Instinct (Read 5,045 times)

[sudsyclassix]

As Paige walked through Horton Square, her mother’s face flashed onto her incoming call screen with a wide smile that made Paige want to be sick. “You just don’t get it, do you, Eve? Decline for the thousandth and last —mph, mph!”
“Don’t you scream now,” a man whispered.
Paige could hear her heartbeat in her ears, as adrenaline began to course through her.
“Use your senses!” Grandpa would say.
She tried to think…it was dark, instantly dark. This kind of darkness didn’t come from the passage of time, but from the sun being blocked.
“Arggh!” the man cried out, pulling his hand away so fast that all that remained between Paige’s teeth was a piece of sodden and slightly bloody piece of fabric. “Why you little…” Her vision clouded as he slapped her across the face. “Dead girls don’t bite.”
It was harder to breathe by the second. Every time she gasped and spluttered he pushed more.
Paige's eyes felt heavy.
“GET OFF OF HER!” someone screamed. A woman, Paige thought. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Paige heard the man cry out like a wounded animal. The woman was shouting at him. About what? Paige struggled to stay alert, but was quickly losing the fight. The last thing she heard before fading into unconsciousness was, "It's you! You killed my husband!"

[sudsyclassix]

"She’s so pale, Kim,” Shane hissed moving away from Eve and Roman so that his hysterical daughter couldn’t hear. “I haven’t told Eve yet, but Paige coded in the ambulance.”
“Oh my God,” whispered Kim. Her image on Shane’s tablet shook as badly as her hands.
“It was touch and go for a while there.”
“And now?”
“Unconscious, but stable according to Kayla.”
“Well, she’s a Donovan, a fighter, who happens to be in the best hands possible. You have to hold onto that, Shane.”
“The things I want to hold right now are my wife and my family.”
“Boy, does that sound good,” Kim sighed.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, baby, but we’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” Steve informed the travelers. “I can’t fly with a tropical storm warning.”
“We can still watch a movie,” said Vanessa. “Whose turn is it to pick?”
“Mine,” Sydney called.
“No!” Johnny huffed. “She always picks a princess movie.”
“No girly movies,” Steve agreed.
“Very helpful, Steve, thank you.” Kim rolled her eyes. She leaned towards Sydney and said in a conspiratorial whisper “You know, honey, I think I can get the boys to change their minds about fairy tales, and my idea just might give Uncle Shane’s mind something else to do other than worry. Time to dust off your storytelling skills, Cap’n.”
“Now?”
“Otherwise, you’ll just pace around waiting for Kay to give you news. I know you too well.”
"All right, let me think, this is a story about…”
“The time you and Rafe were in jail together,” Johnny called out
“I’m afraid that’s above your security clearance,” Shane replied with what—in a less dire situation—would’ve been considered amusement. “There’s always the story of the Alamainian Coin, a treasure from far distant land. All in favor.”
Everyone on the grounded plane raised their hand, except for Steve, “Personally I prefer when your stories involve Steven Hood, maybe he can come back into the picture as a very cool harp-playing minstrel?”
Vanessa arched an eyebrow. “The rest of us would rather not picture you in tights, Johnson.”
“Oh-ho, I think milady doth protest too much.”
“Once upon a time,” said Kim, raising her voice above the pair.
“…the kingdom of Olde Salem was rejoicing in the homecoming of its brave King John, no one more so than his Queen. Though fair, of course, the Queen’s crowning glory was the kindness and compassion with which she ruled the land. The homecoming celebrations were in full-swing when a shriveled old wizard appeared in a puff of purple smoke. He grabbed Queen Marlena by her cape, and addressed the king, “Surrender the fruits of your quest or find your family in grave peril.”
The three children looked at the uncle with wide eyes.
“And a vast family it was, while in union with Sir Roman-" Shane stopped as said brother-in-law headed toward him.
"Hate to interrupt a helluva story, but somebody wants to see you in the chapel, Shane."

Even though Shane wasn’t a particularly religious person, he felt compelled to say a prayer for Paige before entering the chapel. Crossing himself quickly, he was surprised as someone wrapped him in a hug.
“Sami,” He returned the hug briefly, before taking hold of her shoulders. “What is it?”
“I wanted to tell you…I just wanted you to know how sorry I am. I don’t know what I would do if Arianna was in that hospital bed. I probably wouldn’t leave her side.”
“I certainly don’t intend to leave Paige’s side soon, that’s for sure, but what about you?”
“What about me?” Sami looked nonplussed
Shane took her hand in his and examined it. “That’s quite a cut you’ve got there and it seems to be fresh.”
“Oh that, it’s nothing,” assured Sami, but Shane could see drying blood on the gauze that someone had secured around Sami’s thumb and three of her fingers. He raised his eyebrows, studying Sami quietly, before taking a seat in an empty pew facing her.
“You know, I overheard your father briefing the hospital staff. Roman told Kayla that the person who attacked my granddaughter would have a nasty gash somewhere on their face as if they had been pistol-whipped. Now, I highly doubt her attacker would seek medical attention so openly, but the person who handled the gun might.”
“Yeah,” said Sami quietly. “They might.”
Shane stood and shuffled his feet. “Sami, I know I wasn’t around when you were growing up, and that we haven’t had much—if anything—to say to each other since, but I’ll always be grateful to you for saving my Paige’s life.”
“I know what it’s like to lose someone you love,” Sami sighed, and Shane could see a genuinely wounded look in her eyes. “I gave Dad my statement. It isn’t much, but hopefully, they can get the guy before he can hurt someone else. Whoever he is.”
"I hope Paige can enlighten us," remarked Shane.

[sudsyclassix]

“You sure no one knows about this place?” Clyde Weston winced as Ben placed some gauze on his cheek.
“It belongs to Abigail’s family,” Ben replied, “but who would suspect the sainted Hortons? This cut looks pretty deep, Dad. You might need stitches”
“Serves him right if you ask me.”
“No one did, you little punk, so watch your mouth! I don’t know what the womenfolk see in that stupid little accent of yours.”
“Have I struck a nerve, Weston?” Xander laughed. “Is your ego as bruised as your face?”
Clyde lunged toward Xander, catching his arm and twisting it behind his back. “I’ll knock your block off, boy!”
Xander twisted free, swiping at Clyde with his free hand. “We had a deal, I expand your small time operation by providing your dealers with pharmaceuticals, and you, Clyde, dispose of Serena Mason and Caroline Brady.”
“Mason’s dead, isn’t she?” Clyde growled.
“And yet Caroline Brady is still kicking,” Xander drawled. “How hard is it to disconnect some machinery? ”
“What do you want with an old lady, anyway?” Ben asked blocking his father from attacking Xander a second time.
“I did my research. Were this particular old lady to die, it would bring dear Uncle Victor to his knees. Not to mention, targeting the old bat would be a lot easier than wasting my valuable time and energy tracking down that son of theirs. He’s so far off the grid, his own wife and daughter have given up on him!”
“Well, I did my research too,” Clyde countered. “The little Larson girl means a hell of a lot to the commissioner’s sister. That counts for something in my book."
“That, or the fact that she happens to be the girlfriend of your useless employee?” said Xander.
“That’s a bonus.”
“It would have been if you had managed to kill her. Now, it’s just a fatal miscalculation.”
“I’m not afraid of Agent Donovan.”
“But you should be. Not the Captain, the other one.”
"There ain't another Donovan!"
"Believe what you want, Weston, I can't wait to see the show."

[heroicmuse]

Ooh this is so interesting! Can't wait to see where it goes. This is a much better use of Clyde and Xander than we got on air

[sudsyclassix]

Abigail breathed a sigh of relief as she exited her Aunt Kayla’s office and dialed a number. “Hey, Aunt Maggie, it’s me. How are things in England? No, you don’t need to cancel your plans with Mel, I just wanted to thank you for making sure Julie remembered to bring up my reinstatement to the board while you were gone. Aunt Kayla wants me at the next meeting when they talk about it.”
“Pssst,” JJ popped his head around the corner and beckoned to his sister. “Abs.”
“What? No, Aunt Maggie, not you, I’ve got to go. Someone’s trying to get my attention.” Abigail waited until the call disconnected before whipping her head around to face JJ. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“I need a favor,” JJ looked at the phone in her hand. “Another favor. I gave the uniform following me the slip.”
“Obviously.” Abigail felt herself being pulled ahead by the wrist. “Do I at least get to know where I’m going?”
“Just stay out here and keep watch while I see Paige.”
Abigail’s face softened. “JJ…”
“You think somebody like Daniel or Aunt Kayla is going to give me a straight answer about how she’s doing? I’ve already tried asking. Ten minutes, Abs, please?”
“Ten minutes,” said Abigail softly.

“Detective Brady, thanks for meeting me.” A slim black woman in uniform shook hands with Hope.
Hope shrugged. “JJ wasn’t too happy about having a shadow. Sometimes, he needs a good talking—where is JJ, Officer Price?”
“It looks like he ran off.”
“You know, I really shouldn’t be so surprised that JJ would pull something like this. That woman in the hospital…they were close, together, actually.”
“He must’ve really cared for her,”
“I don’t think he ever stopped.”

“I’m sorry, Paige. For what happened…for everything that happened…” JJ swiped furiously at his moist eyes. “I know you thought what I was doing was stupid and dangerous, but I really was doing it to protect the people I care about. My mom. My sister. You.”
“Right,” Eve’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “You cared about my daughter so damn much that you landed her in this bed!”
“You’re blaming me for this?” cried JJ, standing up.
“You're the only degenerate I see in this room,” Eve replied. “I’ve been with enough of them over the years to know something like this would happen eventually. I warned Paige over and over again, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”
“That’s because nothing would’ve happened if you hadn’t blown my cover with Kyle Southern!” JJ shot back.
“Why don’t you run off and find your stoner friends? You may even convince that girl you’ve crawled back to that you need some of her old-fashioned comforts. I’ve seen her sniffing around again, bless her desperate little heart.”
“Hey!” JJ wasn’t sure where his Aunt Kayla had come from so suddenly but it was lucky she was standing in between them or he might have done something he would regret later. “That’s enough!”
“Tell that to your interloping nephew,” Eve muttered, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.
“Let’s go, JJ,” Hope called from the doorway.
JJ didn’t move.
“Go home, baby,” Kayla whispered a sympathetic note in her voice. “I promise I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“I’m not going anywhere with Hope,” JJ snapped. “The Salem PD wasted a guard on me when they should have been protecting Paige. You want to blame somebody, Eve, blame them.”

[heroicmuse]

Shut up Eve!

i do think Daniel would have given him a straight answer about Paige's condition, but I'm glad that JJ managed to see Paige. Hope should have known better than to put a tail on JJ and expect him to stay put.

[sudsyclassix]

Really late, but hopefully still good new material.

JJ threw his keys down on the couch. He should’ve reasoned with Hope, told her he couldn’t possibly go home and be a good little boy because he had another pressing engagement. If he had been thinking straight he would’ve insisted on waiting for Abigail’s board meeting to be over. No, that wouldn’t have worked. Hope was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. She would see through that in a second. JJ scrolled through the pictures on his phone, coming to a video he hadn’t had the heart to delete after his breakup.

JJ had just finished strumming when he heard a click go off behind him. “I found your phone,” Paige grinned.
“You’ve been tap—come on, gimme it.”
Paige allowed JJ’s fingers to hover above the case before she pulled it out of his reach. “Missed,” she said sweetly.
“But I never miss twice,” he said playfully, satisfied when Paige moved to duck behind the couch. “Yeah, you’d better run, Larson.”
She had, making JJ chase her around the couch for almost ten minutes before they’d both fell back onto to the couch in a giggling mass of limbs. One of JJ’s hands held the phone high above his head like a trophy, while he tickled Paige’s side with the other. “All r—right, I give.”
JJ smiled as he put his phone on the end table and pulled his girlfriend onto his lap. “How long were you taping me, anyway?”
“Not long, just enough so that when you’re a big star, I can say ‘I knew you when.’”
“Oh yeah?” JJ stroked Paige’s hair as she put her head to rest just below his chin. “And how exactly did I rise to stardom?”
“Well, you made a  EweTube video of you playing guitar that went completely viral and now you’re the new Justin Bieber.”
JJ’s bare chest vibrated with laughter. “Seriously, you look at me and think teen idol?”
Paige giggled. “I’ll think of a better example.”
“Please do.”
“As soon as you agree to sing something with me.”
“Sing…as in you and me?”
“Well, yeah, I thought it would be fun, but if you don’t want to…what?”
JJ swallowed his laugh. “I’ve never seen anyone try to talk that fast.”
“Shut up,” Paige blushed.
“But then how are we supposed to sing together. Just us, though, not that someone like me would go viral anyway, I’ve played family occasions and that’s about it."

The memory was so clear; it was as if it had happened yesterday. JJ was pretty sure he still knew the words to the song Paige had picked too. It was a country tune called “Picture”, which probably wasn’t one of her favorites anymore since it had practically prophesied their break up. JJ hadn’t uploaded the video or even thought about the channel again, but maybe this was the way to let Paige know he was thinking about her without Eve’s interference. Positioning his guitar, he took a breath and pressed record. “Um, hi. Someone I really care about talked me into starting this channel, so I’d like to dedicate this first cover to her. This is Fix You by Coldplay.”

When you try you best, but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need.

Roman slammed the Necktie Killer’s case file down on his desk, causing a few papers to flutter to the floor. When he sat back up, he was face to face with three of his grandchildren and their distraught-looking aunt.

When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

Steve seemed to notice there was more the siblings had to say to each other because he quickly shepherded the kids out of the room with the suggestion they all go find Rafe so that the children could make introductions. Kim forced herself to wait until they were gone before releasing a choked sigh.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace.

“Tell me you have something new on Paige’s case.”
“God, I wish I could, Marlena’s still working on a profile.”
“Maybe I’ll help her along,” Kim mused, trying to blink away the wetness in her eyes.
Roman begrudgingly released her, holding up a finger as he answered his phone. “Looks like Paige helped herself,” he told Kim after hanging up. “Lab’s got a hit on some bloody cloth found at the scene.” He pulled his sister back into his arms. “It’s gonna be okay, Kimmie. Let me drop you at the hospital.”

When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Shane sat on the edge of the hospital bed holding Eve’s free hand in his own. They looked up briefly as Kim walked into the room. “Roman thinks he has a lead,” she whispered.
“Did you hear that, honey?” Eve sniffed. “They’re going to catch the person that did this to you. Do you think she can hear me?”
“I know she can,” Kim said softly, reaching over to smooth Paige’s hair. “We’re here, sweetheart.”
“You mum, Kim, and me, so why don’t you open those beautiful eyes?”

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try

Eve gasped. “Paige?”
“Darling?” Shane called. Her eyes fluttered a second time. “Kim, go get Kayla!”

To fix you.

[heroicmuse]

Loved, loved, loved this! The music was perfect. It's hard to do a montage in prose but you did it. And the JJ/Paige flashback was totally in character too, as was JJ playing his guitar and grieving.

[sudsyclassix]

Aug 22, 2017 0:14:24 GMT -5 heroicmuse said:

Loved, loved, loved this! The music was perfect. It's hard to do a montage in prose but you did it. And the JJ/Paige flashback was totally in character too, as was JJ playing his guitar and grieving.

Thanks! I wasn't sure how the montage would work at all, but I'm really happy with it.

[sudsyclassix]

Kayla’s eyes were full of compassion, her jaw set and determined. It was the look she had had on her face from the moment Eve rushed out of Paige’s room—before Kim could say more than her sister’s name—screaming that her daughter was gasping for air. It was the same look that had always managed to give Kim some measure of comfort and calm. Even now, as fear for the girl she considered just as much her own granddaughter as Shane’s crawled and twisted in the pit of her stomach. Not for the first time in her life, she was glad to have her sister with her in a crisis. Kim could only hope she projected half the confidence in a squeeze of Shane’s hand, as she heard in Kayla’s voice.
“Daniel, I need you in here, now!”
“A surgeon?” Eve spluttered. “My little girl needs surgery…what are you putting in her IV?”
“General anesthesia,” Kayla replied. “A tracheotomy’s a simple procedure, but we'll need you to sign some forms. Get the Lidocane,” she instructed Daniel.
“Get the what?” Eve cried as Shane pulled her from the room and closed the door behind Kim.
Maxine came around the nurses’ desk. “Ms. Larson, you need to sign the highlighted areas.”
Eve snatched the clipboard from her hands. “Will someone please give me a damn answer? What the hell is Lido—whatever?”
“Lidocane is a numbing agent,” Marlena explained. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear, but I can wait with you if you like.”
“Please,” whispered Shane.
“Thank you. Eve, I promise I will do anything I can to help you.”
“You wanna help me, Marlena, tell me what’s going on in there.”
“All right. I expect Paige experienced some tracheal trauma from the strangulation. If I were Kayla and Daniel, I would insert a trach tube to help her breathe.”
“Is it permanent?” Eve asked.
“No, but she will eventually need speech therapy."
Shane stood up.
"Daddy, where are you going?"
"I'm going to call Marcus Hunter at Hollywood Regional. See who he recommends in the field."

Ben pulled his surgical mask up higher so that no one would hear him laugh at the astonishingly stupid hospital staff. “And now you, ‘Abigail Deveraux, Public Relations Assistant', you are going to get us exactly what we want.” He held the ID card up to the scanner, and the locked door of the medicine room opened. “This is almost too easy

[sudsyclassix]

Welcome to the first of a few Multi-Post Mondays, the time when I try to get as much of the story posted as possible. I leave for a 21-day training session with my service dog in five weeks and want to give you lots of story to sustain you while I'm gone.

“I still don’t like the idea of Paige being questioned,” Eve sighed.
Kimberly and Marlena shared a look. That much was obvious to them and anyone else who'd heard Rafe go around in circles for twenty minutes, until Eve had become so upset that Maxine shooed him into the lounge.
“No mama likes hearing what I’m about to say,” Kim allowed, “but your baby’s a woman now, so you there's nothing you can really do to stop her from being questioned. A woman with plenty of birthdays ahead of her, because she’s gonna make it out of this mess. Your father’s using his connections to bring in some of the best specialists on both sides of the pond.”
“You’re right. I…I should focus on that.”
“Yeah.” Kim put her hand on her stepdaughter's back and for once Eve didn't pull away, which showed Kim how desperate for comfort she was.
“Eve, what if I talked to her?” Marlena offered. “Nothing formal, just to see how she feels about all of this.”
“I guess that would be all right. Would you, Marlena?”

Paige propped herself higher on the pillows as Marlena entered her hospital room. “I’m glad to see that your surgery went so well. May I sit?”
Paige gestured to the chair at her bedside. She reached for the dry erase board next to her: “What do you need, Dr. Evans?”
“Well, your mother asked me to have a chat with you. The Salem PD wants to send someone over to talk to you about the attack. Would you be all right with that?”
“’Do I have a choice?’” Marlena read. “There’s always a choice. If you’re uncomfortable I’ll certainly make the recommendation that you do this some other time or not at all.”
“I didn’t his face.”
“I understand that. Detective Hernandez has some recordings he’d like you to listen to. A voice line-up, but only if you’re up to it.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Send him in.”
“I’ll leave you two to it, then.”

[sudsyclassix]

Paige had listened to four recordings and the man who attacked her; whose voice chased her through her dreams was still out there.
“That’s not him,” she wrote. “None of them are!”
Rafe knew now that they had been wrong to write Clyde Weston off as some redneck from Poplar Bluff, when it was clear he had a Houdini-like talent for escaping. Luckily, Hope had managed to send Rafe a voice recording of Clyde from Florida where he was—surprise, surprise—a person of interest in a murder.
“All right,” said Rafe. “Voice number five.”
Paige grabbed the dry erase board, poised to ask if this would be the last one, but the gravelly-sounding voice of a man who’d had one too many cigarettes made her heart drop. Whatever he was really saying went over her head, as the echoes of her attack rang in her ears.Dead girls don’t bite…dead girls don’t bite…”
She burst out of the room feeling as unsteady as a baby colt. Kim caught her before she could fall, “I’ve got you, shhh, I’ve gotcha. You’re safe now, honey. So safe.”
Rafe looked on, before he spoke apologically. “Paige, I have to ask you one last thing.”
“Haven’t you done enough,” Eve snapped, but Rafe ignored her.
“Paige, how do you know that man?” he asked. Without hesitation, Paige moved her hands toward her throat. “All right, we’re gonna get him.”
“Thank you, Rafe,” Kim whispered. He nodded, speaking into his walkie-talkie as he walked away.
“This is Hernandez. I need someone to bring Weston in.”

Ben froze as he finished picking the cabinet’s emergency override lock. He hadn’t counted on tripping a silent alarm that would send for the police. Maybe the people who worked here weren’t as dumb as they’d seemed. His pulse quickening, he grabbed an indiscriminate handful of pill bottles and stuffed them into his briefcase. When he was sure that the dope of detective, Hernandez, was gone, he sidled through the emergency exit.

[sudsyclassix]

“I thought you would never answer the door.”
Will was used to Zoe’s dramatics. He stepped back to let her pass. “Come in, before Arianna wakes up.”
“Oh, Will, the next scoop I have for you is so much bigger than beddy-bye,” Zoe assured him, taking a seat on the couch. She scanned his expression. “You really have no idea what’s going on, do you? I thought your mother of all people…well... I thought she would be thrilled. She is back, right?”
“Yeah,” Will nodded. “Mom’s back. What’s the story, Zoe?”
“There’s been a robbery at the hospital—”
“Wait, what?” Will gasped.
“Drugs, apparently. They’ve been on the rise around here, but clearly, you’ve been living under a rock.”
“No, I’ve just been kind of busy since Sonny went to visit his brother.
“Right, “ Zoe drawled. “I forgot about daddy day care. Anyway, I want you to cover the story.”
“Why me?”
“Why not you! You’re one of our best writers.”
“So this has nothing to do with my Aunt Kayla being chief of staff?
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to have an inside source,” Zoe confessed. “Look, when I brought you that tip about The Horton Center, you said you wouldn’t do any other stories about your family.”
“Yeah, and I meant it.”
“But that excludes half the town,” Zoe reasoned. “I admire your principles, really I do, but you need to be realistic. I’m offering you a freebie, here. An easy way to get back on your feet.”
“Back on my feet?” Will repeated.
“Sweetheart, this will be the second story in a row you turned down. If the powers that be start thinking that you’ve lost your nerve…let me put it this way, I hope Sonny’s back from Phoenix before rent’s due. Think about it.”
Will couldn’t think of much else as he stared at the closed door, and he was relieved to hear Ari cry out “Daddy!”
He went to her. “How about we go for a walk, hmmm. Daddy could use the fresh air.”

Abigail walked through Horton Square barely aware of where she was going. The sound of Will’s voice snapped her rudely out of her daze. “Hey, Ari, look who it is. Can you say ‘hi’ to Abigail?”
“Hi,” chirped Arianna.
“Hey, sweetie.” Abigail pasted a smile onto her face. “Whoever got into the medications room used my ID,” she whispered as she sat down, “and ever since that stupid Sonix article said JJ was dealing again…”
“Timing seems a little convenient,” Will observed.
“That’s what I said to Seth Burns,” said Kayla, coming across the square. “I convinced him to put you on leave, Abigail. Paid leave, pending an investigation.”
“But that’s just a formality…I mean, thank you, Aunt Kayla, but I won’t stop passing out my résumé. All Seth Burns cares about is the image of the hospital.”
Kayla nodded. “That’s why I’ve tendered my resignation as chief of staff. “
“What?” the cousins chorused. Abigail found her voice first. “No, Aunt Kayla. I can’t let you do that.”
“Drugs—painkillers, no less, have disappeared on my watch. I was going down anyway. Besides,” Kayla swung Arianna into her lap and sat down in the vacant chair, planting a kiss on the little girl's forehead. “I was getting tired of the politics. All of the donor schmoozing and the board meetings, who needs it, you know? What I need to be doing is taking care of my mother and my son. It’s not like I’m going to be out on the street, either. The free clinic always needs doctors, and I could go back to my roots. Cheer up, baby, really. Think of Anne Milbauer’s face when she finds out that Daniel is her new boss. I’ll see you guys later, okay?”
“Bye,” Will said, accepting Ari back from his aunt. “What’s wrong?” he asked Abigail. “You get to clear your name, this is good news.”
“It doesn’t matter. If it’s in print, it’s gospel.”
“We could discredit the original source,” Will suggested hoping Zoe would trade one gritty exposée for another. “Do you have any idea who that might be?”
“The one person who hates my mom and JJ most. Eve Donovan.”

“Thank you, sorry I woke you up…Damn it,” Will hung up the phone. “I just talked to the Barons’ old neighbor in England. Eve’s adoptive parents have been dead for years.”
“Great,” Abigail scoffed, pouring a second glass of wine. “So, apart from a séance, how are we going to get any new dirt on Eve? Ever since she came to town, I just…I just feel like my dad can’t rest in peace.”
“I get it” Will assured her. “Hey, maybe your dad’s the key. Maybe the lawsuit wasn’t the first time she tried to get her hands on his money.”
Abigail sipped her wine, thinking. “When I was growing up, Dad told me that he had everything a little boy could want when he was my age. Everything expect love, and he certainly didn’t get it from Eve either.”
“How much money did your grandfather have?” Will wanted to know.
“I don’t know,” Abigail shrugged. “I remember that because it was one of the only things Dad said about the guy.” She leaned over and typed “Deveraux” into the open Ewe Search browser on Will’s laptop.
Will looked. “There are articles about you, your dad, and JJ, and some senator named Harper.”
“That’s must be it. My dad’s middle name was Harcourt.” Abigail clicked the link. “I don’t believe this,” she cried, and read on in a whisper. “’Senator Harper Deveraux’s political career is eclipsed by the reign of terror he conducted in Salem under the serial killer alias The Riverfront Knifer. Deveraux targeted prostitutes and other women who he considered to be immoral, attacking ten. Five of the women—Eve Donovan, Gabrielle Pascal, Paula Carson, Kimberly Donovan, and the senator’s own daughter-in-law, Kayla Brady Deveraux—survived. The senator met his demise at the hands of his adopted son, Jack, who claimed self-defense. Senator Deveraux’s two million dollar fortune remained hotly contested for some time after his death.’” Abigail sighed. “It doesn’t say if Eve was involved in taking the money.”
Will smiled. "It explains why she was so mad about the settlement. She's been cheated out of Deveraux money before."
"You think it'll work?" Abigail asked.
"I think Zoe will take anything that she thinks will scoop Nicole," Will replied. "It's like you said: If it 's in print, it's gospel."

[sudsyclassix]

A new Will/Abby cousin love scene in this multipost! Please review and give feedback.
Will could hear the opening bars of “Belle” coming out of Arianna’s bedroom as Abigail closed the door. “How much work do you think you can get done during Beauty and the Beast?” she asked, taking the cup of herbal tea he passed to her.
“Plenty. Listen, Abigail, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us while Sonny’s been gone—”
“But you’re ever-so-politely kicking me out. It’s okay, I can take a hint.”
“I was hoping you and the baby inside you would take a much-needed rest, actually.”
“Is someone afraid of our big bad aunt?” Abby chuckled as Will immediately raised his hand. “Seriously, though, getting my eight straight is a lot easier now that I’m back at Mom’s. No more red and green lights haunting my dreams.”
“Just backstabbing ex-boyfriends,” finished Will. “I wish I could tell you for certain that Ben wasn’t the one who swiped your ID, but the best I can do is have the rest of your stuff out of the apartment by this afternoon.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” There was a noise in the hallway. Abigail put her teacup down and looked through the keyhole. “What’s she doing here?”
“Who?”
“Officer Lani Price, Salem PD.” The woman unclenched her about-to-knock fist and offered her hand to Will. “Mind if I come in, Mr. Horton?”
Will hesitated. “Do I know what this is about?” he asked, but Abigail shrugged as she took a seat on the couch.
“It’s probably about JJ baiting Eve Donovan again,” she replied, then turned to Lani, adding, “I can try to talk some sense into him, but you know by now he has a mind of his own, or you would know that if you were keeping track of him.”
“Relax, your brother wanted to have a private talk with DA Kiriakis. JJ confides in you, doesn’t he? I’m sure Ben Weston did as well.”
“Not anymore. See, trust kind of implodes when someone gets obsessed enough to track the supposed love of their life’s every move.”
Lani sighed, debating whether she should ask what Will was sure was a loaded question. “Could I possibly…see your phone?”
“Not without a warrant, you can’t!”
“Miss Deveraux, this may be crucial to cornering Ben Weston...”
Will spoke before Lani could go any further. “She just told you the tracking was the other way around. You’re not going to get anything here, except a complaint to the commissioner, if you keep going. Or as I like to call him Grandpa.”

Justin led JJ into his office. “To what do I owe the pleasure? I’d love to have a sit-down conversation, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to make this quick.”
“Abby’s been spending all of her time with Will and Ari because she promised Gabi she would look after them while Sonny was visiting Alex. Does that sound like some kind of hardened drug lord to you, Uncle Justin?”
“All I can tell you is that Seth Burns has yet to file charges.”
“Because there won’t be any, or because he just hasn’t done it yet?”
“I don’t know, JJ. What I do know is I have an entire police force poised to arrest Clyde Weston.”
JJ’s threw up his hands. “You guys don’t have Weston yet?”
“Don’t worry, it’s only a matter of time before we find him.”
“Yeah, you’ll find him,” JJ shouted. “You’ll probably find him in Paige’s hospital room trying to finish her off!”
“That’s not gonna happen.” Justin put a reassuring hand on JJ’s shoulder.
“How do you know?”
“Because Shane Donovan has that place guarded to the hilt.”
“Then how’d I get in there to visit her for ten minutes before anyone noticed, huh? Your phone’s ringing “
“I hear it. And you need to hear something too…very clearly. The last thing your mother needs is both of her children in trouble.”
JJ let out a bored sigh. He was not in the mood for lectures, so he slipped out while he uncle was distracted.
“Justin Kiriakis. Which cell tower? So the fugitive and his son on Smith Island.”

It had taken twice as long to drive to the docks this way and JJ almost missed the ferry, because Roman had ordered roadblocks on all of the main highways for five miles. Luckily, for JJ, he and Abigail had spent their childhoods exploring back roads and winding pathways, so he had an inkling of where to go.
“Put your hands up!”
“Okay,” JJ whispered. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you want.”

[sudsyclassix]

“You’ll do whatever I want?” Hope put her gun back in the holster. “Why don’t you start by telling me what you’re doing here, JJ."
“I called him,” Roman replied, his features coming into relief as he stepped out of the shadows. “I’ll take it from here.”
Hope shrugged, looking unhappy but outranked. “I’ll go back to making notifications, then.”
JJ was grateful for the smooth lie and was about to say so when Roman spoke first. “Don’t thank me. You’re stuck here until the next ferry as it is. The way I see it: if you’re old enough to risk your neck for the operation, then you’re old enough to see it through. But you do it our way. No more sneaking up on armed people, understood? Put this on.”
JJ caught the Kevlar vest. “You think they’re in our cabin.”
Roman shook his head. “They were until they started to feel the heat. Rafe found the abandoned stash. Stay back. I’ve got to let these campers know to shelter in place.”
JJ took cover in the overgrown flowerbed of the old Thompson place and watched as Roman knocked next door. Apparently satisfied that no one was home, he started in JJ’s direction.
Then it happened
“Down!” Roman shouted, a bullet whizzing by his ear, as glass from the blown-out window of the shed behind him sprayed the ground.
Footsteps approached the crouched men. “Look what we have here,” Clyde drawled. “Sherlock Holmes and his pet rat.”
“Let the boy go, Weston,” said Roman. “I’m all you need.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” Clyde laughed, grabbing Roman’s service weapon off of the ground so that he was double-fisted. “See I have plans for him too. Inside, both of you!” JJ and Roman allowed themselves to be marched. “We’ve got guests,” Clyde announced to Ben. “Tie Junior up.”
“Why are you doing this?” JJ asked Ben. “My sister is having your baby. Why would you and your dad set her up?”
“The OB was clear at our last ultrasound. The baby is three weeks ahead of schedule, so I knew it wasn’t mine. As for why, well, your sister’s a cheating piece of trash.”
“Bastard,” JJ growled.
“Watch your mouth! Argghh!” Blowing air through gritted teeth, Clyde grasped his wounded shoulder, dropping both guns in the process. Hope and Rafe closed in on him, their own weapons drawn.
"The police chief down in Florida can't wait to see you, Clyde," Hope smiled. "I bet we'll all be on her Christmas card list this year. Do you anything to say for yourself?"
"For once in my life, I've done right by my son." The officers looked around, but Ben had disappeared into the woods.
"JJ!" Roman shouted as the younger man gave chase.