When Cassadines Fall ~ The Detour

Jax keeps an eye on the van while it’s being refilled with petrol. V and KC had taken off to find some postcards. Stefan Cassadine is on the phone probably talking to whomever they are meeting in Zakopane.

It had been his idea to rent a van rather than to hire a driver. It is a little more venturesome considering he couldn’t read a signpost to save his hide. Just make sure the tank is never lower than three quarters full. It's like traveling in the outback again. Sure-- everything is available in the cities but if you can’t read the signs who knew when you’d be running into the next gas station. But buying things, including petrol is no problem- Visa. It’s everywhere you want to be and many places you’d rather avoid. And the credit card companies automatically did the money conversion.

" Dziêekujêe!" V calls her thanks back over her shoulder as she and KC exit the traveler convenience store. Each is carrying a plastic bag of goods. A lot more than postcards.

"What did you find out?" Jax finishes up with the van and climbs back into the driver’s seat..

V takes up the shotgun position having entered the van from the sliding door on the side. "Zakopane is about half an hour away. The snow has been falling steadily and you should be able to get some good skiing in. Once we get the resort there will be more people that speak English."

"Did you get a postcard for Lucas? For Lady Jane?"

"I did. And for the folks back home too. I also got you these." V holds up a package. She warns him first holding the cookies out of range. "They aren’t going to be as good as Great Aunt Arminda’s."

"Kolachkes. That’s my girl." Jax snatches them out of V’s hand. He tries the first one and then offers the next to V. It’s rude but some of the places where he’d eaten it might even be considered gentlemanly to take the first bite. "You’re right-- not as good as your aunt’s but not bad considering we’re basically picking them up at a convenience store."

V hands the bag of cookies to KC who takes one. KC sees Stefan hang up his cell phone and start walking back toward the van.

"We’re about half an hour away from Zakopane." Stefan announces as he takes the seat next to KC. "There is a... gospoda on the outskirts of town. There will be a van parked out in front with a picture of the dog on the side."

"Gospoda?" Jax looks at V for a translation.

KC interjects with an answer. "A pub. Sorry. Misspent youth." She offers Stefan a cookie and he refuses. "So we’re off to the bar to see a man about a dog."

"You ready to see your Daddy?" Maddy kicks back in the van with the spice colored pitbull. Thanks to Dr. Collin’s intervention, Cinnamon had been able to see her peeps on a regular basis. The nurse on the locked psych ward had even joked that it was going to be a condition of Crazy Larry’s release that Cinnamon had to come back for visits since she was such a positive influence on the inmates in the asylum. She isn’t the best medicine of course but she’s the one with the least nasty side effects. But today isn’t a visit. "There he is." Maddy opens up the side door of the van and Cinnamon takes off running plopping herself right in front of Larry with her tail going a million miles an hour.

"Hey pup." Larry leans over and gives Cinnamon a rub behind the ears. "You miss me?"

"Oh you bet she did." Maddy walks up to Larry. "You ready for a hug?"

Larry gives her an embrace that lifts her off her feet. "Good to see you, Maddy."

"You sound good, hell you sound great, Larry."

"I feel pretty good too." Larry picks up the duffle of stuff that he’d managed to collect while he’d been in treatment. "Dr. Collins has me set up for regular appointments but he says he needs more exercise than he’s getting so we’re going to do our sessions walking."

"Sounds like a win/win." Maddy climbs back in the van and waits until Larry is on board. She doesn’t take offense when Larry climbs onto the back bench seat right next to his dog. "Your apartment is all set. It still needs some personal touches but I figure you and Cinnamon will give it that lived in look in nothing flat. It’s right down the street from me. The neighborhood is already used to Cinnamon taking walks every night. My friend Liz did a little necessity shopping for you: milk, bread, eggs, Chili from Kelly’s."

"Coffee?"

"Please. As if I would ever run out of coffee." The trip across town is made shortly. Maddy pulls up to the Victorian that had been converted into apartments. Putting the van in park and turning off the key. "The upstairs apartment on the right is Ricky’s. On the left is where the Chow’s are going to live. The Chinese missionaries I told you about. You’ve got the ground floor apartment and it’s right across the way from the laundry/utility room. Ricky is the only one living there right now. And other than liking to play music at night I haven’t heard any complaints."

"You hear complaints?"

"Nik is the Captain of the neighborhood watch. You see anything hinky while you’re walking Cinnamon... let us know. I’ve finally gotten rid of the guys that were after me but Nikolas has a habit of ticking people off. Or his family does anyway."

"Okay." Larry takes a deep breath and then exhales. "Lets check this place out."

Liz is more dressed up than she normally is. A college student/ waitress the most you need is a pair of jeans, t-shirt and good comfortable shoes but today she is observing court. It had taken this long for the mugger to get his day in court. The witnesses are ready to go. The mugger had managed to make bail so he would be showing up on his own to court. Either that or he’d have a warrant issued for his arrest and he’d be brought to court in shackles. Justus walks over to the ladies sitting in the front row of the gallery. "You all understand that there is a plea bargain on the table right?"

"Know it and don’t like it, Young man." One of the elderly victims, Mrs. Levi retorts.

"I’d prefer to not drag this out any further. I think he’s going to take one look at the row of you here and he’ll make a plea rather than risking the judge hearing any testimony."

"Or he’ll think he can outlast the lot of us." One of other women snarks. "He’s already postponed going to court twice. Probably hoping we’re all going to drop dead."

"That’s why Mr. Ward made sure that all of your testimony has already been recorded. Not that he thinks you’re going to drop dead or anything just so that he can’t think that’s going to happen either. Course I wish we had Judge Porter instead of Judge Carter." Liz reminds.

"Porter is going to be starting a murder trial that is expected to last a week to ten days. They are empanelling the jury this afternoon." Justus explains. "With you ladies this is going to be a cut and dried case. We’re going to be out of here this afternoon. Just hold tight." Justus goes back to his table and does his last minute skim on the next proceedings.

"Been thru this one before, girls." The experience of two other court dates had made them old pros. Luckily they didn’t have anywhere else to be like a job. All of them bring out their keep busy projects: knitting, crocheting, and a large print edition of Readers Digest.

Liz brings out her sketch pad and starts filling on a quick drawing of the courtroom. She’d also brought along a book that she needed to write a paper on, but that is only as a last resort. Like if this trial ended up taking days instead of hours. "If he shows up."

"Good morning, Elizabeth, Ladies."

That has Liz rubbernecking to look at the person who’d come up behind them. "Hello Dr. Alan. How are you doing this morning? I didn’t know you’d been called on this."

"I wasn’t. Lesley Webber let me know that you had another court date today. She and Val are going to run Elm Street while I lend my support here. How are you ladies doing?"

"Just great, Dr. Q. Not a spec of trouble. Been working out at the senior center since you did that exam and my blood pressure has been dropping like a rock." One of the elderly women brags.

"You are taking the medication right?"

"That and yoga. Next term I think kick boxing." Mrs. Levi retorts.

Alan winces but doesn’t say a word. Instead he slides onto the seat next to Elizabeth. Then he murmurs low taking care to not move his lips. "Kick boxing."

Elizabeth grins. "Look out muggers!"

Stefan doesn’t like the pub. It smells. It’s dark. Although the darkness might be a blessing in that you couldn’t see how filthy it is. There was supposed to be a van out front with a picture of Madeliene’s dog on it but they were not here yet. So it had only been on Jax’s driving that they had stopped at this particular... establishment. V and KC are already shedding their coats and getting comfortable. Jax looks around with interest but also sheds his coat and gloves. The bartender had overheard V and KC talking and decides to practice his English. "Hello. What can I get for you today? Something to drink perhaps?"

"Great! You speak English!" V relaxes a bit. She figures she could ask for what she wanted if he hadn’t but probably wouldn’t have understood the answer if there had been any questions.

"We’re meeting someone." Stefan’s tone is dismissive and the bartender almost walks away with a shrug.

"V. Come on." KC gives her friend a nudge urging her to save the day.

V asks "You wouldn’t happen to have any... losos wedzony would you?"

The bartender turns around. "You like this?"

"We," V indicates herself and KC. "...Only came for the food: losos wedzony-- some smoked salmon.... What else?" V looks around the table.

"Krupnik." Jax interjects remembering the hardy mushroom and barley soup that V’s family had sent home with her after Thanksgiving. "Perogi, kielbasa, Just line them up and we’ll knock them down. And a menu to send back to The States to my mum-- autographed if possible."

"Vodka." Stefan looks at the bartender. "Bring the bottle." At least the vodka could be trusted to kill what ever germs were on the glasses or in the dishes.

"I be right back." The bartender says cheerfully as he moves behind the bar.

"If you think you are going to be able to get that dog into one of your 5 star hotels...." KC shakes her head at Stefan. "Not for whatever money you could offer them. They’d be afraid of it eating their other guests." KC leans back from the table and gives the bartender room as he brings the bottle of vodka, glasses for everything and an appetizer of the smoked salmon that V had requested.

"The Cassadines have a house here."

"Of course they do." Jax rolls his eyes. But it actually made sense, afterall the Cassadines had delusions of Russian Grandeur. Poland had probably once upon a time been a vacationing spot. Then a thought occurs and he gets serious. "Does Helena know about it?"

"Yes. Of course she does, but only in the most casual way. That there is property in Poland. Not that she would come here. The only thing my mother likes about winter is...."

"The fur coats?" V suggests helpfully.

Stefan smothers a small smile. "Exactly."

Maddy meets Nikolas down at what is going to be the corner store. Things are going at high speed now. The timeframe keeps getting shorter and shorter. The time frame to get things done is now As Soon As Possible. Nikolas sees that she doesn’t have her canine companion with her. "Larry all moved in?"

"Yep. All settled in. When I left he was going thru the want ads in the Herald. He really liked the mural that Elizabeth and Lucky did. I suggested that if things started closing in that he just put mirrors on the opposing wall to give the illusion of twice the space. I thought Elizabeth was going to do that anyway."

Nikolas looks around the Store. "Maybe we should do that here as well."

"Not a bad idea." Maddy agrees. "Course here it would be a deterrent to theft." She goes over to where the counter is going to be. And stands by where the register will be. Right now there is a shell of a counter with no countertop and a lot of wiring. "If you put mirrors on the back wall from here you could see all the aisles. As it is now, there is a blind spot right.... there." Maddy come out from the counter and walks over to the blind spot. Definitely not where the beer cooler would be going. What to put in that spot. Something that you needed for a convenience store but that nobody would steal, or it would take a lot of work to steal. And it’s not like you wouldn’t hear a commotion, you just couldn’t see it. "The ATM machine should go here. With another mirror so that the people using it could see who is behind them."

"Lucky planned on putting it on an inside wall anyway." Nikolas counters wryly. "I think he was imagining how he would steal one and it involved those windows and the pickup." Nikolas indicates with a nod toward the bay doors that have been enclosed now and are long reinforced windows. "I don’t think that shifting it a few feet will make a difference." He walks over to Maddy and gives her a kiss on the forehead. "You okay?"

Maddy makes a face. "You’re the one making a big deal out of this. I was just dog sitting. It wasn’t even supposed to be for a week. And it wouldn’t have been if the VA hadn’t kidnapped Larry."

"Maddy...."

"Fine. I’ll miss having Cinnamon keeping me company. I won’t miss the muddy paw prints in the van. And yes, I am already thinking of how I’m going to be working things as a security standpoint with the kiosks. The one in the mall is no problem because I can take care of the kiosk and the deposit right there since my bank has a branch with a night drop box. Everything is indoors."

"If you want either me or Lucky to make pick ups on occasion that would vary things a little more as well." Nikolas keeps it low key knowing that Stefan will soon be back.

Claude wonders what the hell when a bunch of blue haired ladies make their way into the club. They look around with interest. Because it is dayshift the lights are up a little higher than normal to allow for cleaning. Duke Ellington is piped thru the speakers. Luke would freak if he knew considering Ellington is a Jazz Artist, even if he is one of the greats. Luke’d get about as hot as when he popped in that Zydeco. But hey mornings are for getting the place ready for the evening and Luke seldom showed up for the dayshift. He’d come dragging in when he came dragging in. The ladies take one of the big tables. Liz comes in at a run. "Hey Claude."

"Elizabeth?" Claude looks behind her for Lucky.

"Lucky’s not coming. I’m just going to be hanging with some friends. We just came from court. We’re celebrating." Liz hangs up her coat and makes her way over to the table. "What’s everyone having? My boyfriend’s Dad owns this place and Lucky has a tab here. So it’s on me."

"Young man, do you know how to make a Mojito?"

The other women get into the spirit of the question and orders for Cosmos and Martinis come in from around the table. Liz’s eyes go wide. Evidently these ladies know how to party. "I’m driving." Liz laughs. "Mock me up something with an umbrella. So... any of you gals know how to play Mahjongg? One of the people I live with is always talking about getting a friendly game together and I haven’t a clue what she is talking about."

"Well now. There are friendly games and then there are friendly games." Mrs. Levi says slyly.

"I’m calling Maddy." Liz reaches for her cell phone. "She’s going to kill me if she misses this."

The dog trainer had made contact with them at the pub midway thru the buffet that had somehow managed to be ordered. Jax makes notes on the menu of everything they try and what's in it after getting the proprietor to sign and date the front of the menu. After the first couple of shots of vodka the pub is still too dark but the food isn’t too bad.

Stefan’d given the trainer the address of the Cassadine abode in Zakopane and they’d followed him to the house where a housekeeper had the lights on and quickly made up another room for Jax and V. The dog would be delivered early the next day.

"Should we put a spoke in their wagons and take one of the bedrooms? It would be like a sleep over." V suggests to KC.

KC starts laughing. The mental picture of Jax and Stefan sharing a room is enough to tickle her. "I don’t think that would go over too well. And I don’t know how to fly the plane if they kill each other."

"Me neither." V sighs. "Oh well it was a thought. I’m going to work on postcards. They’ll arrive after we get back to the states anyway but it will free up time tomorrow. I bet there are some great cross country trails around here. And Jax is going to want to go over to the resort. Then there is the dog."

"We’re definitely going to have to make friends with this dog since we’re going to be traveling over an ocean with it." KC worries. "I really had no idea how big this dog was."

"Maybe it will be sweet like a St. Bernard." V says cheerfully.

"We can only hope."

Maddy’s gal down at the docks, Ceila double takes when she sees Nikolas driving Maddy’s van. "Where’s Maddy?"

"She received a phone call from Elizabeth about a ladies night out." And since I’m trying to get out of the doghouse when I don’t know what I did to get into it. "...and I volunteered for this. So we switched vehicles. What do you need?"

"I’m good. All Maddy will need is the pickup and the log."

Nikolas nods. He knows where the log is so he starts pulling those pages while Ceila gets the deposit bag from it’s hiding spot. "Larry got out today so don’t be surprised if you see him and Cinnamon. I don’t know if they would walk down this far or not."

"He’s living over by you now, right?"

"I think Maddy was planning that all the way back to her insisting I run for Neighborhood Watch Commander." Nikolas replies wryly. He takes the night deposit and unzipping his winter coat stuffs it down the sleeve. "Anything in here Maddy needs to know about straight away?"

"ELQ is running three shifts still which is good for everybody. It’s been quiet over at Wyndemere. Mrs. Lansbury stopped by to talk for a minute. I think she is bored with your uncle out of town."

"Thanks. I’ll give her a call." Nikolas makes his way back to the van. He drops the deposit bag into the drop box that Maddy has welded into the body of the van. This was the next to the last stop. The last stop is going to be the kiosk at PCU.

They’d been there since the day shift and the party just kept expanding. First it had been the three blue hairs and Elizabeth. Then Maddy had arrived. About 45 minutes after that Emily had arrived with Miz Lila and Jane Jacks. At that point they’d taken over the back room. The Juke box had the ladies oohing and ahhing. They hadn’t seen those songs in a juke box in about fifty years. Soon about every song on the juke box has been selected and there is going to be a soundtrack to the party.

"Sorry about Lady Jane." Emily murmurs to Maddy at her first private opportunity. "She was over visiting with Grandmother. Jerry’s out of town. Jax is out of town and her husband is down in the city on business. She's flying solo.

"Hey as long as she keeps it social with everyone and doesn’t try to corner me. We’ll be fine. It’s a party right?"

"Maddy! Elizabeth!" Lulu comes running into the back room. She sees Maddy first and runs to her.

"Hey baby. What are you doing here?" Maddy gives Lulu a hug.

"Claude called Daddy and let him know that you were here. Daddy was going to fire Claude again but then he said I could come to work with him tonight. What are you doing here?"

"Well I think we’re going to get a couple games of Mahjongg going. It’s a good thing you’re here. I think you’re going to have to help Miz Lila. She’s probably going to clean up but I don’t think she can get a grip on the tiles." And that is the way that it ends up. Two tables are set up for Mahjongg. Elizabeth and her friends from court are at one table. Emily and Maddy are at the other table with Lady Jane and Lila. Lulu ends up being the hostess making sure that Lila can make the moves she wants and that there are plenty of snacks and to get one of the barmaids when the drinks start running low.

"It’s been many years since I’ve played." Lady Jane arranges her tiles.

"Well then you’re one up on me." Maddy replies as she sorts her tiles too. "I’ve never played. Just done what Lulu is doing now... keeping the room moving."

Luke stands in the doorway and just starts shaking his head in disbelief. He’d made Claude tell him twice. He’d had Claude move them to the back room when one of the ladies had brought out her knitting. KNITTING. In a blues club. This is more like it. It isn’t poker but at least it is gambling. And the women have great taste in music.

"Hey Daddy." Lulu stops right in front of her father.

"Where are you off to? I thought you’d be hanging with Lizabeth and Maddy."

"We need more cheesefries and stuff. And Mrs. Levi says that they need another pitcher of martinis."

"She told you that?" Both of Luke’s brows go up at that one.

"Nah I overheard. Got to go." Lulu goes running off. She doesn’t want to leave Miz Lila alone too long cause it might be her turn. Maybe Daddy would let her stay up late cause it’s Girl’s Night.

Luke grins after his little girl. Finally she’s taking after him. And she seems to be having a good time. At home she is a too quiet. Lulu has always been on the quiet side but this is different. Claude’s call had come thru at the perfect time to get Lulu out of the house. "Hello Ladies." Luke walks over to the table with Mrs. Quartermaine first. "Does the old man know you’re stepping out on him, Mrs. Q?"

"What is it this time, Grandmother? Garden Club or Friends of the Library?" Emily suggests Lila’s normal fibs for getting out of the house with Edward being none the wiser.

"Garden Club meetings are too short this time of year." Lila doesn’t deny the innuendo. Luke comes up behind her chair. Lila indicates which tile she wishes to play and Luke puts it out for her. Poker and craps are more Spencer games but he done his share of time in Mahjongg parlors. Guy could get killed in some of those places.

"I’m back now, Daddy. You can go."

"Oh really?"

"It’s ladies night and you’re not."

"Guess she told you." Maddy grins at Luke.

"I suspect your hand in this mutiny, Sweet Young Thing. And you owe me a dance." Luke moves off to the other table where Elizabeth is trying to muddle thru with the other three ladies coaching her the whole time.

"You have a lovely place, Mr. Spencer. I haven’t been in since the last election." Mrs. Levi compliments.

"Call me Luke, Darlin’." Luke pours on the charm, it’s his nature.

Mrs. Levi pats the back of her hair in a flustered motion.

"What brought everyone out tonight?"

"It was that mugger that was working the mall around Christmas." Elizabeth answers. "We had court today. Mrs. Levi was the one that did the sketch with me so I knew who I was looking at. Mrs. Anderson was a previous target. We met at one of the previous hearings."

The fourth at the table speaks up. "And then Elizabeth was a life saver for me. She’d already called the police before that hoodlum accosted me and after he snatched my purse he ran straight into the hood of that police car. Catching him right in the act!"

"Slick." Luke nods.

"He finally stopped trying to postpone things and took a plea today."

"Judge Carter took the plea but that nice Justus Ward made sure that we all had our say... on the record. So he’ll have to do all the jail time on the plea and hopefully won’t get out early."

Luke winces at the nice Justus Ward comment. If only these women knew. "Well I better get back out front before Claude gives away the bar. Have a great time, Ladies."