Danny stepped into Towers struggling to carry the balloons and walk on his cane at the same time. He had promised Michelle he would use the cane from now on. He looked around until he found the face he was looking for.
Susan had seen him enter and got up to come help relieve him of the balloons he had brought for her birthday. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek and told him thank you.
He kissed her back and told her Happy Birthday.
They went back to the table and ordered their lunch. Danny had tried to call Michelle just before he came up on the elevator and had not gotten an answer. Where was she? She hadnt mentioned going anywhere.
"Earth to Danny" Susan said and he smiled.
"I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else for a second" he said.
"Let me guess, was it on a certain returned from Oregon wife who has recently moved back in with you" she said slyly.
"Yes, and how do you know all of this miss smartie pants" he said grinning.
"I heard about your little trip to the emergency room yesterday. The whole hospital was laughing over the fact that you make Andrea turn her back while Michelle gave you that shot. Honestly Danny, you have to work on your people skills" she said with a smile.
Danny smiled along with her. In hindsight, he supposed he was a little pushy with the other nurse. "Well everything would have been fine if you had been at work instead of taking a day off" he said.
"Hey, I'll have you know that I had to work two doubles in a row and that day off was very well deserved. How was I to know that you were going to pick that day to come in? Seriously though, I read the chart. Have you made a decision on your surgery?" She asked.
"Yes Michelle and I talked about it and I am going to schedule it for sometime next month. I want to wait until we get settled in good and there is some stuff that has come up at home that needs taken care of" he said thinking of the situation with Pilar.
"Good Danny I am so glad about all of this. I am especially glad that you have your Michelle back. I know first hand that she is the only thing that kept you going for a while there" she said candidly.
"Yeah but back then I didnt know if I loved her or hated her you know" he said.
"I think you knew Danny" Susan said. "I think you were so hurt by what you thought was her desertion that you wanted to hate her but you couldnt. I know dear, I was with you so many times when you were calling for her and asking her why she wasnt there. I went through all of that with you and let me assure you, you didnt hate her" she said.
"Yeah, I know that now. Did you know that she didnt know? Pilar never called her or sent the letter I asked her to send. Can you believe that? My own sister kept her away from me. I am just glad I had you there with me. You are a great friend and I cant wait for you and Joe to meet her. Listen enough about me, how are the grandkids doing?" he asked all the while wondering where Michelle could be.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Michelle's head hurt. She lifted it and a jolt of pain shot through her temples and she was rendered helpless again. Where was she? She opened her eyes little by little to see her surroundings.
She was laying on her side under the dashboard on the car that Danny had bought for her. Had she hit something?How did she end up under here? She was confused.
Where was the phone that she saw attached to the dash? She lifted her head a inch or two off the floor and found the familiar pain agian. Oh great, she had a concussion. She was sure of it. Trying to locate her phone, she moved her eyes around the inside of the car. There it was.
It was on the drivers side floorboard near the brake pedal. How was she going to get it if she couldnt move her head without experiencing severe pain.
Maybe she could move it with her foot. Maybe she could slither down inch by inch until she could touch it with her hands. Maybe she could.........
There was no way to get that phone without sitting up straight. If she could lift herself up onto the seat she could slide over to the phone. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and lifted her head up and laid it on the seat.
She took a few deep breaths and let the pain subside. So far so good. Now if she could just lift her arms up and set them on the seat and lift herself up she could get to the phone. She had to call Danny.
Did anyone see what had happened to her? She didnt remember seeing any other cars on the road. She had thought she heard a car backfire but now she wasn't so sure.
A gunshot. That's what it was. Her windshield had been hit by a gunshot or something like that. Her windshield had shattered and she had lost control of her car. She had run off the road and she was trapped in her car.
What was she going to do? Where would Danny be right now? Probably the office. If she could just get to the phone. She stretched her arm out all the way it could go and wiggled her fingers trying to get a grip on the phone. She was feeling weak again and she was afraid unconciousness was going to overtake her again. Her last thoughts before it claimed her was who would shoot at her and why?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pilar ran into the house and put the rifle back in its case and locked it. She took the black gloves she had been wearing off and stuffed them in a bag. She then undressed and took off the rest of her black gear she had been wearing and placed it in the same bag. The shoes and knit cap came off next. She ran to the shower. She hated wearing the gunk under her eyes but it was necessary to keep her from being recognized.
She had thought of this ever since she saw that car being delivered this morning. Danny had bought Michelle a new car. She didnt deserve a new car. She didnt deserve any of this. Why was everyone so willing to bend to her every whim. What so special about Michelle? Why didnt she have to feel the pain that Pilar had felt? Why did everyone fall in love with her and knock themselves out to do her bidding? She didnt understand it.
She was much prettier than Michelle and she had better breeding but people seemed to go for that nice girl stuff. She had been a nice girl once and it hadnt been enough to hold onto Bill Lewis. Her brother was so blinded by his love for her that she could do no wrong. Had he forgotten that she killed their brother??? That she had turned him into the FBI those many years ago and had deserted him. Well she had fabricated that a bit but the fact remained that it was still her that was there for him in that hospital. He owed her. He owed her alot damn it.
She had to destroy the clothing she was wearing. Someone would find her car soon she was sure. Did it work?? Did the bullet that she had seen shatter the windshield hit Michelle? She hoped it hit her right between those brown eyes her foolish brother loved so much.
She had to burn the clothes and get somewhere where lots of people could see her. She needed an alibi and she needed one quickly. She had it. She had chipped one of her nails when she had been putting those stupid gloves on and she would go to the Nail 2000 in the mall and there she could repair the damage and be seen at the same time.
She was so smart that sometimes she even amazed herself.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pilar had done it. She had gotten her nails done and been seen by at least a dozen people and burned those tacky black clothes in the process. She looked horrid in black and she hated it not like her brother who didnt seem to have any other color in his wardrobe.
She had been sitting here at Millenium awaiting word on Michelle. The gossip train usually boarded here and if there any information about her being found, it would be a hot topic here. She was on her third daquiri. She sipped it trying not to poke herself in the eye with that stupid little umbrella thingy that had been put in her drink. Either the straw had shrunk or that damn pink parasol had grown. She hadnt had this much trouble with the first two drinks. She looked over at Gary the bartender to see if he was playing a practical joke on her. It would be just like him too since he had had a thing for her when she had worked her so many years ago. As if she would go out with him. Oh Please.
He wasnt even looking at her so she knew it wasnt a joke. The carcasses of the other two parasols lay on her napkin by her fresh drink. One was yellow and one was blue. If you put all three of them together they made a cute little bouquet, Maybe she would put it on Michelle's grave.
She was getting a little antsy about not hearing anthing yet. She would drive out there and accidetnally be the one to find her but Danny would be suspicous. She knew he would suspect her. He looked at her differently now. Like he knew what she had become and all that she had done. Oh Danny boy, if you only knew....she thought to herself.
Maybe she would save the sharp little souveniers. She could poke them in his one remaining eye. Show him some pain. Show him that you didnt mess with Pilar Santos.
She decided to try to patiently bide her time and see if anything developed in the next half hour or so. If not she was going to have to take action and make sure the job was done right. Michelle had better be dead. If she wasnt then Pilar could not be responsible for her next attack not being so merciful. She would make it painful this time and she would make it slow.
She grinned wickedly and realized that she kind of hoped Michelle had survived after all. That would give her something very interesting to do tomorrow.