Second Chances

Chapter 29

Casey took a deep breath as she pushed open the heavy wooden door. It was dark inside, and when she let the door close behind her, she could barely make out the walkway towards the bar. "Hello? Anybody here?"

She had been pacing the docks since shortly after noon like a caged animal, waiting for two o'clock and her "date" with Sonny. Of course she hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before. The tangled sheets in her bed at the Port Charles Hotel must have elicited some colorful language from the maid after the way she tossed and turned. Casey even considered calling Carter at one point. She was sure he wouldn't speak to her, but even just hearing his voice saying the word "hello" would have been reassuring.

After barely managing to choke down coffee and a donut at breakfast, Casey had decided to do some exploring on her own before she met with Sonny. It was morbid curiosity, really – the small rental car seemed to have a mind of its own as Casey found herself driving down the street where she used to live not that long ago. She slowly came to a stop across the street from the modern ranch-style building that now was home to only two Barretts.

Casey took a shaky breath as she stared at the house. She had a perverse impulse to go up and ring the bell. {And what would you do if Julia answered? Smile and stick out your hand and say, "Hi! It's me, Casey! I'm just living in a different body now?"} She shook her head and then rested her forehead against her hands on the steering wheel. {This was a bad idea. You should just go back to the Port Charles Hotel ......}

When she looked up again, Casey caught her breath. Julia had come out the front door. {She looks thinner – not that she ever needed to lose weight. I wonder if she's been to see a doctor?} As Casey watched, Julia brought a small black dog out on a leash. She had to smile at the dog's antics as it wove its way around Julia's legs, anxious to get out and run.

Casey wiped briskly at the tears that now ran down her cheeks. She sniffled and then looked down to turn the key in the ignition. As she was about to pull away from the curb, Casey looked back up at her sister. {I wish there was some way You could let her know that I'm OK – that I'm happy now.} She smiled and laughed softly. {Boy, I don't ask for much, do I? You've been so good to me already, giving me Carter and Jon – but she just looks like she's hurting so badly, and I wish Julia could find some peace......}

"Hello?" Casey blinked and shook her head to clear it. A dark-haired, swarthy-skinned man had appeared from behind the bar and was staring at her curiously. "Can I help you, Miss?"

Casey laughed suddenly and pointed back towards the door. "Oh, I'm sorry – I thought that since the door was unlocked you were already open......"

The man grinned at her as he came around from behind the bar. "No. I keep telling Luke that he should keep the door locked during the day, but he doesn't listen to me." He shook his head. "Of course, Luke is the kind of guy that would fall for the old line about someone writing "gullible" on the ceiling, too!" He extended a hand. "I'm Roy DeLucca – can I help you with something?"

{Roy DeLucca? Who the heck is Roy DeLucca?}

After Casey's excursion to the old neighborhood, she had sought out a comforting cup of hot cocoa at Kelly's to kill some of the time before her scheduled rendezvous with Sonny. It was empty in the diner and while Casey sipped her cocoa, another thought had occurred to her. {You're so sure that Sonny keeps the evidence in his penthouse, but what if he doesn't? What if he moved it after you found it the last time? Where else would he keep it?} Luke's Club immediately came to mind.

Sonny had formed a partnership with Luke Spencer while he was engaged to Casey. Sonny had often taken Casey to Luke's to listen to music or just "hang out," and she knew that there was a back room/office. Over the hot cocoa, Casey realized that Sonny had probably become partners with Luke to lend some legitimacy to his business dealings in Port Charles. Possibly he might have taken paperwork to the club if he knew Casey had found it at the penthouse.