Victoria L.

Chapter 21

“What did you say?” Brenda asked, gripping Jax’s hands tightly enough
to make him wince.
“He’s dead,” Jax repeated. “Martin is dead.”
“You are friggin’ kidding me, here,” Carly said, running her hands
through her hair.
“Well, what--”
“Listen, we don’t have time to go over anything,” Jax insisted, putting a
hand on Brenda’s shoulder. “Carly, go and open the door, they’ll be breaking
it down in a few moments.”
“They’re looking for me?!” Brenda asked frantically.
“Brenda, listen to me, all right? This is bad. This is really bad for all of
us. I need to talk to you privately, but we don’t have time right now--”
“I didn’t kill him, Jax,” Brenda insisted, shaking her head at Jax. “I
swear. You don’t think that I did, do you--”
“Brenda, I--”
“Brenda Buchanan, can you tell us where you were this afternoon
between 11:00 and 3:00 p.m.?” Marcus Taggert, a police lieutenant for the
Port Charles Police Department said, barreling into the Java House. Brenda’s
jaw dropped as she watched several armed officers gathering in her shop.
Unable to form a thought in her head, Jax urged her to speak.
“Brenda, answer the man, please.”
“Where were you from 11:00 and 3:00pm?” Taggert asked again, in
annoyance.
“I was here,” Brenda said quickly, trying to get her story straight in her
mind.
“The entire time?” Taggert asked.
“Yeah the whole time,” Carly piped up. Taggert tossed her an angry
glance.
“Is your name Ms. Buchanan?” Carly bit her lip and took a step back,
her eyes on the floor. Jax looked at Brenda, his eyes wild, his heart racing. As
soon as he saw the look on Brenda’s face, his heart sank.
“I actually wasn’t here most of the time,” she answered truthfully.
Taggert gave her a disgusted look, to which she responded angrily, “I was
here MOST of the time, sir. I left for a few hours--”
“A few hours?”
“Yeah, I went to the local suppliers, it’s down by the docks. We were
expecting several shipments and deliveries of some coffee beans, among
other things, and there didn’t arrive on time. We needed them to keep these
doors open, so I went down to see what the trouble was.”
“Can anyone corroborate your story?” Taggert asked, the look on his
face apparent that he didn’t think so.
“Uh,” Brenda said, running her fingers through her hair, trying to come
up with someone who had to have seen her.
“Surely the supplier saw her,” Jax piped in.
“I didn’t ask you anything sir,” Taggert said, his voice quiet. “Please, Ms.
Buchanan, can you tell us if anyone saw you this afternoon?”
“Well the supplier didn’t see me, because we didn’t actually meet.”
“What do you mean?” Taggert asked.
“I just mean that I waited and waited, and he wasn’t there, he never
showed.”
“The supplier wasn’t there at his own warehouse?”
“No,” Brenda said. “I know it sounds off, but I honestly don’t know
where the man was, or why he wasn’t there. He SHOULD have been there.”
“So no one saw you then?” Taggert asked, making sure he had her story
straight.
“I’m--I’m not sure,” Brenda said, staring at the floor, trying to come up
with a name or a face.
“Lieutenant?” an officer said quietly, not wanting to interrupt. “The
commissioner’s on the line for you, he says it’s urgent.”
“Fine,” Taggert said, sighing. “Ms. Buchanan, I’m going to have to ask
you to wait right here, I’ll be right back. Don’t try to run, please, we have the
place surrounded.”
“Why would I run?” Brenda asked to Taggert’s retreating form. “What is
this about?”
“It’s about Martin’s death,” Jax said, sadly. “Obviously, they have you as
their number one suspect.”
“But that’s ridiculous,” Brenda said. “I didn’t kill him. How do you
know about this, anyway?”
“I was there at the hospital when they found him dead,” Jax said, softly.
“What?” Brenda asked, trying to keep one eye on Taggert, and the other
on Jax. “What were you doing there?” Before Jax could answer, Taggert
returned.
“Ms. Buchanan, you are under arrest for the murder of Martin Shayne.”
“Oh, don’t even tell me,” Brenda said, shaking her head and backing
slowly away from Taggert.
“We can do this the hard way or the easy way,” he said, obviously
annoyed to even be making this arrest. Brenda stood still as she was read her
rights, and they placed the handcuffs on her. Several voices were screaming
around her. Carly’s insistence upon her innocence, Jax’s threats to have all
their badges. None of the voices were clear, and seemed to echo through
Brenda’s mind. She wasn’t aware of the floor as it began to swim in front of
her eyes, nor was she aware of the fact that the blood was rushing from her
head, and her knees were growing weak. Before she knew it, for the second
time that day, her world went black.
When Brenda came to, she was on the floor of Java House, and there
was a nurse standing over her, a welcome face.
“Bobbie,” she said weakly. “What are you--”
“You were brought to the hospital,” Bobbie said quietly, smoothing
back Brenda’s hair. “You passed out when you were at Java House, and they
weren’t able to revive you for several hours.”
“Is there anything wrong with me?” Brenda asked, trying to sit up
suddenly, but having to give in and lay back down. Her mind could only
focus on her baby and its health.
“You’re dehydrated,” Bobbie said calmly. “And your blood pressure’s a
little higher than I’d like.” Brenda nodded, not really taking in what Bobbie
was saying.
“Can you tell me who has my son?” Brenda asked. “My children, they--”
“They’re fine,” Bobbie said. “Jax took your son home, I understand that
my daughter is taking care of him. He should be just fine.” Brenda nodded,
relief flooding through her body.
“Did you know that I was pregnant?” Brenda asked.
“Yes, your tests indicated that. Are you worried about your child,
Brenda? Because you shouldn’t be, the baby is fine.”
“Okay,” Brenda said, weakly. “But I don’t want anyone to know just yet,
is that okay?”
“Of course, dear,” Bobbie said, squeezing Brenda’s hand gently. “But if
you want my opinion--”
“I don’t mean to be rude, Bobbie, but I just don’t need anything else to
think about right now, and I’d like to keep this to myself for right now.”
“All right,” Bobbie said. Brenda’s face began to pale as Bobbie looked
down on her. Suddenly, Brenda clutched at her stomach, and Bobbie, the
experienced nurse that she was, had an emesis basin nearby so that Brenda
could empty the minimal contents of her stomach. Brenda laid back on the
bed, and Bobbie encouraged her to lay on her side and take calm, deep
breaths. “Listen, I’m going to go and get your doctor, all right? Now, there’s a
police man outside your door--”
“Bobbie, I did NOT kill Martin--”
“Of course you didn’t,” Bobbie insisted. “And as far as I’m concerned,
you’re resting, and not to be disturbed, doctor’s orders.” Bobbie then got a
sly look on her face. “I let it slip to the officer outside that you may be
contagious, so I don’t think you need to worry about him coming to look in
on you.”
“Thank you, Bobbie,” Brenda said, softly. “Where’s Jax?”
“He’s right outside. Do you want me to see if I can get him in here?”
“No,” Brenda said. “That’s all right. It’s just--it’s good to know that he’s
here. Would you tell him something for me?”
“Sure,” Bobbie said. “Oh, I’m so sorry I forgot, he told me to tell you
something too. He didn’t forget to look in on your dog, Maxie, and he knows
that Jody isn’t going to daycare tomorrow cause the place is fumigating.”
Brenda sighed and smiled, a peace coming over her.
“That’s just what I was going to tell him. Thanks, Bobbie.”
“Sure. I’ll be back in a few minutes, all right? You just get some rest.”
When Bobbie left Brenda’s room, she saw Jax pacing at the end of the
hallway. She purposefully walked in the opposite direction, and retrieved Dr.
Meadows for Brenda. Once the doctor was in with Brenda, Bobbie took the
opportunity to talk to Jax. “She’s fine,” Bobbie said, before Jax could open his
mouth. “She’s a little dehydrated, high blood pressure, but she’s doing fine.
She should be able to go home in a few hours--”
“No, she can’t go home, Bobbie,” Jax said, insistently. “Brenda cannot
leave this hospital.”
“What are you talking about?” Bobbie asked, looking over her shoulder
as Jax pulled her further down the hall, out of the policeman’s line of vision.
“Brenda cannot leave this hospital, because if she does, she’ll go
straight to jail. They’ll put her on trial, and in a few weeks, she’ll be in
Statesville or Pentonville, and she’ll never see her family again.”
“Jax,” Bobbie scoffed, “don’t you think you’re overreacting just a bit?
Brenda’s innocent, and the PCPD’s not stupid. She’s innocent, she’s got
nothing to worry about.”
“She’s shot the man once already,” Jax said. “They were just LOOKING
for a reason to catch someone for his murder. Can’t you come up with some
reason to keep Brenda here for some tests or something? All I need is a few
days.”
“I don’t know what I can do,” Bobbie said. “Maybe I can keep her
overnight for observation, and then I can perhaps extend her stay to
tomorrow afternoon, but you’ll have to take it up with Dr. Meadows.”
“I’ve already spoken to Dr. Meadows. I did her a huge favor a long time
ago, and it’s time to pay up. She’s going to give Brenda a couple of days in the
hospital, and that’s all I need. And,” Jax added in a lower voice, “we both
know that there is more than one person who could be suspected of this if a
few things got out.” Realization crossed Bobbie’s face just then, and she
sighed.
“I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do this, but I’m glad now that I did.”
“What are you talking about?” Jax asked.
“Earlier, when I let you into Martin’s room, and you left, I checked on
him. He was fine, but he had a different disposition about him. He wasn’t
being cocky or arrogant anymore. He was truly terrified, and I thought you
had done that to him.”
“So?” Jax asked.
“So, being a Cassadine, and originally a Spencer, not to mention Carly’s
mother, has not made me stupid. I knew that if something happened to
Martin, whatever the two of you were discussing would be an issue later on.”
“So what’d you do?”
“I arranged for Amy to take an extended vacation, she’ll be gone for the
next two months.”
“How’d you arrange that?” Jax asked.
“She had some sick days coming up, and I threw in a few extra for her.
I gave her permission to leave as soon as you left the hospital. I don’t know if
Amy knows anything that could incriminate you, but if anyone in this hospital
would know, it’d be her. Regardless, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? I
just wanted her out of the way in case the police questioned her and she
mentioned to them that you were here.”
“Thank you, Bobbie,” Jax said, impulsively taking her in his arms and
hugging her tightly. “I can’t be locked up while Brenda’s going through this.
I’m the only one she has.”
“First of all, you’re not the only she has. She’s got the help of all the
Spencers, and even the Cassadines, not to mention all of her friends and the
people in this town who love her coffee.” Bobbie gave Jax a warm smile then.
Suddenly, Jax took Bobbie by the shoulders.
“But Bobbie, Amy left before you gave me permission to go into
Martin’s room. YOU know I was in there alone with him.”
“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” Bobbie said, calmly.
“IF you were here in this hospital, I certainly didn’t see you, and I would
never have let you go into Martin’s room at all, let alone by yourself.” The
look on Bobbie’s face said it all. She was on their side.
“I don’t have any idea how to thank you,” Jax said. “I am going to get to
the bottom of this, you can rest assured, and I’m going to do everything I can
to make sure this stays as far away from you and your family as possible.”
“I appreciate that,” Bobbie said. “But if you need any help, just ask.”
“He’s not going to need any help,” Alexis said, coming up behind Jax.
“He’s got the best, right here.” Bobbie gave Alexis a smile and Jax a
conspiratorial wink before returning to the nurses’ station. Jax turned to
Alexis and gave her an enthusiastic hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jax said. “Where’s Nora?”
“She’s at the police station, harassing Lieutenant Taggert into dropping
the charges against Brenda, or producing some REAL evidence.” Jax
nodded.
“It’s good that you’re here,” he said, softly. “I’d much rather deal with
you. I’m not so sure Nora always has Brenda’s best interests at heart, you
know, because of Daniel and all.”
“I can understand that,” Alexis said, “and that’s why you have me. Now,
come here and sit down, I want to talk with you. Are you sure that you’ve
told me everything?”
“Actually, I haven’t,” Jax said truthfully. “There’s quite a lot you don’t
know, and quite a lot that you aren’t going to like. In fact, we probably
shouldn’t talk here.”
“Are you okay to leave Brenda?” Alexis asked.
“We can go to Dr. Meadows’ office to talk,” Jax said. “She’s in with
Brenda right now.”
“Fine,” Alexis said, as they hurried to Dr. Meadow’s office.
“Now,” Jax said, closing the door behind him and sitting beside Alexis.
I’m telling you this because not only are you our lawyer, but because you’re a
friend, and I know I can trust you. Plus, you said that you didn’t want any
surprises.”
“That’s right,” Alexis said. “So spill.”
“All right,” Jax said. “Well, in order for Brenda to go to jail, Martin had
to press charges against her.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Okay, so,” Jax sighed. “This is a little hard to admit, but I came here and
offered him a deal.”
“Tell me you didn’t,” Alexis sighed wearily. “All right,” she said,
knowing he did in fact do what he was saying, “finish it, tell me everything.”
“Okay, well, I went there with the intention of offering him a deal of
$500,000 to get out of the country, never come back, and never bother
Denise again.”
“What happened?”
“He agreed, on the conditions that I up the sum to a million, and
guarantee that Denise not press charges against him.”
“Did she agree to that?”
“Denise has no idea about the deal. I’m not sure where she is right
now. It was my intention to get in touch with her this evening. She didn’t
answer her cell phone. Anyway, I agreed to the terms, and had the money
transferred to his account by noon. He was supposed to be released at 2:00.”
“Did anyone see you?” Alexis asked.
“Amy Vining saw me, and she heard me ask to be let into Martin’s
room. But she left before Bobbie agreed.”
“Bobbie agreed?” Alexis asked, raising an eyebrow. Jax nodded and
went on.
“Bobbie let me in, and she saw me when I left. She’s on my side
though, I talked to her already, just now. She sent Amy away on vacation in
case the police start asking questions, and she’s already going to maintain that
she never saw me in Martin’s room or anywhere near it, and that she certainly
didn’t give me permission to go in.”
“Well what about anyone else? There are dozens of people in this
hospital.”
“No one was on the elevator with me, I got off on the one at the end of
the hall, no one saw me come up, I’m sure of it. Bobbie and Amy were the
only two at the nurses’ station at the time, and there was no guard on the
door when I went to see Martin.”
“You’ve got all your bases covered then,” Alexis said.
“Well there are a few holes. First of all, I have to keep Brenda here in
the hospital. She passed out when they were arresting her. Bobbie told me
that she was fine, but I’m not so sure. She really looked sick. At any rate, Dr.
Meadows and Bobbie are both on my side, and they’re going to try and keep
Brenda here for a few days.”
“All right,” Alexis said. “What else do you need?”
“I need a few days to get myself together. Two at the most. I need to
take Jody and Victoria and Jasmine up to Alaska to have a nice long visit with
my parents. My sister Lois is going up as well to help. And then there’s that
darn dog, Maxie, that Brenda loves so much. Carly and Jason are going to take
care of her. I just need a few days to get my affairs in order and to get back
here to prove Brenda’s innocence.”
“All right now,” Alexis said, putting a hand up. “You need to stop right
there. This is NO time to play junior detective. Now if what you say is true,
then the police are going to find the money that mysteriously appeared in
Martin’s account. A million dollars cannot be easily explained away.”
“I left a paper trail that the police would have to follow for months, and
even then, there’s no guarantee that they would ever trace it back to me.”
“It’s ALWAYS possible, Jax. And if you ask me, there are far too many
holes in this plan already. You are depending on way too many people to
have the same resolve and strength and conviction that you do. And that’s
just not going to happen. You have an advantage because you are protecting
the woman you love, and there’s no risk too great for you. But Bobbie, Dr.
Meadows, Carly, myself, there’s no guarantee that we are all going to be able
to help you 100% of the time. And on top of everything, and forgive me for
asking, but are you completely sure that Brenda isn’t guilty of this?”
“Look at my face,” Jax said coolly. “Brenda is not guilty. She did not do
this, she didn’t. And I don’t want you defending her if you don’t believe in
her innocence whole heartedly.”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Alexis said, touching Jax’s face lightly. “All
right, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to touch base with Nora, see if
she made any progress. I’m going to also try and find Denise. Do you want
me to let her in on this?”
“No,” Jax said. “Not yet. Enough people know already.”
“All right, fine. I’ll try and keep an eye on her, make sure the police
don’t talk to her too soon. And then there’s Carly.”
“She’s solid,” Jax said. “I’ll let her in on the plan if I deem it necessary.
We may need her help before this thing is over. She does have connections.”
Alexis nodded, mentally checking the fact that Carly’s boyfriend was rumored
to be linked to organized crime.
“Okay, well you go and do what you need to do in Alaska, and I’m going
to wait here for your call. I need to ask you this, though. Suppose you can’t
get Brenda out of this. Suppose that it’s made clear to you that once she gets
out of the hospital, she will be taken to jail and put on trial?”
“Then we’ll run,” Jax said, calmly. “Brenda will not serve time for
something--for something so horrible that she couldn’t possibly have done.
It’s not in her.”
“We find that we are all capable of things we previously couldn’t
imagine ourselves doing,” Alexis said softly. “I should know. Listen, what I
meant by posing those scenarios is this--if we can’t prove Brenda’s innocence,
we still aren’t out of the game. And running should be the LAST thing you
should do, are we clear on that?”
“Crystal,” Jax said. “So what’s your plan?”
“My plan is,” Alexis said, “if we can’t prove Brenda’s innocence, we shift
the blame.”
“What do you mean?” Jax asked.
“I mean we find someone else, and we set them up for Martin’s
murder.”