"She blew up at me, just like that," Dessie said under her breath. "She walked in on me and Enid. We were just trying on clothes, but Diana thought we were doing something else. Enid had to go, and I was grounded for three weeks. Poor Dad couldn't say a damn thing because he was so in love with Diana. Damn! She's the reason he and Mom split up. She wrecked my folks' marriage, and she had the nerve to play all righteous and moral..."
The door flung open. In strolled Tom Charles, a handsome
forty-ish man with light brown hair and gray eyes. He saw his daughter then
called out, "Nydessa?"
She sat there for a few seconds then sprang up, bounded
across the room and flung her arms around him. Through her tears, she sobbed,
"Oh Daddy! I'm so sorry I got into all this mess. I wanted to come home so bad,
but Charmaine wouldn't let me." Tom cradled his daughter in his arms, sobbing
with her. "Dessie, there is no way I would let that woman hurt my little girl.
You're safe, and that's all that matters."
"Daddy," she sobbed, still
hugging her father, "You don't know what I've been through. Charmaine kept me on
the run all the time. We never stayed in one place, always jetting off
somewhere. I thought she was so special, taking me places and buying me cool
stuff. But I was so stupid."
She bawled outright, all screwed up eyes and jagged sobs. Never in the years with Charmaine had she allowed herself to shed one tear. Her former mistress wouldn't stand for any outward show of emotion anyway. "Here, Nydessa, come sit down so we can talk."
Nydessa could see Mike Holiday,
the FBI agent who thwarted an attempted kidnapping, just outside the door. He
motioned to someone then in came two uniformed police with sacks of doughnuts
and hot coffee.
"Here you go, folks," said Mike, "Just relax and take your time
getting reacquainted." Then to Nydessa he said, "Don't worry about Melody or
Audra. At last report they should be slapping the cuffs on Charmaine as we
speak."
Tom turned to Nydessa, saying inquisitively, "And who is Melody?"
Dessie
knew she shouldn't hedge, not within seconds of reconciling with her father. She
was a grown woman now, no longer a child who had to follow her parents' orders.
And Dessie wanted so much for her folks to meet Melody, the woman who, if truth
be known, saved Nydessa from a life of fear and crime at the hands of Charmaine
Shade. She tried to choose her words carefully s she explained, "Uh, Audra is
another agent working on the case. She was undercover posing as Ray Marsh's
business partner at the club. Melody is another agent I met. She was undercover,
too. Playing a singer. I met her during her first show. She's very nice,
and...Daddy, she's my...my lover."
Tom sat back in his chair, said nothing, then
proceeded to open the bag of goodies. Trying to be nonchalant about Nydessa's
confession, he said, "Say, honey. There's a bunch of cinnamon doughnuts here. I
can't eat 'em as much as I'd like. My doctor would kill me if I had as much as a
nibble...Cholesterol and all. Here, have one."
He held up a spice-encrusted doughnut, adding, "I bet you don't have to watch
your fat intake as I do. Diana keeps at me for sneaking cookies..."
Suddenly he broke down in heaving sobs. Nydessa, a bit unnerved by seeing her
father in a all-out crying jag, comforted him with, "It's OK, Daddy. Don't worry
about me. Melody saved my life. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for her. She
cares about me, Daddy, and I love her. She's sweet and good and kind..."
"It's over, Dessie," sobbed Tom.
"What's over?"
"Me and Diana. We had words when your letter arrived. She said I was a fool to
go after you, that it was your decision to run away and take up with the likes
of this Shade woman."
His sobs calmed a little, the composure partially regained. He then said, "Diana
said that I should let you suffer the consequences, just stand back and let you
go to prison. I couldn't do that, Dessie, not to my own child. We screamed at
each other, me and Diana. I told her she always managed to come between you and
me. She never wanted the responsibility of raising a teenager. She said hurtful
things, Dessie. Diana said looking at you reminded her of your mother, and that
I should forget about you, be thankful you walked out of our lives. I couldn't
take her abuse anymore. I see it now, she came between your mother and me. She
broke us up. I filed divorce papers just before I left..."
"It's OK, Daddy," said Nydessa soothingly. She cradled her dad in her arms,
silently swearing to herself that no one or nothing will come between her and
her father ever again. Raising his tear-stained face, Tom Charles said, "I
called your mother after I arrived. She's on her way, Dessie. I really think we
can be a family again."
Then, after regaining his composure, added, "I want to
meet the woman who saved my little girl's life."
ºººººº
On the other side of town, a very different father-daughter reunion got underway. Instead of tears of joy and words of regret, the father was greeted with screams of disbelief and denial.
"You're lying, John Eiger! How can you be my father? Frank Maxwell is my dad, not you!"
Charmaine Shade stood on the catwalk far above the foundry floor, her long leather coat trailing and catching on the narrow path. She glared down at the elderly gentleman pleading with her to give herself up. Melody, a few steps away, and successfully dodged a bullet meant for her, stood with gun in hand. Charmaine is desperate this time, and she will not go down without a fight. She nodded to Reyna and Audra to keep John talking.
"Deidre," he said, "I am telling you the truth. I am your biological father, and your mother never reveal that to you. She told you a pack of lies about me, got your head so twisted that you turn to a life of crime. For God's sake, Deidre, stop this nonsense and come down from there."
Seventy-five
year old John Eiger, a short, wiry man with thinning gray hair and light blue
eyes, leaned on his cane, still pleading with his daughter. Charmaine, who
thoroughly hated this man and what he did to her mother, called out, "You lie!
How can you be my father? Besides, you killed Mom!"
She pointed the gun directly
at John, determined to finish the job Jake hadn't the guts to do.
"She lied to
you, Deidre."
"Stop calling me that! Deidre died long ago, or haven't you
forgotten? My mother arranged for 'Deidre' to die so I could live. You killed
her. She knew you were going to kill her."
John Eiger turned to Reyna, his welling with tears. "It's not true. Olivia committed suicide and made it look like murder. I hadn't laid eyes on Olivia since...Since Olivia ordered the hit on the Starrs."
Now Melody and everyone else finally learned what they suspected all along: Olivia Maxwell was responsible for killing Mary and Will Starr. But why? Melody, still standing within striking distance of Charmaine, reached deep within herself, fighting off those darker forces that screamed, "Take her out." She cocked her gun, aimed it point blank at Charmaine and nearly pulled the trigger. Good sense prevailed, and Melody lowered her weapon. No, Charmaine is not at fault; it was Olivia. She didn't know her mom had my folks murdered. Deidre was sitting next to me in class that day Grandma came to take me home. She had no idea what her mom was up to, and she even said she was sorry my folks died. However, Olivia had other ideas, like poisoning her own child against me...Deidre and I never had any quarrel; we were buddies, shared our lunches and such... Maybe I can talk to her, coax Deidre out, maybe get her to give herself up before she does something rash...
"Charmaine, listen to John. He wants...I want you to surrender yourself. It's not your fault my parents are dead. Your mom did it, and I don't hold that against you. Come on, Deidre, come down and we can talk."
Charmaine was livid, not coherent. In a flash she replied, "Don't
call me 'Deidre'! And no, I will not surrender to the likes of you!"
She aimed
her gun at Melody but did not fire – yet. John Eiger saw that now was the time
to set the record straight. He'd been hiding the secret of not only Charmaine's
paternity, but also the truth behind the Starrs' murder and Olivia's death.
"Deidre," he said in earnest, "your mother was a seriously disturbed woman. She
and I were in love, that much is true. We carried on our affair long after she
married Frank Maxwell. It was she who had Frank killed. Why I still don't know.
She was a greedy, grasping woman. The Olivia I first fell in love with was no
longer the same woman. Deidre, she wanted Mary Starr's Dark Horse formula.
That's why she had them killed. I knew all about it but said nothing after she
threatened me. I went into hiding after the Starrs' deaths, and I never made
contact with her until you were in high school."
"You're a liar!," shouted
Charmaine still pointing the gun at Eiger's frail form. "My mother suffered
because of you. Hell, you killed her!"
"That is not true, Deidre!"
"Stop calling me that! My name is Charmaine Shade!"
John shook his head as he watched his daughter mired in a morass of bitterness. He turned to Reyna and said, "It's no use. She won't listen to reason. I've done my piece, confessed to being her partner in crime, no matter how it went against my better judgment. Whatever you have to do to bring her down, do it so we all can get on with our lives."
Reyna Paul, ever wary that Charmaine might crack under the shock of seeing John Eiger in the flesh, let alone learning he was her birth father, immediately called for backup. Melody was still perched upon the catwalk, just a few steps away from Charmaine; but, Reyna feared for her top agent's safety. Given Charmaine's present state of mind, the woman may decide to take out everyone within range.
"Dr. Eiger," she said, "I don't think it's working. She's
desperate now, and she won't give up without a fight. Here, let me take you
outside where it's safe. Charmaine, in her state, may just as well kill you
now." "No, Ms. Paul," Eiger said insistently, "I want to stay here. There has to
be something that will compel her to surrender."
He looked up at his
daughter with a mixed expression of love and disgust. He loved her enough to
care about her welfare; he hated her for what she had become. How can he
convince
her that it was over between himself and Olivia long before the latter took
matters into her hands. Olivia had changed so much since that day she ordered
the Starrs killed, and John took it upon himself, threats on his life
notwithstanding, to make things right for Deidre. She did not deserve the fate
handed to her courtesy of an insane Olivia Maxwell.
"Deidre," he called up, "There are several other things you didn't know. Remember when you ordered Jake to kill me? Well, I told him about your mother and me. I told him you are my natural child. And I convinced him to spare my life. He has obviously told the authorities everything, Deidre. For the last time, give yourself up. I'm sure Ms. Paul and the FBI will find ways to lessen the charges. You will serve prison time; that's a given. But to be sentenced to death for killing an agent..."
"Shut up!," she shouted, now stepping along the catwalk far above the furnace.
Glancing out the window, from her vantage point, she could see armed uniformed
police and SWAT teams swarming outside. Between them and the myriad agents
inside there was no easy escape. Charmaine cursed her bad luck, John Eiger,
Jake, and her own mother. How dare Mom do this to me! All these years I spent in
hiding, cooking up this and that scheme, and for what? So Mommy would have the
last laugh on all of them through me. She used me!
She lowered the gun then
said, "Melody, I don't want to fight, but I don't want prison time either.
They'll put the needle to me for all I've done. I will tell you this: Yes, I had
Jake kill Taylor, I had Eiger make that little bug that killed Marty McCormack.
What else could I do? I thought I had the perfect plan. Rig an election just so
I could have my man right where I wanted him. Ray was the perfect patsy, a
spineless wuss whose wife left him because he spent more time working than with
his family. He was a pushover, which is why I'm not surprised he confessed all
on live television."
Sirens blared in the background, announcing the approach of more police, more firepower. Charmaine, although she couldn't comprehend what brought on this sudden change of heart and attitude, edged closer to the end of the catwalk. Melody, sensing Ms. Shade may do something rash, tiptoed towards Charmaine, saying gently, "Charmaine – or Deidre – Come on, take my hand. We can go down together. I don't hate you, Charmaine, never did. But..."
Charmaine saw
red. "But...You don't condone what my mother did to your folks. I didn't care
either way until now. I don't know what is coming over me, Melody. It's as if I
want do the right thing, but she keeps egging me on, telling me to do
these horrible things."
In an instant, instead of grabbing Melody's hand,
Charmaine slapped Ms. Starr, sending the Metacorps agent over the side. Reyna
screamed; John Eiger gasped. Every eye was on Melody's dangling figure as
Charmaine apparently did nothing to help her up. Holding onto the thin edge of
the catwalk, Melody dangled high over the blast furnace. Even from that
distance, she could feel its intense heat. Shouting down, she said to Reyna and
Audra, "Turn off the furnace!"
Then to Charmaine, "Come on, Deidre, help me up.
You sure don't want another murder on your hands. Come on! Help me
up!"
Charmaine Shade, her mind in a fog, wanted so much to life Melody
from a fiery death, but those voices in her head...
"Deidre, don't be a wimp! Do it for me! Kill her, and she can be with Mommy and Daddy forever! Do it!"
Charmaine, not quite herself, put her hands over her ears, screaming, "Shut up, Mother! Can't you see what you've done to me? What else do you want from me?"
Finally finding the strength, Melody swung herself towards a nearby rafter, grasping it just in time. Raising herself back upon the catwalk, she carefully approached Charmaine as not wanting to spook the suddenly gone-mad woman.
"Deidre...I'll call you that because I want to remember the nice little girl
I sat next to in Mrs. Bacon's class."
She wanted to stall for time, get Charmaine to calm down long enough to slap on
the cuffs. She kept talking in calm, deliberate tones. "You remember that
Valentine party? We made those neat little cards with the lace and glitter. I
remember the one you made. You said it was for Jonathan, a boy you said you
liked. It was really pretty."
Charmaine, now a bit calmer, replied with a slight smile, "Yeah, I put the card
into the box, and when it came time for the party, I personally gave it to him.
Do you remember what he did?"
Melody returned the smile, saying, "He gave you extra cookies. His mom baked
these really pretty cookies..."
"...Heart-shaped with red sprinkles and icing. Mrs. Bacon ordered ice cream, and
your mom brought cupcakes. They were nice, too, all decorated with candy and
frosting, and..."
She broke down in tears. "My mom did nothing. That birthday party you were invited to...She didn't do all that. That was...John. He made the cake and games and...My mother never had time for me other than teaching me to hate..."
It has to end now, she thought. No more trying to be like my crazy mother. I'm not Olivia Maxwell, never will be...
Without saying a thing other than, "I really liked you, Melody. I really wanted to be your friend. Too bad my mom screwed that up for me, like she's screwed up everything", Charmaine suddenly turned then took a flying leap off the catwalk. Down, down she went.
Melody didn't have time to catch Charmaine. She stood there on the catwalk shouting, "Deidre! Noooo!" Maybe she wanted to aim for the furnace, but by some divine providence, she missed a fiery death and landed smack on the floor.
Charmaine Shade, a crumpled heap, was barely alive by the time Reyna and Audra rushed to her. John Eiger stood there weeping softly. The daughter he wanted so desperately to save had taken justice into her own hands. She said she wouldn't go down without a fight, and she kept that bargain with herself. Nydessa...
Melody, still upon the catwalk, was in tears herself, crying over Charmaine's
desperate final act and over her beloved. How will she break this to Nydessa?
How will John Eiger fare after all this, after losing his only child? She
watched as Reyna led a heartbroken Eiger out of the foundry. Poor man! And he
was only trying to force Charmaine to bring out Deidre...I guess he did, but the
price turned out to be far too high...
To be continued...Go to Chapter 14
Copyright©2004 by PRP. All Rights Reserved.