CHAPTER FIFTY

News and Information

Sonny sipped at the last of his espresso as he sat at his private table

in the Grille. He'd gained some new clients for his coffee import business,

mended fences with Alexis and gotten that kid, Zander, on a good track. Sonny

was feeling very pleased with himself. Today had been a very satisfying day.

His sense of well being faded slightly, as he saw Lieutenant Taggert stroll

into the restaurant. He spotted Sonny and headed in his direction. Without

invitation, he pulled up a chair and sat down across from him.

"How's business, Corinthos?" Taggert asked, his voice deceptively pleasant.

"Let me guess, profits are coming in as scheduled; especially since your main

arch enemy is behind bars" Taggert leaned in closer. "If it weren't for the

fact that I know that the judge that presided over Sorel's case is totally

untouchable by you and your kind, I'd love to prove that you orchestrated the

entire trial."

Sonny smiled at him. Was this the same old song Taggert loved to sing?

"Lieutenant, Sorel is off the street. He won't be peddling any more poison on

the streets. Why can't you be happy with that?"

"You know when I'll be really happy? The day I take you off the streets as

well."

"Well, that won't be today. So unless you have some official business

with me, I'll just be on my way." Sonny stood and slipped on his coat. He'd

turned his back on the police detective and was walking away when Taggert let

loose his parting shot.

"You know, no one ever did bring you in for questioning the night Sorel

was picked up, did they?"

Sonny turned back to face him, a bored look on his face. Taggert was so

predictable. Any excuse to bring him down to the police station, he'd take it.

Taggert regarded him with a small smile of his own this time. "I

understand the missus was out of town at that time. Isn't that unusual for a

high powered executive like herself to be gone from her base of operations

when she has a major event like the FOD coming up? I bet she was really busy

when she got back."

He dropped his bombshell. "But not too busy to see Roy DiLucca. Maybe I'll

have him come down to the station for a chat."

Sonny didn't drop his bored expression. "Do what you gotta do

lieutenant." He glanced down at his watch. "But you've wasted enough of my

time today."

He walked out of the restaurant, his mind spinning a mile a minute. The

morning's scenario played itself out in his head. Maybe she had been on the

phone. With Roy. Sonny frowned. He got into his car and pulled out his own

cell. "Benny, I need some information…."

**

"Sonny, what a nice surprise!" Carly exclaimed as her husband knocked and

then walked into her office. "What is this, you were in the neighborhood and

just thought you'd drop in?" She came around from behind her desk to hug him.

"Something like that, yeah." Sonny asked. He returned her embrace. "Looks

like you're real busy." He said, gesturing to the mounds of files, computer

printouts and paperwork strewn across her desk.

"Always…but never too busy for you." Carly squeezed him.

"I guess you've been busy since we came back from the island…that trip cost

you a lot of time work-wise, didn't it?"

"You don't know the half of it. It's been work, work, work, ever since I got

back to the office." Carly misconstrued his concern. "But, hey, don't worry

about me, I can handle it."

"I don't doubt it." Sonny answered absently, his mind busy at work studying

her words, her voice, her face as she spoke with him. "So, you haven't had

much time for much of a social life since the Deception party, have you. No

lunches with friends or anything?"

Now Carly sensed something wrong, Sonny did seem distracted, but she thought

that it more than likely had something to do with his business, and she'd

promised herself that she was going to stay out of that area of his life.

"No, just home and work, not even lunch breaks with Eliana. That's all my

life has been about lately. Is that what this is? Eliana has been bugging me

about the whole all work and no play thing. I turned her down for lunch twice

this week. So now she's worried about me, isn't she?"

Sonny listened to her with half an ear. She lied. The words echoed in his

head and his stomach twisted sickly from the knowledge. Benny had called

Sonny back in the limo before he'd reached Deception offices and told him

that Carly had left the building twice for lunch this week and both times,

had met with Roy DiLucca. Benny hadn't thought to mention it to Sonny because

it was a well known fact that DiLucca was involved with Mrs. Corinthos'

mother. But Benny didn't know as well as Sonny did about Carly's ability to

put her nose in where it didn't belong.

"Was lunch what you had in mind, Sonny?" Carly's voice broke into his

thoughts. "Or since it is kind of late, an late brunch, or early dinner?"

Sonny shook his head. "No, you had it right the first time. I was just in the

neighborhood and thought I'd drop by for a minute because I might be home a

little late. I won't keep you from your work." All of a sudden, Sonny had to

get out of there, now. Before Carly could react, he brushed his lips against

her cheek and was gone.

Carly stared after him for a long moment. She'd done good, she thought to

herself. Whatever it was that had been bothering him, she hadn't pushed him

on it. And when he was ready to talk about it, she'd be there to listen.

Smiling to herself, Carly turned back to her work.

***

Later that afternoon, she went down to the designers' level to visit with

Eliana. Stepping off the elevator, she paused and looked around. As always,

she enjoyed the ambience of the designer level. While the ambience was mellow

and laid back, emphasized by the multitude of personal decorations that

peppered the environment, you got the impression of a humming hustle and

bustle of very active beehive. It was definitely a unique working

atmosphere, but it worked. Productivity had been high since day one and their

output had been met with nothing but approval by every supervisory level.

Carly walked down the hall to Eliana's corner office, pausing to knock before

poking her head through the door. "Hiya hun, missed me?"

Eliana waved to her, phone to her ear and waved her in. Carly wandered to far

left corner of the spacious office, which was set up as a designer's dream

space, two easels, one for use either standing or sitting, and a multitude of

media; prismacolor pencils, pastels, markers, and paints. Eliana's office

was a working studio.

Hearing her finish up the call, Carly turned back to her. "You didn't come to

see me," Eliana laughed as she picked up a folder of notes. "It's because you

left these here."

"Okay, busted." Carly grinned and accepted the packet. "I am always leaving

stuff down here. What is this, the second time this week?"

"Third." Eliana teased, "but who's counting?"

Carly made a face. "Funny. So what about dinner tomorrow night?"

"No can do." Eliana said. "I've got to go to New York City. As

fascinating as I find this job; I do have other businesses I have to attend

to, you know."

Carly made a face, then shrugged. "Another night, then."

"Why?" Eliana asked. "Is something wrong?"

Carly shook her head. "No; not really." She looked up to see Eliana looking

at her curiously. "Sonny was by here earlier. And something about him, was, I

don't know…off. Didn't he come by to see you?"

"No, but I was in and out my office all today, so if he stopped in, he might

have missed me."

"It's no big deal." Something nagged at Carly's mind, but she couldn't place

the thought. "Are you driving down?"

"No, no time. I've got a minor crisis to deal with. I have my ticket waiting

for me at the airport already. I was just about to come up and tell you and

Laura when you came down."

Outside the office door, Elizabeth smiled to herself at the news that her

rival was taking herself out of the picture; she began to script the next

step of her plan in her head.