The soulful strains of the blues are theantithesis of how Bobbie feels when she enters Luke's club. Preparedfor battle, She strides grimly towards the bar where Luke and Claudeare bantering with the customers. Luke catches sight of her, startsto grin, but the smile dies at the sight of her glower. "Woah, Baby.What happened to you? Is Stiff prowling around Kitty Kat Bellagain?"
Bobbie stops a few feet from the bar and lifts her chin defiantly."In your office, Luke. Unless you want me to air your dirty laundryin public."
Claude gives a low whistle. "I think she's ticked at you, Luke."
Luke tosses the bar towel down. "You got my attention. You wantoffice, Doll, office it is." Leading Bobbie to the back of the club,he calls back to Claude, "Mind the fort, will ya? No interruptions,even if the club's on fire, ya got it?"
Luke waves Bobbie into his office and closes the door, locking itfrom the inside to guarantee their privacy. "Ok, spit it out. What'sgot your underwear in a twist, Darlin'?" Rounding the desk, He leansback in the chair and studies his sister. She is royally pissed athim, no doubt about it.
"My underwear is in a knot about this." Bobbie slams the manila filedown on his desk. She presses her palms into the desk and leans overso she's eye to eye with Luke. "This was one of the presents myhusband gave me tonight when he caught me trying to drug him."
"Damn." Luke's heart drops into his stomach. Leaning forward he flipsopen the file, takes one look at Carly's face, and winces."Sh**."
"Well, if I ever had any doubt whether it was the truth, I have myanswer now. Damn You, Luke. Damn You."
"Listen, Honey," Luke tries to explain. "You gotta remember what wasgoing on at the time. I came to tell you who she was the same nightyou found her in the sack with Tony..."
"I had a right to know!" Bobbie shoots back.
Slouching over his desk, Luke rubs his hand over his head. "It wasugly, Barbara Jean. Am I so bad for wanting to protect you fromit?!"
"Just shut up, Luke," She blasts back. "I don't want to hear it. It'stoo damn late for excuses. Maybe," Bobbie straightens to her fullheight and draws in a calming breath. "Maybe if you'd come to meyourself and told me I would have been open to listening. Hell, ifStefan hadn't dumped this in my lap too," She pauses to dropthe video tape on top of the file. "I probably would have tried tounderstand. Maybe even forgiven you eventually."
"What the hell is that?"
"It's definitive proof that Laura didn't kill Damian Smith," Bobbiepronounces. "In fact, it shows the identity of the murderer in allhis cowardly glory, running out the back door of a burning WardHouse."
Luke turns white. "Stefan was having me followed?"
"Do I even care?" Bobbie snaps. "You left your wife anddaughter in a burning building, you jerk! They could have died!"
"I didn't know they were there!" Luke's voice cracks. The wholenightmare of the night and the ensuing months of agony come back witha rush. The surge of fury at finding Damian torching the place,killing Damian, running outside to the horror of finding out fromJustus that Laura and Lulu were trapped inside. "When Justus told methey were inside I almost died on the spot. I wanted to die! I ran into save them. I swear I didn't set the fire, Barbara Jean. Damian didthat."
"No, you didn't set the fire, you just used it as a cover for bashinghis head in."
Luke leans back morosely, his voice turning steely and cold,remembering all the man had done to mess with his family, Bobbieincluded. "Damian needed to die and I did what needed to be done. I'mnot sorry he's dead."
"Yeah, and you did such a bang up job that Laura ended up in jail,ended up standing trial for a murder you committed!" Bobbiesteps back from Luke. "I don't even know who you are anymore."
"Is this what your husband has been feeding you? He's been whisperingin your ear about big bad Luke? Don't you see he's playing you?"
Bobbie paces in front of the desk. "I know exactly what Stefan is andwhat he is capable of. I have no illusions about him. I'm also smartenough to see the facts and draw my own conclusions." She stops andturns towards Luke, pointing a finger at him. "You're the one whospecializes in whispering in my ear!"
"So now you sit in judgment, Baby Sister?" Luke retorts, thebitterness and guilt etched in his face suddenly revealing his age."Must be nice to sit high and mighty over the rest of us."
"Damn you, Luke. You're the one I've always counted on! Through itall, when I was turning tricks in the gutter, when I was pregnant,when I gave my baby up for adoption, through all my failed marriages,it's always been you. I could always count on you." Bobbiefeels the tears threaten and blinks them back. "I could call on youfor solid advice or to get me out of a jam when I needed it. Thebrother I know and love wouldn't let his wife stand trial for amurder he committed! He wouldn't let her rot in jail, away from herbabies! He wouldn't lie about his sister's daughter being deadeither! What happened to you, Luke?"
Luke slumps a little, the fight going out of him. His voice is tiredas he answers."I'm still the same man, Barbara. I had good reasonsfor what I did."
Bobbie crosses her arms in front of her chest. "You always seem tohave good reasons. What are they this time?"
"My confessing to Damian's murder wouldn't have helped my family,"Luke begins, snagging the fifth of bourbon from his bottom draweralong with the shot glass, pouring it and downing it in one longgulp. The explanation comes out in a harsh rasp. "Laura made it clearshe didn't want the truth and telling you wouldn't have helped onedamn bit. It just would have made you an accessory after the fact andcause you needless worry. The best thing for everyone was for me tokeep quiet. Laura would never have been convicted of Damian's murder.I wouldn't have allowed it."
Bobbie doesn't even hear that Laura might have known, only that Lukemade the decisions for everyone. "You are completely out of yourmind! You've convinced yourself what you did is right?! Who are youto play God with everyone's lives?!"
Luke sees red. Doesn't she get how difficult this is for him? Thatit's eating him alive? That the nightmare of Laura behind bars willeat at him until the day he dies? He doesn't need her condemnationtoo. "You may have a right to be angry at me for lying to you aboutCarly, but you have no right to judge me for anything else, you gotthat, Baby Sister? It's my family and my life!"
Not for the first time tonight, Bobbie feels his brutal words as aphysical blow, knocking the wind out of her. But the fighter in herrecovers quickly, shoving the hurt deep down. She is suddenly calm,her voice reasonable, rational. "You're absolutely right, it'syour family and your life. And I'm not a part of yourfamily anymore. As of this moment, I cease to be your sister. Do nottalk to me, do not call me, do not write. Just consider yourself anonly child, because Luke, I'm done."
Luke pours himself another shot and downs it. He'd gone too far, buthe wasn't going to apologize. "I won't hold you to that, Darlin'.You'll calm down and understand why I did what I did."
"Look at me, Luke." Bobbie shows him her most determined look. She'sdead serious. "I'm as serious as a heart attack. I'm through.You have your family, I have mine."
Luke's gut twists, Bobbie has never looked more serious in her life.He swallows the lump of dread in his voice. Things had definitelygotten out of control. "Hell. What do you want me to do, BarbaraJean? Say I'm sorry? Tell you you're right, I screwed up?"
Bobbie picks up the manila file, leaving the tape on the desk."Nothing. I don't want anything more from you. Take your dopey petnames for me and stuff them. Keep the tape as a souvenir. You're deadto me, Luke." She strolls to the door. With her hand on the knob sheturns back one last time to Luke who sits in his chair blinking,struck silent. "I'll give you this last bit of advice, thoughfrankly, I'm giving it more for your wife and children's sake becausethey still love you and they would be destroyed if you ended up injail for Damian's murder. Run. Gather your family andrun as far and as fast as you can and don't come back. No doubtStefan has copies of the tape. He is furious enough to relish usingit to get rid of you for good. And honestly, I can't blame him." Withthat, Bobbie unlocks the door and slams out.
Defeated, Luke sags over the desk, his head in his hands. For severalminutes he sits in silence, going over and over the argument withBobbie. Picking up the phone, he makes a call. "Baby it's me. I needyou to start packing.... Just the carpet bag, Lulu and Lesley..." Hisvoice gets sharp when he hears an argument over the phone. "Laura,just do it please...." His voice softens at her intuitiveunderstanding. He swipes at his damp eyes. "Yeah, it's that bad. Iwouldn't ask this otherwise.... Yeah, Cowboy and I will meet you atthe rendevous point, 24 hours tops."