TANGLED WEB , PART SIX

Next day, Cass and Sofia turned up at the Cory Mansion.

"Hello Rachel," said Cass, "Is Matt at home?"

Hearing Cass' voice, Matthew came out of the living room.

"What are you doing here? Oh- Sofia!"

"We're here on business," said Cass, "Sofia wants to dissolve your business partnership."

"I - understand." said Matthew.

"I want C-Squared!" said Sofia, "I'm the one who found the talent we signed; I'm the one who did all the work! That company is mine!"

"It will be simpler if you just allow Sofia to buy your half of the business, for a nominal price." said Cass.

"A dollar." said Sofia, "I'll pay a dollar to get you outa my life! That's all you're worth!"

"I guess I deserve that." said Matthew. "A dollar it is."

****

Nick entered the kitchen at Carlino's and found Paulina banging pots and pans around as she prepared the menu.

"My brother is a selfish, spoiled brat (CRASH!) who doesn't care who he hurts (CRASH!) as long as he gets his own way!" (CRASH!)

"No argument!" said Nick, "Look, Paulina, I really need to warn you about Remy."

"Warn me? What are you talking about?"

"She's not what she says she is! I found out that she has a computer file on me - information she looked up before she came to Bay City. She came here with the intention of scamming me!"

"Remy?"

"There's more: I decided it was only fair if I made a file on her, so I started doing research and I found - Nothing! There's no record of a 'Remy Woods' anywhere. Her name is as phony as the rest of her! She's a liar! Don't trust her!"

"Paulina?" Remy was standing in the kitchen door, eyes wide, lips trembling - "It's true that I changed my name when I came to Bay City. My life was so horrible before I met you that I just wanted to forget about it. Please don't hate me!"

"Oh. Honey!" Paulina's tender heart was touched; she threw her arms around the girl, "As if I could ever hate you!"

Remy smirked at Nick over Paulina's shoulder. He shook his head.

"Watch your back, Paulina, or she'll stick a knife in it!"

****

Cass and Sofia were just leaving when the new Mrs. Matthew Cory arrived home from a shopping trip. She and Sofia almost bumped noses at the door.

"Get outa my way!" said Sofia.

"Delaighted!" said Lila, stepping aside with exaggerated courtesy, "Heaven fo'bid that Ah should keep you from leavin' mah house as quickly as poss'ble!"

Sofia shoved past her and flounced away.

"It's not your house." Cass pointed out.

"It's mah husband's house. Whut's his is mine." said Lila.

"Actually, it's Rachel's house." Cass looked at the shopping bags she carried.

"La Femme." he said, recognizing the name of Bay City's finest lingerie shop, "Very classy."

He lifted a lace teddy out of the bag. "Do you think this will make Matt love you?"

"Mebbe not," said Lila, snatching it back, "But Ah can make him damn glad he married me!"

She headed upstairs. Cass stood watching the sway of her hips until she was out of sight, then turned to leave. Just then, Gary arrived.

"Hi Cass. Is Rachel around?"

"Gary - have you found out anything?" said Rachel.

"Not yet." said Gary, "If I'm gonna find Carl, I gotta think like Carl - only I don't know how Carl thinks!"

"Find Carl?" said Cass, "Carl is dead!"

"I don't believe he is." said Rachel, "I think he faked his death."

"Ohmigod!" Panicking, Cass looked around as though expecting Carl to jump out of hiding.

"Cass, you have nothing to fear from Carl." said Rachel, "I don't pretend to understand what that Embers In The Snow business was about, but if Carl had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead! He's very good at what he does."

"That's a big comfort!" said Cass.

"So- what do you think Carl would do?" said Gary, "You know him better than anyone, Rachel."

"Carl likes games." said Rachel, "He enjoys dressing up and fooling people."

"Yeah," said Cass, "Way back when Kathleen and I were out west looking for that treasure, Carl showed up dressed as an Indian! He had brown makeup on, and a long wig, and a fake nose, and a lot of turquoise jewellery. I didn't even recognize him, until I accidentally pulled his nose off!"

"Carl's probably lurking around Bay City in disguise this very minute." said Rachel.

"I'll keep looking." said Gary.

****

Meanwhile, at Lumina, Nikos was saying, "You are certain that Paulina trusts you?"

"She's like a mother to me." said Remy. "One thing puzzles me, Daddy. How did you know that Lila Roberts was going to give birth in that stuck elevator?"

"That idiot Zack thinks I caused it to happen with my 'mystical powers'," said Nikos, "But the truth is , I had my agent in the Cory household put essence of ergot into the coffee she drank at dinner. The drug caused her to go into labour, and Zack saw to it that she attended the Lumina Ball. The rest was easy."

"You think of everything, Daddy!"

"If I did, I would not have so many difficulties." said Nikos, "I had what I thought was a perfect plan for revenge against Carl Hutchins: I made sure that Carl would behave irrationally, while I spread a rumour that he had hired a hitman - his own brother, Scott Guthrie. Then I made one of Felicia's silly novels come to life - making certain that Felicia and Cass blamed Carl. Guthrie was supposed to kill Rachel, and Cass Winthrop - he deserved to die for his disloyalty - and Carl was to take the blame. He would have spent the rest of his life in prison, or in an asylum for the criminally insane. I intended to pay him a visit, and tell him what I had done. I would have enjoyed that."

"Wait a minute!" said Remy, "Carl's own brother was going to help you frame him?"

"I didn't tell Guthrie the details of the plan, any more than I tell them to that fool Zack." said Nikos, "By the time he realised the truth, it would have been too late for him to save Carl - except by turning himself in to the police. His family loyalty scarcely went that far!"

"So - what went wrong? I mean, Rachel's still alive, and so is Winthrop."

"Carl ruined everything! He took the bullet meant for Rachel, and died! Killing Rachel won't be nearly so satisfactory, with Carl not here to see it."

"But you ARE still going to kill her, right?"

"Eventually, yes - but first, she must suffer!"

Neither of them was aware that Zack was in the Lumina Lab and had overheard everything.

****

That evening, Matthew and Lila gave Jasmine her bath, then sat by her crib until she fell asleep.

"Hushaby,/ don' you cry,/ go to sleepy, little baby." Lila sang, "While you sleep, / Ah will keep/ Awl the pretty little ho'hses."

"Mom used to sing that to the Twins." said Matthew.

"Ahm sho' she sang it you, too, when you were a baby." said Lila.

"I guess." said Matthew, "Well, goodnight."

****

In the Twin's nursery, Rachel was playing with Elizabeth and Cory's toes.

"Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor," she counted, "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, " She tweaked a toe at each word - "Doctor, lawyer -" Having run out of toes, she gently tweaked their noses for the last one: "Indian chief! Oh! You know what? Mommy's just had an idea!"

Once the Twins were asleep, Rachel phoned Gary, "I just had an intuition! Start looking for Carl among Bay City's down-and-outs! Carl is a rich man, so the last place he will expect anyone to look for him is among poor men! Beggar men!"

****

When Matthew entered his bedroom later that night, he found Lila stretched out on his bed, wearing one one her purchases from La Femme: a nightgown of lilac silk and lace, that covered her body while concealing almost none of it.

"What - are you doing here?" he asked.

Lila uncoiled herself from the bed and walked slowly towards him.

"Ah decided it was taim we stahted actin' laik husband and waff." she said, putting her arms around his neck.

"Lila -!"

"Ssh! No tawkin'. Actions speak louder than wo'hds!"

With a moan of desire, Matthew crushed her against him; their lips met in a passionate kiss.