PREVIOUSLY

Turning listlessly back to the living room, Téa paced around the room, wondering if she would ever survive the separation from the man she loved with every fiber of her body and soul. Suddenly, she spotted something on the table by the door. She picked up the keys to the Ferrari, examining them closely. Clutching them tightly to her breast, she sank to her knees, her heart breaking.

*************************************************************************************************************

Téa met Sam Rappaport at the Llanview police station. They greeted each other grimly, both determined to use all of their skills to clear Todd of the terrible charge of murder that he now faced. After a quick shower, Téa had changed into a deep burgundy pantsuit with a cream-colored silk blouse underneath. She marched into the squad room with her jaw set. She wasn’t about to let on how truly frightened she was for the man she loved. Todd had already been booked and sent to lock-up, and Téa shuddered inwardly, knowing how difficult it must be for him to find himself behind bars again, and for a crime he didn’t commit.

Hiding their trepidation, Téa and Sam approached Commissioner Buchanan. He looked up, and for a moment, Téa thought he actually looked sorry for them. But he was soon all business, providing only the bare minimum of information that he was required to give them as Todd’s attorneys. Téa was just about to ask for a visit with the prisoner, when they were interrupted by a group of new arrivals.

Chicago detectives Quilici and Hamly ambled up, accompanied by John Sykes and Asa Buchanan. Bo looked quizzically at his father, confused by his presence among the cops. Quilici had a smug, satisfied grin on his face, while Hamly continued to look nervous, reminding Bo of a rat as he glanced furtively around the squad room. Sykes had an unreadable expression on his face, although his prominent eyes seemed shinier than usual. And there was no mistaking Asa’s triumphant smile as he clapped the Chicago men on the back. “What’s up, Pa?” asked Bo, secretly afraid of the answer.

“Manning’s going down, Bo, and I’m here to help any way I can,” said the tall oilman, glancing disdainfully toward Sam Rappaport.

“Pa…” began Bo in an exasperated tone, but he was cut off by Lieutenant Quilici. The heavy-set man turned toward the two lawyers.

“Well, well, well,” he said with a sneer. “The sharks have arrived.” Téa bristled, but bit her tongue, unwilling to give the revolting man the satisfaction of getting the desired reaction out of her. “So, now that you have your nice little warrant, maybe we can cut through all the legal bullshit and get this show on the road.”

“Ah, I see,” said Sam, his blue eyes like ice. “Well, sorry to inconvenience you, Lieutenant, but all this ‘legal bullshit’ as you put it, is my client’s constitutional right!”

“OK, OK, let’s just calm down here, folks,” said Bo, trying to soothe tensions. He had to admit that Quilici seemed determined to throw fat on the fire. “OK, Rappaport, Téa, we’ll notify you when the extradition hearing is scheduled. It shouldn’t be more than a few days…”

“The extradition hearing is in two hours, Commissioner,” said Quilici in a matter of fact tone. He watched gleefully as his bombshell detonated.

“What?!!” cried Sam and Téa simultaneously. Bo stared in shock at the detective, then glanced up at John Sykes. His underling eyed him coolly, almost daring his boss to challenge him. “We can’t possibly be ready in two hours,” said Sam angrily. “What’s going on? This is unheard of!”

Quilici glanced nonchalantly at his dirty fingernails. “Manning has no grounds to fight the extradition. Luckily we found a judge who understands that, and is tired of listening to all of you over-priced lawyers running up your bills and wasting his time. So, he sees no reason to postpone the inevitable. As soon as he signs the order, your boy will be on a plane to Chicago.”

“You can’t possibly make arrangements that fast,” spat Téa, her chin jutted up defiantly. “Airlines require 24 hour notice before a prisoner can be transported on one of their flights, and…”

She was interrupted by loud guffaws from Asa. “Well guess what, little lady?” he asked with a malevolent grin. “These boys don’t need to worry about any of that ridiculous red tape. I’m letting them take my private jet.” He looked back and forth at the outraged looks on the faces of Sam and Téa.

“You can’t do that!” shouted Téa, wracking her brain for any legal points that could stop this travesty.

“On the contrary, Counselor,” said John Sykes, speaking for the first time. “I think you’ll find the law books filled with prior cases where private transportation was used to transfer a prisoner. It’s quite common, really. It saves the taxpayers money, and the government is always quick to accept a generous offer like Mr. Buchanan’s.” Téa fought down the urge to claw out Sykes’ protruding eyes. Breaking her glare away from him, she turned to Sam questioningly.

The silver-haired attorney looked defeated. “I’m afraid he’s right, Téa,” he said quietly. She shook her head, blinking back the tears she felt pricking at her eyes. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of their enemies.

Bo looked at his father disgustedly. “Pa, what do you want to get yourself mixed up in the middle of this mess for, huh? What’s in it for you?”

“Simple, Bo,” said Asa, gesturing expansively with his long arms. “Manning thought he was so clever, stealing back the Sun from me with that ridiculous excuse that he was loco when he gave it to Max. Well, I don’t let anyone screw with me like that. When that scum is sitting in prison for the rest of his life, I want him to remember who helped to put him there. And, with him locked up, it’s only a matter of time until I get MY paper back.”

“Well, guess what, Asa?” said Téa, stepping up to the aging cowboy. Her petite frame was dwarfed by his massive bulk. “Your plan to railroad Todd is going to fail! So, you’ll get him to Chicago a little faster. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s innocent! He’s being framed, and believe me, after we clear his name I’m going to find out who’s behind this. If you’re involved, I won’t rest until you’re cooling your heels in that same filthy cell that Todd is sitting in right now!”

“Ooooo, I’m quaking in my lizard skins,” said Asa with an infuriating grin. Téa swallowed hard, getting herself under control. She turned to Bo.

“We’d like to see our client now, Commissioner,” she said, a slight tremor to her voice.

“Sure, Téa, I’ll call down and let the guards know you’re coming.” Bo turned away, but found his way blocked by John Sykes.

“Just a moment, Commissioner,” he said in his oily voice. “I believe Manning is being held in isolation, like most prisoners where extradition is imminent. That means no visitors.”

“John, you know all prisoners have a right to see their attorneys. That rule doesn’t apply…”

“Counselor Delgado is not Manning’s attorney in this case,” said Sykes watching Téa closely for her reaction. “You heard her this morning, Bo. She stated clearly that she is not licensed to practice in Illinois.”

“She’s going to act as my research assistant there,” said Sam defensively. “She won’t technically be an official attorney on the case, but…”

“So ‘technically’ she has no right to see Manning until after he’s arraigned in Chicago.” Téa stepped back as though she had been slapped.

“That’s right, Commish,” said Quilici, looking Téa up and down with a chilling leer. “I’m the detective in charge of his transfer, and I say no visitors.”

Bo looked at Téa’s stricken expression and turned to Sykes. “John, is this really necessary? Sure, she’s not his official lawyer, but I see no reason that she can’t…”

“It’s a security measure, Bo. No visitors before a prisoner is transferred. It’s a precaution against any last minute planning for an escape attempt. You know that.” Bo looked at the hard glares of the detectives surrounding him. He had no choice. He turned to Téa, swallowing hard.

“I’m sorry, Téa. Rules are rules.” He looked up at Sam. “You’re free to see him, Rappaport.” Téa couldn’t help it. The tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Damn you, John!” she said in a low growl, her dark eyes sparkling angrily. “Is there nothing you won’t do to get back at me for choosing him over you?” She quickly whispered something in Sam’s ear, then hurried out of the squad room, determined to hide herself before she broke down.

“Anything else, gentlemen?” asked Bo, not bothering to conceal his contempt for the remaining men as he watched Sam heading toward the entrance to the jail.

“Not for now, Commish,” said Quilici. “We’ll need your help planning the transfer after this ridiculous hearing.” Nodding silently, Bo turned on his heel and headed to his office.

Téa stood at the sink in the lady’s room, watching herself in the mirror as she sobbed out her frustration and sorrow. She had been thankful to find the room empty, as she needed privacy to deal with the mix of emotions coursing through her at that moment. She stiffened as she heard footsteps outside, quickly lowering her face to the basin and splashing water on her swollen eyes. Someone entered, and she was surprised as she heard the lock on the outer door click home. Looking up, she wiped frantically at her face with a paper towel. Someone stepped behind her, and glancing into the mirror, Téa was suddenly confronted with the icy blue stare of John Sykes. She whipped around.

“How…how dare you!” she stuttered. “This is the lady’s room!” He chuckled contemptuously, stepping up close and essentially pinning her to the sink.

“Well, I’m not going to argue that point,” he said, eyeing her in an insulting manner. “But I had a few things to say to you, and I didn’t want to be disturbed.” He looked down at her cleavage. “First things first,” he said, grabbing her handbag and dumping the contents all over the floor.

“What are you doing?” cried Téa, staring at her possessions incredulously. He grabbed her shoulder roughly, holding her in place as he perused the various items as they rolled away. Téa began to feel a little tremor of fear as she looked at his stone-cold face.

“Nothing unusual there,” he said in a matter of fact tone. Next, he reached for her briefcase, lifting it to the counter and snapping it open. He riffled through the documents, taking considerable trouble to rub his hands over the entire lining and into each pouch.

“OK, that’s enough!” shouted Téa. “You have no right…” Sykes tossed the briefcase away unceremoniously. Téa trembled as his attention focused completely on her cleavage.

“There’s only one other place you could be hiding a listening device, Téa,” said Sykes in a dangerously quiet voice. “Are you wearing a wire?” Before she had time to draw breath, the tall detective pushed her back against the sink and roughly ripped open her blouse, sending the buttons flying in all directions. Her eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth to scream. Sykes quickly stopped her by clamping a hand firmly over her mouth. She struggled frantically as he used his other hand to fondle her breasts over her bra, digging his fingers deep into the valley between them. Her hands beat ineffectually against his hard chest as he grew bolder, pushing her bra out of the way and roughly handling her sensitive flesh. Squealing in outrage and fear, Téa squirmed against him, trying to knock his hand away or scratch his face. Sykes tightened his grip on her mouth, partially choking off her air passage. Tears of rage slipped down her cheeks as he continued to molest her brutally. She couldn’t believe he would attack her so viciously. Todd had never assaulted her this way, and he was the one labeled a sexual predator.

Grinning evilly, Sykes pushed her tightly against the basin. To her horror, she could feel his erection pressing against her stomach. Realizing that her struggles were exciting him, she went limp in his arms, hoping to catch him off guard.

Finally tiring of the struggle and satisfied that their conversation would remain unheard by any ears but their own, Sykes relaxed, tentatively removing his hand from Téa’s mouth. When she remained silent, he stepped back, giving her some space. Suddenly, she lunged for him, pummeling his chest and neck with blows. “You bastard!” she screamed. “Nobody treats me like that!” Laughing in amusement, he caught both her wrists and shoved her up against the wall. He leaned into her again, placing his mouth up against her ear.

“This is just a small sample of what you can look forward to, Counselor,” he hissed. He nuzzled his nose in her hair, causing her to flinch away. He didn’t seem to notice. “We could have been so good together, Téa. We could have had it all. Maybe we still can after I get rid of that disgusting rapist you’re obsessed with.”

Téa laughed contemptuously, her eyes full of fire. “Dream on, John! Unless you’re willing to throw me down and rape me here on the floor, you’ll never have more of me than you have right now! And don’t flatter yourself. It’s obvious you framed Todd. Once we get to Chicago, a little investigative digging will turn up the truth, and you’ll be the one behind bars!”

Sykes belly laughed, squealing like a girl. “You do have a sense of humor, Counselor,” he said, leering at her exposed breasts. “And your offer to do it on the floor is tempting, but I’m afraid I must take a raincheck. I have a few last details to arrange before the transfer of the prisoner. You see, unfortunately Manning is going to die trying to escape tonight.” Téa’s eyes widened in fear, more terrified at the thought of losing Todd than anything else facing her at the moment. “That’s right,” said Sykes, taking satisfaction in her reaction. “For a while I thought I’d just send him back to prison. He’d suffer more that way. But you signed his death warrant, Téa. Even when I produced an eye witness, you still stood by him, believed in him,” he spat derisively. “The only way you’ll get over your obsession is to get rid of him entirely.”

“You’ll never get away with it,” said Téa angrily, wishing she were more convinced of that fact.

“I already have,” purred Sykes into her ear. “Tonight, just as Asa’s jet lifts off the runway, the door will open, and Manning will jump for it. Unfortunately, his timing will be off and he’ll break his neck in the process.” Téa stared at him in horror, overcome by the pure evil she saw shining in his eyes. “Of course, he could be sucked into the jet engine,” continued Sykes conversationally. “Have you ever seen a body after that particular accident? Trust me, there won’t be much left for you to identify…” Letting her anger work for her, Téa managed to push him off of her. She ran across the room to the locked door.

Turning around, she faced her tormentor. “I’m going to Bo. I’m telling him that you’ve threatened Todd and I’m charging you with sexual assault!” She reached for the door lock.

“Go ahead, Téa. I’ll deny it all. There’s no proof, no marks. You could have easily torn your clothing by yourself. I’ll convince Bo that you staged it in a last-ditch attempt to delay Manning’s extradition. And you’ll never be able to protect your little boyfriend now. His fate is sealed. When you’re through crying over the pieces, maybe you’ll come crawling back to me. And if you’re lucky, I might take you back, for certain considerations…” Téa shrank back as he advanced on her, but he just shoved her out of the way and unlocked the door. “By the way, I’ve been in an interrogation room with Quilici and Hamly this whole time. They’ll be happy to vouch for me to Bo.” With a last, cold grin, he flung out of the restroom. Téa could hear him laughing as he retreated down the corridor.

Running on sheer willpower, Téa quickly gathered her scattered belongings. She straightened her disheveled clothes, buttoning her jacket to cover her ruined blouse. Sykes’ taunting words haunted her. There was not a doubt in her mind that he really meant to follow through on his threat to have Todd killed, and she was almost paralyzed with fear. She almost bit her tongue off in frustration as she remembered telling Todd that he was paranoid, that turning himself in was the safest way to fight the false charges. My God! By letting the cops take him into custody, she had unknowingly led him into a trap!

Sobbing quietly, she ran into the hallway and straight into the arms of Officer Bill Doyle. “Ms. Delgado?” he asked incredulously. Seeing her shake with sobs, he gently grabbed her shoulders, his face a mask of concern. “Téa? What’s the matter? What happened to upset you so bad?”

“It’s…it’s Todd,” she said, trying to control her shaking.

“Yes, I heard about what happened when I came on duty a few minutes ago. For what it’s worth, I don’t believe he murdered that girl.” Looking at the kind face of Todd’s former guard, Téa had a sudden idea.

“Officer, I need a favor,” she said in a whisper.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Todd sat on the floor of the holding cell, his back resting against the bars of the door, and his knees drawn up to his chest. He hadn’t moved since they had first locked him up hours before. It was almost as if by refusing to move further into the cell, he could convince himself that it wasn’t real—that he wasn’t locked up again for a crime he didn’t commit. He hadn’t even roused himself to talk to his attorney Sam Rappaport, listening to his grim news in silence. His eyes were fixed on a grease spot on the filthy floor. He was sunk in the depths of despair.

He could almost hear his father’s voice telling him he was a loser, taunting him about going down for a crime that Peter had committed. “I always knew you’d end up like this, boy,” said the mocking voice. “I made sure of that when I got rid of that little slut you called a girlfriend. You pathetic loser! You always cling to women, hoping they’ll save your sorry ass. First there was that whore, your mother. I got rid of her, too. Then that ridiculous little lamb of God. I didn’t need to scare her off, you did that all by yourself! The blonde? Well, she knew you were a loser from the start. Played you for a fool, and stuck you with that brat kid to keep the gravy train rolling her way. And now this one…well, I’ll get her, too.” Todd shook his head, willing away the dark thoughts as he rubbed his temples. He tried to think of happier things, of his love for Téa and the future they would have together. But John Sykes was the next entity to creep uninvited into his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, Manning, I’ll take good care of her when you’re gone,” mocked Sykes in Todd’s imagination. “Of course, she’ll have to pay for preferring you over me. I’ll fix it so no man will ever look at her with desire again.” Todd gritted his teeth, mentally fighting the apparition, but he kept seeing his father’s face and John Sykes’ blend together in his mind.

“No!” he cried out loud. “I won’t let you hurt her—either of you!”

“Todd, are you all right?” said a concerned voice just outside the bars. “Who are you talking to?” Bill Doyle squatted down to Todd’s level and looked the prisoner over with concern. Sweating profusely, Todd twisted around and looked at the policeman with wild eyes.

“Doyle?” he asked, seeming confused. He rested his head on his knees rubbing at his temples. “Please, Bill, I need to call Susannah; I need to see my shrink.” Doyle sat down on the floor outside the cell, leaning his shoulder against the bars with a great sigh.

“Todd, you can’t see anyone until after you’ve been arraigned in Chicago tomorrow. You do know that they’re transferring you tonight?” Todd looked through the bars, grimacing as he struggled to bring himself under control.

“Yeah. If I’m lucky. Something tells me I’m not going to survive it.”

“You’ll do fine,” said Doyle, trying to soothe him. “Keep your mouth shut, cooperate, and you won’t get hurt.”

“Right,” said Todd sarcastically, running his hand through his hair. “What’s that?” he asked disdainfully as the policeman held a paper cup through the bars.

“It’s a vanilla milkshake. Téa sent it down for you when she found out you refused to eat anything they’ve fed you.” Todd ignored the offering.

“Téa? You’ve seen Delgado? Is…is she all right?” Doyle remembered how the young attorney had trembled in his arms, looking like the devil was after her. He decided not to share that particular scene with the prisoner.

“She’s worried about you. It really sucks that they won’t let you see each other.” Todd struggled with his emotions for a moment.

“Nothing the cops won’t do to stick it to me--to make sure I suffer as much as possible.”

“Hey, I resent that! It’s just a milkshake, not poison!” said Doyle with a grin, hoping his joke would lighten the mood. It didn’t. Todd knelt up, gripping the bars and leaning his head toward his friend.

“Doyle, you have to do me a favor. Tell Delgado…you know…tell her…” He swallowed hard, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes tightly. “Tell her it’s been great and…and…I wouldn’t trade any of it—even the fights—because she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. If I…if I don’t make it…tell her…I loved her.” Exhausted and at the end of his rope, Todd sank again to the floor, his head in his hands. Doyle blinked back tears as he looked at the hunched figure of a man he had come to care about deeply during the months of their forced companionship. He knew Todd didn’t want anyone to see him this way. Leaving the milkshake on the floor just inside the bars, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded note. He placed it next to the paper cup and rose to his feet.

“I’ll tell her, Buddy,” he said softly, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. “Hang in there, man.” With a final glance back, he called for the guard and exited the cellblock.

After a long while, Todd raised his head and looked again at his bleak surroundings. The folded yellow note caught his attention and he reached for it eagerly. Opening it, he immediately recognized the handwriting.

Querido, I know things seem hopeless and grim to you right now, but you have to hold on. Remember our talk about trust? Todd, you have to trust me now with your life. You were right about Sykes. He is a vile, sick man, but I won’t let him do this to you—to us. Tonight, when they transfer you, I’ll be close by. Think about me, trust in me, and I promise I won’t fail you. Remember above all else that I love you and that there is nothing in this world that I won’t do to keep you safe. Diós te guarda, Téa.

Todd reread the note three times, then folded it carefully and tucked it into his undershirt next to his heart. “I’m trying to hold on, Delgado,” he whispered, “but it’s hard. Oh God, it’s so hard!”

TO BE CONTINUED

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