The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
AFFLICTION
BY TROG |
CHAPTER
47 |
CHAPTER 47
The elevator slammed open and as Antonio Vega approached the door of Todd Manning’s penthouse he felt anxious. Todd had called the diner and asked him to come over but Antonio was unsure of his motives. He felt somewhat responsible for Tea’s disappearance, still felt guilty about letting Todd down...about letting Tea down and he wondered if Todd didn‘t just want to get even, to take his anger and revenge out on him the way he had on Bo Buchanan in The Sun. Taking a deep breath he rang the doorbell.
“IT’S OPEN,” boomed Todd’s voice from inside.
Antonio opened the door and walked in. Todd was sitting in the middle of the livingroom floor in black loose pants and shirt. He was bear foot with a few days growth of beard and uncombed hair and he pounded away on a lap-top while drinking from an open quart of milk. The place was littered with paper scattered all over the place, piles of books, open maps and pictures of what looked like Roman soldiers in ancient armor.
“I thought rich dudes like you had a housekeeping staff to clean up messes like this,” said Antonio as he closed the door and stepped over stacks of paper along the floor.
Todd just ignored him and continued typing into the lap-top. Antonio moved some maps off the sofa and sat down waiting for Todd to say something. Finally he finished and stood up in front of him.
“I found Tea...I know where she is,” he said, a small, mysterious smile on his face.
Antonio shot up and approached him.
“You do? Where is she? How did you find her?”
“Well...I haven’t found her...not yet!“
“So...someone told you where she is?”
“No one told me...I mean well Aaron Blackmoor sort of told me...but I guessed it. I saw it in a dream,” he said, his eyes weary and glassy.
“You what? Oh man...are you on some sort of meds?”
Todd laughed.
“No man, I’m not on anything...well, acid blockers but I can’t get a buzz off of those. Listen, I’m telling you I know where Tea is!”
“Alright...alright, Todd...I’ll bite. Where’s Tea?”
Todd walked over to the sofa and grabbing a dog-eared map thrust it at Antonio who looked at it curiously.
“This is a map of Greece. Tea’s in Greece?”
Todd nodded slowly...then crossed his arms and smiled proudly.
“Actually to be more precise...she’s in Sparta.”
“Sparta. And tell me...how did you come to this brilliant conclusion?”
“I kept having this dream...about Aaron Blackmoor and Tea...but I was only looking at the obvious...that Tea was leaving me, that she was taking off with him...but the dream was telling me something else. It was telling me what Aaron Blackmoor had already told me. See...from the moment I met him he kept talking about all this classical Greek shit...Helen of Troy and Paris...and Menelaos. See?”
Antonio shook his head.
“No I don’t see. All I remember about Helen of Troy was she was the reason for the Trojan War...and the horse thing...am I right? I’m afraid I didn’t pay much attention to world history in school.”
“Yeah...that’s it...the Trojan War. See Paris was this young warrior who was asked to decide who the most beautiful of the Goddesses on Mount Olympus was. Well...each of the goddesses tried to influence his decision...promising him wealth and power...but Aphrodite promised him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world...Helen. Well...Paris chose Aphrodite, of course...but unfortunately for Paris...Helen was already spoken for. She was married to the King of Priam in Sparta, Menelaos. So Aphrodite cast a love spell on Helen and when she beheld Paris...well she ran off with him to Troy. This is what triggered the Trojan War...”
“Okay, Todd...that’s a really nice story...but what the hell does it have to do with Tea?”
Todd reached down and grabbed the carton of milk, taking a big, sloppy swallow, letting it dribble down his chin as he wiped it off with his sleeve.
“From the moment I met Aaron Blackmoor, he kept dropping all these classical allusions to Helen of Troy...and all that stuff. He even called me Paris at one time and referred to himself as Menelaos. And he said Tea was his Helen of Troy...his prize. This thing between him and me and Tea...he sees it as some battle. See...the battle of Troy lasted nine years...that’s how long Goldenboy has existed...his first kill was about nine years ago according to police records. Well at the end of nine years, the Trojans were defeated, Paris was killed in battle and Menelaos took Helen back to their home...back to Sparta! And that’s what Blackmoor said at the end of the tape he sent Bo...he said ‘Tea and I are off to our home. The war is over. I have my queen back...I am victorious.’ See? He and Tea are in Sparta.”
Antonio stared at him and looked down at the map in his hand which had been marked with circles and arrows with red marker.
“You know man, I must be as crazy as you cause...this actually makes some sense to me.”
Todd smiled and sat next to him.
“I know she’s there....I can feel it. Blackmoor traveled all over the world offing people...who knows how long he’s been planning his retirement. I bet he’s got a house there in some remote location where he’s holding her. “
“But Sparta is just ruins isn’t it?” said Antonio looking at the map.
“Yeah...what’s left of Sparta is just ruins but the city still exists...it’s a tourist trap! It’s part of a larger area called Peloponnissos...on the bank of the Eviotas River in the foothills of Mt. Taygetus,” he said matter of factly, drinking his milk.
Antonio looked up at him with an arched brow.
“Man...you’ve really been doing your homework. Well...I guess it’s time to call the police tell them what you’ve got.”
“NO! It’s because of the fucking police that Tea’s gone! They’re not getting anywhere near her. You and I are going to find her. I have a jet sitting on a runway, fueled and ready...got a passport?”
Antonio rolled his eyes.
“Oh, no we’re not! The last time we tried to help Tea...well...look where it got us. Look Todd...it’s time you take Aaron Blackmoor seriously. Maybe we have to accept that he’s just smarter than we are.”
“NO ONE IS SMARTER THAN ME! Specially not Aaron Blackmoor. I’M GOING TO FIND TEA! AND IF YOU WON’T HELP ME...I’LL GO ALONE!”
Antonio threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling.
“Aright...alright, I’ll go! You’re a head case, you know that Todd?’
“Good...good...we’re leaving in 3 hours,” said Todd, staring at Antonio.
Antonio sat down again and smiled up at him.
“When did this thing happen, man...this thing between you and Tea? I mean...I thought she married you for your money...”
Todd walked over to the window and looked out, his mood growing as dark as the night.
“Yeah, she did...it was a business deal...the most expensive one I ever made. I thought it was worth spending 5 million dollars on a wife to get custody of my kid. But...before I knew it...”
“Love?” said Antonio from the sofa.
Todd turned and looked at him. “No...love is what ordinary people have...what Tea and I have is much more...there’s no word for it...but it‘s real...and we both feel it the same way,” he said quietly, looking up at the silver moon.
Antonio got up and walked over to him.
“You know I remember when she was young...I had such a thing for her. Our families use to visit now and then...and she was so fiery...so smart...so New York. All the guys were nuts about her...but once she opened that mouth and released that brain of hers...well...we were all terrified of her...totally intimidated by her head...her voice...her confidence, cowering before her like frightened rabbits. She was just too much woman for us boys to handle...even back then. And man...that temper of hers...”
Todd laughed.
“Oh yeah...I’ve had a few run-ins with that famous temper. It’s almost as bad as mine,” he said, smiling, but it quickly faded and closing his eyes as if in pain he turned away from Antonio. “If he hurts her...I’ll kill him, Antonio. I’m warning you right now that I’m prepared to do that, so...if you want to bail...tell me now.”
“He’s not going to hurt her, man...well...not physically anyway...he wants her too much,” said Antonio.
“Don’t be too sure of that....I’ve been up all night reading up on Aaron’s grandfather, Gustaves Herzog, and the migration of the Herzog family from Germany to Argentina...eventually to Canada. Do you know how he died? He was hunted down and killed in a shootout...by the Canadian police. Gustaves was tracked down by Nazi hunters and shot when he resisted arrest...along with Klaus’ father...right in front of young Klaus’ eyes. And there’s more...a few months later Elena Herzog, Klaus’ Argentinian mother, was found shot to death in her home...and that’s when young Klaus disappeared off the face of the earth. The police suspected him of killing her.”
“Are you telling me Aaron Blackmoor killed his own mother? Why?”
“It was suspected that Elena, who was unaware of her father-in-law’s Nazi past, was the one who tipped off Nazi hunters. I think Aaron Blackmoor killed her...maybe that’s when he lost his soul. And look at this,” said Todd, fishing through stacks of paper until he found what he was searching for and shoved a print out toward Antonio.
Antonio stared at the picture of a beautiful, dark-haired, dark-eyed woman.
“Hey...who’s this? She kind of looks like Tea.”
“That’s Klaus’ mother, Elena. That was the picture in the newspaper when she was killed. She was Argentinian, of Hispanic descent like Tea...and her name Elena...well...that translates into Helen...like Helen of Troy. I’m telling you...Aaron Blackmoor is a total head case...so forgive me if I don’t have any faith in his love for Tea. I think he will hurt her when he runs out of patience. Right now he sees her as Helen...his wife...but how long before he sees her as Elena...his treacherous mother?”
“No doubt about it...the guy’s a psycho.”
Todd nodded than turned away...staring out the window as a long silence passed between the two men before Antonio heard Todd‘s voice as he spoke to the darkness outside his window.
“I feel like someone scraped my guts out with a rusty blade....it’s killing me, man...her being gone,” Todd whispered, as he stared out at the darkness.
Antonio felt awkward comforting Todd...but he felt sorry for him. Todd always seemed like such an outcast to him...so completely alone ...accept lately...when he’d seen him with Tea. It felt strange to hear such intimate thoughts from such a private man.
“I know...it’s probably killing her too,” said Antonio. “Listen, I’m going to go and try to find my passport...I’ll be back in a few hours...okay?”
“Yeah...I’m all packed. And don‘t say a word to anyone...I don‘t know who‘s on Aaron Blackmoor‘s payroll in this town.”
“Well...alright...I’ll be back,” said Antonio as he walked toward the door. Before he went out he looked at Todd who stood by the window looking dejected and depressed.
“Hey...we’ll find her.”
Todd looked over at him.
“Damn straight.”
Todd looked around after Antonio left...the place felt quiet and empty. He was startled when the doorbell rang and wondered if Antonio had come back, but when he opened it Blair was standing there...dressed to kill in a black leather dress and spiked heels.
“What do you want?”
“Well...if you must know...I was worried about you. You left the hospital a few days ago and we haven’t heard from you,” she said, walking past him. “Well...this place is a complete mess...what are you doing...researching a story?”
Todd closed the door and turned to her.
“I noticed Antonio leaving...what was he doing here, Todd? I mean...the Vegas are hardly our kind of people.”
Todd laughed.
“Our kind of people? What the fuck does that mean, Blair? They’re not liars, rapists and scam artists?”
“Oh come on, Todd...you know what I mean....they’re...diner people. We’re rich...we don’t have anything in common with them...that’s all.”
“Oh...I see...for a minute I thought you meant because they were Puerto Rican...you know...like Tea, for instance.”
Blair just looked away and pranced around the living room.
“Hey, that’s not what I meant...I have nothing against those people. So...is there any word on poor Tea?”
“Like you fucking care.”
“Hey...I’m not completely without compassion, Todd...I am a mother, you know. But...did it ever occur to you that maybe...just maybe...she just left you again. Maybe she decided to run back to that handsome husband of hers.”
“How do you know how handsome Tea’s husband is? Have you met him?” he asked approaching her.
“No...no...I never met him. I just heard talk...around The Palace, that’s all. Anyway...now that Tea’s gone...well, I thought maybe...we...you should come home again. Our children miss you...and we owe it to them to try and make our marriage work,” she said, coming close to him and touching his lips with her long, red-dagger fingernail. “If you let me, Todd...I can make you feel better...give you everything you need,“ she whispered.
As she came closer, her lips very close to his, Todd suddenly shoved her violently away from him.
“You lying bitch! How long have you known? HOW LONG?” he yelled, his eyes on fire.
“What? What’s wrong with you...I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“JACK! JACK! HE’S NOT MINE! HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN?”
Blair looked startle, then shook her head!
“I DIDN’T KNOW...WELL...I WASN’T SURE,” she yelled back, “not until I saw his blood type. But...what does it matter, Todd. He’s ours. We’re the only parents he’s ever known...so...noone has to know...specially not Max!”
“YOU THINK I WANT TO LIVE WITH YOU AND RAISE MAX’S KID...PRETEND HE’S MINE...PRETEND I LOVE YOU? NO FUCKING WAY! I‘M SICK TO DEATH OF PRETENDING!”
Blair began to cry, her hands shaking as she tugged at her choppy hair.
“You can’t just walk away from him, Todd...I know how much you love your son.”
“HE’S NOT MY SON...WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” shouted Todd, finally just walking away from her, trying to control his growing rage and burying his anguished face in his hands. “Get the hell out of here Blair...because if you don’t go I don’t think I can keep myself from killing you.”
“HEY...WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU DID, TODD? YOU GAVE HIM AWAY...YOU TOLD ME HE WAS DEAD FOR MONTHS...WHAT ABOUT THAT! IF I CAN FORGIVE YOU...YOU CAN SURE AS HELL FORGIVE ME!”
“YOU SHOULDN’T FORGIVE ME...DON’T YOU GET IT? DON’T YOU HAVE A HEART? DON’T YOU HAVE A SOUL? HOW THE HELL CAN YOU JUST FORGIVE ME FOR TELLING YOU YOUR KID WAS DEAD? FOR LAUGHING AT YOUR GRIEF! GOD...“ said Todd, his head thrown back in utter exasperation, “How can you want this, Blair? Look at us! How can you want this ugliness between us...”
“It doesn’t have to be ugly...we can make it beautiful,” she said, wiping her eyes and approaching him again...but he just shrank from her.
“I don’t love you...I don’t want to be anywhere near you...don’t you get it?” he whispered.
“Well...Tea’s gone, Todd...and she‘s not coming back. And somehow...I don’t think you want to spend your life alone...”
Todd through his head back and laughed with sarcastic frustration.
“Oh...is that your plan...you’ll just wait around till I’m lonely and weak enough and pathetic enough...then...wooosh....you’ll swoop in and make your move? Do you have any idea how sad and pathetic you sound?”
Anger flared in her wild, green eyes.
“Not as pathetic as you...pining away for Tea Delgado after she dumped you...again. What a fool she’s made out of you! Fine, Todd, have it your way, for now...I’m going home to our children,” she said, heading for the door but stopping before she exited. “You’ll come around, Todd...you always do,” she said smiling, before slamming the door behind her.
“Oh...I’ll come around alright, Blair. Just you wait,” he said in a venomous whisper as he stared at the door with a murderous intent.
to be continued...
2002 Copyright by Trog
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