Frank, my parents, that girl she hired to take Deidre's place at the prom, all those kids who died so horribly...What was she thinking?! Then she had the nerve to kill herself and make it look as if John Eiger, a man to whom she professed her 'love' and had his child, was the guilty party. No wonder the man had to go into hiding all these years. What was so wrong with Olivia? Only John could answer that, but even he didn't know the extent of Olivia's insanity. Now, one woman's insatiable drive for power and revenge resulted in another near-tragedy. They waited for news. It had been many hours since Charmaine took that plunge. Reyna had gone back to the office, obviously to wrap up this case. Audra remained behind as did Melody. The former called her colleague Mike to fetch Nydessa and Tom Charles. Obviously their presence would be needed for Melody who felt partially responsible for Charmaine's attempted suicide.
"Don't blame yourself, Ms. Starr," said John Eiger, handing her a fresh cup of coffee. "It was Olivia, reaching out from the grave, hoping, once again, influence her daughter. Did I tell you I had plans for Deidre. It was all too obvious that the girl's very future was in jeopardy, that is if she remained under her mother's care. After Frank died, I wanted to take Deidre with me, across country, perhaps send her to school so she wouldn't be subjected to Olivia's madness."
"John,"
she said, "What was wrong with Olivia? Surely she suffered from some sort of
mental illness. And please, call me Melody."
John Eiger smiled thinly then
placed his hand upon Melody's and explained the tragically complicated life of
Olivia Maxwell. "Melody, you know how you and Deidre nearly became close friends
as children. Well, Olivia put a stop to that. The day she ordered your parents
killed, she took Deidre out of that school. She claimed her child wasn't getting
a proper education, so she sent the girl to boarding school." "Boarding
school?," asked Melody disbelievingly. "At her age?"
"Why not? To Olivia, it was
the perfect solution. Melody, there is something you did not know about Olivia.
She suffered from severe schizophrenia, was plagued with hallucinations, flights
of fancy, visions of grandeur. Fits of paranoia, which so often manifested
themselves into violent tendencies, was the major bugaboo. I tried to get her to
seek professional help, but she brushed me off, telling me there was nothing
wrong with her. I just stood by and watched her slowly poison my daughter, turn
Deidre into the woman you know as Charmaine. Deidre so often wrote to me,
pleading with me to take her away from the Hell her mother had created. I wanted
so desperately to get her out of there."
Melody let what John told her sink in for a few moments. She had no idea Olivia Maxwell suffered severe mental illness. No wonder the woman was driven to desperate measures, even at the expense of her own child. She had to ask, "John, why did Olivia marry Frank Maxwell? And what kind of man was he? My parents didn't speak of him much, and I only met him that one time when Deidre came to my birthday party."
John took a deep raspy breath, replying, "Frank was a small
time criminal, nothing really major. Mostly his offenses consisted of corporate
espionage and theft. He was basically a nice guy, likable, funny, considerate of
his wife and child. What got him in trouble was when he fell in with a major
crime family. Of course such didn't set well with Olivia, but she milked Frank's
underworld connections for her own gain. I would imagine she married Frank
because she was forced to do so. See, her grandfather wanted her to marry well,
but given her mental condition, she didn't have too many willing suitors. When
Frank came along, Olivia's grandfather paid him to marry her. Frank learned to
love Olivia although it hurt him to watch his wife sink deeper into her own
madness."
"Did Frank know about you and Olivia? I mean, did he have any idea
Deidre wasn't his?"
John sighed and said sadly, "I think he knew. Olivia and I cooled our affair shortly after her marriage, but resumed it after Frank's death. I think he knew he wasn't Deidre's father, but he loved that girl just the same, doted on her in ways her mother couldn't. I liked Frank, and it still bothers me that he had to marry Olivia as part of a bargain. I often wonder how different things might have been if he had lived..."
Through the double doors leading from the treatment rooms, the doctor entered the waiting area. He looked grim but not to the extent to suggest the worse. Melody snapped to attention just as Audra returned to the area. The latter had to make several calls to headquarters and to Mike Holiday. If Charmaine dies then there would be more debriefing.
"How is my daughter?," asked John tentatively.
"She's a lucky woman,
Dr. Eiger. She's suffered internal injuries but we managed to stop the bleeding
and prevent any further damage. She has a fractured tibia, but not as severe as
we thought. However there is some damage to the spinal column..."
"Paralyzed?,"
John asked, now fully worried.
"Well, not fully," replied the surgeon. "There is
some damage, as I said, but it's temporary. I want to wait until she's stronger
so we can go in repair that damage. I can recommend a neurosurgeon..."
"Whatever
it takes to make my daughter walk again."
John thought of something else:
his daughter mental state. He had to ask, "Doctor, Deidre has been through a
trying ordeal. She has, I'm afraid, taken on her mother's mental illness. Can
you recommend a competent psychiatrist? One who will work with her, has her best
interest at heart."
The doctor nodded, saying he will give John a list of
psychiatrists who specialize in Deidre's illness. Then, "We're moving her to a
private room. She is still heavily sedated, but would you like to see her?"
"Oh yes," said John, his spirits at last buoyed by the hope that his daughter
may finally get her head together and escape the icy grip of her mother. After
gathering his coat and hat, he turned to Audra and Melody, saying, "I know you
will have to arrest her, but please, for my sake, wait until she's strong
enough. I know what she did was wrong, but at least give me a few moments with
her."
That said, John Eiger hobbled off to be with Deidre, the one person in his long life he truly loved.
°°°°°°
Melody understandingly left John to reunite with his long lost daughter. In a way, she felt sorry for Charmaine despite the hell she put everyone – Nydessa, Melody, Ray, Kent, countless innocent people – through. She committed multiple counts of murder, nearly stole an election through deceptive means, kept Nydessa a virtual prisoner, tortured Melody. No doubt there will be multiple life sentences to serve if not the death penalty.
Shaking her head, she asked Audra, "I don't know what to think anymore. I
wanted those responsible for killing my parents brought to justice, but since
I've learned the woman who ordered the hit was totally insane–"
"Which reminds me," replied Audra, herself totally drained. "I got a call from
Mike. Just a few minutes ago, Ray Marsh committed suicide in his cell. Hanged
himself with the bed sheet. His ex-wife is on her way from California to
identify the body."
Melody wanted to be sick. Not only did Olivia's madness reach out to screw up
her daughter's life, but now, from the grave, Mrs. Maxwell had managed to end
another's.
"When will it all end?," Melody said, fighting back tears. "I know we're not
supposed to get emotionally involved in our cases, but when it turns out so
badly like this..."
She flopped down in the chair, buried her face in her hands, then sobbed
silently.
"Hey," said Audra, comforting Melody with a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Don't get all worked up over this. We got Charmaine, or Deidre, whatever she
goes by now. She's off the streets, put away so she can't harm anyone else.
Nydessa is safe, back with her dad. Kent is...Well, I don't think you want to
deal with him anymore."
"Oh wow, I nearly forgot about him. Is he still..."?
"In jail? Yes, awaiting arraignment."
"I might go see him before they let him out on bond, that is if he gets it. Just
for some closure, nothing more."
Both women sat next to each other, saying nothing more. The many sights and sounds of the ER served as a mindless backdrop for the women's individual grief. For Melody it was the loss of a potential friend, a woman who could have turned away from her mother's cruel influence. She thought of Nydessa, an innocent in all this fiasco. Surely, the girl will become far stronger and more mature once she reconciles with her parents. Hopefully, Dessie would have learned from her years with Charmaine, and not trust the next person who offers empty promises of comfort and wealth. For Audra, it was the loss of a good friend and business partner. Sure, she was operating undercover, investigating Ray Marsh's ill-gotten activities. But, in a way, she came to like the quirky Marsh and his wry sense of humor. Too bad he possessed a weak streak that ultimately became his undoing.
"Hey," Melody said, breaking the silence, "when will Mike bring Nydessa and her dad?" Audra sighed, replying, "Should be here any time."
"Call Mike and tell him to meet us in the diner across the street. I'm starved, and I could use the change of scenery."
°°°°°°
In the clatter and bustle of the 1950's-style diner, Melody and Audra picked at their food, barely eating much less enjoying the time away from the depressing ER.
"I thought I was hungry," said Melody over her plate of chicken and dumplings. Putting down her fork, she glanced about the room, espying a jukebox in the corner. She got up, walked to the machine, perused the song list, then dropped in her money. Returning to the booth, she said, "Sad country songs. Seems apropos."
Audra merely nodded, picking up a French fry then putting it down. "I can't eat, either. This case...I thought we would have it all so neatly wrapped up, but I guess things don't always turn out as planned." "And," said Melody, finally finding some appetite, "don't forget that we couldn't second guess what Charmaine would do, or Ray for that matter."
"Melody!"
The familiar voice called out, jolting Ms. Starr to attention. Melody's face, a few moments the picture of melancholy, now lighting up at the sight of Nydessa strolling up to her. Dessie was accompanied by a handsome middle-aged man, obviously her father.
"Melody!," said Dessie, finally breaking free from her dad to embrace
her lover. "I heard about Ray. And I heard about Charmaine. Is it true? John
Eiger is her dad?"
"Yes, Dessie. John is her biological father, though it'll
take all night to explain it all. Here, sit down and introduce me your
dad."
Melody began to feel a bit better now that Nydessa was finally safe. And she was happy that her lover had made amends with her father. In the back of her mind, she still dwelled upon John Eiger sitting at Charmaine's bedside, grieving over the daughter that could have been, praying for a speedy recovery yet uncertain of the future. What mattered now, here, was Melody's future with Nydessa, and the girl's renewed relationship with her parents.
"Melody Starr," Nydessa began properly and joyfully, "I'd like you to meet
Tom Charles, my father." "Miss Starr," said Tom, reaching across the table to
shake Melody's hand, "I'm certainly glad to meet you. Dessie's been telling me
of her difficulties with that Shade woman and all that election mess. Let me say
that I'm grateful to you for saving my daughter's life, and that I stand behind
her 100% if and when this Charmaine woman goes to trial."
"There may not be a trial any time soon, Mr. Charles," said Audra as she
waved for the waitress to bring more menus and drinks. "Charmaine will be in the
hospital for some time, although she will be charged. You can rest assured she
will no longer pose a threat to your daughter or anyone else."
A weary John Eiger walked up to the little company, sighing dejectedly. "Whatever the law decides, Deidre will have to
live with the consequences of her mother's actions. Deidre, in my opinion, was
an innocent pawn in Olivia's cruel machinations. The doctors tell me Deidre will
recover physically, but mentally it will take months, years even, to undo the
damage her mother wrought. That girl had so much going for her, and Olivia took
it away."
"Perhaps," said Melody, "given her present mental state, she may not
stand trial."
"What to you mean by that?," asked Nydessa, now concerned that Charmaine may not
serve prison time as expected. A mentally disturbed Charmaine Shade, or Deidre
Maxwell if that's the name she goes by now, loose on the streets could inflict
untold damage. Audra reassured her that justice will be served despite
Charmaine's momentary lapse into insanity.
"There is, in this state, a plea of guilty but mentally ill. Charmaine, if
convicted, will be sentenced, spend some months in a psychiatric facility for
the criminally insane, then will serve the remainder of her sentence in prison.
With the crimes she committed I don't see how she will get off."
"Well," said John Eiger before rising to leave, "we'll have to wait and see. I
see my ride is here, so I'll say my farewells. Oh, by the way..."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a slip of paper then handed it to Melody. "That is the name of a scientist friend of mine. Jacob Gallagher and I go way back; we both knew your parents well. Anyway, after Jake left me on the roadside, I flagged down the first car I saw. Wouldn't you know it was Jacob. I've been staying with him all this time. That's his daughter out front waiting for me."
Melody was puzzled. "I've never heard of a Jacob Gallagher." She handed the
paper to Audra who also had no clue.
"Before Reyna brought me here," said John before leaving, "I gave all my notes
and papers to Jacob. He has your mother's original Dark Horse formula as well as
all of mine. I've instructed him to put those papers in a safe place in the
event Deidre carried out her murderous threat against me." He then said his
good-byes and left without further explanation or elaboration about Jacob.
"Now that's puzzling," said Audra. "Why haven't we heard about this man?"
"Perhaps," said Nydessa, "he was in Charmaine's pocket, too."
"No, Dessie," said Tom, "I don't think so; Dr. Eiger didn't say that."
Melody stuffed the paper into her purse, saying, "Well, if he has my mom's
original program, then I guess we should pay him a visit. But not after we wrap
this case. If anything, Charmaine should be lucid enough tomorrow to face her
charges, Dessie is safe, everyone for the most part has met his or her fate
because of one woman's madness."
"Olivia," said Audra, nodding with some finality. "She had no idea her
actions had such far-reaching consequences."
"For what it's worth," said Melody, "it's over."
To Nydessa, she said, "I hear your dad and mom are getting back together."
"Yeah, Dad called Mom before we came here, and she'll be waiting for us when we
get back to Ohio."
A thought came to Melody. She said to Tom, "I know you and Dessie have just
gotten reacquainted, but could I steal her from you for one day, before you go
home? There is someone I'd like her to meet."
To be continued...Go to the Conclusion of "Melody
Starr: The Dark Horse Conspiracies"
Copyright©2004 by PRP. All Rights Reserved.