. “And I guess you’re here for moral support.”

Kristina perched on the arm of the sofa. “I know this has been hard, Sam. And I hate that Jason thinks he can swoop in here after all this time and decide what’s right for Danny.”

“I can hear the ‘but’ coming from a million miles away,” Sam muttered. She pursed her lips. “And I’m sure walking out of the PCPD on Saturday night is mentioned. So much for keeping all of that under wraps—”

“Saturday night got written up as two intoxicated teenagers brought in and released to their parents, which is better for everyone,” Alexis stressed. “Yes, Elizabeth’s name was kept out of it, and so was Aiden’s. But no one’s mentioning the marijuana Rocco and Danny were carrying — and that’s not something that gets swept under the rug. Unless you think it would be a great idea for us to swing back by mentioning your drunk, high son badgered a sober teen into leaving his house in the middle of the night, and caused all three of them to get picked up.”

“I’m just sick of Elizabeth somehow walking out of every situation smelling of roses. I shot and killed a terrible, awful predator and ended up jail with a felony record. She helped Nikolas keep Esme hostage for months, and got to walk away with immunity. And now she’s  telling me my son needs therapy — what would she know about it?” Sam huffed and stalked towards the fireplace, boiling.

“Sam—”

“Twenty years, Mom. You realize it’s been almost twenty years that I haven’t been able to turn and not deal with her. Always there. The perfect woman. The perfect mother. Jason put her on a pedastal, shoved that kid right up there with her, and then there’s me and Danny, the family he settled for. You think Danny doesn’t know that? You think he doesn’t feel that, living in that house with the golden child and his precious, perfect mother?”

Alexis pressed her lips together, took a deep breath. “I’m telling you that a judge is going to take one look at Jason’s petition and wonder why you don’t want Danny to see a substance abuse counselor—”

“He’s not an addict, Mom! Oh my God, he’s been drinking on the weekends. So did half of the kids I knew grew up! Kristina—”

“I mean, she’s not wrong, Mom,” Kristina offered. “Kids experiment. There’s no reason to trot them off to therapy. Danny shouldn’t be forced into this if he doesn’t want it—”

“Danny has been drinking and getting high for the better part of the year,” Alexis cut in sharply. “And addiction runs in his family. On both sides of the blood line,” she added with Sam opened her mouth. “And the counselor in question has a great deal of accolades. Whatever the motivation, the judge isn’t going to care about that. They’re going to see you denying your son access to health care. Jason will win, at the very least, the right to send Danny to this doctor. And if we end up in an actual custody hearing, do you think Diane doesn’t know exactly what buttons to push to make you look unfit?”

Sam’s eyes burned. “So I have no choice? Danny is my son. He has no right—”

“He has every right, Sam. Danny is his son, too. And if you go in front of a judge with that attitude, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Webber House: Cameron’s Room

“Do I have to testify?” Danny sat cross-legged on the bed, his Switch discarded next to him, tossed aside as soon as his father had knocked on the door. “I mean, do I have…to like pick where I want to live?”

Jason sighed, lowered himself onto the desk chair. “I think, if  your mom refuses to sign the paperwork, it might come to that. I don’t like it. I’ve done everything I can to keep that from happening. I never wanted that for you or Jake, to have your parents fighting over you.”

“That’s why you kept going along with Mom all summer, and why you agreed to let Elizabeth supervise visits.” Danny made a face. “Because you’d rather let her have her way than fight?”

“It’s part of it,” Jason admitted. “I watched Michael and Morgan be used in Sonny and Carly’s divorce case, and they were miserable. They’re not bad parents, but they could be…” He hesitated, trying to think of another word, but he really didn’t have one. “They could be selfish. For me, you and Jake always came first. But your mom loves you, and I could understand that she was worried about my time as an informant following you. I understood her fears, and decided to put up with it as long as she wasn’t completely keeping me from you.”

“But you don’t feel like that now.”

“No. I don’t think her refusal to sign the treatment paperwork has anything to do with you, Danny.”

“It’s because Elizabeth found the doctor. Rocco said it’s what she and Dante argued about.” Danny stared at his hands. “That’s it. She’s saying no because she hates Elizabeth.”

Jason scratched his cheek, uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation, but finally nodded. “Yeah. I think that if your grandmother had found him or Dante, this wouldn’t be an issue. I’m sorry, Danny. I think going to this guy could help. And to make it happen, I have to force your mom say yes or ask a judge to do it for me.”

Danny nodded, then met his dad’s worried gaze. “We’re staying here because you and Elizabeth are, like, together, right? It’s not just because of her case. Or because of me. And Mom’s mad about that. Even though she has Dante and has for years. She doesn’t want me to live here.”

“I don’t think she does, no. And if that’s her main problem, we’ll find somewhere else to live. Elizabeth will understand—”

“I don’t—” Danny stopped, bit his lip. “I don’t want to find somewhere else. I like being here. I never got to live with Jake before, and his brothers—I dunno. I like how he and Aiden are. And when Cam was here. They’re, like, real brothers. Me and Jake aren’t like that. So if it’s okay, I want to stay. Even if it makes Mom mad. Because it shouldn’t. You should get to be happy, too, right? Like she and Dante are. I don’t think she should get to mess that up.”

“Elizabeth and I can be together even if we’re not living together,” Jason assured Danny. “But yeah, I like being here, too. With you and Jake. I never had that before, either.”

“Mom’s throwing a tantrum. Like she’s toddler. Scout used to throw things and cry and scream when she didn’t get her way, and Mom never gave in, and eventually Scout would stop crying and now she doesn’t do it anymore. So we can’t give in or Mom will just keep doing stuff like this. Maybe it’s a doctor this week, but it could be something else later.” Danny seemed to be a bit more sure of himself and lifted his chin. “So it’s okay if you have to get a court to stop Mom from kicking and screaming like Scout. Maybe she’ll learn and won’t do it again.”

Maybe, Jason thought, but he had his doubts. Sam never seemed to learn her lesson, and even if he won this fight, there would be other confrontations. But he couldn’t keep giving in because Sam was Danny’s mother. Couldn’t keep letting her win just to keep the peace.  It wasn’t right for Danny, and it wasn’t right for him.

He was Danny’s father, and he had every right to make decisions for his son. Sam would have to get over it.

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Though they hadn’t planned it, Elizabeth had come up the stairs with Jason, hoping to get a temperature check with Jake, and instead of had found him finishing another pencil sketch at his desk, and not really in the mood for a heart to heart.

“I told you, Mom, I go with the flow.” Jake reached for his sharpener. “Things are fine right now. As long as I don’t think too hard about the ankle monitor on your leg.” He glanced down at the plastic barely visible beneath her pant leg. “Doesn’t that bother?”

“It’s not my favorite accessory,” Elizabeth admitted. “But it’s a small price to pay to be out and back home. I know you’re pretty easy-going, Jake, and that things are better with your dad, but I don’t take any of that for granted. I hope you know that.”

“Mom—” Jake looked at her, then shook his head. “I don’t know how you can be so calm or up here asking me if I’m okay. I should be asking you that. These last few weeks — I was being an ass, and then you got arrested, and you were gone—” He stared hard at the surface of his desk and didn’t speak for a minute. “And you were home for five seconds before my idiot brothers caused you a bunch of problems, and now Sam is being a bitch—sorry,” he muttered.

“I’m not worried about Sam. Or the charges against me. I have months before I’d go on trial, and I trust Diane and Spinelli to find out what really happened long before that.” She tipped her head. “As for your idiot brothers, I’m glad Saturday happened. Maybe not the way it went down,” she clarified when he snorted. “But I’m relieved to know what they were doing. And why. I can’t help you guys if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I guess. And Danny needed the kick in the ass.” Jake exhaled in a huff. “Cam never would let me get away that vaping crap. I should have came to you. I would have maybe, but then Finn caught me with it, and it was a whole thing—” He looked at her again. “Can I tell you again how happy I am he’s gone?”

“Only if I get to tell you again how proud of I am of you for how you handled that. And don’t pretend Cameron always got it right with you and Aiden. You boys did plenty of fighting, especially you and Cam. But you stick together when it matters, and that’s what we’re doing for Aiden and Danny.”

“Yeah, I guess. But if I’d said something months ago, maybe Danny wouldn’t need to talk to a counselor.” Jake looked at her again. “Thank you. For never treating Danny like he’s not my brother, too. I know you and Dad have a weird, tragic history that I’m not asking about or anything, but like, I can do math. You and Dad had me, and then he got married to Sam and had Danny. You could resent him. The way she doesn’t like me, I guess. But you didn’t. Danny can’t go to his mom with this stuff, obviously. But he’s got you, and I know he’ll be okay because of that.”

“There’s a lot to unpack in that,” Elizabeth said, “and most of it, I’m not going to address. I’m sorry if you’ve felt Sam’s feelings toward you. She hid it most of the time, but I guess it wasn’t as well as I thought. As for resenting Danny—” she bit her lip. “There was a time when I resented the idea of him,” she admitted. “But never Danny the person. You could have resented him, too. For living with his dad more than you have.”

“Maybe. But he lived with Sam, so—” Jake grinned, and she felt her lips twitch. “It all worked out. Now we both have Dad, and, I guess, now we both have you.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Kristina handed Sam another glass of wine, then sat next to her on the sofa. “Mom’s right about the legal part of it, Sam, I know that sucks to admit it—”

“Oh, if you were  going to take her side, you could have left with her,” Sam muttered. She curled up into the corner of th sofa, her fingers curled around the stem of the glass. “I don’t want to hear it. I agreed to sign the stupid paperwork, didn’t I?”

“I just meant that legally, we don’t have a lot of choices, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find another way to play this.” Kristina leaned forward. “Elizabeth is trying to steal your son from you. It’s so clear to me, I don’t know why Mom doesn’t get it. So if she won’t help you fight back, I will.”

“Maybe we’ve both had enough wine,” Sam said, sitting up. “I don’t—I don’t think Elizabeth is trying to steal Danny from me. I think she’s just showing off, trying to get Jason to cut me out. She’s never liked having me around. And she’s not above stooping to playing dirty.”

“Well, neither am I.” Kristina smirked. “You might have lost this battle, Sam, but we’re going to win the war. You’ll see. Elizabeth isn’t going to be in the picture very long.”

+36

Written in 61 minutes.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

General Hospital: Hallway

Elizabeth turned a corner just as the elevator doors slid open and Sam walked out. Elizabeth paused, considered backing up and turning around but before she could make a decision, Sam turned and their eyes met.

“Good. Now I won’t have to look for you.”

Elizabeth bit back the first thing she thought, forcing a smile. “My lucky day.”

“I need you to take a break.” Sam shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket — the leather one Elizabeth hadn’t seen in a while, not since she’d started dating Dante. A shot across the bow, Elizabeth wondered, or just a coincidence?

“I don’t have more than a few minutes. I have a meeting in—”

“This won’t take long.” Sam walked past her towards the conference room around the corner, and Elizabeth grimaced then followed. Better to have whatever this was in private than make a public display.

Elizabeth closed the door once they were both inside and turned to face the other woman. “Is this about what Dante and I talked about?”

“I don’t know where you get off talking about my son to anyone, so yeah, we’re going to start there.”

Elizabeth exhaled slowly. Okay, so it was going to be that kind of confrontation. “I understand, and I’m not looking to get in the middle—”

“Don’t do that. Don’t play that innocent, America’s sweetheart act with me. We’ve known each other way too long for that. You knew exactly what you were doing—”

“And what did you think you were doing, Sam?” Elizabeth cut in sharply. “Danny’s staying at my house. Where did you think he would end up after you walked out on him? Across the hall from Jason at Bobbie’s? No, don’t bother answering that because you’re right, we’ve both known each other too long. You didn’t give a damn. You made a mess, and walked out, expecting everyone else to run to your rescue.”

“Don’t you dare suggest I don’t care about my son—”

“Then why are you here picking a fight with me instead of signing the paperwork I gave Dante so we can get Danny the help he needs—”

“Because I’m such a terrible mother, he needs to go to therapy?” Sam demanded. “No. No, if Danny wants to talk to someone, I can find him someone. I came here to tell you that my son is none of your business—”

“I cannot believe you’re doing this right now! Are you so insecure that you’d delay getting Danny treatment? Counseling? My God, Sam, I thought it was  bad enough when you ran around creating problems for Jason to save you from, but you’re a mother now! You’re supposed to be putting him first!”

“How dare you!” Sam seethed, stepping towards her, her eyes narrowed. “I have always put my son first—”

“Then prove it,” Elizabeth said flatly. “Sign the paperwork. Raymond Fletcher is one of the most well-respected doctors at his field, and we’re lucky enough to have him practicing at GH. He’s written journal articles and edited chapters about teenage substance abuse—but I bet you didn’t know that, did you?”

Sam scowled, but pressed her lips together, looking away, tears glinting at the corner of her eyes.

“No, you didn’t. I bet Dante didn’t get any further than telling you I found the doctor. He owes me a favor, so he’s taking Danny on even though he’s not accepting new patients. But you don’t care about that. You just care about proving that you’re better than me. You’ve been doing it for two decades, and I’m sick of it.”

“I don’t need to prove I’m better—I know it—”

“Why? Because Jason put a ring on your finger? Please,” Elizabeth scoffed. “We’re beyond that, aren’t? We were supposed to be. We had an understanding, Sam, didn’t we? That we might not like each other, but our boys were brothers and they loved each other. We wanted them to have each other—”

“Because their father was dead. He’s not anymore, is he? And here you are, chasing after him, trying to make yourself look good, trying to play mommy to his son. Well, Danny doesn’t need you,” Sam growled. “I am his mother—”

“It must be so sad to be you,” Elizabeth said. Sam’s eyes ignited, but Elizabeth continued. “To be so constantly convinced that you have to win a race no one asked you to enter. We’re not in competition, Sam, for anything. You’re Danny’s mother, and I’m—”

“Nothing to him. You’ll never  be anything to him—”

“There’s no point in having this conversation. You’re not even listening. Twenty years ago, you were so desperate to prove you were better for Jason and keep us apart, you made me your enemy even when I was married to someone else.” Elizabeth shook her head. “And now you’re doing it again. If you think Danny might care about me more than you, you should probably look in the mirror. This has nothing to do with me. Sign the paperwork or don’t, Sam. Either way, I’m not going anywhere. You’d think you’d know that by now.”

Davis & Miller: Alexis’s Office

Molly retrieved a folder from her bag and held it out to her mother. “I don’t really know when or if the U.S. Attorney’s Office will give this to you, but you should know what we’ve turned up.”

Alexis rose from her desk, sliding off her reading glasses. “Molly! I wasn’t expecting you today-” She took the file, set it on her desk. “Come in. Sit down—”

“I don’t really have time—” Molly started to turn away, but Alexis reached out, her fingers catching the sleeve of Molly’s blouse.

“Oh, please—just a minute. We’ll—we’ll talk about what you brought me—” She set her glasses back on her face, flipped open the folder and lifted the first report to skim it. “This is a digital analysis for John Cates’ computer—” Her voice faltered and she looked at Molly. “Are you serious?”

“The FBI took the evidence in themselves. The audio analysis is in there, too. But it’s pretty clear. Cates was researching ways to punch himself in his face so that it wouldn’t look self-inflicted, the best way to stab himself without causing damage—”

“And creating a file to lure Jason to the boathouse—” Alexis exhaled slowly. “My God, he was insane—”

“Desperate, definitely. He was so angry at Jason about the end of Pikeman. You could ask Jason, he’d probably give you a statement. Cates wanted to get Uncle Sonny, and wanted to force Jason into being his informant. He was probably maneuvering Kristina to turn on her dad in exchange for dropping the charges.”

Alexis sat in her chair, still clutching the report. “Which calls into question his investigation and credibility — he’s the only one who named Ava as a material witness. I could attack his motives and get the case dismissed.”

“And give the FBI headache by going public with it. I thought—I thought you’d need that. So—” Molly nodded. “There you go.”

“This is—this is a very nice thing you’ve done. We might have gotten this report in a few weeks, but I wouldn’t have known to ask for it. You—you’ve saved your sister a great deal of grief and worry.”

“I did it for you. Not her. Don’t, Mom. Don’t—” Molly’s voice faltered slightly. “I brought this to you because I love you, and it’s the right thing to do. But I can’t be around Kristina. Not after what I know she was planning.”

“I wouldn’t have let her do it—”

“You were planning to help her, Mom. Please. Please. I can’t do this. I have too much—there’s too much I have to do.  Take this. Make the FBI and the feds miserable. That’s all I need from you.”

Warehouse: Main Floor

“No, the overnight shift was supposed to—” Jason trailed off when he saw a trio of familiar faces on the other side of the warehouse, by his office. “Excuse me,” he said to the worker, then headed over to find out what would bring Jake, Danny, and Aiden to the warehouse after school.

“Did something happen?” Jason asked immediately. “You were supposed to take them straight home,” he said to Jake.

“I promise, we have a good reason,” Jake told his father. “Aiden, let’s go. Meet us at Bobbie’s when you’re done,” he said to Danny.

Jason frowned, but looked at his younger son. “What’s wrong?”

Danny lifted his chin slightly, but his eyes were miserable. “Mom’s not going to let me go.”

“Let you—okay, come in—” He took Danny’s shoulder, guided him to the office. “What’s going on?”

“Rocco. He told me Mom and Dante had a fight when he tried to get her to sign the paperwork so I could go to the counselor. She doesn’t want me to go.” Danny dropped his backpack on the ground, flopped onto the chair by his father’s desk. “She started a whole huge fight, and that’s my fault now, too. Rocco said his dad is starting to get really annoyed with Mom, and if they break up, it’ll be because of me—”

“That’s not how any of this works,” Jason said, then dragged a hand down his face. “Look, just—what exactly did Rocco say?”

“That Mom doesn’t a doctor that Elizabeth found. If I want to talk to someone, it has to be someone she found, but I don’t get it. Mom doesn’t even know any doctors. Elizabeth works at the hospital. And Mom was really mad, like I did something wrong asking to go. Or did I do something wrong talking to Elizabeth? Is that why she’s so mad at me?”

“She’s not—” Jason bit off the words that nearly spilled out. Sam’s goddamn inferiority complex. Who cared how good the doctor was? All Sam cared about was who got the credit for finding him. For helping Danny. He took a moment to consider his words carefully. “I didn’t think your mom would have any issues, and I guess I should have found another way to talk to her instead of passing the paperwork through Elizabeth and Dante. I just—” Elizabeth had the details and knew how to explain the process to Dante. And Dante had always been able to talk sense into Sam—

But it seemed even that bond was starting to fray at the edges.

“I’ll handle this, okay?” Jason told Danny. “I don’t want you to worry about anything—” He glanced up at the knock on the office door. “Just wait a second. Let me get rid—” He stopped in mid-sentence when he pulled open the door to find Elizabeth on the other side. “Hey.”

“Hey. We have a problem. Sam came to see me—” She stopped when she saw Danny in the office, her eyes troubled. “Never mind.”

“Mom came to see you?” Danny wanted to know. “About therapy right? She said I can’t go. I told you, Dad. It’s just like Rocco told me. Mom doesn’t want me to go unless she’s in charge. She’s always like this. It always has to be her way.”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth mouthed to Jason, and he shook his head lightly. It wasn’t her fault. Or Danny’s. It was his. For not handling it himself.

“Danny, you weren’t sure yesterday if you really wanted to go,” Jason said to him. He closed the door when Elizabeth came all the way inside. “I don’t want you to feel forced into going. But I also don’t want you to say no because you’re worried you might upset anyone. This is about what you need. No one else.”

Danny grimaced. “I don’t want Mom and Dante to fight. A-and I don’t want to make problems for you. Or Elizabeth. Jake said maybe we could just stay because you were back together, and I don’t want to mess anything up—”

“All that matters is you,” Elizabeth repeated. “And what you need. Your father and I will will make sure you get what you need. And I know your mother loves you. We just need—we need to find another way to talk to her.” She looked at Jason. “Another person who can help us make her understand.”

Someone like a lawyer, Jason thought grimly. Sam might have the right to make medical decisions right now, but that was about to end. “You don’t need to decide right now, Danny. We can talk about this later—”

“I—I don’t know. I just—I know this all sucks. And—” He looked away, down at the floor. “Can you promise not to tell Dante something?”

“It depends on what it is,” Jason said. “Within reason, yes.”

“Rocco…figured out how to get away from his grandmother at the Q estate when he’s supposed to be working. He wanted me to come work there, too, so we could—” Danny’s cheeks flushed. “You know. We had some stuff still stashed. Not at the boathouse. Somewhere else. And—and I was gonna say yes. But then I thought about your brother, and how you got in that accident. And Jake’s accident—and how he was gone, and I don’t remember that, but I just—” His eyes glittered. “I got in so much trouble and I made so many of you mad, but I almost said yes, and that’s so stupid. Why did I do that?”

Elizabeth took a step forward, then looked at Jason who had to take a deep breath to steady himself, then met his son’s troubled gaze. “I’m going to take care of this, Danny.” He retrieved his wallet, removed a few bills. “Why don’t you head over to the diner? Tell your brother and Aiden to order something for dinner. Elizabeth and I will make some calls. I’m going to make this okay.”

“Okay.” Danny took the money. “You’re not mad?”

“No. I’m not. Thank you for telling me. That was—” He put a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “I know that was hard, and it means a lot that you knew you could tell us. I’m not going to tell Dante.”

“Okay. Okay. Thank you. I don’t want to get anyone else in trouble, okay? I’ll—I’ll get dinner.”

Danny snatched up his backpack, and headed out. Jason dragged both hands down his face, then looked at Elizabeth.

“You’re really not going to tell Dante?” she wanted to know, skeptically. “Because I don’t think me telling him is a loophole—”

“No, but I’m going to tell Michael to have someone keep a very close eye on Rocco, and catch him doing something stupid before he can actually do it.”

“I can’t believe Rocco hasn’t learned anything since Saturday,” Elizabeth said, and Jason just shook his head as he pulled out his phone.

“I can. He’s a Spencer.” He lifted the phone to his ear, and when the call connected, he said, “Diane. Hey. I know you’re dealing with a lot, so you can give this to someone else or recommend another lawyer. But I need an emergency petition in family court. Full custody of Danny and the sole power to make medical decisions. I need it as soon as possible.”

+43

Written in 65 minutes.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Webber House: Aiden’s Bedroom

Chase knocked on Aiden’s partially open door, stopped at the threshold. “Hey. Your mom said you were expecting me?”

Aiden sat up, closing his Chromebook where he’d been staring at his math homework for nearly twenty minutes, tossed it aside. He cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. She said you were, like, redoing the investigation. Because the feds screwed it up. I said that last part,” he added when the corner of Chase’s mouth curved in a half-smile. “Not her.”

“I figured.” He gestured to the desk chair, half pulled from the desk in the corner. “Can I sit?”

“Yeah, okay.” Aiden slid to the edge of the bed, dangling his legs over the side. “How does this work? Do I repeat my statement? I don’t remember what I said the first time, like in exact words. Does that matter?”

“All you have to do is tell me what you remember honestly. It’s natural if you don’t use the same words or if some details shift,” Chase said. He pulled out his phone, tapped a few screens. “I’m going to record this so that I’m not worried about taking notes, is that okay?”

“Yeah. Um, do you start? Or do I—”

“It’s okay. Relax, Aiden. We’re just having a conversation, okay?” Chase shifted so that he faced Aiden fully. “You were going to the Quartermaine barbecue with your family. Do you guys go every year?”

“No. I mean, Jake usually does, but I don’t. Mom didn’t used to go, I guess, because of Franco. But we started going after…after Jason went away. Mom wanted Dr. Quartermaine—Jake’s grandmother—to have her family close.”

“Is there a reason you went this year?” Chase wanted to know. “Anything special?”

“I guess because Danny was coming with us. His mom was being, like, super strict,” Aiden said, “and said Jason could only see Danny with my mom around. We’re in the same grade, and we hang out a lot.”

“So you went to keep company with Danny?” Chase asked. “What about your brother?”

“Oh, Jake went because Mom told him to, and he likes his grandmother. But he doesn’t really have any close friends in the family. I mean, we’re friends, but—I mean, you have an older  brother. You get it.”

“Yeah, I do. When you were at the party, were you with Danny the whole time? A group of you?”

“Um, I guess all the kids our age were down at the lake. The Qs hire a lifeguard for big parties like this. And it was, like, the last party before school started. But he was done at six, so a lot of people left.”

“What time did you start up towards the house?”

“I don’t know really. The sun was still up, I guess, but it was kind of getting a little pink. I We were the last to walk up to the house and we went to the terrace. We were drying off when my mom came out. She was collecting damp towels. Jake’s grandma always told her to leave those or use the family ones, but Mom’s weird about things like that.”

“Your mom came out to you guys? Who was with you?”

“Yeah, she came out after we were already there for a few minutes, I think. It was me, Danny, Rocco, Georgie, and Jake. Georgie’s brothers went in before us, they wanted to get cookies from Sasha in the kitchen.”

“Okay, just the five of you then. Then what?”

“Michael came out and asked to talk to my mom, so they went to go take a walk, and we—me, Rocco, and Georgie decided to go inside. Jake and Danny stayed.”

“Do you remember why you didn’t all stay together?”

Aiden hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t really remember what anyone said, but, like, Jake was in a bad mood. He’s been like that since Charlotte and her dad left town. They were sort of dating last year, and he was hung up on her for a while. He was kind of a jackass to my mom, who was about to kick his ass when Michael showed up. And he and Danny were fighting about their dad. I didn’t really wanna be around it, and I guess Rocco felt the same way.”

“Fighting about what?”

Aiden pressed his lips together. “Does it matter?”

“Is it a secret?” Chase asked  instead of answering.

“No, but, like—it’s over now. Jake and Jason are cool now, and Danny—well, Danny’s okay, too. I don’t wanna it written down in a report somewhere because maybe someone will think Jake liked it better when his dad was gone, and he didn’t, he just—”

“Was unhappy that he’d been gone at all,” Chase finished, and Aiden nodded reluctantly. “So things were still a little frosty with Jason and his boys.”

“Not Danny. Not then. Just Jake. And it’s just stupid stuff. It has nothing to do with the gunshots. Which I never heard.”

“I know.” Chase picked up his phone, then hesitated just before he stopped recording. “You know what your mom’s accused of doing, don’t you?”

“She’s accused of killing that FBI agent and hiding the gun in her car. She wouldn’t. She didn’t.”

“I didn’t say she had—”

“She’d never do that to us. I mean, she’d never do it at all,” Aiden added in a rush, “but, like, she’d never do anything that would take her away from us. She promised. After everything that happened with Esme, she said she made mistakes, and she promised she’d never do anything that might separate us. She’d never hurt that agent.”

“I believe you—” Chase hit stop on the recording. “And I know she didn’t, Aiden. It’s up to me find out who did.”

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Dante knocked lightly on the open door, and Jake barely grunted from his spot by the window where he was bent over his artist’s desk, a piece of charcoal in his hand. “Sorry to interrupt—”

“It’s fine. I can work while you ask your questions. Mom said I had to cooperate, and I guess I trust you not to twist anything I say like that guy from the FBI.” Jake looked at him. “But there’s nothing I’m gonna tell you that’s different from what I said that night, so this is a waste of time.”

“Humor me,” Dante said. He sat on the bed, took out his phone and set the recording up. “You went to the barbecue, right?”

“Yeah,” Jake said, and reluctantly let Dante guide him through the day — admitting to arguing with Danny prior to leaving, spending the day mostly tucked away in his phone, thinking about Charlotte, and then being on the terrace. “Mom was asking about towels, I think, and Michael came out. He wanted to talk to her.”

“Okay. And then it was just the kids again out there, right? What made you and Danny stay outside?”

Jake hesitated. “I was being an asshole. To everyone. Rocco was over it, and so was Aiden. Georgie just went with them. Danny and I weren’t out there long before we heard the gunshots.”

“How many?”

Not expecting that, Jake frowned. “I don’t know. Definitely more than one. We heard the first one, and then there was, like, some space. Long enough for us to look at each other. I wanted it to be fireworks,” he admitted. “But then we heard more. I don’t remember—it might be have been two or three. But at least three altogether.”

“A hesitation between the first and second shot?” Dante asked, lifting his brows. “You said it was long enough for you to notice. Was it long enough for a conversation? Did you and Danny say something to each other?”

“I—I think maybe one of us said something about being fireworks. I don’t remember who. Then we heard the shots again. My dad came out right after. Like literally the gunfire stopped, and the door was opening, and he was running over to us.”

“What did he do after that?”

“Made sure we were okay. When we told him Michael and Mom were down in the gardens—in the direction that the shots came from, Dad got scared. Like really scared, I guess. He jumped over the railing and took off running.” Jake looked at Dante. “He was scared she’d been hurt. Or that Michael was. He wasn’t down there shooting anyone. And neither was my mom. He was in the house when the shots were fired. And my mom didn’t have a gun. She was wearing a stupid sun dress and heels. Where would she have put it? How would she have made it back to the house with it? Everyone is being so stupid.”

“Your dad wasn’t scared because maybe your mom was getting in the way of something that might be going on? Something he’d set up?” Dante prompted, and Jake’s nostrils flared.

“You really think my dad would set up someone to get murdered on Grandma’s property? With all those people around? You’re supposed to be smart. Michael got shot in the head when I was a baby because he was standing too close to his dad. Dad would never, ever put me or Mom or my brothers or anyone else he cared about in that kind of danger. I don’t want to answer any more questions.”

Dante sighed, clicked off the recording. “I have to ask questions, Jake. And I can’t go easy on you because I believe you or like you,” he added, and Jake grimaced. “For what it’s worth, your statement largely matches what you said that day and it matches the evidence. Chase and I eliminated your parents the first day. Just like the FBI did. They only came back to her because they were out of leads, desperate, and someone dropped a false tip in their lap.”

“It’s not stopping them from trying to put her in jail. They’re going to keep trying because they want my dad, don’t they? They think she’s covering for him.”

“I think that’s their working theory, yes,” Dante said.

Jake scoffed. “Well, they’re stupid. Mom might lie for my dad, but he’d never ask her to. And he’d never put a gun in her car. In the car me and my brothers use. Whoever is trying to frame her — they’re trying to get Dad, too, aren’t they? They don’t even care about my mom or me. Or my brothers. She’s just a pawn.”

“Right now, yeah. That’s how it looks.”

“Well, it looks stupid,” Jake bit out. “So don’t be stupid, too. Mom’s innocent, and so is my Dad. Go find out who did this and leave us alone.”

Webber House: Cameron’s Bedroom

“I should wait downstairs,” Elizabeth said, pausing just before they reached the bedroom across from Jake. “You and Danny don’t need me hovering around—and I should check on Aiden. He has math homework he’s avoiding—”

“He’s fine,” Jason said, snagging her by the elbow as she headed towards the steps towards the second floor. “I checked on him after Chase left, and it was just a question about inequalities. I took care of it.” She made a face, and he was oddly amused. “Didn’t you have to pass science and math classes to get your nursing certification?”

“I did. Twenty years ago,” Elizabeth added. “I don’t use ninety percent of it now, so it’s—” She made a gesture. “Just gone. How do you keep all of that in your head?”

“I like math. Now who’s procrastinating?” he asked, and she sighed. “You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to. I just thought that since you’d made the appointment for him and talked to Dante, he might have questions you’d be able to answer better than me. And—” he stroked his jaw, a little embarrassed. “We just seem to communicate better when you’re in the room.”

She softened, touched his forearm, just above his elbow, her fingers lightly tracing one of the lines on the tatoo that wound around his arm, disappearing beneath the sleeve of his blue t-shirt. “You’re doing fine with him. You’re doing great with Jake, too. And Aiden. But all right, I’ll come in with you. Even though you don’t need me.”

“Good.” Jason knocked lightly on the door, and Danny jerked it open a second later. “Hey—”

“My homework’s done,” Danny’s said, pulling it open all the way to reveal a room that was still sparsely decorated. Cameron had taken most of his things with him, and boxed others, telling his mother to use his room for visitors, though Elizabeth had refused until Danny.

The duffel bag Elizabeth had picked up the night before sat by the closet, open with clothes spilling out of the top. And his backpack rested against the desk, with a Chromebook and a textbook open on top.

“That’s good. I wasn’t checking on that, but—” Jason paused. Cleared his throat. “Elizabeth found a counselor. If you still want to do that.”

“Oh.” Danny looked at her, then back at his father, a bit surprised. “I didn’t—you did that already?”

“You don’t have to go,” Elizabeth said. “It’s up to you.”

“I guess I didn’t think about…” Danny sat on the desk chair, which spun slightly from the force of his body hitting it. “How does it work? Do they tell you everything?” he asked his dad. “Like, I’m a kid. I don’t have any rights, do I?”

“Everything you say in session is private,” Elizabeth assured him. She sat on the edge of the bed. “But as a minor, yes, there is some level of parental involvement. Your dad — and your mom — will go to a presession Thursday so the therapist has some history to work with, and then you’ll go on Friday. If you think it’s working, you’ll keep going. And occasionally, your parents will meet with him to talk about generalities. Goals, themes. But everything he says to them would have to be approved by you.”

“Mom—Mom is going?” Danny asked. “She knows?”

“Dante’s talking to her tonight. She needs to sign some paperwork because you were with her until this weekend. Danny, there’s no pressure here. You don’t have to go on Friday. Or if you do go, you don’t have to go back,” Elizabeth said.

“But—but the reason you didn’t really flip out on me is because I said I’d go to this,” Danny said to his dad. “If I say I don’t want to, are you gonna ground me? Or make me work like Rocco?”

Jason sat on the other side of Elizabeth, between her and Danny. “Something has to change,” he said. “What happened this weekend—what’s been going on for months — we have to address it, Danny. If therapy isn’t the way, we’ll find another. You seemed interested in this yesterday. What’s changed?” he asked.

“I dunno.” Danny used his feet to gently push the chair back and forth, staring at the floor. “I guess maybe I think about telling someone the dumb things I did or said, and then they just look at me like Mom did. Or—” he looked up, met his father. “Like you did. You were so mad. And then you were disappointed. Dante’s mad, too. And Mom’s—” His voice faltered. “She’s so mad she left me with you. And she used to think me being with you was the worst thing ever.”

“I’m disappointed, Danny, in what you did because it was risky and you could have gotten hurt. You and Rocco. And the three of you could have gotten into real trouble. You’re getting old enough so that the choices you make now could affect you the rest of your life,” Jason told him, and Danny nodded, his head still bowed. “I want you to make better choices than I did. I want better for you. You deserve better.”

“I guess. I just—” Danny shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I could go. And try it out. So you’d know I was serious about being sorry and wanting to be better. So Mom just has to sign paperwork, and…that’s it? I’ll go on Friday?”

“Yeah. And if it doesn’t work, Danny, or you don’t want to keep going, we’ll figure out something else. We’re in this together, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam threw the forms back on the desk, scoffed. “There is no way in hell I’m signing papers for my son to go to a therapist that Elizabeth Webber picked for him.”

Dante rubbed his forehead. “I’m going to regret asking this, but why does it matter who found the guy?”

“Danny already blames me for everything. Jason thinks I’m a terrible mother — and you think there’s a chance that some doctor Elizabeth found isn’t going to make all of this my fault?” Sam shook her head. “No. If Danny wants to do therapy, fine. But I’ll find the doctor. He’s my son, not hers.”

“He’s Jason’s son, too, Sam,” Dante called even as Sam headed for the stairs. “And—never mind,” he trailed off when she disappeared around the corner. He looked at Rocco, sprawled on the sofa. “You didn’t hear any of that, got it?”

Rocco sat up. “I’ll make you a deal. Five minutes on my phone, and I’ll forget that entire conversation like it’s history class.”

Dante hesitated, then nodded. “Deal. I’m serious—” he said as Rocco came towards him. “Danny’s got enough going on, and so does Aiden. He doesn’t need to know things are bad with his mom and Elizabeth.” He pulled the phone from a drawer, handed it to Rocco who immediately started scrolling.

“Dad, I hate to break it to you, but Sam hating Aunt Liz and Jake isn’t news. But your secret is safe with me.”

He told Danny the next day at lunch.

+31

Written in 60 minutes.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Warehouse: Jason’s Office

Diane held up a hand before Jason could continue speaking. “I don’t know if I should hear anything about this,” she said. “You know how I feel about plausible deniability—”

“Nothing is ongoing,” Jason assured her, and Diane pressed her lips together. “And if it’s true that the FBI is holding a grudge over the Pikeman investigation, then it would be unfair to keep you in the dark. Either of you,” he said, looking at Elizabeth. “You already know most of it,” he added.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know they’re angry about Valentin fleeing town just as the FBI closed in.” Diane pursed her lips. “Did you have something to do with that?”

“I did, yes.” Jason paused. “Anna and I started to work together almost as soon as I came home. She didn’t trust Cates to tell her the whole story. We were trying to identify Pikeman — or at least who was at the top after Brennan went to jail.”

“But I thought they cleared him,” Elizabeth said. She folded her arms. “They released him, didn’t they?”

“They did. Another reason not to trust the FBI. Or WSB. We didn’t suspect Valentin — there was no reason to. As far as Anna knew, he was out of all of that. But he got involved after Brennan’s arrest last year — and he hired the shooter that came after me in June. That’s how we found Valentin. He picked up the shooter’s phone call. Still—” Jason grimaced. “Anna wasn’t certain, and I thought we’d probably need more. She decided to go undercover to get more evidence against him.”

“I’ll bet she did,” Diane muttered. “I can’t believe you trusted her to investigate him—”

“I didn’t have a lot of options,” Jason cut in, and his lawyer fell silent. “And I didn’t know how close they were. They weren’t exactly together when I…when I left,” he finished awkwardly. “But she spent the night with him, and I didn’t really know what to do then. She had access to his house, and whatever else you think about her, she brought me the evidence that confirmed his identity as Pikeman.”

“But she told Valentin you were going to tell Cates,” Elizabeth said, and Jason exhaled slowly. “Did you know she was going to do that?”

“I—yes. She wanted to give him a chance to take Charlotte and run. I let her convince me. All I did was delay turning over the phone and name,” Jason added when Diane just rolled her eyes. “I regret it, Diane, but I can’t do anything to change it.”

“My life would be a lot easier if someone would put that woman in jail or stop giving her access to commit crimes,” Diane muttered. She huffed. “So Anna is the accessory. She’s the reason the FBI is pissed at you. Great. Tell them, and make a deal—”

“They’re never going to dismiss the charges against me,” Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. “And it’s Jason’s word against Anna. Maybe if we find out who did this—who really killed Cates—”

“You’re not finding out anything,” Diane said when Jason straightened. “Either of you,” she added. “We’re not dealing with the locals who might drop the charges. The FBI hates you,” she told Jason. “Going after Elizabeth is their best revenge. Because now—now we know why they didn’t arrest you after finding that voicemail. They must have suspected it was fake. So they went after someone close to you. For the same reason whoever killed Cates put that gun in Elizabeth’s car. Everything we do has to be above board. Spinelli has to be the one to find the evidence. Or me. You can’t even question anyone — or it might be seen as witness intimidation.” She lifted her brow.

“I don’t like sitting on my hands—” Jason began.

“You’re not. You have an important role to play in all of this. The FBI is going to be watching you both closely. Your job is be innocent. Luckily for you, this time, you actually are. We’re on the side of the angels, Jason. Trust me to let you down.”

“I trust you, Diane.”

“So do I,” Elizabeth added, and Diane released a sigh. “It’s hard to accept that the best thing we can do is live our life when my freedom, when our futures are tied to this. But if that’s all we can do—”

“It is. You didn’t do this. Either of you. And somewhere, somehow, we’ll find the evidence that proves it,” Diane said firmly. “I won’t stop until we do.”

PCPD: Squad Room

Molly set her briefcase down, and sat down next to the desk where Dex was tapping at the computer keyboard. “Hey, did you have a minute?”

“Sure. I hate this part of the job anyway.” He turned towards her. “What’s up? I’m good on the Kramer case. That’s on the docket next week, right?”

“Right. And I’m still hoping we get that to plead out. I talked to Dante a little while ago,” she continued and Dex’s smile remained fixed on his face, but his eyes went a bit wary. “He figured I should be in the loop since it involves the murder case. And I guess I just wanted to get your take on it.”

“Nothing to say, not really. Two teens messing around with alcohol, and got picked up. We brought them in, released them to their parents, and didn’t write up the citation.” He paused. “We’re not required to, and if anyone needs it, we’ve got half a dozen kids we’ve brought it on similar charges and released that way. None of whom are cops’ kids.”

“So there is some paperwork with Danny and Rocco’s name on it?” Molly asked.

“Yeah. I thought that be the safest—most accurate way to handle it. We were called out on a disturbance, found two clearly intoxicated teenagers.” Dex paused. “I just didn’t mention the third teenager. He wasn’t under the influence and we only brought him in for questioning. We were satisfied he wasn’t involved, and his mother picked him up. And the address is the dispatch address.”

“That…that is actually really good. Thank you.”

“It was the right thing to do. Graber and I both agree—she’s my partner and was there that night,” Dex added. “So you don’t have to worry. There’s a paper trail that’s accurate. It has all the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyone who asks questions can do that. I don’t see the point in dragging innocent people into more trouble. We’re covered, Molly. Don’t worry.”

Webber House: Living Room

“I know this is a little awkward,” Dante said as Elizabeth stepped back, allowing he and Chase to enter the house. “I didn’t know if you wanted Diane or anyone here.”

“I talked to her earlier,” Elizabeth said. “And we agreed that the best thing for the case is if you talk to the boys on their own. Just the way they gave their original statements. Um, I had them wait upstairs in their rooms. I can bring them down, I can send you up —”

“Why don’t we start with Aiden and Danny?” Chase wanted to know. “I’ll talk to them, and we’ll switch.” He gestured towards the stairs. “Aiden’s still in the same room, right?”

“Yeah, and Danny’s staying in Cam’s room.” Elizabeth watched him head towards the stairs, before turning back to Dante. “Jason’s at the warehouse, finishing up a few things. I don’t know if you were going to talk to him again—”

“I don’t really need to at this point. And we’d probably get a third detective in. Chase is related to him, and I, ah—” Dante flashed an uneasy smile. “I think it’s awkward enough.  How’s…how’s Danny? I wanted to call him, but—” he sighed. “I didn’t really know if that was a good idea.”

“He’d probably like to hear from you. He woke up the next morning feeling embarrassed.” Elizabeth gestured at the sofa. “I wanted to ask you to pass something on to Sam. About Danny. I talked to him on Sunday – he seems to do better with someone he doesn’t see as an authority figure in his life,” she added when Dante winced. “He was getting into the same arguments with Jason that he was with Sam, and I just—I wanted to help.”

“No, I don’t—I don’t doubt Danny’s had enough all of us. I just wish I could figure out where we went wrong. Or how this got so messed up. He’s such a good kid, Elizabeth. He and Rocco. I don’t know they got Aiden mixed up—”

“Aiden got himself mixed up. They were three kids who just fell into some stupid decisions, Dante. I don’t hold Danny or Rocco any more responsible than I hold Aiden. We can look back and see there were signs that they weren’t being honest with us, but I don’t blame any of us for not seeing it. Not you, not Sam and not myself.”

“It’s good to hear that. Rocco’s an idiot, and I’m trying to navigate this, but it’s not easy. I don’t know what to do with him.” Dante blew out an irritated huff. “He’s putting in hours at the Quartermaines, working with the landscapers, and I’ll find something else to exhaust him. There’s room for Danny or Aiden if you want in.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I think — and Danny has expressed some interest in — talking to a therapist. I’m worried — ” Elizabeth paused. “Aiden’s told me he was drinking and smoking weed to fit in so no one would go after him for being gay—” Dante scowled. “Not Rocco or Danny. Other kids at school,” she added quickly. “They were all given a beer at a party — and they drank to fit in. And they kept going. Aiden said Rocco thought it was like a game. What could they get away with? And they kept escalating until—”

“Until they were drunken, high morons wandering the streets.” Dante made a face. “Yeah, I think that’s a good description of my idiot. But Danny—”

“I think he liked the way it made him feel. That it would make everything go away for a while. And so he kept going to get that feeling.”

“You think Danny’s addicted?”

“I think he’s in the early stages. I have nothing but my own experience to go by,” Elizabeth said. “Maybe Sam might be able to say differently. She saw her mother go through this, but I—I saw Lucky with the pills. And addiction runs in the Quartermaine line just like it does with the Spencers. Alan, Jason’s father, had a serious drug addiction. You know about AJ. I’m worried if we don’t do something now—”

“Danny’s starting down a dark road.” Dante nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right. Talking to someone who specializes in this—how do we do it? Where do we start?”

“I have an appointment for Danny on Friday. Jason’s going to a pre-session Thursday afternoon. But we need Sam to sign for the treatment, and the therapist wanted to meet with her on Thursday as well. I know things are difficult with them, but I know Sam loves Danny as much as Jason does. I was hoping you could talk to her, start the conversation.”

“Absolutely. And maybe this will be exactly what Jason and Sam need to help them communicate. I don’t love the idea of talking about their son without them.”

“Neither do I,” Elizabeth admitted. “But after this weekend — I just want to help Danny, Dante. He’s not just Jason’s son or Jake’s brother.  He’s part of my family, too. And if we just remember that, I know we can get through it.”

Miller & Davis: Spinelli’s Office

“We need to add another layer to this investigation,” Diane declared, jerking Spinelli from the paperwork on his desk. “Sorry. Were you in the middle of something?”

“Finishing my affidavit for the subpoena on the hospital footage. And for the neighbors’ cameras.” Spinelli pushed it aside. “I got into Elizabeth’s Ring account, but the view is limited.”

“We knew that was a long shot. The neighbors are more promising. I can’t see this happening in the hospital garage.” Diane sat across from him. “We’ll come back to that. Valentin Cassadin. I don’t suppose you know where he is.”

Spinelli furrowed his brow. “No. Was I supposed to?”

“No. But he just might be the key to this investigation. I know you have a lot on your plate, and we can bring on more eyes, but knowing where Valentin is might be useful later on.”

Spinelli made some notes. “Do I get to know why?”

“Let’s just say Jason has a card he can play when the timing is right. Beyond that, I can’t get into it. Confidentiality,” she added and Spinelli nodded. “Did you see anything on the Ring Camera?”

“Nothing that we didn’t already know.” Spinelli shuffled the documents on his computer, found his notes. “We have the night after the murder — Jake comes in the house with Jason and Elizabeth, and Jason stays a while. Leaves later.”

“Alone?” Diane said.

“Yeah.” Spinelli sighed. “That’s a window of opportunity for him to put the gun in Elizabeth’s car. She didn’t take it with her, so it was parked outside, and we wouldn’t have that view yet. That’s what the FBI would say — and until we have the techstream back telling us when the trunk opened—”

“Which won’t be for at least a month,” Diane said with a sigh. “All right, what about after that?”

“Next morning. Jake and Aiden leave in the morning. Kristina comes over, which we knew about. She stays a little bit, but then she leaves. Elizabeth follows shortly after — we know she was meeting Jason. And then — this was weird at first. Kristina came back to the door.”

“She did?” Diane said. “Why?”

“I called her, and she said she’d completely forgotten. She went back to see if she could get Elizabeth not to mention her visit to Sam, but she was too late.” Spinelli hesitated, and Diane leaned forward.

“What is it?”

“I think Kristina’s lying,” Spinelli said carefully, and Diane blinked. “I think she went back for another reason. I just didn’t…I didn’t believe her. Maybe she didn’t want to get into it with me.”

“Maybe. I’ll check in with her. I know the conversation with Elizabeth was very upsetting. Kristina—” Diane paused, searched for the right word. “Kristina isn’t calling the baby by the name Molly and TJ chose. She’s…chosen her own name. And I think she used it during her argument with Elizabeth. I wouldn’t be surprised if she went back to ask Elizabeth not to mention that fact. And she’s certainly not going to admit that to you. Or maybe even to me. But I’ll try.”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think it’s anything important,” Spinelli said, scrolling to his next set of notes. “I don’t think she planted the gun.”

“No, of course not. Now, if we’d found Cates with his head bashed in with a baseball bat,” Diane said dryly, “that’d I believe. Kristina has a temper just like her father. But everything else? Planting the gun? Creating an AI tip? No. This is someone who is cold and calculating. Kristina would have already fallen apart and tipped someone else. Let’s move on to the rest of the Ring footage.”

+31