 |
||
The Quintessential Q
Chapter Sixty Five
Pushing It
Carly pouts up in her room with Michael, having locked AJ out. She blows on her torn knuckles and then checks her manicure. Luckily she'd never been able to keep long nails-- what with riding or biting them. If she had then there would surely be some broken. Michael is playing quietly in the middle of his parents bed. He'd already been around enough of his mom's tantrums to know that all she wants are nods and smiles at this point. "I can't believe your papa leaving you with those Australians."
Michael nods and smiles. "Papa."
"At least he brought the bail money even though we didn't need it."
"Good Papa."
"That's pushing it, Mr. Man. And your papa knows it. If he didn't he'd already be in here acting all self righteous. He knows he's guilty." Carly is distracted by the ringing of the phone. She pounces on it hoping for news of Emily.
"Does she do this often?" John asks curiously from an extremely comfortable wing chair next to the fireplace.
"What?" AJ looks up from his personal phone list. He was trying to track down the number for Emily's modeling agent. Since seeing Orchid's picture at the horseshow he knew it was a matter of time before his sister was found. But if he focused only on Em rather than doing something he'd go nuts.
"Storm in and out, lock herself and her child in her room, assault people...." John starts making a list.
Jax and Jerry sit companionably on the couch waiting for Carly to join them. Like AJ, they both know that this is just the lull before the storm starts again. Not even looking at each other they start nodding. "Yep." They answer together.
"Hurricane Carly, as she is affectionately called by all that know her, behind her back of course." Jax continues. "Dad, did I ever tell you the time she played Jerry like a pro had him attacking Sonny Corinthos right here in this house. Jer had his hands right around the man's throat, giving it a right good squeeze before Carly pulled him off. If Bobbie hadn't been here it would have been a real furball." Jax exaggerates only slightly.
"It was six against one." Jerry mutters. "As Carly pointed out later all bets were off." Jerry starts looking around the room and groans. "And this is four against one. Oh boy. We're in trouble now."
Carly throws open the door to the study. She has Michael on her hip and an overnight pack over her other shoulder. "Are y'all going to sit around scratching yourselves all night or are you going to take me out to dinner?"
"Excuse me?" AJ is already standing up and grabbing his keys. "Where do you think you are going with that overnight bag?" AJ asks suspiciously. Carly couldn't be that ticked?
"I'm going to Porters. There I will be having dinner with my husband, son and stepfather. If they ever get the lead out."
"Porters." Jerry perks up.
"Oh quit thinking with your stomach. You Jacks I swear." Carly turns back to AJ. "Em just called. She's okay. They are using Porters as a cover to duck the press until the kidnappers are caught. The bag is for her." Carly taps her foot impatiently as she waits for the guys to get their coats on. She ignores Jax and John even as she know she is probably going to get stuck having dinner with them.
Johnny leads the way up the stairs. Jason carries Emily up the stairs piggy back style with Alan bringing up the rear with his medical bag and Emily's crutches in tow. Johnny unlocks the spacious but plain apartment. Jason eases Emily into a chair. "Em, I don't know if it was such a good idea to call Carly." Jason sits down on the ottoman across from the chair. He brings Em's casted foot up to rest next to him.
"I survived the kidnapping. You think I would have survived if I hadn't called Carly from the clinic and let her know we were on our way here?
"Your sister has a point, son." Alan nods. "It's always better to have Carly where we can see her-- especially in messy situations. Are you okay, honey?"
"I'm fine, Dad." Emily leans her head back against the chair. Maybe not staying at the mansion was a good idea. Her skin was already starting to crawl and if she had to put on a happy face much longer she was going to scream.
"We could go with the rapid detox." Alan offers. "If you have any problems if you think the Narcan I gave you at the clinic isn't going to cut it."
"Dad. I'm fine."
Taggart leans in the open door way that Alan had forgot to shut behind him. "Glad to hear it, Miss Quartermaine. You have a lot of people worrying about you."
"Taggart." Jason practically spits.
"Quarterbrain."
"Oh please." Emily protests. "Dad, Jason, please go back to the mansion let grandmother and everyone know I'm okay."
"It's not a good idea for you to be interviewed without an attorney, Em. Especially by Taggart. He'll probably turn this around to make it all your fault." Jason mutters to Emily but is overheard by Taggart.
Taggart opens his mouth to say something smart about amateur sleuths sticking their nose in, or the patron saint criminals of Port Charles but is cut off when Emily answers Jason instead. "Carly and AJ are on their way. I won't be alone." Emily squeezes Jason's hand. "I know I'm asking alot of you but I'd really rather you were there to tell Grandmother I'm fine. Dad can let Monica and Grandfather know."
"Back to managing things, honey?" Alan shakes his head.
"Dad, if I don't manage things; I end up getting managed." Emily waves her hand around to encompass her surroundings.
"Mr. Q, why don't you head back to the mansion." Johnny shrugs. "You and your wife can always come back for dinner. Bring Ms. Lila and the old goat. It's common knowledge with the press you can't keep help. Nobody will think anything of it."
"Oh and Quarterbrain, you might tell Rico that I've got some of his guys down at the station straightening out their paperwork for all those concealed weapons they were carrying while loitering and trespassing in an abandoned building." Taggart says smugly.
Jason just glares at Taggart. Emily squeezes Jason's hand again hard. He looks over at her. She just mouths to him softly. "Go, please."
"I'll call you later." Jason releases Emily's hand then bends over and kisses Emily on the temple. "And tell Taggart to release your bike so I can get it fixed."
"I'll make sure." Emily waits until Alan and Jason leave. Johnny stands by the wall his arms crossed in front of him back in protective mode.
Taggart moves in more closely to Emily pulling up a stool that was sitting by the hearth of the fireplace. He glances over his shoulder to Johnny. "Don't you have a quiche to put in the oven or something?"
Johnny doesn't move or answer the taunt. Em rushes to pour some oil on the waters. "I know I'm asking alot, you've already done so much for me, Johnny, but I really am starved."
"Rita told me the kidnappers had y'all on a water only diet." Taggart nods.
"Are you sure?" Johnny allows his hands to fall by his sides.
"I'll be fine." Em says for the third time. Johnny reluctantly leaves but not before glaring at Taggart. As soon as Taggart is the only one left in the room with Em she leans back again in the chair and closes her eyes exhaling deeply. Taggart settles in waiting for Emily to start the interview. "Have you caught them yet?"
"Caught whom?"
"Orchid and that photographer."
"So you saw them." Taggart leans in eagerly.
"No. And I didn't recognize their voices either. But I know it was them."
"Well Ms. Quartermaine, we pretty much figure it's them too. Now lets get to work on proving it. You and I both know that the PCPD has no trouble finding the criminals it's the locking them under the jail and throwing away the key part that seems to elude us."
"Oh what a confidence builder." Em rolls her eyes. "You got Evans."
"Cause I had a great witness who was very forthcoming. Just like now right?"
"What do you want to know?"
"Start at the beginning." Taggart pulls out his tape recorder. "The beginning of the kidnapping. We can fill in the motive later."
"Son, you appear to be losing them!" John protests as he watches the SUV, custom plates BRN2SHP, AJ is driving pull away.
"Dad, I know where Porter's is. Besides it won't look right if all of a sudden a party of twenty or something shows up. Let's spread it around a bit. Be discreet."
"Right." John pulls out his cell phone.
"Who are you calling?" Jax asks.
"Lady Jane and Barbara." John replies as the phone rings. "Nothing suspicious in having dinner with your mum."
"On the other hand, having dinner with Carly..."
"Might attract some attention. She doesn't seem to mind her p's and q's in public, does she?"
Lucky uses Nikolas' cell phone to call Elizabeth and update her of the progress so far. Nikolas and Edward pace in opposite directions behind the couch in the family room. Nikolas finally protests. "What is taking so long? Rita is home already."
Lucky answers before thinking. "Maybe Rita got loose and Em didn't." Both Edward and Nikolas glare at him. "Or maybe Em needed some medical attention and Rita didn't." The glares from Edward and Nik intensify. "I'm just going to go back to talking on the phone here."
"Damn Spencer's." Edward mutters resuming his pacing.
What Lucky said gets Nik thinking. "Where is Dr. Quartermaine?"
"Alan?" Edward considers. "I haven't seen him since he went to the clinic this morning." Edward glances down at his watch. "He should be here by now. He's been staying over since my granddaughter went missing."
"Do you think?"
"Give me that phone, young man!" Edward grabs the phone from Lucky. "He'll call you back." Edward disconnects Liz and calls Alan's service. He leaves a message demanding that Alan call him and hangs up as he hears the front door.
"Father?! Monica?!" Alan calls out as he enters the foyer. Jason races up the stairs to Lila's rooms. Edward comes out of the family room in time to see Jason's back and fears the worst.
"Alan... Em..." Edward stutters and pales.
"She's okay, Father." Alan says in a rush. He decides to keep the drug information to himself for awhile. "She has a broken ankle and some complications from that by not having it set for three days."
"So she's at GH?" Nikolas asks from behind Edward.
Alan shakes his head. "No, she wouldn't go to the hospital."
"Well then where is she?" Edward demands.
"She's in a ... safe house until the kidnappers are caught and the press loosens their hold on the family."
Lucky and Nikolas look at each other in silent communication. They both know the kidnappers are no longer a threat but can't say anything. Lucky picks up Alan is hesitating to say more. "We're going to get out of here. Tell Em we stopped by and to call if she needs anything." Lucky grabs Nik by the arm as it looks like he is going to protest.
Nik doesn't say anything until they get out to the truck. "I want to find out where Emily is. I have to let her know she is no longer in danger."
"Oh we will." Lucky nods. "But they weren't going to tell us what you want to know. So we're just going to have to find out our own way." Lucky starts up the truck and exits the gates of the Quartermaine Mansion. He heads up the road until he gets a hidden but clear vantage point of the mansion. Leaning over in front of Nikolas, he pops the glove box and pulls out some binoculars handing them to his brother. "How long do you think it will take Edward to check up on Em?"
Nikolas grins even as he watches Reginald pull the Bentley around in the distance. "No time at all."