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When Cassadines Fall ~ The Detour
Luckily he doesn't have a class until later, Ricky waits until Taggart leaves the house before he pulls in the drive. The car he is driving is still the same car he picked up within days of moving to Port Charles. It's a piece of junk but the heater works and the stereo alone made the alarm system a sound investment. There is no use in getting a decent car until after the Port Charles winter is over and until he learned how to really drive in this crap. Snow wasn't something he ran into down in New Orleans.
Dara opens the door to Ricky Robideau wondering what the son of the biggest mob boss in the south east is doing on her doorstep. She is dressed in worn jeans and a comfortable sweater. There are certain benefits of being on an unplanned extended vacation. She'd picked up a few cases since leaving the DA's office under a cloud of suspicion but she's been feeling bit and leery. "What are you doing here?" Dara looks down the road and sure enough Taggart is already past the corner. "And how long have you been waiting for Marcus to leave?"
"Awhile." Ricky doesn't try to deny it. "Can I come in or you going to make me freeze my ass off?"
Dara smiles and waits a second longer than a polite hostess would and then stands out of the way. "The coffee is on." Dara goes into the kitchen and isn't surprised that when she turns around Ricky is right there. "What's going on? Something with Maddy?"
"Not as far as I know." Ricky pulls up a chair at the breakfast bar. "But I think I've got a job for you."
"I'm not doing criminal law."
"Sweet. I'm not asking you to. It's more of a consult."
"You're being sponsored in this town by Judge Porter. Consult him." Dara instructs.
"Love to. And probably will eventually when it comes down to actually having to do something. But lets call it a hypothetical for now."
"Hypothetical. Right." Dara sighs and takes a sip of her coffee. She puts it down on the breakfast bar. "Hypothesize away."
"Okay... lets pretend that Li Chow is living with Jason Morgan and the Judge's 12 year old daughter knows all about it."
"Stop!" Dara throws a hand up. "Do you know what hypothesize means?! Gimme a dollar and I'll bill you for the rest."
Ricky reaches into his wallet and pulls out a twenty. "Yeah, I know what it means but why **** around right? You're the one that has the feds by the short curlies."
Dara takes the twenty already shaking her head. "I prefer to not think of it that way."
"I bet." Ricky smirks.
"What do you know?" Dara demands reaching for a pad of paper and pen.
"Hypothetically?"
There are certain benefits to doing construction in the middle of winter in New York. The crews that weren't on vacation or working down south are happy to have something to do. Larry had managed to put together all the permits needed and the framing crew is already in place. They'd wait to brick in one of the garage bay door until the very last thing but the other two needed to be closed in. That way it would be easy enough to make deliveries. There really isn't much for the framing crew to do. The delivery had actually taken longer than putting everything together. Turn the bathroom around so the entrance isn't facing out. Build the start of a counter where the register would be and a few details to make the office more functional. Everything else about the store needed to be open so that the shelving units could be moved around as needed and the lines of sight not obstructed.
"Hey Candy." Maddy comes in on the run and walks straight up to Nikolas gives him a quick smooch.
Nik doesn't even flinch despite the presence of a work crew. Many of these guys had worked on Wyndemere Lite and are familiar with Maddy. "You're in a good mood."
"Talked to the business that does liquidations. I think I'll be able to get everything we need here in a one stop shop. I'll be ready with the cases when you give the go ahead." Maddy slides a couple of fingers into the waistband of Nik's jeans and pulls him in close to give him another kiss. "And I stopped by the hospital and talked to Dr Collins and Crazy Larry."
"How is he doing?"
"Not so crazy. He's wants me to find him a place... and then he wants Cinnamon back."
Nik stiffens at that. Cinnamon had been Maddy's constant companion since Crazy Larry had been hospitalized due to his PTSD-- post traumatic stress disorder. He never worried about Maddy and her business as long as the spice colored pit bull accompanied her whenever she left the house. It would take a bullet to stop the amiable dog if a threat is perceived and probably more than one-- bullet that is.
Maddy reads Nik and winces. He's going to go Cassadine she can just feel it. "Niknik, it's Larry's dog. You've seen them together. She misses Larry. She's a man's dog. Yes, Cinnamon's good company and smarter than a .38. Who does she catch a nap with whenever she gets a chance? Hmmm? It's not me." Maddy gives Nik a wide eyed look and cocks her head to the side. Nik flushes at that. It's true enough that he'd woke up more than once with Cinnamon sprawled on Maddy's side of his bed. "I'm okay with this, Nik."
"I am not." Nik looks over at his contractor. "Would you lock up and bring the key by the house when you're done?"
"You got it." The contractor nods.
Nik wraps an arm around Maddy's shoulder and walks her out to her van. Sure enough Cinnamon is crashed out on the bench seat in back. Nik hands Maddy up into the driver's seat and then he takes the passenger seat. "Maddy, you know me. Better than I would like to admit." Nik takes a deep breath and then exhales. "And you probably know how much I want to get in your business."
"Oh you mean like you haven't since just about the first day I met you?!" Maddy tries to lighten the moment but can tell it didn't work. "Niknik, I can take care of myself. I have for years. I take precautions. If anything I take risks that I wouldn't normally take because I have you know who with me." Maddy is careful to not mention the dog's name.
"I don't think I wanted to know that." Nik sighs. "Maddy, you go all over the city. You are down on the docks until all hours. You deposit hundreds of dollars a day in cash. You are a walking ATM for any criminal!"
"I vary my route."
Nik gives her a look. He cups a hand against Maddy's face and says very softly. "After everything that happened when Emily and her little friend, Rita, were kidnaped, do you have any doubt what would happen if anyone laid a hand on you?"
"Nik..."
"I know. I know. You can take care of yourself. Hell I know you can take care of yourself and everyone else. You've had years of practice-- first with Lisette and then with the Grannies. That's what you do. You take care of me. My sister adores you. My grandmother adores you..."
"One of them." Maddy interjects wryly.
"...The one that counts. Lucky jokes you're the only one who can get along with Stefan and thats unfortunately too close to the truth. Yes, I know you trust your instincts and I trust them too. You are my... gut check." Nik leans in and presses a lingering kiss to Maddy's mouth. Then he says very simply, "And if anyone threatens you or hurts you-- I'm going to kill them."
"Nik." Maddy is shaking her head. "You don't know what you're saying."
"I mean it, Maddy. When you're doing those mental calculations of the risks you take. Remember this. If someone harms as much as one... " Nik runs a hand down one of Maddy's many braids and twists one around his finger and then releases it. "I will tear them apart and they won't find all the pieces. Ready to go home for lunch?"
"You threaten to kill someone and then say wanna do lunch?!"
"I didn't threaten anything." Nik counters. "Threats are something Helena does. I'm promising you. If you are assaulted in any way, I am going to remove that threat." Nikolas is very careful in the words he chooses knowing that Maddy will remember the conversation that they'd had in the basement back when they were first getting to know each other. "I'm not going to protect you by sweeping you off to some island like Stavros. I'm not going to wrap you up in cotton batting and manipulate your every move like Stefan. I'm trusting you to take care of yourself. I'm trusting you to make your personal safety a priority."
Maddy begins to realize the position Edward put Emily in when he'd played the when I'm dead card to win an argument. There is no counter to the I'm gonna kill them card. That is just what Niknik is counting on. She'd constantly be on her guard to not be in risky situations just so he wouldn't actually kill somebody. It has been months since Emily was kidnaped and nobody had heard anything about the kidnappers. They'd vanished. And she knows Nik did it. She'd known it before she moved in with him. "Cassadines." Maddy mutters but she turns the key in the ignition and starts up the street to Wyndemere Lite. She was going to have to think about this.
"I really appreciate you meeting with me." Dara begins smoothly. She can't
help but look around curiously. She'd been at the Deception Spa at the foot of
the hill many a time. The only hairdresser in Port Charles who could really do
black hair worked there. But this is the first time that she'd been up to Carly
Quartermaine's stables on the property above it.
She heard all the stories from Marcus of course... or at least the main one. How
Carly had been out on a nature hike with Michael and a body guard and came
across a meth lab on the property. Marcus had put nature hike in nonverbal
quotes when he'd said it. And it had been within weeks of finding the methlab
that the Deception Spa had changed hands... from Katherine Bell to Carly
Quartermaine. It couldn't have been a coincidence.
"You wanted private." Jerry Jacks rises to his feet. "This is about as private
as it gets. Until Carly shows up with Rita Porter for the girl's riding lesson.
But that's not until Queen of Angel's lets out. What's up, Dara? Is Maddy okay?"
A worried Jerry asks.
"Maddy's fine. Still ticked at you. Because of that lump sum of eighteen years worth of child support you dropped on her she'll never be able to get financial aid for college."
"She doesn't need financial aid. Just tell me how much she needs..." Jerry starts reaching for his check book.
"Put it away, Jerry." Dara decides to not wait for an invitation and takes a seat on the couch. Jerry sits back down behind the desk. He ran his growing empire from behind this desk, as did Carly. As long as there is a phone, computer and fax they could move on anything interesting and not worry their spouses with the pesky details. "You remember that phone call I gave you while you were in Shanghai on that ELQ junket?" That was a cover for poking around looking for the missionary and his family?
"Right. About the coyotes the Feds are trying to catch." Jerry's face stays genial but it gives away about as much as Jason Morgan's-- nothing.
"A little bird came to my door this morning to let me know that Li Chow is in town, that she is staying with Jason Morgan and that Judge Porter's daughter knows all about it."
It's like three cherries coming up on a slot machine as the pieces fall together. "Why didn't Ricky come directly to me?"
"Because he wasn't acting on his own but as an agent for Rita Porter. Rita evidently thinks Li needs an attorney-- and if she is in the US illegally she does. Ricky thinks the attorney should be me because well lets just say... the Feds owe me. And the Fed in charge of the investigation owes me big time. How bad was it?"
"You don't want to know." Jerry says flatly.
"Jerry. I think she's my client. I want to know."
"Dara, you know what happened to her. We didn't exactly meet the boat." Jerry says bitterly. "They had Li for two months. Between you, me and the fence post-- Jason bought her-- about six miles from here. You okay?" Jerry gets up from the chair and moves closer to Dara putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, just thought I was going to throw up for a minute. I'm fine." Dara sighs. "I need to talk to her. Get all the details: the ship, the people, there and here. Ford wants to take down this crew, he'll probably give Li and her family immunity in exchange for her testimony."
"They ought to get it just for political asylum!" Jerry snaps back. "Harry Chow is in jail and if Yuen and their daughter hadn't made a run for it they'd be right there with him!"
"Lucky?"
"Hey Maddy." Lucky barely looks up from his computer. "Is lunch ready?" Course for him it would be breakfast. He'd just gotten up for the day about 45 minutes ago after a solid six hours sleep.
"Elizabeth is working on it." Maddy moves from one thing to another. Picking things up and then putting it back down again. "You've got dinner."
It's distracting, and Lucky finally looks at her, really looks at her. "What's up, Madeliene?"
"I don't know how to break this to you, Lucky... but your brother is crazy."
"Yeah, I know; it's genetic. At one time I thought it was just on the Cassadine side."
"Ha! You figured out differently?" Maddy counters. She finally throws herself down on the couch next to the woodstove. It's the warmest, most comfortable, spot in the carriage house apartment.
"What happened?"
"I guess that's what I want to ask you. What happened to Em's kidnappers, Lucky?"
Lucky looks back to his computer screen. "They disappeared. You know that, Maddy. Taggart didn't find them."
"I know Nik had something to do with it, Lucky. And you two were practically attached at the hip when you were looking for Em. If he wasn't with you then he would have been with Stefan. You want me to ask him next?"
"Don't, Maddy. Just leave it alone." Lucky finally says. He swings around in the chair so he is facing his brother's girlfriend.
"Did he kill them?"
"What is bringing this on? No, of course he didn't." They weren't looking too good when they got on the plane, but they were still breathing.
"And you were there. You saw everything." Maddy inquires.
"No, I kept lookout. Nikolas didn't want me involved. Maddy, what is this all about? Why all the questions after all of this time? Did Nik do something?"
"He just went a little Cassadine on me." Maddy shrugs.
"A little Cassadine?" Lucky says slowly. "What did you do, Maddy?"
"Excuse me?!"
"The only time I have seen Nik go a little Cassadine was when he was scared for someone: Mom, Grandma, Lulu, Em.... Cassadines don't cower-- they bite. What did you do, Maddy?"
"Nothing." Maddy declares and then says it again for emphasis. "Nuthin! That's just it. He told me, flat out that he would go after anyone that did anything to me."
"Okay." Lucky turns back to the computer.
"You don't think thats... out of line?"
"Nope. I pretty much feel the same way."
"Ugh! Men!" Maddy stalks out of the carriage house.
At the sound of a rap on the door, Jason looks up and then groaning looks back at the motorcycle he is working on. He'd been gone quite a bit and the backlog of work is extensive. Luckily nobody would be riding until about... March... most probably April. And depending on the year... May. Although there are some that do the year round thing on the bike, then wind chill became a factor. Subfreezing temperatures at 60 plus miles an hour. Appropriate dress is a must. Course the people crazy enough to be riding year round were normally the people that took care of their own bikes. Over half of the bikes in the shop aren't actually there for maintenance but for storage until the weather turned. "Go away."
"Fraid I can't do that." Jerry straddles one of the bikes near where Jason is working. "Got a friendly visit from Dara Jensen today."
Jason grunts. "What did you do now? Nevermind. I don't care."
"Well it went thru the spin cycle a few times, but it seems that Rita Porter is looking for an attorney for Li."
Jason winces. "Great." Big ears on a small kid. "Maddy mentioned Dara to me when she was pitching the remodel of the corner store down in Cassadine's neighborhood as a business for the Chows once they get here."
"Dara's working this from an angle you and I don't have. She's got an in with the Feds. Specifically the one that was targeting the slime that imported Li to the US like she was a color TV or something. Dara can put the feelers out... see if there is a deal available."
"You mean if she testifies?" Jason's brows go up at that.
"Yeah, I know. Not your style. But it would work."
"Li was asking me to kill her to keep the shame away from her family... and you want her to go public. Go **** yourself."
"I'm not saying talk to the Fed." Jerry counters. "Talk to Dara. Or talk to Alexis. She's going to need an attorney; you might as well hook Li up with one that kicks the crap out of the Feds on a regular basis. Dara's motivated and she was the one that called us in Shanghai to let us know that the Feds were onto that crew. If she hadn't of clued us in..." Jerry shakes his head. "It could have been worse."
"Good Afternoon, Madeliene." Stefan Cassadine comes into the solarium. "We didn't have an appointment." It's a question within a statement.
"Nope, but I'll give you one for free."
"An offer not to be turned down." Stefan indicates with the wave of a hand the chess board that is normally set up in the solarium. "Have you had lunch?"
"Elizabeth made lunch. It was just the four of us. Granny Lesley is at work." Maddy takes a seat. Cinnamon spins on the rug that is set aside for her. A trip to Wyndermere is always good for a nap. Maddy could be at this for hours.
"And how is your latest project going?" Stefan makes the first move. They played so often that the first move is alternated automatically. He is already on his guard. Madeliene never turned down sustenance. Even if Elizabeth had just made lunch.. she would have a light snack or some tea.
"Fine. Niknik took it to the walls. The framers have already been in. The plumbers will be in tomorrow." Maddy makes her counter move.
"It seems to be moving... expediently." Stefan takes his time. He doesn't believe in rushing things. Besides, if Madeliene is here and willing to have a chess match without being compensated? There is another reason for her visit, and he wasn't going to let her leave until he knew it.
"I was given an eleven week time frame. I only have nine left. I lined up a company that's going to come thru with all the coolers and things. And you don't have to worry, Mr C. Nik, didn't pay full price for the property." Maddy leans in. "He got the whole thing for 5G and the back taxes."
"The remodeling will be extensive. And if I recall there is a problem with soil contamination?" Stefan makes a move.
Maddy shrugs and snaps a piece out. "We had the soil tested months ago. It was looking good then, the only concern is what is under the tanks where we couldn't test. I just didn't have time for a project until after I finished with high school. Now that Niknik has the place cleared out I'll probably be taking over the day to day. Not that he's been shirking on the hospital, he's been waking up early. When I get back from the rounds he's over there."
Stefan decides then it's time to check on Nikolas. Something is evidently on his mind if he is waking so early. Probably something going on between him and Madeliene. Something that is causing Madeliene concern. "And there have been no neighborhood complaints?"
"They're too happy that something is being done with the property. Besides who are they going to complain to? The neighborhood watch commander?" Maddy smirks at Stefan. Having Nik take the neighborhood watch commander job had been her idea.
Stefan takes one of Maddy's pawns drawing first blood. "It has been advantageous. Nothing goes on in your neighborhood without your knowledge. Between the community... activism and the efforts the citizens are making to revitalizing their properties. Very impressive, Madeliene."
"Thank you. You know you're my inspiration." One of Maddy's knights sees forward action covering a couple of pawns from Stefan's attack.
"Flattery, Madeliene?" Stefan leans back from the table. "What is going on?"
"It's your move."
"No, I think not. If you wish my assistance, Madeliene, lay out your concerns. I have been accused of jumping to conclusions too often with you."
Maddy sighs. She rests her elbows on the table. "I think Nik is getting... attached and I didn't sign on for that."
"I see." Stefan strokes his beard and then crosses his arms. "I know you two have become... close after what happened to your mother... and his." Stefan understates carefully. He has his own investment in keeping Madeliene in Port Charles and is well of aware of her skills in cutting ties and moving on with no forwarding address when threatened... or smothered. Perhaps Nikolas had grown careless in covering his concern?
"Yeah, but there is close and then there is threatening to kill people."
"Tell me." Stefan leans in.
"Larry, Cinnamon's human, is due to get out of General Hospital. And Nik started getting all... pissy about the way I run my business because I'm not trying to steal Cinnamon away from Larry! She's not my dog. You saw the way she was at my birthday party when you got Larry sprung for the day!"
"Ah." Stefan relaxes some. "Yes, that was shortsighted of Nikolas. I realized this was going to be an issue back in November. If you were willing to spend your insurance settlement from your mother's death to fight that man's detention, I did realize it was just a matter of time until you would be returning the dog to its owner. It is the honorable thing to do."
"If by honorable you mean right. Then yeah, it's not a hard call." Maddy retorts. "Candy freaked!"
"Nikolas is concerned for your safety. And since he observed the way Cinnamon... handled my mother when she dropped by Nikolas' house and cornered you...."
Maddy is quick to interrupt. "Your mother didn't corner me. I just didn't see a reason to be rude. If Lucky hadn't been so ill mannered I probably could have gotten a million dollars out of the old bat." Maddy replies defensively. "I had everything under control. But yeah, I'm not stupid. I got away with it twice. Once then and once at the shindig you threw for Alexis and Ned. I don't go looking for Granny Helena and if I see her I go the other way."
Stefan blinks when Maddy calls his mother Granny. He did it every time. And if there was a safe way of arranging it he longs for the day of Madeliene calling Helena that to her face. "Nevertheless, Madeliene, on that occasion Cinnamon kept the odds even. She made sure you could focus on the threat my mother posed without worrying about an ambush by Helena's minions. I will speak to Nikolas."
"And tell him what?" Maddy asks suspiciously.
"That he needs to focus on finding a place for this Larry to stay in the neighborhood where if there are difficulties the neighbors will call Nikolas rather than the constabulary."
"And Cinnamon stays with Larry-- no arguments or threats."
"Of course." Stefan says almost cheerfully. "She is a good dog. But she is not your dog. I will make this clear to Nikolas. Madeliene, perhaps it's not you that Nikolas is so attached to-- but the dog?"
"You know, I thought of that." Maddy grins. But the back of her neck is telling her that Stefan is up to something... and it isn't the chess match. "And you're right, Larry needs to be in the neighborhood with us. His beat was more down by the docks but he said he wanted a place. So whatever he's doing with Dr Collins must be working."
"When is he going to be released?" Stefan makes sure he is watching the board rather than Maddy. He finally takes his turn.
"Well he just mentioned it today. So I have a couple of weeks I'm sure." Maddy shrugs.
"A celebration would probably be overwhelming but if I can be of any assistance as the time grows near please keep me informed."
Jason opens the penthouse door and can't believe he's doing it. "Come in, Ms Jensen."
And Dara hesitates and takes a deep breath and steps into the penthouse of the Hammer of Sonny Corinthos. You couldn't call him a hired killer. That implied that his services were available to others. Nope, Jason Morgan is a killer but only for a very selective few: Sonny Corinthos and himself. "Thank you for calling me."
"When Father Frank caught Mei and Rita eavesdropping on our conversation yesterday... you weren't the one I was expecting to stop by first."
"Is she here?"
"Can you stay for dinner?" Jason asks reluctantly. When Li had heard what happened she'd insisted that the lawyer stay for dinner for her kindness and concern. The concept of triple billing didn't seem to impact on Li.
Dara takes the invitation as more of an acknowledgment Li is here rather than Jason being... sociable. "I'm going to need a retainer from you too. Just so that we can keep things on a client/attorney basis and what you say doesn't leave this room. We hold our conversations in english so Ms Chow isn't privy to anything you might say. You act as translator... that should get around you being in the room when she's discussing her case. And I want this to be perfectly clear. We're dealing with this. I am not your attorney."
"I don't think I asked you to be." Jason says calmly. "Just so it's clear... if a conflict comes up on this between me and Li-- protect Li."
"Oh I plan to. But I'm going to want that in writing."
"You want a beer?"
"I'd love one."
"Set up at the table and plan to eat." Jason leaves Dara standing in the foyer as he walks back to the kitchen.
Dara releases a breath she'd been holding. Jason Morgan has to be the scariest guy going. Taking her coat off, Dara hangs it up in the closet that is right there. Looking down she sees three lines of shoes-- Michael sized, Jason sized and then apparently Li sized. She bends over and starts unlacing her boots. "When in Rome." She mutters. By the time she gets her boots off Jason is back with the beer and hands it to her. Dara carries it over to the table. She sets it down pulls out her own chair. Pulls out a notebook, pen and indicates the seat across the table from her. The dining room table has just become her office. "Start in Shanghai. Were you down at the docks? Did you talk to anyone on that end?"