Re: Ghosts - ch.32 -- The Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Fan Exchange

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Date Posted: 16:31:23 04/15/03 Tue
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Ghosts - ch.32
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Ghosts - ch.31" on 03:33:47 04/15/03 Tue

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

"Stay here," Peter ordered Gus. "I'll be right back."

Immediately, Bruno blocked Peter's path.

Peter looked at Gus expectantly. "It's up to you�"

Gus paused for a moment, then nodded to Bruno. "Go with him. I'll wait here."

As Peter emerged from the tunnel, he could see Reggie being detained by several of the hotel's security guards.

"Peter! Am I glad to see you," Reggie blurted quickly, followed by a gulp when he noticed that Peter wasn't alone.

"And�Bruno!" Reggie squeaked, forcing a smile. "What a surprise!"

"What are you doing here?" Peter hissed, trying not to cause any more of a scene.

"I've gotta talk to you," Reggie insisted. "It's urgent�"

Bruno picked Reggie up by his arm until his feet were no longer touching the ground. "You can talk inside," he ordered sternly.

The color began to drain from Reggie's face as Bruno pushed him swiftly inside the tunnel.

Suddenly, Peter regretted ever involving Reggie in all this. A surge of protectiveness welled within him and, instinctively, he found himself repeating Sophie's words�

"Aww, don't hurt him, Bruno!"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"You?!" Gus' dismay at seeing Reggie was apparent even in the tunnel's soft lighting.

"He's a friend," Peter explained succinctly.

"Yours or mine?" Dubiously, Gus questioned his employee's loyalty.

"Ours," Peter reminded him. "We're a team, right?"

Gus shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I must be desperate�"

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Leighton, Sir," Reggie babbled, taking a good look around. He'd heard rumors about the upcoming River of Dreams but, for safety reasons, only the construction crews had been allowed on site.

"Wow!" Reggie was immediately distracted by the moonlit Parisian cityscape. "Will ya look at this? Kinda like 'It's A Small World' for grownups�"

"Reggie!" Peter snapped, breaking the young man's reverie. "What's the big emergency?"

"Oh, yeah, right, sorry�" Reggie apologized, remembering his mission and his earlier panic. "She's gonna shoot you!"

"What?" Peter was stunned. "Who?"

"Ivy�" Reggie took a deep breath. "I saw her in the lobby. She's gonna shoot you�"

"You saw Ivy with a gun?" Gus found it hard to believe. Guns were not Ivy's style.

"Well, no, I didn't SEE the gun," Reggie fumbled.

"Is he our only friend?" Gus deadpanned, utterly exasperated.

"Reggie�" Peter's tone of voice warned that there had better be more.

"I saw her in the lobby with some low-life. She gave him cash and took an envelope in return. He said 'Shoot it into his chest and he'll be dead in seconds.'" Reggie remembered that much word for word.

"Man, she's really lost it�" Gus felt sad and sick and angry all at the same time.

"How big an envelope?" Peter was still thinking through everything Reggie had said.

"Standard letter-size envelope." Reggie thought Peter's question odd.

"Then, it wasn't a gun," Peter observed astutely. "Even the smallest gun in the world wouldn't fit into that."

"What would?" Reggie hadn't stopped to think.

"Drugs," Peter answered from experience. "You shoot drugs."

"A syringe?" Gus followed Peter's train of thought.

"But, why would she drug me?" Something still didn't seem right to Peter.

"To have her way with you?" Reggie offered helpfully.

Peter just scowled at him.

"Ivy never needed drugs to seduce any man," Gus smirked, knowing his ex-wife's talents all to well.

"Whoever she's after, she wants them dead." Peter recalled Reggie's words with a shudder. His only consolation was that the man had said "he." At least, Ivy wasn't after Sophie or Charity.

Charity�

This was all about Charity. How could Peter have forgotten that? Ivy wanted Charity to pay dearly. So, why would she suddenly shift gears and decide to frame Gus for Stanley's murder - unless it was an added bonus? Unless�

Ivy was about to frame Charity for a different murder - a murder that had been botched originally. The murder of the one man who Ivy believed still stood between her and Charity's fortune.

Ben.

That's why Leroy had been so pleased to report that Charity would now be eligible for bail. Ivy wanted Charity free - free to take the blame for Ben's murder.

Charity would lose her husband, her wealth, and her life. How much more dearly could she pay than that, Peter wondered? Then it hit him.

He was the last knife Ivy could plunge into Charity's heart. Becoming Mrs. Peter Scarbrow would be her ultimate revenge. Then, she would have it all.

Ignoring for the moment that he would rather die than marry her, it would seem that there was only one person standing in the way of Ivy's plan. Fearfully, Peter realized the consequences if Ivy were to ever discover that Sophie was his wife.

Determined for that never to happen, Peter announced with utmost certainty. "It's Ben�Ivy's planning on killing Ben. And she'll make sure to frame Charity. I'd bet my life on it."

"So whadda we do?" Reggie was ready for action.

"Nothing," Peter shook his head, unwilling to make any rash moves.

"Nothing?" Reggie and Gus were both astounded.

"Charity's not being released until tomorrow morning," Peter reminded them. "Ivy won't make her move until then and I'll be with her when she does."

Peter's reasoning made little sense to Gus. "You're just gonna let her run wild for another day? She's out of her mind! She could do anything!"

"She won't!" Peter argued, growing more and more frantic to return and check on Sophie. "She's about to get everything she wants�"

"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" Gus ranted. "I've got a hotel to run!"

"Reggie will be your eyes and ears," Peter assured him. "If they need you for anything, he'll let you know. You can handle things from down here."

"You expect me to stay here all night?" Gus was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic.

"If you want to run the risk of bumping into Leroy, then I can't stop you�" Peter forewarned ominously. "But I've got to get back upstairs. Ivy's been alone too long."

With one reluctant nod of approval from Gus, Bruno finally moved aside, allowing Peter and Reggie to pass.

The brilliant sunlight of the outside world at last warming their faces, Reggie scampered to keep up with Peter as he sprinted toward the hotel, his heart in his mouth and his parting words to Gus ringing frighteningly true.

Ivy "had" been alone too long - with Sophie.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Dying to tell Peter of her exciting discovery, Sophie had searched all over for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Peter�Reggie�Gus� Strangely, they all seemed to have disappeared.

Meanwhile, a man in a Sheriff's uniform was prowling the lobby like a hunter on the first day of deer season. Could he be Leroy Carter? Sophie wondered. And, if so, just who was he hunting for?

Unnerved by Leroy's presence, Sophie had returned upstairs to think. Finding it impossible to sit still, she had resorted to pacing, eventually wearing a path into the plush wall-to-wall carpeting, spanning from her room to Peter's. Where could he be?

A sudden knock on the door made Sophie jump. Her first instinct was to answer it, anxious for news of Peter. But she froze with caution - just long enough to hear, "Peter? Are you there? It's Ivy�"

Sophie didn't dare move a muscle, knowing the slightest sound might draw Ivy's suspicion.

"Peter?" Ivy called again sweetly, although Sophie detected a definite note of frustration creeping into Ivy's voice.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Sophie heard a slight whoosh. Looking down, she saw a slip of paper being slid underneath Peter's door, followed by footsteps, as Ivy, finally, retreated toward the elevator.

Sophie approached the door stealthily, just in case, and gingerly lifted the paper from the floor.

"Dear, Peter�" She proceeded to read the note with interest.

"Sheriff Carter told me the wonderful news about Charity. Let's celebrate! I've made reservations for dinner, followed by the Andrea Boccelli concert. It'll be our special night. Call me as soon as you get back. Can't wait to see you. Love, Ivy."

"Our special night�" Sophie muttered, crumpling the paper and flinging it onto the bed.

At that moment, the bedroom door flung open, startling Sophie clear out of her wits.

"Peter!" Sophie was so thrilled to see him she hardly noticed the panic in his eyes as he clutched her to him in a rush.

"Soph, you're all right�" he breathed, stroking her hair and kissing her cheek.

"Of course, I'm all right�" she smiled, easing back gently from his grasp. "I was worried about you."

"I couldn't find you and then Ivy came by�" Sophie explained her fears.

"I know," Peter replied, walking her toward the bed. "I hid in the stairwell until I saw her leave."

Sophie handed her husband the wrinkled note. "Here, she left you this."

"Crumpled it herself, huh?" Peter grinned mischievously.

"I could've burned it," Sophie retorted, sitting down beside him.

Peter read the note and nodded. "Good�"

"Good? This is good?" Apparently, Sophie has missed something.

"I've got a lot to tell you," Peter revealed with a sigh.

"Me, too," Sophie was eager to share her news.

"First things first." Peter was prepared to start at the beginning. "Gus and Ivy were�"

"Married!" Excitedly, Sophie finished his sentence for him.

"How did you know that?" Peter asked, astonished, and more than a little impressed.

"Well, it all started this morning�" Sophie began.

Intently, Peter listened to Sophie as she detailed the results of her sleuthing, curbing his jealousy as she divulged the secret of Gus' world famous five-minute kiss.

When she'd finished her account, Peter then proceeded to merge the events of his morning into their conversation. Animatedly, they sat, facing each other on the bed, making notes�discussing strategies�determined to see justice done.

"Look at them, Sully," Michaela smiled, peering into Peter's bedroom, unseen from the balcony.

"They're so in love�so committed to righting wrongs�so�"

"Us?" Sully winked, bestowing a soft kiss on his wife's forehead.

"We have to help them," Michaela sighed, afraid Peter and Sophie might be in over their heads.

"'Chaela, y'know there's a limit t'what we can do," Sully warned her.

Winsomely, Michaela set about beguiling her husband. "Yes, but, I can tell him a story, can't I?" she beseeched, trailing her fingers lightly down his arm.

"You can tell him a story," he agreed, beaming.

"And you, Sully�" Michaela's voice took on a haunting seriousness.

"I'll be with her, no matter what," he promised, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

Back inside, Sophie was still digesting all the new information. "Why don't you just do as you'd planned? Tell Ivy that Charity and Ben aren't married."

Peter shook his head. "It's too late for that. Ivy thinks she has the upper hand. If I rock her boat now, there's no telling what she'll do."

"What if we call the authorities?" Sophie suggested.

"It'll be our word against Leroy's," Peter reminded her. "We need proof, Soph. We need to catch her in the act."

"In the act of killing Ben?" The thought gave Sophie chills.

Suddenly, from the balcony door, Michaela and Sully walked in.

"Good day, children. I do hope we're not intruding."

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Replies:

Re: Ghosts - ch.33 -- dqfan, 11:40:55 04/17/03 Thu
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