Work Text:
The Devil Within
Summary: Michael kills Drew. It leads to some questions for those closest to him.
"And you really don't know why he would've done it?" Anna asked Josslyn Jacks, sliding the water over to her.
Josslyn shook her head. "No. As far as I know, Drew and Michael got along well and Drew was always good to me. I mean, he was Oscar's father." She said shakily, unable to keep her hands still. "And he always made conversation with me when I went into the Quartermaine house to watch Leo for Ned and Olivia."
Anna leaned forward. "Did you ever watch Drew and Michael's interactions while living above the garage?"
The blonde shook her head. "Not too often." She admitted. "We lived on the same property, but I'm often busy with college and hanging out with Dex, Trina, or Gio or helping out at Bobbie's. Going running, boating, visiting my mom and sisters. Um...although...there was the time that Drew came to the gatehouse when I was watching Wiley and Amelia. He seemed disappointed that it was me there instead of Willow." She looked up at the older woman with a frown marring her features. "It's probably a dumb thing to bring up, but...I don't know. It felt weird."
The detective frowned at that. "Weird how?" She inquired curiously.
Josslyn swallowed. "Well, Wiley wasn't happy to see him. He got kind of...snappy when he saw Drew and he didn't calm down until I'd gotten Drew to go away. I tried asking what was wrong and what had made him so upset, but he didn't tell me. He just...started crying."
Anna's brows furrowed. "That's strange."
"It is." The blonde laughed uneasily. "I mean, I've never seen that from Wiley before. Not even when Willow was sick."
Anna nodded. "Okay, well, thank you for coming in and talking to me. You've been more helpful than you know. I'll call you if I need to talk to you again."
Josslyn stood up. "Just...I want to know why Michael did this too. It doesn't really fall in line with the Michael that I know." With that, she brushed past the brunette and out of the interrogation room, practically falling into Dex's arms.
Anna stared at the parting couple and then down at the notes she'd jotted down, wondering what it was that had Wiley so upset upon seeing Drew.
_______
Josslyn curled up with Dex on the couch in his apartment, her head resting on his chest as tears streamed down her face. "God, it's all so messed up." She murmured softly, voice cracking. "I don't know why Michael did what he did and I don't want to go and ask him."
Dex frowned, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and rubbing her back soothingly. "I don't know why he did it either. I'd have never guessed that he'd do something like that."
"Especially not Jason's twin brother and my first boyfriend's father. And what about poor Scout? She just lost her mother."
Her boyfriend swallowed hard. "I forgot that he was Oscar's father."
Josslyn sighed. "They were only in each other's lives for a a little over a year, you know. He was coming for a dinner at my house and his mother showed up and she saw Jason. He looked how Drew did before he got the surgeries. She'd never really told Oscar about his dad, so I stole a glass that Drew had used and we compared that against Oscar's DNA. It confirmed that they were father and son and they formed this really great relationship. And now my brother killed him." Her voice broke and tears sprung from her eyes.
Dex hugged her tighter, cursing Michael in his head for the pain he'd caused his little sister for some unfathomable reason.
_______
Michael couldn't believe he'd done it. He'd killed Drew. Of course, he'd killed before. Claudia Zacchara, when she'd been ready to kidnap his baby sister. Then though, he hadn't really been thinking through. He'd just grabbed the first thing he'd seen to stop the woman from taking off with Josslyn.
Tonight though, he'd killed Drew while in his right mind. He'd known what he was doing when he stole the pills from the hospital. He'd known what he was doing when he'd spiked Drew's evening cocktail with them. It had been purposeful. He had to get out of the room and back to the gatehouse before anyone walked in and found him here. With that, he stood up and walked out of the playroom. He was in such a rush that he didn't notice Leo peeking out from his bedroom curiously. He didn't realize that this would end up being his downfall.
______
"Sorry that you had to be brought in here." Anna said apologetically, walking over to the table and placing a can of soda in front of Danny.
"It's okay." Danny murmured, staring down at the table.
Anna licked her lips and opened up her notebook. "So, I understand that you're the one who found Drew."
The teenage boy nodded. "Scout wanted me to color with her. She'd gone to get a snack from the kitchen, so I went to the playroom first. I found Drew on the floor. At first I thought he may have been sleeping, but he wouldn't wake up no matter how much I shook him. I got out of there and told Scout that we should color outside instead. That I'd bring crayons and paper. And then I told Brook Lynn what I saw and she told Chase, who went to see while she called it in."
"You did a good thing, you know? Distracting Scout, making sure that she didn't see her father like that."
"Well she's my baby sister. It's my job to protect her. When we lost our mother, I promised to do that. She already has nightmares because of what happened to mom. I don't want it to get even worse." He pulled his legs up into the chair, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his head in them.
Anna smiled sadly. "Sam would be proud of you." She answered him.
"Are...are you going to have to question Leo?" Danny questioned worriedly, looking up to meet Anna's eyes.
Anna froze. "Why would I question Leo?" She wondered.
The boy looked at her strangely. "Because he was the one who saw Michael leave the playroom right before I found Drew. He told me this."
She swallowed back the lump in her throat, thinking back to the questioning that had been done in the Quartermaine home when the body was first found. Brook Lynn had claimed that she was the one who'd seen Michael leave the room. Obviously she'd lied to protect her younger brother. "I'm hoping it won't have to come to that." She finally managed to get out, giving Danny what she hoped was a reassuring look.
Danny nodded at her answer. "Okay. That's good." He said, sounding relieved and even more like an older brother, a role that he obviously understood well.
Anna stood up then. "Well, you can go then. I'm pretty sure your dad has to be wondering about you. She watched as Danny shot out of the room after answering her questions, leaning into Jason as soon as he was close enough. Jason looked through the window at her and nodded his head before turning to leave with his son. She wondered how he was handling all of this. His twin brother being murdered by his nephew and his son having to be questioned after finding the body. She was sure it would destroy most people, but Jason seemed to be standing strong. At least enough to take care of his son. She shook thoughts of Jason from her mind and tapped her pen against her notebook. She already knew that Michael had killed Drew, he'd admitted as much. However, the question of why he'd done it still lingered. He hadn't answered upon being asked. "What caused you to do this?" She whispered to herself, brows knitting together. She looked at the next name on the list of who she needed to question, wondering what would come to light from this particular person.
____
Carly Spencer sat in the chair across the table from Anna, seeming more at ease than her daughter or Danny had been. Though, Anna couldn't help but think wryly, that wasn't to shocking. Carly had more experience being interrogated than either Danny or Josslyn. She clearly knew how to play it cool under pressure, even when it involved one of her kids.
"I'm going to get straight to the point." Anna said, leaning forward a bit. "Did Michael have any reason to not like Drew."
The blonde woman smiled a bit and shook her head. "Really?" She scoffed. "That's the question you choose to ask?"
"I'll take that as a yes." Anna said, not letting Carly get to her as she wrote information down in her notebook.
Carly laughed. "Listen, are you absolutely sure that you have the right person? The PCPD doesn't exactly have the best track record.
Anna's jaw clenched a bit in annoyance at that. "Leo Quartermaine saw Michael leaving the room. Shortly after that, Danny Morgan walked in and found Drew's dead body, so yeah. I'd say that I'm pretty sure."
At that, the smile fell from Carly's lips and she looked away for a moment. "Did you know that Jason beat Drew up over a month ago? He wouldn't explain exactly why, but I know that it must've been something bad, because Jason usually doesn't lose it like that."
Anna thought back to what Josslyn had said about Wiley being angry when he'd seen Drew at the door to the gatehouse, how he'd been crying after the man had left. How Drew had seemed disappointed at Willow not being there. Her mind began connecting thse things, painting a bit of a picture. It was clear that she had to talk to Willow next, to try to get a clearer picture.
_____
It was nine the next morning when Anna was back in the interrogation room, this time with Willow. She allowed herself to observe the younger woman for a couple of minutes, taking in the dark circles under her eyes, the way her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the baggy sweatshirt that she wore. It was clear that Willow had had a sleepless night. It made her feel a bit bad that she had to call her down here, but she had to remind herself that she was just doing her job. "Thank you for coming to meet me."
Willow barely looked up, eyes fixated on her hands that were in her lap. "I mean, it's not like I had much of a choice." She whispered.
Anna winced at that. She wasn't exactly wrong. "Right, well, still. Thank you. I know that this isn't easy. I'll just ask. Did you know that your son apparently got really upset one day when Drew knocked on your door while Josslyn was babysitting?"
A head lifted and a pale face became even paler, blue eyes wide and startled. "No. Joss...she never told me that."
"I'm sure she may have just assumed Wiley was having an off day." The older woman assured, watching Willow carefully.
A shaky breath escaped Willow's lips and she blinked back tears. "I didn't even know that Wiley realized." She finally said.
"Realized what? What is it that your son realized, Willow?"
It took a few moments for her to answer, "That...that something was happening between Drew and I." She confessed. "We kissed for the first time during the Quartermaines' fourth of July party. We both said it couldn't happen again, but...but it did. I asked him to leave me alone, but he kept pursuing me and we ended up kissing a second time. The night that Sam MCcall died was the first time Drew and I slept together. In the playroom. Oh my god! Does that mean I'm the reason Michael killed Drew? I'm the reason Scout lost her father and my kids' dad is going to be in prison?" She sounded panicked, her breath catching in her throat as tears spilled down her cheeks even more.
Anna walked the short distance to get a bottle of water and then sat back down, grabbing Willow's hand, squeezing it. "Hey, Willow? I need you to calm down, okay?" She asked, twisting the cap off of the water and handing the bottle to her. "Take a few small sips of water."
Willow's breathing calmed a bit and she did as asked. "But it's true, isn't it? Even where Drew was killed had to do with me."
Of course she was right. Anna now had the motive for why Michael had done what he did, but she was also wrong. Michael was a grown man and had made his own decisions, not thinking of how it would affect his family or about the little girl who'd already lost one parent.
"Is there anyone that I can call to take you home?" Anna asked Willow worriedly. It was clear that there was no way she could get home on her own.
"Um...my mother." Willow said, sinking into her seat, arms wrapping around herself.
Anna nodded and went to make the call.
____
Michael laid on his uncomfortable cot in the jail cell, looking up at the ceiling. He wondered if those closest to him had figured out why he'd done what he had yet, if Anna had. He knew that she was questioning them. His mother had said as much when she'd come to see him after her own interrogation. Then, she'd begged him to tell her why he'd done such a thing. What had made him do it. They were questions that he'd refused to answer. His mother would find out soon, if she hadn't already.
Josslyn had apparently already been interrogated, but she hadn't come to see him. he knew from Dante who'd witnessed it that Josslyn had left with Dex as soon as she was done, clearly in tears. Dante had been angry at him, his voice shaking with it as he brought up Scout and what she'd already lost. Even with the knowledge of why Michael had done what he had, he doubted that his older brother or Josslyn's hurt and anger would lessen.
He wondered how the rest of the Quartermaines were handling the news. Were they shocked by it? Was his grandmother, Monica disappointed? Had Ned figured it out? Had Jason told anyone about the video that he'd shown him over a month ago? He knew he hadn't told Carly anything when she'd asked why he'd beaten up Drew, but had he now? And what about his kids? He hadn't thought of them once when he'd decided to what he had to Drew.
As horrible as it was, he couldn't regret it. He'd known exactly what he was doing and could've stopped at any time. He'd chosen not to, though and he was ready to face whatever consequences that fell upon him now.
____
It was around a few weeks later that Michael was going to trial. A rather rushed process of the law beyond Anna, wanting someone close to Sonny and the mob to finally pay. Anna had talked to Jason in that time and found out that he'd known about Willow and Drew from Michael and that was the reason why he'd beaten Drew up. That Sasha and Cody both knew too, Sasha having witnessed the first kiss between them and being told about the second and Cody knowing from her. She'd discovered that Tracy and Ned both knew about Willow and Drew as well, but they'd all seemed shocked by the actions that Michael had eventually taken.
Anna couldn't help but wonder who all would be there. According to Dex, Dante, and Chase, Josslyn was refusing to go. So was Brook Lynn. She knew that Sonny, Carly, and Jason were a sure bet, but Dante didn't seem to know if he wanted to attend and hear in Michael's own words why he'd committed the crime that he had or not. She supposed that she couldn't exactly blame him for his hesitation.
Steadying herself, she walked into the court room and took a seat, looking on the other side where Carly sat between Sonny and Jason, hands twisting a tissue in her hands, eyes red rimmed already. On Jason's other side sat Danny, who was sitting straight ahead, already glaring at where Michael would sit. It caused Anna's heart to ache as she recalled the protectiveness in his tone as he'd talked about his little sister. She should've figured he'd want to be here for her.
Behind the four of them sat Willow, looking worse than she had the day that Anna had interrogated her, though she wore a nice dress and had pinned back her hair. Next to Willow sat Monica, looking older than Anna could ever remember seeing her with Chase on the other side. Kristina was also there, chewing her lip nervously as she looked around the room. Anna wondered if she was taking note of who wasn't there.
The door at the front of the room opened and Michael walked in with his lawyer, Diane and the guards on either side of him. Michael took a seat at the long table in front with Diane, not looking at anyone as he did so. On the other side of the room, the prosecutor sauntered in. Anna thought that she'd met him once before. She knew that he was a lawyer from the next town over. This case had almost been assigned to Molly, but from what Anna knew, she'd refused it, claiming she was too close to the people involved.
That was when the judge walked in and took a seat. From the heated whispers between Sonny, Carly, and Jason, she knew that they'd already come to the same conclusion as she had: This wasn't going to end well for Michael.