CHAPTER FIFTEEN "Hello?" Laura Spencer paused her packing to answer the phone.
"Laura? Lucy Coe-that is Coe-Collins. I'm desperate, Laura. Look, I'll just cut to the chase. Kevin has gone missing and I need to find Luke. That is, I need Luke to help me find Kevin."
"Luke isn't around," Laura told her. "He's out-well-bonding with the boys. I haven't seen him in months."
"Months? I need him!! Do you know how I can reach him?"
"I thought you were psychic, Lucy," Laura reminded her.
"I was hoping that you had a number where he could be reached," Lucy asked. "Phone numbers are a bit more reliable than psychic stuff."
"Sorry, Lucy," Laura answered, not feeling particularly sorry. She knew that she should feel bad for not telling her where she could find Luke, but given what she knew about Luke and his entourage, she opted not to do so. "But, if you do run into him, tell him that I'm going back to Port Charles with Lulu."
Laura smiled as she hung up the telephone. It was time to return-make that past time. Stefan was heading back and he was up to something, there was no doubt about that. Besides, things were about to get very interesting in good old Port Chuck, and when the **** hit the fan, which it would very shortly, it might be a good idea if Luke was nowhere near the area. Bobbie already knew that both Luke and Stefan had lied to her, and as the old saying went, where there was truth, there were bound to be consequences. She picked up the phone again, and dialed a number.
"I don't need Luke Spencer," Lucy grumbled. "Well, I do, but since he's not going to be able to help me, then I've got to do this myself. Which, of course, I can, but it would be easier if he helped and more fun. Besides, he's better at some things than I am. Not much, but he does have his uses. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Kevin-Kevbunny, where are you?"
Her eyes tightly closed, she popped another chocolate into her mouth and pressed her fingertips to her temples. "Kevin!! Lucy to Kevin, come in Kevin!" Another chocolate-only the finest Swiss chocolates would do, and as she'd found that she had better psychic impulses with special dark chocolate, she ate it quickly, reaching for another. "Maybe crèmes?" She ate one of those, and feeling not so much as a glimmer, dug out anther box of expensive chocolates, the more exotic the better. "Chocolate ants? Yuck! Chocolate covered-yikes! Why would anybody want to waste chocolate covering grasshoppers? Not that I'd eat grasshoppers anyhow, but why ruin chocolate with them?" She tossed that box aside, and then reached into the bag that she'd ordered from the local chocolatier and retrieved another. "Chocolate covered flowers? Flowers? Yes!! Where are the roses? Kevin has been really kinky about roses lately. Maybe chocolate dipped roses would help."
Bravely, Lucy popped one into her mouth and bit down. Crunchy, and heaven alone knew what they'd been fertilized with, she thought briefly, then told herself that it didn't matter, that cocoa beans were grown and…damn! she thought. Her mind was wandering all over the place. "Kevin," she intoned. "Doc, darling. Where are you? Kevin!! Come in, Kevin!!"
Suddenly, Lucy's eyes widened. "He needs me!! I can hear him calling!" She closed her eyes again after putting another chocolate covered rose into her mouth. "Kevin, come in, Kevin! Doc, where are you and what are you...cards! I see cards. Playing cards...Raise you one...one what? Jack Daniels? Marshmallows? What the hell kind of casino bets marshmallows? Okay, let's try again." She took another bite of chocolate and a deep breath. "Okay, back to Kevin. I see...men gambling. Maybe the marshmallows are symbols! Yes! Why would anybody bet marshmallows? Okay, concentrating....Luke? Damnit, Luke, what are you doing in my psychic vision? I'm looking for Kevin! Wait a minute. Laura said that Luke was bonding with the boys. Luke wouldn't do bonding like a normal father. He'd be different. Gambling-yes, I could see that. And-Monte Carlo? Yes!! He'd show his boys how to live off the land, but by hustling some poor sucker out of his money. Yeah, that's how Luke would do it."
With that, she opened her eyes and reached for the phone. "Hello? I need the first plane to Monte Carlo." Then she added. "And get me another box of chocolate covered roses."
"What do you think about the Ned Ashton affair?" Jared asked Marty as she sat patiently at her keyboard.
"We're in the wait and see mode," she answered. "He arrived back in Port Charles a little while ago. What have you learned about the other situations?"
"Peter Castles' sister is still missing-and still no trace. Her son is still missing-presumed lost in Europe. Odd that they are both missing at the same time, but we have no proof that she's exited this country or entered any European country. One thing of interest that we've noted-Jax and Garcia have been seen in Monte Carlo, and we intercepted a phone call saying that Sonny Corinthos was seen there."
"Any confirmed sightings?"
"Not from any of our sources. Peter is heading to Monte Carlo to check things out."
"Does Jax know that we're shadowing him?"
"I haven't told him as much, though he may suspect it. I did tell him that we wanted Corinthos ourselves."
"Which is a surefire way of making certain that we don't hear from him. Jax may well beat the information he wants out of Corinthos."
"Not that I'd blame him," Jared told her. "If he'd killed the woman I love...."
Their eyes met in silent understanding. Some things transcended words.
Bobbie walked into Ruby's, her thoughts churning with the news she'd received. Carly! Carly was Caroline. It was too much to take in. She shook her head, grateful that Mrs. Lansbury had brought Lucas to Port Charles while Bobbie had gone to Florida. He'd have wondered at her distraction, and no way could she explain how she felt. She wasn't even sure how she felt. Maybe if she talked with Ruby about things...but maybe not. She turned and walked back out, heading down to the docks to walk and think.
Unaware that tears were falling from her eyes, Bobbie walked and walked, only vaguely aware of the sounds around her, of the people who stared at her as she walked past. She was numb inside, she realized. She'd flown home from Florida barely able to keep her composure and now, the pain was coursing down her face and onto her clothes, scalding tears of regret and anger.
"What should I do?" she whispered to noone. "Tell her that I know who she is? How she must hate me to do what she's done. She's stolen my husband-but, that's my fault, too. I can see it all now-it's so clear! The attempt to see if she could help Lulu-that should have fairly screamed at me, but no, I was so involved in my own problems that I couldn't see it. Damn! She looks like I did when I was her age-and she's just as much a liar as I was. God, what have I done? If I tell her, what will she do? Tell Tony? That would kill him-not that I should care, but I do. He's a good man, basically, and he's Lucas' father. And Lucas can't know. How could he understand that his father is sleeping with Lucas' half-sister, with the young woman who should be his step-daughter? She should be calling him 'Daddy', not making him one."
Bobbie rounded another corner, and kept walking. "It's all Luke's fault. And, Stefan's. They knew and they didn't tell me-back when it might have made a difference. Back before she got pregnant. Ohhh, I'll kill them for this. Both of them. Luke and Stefan and their damned feud!"
There was a crash, and the sound of clanging metals followed by a blood curdling scream that echoed in the foyer of the Quartermaine mansion. Emily was screaming, staring at the crumpled body of Lila Quartermaine who lay next to the overturned wheelchair. Ned stood at the top of the staircase, a pensive, slightly bemused look on his face. "Grandmother? Grandmother!!"
The screaming continued, with Emily in hysterics as Ned hurried down the staircase. Reggie, hearing the screams, dashed from the back of the house. Seeing Lila, he shouted, "Mrs. Q!! Mrs. Quartermaine!!"
Monica had entered the room from the study when she'd heard the screaming, and quickly knelt beside Lila. She reached one trembling hand to Lila's throat as servants began to pour into the area. "Lila?"
Emily kept screaming, as Ned knelt beside Monica. "Is she....?"
Monica nodded. "Yeah. Oh, God, Ned-who's going to tell Edward?"
"Not Ned," sobbed Emily. "Anybody but Ned."
"Tell Edward what?" came a gruff voice from the front door. Seeing Lila on the floor, Edward raced to her side. "Lila? My darling?" His eyes met Monica's, and then, suddenly, he grasped his chest and collapsed.
"Edward!" cried Monica. "Ned, call an ambulance."
