Stranded
Chapter One -- The Disappearance
"Is it done?" Sonny started at Max with black eyes, waiting to hear that his enemy was dead. "Uh, yes sir, but…" "But? But what Max? Either he's dead or he's not!" "Yes sir. But, he was dead when I got there." Sonny was stunned, "how?" "Someone pulled the respirator plug. I plugged it back in, after I made sure he was gone." "What the hell?" Sonny wracked his brain as to who would have actually killed Sorel. It only took a moment to figure it out. "OK Max. You're dismissed." Max nodded his head and left the warehouse office. Sonny sat back, shook his head and thought about Angel. "If she thinks offing the old man is going to get me in her bed…" Benny, who had just entered the office, interrupted his thoughts. "Boss, Enrique called. They need you down at the casino. I told him this was a bad time, you know, with Sorel and all." "Sorel isn't a problem anymore Benny. I'll go down tomorrow." Benny stared at him. "What Benny?" Sonny snapped. "You're not going to tell me what that meant, are you?" Benny asked. "I think you can figure it out," Sonny replied; "make my travel arrangements." "Yes sir," Benny said, watching Sonny walk out.
PCPD, the next morning (Day One)
"Come on Mac, you know Corinthos did this!"
Marcus Taggart cried in exasperation, an arrest warrant burning a hole in his
pocket. "Taggart, I know! But can we make it stick? I don't feel like
getting sued for the 100th time because we hauled him in here with no
evidence!" Taggart rubbed his hands over his face; once again, Sonny was
going to slip through their fingers. Then, his phone rang. "What?"
"Are you sure?" "Thanks." He hung up and looked at Mac
Scorpio. "Corinthos is on his way out of town. Now…why would he be
leaving?" Mac nodded his head, "go after him Taggart, and bring him
back so we can finally put him away." Taggart beamed, grabbed his jacket,
and hurried out the door.
Evening, Day Three
Benny Abrams was at the end of his rope. It had been two
days since anyone had heard from Sonny. The casino manager told him that Senor
Corinthos had gone out on his boat, and had never returned. A search had been
undertaken, but to no avail. Benny's first instinct was that someone had gotten
to Sonny, but then he started to think maybe Sonny had disappeared on purpose.
After all, he'd done it before, years earlier. But Benny wasn't about to try to
figure out what was going on in Sonny's mind; that was too daunting a task for
someone who had never really been taken into his confidence. There was only one
person who knew Sonny well enough to figure out what had really happened. Benny
took out his cell phone, and dialed.
Day Fou
"So, you don't think he did this on purpose?"
Jason Morgan shook his head, "no." "Can I ask what makes you say
that?" "Because he had no reason to want out. Sorel's dead; he has no
family with him to worry about…I really think something's wrong here."
After tracking Jason down and urging him to return to Port Charles immediately,
Benny had filled him in on recent events. How Carly betrayed Sonny to the Feds,
and how Angel Ellis killed her father Joseph Sorel. Benny commented, "of
course, the cops think Sonny did it. They're looking for him too." Jason
asked, "who? Taggart?" "Yeah. Wait a minute…" Benny placed
a call on his phone. "It's Benny. What's the word down there?" Benny
listened as their man at the PCPD filled him in. "What? Are you sure? I
don't like the sound of that!" Benny hung up and looked at Jason.
"What Benny?" "Taggart went after Sonny when he went to the
casino. They have a warrant to arrest him for Sorel. Jason…no one's heard from
Taggart either. They're both missing." "I'm going down," Jason
stated. "Take backup," Benny reminded him; "I'll make all the
arrangements." Jason nodded his head and left the warehouse office,
motioning to Johnny to follow him.
Day Two
"Is the boat ready?" Sonny asked the marina
manager. "Sí Senor Corinthos; I stocked it just as you requested, and your
fishing equipment is on board." "Great." Sonny slipped the man
$50.00 and climbed onto the boat. His bodyguard from the casino, Raul, waited on
the dock to untie the line. He asked the boss one more time, "are you sure
you don’t want me to come?" Sonny stared at him, "what, you didn't
understand me the first five times?" Raul nodded his head, indicating he
did understand, and didn't say anything further. Sonny couldn't wait to get out
on the water…he just wanted a few hours of peace and quiet, with nobody else
around. He started the yacht's motor and indicated for Raul to untie the boat.
He did, and Sonny motored away from the dock. The marina manager watched
nervously from his office, where he had made a hasty retreat. He knew full well
who Sonny Corinthos was; he owned the island after all. But when the American
policeman approached him, and explained the Mr. Corinthos was wanted for murder,
and that if he didn’t cooperate he'd be arrested for aiding and abetting a
fugitive, the man felt he had no choice. He showed Lt. Taggart where Sonny's
boat was, and watched as the officer hid himself beneath deck.
Taggart remained below until they were far enough from the
marina that no one could come to Sonny's aid. He had the warrant for Sonny's
arrest, handcuffs, and a gun. He was determined to bring Sonny back to Port
Charles…dead or alive. Sonny drove the boat through choppy waters. The sun was
out, but the feeling of heavy air weighed down on him. He only hoped the rain
would hold off long enough for some good fishing. Once far enough out, he cut
the engine, and dropped anchor. "This looks like a good spot," he
commented out loud. "Looks like a great spot for catching something,"
someone behind him chimed in. Sonny froze, recognizing Marcus Taggart's voice.
"But it ain't gonna be fish, and you ain't gonna be the one doing the
catching," Taggart added. Sonny silently chided himself for not wearing his
piece. He slowly turned around to face his nemesis. "Detective Taggart! Oh,
sorry, I mean Lt. Taggart. Hey if you wanted to go deep-sea fishing, all
you had to do was ask." Taggart smiled, and pulled the warrant from his
pocket. "I have a warrant for your arrest for the murder of Joseph Sorel.
You have the right to remain silent…" Sonny burst into laughter; he was
constantly amazed at how inept the cops were. Taggart got angry. "Don’t
you laugh at me boy!" Sonny stopped laughing; Taggart sounded just like
Deke…too much like Deke. "Turn around and lean on the railing,"
Taggart instructed. Sonny glared at him, "why don't you make me…boy?"
Taggart took out his gun. "Hey man, I have no problem telling everyone that
you resisted arrest…left me no choice but to shoot you. I'll haul your
lifeless, worthless hide back to Port Charles, if that's how you want to play
it." Sonny assessed his options, which were clearly limited.
Neither man noticed that the weather had quickly turned. A strong wind was blowing, and the rain had started to fall. As Sonny pondered his next move, Taggart finally realized the boat was moving up and down quite a bit. "What the hell?" He looked around. Sonny felt the rain on his face, and looked around as well. "I've got to turn the boat around and go back," he stated. Taggart nodded his head, but cocked his gun. "Don't try anything funny Corinthos." Sonny ignored him, and set about mechanically raising the anchor and starting the engine. When the engine didn't turn over, his heart clenched. "Fuck!" Taggart walked closer, "what?" "Something's wrong with the engine." "Don't mess with me Corinthos! I'm not in the mood!" Sonny looked at him incredulously, "do you think I want to be stuck out here with you? Use your brain, if you have one…detective!" The wake was steadily increasing, and the rain was falling more heavily now. Sonny had already decided to go back with Taggart peaceably. He knew there was nothing tying him to Sorel's murder, so he'd just endure the inconvenience of the police spinning their wheels, and then he'd sue the pants off them for harassment. "Let me try," Taggart said, pushing Sonny out of the way. "Whatever!" Sonny commented. Taggart tried several times, but couldn't get the engine to turn over. He turned back to Sonny, "well? Fix it!" Sonny laughed, "do I look like a mechanic to you?" "No, you look like a low-down, murderous thug! Now fix that damn engine!" Before Sonny could give another smart retort, a large wave hit the boat, and Sonny Corinthos and Marcus Taggart were swept into the ocean.