The Second Time Around Chapter 31

The city was roaring with activity and complete commotion. Streets were filled with an assortment of people each heading to their own destination. Brenda stepped out of the cab and headed toward the high rise on fifth that had caught her attention. Brenda peered through her Jackie-O sunglasses and pushed open the revolving door. The floor was glistening in newly cleaned windows and polished floors. A steel glint seemed to bounce off of everything.

"Nice and inviting," Brenda murmured to herself.

The elevator ride ended abruptly at the twentieth floor and Brenda marched confidently down the hall. This time she had an appointment.

"Brenda Barrett."

"You have an appointment?"

"Yes I do," Brenda smiled coyly.

The receptionist fumbled with some papers and told her to go on in. She marveled at how almost every CEO had a large picture window facing the city. He was turned around talking smartly into the phone. Brenda dropped the box on the desk. He turned sharply around.

"Excuse me, Tom, I'll have to talk to you later."

He recognized her instantly. Brenda Barrett Jacks. Of course she had only used her maiden name when she made the appointment. She was dressed in a stylish red pantsuit and wore designer sunglasses. A woman after his own heart.

"I have to warn you Ms. Barrett that we already have a model under contract." Brenda brushed a stray hair away from her face and only smiled. "Mr. Lauder..." "Please," he interrupted, "call me Leonard."

"Leonard," Brenda began, "I'm not here about a modeling contract. I came to return these to you with an offer."

Leonard Lauder's eyes drifted toward the box of chocolates with great amusement. **************************************************************************

"It doesn't make any sense, Lucy Coe?" Jax sighed as he looked out the large window in the penthouse.

"Brenda said that she saw the mate to the missing earring in her office. I find it rather coincidental that there would be two different sets of earrings," Bobby shrugged.

Jax turned to the assemblage of lawyers. "I've known Lucy since I came here. Hell, my first business transaction in this town was with Lucy Coe."

"What did you do?" Lindsay asked.

"Basically I gave her Jacks Cosmetics for ten percent in ELQ. Which ended up being semi fruitful considering I now own ELQ."

"So what would she have to gain from killing Carlos? Unless of course she got involved with him on a financial level."

Jax shook his head, "She had to be in trouble and she had to have been careless. Jacks Cosmetics was doing well except for the drop last Christmas. I don't know what it could be."

"So you don't own the company anymore at all?" Richard was curious.

"No more Fish. I don't usually continually own companies. I just buy them, tear them apart, and then sell them again. That's usually what us Corporate Raiders do."

Bobby ignored their banter and picked up the phone. "Call her. Tell her you want to talk to her. This will be easier if she helps us out. I mean you don't believe she could actually kill someone."

"No," Jax took the phone, "Lucy, its Jax. Right, I know Brenda told you that she wasn't going to renew her contract. I really can't tell you what she wants to do now. Listen, I need you to come here because I need to talk to you about a couple of things."

Jax hung up and smiled. "All we need to do now is order escargot ravioli."

Jax smiled cockily as he ordered room service.

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

Leonard unwrapped the chocolates and sat down. "I don't believe I sent you a box of chocolates?"

Brenda pursed her lips, "You didn't exactly. You sent Lucy Coe a box of chocolates."

"Ahh, Jacks Cosmetics. You're their model."

"Not any longer," Brenda sat down. "That's why I'm here."

Leonard watched her closely, fascinated by her approach. "Go on."

"I have a proposition for you. I want you to back me in buying Deception."

"Deception? That's a fragrance company isn't it?"

"Yes, relatively small, but it has great potential." "Really? Why would the wife of one of the richest men on the planet want to dabble in business?"

"Lets just say that I need something to keep me occupied."

Leonard grinned and ran his hand through his dark black hair flecked with gray.

"I understand that you may be courting Ms. Coe in some sort of deal. I think that you may have a better advantage if you work with me."

"Work with you on Deception. Tell me what I get if I back you in this company?"

Brenda set down a volume of papers. "This includes all of the past and recent history of Deception's markets. You will be able to see clearly how profitable it can be if its run right."

"You must be talking about some sort of merger her Ms. Barrett. Why would I want to help another cosmetics company?"

"Its not cosmetics, just bath and fragrances."

"Estee Lauder has bath and fragrances."

Brenda leaned back in her chair, "Estee Lauder is sprinkled throughout the world in over one hundred countries. You have forty five percent of US department and specialty sales and you actually market cosmetics under AVEDA, and the Tommy Hillfigger label, as well as Clinque. What's one more company under your belt?"

"So if I were to buy this company and let you run it all I get is some of the profits. And from where I am, I think you would like to own the company completely." "Exactly. You would sell it to me."

"Still, shouldn't I be getting a little more out of this?" Leonard waited for her reply.

Brenda smiled, "Well, in return for the company why don't you take a stab at a shoe line?"

"Shoe line? Really?"'

"Etienne Aigner is yours if you give Deception to me."

"Aigner? Let me see, would this be a company that your husband recently acquired but has no use for?"

Brenda arched her eyebrow in feign shock, "My husband has had Aigner for a mere month. It isn't his forte."

"That's right. Companies bore him if I recall," Leonard chuckled.

"So? What do you say? Aigner for Deception?" Brenda sat on the edge of her seat, ready to pounce.

Leonard smiled warmly, "Yes. I believe you have a deal. Never would I have thought that I would own a shoe company, but I like you so much that I can't turn you down."

"That's how I like to do business," Brenda stood up and shook his hand.

"Please join me for lunch while I have my lawyers draft up the papers. We can have this settled before the close of the business day."

************************************************************************** Jax opened the door to a very ecstatic Lucy.

"Jax, Jax! Have I got some good news!"

"Really Lucy? What would this be pertaining to?" Jax laughed.

"Jacks Cosmetics and something potential with Estee Lauder."

Jax bit his tongue as he thought of what Brenda has asked him earlier. It probably wasn't a good idea to mention it.

"Well come in. We'll have lunch."

"Yeah us, and a dozen other people," Lucy scanned the room. She turned angrily to Jax. "Why do I get the feeling that you weren't completely honest with me?"

"These are Jerry's lawyers. There's quiet a few of them, ahh, Bobby, Ally, Richard, Lindsay, Eugene, Eleanor, Jimmy, Rebecca, Georgia, Billy, and John. Oh, that's Elaine over there."

"Right. Why do I need to know this?"

"You don't. Why don't we sit down."

Lucy gave a classic confused Lucy expression and unbuttoned her blazer. "Jax, are these what I think they are"

Jax only smiled, "Escargot ravioli. As I recall a favorite of Ms. Lucy Coe." "Oh, Jax! I remember you ordered these for me when we were putting together the Deception deal. You are sly Jax. That is why we are so good in business. We have a nose for these things."

Lucy savored the succulent flavor and sipped her Pierre, leaving it in her mouth to become fully absorbed. "And do you know that I had barely even congratulated you on the ELQ deal! Edward must have been positively aghast. Did he fake one of his famous heart attacks?"

"No. He only did that last time. I was a sucker for it too."

"Well, attend so many ELQ board meetings and you get used to that sort of thing. I have to admit I'm a bit nostalgic for those days. Any way you can get me a seat on the board."

Jax stood up and merely shook his head. "Now what makes you think that I would want to do that? Remember, what do I get in return?"

"That's true. I wouldn't exactly want to give you back Jacks Cosmetics now would I?" Jax could sense that Bobby wanted him to ask Lucy about the earring. The room fell silent for a moment as Lucy was engrossed in her escargot and everyone else just waiting for her to finish.

"Lucy, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Jax moved cautiously to the mantle. He smiled to himself realizing that whenever he had something vital to say, he was drawn there.

Lucy noted the seriousness in his voice, "Oh, so you mean the escargot wasn't you just being nice?"

"I'm always nice Lucy," Jax picked up the yacht and fumbled with it, "You are aware of the charges against my brother?"

"Of course I am."

Jax set it down and walked toward Lucy, "You know me Lucy. You know that I wouldn't say anything if I didn't think it was important." He paused, "They found an earring at the crime scene, in Carlos' clothing. Brenda saw the match to that earring the other day in your office."

Lucy was still and quiet. She played with her engagement ring and finally looked Jax in the eyes, "I hadn't realized that's where I lost it. Or I wouldn't have put it out for everyone to see in my office."

Bobby inhaled sharply and came up next to Jax, "You were there that night?" "Yes. I was there but I didn't kill him."

"Lucy."

"What Jax? I didn't kill him. I mean do you really think I could?" "Of course not, but why were you there?"

Lucy stood up suddenly and began to pace the room, "I became sort of mixed up in his business. He leant me some money and I couldn't exactly pay him back."

Jax groaned, "Lucy! You borrowed money from a man in the mob?"

"Jax, I know. It was stupid, even more than stupid. But the company hit a low last December and I needed to pay off debt from the huge ad campaign we had just finished." "How come you couldn't pay it back? I noticed that your profits up, equal to what they were when J&J Jacks owned it."

"I know. I just needed more time. He wanted it in cash and I couldn't get a hold of it. I just went to tell him that I needed more time...."

"Oh, Lucy. You could have come to me?" Jax looked at her in dismay.

"I know. I could have done a lot of things. But as usual I just screwed things up. I mean I know I'm not perfect, no one ever said that I was perfect."

Bobby interrupted, "What happened when you saw Carlos."

"Well, that's the problem," Lucy shrank inwardly.

"What do you mean that's the problem?" Ally didn't like the looks of this. "He was dead when I got there."

Everyone fell silent except Bobby, "This is perfect. You can establish an almost exact time of death." Bobby looked at her again, "But how did your earring end up on his body?"

"I reached down to see if he was you know, still alive."

Jax looked at her skeptically. "I did! I probably should have called the police but I was afraid that it would come out that I had borrowed from him and it would like I did it. I mean there wasn't any murder weapon in sight."

Jax looked to Bobby, "You mean the gun wasn't there when you found him dead?"

"No. So you can imagine how it would look," Lucy sat down exasperated.

"Ok. Bobby, I'm going to grab copies of those subpoena files and see if there is that money transaction that Ms. Coe mentioned," Rebecca headed toward her room.

"Is there anything else that you can tell us. You need to be honest with us," Bobby pleaded.

Lucy hesitated. "Lucy, have you ever been able to keep a secret?"

"No, I haven't. But, Jax, you aren't going to like this. Jerry was there." "Explain."

"I went to see Carlos and I saw Jerry and him talking. I have no idea what it was about. So I momentarily changed my mind and left. I went to Ruby's and got something to drink. I went back and Carlos was dead."

"Great," Ally blurted out loud.

************************************************************************** "Ok, lets settle down here," Billy had enough of this yelling. He noticed Mr. Jacks looking particularly peeved at his desk.

Jax turned around, "Thank you. I just have some phone calls to finish up."

The room grew quiet as Jax finished off his conversation with his father. "Look, if you don't want to discuss this we don't have to. I'm not exactly in the mood to argue with you right now."

Jax listened wearily as his father began to talk about their business in Prague. He didn't like fighting with him. He never did. It was probably that reason which made him hurt so much when he couldn't trust him. John was worried that his son was so quiet, "Jax, are you all right?"

Jax smiled, "I'm fine Dad, just tired. You should be worried about Jerry." "I am. But you know how I love you and how you mean so much to me. Everything that I've ever done, whether it be wrong, I only did it because I wanted to protect you."

His voiced was strained and Jax could understand why he did what he had done in the past.

"It just changes my perception of your character when I realize how you conducted business early on."

"I know son, I know. But we change. I want you to know that. WE grow and we are never the same person we started out to be."

"I have to go. I'll see you when you get back from London. You should look up Julia and say hello."

"I will. Good night boy."

"Good night."

Jax hung up the phone and didn't move or say anything. The noise behind him started up again and he heard the door open. He had barely the motivation to see who it was.

"Jerry. Good of you to join us."

"Jax."

Jerry looked awkwardly down at his hands noticing that once again everyone had grown quiet. "I suppose I should tell you the truth. I owe you that much."

Bobby slipped out of his blazer and sat down wearily. He was sick of all these secrets. He was sick of being unable to put together the best defense that he could. "Out with it Jerry," Bobby said rather agitated as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

"I know you know that I was there that night. I had the gun with me that night. It was my gun and I intended to only scare Carlos, never to kill him."

"Did you take the gun with you?" Ally asked, her voice softer than Bobby's.

"I left with the gun and I never came back with the gun. At some point someone must have stolen it."

"Were you aware that you had the gun?"

"To a certain extent. I had put in my glove compartment once I was in the car. When I went to get it to bring to my hotel room it wasn't there."

Jax closed his eyes and massaged his temples briefly. His eyes shot open as Jax shoved Jerry to the wall.

"Jax, what the hell are you doing?" Jerry cried.

Jax kept him pinned against the wall, completely oblivious to the shocked lawyers in the room.

"Is this it? Do you want to honestly lie to me again? First it was Miranda, then it was going behind my back with the Jakarta deal, now this murder. How many times Jerry! How many more times?" Jax let go of him and backed away. "I don't know what to say."

"Well isn't that a bloody first."

"Just so you know you had to go back. You had to go back and leave the car without the gun, unless you're telling me someone broke into your car while you were in it."

The room was silent. Ally went cautiously up to Jax. "Maybe you two should discuss this without us?"

Jax turned to see her surprised face looking genuinely concerned. His head was pounding and was tired. Tired of this nonsense. He was supposed to be enjoying this time with Brenda. They had planned to have gone away by now, but that would have to wait.

"I'm sorry. It was unprofessional of me to get out of line like that," Jax knew he was saying something but couldn't even realize what it was.

"Jax, you know I never wanted to hurt you."

Jax laughed, he laughed loud and long. It was a laugh that was part in insane, part exasperated, and part real. Georgia grasped for Billy's hand as she saw this man begin to unravel.

Jax stopped suddenly and shook his head. "Oh, dear God. Do you know how long its been since I've laughed?" Jax paused and regained complete composure. "Its funny Jerry. First Miranda said she didn't mean to hurt me when she faked her death, then you and mum and dad said they didn't mean to hurt me when they lied about it to me. Brenda told me she never meant to hurt me when she left me for Sonny, then you again didn't mean to hurt me with the whole Carlos' thing. I hate to tell you this Jerry, but you did. Regardless of whether or not you meant it you did. I am not going to sit back and listen to all of the excuses pile up."

Jerry noticed the determined and cocky glint in his eye, "For the brilliant, sly, cunning, and successful man you're pegged to be, I don't see many of those attributes standing before me."

"Who the hell ever said I was that?"

"Ned Ashton."

"Ned huh? I'm flattered."

"So what exactly happened?"

"I left and then went back. He threatened to kill me and I pulled out the gun. I lost the gun in the struggle and bolted. Obviously someone else who wanted to kill Carlos stumbled across the gun."

"So far we can link Lucy and Jerry to the scene. Possibly Stefan Cassadine." John Cage put his finger to his mouth in thought, "This bothers me greatly."

"Of course it bothers you because we have no way to prove that any of them did. The more we talk to them the more it seems like Jerry did it," Eugene threw his hands up in the air.

The penthouse door flew open and Jax was instantly more relaxed.

"You will never believe what happened today!" Brenda took off her sunglasses and posed with her hands on her hips.

"And what would that be?" Jax mimicked her lovingly.

"You are looking at the new CEO of Deception!" Brenda squealed and jumped into his arms.

"That's incredible!" Jax held her tightly as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I know. I was absolutely brilliant," she slithered out of his grasp.

"Ah, really?" Jax eyed her suspiciously, "Whould that be due to the Aigner company that I let you barter with?"

"The shoe company?" Georgia whispered to Billy.

"Well, maybe. But! Other than that he said that he was just charmed with me," Brenda danced excitedly over to him.

"You deserve it. After all I do believe you were the one who executed the transaction." Jax paused, "When are you planning on telling Lucy you'll be competing with her?"

"Oh, soon enough," Brenda pulled off her blazer, "I feel rather awful about that. But I'm sure that she'll be doing much better at first anyway."

Brenda glanced around at the rather silent grouping. "Jax? Is everything all right?"

"I'll fill you in later. Why don't you guys wrap it up at Bobby's?"

"That's no problem, we we're just finishing up anyway," Bobby led everyone out the door.

Jerry stopped. "I know you don't want to hear it Jax, but you have to know that I've never done anything to intentionally hurt you."

Jax sighed, "I know Jerry. I know."

Jerry left and Jax sat down on the couch. Brenda sat down slowly on the coffee table. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean I don't think you do, but I would really like it if you did."

"I know you would and I will. Just right now, I want you to all to myself. I don't want to think about Jerry or the damn trial."

Brenda smiled softly, "If that's what you want. Just know that its ok to tell me. I really don't mind."

Jax's eyes crinkled in amusement. "I know you don't mind. I will tell you."

Brenda nodded in understanding. She slid into his lap and wrapped his face in her hands. She wanted to make the pain go away that was so evident in his eyes. It was that look that sometimes glazed over the natural hues of his eyes. The way his eyes let his vulnerability show.

Brenda moved her thumbs over his cheeks and eyes, massaging his temples. "Sometimes I think you need to calm down a little," she whispered.

Jax closed his eyes, "Right again Mrs. Jacks. Why don't you show me how?" "Calm down?" Brenda giggled, "I don't think that's what they call it." He pulled her to him and Brenda pushed herself up so that she was ontop of him. "Then just let me hold you," his voice was barely audible.

"I would like nothing better."