Part 9 - Chapter 1 - Revelations

Eileen awoke suddenly with a gasp. She looked around her bedroom and slowly started to remember who she was and where she was. She'd just awoken from one of those dreams again, the ones that were so vivid that they felt like they were real.

After taking a moment to calm herself and regain her perspective, Eileen tried to remember the details of the dream. All she could recall was riding off into the sunset and feeling like she had made a horrible mistake, but she had no idea what the mistake could have been or what triggered the dream.

The dreams had stopped as soon as she decided to accept Hector's marriage proposal, so she took that as a sign that she was doing the right thing. They'd had a wonderful time at the engagement party and Eileen went to bed happy, so why were they back now, waking her up with a sense of dread?

After dressing and having breakfast, Eileen decided to pay Cassandra a visit.

"Hey, Eileen. What brings you by?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better," Cassandra replied as she quietly closed the door behind her. "It was just one of those things, you know." After an awkward moment of silence, Cassandra asked, "Is everything ok with you?"

"Yeah, I guess so . . ." Eileen said unsurely. "Can I ask you something? Last night, why did you tell me not to marry Hector?"

"Did I say that?" Cassandra asked, confused.

"I honestly don't remember saying that, but I know why I would have," she said as she walked over to the patio bench and took a seat. As Eileen sat next to her, she continued in a low voice, "When I shook Hector's hand I got the worst feeling. I can't even describe it to you, but it there's something very bad about him."

"What?" Eileen asked in alarm.

Cassandra shook her head. "I don't know."

"Is that why you nearly fainted?"

"It was more than just Hector. After that, when that other man, Lawrence, walked in. He just seemed so familiar. One thing on top of another was a sensory overload."

"What is it about those two?" Eileen wondered aloud.

"Have you been having those dreams again?" Cassandra asked casually.

"Yes. Just last night," Eileen replied. "I thought they had quit, but . . ." she sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Do you want to know what I think?" Cassandra asked. When Eileen nodded, she continued, "You need to get back into psychic studies again and I don't mean the community college courses. I think we really need to get into the serious stuff."

Eileen was hesitant. "I'll think about it."

Jordan and Audrey sat down to a quiet breakfast on Sunday morning. As Jordan absently gazed over the morning paper and Audrey slowly ate a bowl of cereal, both were thinking about the events of the previous evening.

Ever since the party, Audrey's mind had been on the past. She had come here hoping to get away from everything that had happened before, but somehow it kept catching up to her. First with the man who had coerced her to get information on the Stuart-Townsend Corporation and now with Chad. Audrey forgot all about her breakfast as she thought about Chad. She was still angry and hurt at the way things had turned out with him, but she knew she wouldn't be so hurt if she didn't still love him. That was the worst part of it.

Meanwhile, Jordan's thoughts were on the future. After Lucy kissed him, he left quickly, without saying anything. It seemed like the best thing to do. He needed time to think before he said or did something regrettable. He had spent most of the night thinking, wondering what he had done to let this happen. Somehow he had let things get too personal to remain professional.

It was too late to change the past, so he had to decide what was to be done next. As he flipped through the paper his eye was drawn to the classified ads. He quickly folded up the paper again and left for work.

When Jordan walked into the Stuart house, he found Lucy sitting in the foyer. She looked at him with a shy smile and said quietly, "Good morning, Mr. Jordan. How are you?"

"Good morning, Miss Stuart." He kept the greeting brief and got to the point. "If I may, I'd like to have a word with you."

"I know. It's about last night," Lucy said, almost nervously. "Before you say anything, please let me apologize."

"There's no need to apologize," he insisted, to Lucy's relief. "I've known for awhile that this situation wasn't . . .as it should be. I was right before when I offered to resign. I shouldn't have agreed to stay."

"What are you saying? Craig wasn't the reason you were going to leave? I was?"

"No, it isn't you." He paused, searching for the words to explain. "This arrangement just isn't working out. I really must resign."

"Please don't," Lucy begged. "I'm sorry. I was feeling vulnerable and I let my emotions get the better of me. I promise it will never happen again."

Jordan shook his head and stood firm. "It's best if I just go. I'll give you a few days to find a replacement."

Lucy interrupted. "You don't have to do that. If you're determined to go, then go. Let's not drag this out. But I wish you wouldn't quit."

"I must," he insisted.

Lucy turned and quickly left the room before she lost control of her emotions.

Part 9 - Chapter 2 - Revelations

Chad groaned as he pulled the bedcovers more tightly over his head, trying to block out the bright glare of the sunlight shining through his hotel room window and trying to muffle the incessant pounding in his head. As he slowly awoke, he realized the pounding wasn't just inside his head. Someone was knocking at the door.

"What do you want?" he called out groggily, but made no move to get up or see who was there.

"Are you still in bed?" Hector asked as he walked into the room. "You know, you should really keep your door locked."

"It slipped my mind," Chad replied crossly. He was in no mood for advice. "What time is it?"

"Almost 3:00. I knew you'd have to sleep off last night, but I thought you'd be up by now."

Chad mumbled a reply as he ran his hands through his hair and slowly got out of bed.

"So how big of a jerk was I last night? Did I make a complete fool of myself?"

"I've seen worse," Hector replied. "You embarrassed some of the older folks, but I don't think any damage was done."

"Good," Chad said, relieved.

What happened to you last night anyway?"

"That guy you sent to pick me up, decided to make a detour to some bar. We got to talking and drinking . . ."

"What guy?" Hector interrupted.

Chad thought a moment, "I forget his name. But I don't remember much of last night."

Hector didn't ask for any more details, but he couldn't help wondering who was behind whatever happened to Chad the night before.

"Are you sure everything is cool?" Chad asked, misreading Hector's silence.

"Between you and me? Of course. But you might want to fix things up with Townsend if I'm going to get you a job at my company."

"I'm going to work at your company?" Chad asked drowsily.

"Think it over," Hector suggested. Then changing the subject, "But for now, go get dressed and we'll grab a bite to eat."

Jordan rapped softly on Lucy's bedroom door before stepping inside the open doorway. "Miss Stuart?"

Lucy, who had been sitting at the desk, absorbed in her own thoughts, turned slowly to look at Jordan, but said nothing.

"I'm leaving now, but before I go, I just wanted to tell you that working for you was a pleasure I'll never forget."

"What will I do with out you?" Lucy wondered silently. She turned away from Jordan and said quietly, "Thank you . . .for everything."

Jordan lingered in the doorway a moment, struggling with his thoughts, wondering if there was more he should say. Finally he turned to leave.

When Jordan walked into his apartment, he found Audrey sitting on the couch, reading.

"Hi," she greeted him. When she looked up, she could tell he wasn't in a good mood. "Is everything alright?"

Justin sighed and sat next to her. "I gave Miss Stuart my resignation today."

Audrey set her book aside and gave him her full attention. "What happened?"

"It wasn't working out."

Audrey knew he wasn't telling her the whole story, but she didn't press him for details. "Well, it's a good thing I'm working. It looks like I'll have to support us now," she said lightly, hoping to cheer him up. "And I'm going to start by taking you out to dinner."

Lucy wandered aimlessly through her large empty house as if being in a different room would give her a different perspective on her situation. She felt like she was in the same position she had been after her father died. Only now things seemed worse. Then she hadn't known about her father's debts. Back then, Justin Jordan hadn't come into her life yet.

Lucy was struggling with the difficult decisions she had to make, when she was startled by the ringing phone.

She hurried to the phone breathless and hopeful. Her voice felt nervous as she answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, babe. How's it going?"

"Oh. Craig," she sighed with relief.

"What's wrong?" Craig asked.

"Jordan quit."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Craig lied. "But don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find someone else. Maybe you could find a woman to help you out this time."

"Why?" Lucy asked, alarmed at what Craig might know.

"I guess I just get jealous being so far away from you. I worry some guy might make a move on you when I'm not around," he said and Lucy laughed along with him. When she didn't say anything else, he asked. "Are you ok?"

"Yes," Lucy insisted. "I've just been doing some serious thinking about I'm going to do next."

"I know you'll figure it out. And forget what I said. You'll find the best person for the job, no matter who it is."

"I'm not going to look for anyone else," Lucy replied solemnly. She was certain about one thing, no one was going to replace Jordan.

Hector and Chad were hanging around the restaurant bar after dinner, talking, when Hector nudged Chad and motioned towards a woman who was walking past on her way to the ladies' room.

"Hey, isn't she Lawrence's date from last night?"

Chad was about to say that he wouldn't know, when he turned and saw who the woman was, "Audrey," he called out.

Audrey looked up, startled. When she saw Chad, she continued walking without acknowledging him.

Chad stepped forward and caught her by the arm. "Wait. Please don't ignore me."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Then can't you listen? I owe you an explanation and an apology at the least. Give me a chance."

"I don't want to hear your explanation and an apology isn't enough," Audrey said quietly, trying to keep her voice even and avoid making a public scene. "You left me with hardly a goodbye and I'm still trying to clean up the mess you ran away from."

Chad was about to protest, when Audrey's brother joined the group and eyed Chad suspiciously. "Is everything alright?"

"No," Audrey answered, "Let's go home, Justin."

As they turned to leave, Chad started to follow. When he called after Audrey, Justin confronted him. "Stay away from her. She doesn't want to talk to you."

Hector could see that a fight was about to start, so he spoke up before Chad could respond. "Sorry. We won't bother you again. Come on, Chad. Let's go."

Lauren sat in front of the glowing computer screen, browsing through pages of information for something that could be of use to her. She was sick of that Audrey Jordan getting in her way. Last night was the last straw. She couldn't steal her date and get her thrown out of a party and get away with it.

"It was pathetic really," she thought with a laugh. "sending that goon R.J. after me." After he escorted her from the party he made some vague threats about staying away from Audrey, but Lauren wasn't worried. She'd get them off her back one way or another.

With another click of the mouse, Lauren stumbled across something interesting. As she read through the page, a slow smile crept over her face and she laughed in delight. This was exactly the information she needed.

Part 9 - Chapter 3 - Revelations

As promised, Arthur made an appointment with psychiatrist Dr. Pons to find out what was behind his sleepless nights. It didn't take long to notice the patterns in Arthur's dreams.

"From what we've discussed so far, it sounds like you don't really want to retire," Dr. Pons concluded.

"Of course I do," Arthur insisted. "I was ready to give up the business to spend more time with my family and travel. I've been looking forward to retirement for years."

"So what changed?"

Arthur paused in thought before answering, "My business partner, Clifford passed away. He was going to take over my position when I retired and run the company, while someone took over for him as vice president. We built the company from nothing and I can't leave without knowing that the business is secure and in capable hands."

"Isn't there anyone you can hand it over to?"

"Clifford and I had talked about it before he died, but we hadn't decided. I've given it a lot of thought, but I don't know what to do . . .They're all so young."

"How old were you and Clifford when you started out?"

"Older than anyone who's working for me now," Arthur said firmly, before conceeding, "But not by much."

"I think there's more to it than that. Tell me about the employees you were considering. If you had to pick one right now, how would you decide?"

"I see a lot of promise in Lawrence. He's gotten ahead very quickly, but he just doesn't have enough experience and he's not ready for the job yet. R.J. has done very well so far and he is experienced, but he's new to the company and I really haven't had the chance to get to know him well. Hector has been with the company the longest. I think he's the best candidate overall. If I had to put someone in charge tomorrow I think he would be the man for the job."

"But?" Dr. Pons prompted.

"Clifford was set against him. I wouldn't feel right handing the company over to someone that Clifford distrusted, unless I had reason to believe that his judgement was misguided."

"What do you think of Hector?"

"He's very personable and a good employee . . .I think he could grow into the job."

"I'm sure you and Clifford had to 'grow into the job' as well, didn't you?"

Arthur nodded. The doctor made a good point. "If I wait for the perfect person to come along, I'll be waiting for a very long time, won't I?"

"I think you've got it," Dr. Pons replied with a smile.

Slowly, Arthur sat up from the couch. "I sometimes forget that I never would have gotten anywhere if I wasn't willing to take chances."

When Arthur returned to work, Lucy was waiting for him in his office.

"Why, Lucy, what brings you here?"

Lucy took a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking, "I need to talk to you about something serious."

Arthur closed the office door and took a seat behind his desk. "What is it?" he asked with concern.

"I want to know how much my stock in the company is worth."

"I don't know the exact amount off-hand without looking it up, but I could give you an estimate."
"An estimate is fine." When Arthur told her the amount, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was just enough to cover her father's debt to the company.

"Why do you ask?" Arthur asked.

"I want to give up my share of the company."

"You want to sell?"

"Actually, I want to give it to you. Just take it."

Confused and even more concerned, Arthur rose from his seat and crossed to the other side of the desk. He stood directly in front of Lucy and looked her in the eye. "What's this all about, Lucy? If you're in some kind of trouble, I want you to tell me. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Lucy sighed and blinked back her tears. She didn't want the truth to be told, but she realized there was no other way to make up for her father's mistake. "When I cleaned out my father's office, I found some papers . . .he took money from the company. I didn't want to say anything, but I can't handle this secret myself any longer."

Shocked, Arthur leaned back against the desk for support. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Please don't say anything. I don't want anyone to know, but I have to make things right. Can't you take the stock or sell it? Put the money back in the company and we can forget this ever happened," Lucy pleaded.

Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Clifford had been the one person in the company that he thought he could trust completely. To find out his partner had betrayed him and the company they had both worked so hard to build was crushing, but he tried to remain calm and rational. He had to deal with the problem at hand. "Bring in the papers. I want to take a look at them," he said stiffly. "We'll figure something out."

"R.J. Majors," R.J. answered the ringing phone on his desk.

The voice on the line was muffled, "Hey there, R.J. I know something about you."

"Who is this?" he asked suspiciously.

"If you want to find out, meet me at the docks tomorrow night at midnight. Unless you want me to tell everybody that you. . ."

When R.J. heard what the mysterious person said next, he cringed and denied the accusation. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh don't I? Tomorrow. Midnight. Be there."

When the line went dead, R.J. stood there a moment still holding the receiver in his hand before finally hanging up. Someone had found him out and he was going to have to figure out how to handle it.

"Hey, R.J. How's it going?" Hector asked as he walked past R.J.'s cubicle. When R.J. turned around, Hector noticed his angry expression. "Is everything alright?"

R.J. forced a brief smile, "Fine."

Sebastian sat in his car, parked in front of the office building. He glanced at his watch. 5:00. Hopefully he wouldn't have to wait much longer. He turned his attention back to the front door. He only had to wait a few minutes more before his target walked outside. Sebastian sat up straighter and watched carefully as Lawrence walked out of the building, chatting with another young man as they made their way to the parking lot.

Sebastian felt like he was transported back 20 years. The boy was the spitting image of his father, Lawrence Sr.

As Lawrence's car pulled out of the parking lot, Sebastian shifted his car into drive and followed.

When he saw Lawrence park in front of a law office and walk into the building, Sebastian was curious. He parked his car in an empty space in front of the office and waited. Why was Lawrence seeing a lawyer? He knew Lawrence's business here probably didn't concern him, but he couldn't help worrying.

He knew it was risky, but eventually his curiousity got the better of him and he went inside.

When Sebastian entered, the receptionist was leading Lawrence into a hallway at the back of the reception area. Sebastian lingered in the reception room a moment, trying to avoid being seen, before peering down the hallway after the pair.

The receptionist showed Lawrence into an office before continuing down the hallway away from Sebastian.

Since no one was watching, Sebastian headed towards the office door to eavesdrop.

"Can I help you?"

Sebastian turned from the door to see a woman walking towards him.

"I'm just waiting for someone."

Reese looked at him suspiciously. She didn't like the way he was lingering around the door to her office and she wasn't buying his excuse. "Then please wait in the reception area." She pushed past him and went into her office. She knew she had a client waiting for her, but first she was going to call security, just in case the man didn't leave on his own.

Part 9 - Chapter 4 - Revelations

"I'm going to my friend Eileen's. I'll be back later," Cassandra called out as she hurried downstairs.

"Wait a minute," Sebastian met her at the landing.
"I don't want you going to her house. In fact, I don't want you around her or her friends at all."

Cassandra was shocked. "What?"

"I mean it, Cassie."

"But why?" Her father had always been a little strict at home, but he had never told her who she could or couldn't spend time with. She couldn't believe he was trying to start now.

"I don't need to explain my reasons. You're forbidden from seeing her again."

Cassandra opened her mouth to protest. She wanted to tell him that she was an adult and he couldn't control her life, but thought better of it. If he didn't realize that, she wasn't going to point it out to him. Finally she blurted out, "That's not fair!"

"I know what's best," he said sternly.

As Cassandra stormed back upstairs, Vanessa appeared from around the corner. She had just come in from her morning jog. "What's bothering you, hon?" she asked with concern. Her husband hadn't seemed like himself all week. He had been nervous and fidgety and now he was fighting with his daughter.

"Nothing," he said sharply, without turning to look at her.

Vanessa sighed. When he was in one of these moods, she knew there was no getting anything out of him.

She was about to go to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, when he said, "What do you think about leaving this town and starting over somewhere new?"

Vanessa stopped in her tracks. He seemed serious. "Do you really want to do that? I mean we're just starting to do so well. The bar's doing great business and we finally paid off the mortgage on the property, so it's all ours now. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Sebastian frowned and didn't answer immediately. "I might have to get away from this town."

"Alma," Amanda called out as she saw her sister waiting at the outdoor cafe where they agreed to meet for lunch. "It seems like I haven't seen you in so long. I'm still not used to not seeing you every day."

Alma nodded, "It's been a change."

"Let's get a table. And you can tell me about what you've been up to."

After they sat down and placed their orders Amanda said, "You know I tried to call you last week, but Bernice told me you were out on a date."

"Oh, that," Alma said, casting her eyes down towards the table. "Yes, I did go out to dinner with Dr. Wilton last week."

"And?" Amanda prompted. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yes, I did. I had a very nice time."

Amanda smiled, "So when are you going out with him again?"

"I'm not," Alma replied flatly.

"Oh . . ." Amanda said with pity. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Alma snapped. "I'm not. He wanted to see me again, but I wasn't interested in what he had in mind."

Amanda's eyes grew wide, "What happened?"

"He told me that he's ready to get married and have children, but I'm not. For the first time I'm finally able to live my own life. I'm not about to give up that freedom yet."

Amanda stared at Alma like she was seeing her for the first time. She was beginning to realize how little she really knew about her sister.

"Anyway, what's new in your life?"

"Andrew and I finally found an apartment. It's small, but it's nice. You'll have to come over some time soon. You could have dinner with us."

"I will," Alma promised.

"It's strange to think of the old house sitting empty," mused Amanda.

"Has there been any word on. . ." Alma trailed off, not sure what to call their unknown half-sister who had inherited everything from their mother.

Amanda shook her head, "No, they're still looking."

That afternoon, Blaine had a few free hours after his classes so he decided to take a walk along the bay.

When he had first moved to Bay Pointe to go to college, there had been few shops in this area. Since then, new buildings seemed to be going up everyday.

He was just wandering along when he saw a sign that caught his attention, "Barrett's Boardwalk Bar and Grill."

He stopped and stared at the name for a moment before walking up the steps to the bar. Unfortunately it was closed. He took note of their business hours, then went downstairs to find a pay phone.

He called Reese at her office. "Guess where I'm at."

"Blaine? Where are you?"

"Standing outside a bar on Third Street."

"Ok?" Reese said slowly.

"It's called Barrett's Boardwalk."

"Oh!" Reese exclaimed, making the connection. "Do you think it's the same Barrett the McAllistars mentioned?"

"I hope so," Blaine replied. "The place is closed now, but we should check it out when they open."

"I have a lot of work to do tonight," Reese said with regret. "But what if we meet there tomorrow night?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you then."

As instructed, R.J. was waiting at the docks at midnight. He still didn't know who he was supposed to meet, but to him it didn't matter. If this person thought they could blackmail him, they had another thing coming.

At precisely midnight, R.J. heard footsteps. He looked up to see a young woman approaching. Even with her dark sunglasses on, he recognized her. He rose from his seat on the park bench. "So it's you? What do you want?"

Lauren stood facing him with her hands on her hips, "I want you and your friend to back off and stop coming between me and Lawrence."

R.J. laughed out loud. "Is that it? You dragged me out here in the middle of the night for that? It's nice that you have the time to waste," R.J. laughed again and started to walk away.

Lauren dodged in front of him and with an angry stomp of her foot she shouted, "This is serious! I want you to keep your pal, Audrey, out of my way from now on. Or are you forgetting what I know about you?"

R.J. stopped, stood with his arms crossed over his chest and waited for her to continue.

"I'm sure Mr. Townsend would like to know that one of his employees filed for bankruptcy not too long ago for a company that never even got started."

R.J. called her bluff, "Bankruptcies happen. It's not a crime."

"Maybe not, but when the company never got started and both the money and the partners seem to disappear for awhile, it looks a little odd. Especially when you and your partner and your mutual friend, Miss Jordan, all show up at once in the same town," Lauren paused for a moment. By the surprised expression on R.J.'s face, she could tell she had hit on something. "Considering the last guy who got fired from the Stuart-Townsend Corporation was fired for stealing from the company, I don't think Mr. Townsend will think it's no big deal."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I have my sources."

R.J. thought a moment. If she was that good at digging up information, she might be useful to him. Audrey certainly hadn't been any help. "I think we can work something out."

Part 9 - Chapter 5 - Revelations

On the last day of his evening business class, Lawrence was both surprised and relieved when Lauren didn't show up. He had been worried that Lauren would make a big show of it being their last day in class together and try to come up with some excuse to stay in touch, but luckily that scene was avoided. With any luck, he hoped, he wouldn't have to see her again.

After class he approached Andrew to say goodbye before leaving. "I just wanted to thank you. You've been a good teacher, even though it wasn't the job you wanted."

"Thank you, Arrendale," Andrew replied. "You're a good man and I hope you do well." As he shook Lawrence's hand, Andrew added silently, "Better you than Hector Burgess."

"Thanks," Lawrence replied, before turning to leave.

Lawrence walked into the hallway just as the class across the hall was letting out. For a moment, he wondered if he would see Eileen, but he knew he probably wouldn't. He hadn't seen her here in weeks. Now that his class was over, they wouldn't be running into each other as much. He was going to miss seeing her here away from Hector and the office.

He quickly shook the thought out of his head. Eileen was engaged to marry Hector and the less he saw of her the better. He needed to get her out of his mind and move on.

As he walked out of the building, he remembered Audrey and decided to give her a call when he got home.

Sebastian was setting up the bar, getting ready to open for the evening when the front door opened. Without looking up Sebastian said, "We're not open yet, but go ahead and take a seat."

"That's ok," Blaine said as he walked up to the bar followed by Reese. "I just want to ask you a question, when you have a minute."

Startled by the request, Sebastian turned around to see who was there. He was even more surprised when he recognized Blaine from the office where Lawrence worked and Reese from the law firm he had followed Lawrence to. Although he was panic stricken, he tried to appear calm. "Yeah, I've got a minute. What is it?"

"Is your name Barrett?" Reese asked.

"Yes. This is my bar and that's my name on the sign. Who wants to know?"

"I'm Blaine Kitteridge and this is Reese Burroughs. We're looking for someone. Do you have a wife named Dorothy?"

Sebastian eyed the pair suspiciously. He didn't trust them and he didn't believe they were here because of his wife. He shook his head, "No."

"The woman we're looking for is named Dorothy Alice," Blaine explained. "Her last name was McAllistar, or maybe Summers. We talked to her parents, the McAllistars, and they mentioned someone named Barrett and that her husband was a barkeeper, so we thought . . ."

"You thought wrong," Sebastian snapped. "I don't know anyone by that name. My wife's name is Vanessa. So if you don't have any other business here. I have work to do."

Reese and Blaine exchanged a silent look of disappointment before turning to leave the bar.

Sebastian watched them as they left. As soon as they were gone, he went behind the bar to fix himself a drink, hoping it would calm his nerves.

Vanessa walked into the bar from the backroom, wearing a new gown. She twirled around once and asked, "What do you think? I thought I'd wear it on stage tonight."

"You look great," Sebastian replied.

Vanessa sighed, Sebastian had barely looked at her. As she walked towards him she noticed he seemed out of sorts and his hands were shaking. "Are you alright, hon?"

"Fine."

She glanced around the empty bar. "Was someone just here? I thought I heard voices."

"It was no one. Just somebody wanting directions."

"Did you believe he was telling the truth?" Reese asked Blaine as they walked back towards the street.

Blaine shook his head. "Not really. Did you?"

"No. He seemed a little too hostile." Reese hesitated before adding, "Besides I've seen him before. A few days ago I caught him wandering around the hallway outside my office."

Blaine stopped in his tracks. "And you thought it was suspicious?" he asked with concern. When Reese nodded, he wasn't sure what to say. "I'll see what I can find out about him," he finally said. He touched Reese's shoulder and looked at her gravely, "In the meantime, be careful."

Shyly, Reese looked away and promised, "I will."

Amanda had been siting on the couch in the living room watching television, when Andrew came home from work. She looked up with a smile as he entered the apartment. "Hi, honey. How was your class?"

"Good," he replied, taking a seat next to her. "But I'm glad it's over with. How was your day?"

"Great," Amanda replied. "I called my sister tonight and invited her over for dinner on Sunday. I hope that's ok with you."

"Fine."

"I'm so glad we went out to lunch together. I was kind of worried about it since we haven't been really close, but I actually had a really good time. It just feels like everything's finally going well for all of us."

Andrew put his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her close, "I couldn't agree more."

He was just about to kiss her when their was a knock at the front door.

"Who could that be?" Amanda wondered.

"I'll go see," Andrew offered and reluctantly left the couch to answer the door.

When Andrew opened the door, he was stunned to see, Mr. Townsend, his former boss, standing in the hallway.

"Can we talk, Andrew?" Arthur asked. He glanced over at Amanda and apologized, "I'm sorry to disturb you both at home, but this is important."

Andrew hesitated. He was tempted to tell the old man to get lost and slam the door in his face, but before he could make up his mind to do anything, Amanda spoke up.

"Come in and have a seat, Mr. Townsend. Andrew," she prompted her husband and he stepped out of the way.

"I won't stay long," Arthur promised, choosing to remain standing. "I just came by to apologize. Andrew, I owe you an apology. I know now that you weren't the one who took money from the company. I'm sorry that I accused you and that you had to pay the price for someone else's mistake." Arthur paused, but Andrew was too stunned to speak. "I can't make it up to you, but I can offer you your old job back. If you want it, it's yours."

Amanda lit up at the news, but Andrew was more subdued. He wasn't sure how he felt about the offer.

"Think it over," Arthur said as he started to leave. "And when you've made up your mind, let me know."

Part 9 - Chapter 6 - Revelations

The house had felt so quiet and empty to Lucy since Jordan had quit. She was beginning to realize how much she missed just having someone at the house every day. Now when she came home from classes or the hospital or from running errands, she knew the house would be empty and she dreaded coming home to the lonely place.

When the phone rang, Lucy hurried to answer it, but it was a wrong number.

Disappointed, Lucy hung up the phone and sat down on the living room sofa. When she answered the phone she had hoped it was Jordan calling to tell her he had changed his mind and he wanted his job back. She almost laughed at herself for being so ridiculous, but then she started to worry. Why did she always hope it was Jordan calling? Shouldn't she be more eager to hear from Craig, her fiance?

Lucy rose from the couch and paced the room, nervously biting her nails. She cast a sideways glance at the phone. She knew who she should call, but she was afraid to do it. Finally, she worked up her courage, picked up the receiver and dialed.

"Eileen? It's me. Don't hang up."

Eileen sighed on the other end, "What do you want, Lucy?"

"I need to talk to you. I promise it's not about you and Hector. Can we get together? Please?"

Eileen hesitated. She really didn't want to go through all of this again, but Lucy sounded so upset, she couldn't say no. "Fine. I'll be home this afternoon if you want to come by."

"Thank you," Lucy sighed in relief. "I'll be right over."

When Eileen answered the door, she joined Lucy outside on the front porch instead of inviting her in. She stood with her arms crossed tightly in front of her and asked, "Ok, what do you need to talk about?"

"I want to ask you something," Lucy said slowly. She had planned what she wanted to say on the way over, but she still wanted to choose her words carefully. "That day, when I told you that Craig and I were engaged, and we got into that huge fight, you said that I shouldn't marry Craig because I didn't know him long enough. Did you really mean that or did you just say it because of what I said about you and Hector?"

Eileen shook her head and turned towards the door. "I don't want to get into a big thing with you, Lucy. I'm tired of fighting about this."

"So am I," Lucy insisted. "I just need to know."

"Why?" Eileen asked skeptically. "Why should it matter what I think?"

"Because I've been thinking maybe you were right," Lucy admitted. "I mean, I do love Craig and I think we could have a really great life together, but I've been thinking about someone else a lot. And if I'm getting married, I shouldn't be thinking about another man, should I? Isn't that a huge hint something isn't right?"

Eileen frowned. Lucy's words hit close to her own heart and as much as she hated to say it, she had to agree. "It is," she said solemnly. "But don't let what I said bother you. I do think things have happened kind of fast with you and Craig, but I only said what I did because I was mad. And I'm sorry that I said it."

"I'm sorry, too. Do you think we can we put this fight behind us? I really want us to be friends again."

Eileen nodded and smiled, "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Hello. Can I help you?" Amanda greeted Chad as he walked into the office.

"Yes, I'm Chad Vanderburg and I have an appointment with Mr. Townsend."

"I'll let him know that you're here," Amanda replied as she picked up the telephone to call Arthur's office.

While Amanda was on the phone, Chad looked around him at the office where he would soon be working. As promised, Hector arranged an interview for Chad with Mr. Townsend. According to Hector, if the interview went well he could start right away.

"Mr. Townsend will be with you in minute," Amanda announced as she hung up the phone. "Why don't you take a seat?"

As Chad walked towards the chairs in the lobby, he noticed a man sitting at a desk in a nearby cubicle. He turned to Amanda who was just leaving her desk. "Who is that?" he asked.

"R.J. Majors. He's one of our junior executives."

Chad's throat suddenly felt dry, but he managed to thank Amanda before she walked away. There was no way he could work in the same office as R.J. He turned and quickly walked out of the office before the other man could see him.

Later that afternoon, Arthur called his employees together for a meeting in the conference room.

"I have an announcement to make. Fortunately it's good news," Arthur began. "Lawrence has passed his business course at the top of his class," Arthur paused while the others congratulated him. "And we have a new employee. Lawrence and Hector know him already."

As Arthur spoke, Hector smiled to himself, but that smile vanished instantly with what Arthur said next.

"Let's welcome Andrew back to the company," Arthur said, starting a round of applause as Andrew entered the room.

"What? Wait a minute," Hector objected. "You're hiring him back after he stole money from the company?"

"I didn't steal anything," Andrew spoke up.

"We found some new evidence that cleared Andrew's name. He's innocent and we've agreed to put this incident behind us. Welcome back, Andrew."

"Thank you, Mr. Townsend. You won't regret this."

"What about Chad?" Hector interrupted. "I thought you were going to hire him."

At the mention of Chad's name, R.J. looked up with interest.

"I had planned on hiring both Chad and Andrew, but unfortunately Chad left before I could interview him," Arthur explained with a pointed look at Hector. "If no one has anything else to add, let's conclude this meeting and get back to work." As the employees stood to leave, Arthur pulled Lawrence aside. "I'd like to talk to you a minute, Lawrence."

After the others had left, Arthur said, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm proud of you for doing so well in your courses."

"Thank you, sir."

"I admit, I was a little doubtful about giving you this position at first, but I have to say you've been doing an excellent job. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll go far with this company."

"Thank you. I will."

Arthur shook hands with Lawrence and then watched as he left the room. "I hope you do," he said to himself, before heading back to his office.

"So," Hector said as he stood over Andrew who was getting settled in at his new desk. "Looks like you've got everyone fooled. How did you get Townsend to forget that you're a thief and hire you back? I'd like to know how you did it."

Andrew slowly stood up and turned to face Hector. "Why? If you're looking for a way to cover your own tracks, then I can't help you. I didn't take that money and I think you know damn well that I didn't."

"You think so?" Hector smirked. "That's news to me."

"Well, anyway, I'm back and I intend to stay. So watch your back, Burgess," Andrew warned before turning back to his desk.

"Don't worry about me," Hector thought to himself as he walked away.

Part 9 - Chapter 7 - Revelations

After work, Reese met Blaine at the college computer lab. He had left a message earlier telling her that he had found some new information on their case and she was excited to find out what he had uncovered. When she walked into the room, he waved her over to his desk. "What have you found out?" she asked eagerly.

"Lots. Have a seat," he invited. "I decided to look up some info on Barrett's Boardwalk. And both the business and the property are owned by Vanessa Barrett."

"You mean the guy we talked to doesn't own it? His wife does?"

"Yep. But that's not all. Get this. I looked up Vanessa Barrett and it turns out she had her name legally changed," he turned to look at Reese, "from Dorothy McAllistar."

Reese gasped, "This is it. We've really found her!"

Blaine smiled and handed Reese a slip of paper. "And I've got her home address. I say we stop by later tonight when her husband is at the bar."

Reese took the piece of paper. Instead of looking at it, she kept her eyes on Blaine, "You're -" she said, and stopped short with embarrassment. "This is amazing. Good work!"

Cassandra hurried downstairs to answer the door. Eileen was a little early, but since her dad was already out of the house. It didn't really matter. As Cassie opened the door, she realized it wasn't Eileen after all. Two strangers were standing on the porch.

"Hi," Blaine greeted her. "We're looking for Vanessa Barrett."

For a moment Cassandra seemed to space out as she stared at Blaine. When he spoke again, she snapped out of it. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" When Blaine repeated the question, Cassie shook her head, "No, I think she's at the bar. She's probably singing there tonight."

After the pair thanked her, Cassie took a deep breath and watched Blaine leave.

Reese was nervous about returning to the bar, but once she walked in and saw the woman singing on stage, she knew they had made the right decision. "That's her," she said to Blaine as they took a seat at a nearby table. "I can't believe it."

Blaine nodded with a smile before turning to watch Vanessa sing.

Reese and Blaine's arrival didn't go unnoticed. When Sebastian walked into the bar from his office and saw them, he felt panicked. After taking a minute to compose himself, he walked over to their table and sat down. The last thing he wanted was to attract attention by starting a scene.

"What are you two doing back here?" he asked with as much calmness as he could muster. "I told you, you won't find anything here."

"But we already have," Blaine insisted. "I did some research on you and your wife. We know who your wife is and we know her name used to be Dorothy McAllistar before she changed it."

Sebastian was momentarily speechless. He didn't know what angle they were playing, but he did know that he was worried about what else they had found out. "What do you want with her?" he asked suspiciously.

"Her mother died and left her an inheritance," Reese explained. "My law firm handled the will and we just wanted to let her know about it."

"Oh yeah? Why didn't you just say so? Tell you what, why don't you meet with Vanessa in my office, after she finishes this set? I'll get you a drink while you're waiting. On the house."

Reese seemed reluctant and turned to Blaine for his opinion. The young man just smiled and thanked Sebastian for his help. As Sebastian walked away from the table, Blaine turned to Reese and said quietly, "I think the McAllistars were right about him. Mention the prospect of money and his attitude totally changes."

Sebastian grabbed a couple of glasses from the bar and went back to his office. He didn't know what those two were up to, but he didn't believe their story for a moment. The McAllistars practically disowned his wife when she left home to become an actress and then married him. He knew there was no way they would have left her anything. Besides, if Evelyn McAllistar had died, he would have heard about it.

Sebastian set the glasses down on the desk and picked up the phone. As it rang, he searched through his desk until he found a bottle of sleeping medicine he had left there a few months ago when he had been battling insomnia.

As he added some of the medicine to the bottom of both glasses, he impatiently waited for someone to pick up on the other end. When there was no answer, he hung up the phone again and tried a different number. This time someone answered almost immediately.

"Zara, is Cassie there?"

"No."

"Do you know where she is?"

"I have no idea. Is something wrong?" she asked with concern.

"I need you to find your sister. Then I want you to both to go to the house and start packing."

"Dad?" Zara started to ask a question, but was interrupted.

"Just do it. I'll explain later," he ordered and hung up the phone. Sebastian put the sleeping medicine away, then picked up the two glasses and went back to the bar. There was no doubt about it now, they were going to have to leave town tonight.

"There," Cassandra said as she unplugged the telephone. "Now we'll have no distractions. "Ready to do this?"

Eileen nodded. She wasn't sure what to expect exactly, but she was excited. If this psychic session helped her figure out anything about Hector or Lawrence, it would be worth it.

"Do you have anything of Hector's that we can focus on?"
Eileen removed her engagement ring. "Will this work?"

"Probably," Cassandra replied. Then with more confidence added, "We'll try it."

As they sat down on the floor, Cassandra took deep breaths and tried to clear her mind as she concentrated on the engagement ring lying on the floor between them. After a few minutes, she sighed in frustration and stood up. "I can't do it. I'm sorry. There's just too much static in my mind. I can't concentrate."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Eileen asked.

"No," Cassandra shook her head. "I'm just going to get a glass of water. Maybe I can try again in a few minutes."

A moment later, Eileen heard a crash as Cassandra called out. She hurried over to the open bathroom door and peeked her head inside. Cassandra was picking up a drinking glass off the floor. "Are you alright?"

Cassandra stared forward blankly. "Something came to me, just now. That night, at your party, when I almost fainted, Hector brought me a glass of water. I didn't want to touch it. It was almost like it was poisoned."

Eileen was at a loss for words. She stared at the empty glass for a moment before her eyes were drawn to a bottle of aspirin left out of the medicine cabinet. A connection was forming in her mind, but before she could fully understand it herself, Cassie spoke up.

"The hospital," she said. "That's what you're thinking of, aren't you?"

Eileen nodded slowly. She was thinking about how Clifford Stuart had died in the hospital. His water glass had been drugged. She remembered Lucy saying that no one had visited him since the night before. But hadn't Hector said he visited Clifford on the day he died? And why had he questioned that nurse he tried to set up with Lawrence. It just wasn't adding up, unless . . . Eileen gasped, "Hector killed Lucy's father."

"How much longer is this going to take?" Blaine wondered with a yawn. He and Reese had been waiting in Sebastian's office for awhile. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but he was getting really tired. He hoped Vanessa showed up soon.

As he paced the room, trying to stay awake, he hadn't noticed that Reese, who was slumped over in the desk chair, had passed out.

There was a noise at the office door and Blaine turned towards the sound, hopeful that Vanessa had finally arrived, but instead of the doorknob turning, he heard a key turn in the lock. He rushed for the door, but his body felt so heavy. Too tired to call out or struggle with the door, Blaine gave into the drowsiness and collapsed to the floor.