SEVENTEEN 

Payton pulled herself from the warm soft nest of pillows and quilts. She placed a hand against the forehead of the sleeping child next to her and although not satisfied with the slight warmth she felt there, it brought a sense of relief. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, almost three p.m. The nap had done its job. The weariness of the previous evening had slipped away. She yawned and stretched over to reach the prescription bottle next to the clock. It would be another hour before the girl should have another dose of what she had called 'the nastiest stuff she ever had to swallow'. Payton turned the bottle over in her hand fretting over the purpose it served. She wasn't quite sure the medicine would do anything for fever, she didn't know much about any kind of medicine. She could never remember taking it or needing it. She remembered breaking her leg when she was ten, it hurt like the hammers of hell but she would not give anyone the satisfaction of knowing that. Payton ran her hands through her hair tossing it back away from her face. 'A nice hot cup of coffee would do wonders' she whispered to herself as she stood. Reagan made a small sleepy noise as she turned on her side and scrunched herself into a tight ball. The older McAllister held her breath hoping the child would not awaken. Satisfied that Reagan was still deep in slumber she pulled the quilt up under the youngster's chin and quietly slipped out of the room.

Marjorie looked up from the whir of the vacuum cleaner as Payton entered the dining room. The young executive was certainly not looking like her usual prim self. The clothing she wore had that slept in look but Marjorie gave no hint that she had noticed. "Good afternoon, Miss Payton." She greeted her employer as she flicked off the machine. "Are you feeling better?"

Payton covered a yawn and pushed her hair behind her ear. "I'd feel even better if you have some coffee ready." Her voice was still husky with sleep and she almost smiled at the housekeeper.

"Of course, Miss Payton." Marjorie smiled as she disappeared quickly into the kitchen and returned a few moments later carrying a tray. She set it down on the dining room table and picked up the carafe and small cup.

"It's okay, Marjorie, I can take care of it." Payton stopped her as she approached the table and reached for the cup. "Have Reagan's things arrived yet?" She asked as she poured the dark liquid into it and took a quick sip. She looked over the edge of the cup waiting for Marjorie's answer.

"I had them put where you asked." Marjorie nodded. "I told Henry about painting the room as well. Miss Payton?" Marjorie hesitated.

Payton sat in her usual seat at the head of the table and poured more coffee into her cup. She raised her eyebrows in a silent message for Marjorie to continue.

Marjorie hemmed a bit then spit out quickly as she dusted the edge of the table. "Does that mean Miss Reagan will be staying?" She seemed to be asking her dust rag since she seemed more intent on rubbing out a spot on the well polished tabletop than looking into her employer's eyes.

Payton didn't answer. She hadn't really considered what she would do after the situation was handled properly. Somehow sending the kid away after all of this seemed a bit ridiculous. There must be schools on the island. She was sure she had seen school buses at some point during her daily commute. Marjorie could make sure the kid got to school and back. Anyway Reagan certainly wasn't a baby and she didn't seem like a stupid child, she could probably take care of herself for the most part. Payton put the cup down on the saucer and stared into the inky blackness of the liquid within. She seriously doubted that she was the person Reagan needed to put her life back in order. The kid was used to someone who was there for her, someone who could hug her, tuck her in at night, and listen to her preadolescent nonsense with an understanding ear. She needed someone to brush her hair and come to school plays and get excited over report cards and rush in when nightmares kept her awake. Payton knew she wasn't that person. She was safe in her world of numbers and ships and manifests and schedules. Motherhood was not part of her makeup, even if it this case it was actually sisterhood. She shook her head slowly realizing the gravity of the situation.

Marjorie's heart sunk. She had almost convinced herself that Reagan had come home to stay. She thought of several arguments to use in the child's favor but that old skill of holding her tongue in her employer's presence kicked in and she bit off any attempt at defending her position. She sighed and brushed away a sneaky tear before it fell.

Payton noticed the housekeeper's reaction from the corner of her eye. She looked up staring at the wall on the opposite side of the room. "She has no one else but, I'm not sure this is the best place for her." It actually sounded like a question. Payton McAllister, for the first time in her life, was making a small attempt at asking for advice. Marjorie blinked as she swallowed her shock.

"Mac an Bhaird is a beautiful place for a child, Miss Payton. And the little one is no trouble." She offered as politely and with as little anticipation as she could allow. "I don't mind caring for her while you are at work and…" She paused not sure how to continue. "And she looks up to you, Miss Payton."

Payton shook her head still staring into her cup. "I'm not much of a role model. I don't I want her to be like me. I don't think that is what my father intended and I am sure her mother would be appalled." Payton paused and wrestled with the regret that nagged at the edges of her mind. All the missed opportunities to get to know her step-mother, all the occasions she ignored her father's wish to reconcile their much abused relationship. She played with the bone china cup in her hand, tilting it in small circles as she watched the black liquid roll around its inside. "Why would she even want to stay here? I haven't been very nice to her. I guess I need a lot of practice on being a hostess." She smiled a weak smile before sipping her coffee.

"Hostess? Why she isn't a guest here, Miss Payton, she's family and…why, she loves you, Miss Payton." Marjorie informed her with a bit of uncertainty in her tone. "Can't you see that?"

Payton looked at the housekeeper for the first time but before she could respond the insistent ring of the telephone interrupted. Marjorie hurried to the parlor to pick up the receiver. She turned and held it out to her employer. "Miss Taylor." She stated simply, then returned to the kitchen as Payton took the phone.

"Bout time you found your way back to the world!" Connie jested as she greeted her employer.

"Yeah." Payton deadpanned back.

"How's the patient doing?" She inquired, still concerned with Reagan's welfare.

"Still sleeping." Payton informed her. "Is that good?" She tried to hide her concern.

Connie paused not believing the tone in Payton's voice and not really knowing the answer to her question. "What'd Marjorie say?"

"You don't know either, do you?" Payton almost laughed.

"Don't get me wrong Payt, I love the kid, but I don't know much about this stuff. When I'm sick I like to sleep. I suppose the little mite feels the same way." Payton could almost see the secretary shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway I got Dr. Connell and he can see her tomorrow morning at nine. I figure you could go there first, then bring her over to the office. We can do lunch and then some shopping. I'll man the sails while you and Reagan do the doctor thing. How's that sound?"

"Depends on how she feels, I guess." Payton replied wondering how Connie could say so much in one breath.

"You feeling all right, Payton? You don't sound like yourself?" Connie's voice grew serious. "Have you heard from Colin?"

"I'm just not so sure of this Connie. I feel like I'm lost in the middle of the ocean with out sail or compass. I don't even know which way to start." Payton confessed.

"Hmm," Connie thought. "I think that's how most folks start. Of course they have a disadvantage. They usually have a screaming infant on their hands. You on the other hand have a twelve-year-old, who pretty much has a grasp on the English language. All you have to do is get her to open up to you and you are well on your way."

"She did." Payton replied.

"Did what?" Connie was curious.

"Open up." Payton told her.

"She told you!? She told you what happened?" Connie was delighted as well as apprehensive.

"As much as she could. I didn't understand a lot with all the crying, but I think I pieced enough of the story together to know what she was trying to say. I have to say the kid has a lot of courage. And the worst of it is, she thinks it is all her fault!!"

"HER fault?" Connie was appalled. "Why her fault?"

"That bitch Thorne has her convinced she deserved those beatings!! Connie, if I get my hands on that crone…" Payton didn't need to finish the statement. Connie could fill in the blanks.

"Payton I think you need to tell Colin. He said the only thing he needed was Reagan's story to make a case against Thorne." Connie tried to stay as calm as possible although her feelings matched Payton's.

"You're probably right, Connie. Why don't you round up our corporate attorney and join me for dinner? I'm sure you both want to see Reagan anyway." Payton suggested.

"Will do, boss!" Connie agreed before Payton could change her mind. "We'll see you by six!" The phone clicked as the secretary broke the connection.

Payton placed the receiver in its cradle. "Marjorie!" She called as she headed for the staircase.

Marjorie stuck her head out of the swinging kitchen door.

"Set two more places for dinner." She took three steps then stopped and turned to the housekeeper. Her expression changed from that of an experienced Wall Street Warrior to a woman desperate for direction on a path she had never traveled. "And, Marjorie, could you come up and check on Reagan. I don't even think I know how to work a thermometer." She actually blushed and smiled a weak smile waiting for the woman's reply.

 Marjorie wiped her hands on her apron as she approached Payton. She nodded as she walked up the steps and placed a hand on the tall younger woman's shoulder. "Don't you worry Miss Payton, I'll be with you all the way." In that instant Marjorie had the urge to wrap the troubled young woman in a motherly hug, but Payton had always pulled away from any display of affection. Instead she gently patted her shoulder and nudged her toward the next step.

Colin Master's sat back on his office chair causing the seat, which was at least twenty years his senior, to creak mournfully. He stretched his arms out to both sides before running his hands through his dark hair and clasped his fingers behind his head. His blue eyes seemed bloodshot. His tie long since discarded poked out from beneath a wobbly stack of manila files. With shirtsleeves rolled up past his elbows, the young man had been through every bit of every speck of information that linked either of the McAllister sisters to Brisbey Hall or its administration. He let out a long frustrated breath and allowed the chair to groan as he fell forward, landing with his elbows against the desk.

After losing count of the number of calls he had made to the school and to Inspector Nick Larzy, Colin had put his staff to work pulling every file in the company morgue. Payton had had her heyday at that school. She'd been taking into custody on countless occasions for everything from truancy to vandalism, from underage drinking to driving without a license, she'd even 'borrowed' a teacher's brand new car to do so. The young lawyer was amazed at the lengths his predecessors had gone through to keep his now boss from becoming a resident at the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center. There were report cards and lengthy notes from concerned teachers who warned Jack McAllister that his wayward daughter was heading for little more than a life of transgression. Reagan's life at Brisbey consisted of one small file that included an admission test and a health form. She had not been at the school long enough to amass anything more.

A young woman entered the office; barely visible behind the pile of dark envelopes she carried. She dropped them onto Colin's desk, failing to snatch those that slid from the top of the unbalanced pile before they landed inches from the stack of already disorderly files the lawyer had set at the edge of his work space.

The woman blew a breath upward sending her auburn hair away from her eyes. She let out a breath and leaned forward on the pile. "That's it." She exhaled with finality. "There's no more. You have it all."

Colin frowned at the volume he would still have to scrutinize and shook his head. From somewhere beneath the pile of paper debris a telephone sent a desperate signal. Both the lawyer and his clerk looked at each other for a moment. The woman shrugged her shoulders and began lifting file after file in an attempt to locate the item. Colin took a different approach, snatching the black cord that snaked across the floor and following it much like reeling in a large fish. Before either found pay dirt a very tall, rather stern woman with pulled back hair and cat's eye glasses poked her head into the small office.

"Nick Larzy, line four." She commented flatly then just as abruptly disappeared.

Colin reeled in the rest of his line and produced the phone from beneath his jacket and several discarded dossiers. Immediately he remembered placing it there to make more room on his now almost completely buried desk. "Larzy?" He smiled into the receiver. The young clerk shook her head as she pushed her long hair behind her ears and slowly exited.

"Walters." The gruff police officer replied. "Got your messages. "

"Any luck?" Colin inquired as he shuffled the files into a more orderly mass and set the phone back in its place on his desk.

"All bad." Larzy answered, not wishing to give any information until he was satisfied this McAllister lawyer was on the up and up. "Have you told Miss McAllister that I must speak with the girl?"

Colin did not miss the venom dripping from the mention of his employer's name. After reading through the records on his desk he had no doubt why. "I have. She isn't very keen on that idea, inspector. It's going to take a lot of convincing?"

"The girl is the only one who knows what happened, Walters." The inspector began.

"She's a kid, Larzy, a scared kid who's been through more than her share in the past few months. " Colin reminded him.

For a few moments a silence clicked across the long distance connection. Colin fingered the thick brown satchel type file, held closed with a heavy rubber band, that lay in front of him. In dark letters on a faded label was Payton's name and the words 'keep just in case'. It caught his eye immediately because unlike all of the other neatly typed files and folders, this was handwritten and if he remembered correctly.... The lawyer spun on his chair and snatched a photo off the cabinet to his rear. He compared the writing. He was right. This was Jack McAllister's own penmanship. Immediately he tugged at the rubber cord, spilling the contents of the folder across the desk and onto the floor.

"Thorne is gone without a trace." Larzy broke the silence. "I've got a call into a brother in LA and the school she worked at there. She's got no family here and wasn't very sociable with her staff. I've got a couple leads, but nothing's panned out yet." The policeman paused, suddenly wondering if the lawyer was still at the other end of the line.

"I might have something…" Colin grunted as he bent to grab a newspaper clipping that had fallen under the desk. He sat back and stared at the piece for a moment. "I'll get back to you." He dropped the receiver into its cradle without the usual amenities and pulled several more articles and notes from the mess before him.

"BERT! BERTA!" He called to his clerk. The girl hurried back into the office, alarmed by the sound in her supervisor's tone. "Get back down to the morgue and get me everything you can find on the Sun Line takeover." He ordered without looking up from his reading. For a moment the girl stood staring in disbelief. "And anything with the name Teschner."

Berta Swingle shook her head as she turned and headed for the elevator to the basement.

"Teschner Lines Incorporated." Colin announced as he dropped a thick file on the table in front of Payton. "Ring any bells?" He looked from his employer to her secretary and back. Connie shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

Payton opened the file and looked at the picture on top of the pile of forms and notes inside. It was grainy and the person on it wore a large hat that almost covered her face. She also wore sunglasses and a large man seemed to be comforting her. From the looks of the scenery they seemed to be at a funeral. Payton studied it closely. If she was supposed to recognize something there she certainly could not see it, but the name Teschner rang a very crisp and clear memory. "Teschner Sun Lines." She remarked without taking her eyes off the pictures. "It was the line I sailed to Europe on right after the war. Service was deplorable."

"Right, and that is where it all begins." Colin smiled at his amateur detective skills.

Payton dropped the photo, frustrated with the familiar but just out of reach memory it stirred. "Where what begins?" She grimaced at the lawyer. Connie bit her tongue to avoid making a comment she would probably regret. Payton laced her fingers together and set her hands on top of the open file waiting for Colin to continue.

The young lawyer coughed to conceal his embarrassment, then cleared his throat and began his explanation. "TSL was the line your father took over after your little voyage.  Actually it was a corporate take over, MAC just bought out their stock and took over the company. It was pretty hush-hush at the time. TSL was about to go under, a lot of bad investments…"

Payton held up a hand. "What in bloody hell does any of that have to do with this situation?" She asked trying desperately to hold on to her temper.

Connie was on her feet tugging at the file under Payton's elbows. "No, no Payt, let him go on. I remember this. I think I know where this is going." She pulled the file free and shuffled through the forms sliding something from it and nodding with that 'ah ha' kind of recognition.

Payton acquiesced, raising her eyebrows and signaling Colin to continue his story.

"Where was I? Oh, bad investments, they made a lot of bad investments. Seems old Gregory Teschner was keeping two sets of books and in an effort to keep himself out of serious legal difficulties he agreed to sign over his company, lock, stock and barrel to your father. Unfortunately the authorities were already on to him and he tried to make a run for it, took most of what was left of his liquid assets with him. After that he disappeared along with the money, half a million I believe. Some thought he left the country, but the truth is committed suicide in some remote cabin in the Appalachians. There was a big write up on it in the Times. His daughter took it very hard" Colin finished with a curt nod.

Payton sighed and shook her head. "And?"

"Teschner had a daughter." Connie shuffled the papers in the file again, although now most of the contents of the folder covered the top of the dining room table. "I do remember his daughter." She tossed one form after another aside as she continued her search.

Colin reached into his open briefcase and pulled out a second file. He pulled out a small official looking form and handed it to Connie. "L'sandra Teschner, daughter and heir to what was left of Teschner's estate or reputation as the case seemed to be. She was studying in London when all of this happened."

Connie reached across the table and took the new file from the lawyer. "And she had to leave school and return to a scandal back at home." She nodded and smiled as if this made sense to her as well.

"HOLD IT!" Payton commanded as she rose. "What the HELL are you two talking about?? I let you explain and it makes less sense now than it did when you started! I vaguely remember all of this and I …"

"She came to the office, screaming and calling Jack a murdering barbarian. We had to call the police to have her removed. She screamed like a banshee all the way out of the building, threatened Jack with every form of revenge possible. I thought they locked her up after that." Connie continued to speak to Colin despite Payton's interjection.

"Three years in a state facility for the mentally insufficient, as the records state. They gave her a clean bill of health five years ago. She left, finished her education and took a prestigious position with a reputable institution." Colin nodded also ignoring Payton's ranting.

Payton threw her hands up and plopped back down into her chair. This conversation was utterly ridiculous but if these two where intent on babbling she would just sit and wait until they were finished or she was totally fed up and booted them out the front door along with all of their files!

"I see." Connie held out another form and looked directly at Payton. "L'sandra Teschner went into that hospital. Perhaps it was Alexis Thorne who came out." She handed the form, which was actually a photograph, to Payton. This photo was much clearer and showed a woman entering a dark car. She wore what looked like the same large hat and sunglasses. The same heavyset man held the door for her.

Payton grabbed the file and shuffled through the papers pulling out a college diploma and an official Brisbey announcement that Alexis Thorne had been named as new headmistress as Magdalene Howard retired. It listed several awards and accomplishments achieved by the new administrator. There was another blurry newspaper picture. All of the pictures were blurred, not one gave a clear view of L'sandra Teschner or Alexis Thorne. "You're both insane!" Payton groaned. "I met this Thorne person when I signed those damn enrollment forms. She's old enough to be my mother, maybe older. This Teschner broad can't be much older than me."

"I checked with her last employer and Miss Thorne has no history of any kind of violent outbursts while she was at Halford Academy on the West Coast. She'd been there for the past three school years and transferred to Brisbey this last fall." Colin handed a third file to Payton. "I gave all this information to the inspector in Connecticut and he did another sweep of the headmistress's home. Larzy found something in Miss Thorne's residence. Nothing sinister in any of it, we can't really prove a thing. But…" He hesitated watching for Payton's reaction. She held one side of the file while he kept his grip on the other side.

"But?" She waited.

"Reagan is going to have to make a statement." Colin stated as he released the file. "She'll have to tell them everything. It is the only real connection we have."

Payton thought for a moment about how difficult it had been for the kid to tell her the horrid details of her ordeal. She didn't think she would be able to do that twice. She shook her head as she opened the file. "No, Colin not…." Her voice trailed off as she scanned the contents of the folder.

Connie moved closer to her employer in order to view the contents of the last file. Her eyes widened as she watched over Payton's shoulder. The file was full of pictures of Reagan at different ages, a small clipping announcing her birth, several clippings on Payton's position as CEO at McAllister Shipping, pictures of Jack and Jordan on their yacht, and photos of both the Bhaird Building and Mac an Bhaird.

Alexis Thorne might be a middle aged old maid school marm, but somehow she was involved with L'sandra Teschner and L'sandra Teschner was far from being mentally sufficient. Apparently this crazed woman was plotting some sort of revenge and Reagan has ended up right in the middle of it. When Colin had taken the child from the school, Teschner had lost her pawn and in doing so had more than likely called in her crony to keep from being caught. She knew sooner or later Reagan would talk and Thorne would be held accountable.

Payton glanced at Connie then back to the contents of the file. 'Bitch!' She mouthed the word without sound. "She's been planning this for years! And she preys on the weakest most vulnerable person. Coward!" She spat out the words throwing the file across the table. "Call your Inspector." Payton agreed. "Have him meet us in my office tomorrow, noon." Her anger threatened to boil over. It burned like a hot coal in her chest, her cheeks, her ears, and her eyes. "I want this lunatic found and put back where she belongs." Her voice was calm and even, its threatening undertone barely contained.

Colin nodded. Connie began stacking the papers and stuffing them back into the files. Payton's knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists and stared at the mess before her. If L'sandra Teschner and Alexis Thorne were somehow connected at least some of this made sense. Whoever this woman was or was not, she was certainly on Payton McAllister's bad side. Colin and Connie silently cleaned the mess of paper before them placing the files back into the lawyer's briefcase. They knew that look all too well and both hurried to excuse themselves before the volatile temper erupted.

Marjorie had brought a tray to Reagan and sat with the child while she had supper. Reagan's fever had completely disappeared and took with it the throbbing pain in her right ear. The housekeeper had quite a time convincing the stubborn young McAllister that even though the ache was gone she would still have to take the rest of the medicine the doctor had prescribed. Reagan had swallowed the teaspoon of thick orange syrup and immediately grimaced.

"Tastes more like it'll kill me than cure me!" She commented as she reached for the glass of water Marjorie offered. She glanced at the clock and secretly planned to be 'fast asleep' before the next dosage.

Now as Reagan sat against the pillows on her bed, her knees were drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She rested her chin on her knees and watched as Marjorie moved a black checker to a new spot on the checkerboard set on the bed. The girl waited a moment frantically trying to hold back the giggles that threatened to escape. Marjorie withdrew her hand from the game piece. Reagan quickly and happily moved her 'man' across the board 'capturing' four of the black disks on her way. "King me!" She announced triumphantly as she landed the red piece in the last row of checks.

Marjorie looked at the board counting four black disks and seven red, including the newly crowned 'king'. "Seems I am outnumbered as well as outclassed."

"Are you giving up?" Reagan was surprised. "Daddy always told me you never give up, no matter how the odds are stacked."

"Very good advice." Marjorie agreed. "Your father was a smart man."

Reagan nodded and looked away. "I miss him." Her voice was small almost as it if was more of a thought than a statement.

"Of course you do, sweetie." Marjorie put a hand over the child's hands. What more could the woman say? No amount of compassion could fill the void left in the child's soul made by the loss of her parents. She'd known Reagan only a short time but already saw the child's true nature. Where Payton had been a dark and brooding child, Reagan was bright and cheerful. Payton was calculating. Reagan was more impulsive. 'Strange,' she thought, 'how she could know that.' The sisters were so different, so separate and yet something, something seemed to make her see them as either sides of the same coin. She patted Reagan's hand and searched for the right words to say.

Reagan seemed to be far away, lost in some memory. A lone tear stole across her cheek. She quickly brushed it away, shook off the memory and the pain it brought with it. She straightened her legs and wriggled to edge of the bed. "Can I go find Payton now? It's been a long time and she said one day in bed and one day is almost over and I feel fine and you said the fever was gone and I took that awful stuff again and…." Throughout her lengthy request she managed to get out of bed and all the way to the door before Marjorie could work her way off the bed to follow.

"Reagan." She chided the girl.

"Come on Marjorie, please?" She smiled sweetly, but already had her hand on the doorknob pulling it open and exiting before Marjorie could reach her. The escape was short lived as the child ran headlong into the tall well-dressed man who stood on the other side.

"You know, Slugger, we have got to stop meeting like this!" Colin laughed as she swept the child into his arms and carried her back to the bed. He deposited her back onto the pillows and pulled the quilt over her thin bruised legs. "I think this is where you meant to be, didn't you?"

Reagan crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at the man letting a loud 'Hmpf!" escape her as she did. Colin laughed again and ruffled the blonde head. She pulled away and hardened her scowl succeeding only in making herself look even more comical. Payton appeared in the doorway followed by Connie.

"Well, it appears you have a few more 'victims' for your game. I think I will take care of these dishes." Marjorie excused herself picking up the tray and slipping between the women in the doorway.

Reagan looked from face to face sensing immediately that they had come on matters a little more serious than a game of checkers. The arms folded in front of her relaxed and slowly became a protective self-hug. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and locked her gaze on the steel blue eyes across the room searching for some sign that there was nothing to worry about. There was none forthcoming.

Connie broke the silence crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the child's bed. "So, how ya feeling kiddo?" She patted the girl's leg and smiled a genuinely concerned smile. "Colin and I just wanted to see how you were doing. You really had us worried, sweetie."

"I feel fine." She answered the secretary then quickly looked toward her sister, "but they won't let me out of bed. You'd think I was a baby or an invalid, for Pete's sake!" The secretary's comments had relaxed her if only a little.

Payton had crossed the room as well and now stood next to Colin at the side of the bed. "You can get up tomorrow." Her voice was gentle but it was perfectly clear she would not stand for any further argument on the matter. "Right now…we need to talk."

Something in that tone, no matter how hard Payton tried to hide it, was ominous. Reagan felt the heat of fear creep slowly across her cheeks. She felt the gooseflesh rise on her arms. She recalled the last time someone had said those same words to her. It ended with her being told of her parent's fate. Connie reached out and took her hand. Another warning signal was set off. She pulled it away quickly, once again drawing her knees up in front of her and hugging them to her chest. It wasn't much of a shield, but it gave her some sense of protection. What ever was coming was going to hurt. She had gotten used to hurt, used to drawing herself into this position in order to protect herself. She put her head down, her face buried behind her knees and shook her head. She squeezed her arms against her ears ignoring the pain it brought. She could take that pain, as long as she didn't have to hear that Payton didn't want her, that Payton would send her away, that Payton didn't… She forced herself to think of something else, anything to stop that pain.

"Come on, sweetie," Connie coaxed gently tapping on Reagan's bowed head with her fingertips. "It would be a lot easier if you'd look at us."

"I already know what you are going to tell me." Reagan's muffled voice came from beneath her arms. She raised her head slowly sniffing back a short sob and quickly wiping both eyes. "You're sending me back. I know you are. " She looked directly at Payton as the hot tears streamed from her eyes. "You just came to take me back!" She cried aiming her comment at Colin.

The lawyer shook his head quickly and moved toward the child. He rested a hand on her shoulder and tried to sound as convincing as possible. "Whoa there, Slugger! You've got it all wrong. Listen…"

"No!" Reagan shot back squirming toward the opposite side of the bed in order to escape. Yes, escape. That was what she had to do. Escape, run, get away from this before she was pushed away. She easily slid off the far side of the mattress, put her hands over her ears and made for the door.

Payton blocked her path placing her hands on each of the girl's shoulders. "Hold it right there!" She knew immediately her voice was a bit harsher than she intended it to be. The child struggled to gain freedom pushing Payton's hands away with her own. Payton latched onto the flailing forearms and held tightly as the child frantically swung at her.

"No! NO! I heard Marjorie tell Henry you wanted me out of here as soon as possible. I heard them talking! I heard them!" The words came out between sobs, her voice high pitched with a combination of hurt and anger. She pulled valiantly against her sister's grip.

"Stop it, Reagan!" Payton shook the child gently, "stop." Reagan continued to struggle. "REAGAN! STOP NOW!!" Payton's voice was commanding. The girl froze glaring up into her sister's eyes. Her jaw set in absolute defiance. Payton raised an eyebrow casting a silent threat that immediately quelled the child's outburst. Reagan's arms relaxed in defeat and slipped limply from Payton's grip. She cast her eyes to the floor, offering herself in silent subjugation to whatever penalty was to come.

Payton reached out and gently took the child's hand in her own then slowly dropped down to meet her eye to eye. "You're not going anywhere." She whispered just loud enough for Reagan's ears to detect.

"But…" The girl began, her blue-green eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"But nothing!" Payton warned. She looked to Colin and Connie, who had backed away from the sisters' altercation, then back to the petite form before her. "Look at me, Reagan." She said to the top of the girl's head. The small blonde shook her head slowly. Payton stood back and placed her hands on her hips. She barely tilted her head toward the door but Connie and Colin took the hint.

"Perhaps this would be better in the morning after we've all had a good night's sleep." Colin remarked, immediately realizing what a useless comment it had been. He shrugged his shoulders then put his hands on either side of Reagan's head and kissed the top of it. "Good night, Slugger. Sleep tight!" He sent Payton a look of apology as he moved toward the door.

Connie placed a hand on Payton's shoulder. "I'm here if you need me." She encouraged her young boss. Payton shook her head, this was something she'd have to do alone, no matter how difficult it was. Connie squeezed her shoulder and reached over to pat Reagan's as well. "See you tomorrow, sweetie." She met Colin in the doorway. "We'll see ourselves out. See you in the morning Payton." Payton nodded without taking her eyes off the small contrite form standing in front of her. Reagan kept her eyes to the floor, waiting for whatever was to come. She was sure she had placed herself in a very nasty situation and there would be a price to pay.

"Come with me." The words were crisp, the voice commanding. Reagan slowly took her sister's outstretched hand and followed her out the door. Her bare feet plodded briskly on the plush carpeting in an effort to match Payton's longer stride. They crossed the house quickly, stopping in front of a large double door. Payton dropped her hand, grabbed the brass knob and pushed both sides open. She turned back and pushed Reagan inside ahead of her then slid her hand along the wall and switched on the overhead light. She rested her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"THIS is what Marjorie and Henry were discussing, Reagan. This room. YOUR room." Reagan stepped into the large bedroom walking between several stacks of boxes and crates. "These are your things. I thought you'd need them." Payton explained as she walked closer to the younger girl. "I'm not sending you away, Reagan. I'm trying to make a place for you."

Reagan swallowed hard and bit her bottom lip she turned slowly and faced her older sister. "I'm sorry, Payton. I…" She wrapped her arms around her sister's waist unable to finish the thought.

Payton was taken off guard and unsure how to respond to this small show of affection. She slowly put her arms around the sobbing shoulders, mostly because she couldn't think of anything else to do. "Let's just forget it." She turned the girl toward the door, keeping an arm around her shoulder. "This weekend, you can help Henry pick out a new color for the room and unpack your things." They walked together toward the door. "But we still need to talk, okay?" Reagan nodded without raising her head. She smoothed the girl's hair and thought about how to approach the subject that needed discussing. "You know sometimes when I have really bad day and just need to relax, I just soak in a nice hot tub."

Reagan looked up at her sister.

"Come on then, you can use mine. " Payton offered as she took the child's hand and once again lead her from the room.

Payton's bathroom was at least three times the size of the one in the guestroom. It had two sinks and a mirror that was as big as one wall. The shower stood on it's own with tall frosted glass doors. Reagan was quick to notice that same round symbol that was part of the massive foyer floor on each. The tub was big enough for at least three or four children. It even had steps to ease yourself gently into the swirling waters. Payton had added some flowery bubble bath to the water that created a rich foam on the top. Steam from the bath glazed the mirrors and windows.

Reagan rested her head on a strange spongy pillow and watched as her sister went in and out of the room in preparation for sleep. Something in Payton's routine was familiar, comforting. Reagan had witnessed this before many times as she soaked the day's grime away in her mother's bathroom in the penthouse. Not that she would compare Payton with her mother, they were certainly two different people, but just the routine of washing, brushing, changing, folding, drifting back and forth between the bedroom and the bath was enough to ease away some of the tension. Maybe Payton was right, a nice hot soak made all the difference in the world. She closed her eyes and let the warm water swirl around her left over aches and pains.

"Okay, I believe you are sufficiently pruned." Payton interrupted her thoughts, holding out the biggest towel she had ever seen. In fact if she had to describe it, it would be more like a blanket. "Come on. OUT." She shook the towel urging the child to move.

Reagan lifted a hand and examined the wrinkles in her fingertips. She took her time exiting the comforting bath, slipping backward up one step at time then sitting on the top one just long enough to elicit a sigh from her 'lady in waiting'. She slid over the edge of the deep blue reservoir and was immediately wrapped in the warmth of the thirsty towel. Payton had just enough time to make note of each welt and bruise that had not yet healed and the faint outline of those that already had. In her mind's eye she envisioned doing much the same to Alexis Thorne. She swallowed the anger, for now.

"I brought you clean things. There." Payton pointed to the chair near the far wall. "Get dry." She pulled the towel tighter around the girl briskly rubbing it on either side of her face. "Get dressed." She tapped the end of her nose with one finger. "We talk." She pointed to the bedroom.

Reagan nodded and smiled at the retreating form of her older sister. Whatever it was they needed to discuss would be all right. Acceptance made the world a little easier to take. She rubbed the moisture from her arms and legs and practically dove into the perfectly fitting pj's Payton had left for her. Maybe Connie had left another 'care package'.

The young girl stepped into her sister's bedroom and stood with her hands behind her back. For the time being she was satisfied to just watch as Payton brushed her long ebony hair. She slowly approached and stood at her sister's side. Payton set down the brush and looked into the most innocent expression she had ever seen. She silently berated herself for what she would have to tell this small person. She reached out and tugged at the tangled blonde hair that hung damply around the child's head. "Looks like you could use a bit of grooming as well." It was a casual comment but Payton was pleased with the smile it brought to Reagan's face. "Sit here." She patted the edge of the settee she was using. Reagan complied eagerly. "I won't promise anything. I've never done this before."

"It's okay." Reagan assured her placing her small hand over Payton's and the brush. "I have. Just brush. I know there's snarls, sometimes they hurt but they always smooth out." She turned toward the mirror and smiled at her sister's reflection.

"Yeah, sometimes there's snarls." Payton grinned at the irony in the girl's statement, as she began to run the brush through the soft blonde hair. She found herself left speechless by the truth in the child's words. But she could not remain speechless for long, there was still the matter at hand and the sooner it was resolved the sooner they could move on to the next step. "Reagan?" She began.

The child looked up from her investigation of the many trinkets and toiletries on the dresser. "Time for the talk, huh?" She scrunched up the unbruised side of her face.

Payton nodded. "Colin went back to Brisbey to speak to Miss Thorne." She could sense Reagan's tension as the child's breathing quickened. She kept the rhythm of her brush strokes remembering how the same action had calmed a skittish racehorse so many years before. 'Your attitude will become his attitude,' the groomer's advice called from somewhere in her memory. "But, she wasn't there."

The child expelled the breath she had been holding, almost relieved. Then asked with a bit more trepidation, "where is she?"

Payton paused for just a second, almost allowing herself to make up a lie. She sighed. "No one knows where she is right now, Reagan and Colin thinks it would be a good idea if you told the police everything you told me this afternoon."

Reagan's head bobbed as the brush found snarls and pulled them free. She busied her fingers with several rings she had found in a small gilded box. Her mind tried as desperately to make sense of her sister's words as it did to deny anything had ever happened. "Am I in trouble?" She asked quietly without meeting her sister's glance.

Payton put down the brush and spun the girl around catching her chin and forcing her to look her straight in the eye. "For the last time, Reagan, you DID NOT do anything wrong. The only one in any trouble is Alexis Thorne. She is a sick twisted woman and YOU are the only one who can put her where she belongs. Do you understand?" Payton immediately regretted losing her temper, knowing it was the woman she was angry with and not the child. She softened her voice as well as her touch. "Do you understand, Reagan?"

Reagan nodded reaching both hands up to clasp her sister's wrist. "Do I have to tell the police everything?"

Payton nodded knowing the girl would be embarrassed by the grim details. "Colin and I will be with you, you have nothing to worry about." She grasped both small hands and brought them to her lap.

"What if she's outside right now?" Suddenly the reality of Miss Thorne's disappearance hit home. "What if she's looking for me?" The child's eyes searched her sister's for reassurance.

"Not to worry. Mac an Bhaird is quite sound, matey! Nary a brigand has ever breached her boundaries!" Payton used a silly pirate accent that caused Reagan to giggle despite her worries. Payton laughed as well, mostly at herself but also because even the child's slightest laughter was contagious. "You're safe here. I promise." She whispered as she squeezed the small hands even tighter. "We'll meet Colin and the police inspector at my office tomorrow and then it will be over."

"When they catch her." Reagan added solemnly.

"They will." Payton reassured her, trying to sound more convincing that she felt.

"There you are!" Marjorie's voice came from the open door. "I thought I'd find you here." She smiled as she stepped into the room carrying the small brown bottle that contained that horrid orange medicine. "Don't worry Miss Payton, I'll see that she takes her dosage and is tucked in, it is rather late." Marjorie reached out a hand toward the child.

Reagan grimaced. Payton smiled. "I have a better idea." The older McAllister announced standing and taking the bottle from the housekeeper's hand. She turned to her sister. "You take nasty stuff without a scene and you can stay here with me tonight. Deal?"

"Deal!" Reagan agreed, nodding quickly.

"There you go, Marjorie. I'll handle it from here." Payton walked with the housekeeper to the door and closed it behind her. She turned back to see Reagan covering her mouth to suppress yet another round of giggles. She walked to the girl and carefully unscrewed the top of the small bottle. "Deal's a deal!" She announced as she held out the teaspoon of thick syrup to the girl.

Reagan swallowed it with a shudder and quickly darted into the bathroom to wash it down with water. Payton shook her head. She sniffed the open bottle and could only imagine the bitter taste. Dipping the tip of her finger against the top of the bottle she sampled a bit. A shiver ran over her entire body. She didn't envy her sister's plight.

A few minutes later both McAllisters were snug under the heavy quilt on the large poster bed. Any courage Reagan proposed to have disappeared in the darkness of the room and she quickly crept close to her sister's side. She grasped the medallion that hung on her neck and reached the other hand to the one that rested on her sister's heart. Here was safety. Here was comfort. Here was family.

Payton felt the small hand close around the disk that rested on her chest and resisted the urge to pull away. The time for pulling away was past, now it was time to pull together. A part of the dark executive that remained hidden to the world allowed itself to relax in the child's embrace. It had waited a lifetime for this feeling. It prayed for the power to protect it.

Payton awoke as the first rays of daybreak crept across the room. She wasn't sure what had brought her awake, if it were the light, the far off sound of a ringing phone or the slight almost imperceptible tap on her bedroom door. The young executive rose and slipped out of the warmth of her bed without waking the softly snoring child cuddled next to her. She glanced for a moment at the soft countenance before pulling the quilt back around the small form. Payton yawned and headed for the door.

Marjorie stood in the vast hallway. Her usually prim gray hair tousled about her face, a well-worn pink chenille robe wrapped around her. Although she looked as though she had just rolled from her own bed her eyes were wide, her voice was clear. "I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, Miss Payton." She whispered as Payton stepped into the hall and pulled the door almost closed. "It's Mr. Colin on the telephone. He says it's urgent."

Payton nodded and put a finger to her lips. She glanced once through the small slit in the door at the child who had not moved from the spot she let her. She moved down the hall to the oak table that held the upstairs phone. She pulled the receiver from its cradle. "This better be good Walters. It isn't even 7 a.m."

"I know it's early, Payton. I just spoke to Inspector Larzy." Colin explained.

Payton ran her hand though her hair and leaned against the wall. "Wonderful. And this couldn't wait until…nine?"

"They've had a report on Thorne." He hesitated.

"Colin, I am in no mood to pull this information from you. Spill it before I come over there and rip it out of you." Payton growled through clenched teeth.

"I didn't want to say anything last night, but Henry mentioned he had seen a strange car in front of the estate. I called the local sheriff and had him send a squad car. They found tire tracks in the roadside near the gate." Colin explained more quickly.

"Don't be ridiculous Colin! That could have been anyone. Kids parking in the darkness provided by the shadow of the wall or the trees." Payton brushed off the story.

"You're right, but they questioned a few of the locals who said the car had been there for at least two days. A kid who uses the road to get to the inlet managed to remember most of the license number. He wasn't sure of all of it, but he was sure it was a Connecticut plate." Colin finished.

"And it was outside my front gate for two days and NO ONE noticed?!?" Payton fumed.

"Payton, calm down. You and the rest of us were more concerned with other priorities. At least one of those days was spent at the hospital!" Colin tried desperately to calm the incensed young woman.

Payton drew a deep breath, trying to convince herself with his logic. "Do they know where she is now?"

"I'm afraid they weren't able to find her and no one has seen the car since yesterday evening. Your neighbor's gardener says he saw it drive away a little after five. Nothing since then, not a trace." Colin informed her.

"So she could be anywhere." Payton made the statement more to herself than to Colin.

"Henry might have scared her off." He offered little solace. "He did stop to try to offer assistance. He thought it was someone with engine trouble."

"I don't think she scares that easily, Colin." Payton remarked stoically.

"You're probably right, that's why I asked the sheriff to leave a car."

"Thanks, Colin. I appreciate the thought." She replied.

"Do you want me to meet you and drive into the city with you this morning?" His offer was genuine.

"No." Payton turned him down. "I'll have Henry use the limo. I don't think she'll try anything here and the office has plenty of security. Thanks again, Colin. See you later." She returned the phone to its place after he said goodbye and stood for a moment deciding her next move. She almost wished Alexis Thorne would do something, almost dared her to come into her home. Thorne might be seeking some sort of warped vengeance on the part of that crazy Teschner bitch, but she would show her some good old-fashioned McAllister justice!

She hadn't seen Marjorie leave, but assumed the housekeeper was already in the kitchen below brewing a fresh pot of coffee. She also knew the woman would be bursting with curiosity. For some reason she felt the need to share this bit of information instead of telling the 'hired help' to mind its own business. Besides she wanted to talk to Henry about what else he might have noticed. She returned to her room to grab her own robe and slippers before joining the elderly couple for coffee in the kitchen. She stifled a laugh at the shock it would cause both of them. Reagan had rolled herself into a tight ball under the heavy quilt. The steady rise and fall of the bundle told Payton the child was still deep in sleep. She left the door open when she left.

Reagan had heard just enough of the conversation to understand its meaning. Miss Thorne had been right outside. She had followed her all the way from the school and now she waited somewhere out there. Reagan had tiptoed to the door to hear and dashed back to the bed when the phone click signaled the end of the conversation. The girl pulled herself into a tighter ball hugging the small teddy bear close and wished Payton had not left. Fear told her to stay put and fear told her to run for safety. Instead she pulled the covers over her head and remained as still as stone. Payton had promised she would be safe, that no one could breach the walls of Mac an Bhaird, and she trusted her sister's word. For as much as Reagan McAllister professed to be 'grown up' her childlike self defense mechanism took over drawing her back into a deep sleep as it shut down all her fears. She gave in without a fight, after all Payton was not far away.