 |
||
The Quintessential Q
Chapter Twenty
Bomb Scare Tactics
Bobby hustles everyone out of the house. She suggests to Reggie that they get Lila home. Not because of her health but because Edward was looking a little peaked. NO way would Edward leave if it was about him but if Lila was mentioned... Bobbie discretely takes Edward's pulse. Then pats him on the hand. Bobbie walks over to Monica next. Monica's gaze hasnt' left the house. Both AJ and Jason were still in there. "Monica, we have to get Edward out of here."
"What?"
"Edward. I don't know if he has his pills on him but I don't like his color." Monica turns around to look at her father-in-law.
Monica walks to the open back door of the bentley. She pushes Edward into the car and follows after him. "Where are your pills?" Edward pats his pocket rather ineffectually. Monica reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out a nitro tab. "Don't you flake on me, old man. We've got our hands full worrying about the boys and Lila too. As soon as that starts, taking effect I want you to take Lila home. Alan and I will be right behind you as soon as the boys are out of the house. Reggie has his cell phone and I have mine."
Carly hugs herself close and walks over to Sonny who is on a phone at least 500 yards away from the house. "I want Michael out of here." She demands. Sonny looks at her questioningly. "Call Francis or one of the guys, have Leticia waiting but I want Michael out of here."
"Carly?!"
"No, I mean it. I'd take him myself but I'm not leaving as long as AJ and Jason are in there. Michael HAS to be safe." Carly insists. "And Johnny would want his mother and Rita out of here too."
"What about the Judge and Viki?"
"Well the Judge can take care of himself. And I just as soon Viki open the package but not in MY house."
Sonny laughs with a grim humor. "My guys are on their way."
"So is Taggart. How much of a problem is that going to be?"
"Just keep him away from me."
"I'll do my best." Carly listens for the sirens and is ticked when she doesn't hear them. "Where in the hell are they?"
Emily sits with Michael on her lap and Rita by one side and Lucas on the other. They sit on the far side of Sonny's limo using it as a shield between them and the house. Emily puts her arm around Rita's shoulder and hugs her close. Rita starts talking. "I know about this, Daddy put it in my head over and over again. He gets threats all the time because he won't make deals. I'm never allowed to open the mail. I always have to be careful looking at it to see if it's from someone we know, someone that can be verified."
"Cookie wouldn't have known though. She's used to my family. We fight so much we don't have to worry about fighting with people outside the family." Emily muses. She tries to stay positive and cheerful but it was tough knowing everyone that was still in the house: AJ, Jason, Jerry and Johnny.
Jax stares at the house. "What in the hell is he doing in there?" He demands to Bobbie.
Bobbie looks around to see if anyone is listening. "He's the closest thing we have to an expert here, Jax."
"Expert for sure on stuff he builds doesn't mean he knows what some other psycho is thinking. I hoped that once he hooked up with you that he wouldn't be so wild and reckless."
Bobbie pats him on the arm. "Jax, He married into the Spencers. Please, be real." Bobbie looks around. "Jax? Where is Carly?"
Jax looks around. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."
Inside the house. Carly walks softly to the living room. AJ, Jason, Jerry and Johnny all stand around the table where the suspect package is sitting. "This is bullsh*t." She claims. The guys are startled to hear the voice behind them. "I carried the damn thing into the house. I even threw it down on the table because Michael was into something and I was in a hurry." Carly walks resolutely to the package. AJ gets between her and the table.
"No way, Honey."
"I want that THING out of my house and I want it out NOW. I know the perfect place for it. We were planning on putting a pool in the backyard anyway." Carly says practically.
"She's got a point." Jerry nods. "Carly, you did tell everyone to not use their cell phones right? Just in case?"
"Yeah, The only people using phones were me and Sonny and both of us waited until we were up by the gates."
"What do you think, man?" Jerry looks at Johnny.
"I just find the suckers and I'm more used to the ones wired to cars or set by remote." Johnny shrugs. He walks over to the table and kneels down to get a close look at the package. "I'm betting if it's what I'm thinking it's designed to go off when it's opened-- blow off the person's hands and face if they are really unlucky."
"Yeah, that's my guess too." Jerry confirms. Jason nods. AJ just shakes his head. This had been part of the driving school that he never expect to apply. And even then it had been inspecting cars for bombs not one that had been mailed to them.
"Well are you going to do it or am I?" Carly demands. "Taggart is taking his sweet time getting here and I want that thing out of MY house NOW."
"AJ, take Carly out of here." Jerry says calmly.
"Jerry--" Carly complains even as AJ grabs her by the arm and starts pushing her to the front door. When it looks like she might get away from him Jason joins him in his efforts. Carly is soon pushed out the front door. But she keeps a hand on both AJ and Jason keeping them with her.
"I'll pick the spot for the pool. Just get the hell out. And make sure that they all stay off the cell phones." Jerry takes a deep breath and picks up the package with soft and easy hands. Johnny makes sure there is a path cleared to the back door. He opens it for Jerry. Jerry looks around and finds the perfect spot a distance from the house. "You're thinking narrow blast?"
"Yeah, that would be my guess."
Jerry sets the package down softly in the middle of the grassy backyard and he and Johnny step back-- way back. "Really wish that Tags would get here before Carly takes it into her head to do something really stupid."
"She got what she wanted. Don't think that she has to worry about getting smoke out of the oriental now, getting the windows redone, or AJ and Mr Morgan being too close to that sucker."
"What does that make us?" Jerry laughs. "Chopped liver?"
Johnny laughs. "Only if it goes. She DID offer to take it out herself."
"I am going to have to talk to Bobbie about that girl." Jerry looks over at Johnny companionally. "So you want to go out and get a beer after this?"
"Sounds good. First round is on me."
Up by the gates of the front house. The flashing lights of the PCPD are finally seen. Sonny looks around for Carly and she is no where around. "So much for getting between me and Tags. Why was it again that Jason trusts you so much." He asks himself. The car with Taggart in it pulls up.
"Where is Carly?" Taggart asks all business.
"Hell if I know, she was suppose to be out here to flag you down."
"You don't think that she would..."Tags runs a flustered hand over the polished sheen of his shaved dome. "What the hell am I saying. OF course she would. The bomb squad and the fire department are right behind me. Stay off the phones." Taggart guns the police car and goes tearing off up the drive.
Francis arrives with back up and another of Sonny's limos. Jason happen to see him pull up. Carly sees what he is looking at too. "Jason, take Michael, Rita and Lucas and get out of here. Get Sonny out of here too. You guys have enough trouble without this. If the kids are with you I know they'll be safe."
Jason looks at Carly. "Are you sure?"
"We're sure." AJ puts a hand around Carly's waist. "Get them out of here, Jase. I never thought I'd say it but they're safer with you right now. I'm going to try to get the folks to go as well. Taggart will be showing up on your door step but not until things are clear here. Carly and I will get additional security in place before I pick up Michael."
Jason walks over to where the kids are sitting. "Let's go."
"What do you mean?" Emily asks rising from where she had been sitting on the grass.
"We're going to high ground." Jason takes Michael from Emily and puts him into the carseat that seems to be the new accessory in all of the Morgan Corinthos limos. "Rita, Lucas get in the car and buckle up. Your folks will pick you up at the penthouse." The kids climb in the limo. "Em?"
"I'm staying."
Jason looks at her set face and pulls her into a hug. "Be careful." Jason shuts the back door of the limo and gets behind the wheel himself. He drives up to the gate pausing long enough for Sonny to get in on the front passenger side. He lets Francis take the lead and then pulls in behind him. A lincoln town car filled with organization soldiers pulls in behind them.
AJ and Carly walk over to Ned who is holding Alexis close. AJ says quietly. "I need you to get Grandfather and Grandmother out of here. Alan and Monica too if you can manage it. Whatever our differences I know you have more pull with the old man than I do. We don't have time for him to start sputtering."
"As soon as Tags is done here he is going to head straight over to the penthouse to blame this all on Jason and Sonny." Carly tells Alexis who nods in agreement. "The kids are all on their way over to the penthouse. Bulletproof glass sounds really good to me right now."
"I'll head over there as soon as we get Lila and Edward settled." Alexis nods. "I'll make sure that Taggart keeps his cool and hopefully avert any unnecessary trips to the PCPD. This isn't about Sonny and Jason; it's about the case that the Judge is sitting on starting tomorrow. The timing is too perfect." Alexis guesses. Ned and Alexis head off to the Bentley where Edward is still grumbling under his daughter in law's watchful eyes. Ned rounds up Alan and Reggie and moves the Q contingency out of there. Emily had refused to budge. She'd wait with Bobbie and Cook for the outcome.
Carly walks over to Luke who was leaning up against the tree and having a cigar. "So did you save the pooltable?" He asks.
"Yeah, I made them move everything out back."
"You got guts, Caroline. Damn stupid sometimes, but you've got guts."
"That's cause I take after you." Carly makes a face at him. "How is Mama doing?"
"She's in her element. Taking care of everyone else. She'll lose it later." Luke shrugs. "She thinks that husband of hers walks on water and can fix anything. So she doesn't seem too worried about him. Walk with me up to the gate. With Sonny and Jason pulling out we need someone to direct traffic." Luke offers Carly the rest of his cigar and pulls out another one.
"I can't believe you're so calm." Carly walks beside Luke taking a puff on the cigar. AJ hated it when she hung around with Luke.
"It's the cigars. Better than a shot for settling a guys nerves. Did I ever tell you about the time the Cassadines were thisclose to freezing Port Charles and I had to decide which code to enter to stop the whole thing? This is nothin' in comparision. Now THAT was stress."
AJ walks over to where Jax, Bobbie, Emily, Viki, The Judge and Cook are gathered. "Alexis thinks this is because of the case." He says flatly.
Judge thinks for a moment and then nods. "We were just talking about getting some additional security. Cookie, you had no idea what you were signing on for when we got married." Judge pulls his new wife into a close embrace and looks around to the quickly emptying front drive. "Where is Rita?"
"Where is LUCAS?!" Bobbie starts to panic.
"Carly had Jason take them out of here. A bullet proof penthouse with armed guards started sounding really good." Emily reassures Bobbie. "They are fine."
"What about Carly?" Bobbie looks around.
"She's with Luke." AJ points up the drive. "Having a cigar." Bobbie's quick laugh has a hysterical edge that she shuts down fast. She looks up the drive to see Carly hanging on Luke's every word as they have a companionable smoke. "He'll keep her out of trouble. It's time like these that make me wish I could have a drink or two." AJ shakes his head.
Around the back of the house. Jerry and Johnny squat down next to the house with their backs leaning against the house for balance. They talk easily about general topics: how the yankees were doing, what the Bills were taking in the draft, great restaurants that Jerry had seen around the world. They are arguing the merits of cheesecake-- Jerry the purist and Johnny more than willing to experiment with flavors when Taggart comes around the corner of the house. "Did someone call the bomb squad?" Taggart squats down next to them.
"Took you long enough." Jerry nods.
Johnny points out the box sitting out in the middle of the backyard. "It hasn't moved. And last we checked it wasn't ticking."
"When I was talking to Carly on the phone, she said it was INSIDE the house." Taggart looks at both of the men.
"Well we had a choice of moving the package or Carly exploding. So we moved the package." Jerry shrugs.
Taggart rolls his eyes. "The bomb squad is right behind me. So what is this, some mob hit? A bit of industrial sabotage?"
"It was made out to Judge Porter. Ma thought it was a wedding present."
"Well that's a can of worms, I didn't anticipate." Tags bites his lip. "Looks like court security is going to be beefed up more than we already planned." Tags rises as a truck pulling a trailer comes around the back of the house. He assists the technician in getting to a pillsbury dough boy looking suit. The technician lumbers out to the package and takes pictures of it. After what seems like an eternity, the technician moves the box into a specially designed crate. He retreats to where Tags, Johnny and Jerry wait. He pulls out the remote to the crate and detonates the box. The blast has the men working their jaws to clear their ears. The bomb squad guy walks back up to the crate and checks it over before giving Taggart the all clear. Taggart walks up to the crate with Jerry and Johnny. Jerry whistles.
"Well that would have made a hell of a mess."
"Home made though." Johnny looks it over. "Looks like they grabbed everything from the hardware store to use as shrapnel-- nails and the like."
The bomb squad guy takes off his helmet. The damn suit is sweaty and he only feels like he can breath with the helmet off. "Yeah, we'll take the residue and the pictures back see if we can link it to a known MO. It looks like it would have worked though. Whoever opened the package would be lucky to be alive and anyone within a ten foot radius would have been seriously injured. But that's just an educated guess."
"I'll take you up on that beer later." Johnny says grimly. "I need to talk to Ma and the judge."