"I was involved before I even knew it. Before anyone even knew it." Brenda went on. "While Tom was working for Daddy's partners, he found out that Daddy had stolen some of their money they thought was being used to invest into the cartel and hid it for his own purposes. We don't know what he intended to use the money for and if he ever meant to pay it back, and now we will never know. When the partners found out about this they were furious. They wanted the money back then and there. They wanted Julia to pay the whole amount that he stole plus interest. She refused, she didn't want to get Barrett Industries involved in the mess again. She did however tell them that if she found the money, she would return it to them. She figured that would get them off her backs and leave her alone. The problem was that they didn't believe her and she couldn't find the money."

Brenda shifted her body slightly and Sony readjusted his arms around her. She was getting close to her involvement and Sonny wasn't sure whether to be relieved or scared out of his mind. Brenda turned her head and smiled reassuringly at him. He read mixed emotions in her eyes. Determination, fear, relief, disbelievement; all mixed with what he assumed was love for him. He took one of her hands that was resting on his and laced his fingers through it, and squeezed her hand in encouragement, scared or not, he needed and wanted to know. "Where do things stand now?"

"They still want the money and Julia is refusing to let them have money from Barrett Industries. As for the money itself, that's a long story. I'm getting there though." Brenda smiled at him again, turned her head and settled down in his arms again. She realized that this whole thing must sound strange to Sonny. She had never really heard the whole thing out loud, just bit and pieces here and there and over and over in her head. Listening to herself it sounded strange so it must have to Sonny also, since he hadn't lived it. "Julia did some digging around to see if she could figure out where the money had been hidden," Brenda continued. "In some of his confidential papers relating to amounts that people had paid him to get involve in the sick take over the world plan he had scribbled the words Veronica's Painting."

"Veronica? As in Veronica your mother?"

"Yeah, that's what Julia thought. She thought that if she could figure out what painting he was talking about it might have some clues about where the money was. She took a trip to the Barrett estate in New England and searched for such a painting. She wasn't sure that one existed because Daddy had burned all paintings of Veronica and any painting that she had liked and brought into the house because he would not be reminded of her. It wasn't a real shock when she didn't come up with anything. She called all the house staff at all the vacation homes and came up empty."

"So there wasn't any such painting. What does that have to do with you? You're starting to lose me here. This sounds more like Julia's problem not yours." "It was made my problem the day Daddy wrote his will. See there was such a painting and I had it. Or at least I had it at one time."

"Had it?"

"Yeah, it was the only thing that Daddy left me. No money, no property, no business shares, just one lousy painting. When I came into town after Daddy left, I was hoping against hope that Daddy had loved me enough to leave me a little something. Instead he gave everything to Julia and stuck me with an ugly painting that used to hang in the hall outside his study. I hated the painting as a kid. I think he knew that, and that's why I thought he left it for me. If I had known it was a painting that my mother had liked, I may have liked and kept it, but I didn't, so I sold it.

"Are you sure that that's the painting?"

"We're dead sure. It was confirmed by an old butler that Daddy confided all his business to, the bad and good. Don't know why he did that-maybe to make sure things would keep running smoothly if his deals didn't work out. The butler kept quiet for a long time, but Julia got him to talk. The money was placed behind the picture in the frame. Who knows why-I stopped questioning Daddy's ways long ago.

"Julia told all of this to Tom, who was still working as a spy at the time. H e immediately told his employer, which was a catalyst to this whole mess. They wanted me in exchange for the money unless I could find the painting."

"They wanted you? What were they going to do with you?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do. What do they want to do to you?"

Brenda, uncomfortable with the line of questioning, squirmed out of his arms and turned so she could look straight at him. "They…they….oh God it's horrible…" She looked down contemplating what she was going to say next.

Sonny, worried and definitely scared out of his mind now leaned forward and lifted her chin so she was looking at him again. "Tell me, baby. What was so horrible?"

****

Sara and Mike have arrived at their destination. Mike is carrying an old duffel bag filled with things he deemed necessary to have while Sara is carrying a small suitcase with items she carried for the same reason Mike did.

"Grandpa, it's so beautiful here. This house is magnificent and the land, is so green. Is that a farmhouse over there?"

Looks in the direction that Sara is looking. "Yes I believe so."

"I wonder if there are any cows there."

"There might be, who knows?" Mike answers as he reaches the front steps to the house, pulls out a set of keys and opens the door. Sara walks in and he follows.

Sara puts her suitcase down once she walks into the house. She takes a good look around as Mike closes the door behind them. Her hand comes to her mouth in shock as she whispers the words, "Oh my..."

"What is it?" Mike asks concerned.

"This is my dream house. Ever since I was a little girl I've dreamed of living in a house like this. When I to sleep I would hope to dream about it again and again because I would always wake up with a warm fuzzy feeling after I dreamt them." Stops her little dream fantasy and turns to Mike. " Who's house is this, Grandpa?"

"It's your parents'. It's their castle in the air."

"They lived here?"

"Not exactly. It was more of a vacation home, but they were planning on moving out her permanently around the…" stopped momentarily it still hurt to think about that time. The time when he thought he had lost his daughter and his son had never been the same. "… around the time Brenda disappeared. It was their special place and they loved being here. I've tried to keep the place up, but it still needs some work."

Sara saw the look in her Grandfather's eyes. He momentarily got a sad far away look in his eyes and Sara wanted to take the look off his face forever. He was such a sweet old man, with quite a checkered past, she'd learned from their car drive here. She went over to Mike and gave him a hug. "Things will be different now Grandpa. You will have your family back. You're not lonely anymore and you'll never have to be. I'll make sure of that."